After retrieving their Pokémon, the three of them left the Pokémon Center.
As they walked along the central avenue, Sonia pointed toward the most eye-catching building at the end of the road and smiled at Yuri.
"The day after tomorrow, the opening ceremony for this year's Gym Challenge will be held there. Marie will take you to register in a bit. As for me, I'm heading to the boutique. If anything comes up, just give me a call."
She made a phone-call gesture, but just as she was about to leave, Marie called out.
"Want to grab dinner together later?"
"Sure! I'll wait for you two at Budew Drop Inn?"
"Budew Drop Inn? What's that?"
Yuri tugged at Marie's sleeve, curious.
"That's the hotel the League provides for challengers. Once you've registered, you can stay there for free."
"Whoa, seriously?! That's amazing!"
"Alright then, I'll leave you two to it. See you later!"
Sonia waved, gave a few parting words to Eevee and the others, then strolled off toward the clothing store alone.
After saying goodbye to Sonia, Marie led Yuri straight to the registration site.
"Hey hey hey! Marie! That Pokémon over there is so cute! What is it?"
"Hmm?"
Following the direction Yuri was pointing, Marie spotted a Trainer walking past with a Bounsweet.
"That's Bounsweet. It's a Grass-type. Once it evolves, it can hit hard and has decent all-around stats."
"So cute! I want to raise one too!"
Clinging to Marie's arm, Yuri had entered one of her familiar "I-want-that-cute-Pokémon" moods again.
Ever since their trek across the Wild Area, Yuri would get like this every time they encountered an adorable Pokémon. But not once had she actually tried to catch one, so Marie had long since learned to ignore these little episodes.
"Yeah, yeah. Let's get you registered first. If you really want one, I'll take you back to the Wild Area and help you catch a Steenee."
Marie gently tugged Yuri's wrist, gave a polite apologetic wave to the Bounsweet's Trainer, then led Yuri away.
They strolled along the main street until they finally reached the massive, steampunk-style elevator in front of Motostoke Stadium just before dinner.
"It's huge..."
"Well, it's the Fire-type Gym after all. None of the stadiums are exactly small."
Several League staff members stood at the entrance managing the crowd. There were not only hopeful challengers, but also plenty of curious spectators.
Given how packed the area was, Marie recalled Dragapult back into its Poké Ball.
That was the downside of having large Pokémon. In crowded urban areas, it was always easier to have them rest in their balls.
As for Eevee, she had basically become Ralts's babysitter. The two of them got along surprisingly well, so Marie let them be.
The girls pushed through the crowd and stepped inside the stadium.
Ignoring the uniformed challengers milling around, they headed straight for the registration counter.
"Good evening! Are you two here to sign up for this year's Gym Challenge?"
"Yeah, here's my invitation."
"Ah, mine too... Just a sec..."
Marie handed over the invitation letter from her brother without hesitation, while Yuri fumbled through her bag, head down, until she finally pulled out the Champion's recommendation letter.
"Let me see... This one's a Gym Leader endorsement... and this... Oh! A Champion's recommendation? This is my first time seeing one in person! Young lady, looks like Leon has high hopes for you!"
The staff member was briefly stunned, reacting as if she had stumbled upon some rare artifact. She quickly collected herself and continued processing their registrations.
"All set. Now, you can each choose a number for your uniform. This number will be printed on the back of your competition jersey."
"960. That's my number."
Marie didn't think too hard about it. The number had been chosen by some folks back in her hometown. It probably had some meaning... though she couldn't quite remember what anymore.
"Hmm... then I'll go with 069!"
"..."
Marie glanced over at Yuri, who scratched her cheek sheepishly and gave an awkward laugh.
"Alright, your numbers are registered. The day after tomorrow, your uniforms will be distributed here before the opening ceremony. Until then, you're welcome to stay for free at the Budew Drop Inn, courtesy of Chairman Rose."
"Thanks so much!"
"Yes, thank you."
With their registration complete, the girls politely declined the offer of an escort and made their way toward the inn, stomachs already rumbling with hunger.
As they walked, Marie noticed Yuri had her head down, tapping away at her phone, and asked curiously:
"What are you doing?"
"Hehe, just messaging Hop. I told him the opening ceremony schedule and asked when he'll be arriving."
"And?"
"Looks like he'll be here by noon tomorrow."
"I see. Are you going to battle him?"
"Battle?"
"Yeah. Didn't Sonia say you two are supposed to be rivals? And your Sobble's been training really hard these past few days."
"Uh... Hop will probably challenge me on his own even if I don't say anything."
"That's not a bad thing then."
Marie stopped in front of a building and pointed to the green sign above.
"We're here."
The girls pushed open the doors of the Budew Drop Inn, where a towering statue of the Hero of Galar stood in the lobby. Below it, Sonia was gazing up at the sculpture, seemingly deep in thought.
But what surprised Marie more was the man standing next to her.
Dressed in an eye-catching punk-rock style, with bold black-and-white dyed hair, was a figure very familiar to her.
"Sonia!"
"Big Brother? What are you doing here?"
"Huh?"
Yuri, who had just greeted Sonia, froze in place when she heard Marie call the man "Big Brother." She looked back and forth between the two in disbelief.
"How've you been, Marie?"
"Same as always. Got a new teammate though. But why are you at the challengers' hotel?"
Scratching his head, the young man explained with a hint of embarrassment.
"I ran into Sonia on the way here. She said you just got into town, so she dragged me along."
Meanwhile, Yuri tugged at Sonia's sleeve, curious.
"I think I know that guy..."
"Yup, you're right. Marie's big brother is Piers, the Gym Leader of Spikemuth."
"What?!"
Marie heard their exchange but was far more interested in the bag her brother was carrying. She eyed it closely, a bit suspicious.
"You didn't come all the way here just to see me, did you?"
"Of course not. I brought you a gift."
He patted the bag on his back, a rare smile tugging at his lips.
"A gift?"
"Yeah. A little something to celebrate your official entry into the Gym Challenge."
With that, Piers unzipped the bag and pulled out an incubator carefully housing a Pokémon Egg.
"...What kind of Pokémon is it?"
"Wouldn't it be more fun as a surprise?"
Marie sighed, a bit exasperated, but still reached out and took the egg from him, studying it for a moment.
"It's a Dark-type, isn't it?"
"Maybe... but I promise it'll be a great fit for you."
"I see."
Marie gently cradled the egg in her arms, then looked up at her brother with a rare, warm smile.
"Thank you, Big Brother. I'll take good care of it."