Time soon rolled around to Monday, February 9.
It was once again the day for students to challenge the Gym.
Today, however, pitifully few students set out from Mesagoza for Cabo Poco.
The reason was simple...
An explosion of unknown origin had destroyed a section of Poco Path, the only route to Cabo Poco. Rubble had completely blocked the road, and clearing it would take some time.
The students suspected that powerful wild Pokémon had fought a fierce battle there.
Still, that did not seem to be an entirely bad thing.
The Houndour family that had lived deep along Poco Path, occasionally emerging to terrorize newcomers, seemed to have fled the area overnight because of that battle.
Although clearing the road might take a few days, at least students traveling to Cabo Poco would no longer have to run from Houndour.
Besides, for students in Paldea, the lack of a road was hardly a problem.
If there was no path, they could just make one!
As one of the Paldea Region's undisputed favorites, Cyclizar served as transportation for most students. Even if they could not scale walls like in the game, climbing the nearby slopes was easy enough.
Some students even had flying mounts, the ultimate travel companions, so getting to Cabo Poco was no problem at all.
Yet when the students reached Cabo Poco by every means imaginable, eager for a heavyweight showdown with Teacher Yu...
The note posted on the Gym doors soon shattered their dreams.
[Teacher Yu has gone out to save the world, so this week's Gym assessment will be-self-study!
Of course, you can still challenge the Pokémon that live at the Gym. Trainers who earn their approval can receive a Gym Badge too~]
"..."
Faced with this utterly ridiculous excuse, the students fell silent.
"Teacher