Ye Qing agreed at once. He was pretty bored anyway, so he might as well watch some battles.
The Grass-type Gym's battle area was an enormous artificial scenic park.
Scattered woods stood on either side of the battle ring, with a winding stream running through them. Only the land in the middle was flat.
Number 11 took out a number ticket and said, "Here's your number. Challenges proceed in order, so you can take your turn when your number is called."
"Thank you."
Ye Qing nodded, then turned and walked toward the spectator stands.
Dozens of people were already seated in the stands, but most had come to watch the matches. They weren't all Trainers.
Ye Qing found an empty seat at random and sat down to watch the ongoing match, hoping to pick up something about the Gym Leader's battling style.
After several battles, Ye Qing still hadn't figured out the Gym Leader's style. He only felt that the man was very casual and wasn't deliberately making things difficult for the challengers.
Just then, the referee called, "Challengers 53 and 54, please come up."
Ye Qing glanced at his number and found that his had just been called.
His partner was a girl around his age, with thin lips and a classic oval face. Her eyelids and other areas had clearly been surgically altered.
Overall, her face was full of cosmetic work, and she somehow gave off the impression of being spoiled and willful.
Wasn't this...
The more Ye Qing studied her, the more something seemed wrong. Weren't she, the woman in the advertisement, and the woman on the Gogoat all the same person?
"Hello, what should I call you? My Pokémon is an Infernape. What's yours?"
Shaking his head to clear away those stray thoughts, Ye Qing extended