After leaving the Gym, the group first went to the local Pokémon Center, left their luggage in their rooms, then headed out again to stroll around Icirrus City.
But honestly, there wasn't really much to see.
Apart from the scenery being genuinely different, the shopping malls were all much the same, and perhaps even the food barely differed from elsewhere.
This was a common problem in modern cities. As cities continued to develop, the things that originally gave them their local character instead grew fewer and fewer.
They wandered around for over two hours, had lunch at a restaurant, then bought some little Ice-type Pokémon trinkets as gifts at a few small shops before returning to the Pokémon Center.
They had barely been back inside when Xia You received a call from that staff member.
"Gym Leader Brycen is back already? Understood. I'll be right over."
After hanging up, Xia You glanced at the others beside him.
After walking around for so long, all three women were tired and were each resting. Seeing this, Xia You left them there, planning to head to the Icirrus Gym alone.
Neither Cheryl nor Dawn had any objections, but unexpectedly, Makomo stood up just then.
"I'll come with you."
"Oh?" Xia You was a little surprised. "Aren't you going to organize your things?"
"I've already finished everything that needed organizing. I can finally take a break for the next few days."
"Then wouldn't you like to rest a little longer? You must be tired after all that shopping too, right?"
"No need." Makomo waved her hand again. "I don't have anything to do anyway. I might as well go with you for your Gym challenge. Maybe I can offer you some pointers and suggestions from a spectator's perspective!"
Well, she had convinced Xia You.