Xiao Ran no longer cared whether she had taken his words to heart.
He had done what he could; the rest was up to fate. Ultimately, she had to walk her own path, and there was only so much he could do.
The assessments continued. Next up was a boy whose starter Pokémon was a Cyndaquil.
Some Gym disciples also came from families directly affiliated with the Alliance. Once their admission to a Gym was confirmed, they could likewise receive a starter Pokémon.
After all, Gyms were also responsible for breeding starter Pokémon of their respective types, so naturally, they had some authority to distribute them.
"Go, Cyndaquil! Use Quick Attack!" As soon as the battle began, the boy opposite him shouted, brimming with fighting spirit.
Compared with Jing Ye earlier, this boy was far more enthusiastic. He showed no sign of feeling inferior because he had failed to get into Pokémon University.
After all, Pokémon University required well-rounded development, with academic and theoretical grades carrying considerable weight. Gyms were different: their students only needed to focus on their strength as Pokémon Trainers.
"Ponyta, Flame Charge!" Xiao Ran nodded, issuing instructions to Ponyta while scoring the boy on his form and recording the battle.
Unlike Vulpix, Cyndaquil's Ability was Blaze rather than Flash Fire. That meant Fire-type moves could still hurt Cyndaquil, though its natural resistance was relatively high.
On top of that, Flame Charge was stronger than Quick Attack to begin with. Cyndaquil gained no advantage in this exchange and instead took a fairly heavy hit.
"Don't be scared, Cyndaquil! Curl up and use Defense Curl!" This momentary setback failed to shake the boy's confidence, and he continued thinking of ways to win.
Defense Curl was a support move that could raise Cyndaquil's defense to a certain extent. The