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 still felt unusual. Its streets were open, its shops crowded, and the RPA building stood in plain sight instead of behind the secrecy that had once surrounded Sevestar.

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 passed through wide doors beneath signs for medicines, training gear, books, travel services, and League registration, all gathered beneath the same roof.

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

"Your father presides over the RPA," Aurora said as she walked beside him. "He doesn't run every shop himself, but a lot of regional work passes through this building."

Alice watched the guards near the entrance first, following their routes and checking where they could see before finally glancing at the signs. "It feels like a department store and a government office put together."

Aurora gave a small smile. "That's fairly close. Sevestar needed shops, research, League services, and other public offices in a hurry. Putting many of them together made things easier."

Serena leaned toward a display case filled with colorful stickers shaped like tiny crests. "Are those badges?"

"Not Gym Badges," Aurora said. "Those stickers show which floors someone can enter. The public areas sell ordinary supplies, but some floors contain restricted equipment, League materials, or training facilities. You need the right clearance for those, usually through a test or official need."

Ash frowned. "So we can't just explore the whole building?"

"No," Aurora said at once. "And after Aether Paradise, I'm not making exceptions."

Lillie's gaze dropped. Gladion shifted half a step closer to her without saying anything. When one of the entrance doors shut with a heavy click behind them, Lillie's shoulders tightened, and Gladion glanced back at it before checking the corridor ahead. Ash's hand tightened around his bag strap as he remembered how late the adults had reached them.

Aurora noticed and lowered her voice. "The library floor is public. We'll start there."

Ash's attention snapped back to her. "The library has the Gym too, right?"

"Yes. Dr. Jekyll runs it," Aurora said. "His battlefield is inside the public library wing, behind soundproof glass. He likes challengers to think before they start throwing attacks around."

Serena blinked. "A Gym in a library still sounds weird."

"It sounds nice," Lillie said quietly.

Everyone looked at her, and she immediately turned pink. "I just mean... libraries are quiet. I like quiet places."

Gladion's expression softened slightly. "Then let's go there first."

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 overlooked a battlefield below. People read at tables above as trainers battled beneath them without disturbing a single page. Ash could hear only the faint thump of attacks through the glass and the softer rustle of turning pages.

Lillie slowed beside one of the windows and let her shoulders loosen. Gladion checked the exits once before looking toward the battlefield, while Serena watched readers continue with their books even as flashes of attacks lit the glass below.