Paldea Region, Glaseado Mountain.
The snow-covered mountains stretching across northern Paldea created a uniquely frigid environment, home to countless Ice-type Pokémon.
The highest peak of Glaseado Mountain offered a view across the bottomless depths of Area Zero and out over the entire Paldea Region, earning it a place among the "Ten Scenic Spots of Paldea."
Few tourists ever ventured there, though.
The reason was simple: nature followed the most basic rules of survival.
The more hospitable a habitat was for Pokémon, the weaker the nearby populations generally were; the harder it was to survive somewhere, the stronger the Pokémon that managed to live there tended to be.
Covered in ice and snow year-round, with nothing but white as far as the eye could see, Glaseado Mountain was one of the harshest environments in Paldea.
As a result, the Pokémon living nearby, such as Cetoddle, Froslass, Beartic, and even Baxcalibur, generally possessed strength rivaling that of an Ace Trainer. Even if they meant no harm, a casual prank from them could be more than an ordinary person could handle.
That was why the League had specifically established the Glaseado Mountain Gym amid this frozen wilderness. Besides testing rookie Trainers' resolve, it also meant help would be close at hand if something happened.
Just last year, the Glaseado Mountain Gym had welcomed a young new Gym Leader, Grusha.
Having displayed talent from childhood and grown stronger at an astonishing pace, he was regarded by many key figures in the League as a standard-bearer for the next generation of Trainers.
Recently, however, the young Grusha had developed a few concerns.
The reason was much the same as that of Iono, another member of the young Gym Leader "starter trio."
Glaseado Mountain Gym.
"..."
After a Gym Challenge ended, Grusha stared straight at