1. Ash's Story (Part 10: Galar)

Chapter 59: Wings Over Glaglider

The Wild Area winds carried us toward Glaglider with a clean, steady push at our backs. After the clear sky of the Flying Job and the heavy fog at Lake of Outrage, the air around this city felt like a bridge between both lessons.

Glaglider rose around tall landing towers and open platforms. Wind ribbons snapped from rooftops, and Corviknight shadows passed over the streets as Flying Taxis descended toward the station. The buildings were lower near the landing lanes, as if the whole city had learned not to crowd the sky.

The station caught our attention before the stadium did. Corviknight rested under awnings while attendants checked their feathers, harnesses, and talons. Some drank water from broad troughs. Others lowered their heads while workers brushed grit from their wings.

A board beside the station listed rest intervals, weather checks, and partner rotation times. No Corviknight was sent out again until the attendant marked both Pokémon and driver as ready.

Alice watched one Corviknight settle beside its driver. "They are treated like partners, not machines."

"That probably says a lot about Glen," I said.

A station worker overheard and smiled. "The Gym Leader insists on it. The Taxi service only works because Corviknight trust the people sending them into the sky."

Pikachu leaned forward on my shoulder, ears lifting in the wind, "Flying safely means landing kindly too."

"Good way to put it," I said.

One taxi landed while we watched, its driver giving Corviknight a soft command instead of pulling the harness. Corviknight lowered itself first, then folded one wing so an older passenger could step down without being rushed. The worker checked the passenger before checking the schedule, and that order told me plenty.

Glen's name appeared on a small safety notice beside the boarding gate. It was not a statue or a dramatic poster, only a reminder that flights could be delayed if a Corviknight needed rest. The notice said the sky did not become safer because people grew impatient.

"That sounds strict," Gloria said.

"It sounds fair," Alice replied. "A Flying Gym Leader who runs this would care about control more than showing off."

I looked at the resting Corviknight and thought of our own partner. Corviknight had carried us through storms, battles, cargo lanes, and bad visibility. I understood why Glen's city built its trust around them. A taxi ride felt simple to the passenger only because everyone else treated the details seriously.

Before we moved toward the stadium, Alice opened Glen's League Card. The card showed him standing beside a Corviknight Taxi platform, not a battlefield. It described him as the owner and innovator behind Galar's Flying Taxi service, as well as Glaglider's Flying-type Gym Leader.

Glen's work connected aerial travel, public safety, and Flying-type training. His Gym was famous for testing whether challengers could read air currents instead of only fighting above them.

"That makes sense after MCA Cargo," Gloria said. "Flying is not just freedom. It is responsibility when someone else is counting on your wings."

Alice closed the card with a focused nod. "Then his Gym will not only test attacks."

"No," I said. "It will test whether you can move through the sky without letting it rush you."

The wind shifted across the station, and Alice looked toward the stadium. She smiled, steady and eager.

"Then I should go learn what his sky asks."

The Glaglider Stadium lobby was open and bright, with blue banners hanging from high beams. The staff welcomed Alice at the counter and directed her toward the changing room.