1. Ash's Story (Part 0: Prologue)

Chapter 6: The Library Gym

Silkan City rose north of Atem Town in bright terraces, glass bridges, and white stone roads that caught the morning sun. Ash had seen cities in Kanto and Alola, but Silkan felt different because every street seemed built from Sevestar's promise that hiding would not last forever.

The RPA Company building stood at the heart of the city, taller than the surrounding shops and crowned with the crest of the Royal Pokémon Association. People entered through wide doors beneath banners advertising medicines, training gear, books, travel services, and League registration offices all under one roof.

Ash stopped in front of the doors and tilted his head back until the top of the building disappeared against the sky. "Dad really works here?"

"Your father presides over the RPA," Aurora said, walking beside him. "He does not run every shop personally, but many of the region's systems answer to this building."

Alice studied the guards near the entrance, noticing their hands, routes, and blind spots before she looked at the signs. "It feels like a department store and a government office at the same time."

"That is one way to describe it," Aurora said with a faint smile. "Sevestar needed trade, services, research, and League support quickly. The RPA became the place where those things met."

Serena leaned closer to a display case showing colorful stickers shaped like tiny crests. "Are those badges?"

"Not exactly," Aurora answered. "RPA stickers show which floors people are allowed to enter. Some areas sell ordinary supplies, but others handle restricted equipment, League materials, or training resources. Access is earned through tests or official need."

Ash frowned. "So we cannot just go anywhere?"

"No," Aurora said, and her tone made it clear the answer would not change. "Especially not after what happened at Aether Paradise."

Lillie lowered her eyes at the mention of Aether, and Gladion moved half a step closer to her. The Aether disaster still followed them in quiet ways: Lillie flinched when doors sealed too loudly, Gladion watched every corridor, and Ash carried another memory of adults arriving too late.

Aurora noticed the shift and softened her voice. "The library floor is open to everyone. That is where we are going first."

Ash brightened immediately. "The library has the Gym too, right?"

"Yes," Aurora said. "Dr. Jekyll believes a Gym should train judgment as much as strength. His battlefield is inside the public library wing, behind sound-proof glass."

Serena looked surprised. "A Gym in a library sounds strange."

"It sounds perfect," Lillie said quietly.

Everyone looked at her, and she blushed. "I only mean libraries are quiet. Quiet places feel safer."

Gladion's guarded expression eased for a moment. "Then we should start there."

The library floor smelled of paper, polished wood, and clean stone. Tall shelves curved around open reading areas, while glass walls at the far end revealed a battlefield below the main level. People read at tables above while trainers battled beneath them without disturbing a single page.

Ash forgot to walk carefully the moment he saw the shelves. Books on regional myths filled one wall, with sections for Kanto legends, Johto towers, Hoenn weather myths, Sinnoh creation stories, Unova dragons, Kalos war records, and Sevestar folklore still being catalogued.

"Ash," Alice warned as he drifted away from the group.

"I am just looking," Ash said, already looking at five different shelves.