"Huh?"
Nemona froze in place.
Only when Qingyu announced the result did she realize what had happened.
Mr. Qingyu and his Eevee hadn't made a single proper attack throughout the battle, yet they had won effortlessly with just two moves.
He hadn't just gone easy on her-he'd practically given her an ocean of leeway...
Clearly, this had nothing to do with the Pokémon's strength. It was a complete mismatch in their abilities as Trainers!
Had mistakes in her commands caused Pawmi to waste almost all its stamina?
Nemona didn't know.
She didn't even know how she'd lost...
Yet that only made her more excited.
This feeling was just...
"Amazing! You're incredible, Mr. Qingyu!"
"Can we battle again? I'll definitely last longer this time!"
Stars sparkled in Nemona's eyes as she blinked up at Qingyu. He had just breathed a sigh of relief, but her stare made him feel a little uneasy.
"Nemona, Pawmi and Eevee are both exhausted. A Trainer can't just do whatever they want."
Qingyu shook his head and pointed at Pawmi, who lay on the battlefield.
So her habit of getting carried away whenever she battled had already started by now?
"Ah! Pawmi, I'm sorry!!!"
Only after Qingyu reminded her did Nemona remember that her Pokémon was unable to battle. She immediately panicked.
Mr. Qingyu had repeatedly stressed how important it was to put her Pokémon first, yet she had still forgotten.
"I'll take you to the Pokémon Center right away!"
"There's no need. Your Pawmi isn't injured at all. It just ran out of stamina."
Qingyu smiled helplessly and reached out to stop her from returning Pawmi to its ball.
"We have Revives here at the gym. Give it one and let it rest for a while, and it'll be fine. Come with me."
Just as Qingyu had said, Pawmi soon regained consciousness after receiving a Revive.
"Phew... That scared me to death."
Nemona breathed a sigh of relief, then turned her gaze back to Qingyu.
"Thank you so much, Mr. Qingyu!"
With that, she took a pink coin purse with a Pikachu design out of her pocket.
"Oh, no, you can't!"
Noticing what Nemona was doing, Qingyu immediately stepped in to stop her in her tracks.
In the Pokémon world, battling was an extremely common sport. A Trainer could even jump out of the tall grass in the wilderness at any moment.
"When two Trainers' eyes meet, that's the signal for a battle to begin!"
Of course, there was also an unwritten rule that anyone who challenged an opponent and lost had to pay up as an apology.
Defeating novice Trainers in battle, offering them guidance, and collecting some League Points was also a major source of funding for gyms.
As far as procedure went, it was perfectly legitimate.
But Nemona was still a minor at this point, and Qingyu felt a little strange about taking her money...
He wasn't short on money anyway, and accepting challenges from novice Trainers was part of his job.
Now that the battle was over, there was actually one final step left.
"That wasn't your first time directing a battle, was it, Nemona? I could tell you were very comfortable giving commands. There weren't any obvious problems."
Identifying a challenger's current shortcomings and showing them how to improve was also a Gym Leader's duty.
"That's right! I've challenged gyms in the Unova Region too!"
Nemona nodded repeatedly.
Before coming to Paldea, she had also tried being a Trainer in Unova and had even challenged the Driftveil Gym.
However, her health had forced her to spend a long time recuperating, so she had decided to make a fresh start in Paldea.
Mr. Qingyu really was skilled. He'd picked up on so much from just one battle.
"However..."
Qingyu suddenly shifted gears.
"You may need to put more work into raising your Pokémon. Getting so scared of Eevee that it stopped using its move was a serious mistake."
"Also, this Pawmi has Iron Fist as its Ability, right? Developing its strength and speed is very important, so try focusing on those two areas as you raise it."
Although Pawmi was an Electric-type Pokémon, it became Electric/Fighting after evolving, making it one of the relatively rare Electric-type physical attackers.
Most Electric-type physical attackers had the awkward disadvantage of being unable to learn powerful moves of their own type. The popular electric rodents, however, had a unique advantage in that department.
Both Pikachu's Volt Tackle and Pawmot's Double Shock were excellent moves.
The simplest approach to training, then, was the game's "252 method": focus primarily on physical attack and speed.
"Mm-hmm! You're right, Mr. Qingyu!"
Nemona nodded eagerly, taking all of Qingyu's guidance to heart.
Even as a novice Trainer, she could tell that his advice made a lot of sense.
Besides, she had actually challenged other gyms apart from the Driftveil Gym and had received advice from several Gym Leaders.
Generally, though, their advice had been limited to what happened during the battle.
This was the first time she had met someone like Qingyu, who skipped over her performance in battle and instead carefully explained how she should raise Pawmi.
Mr. Qingyu really was an amazing Gym Leader!
I wish I could challenge him every day...
If we battled once a day, I should reach Champion-level strength in no time!
"Mr. Qingyu, can I come challenge your gym often?"
A headstrong girl who preferred action over hesitation, Nemona voiced her thoughts without a second thought.
This time, Qingyu was the one who froze.
Oh, no. Why was she coming after me?
Nemona's endless appetite for battle wasn't something just anyone could handle.
Hiss... Wait a second.
Wasn't there another way to solve this?
After a little thought, Qingyu didn't give her a definite answer. Instead, he posed another question:
"In that case, Nemona, would you be interested in becoming a gym apprentice here at our Sunshine Gym?"
Gym apprentices were the NPCs who appeared in every gym in the Pokémon games. They were an important part of the gym's assessment process.
A gym needed apprentices if it wanted to keep operating.
The reason was simple-
Once the tournament season began, a Gym Leader couldn't handle so many challengers alone.
Besides, Gym Leaders often went out to learn and catch new partners if they wanted to improve.
At times like that, apprentices could temporarily take over the Gym Leader's duties, keeping the gym from having to close its doors.
Although the Sunshine Gym wasn't well known yet, and Qingyu alone might have been enough for now, it was clearly on the right track and thriving. Expanding its influence was only a matter of time.
He could use this period to build a solid foundation, boost Eevee's confidence through practice battles, and guide Nemona toward becoming a capable Trainer.
And it wouldn't interfere with her taking on Paldea's Victory Road next year.
Wins all around!
"Huh? Can I really do that?"
Qingyu's question left Nemona a little bewildered.
For a novice Trainer, becoming a gym apprentice was definitely a fast track to success. It meant frequent personal guidance from a Gym Leader-experience far more valuable than simply battling.
But precisely because of that, the girl who had been so excited just moments ago now felt a little unsure of herself.
"Don't worry, Nemona. I can tell you have the potential to become a Champion."
Qingyu smiled faintly.
"You might just be next year's dark horse."
"Really?!"
Nemona's dream had always been to become a powerful Trainer. If even Mr. Qingyu believed she could do it...
Then she would work even harder and strive to become a Champion!
If she could learn powerful move combinations like the one Qingyu had just used, surely she would become stronger too?
"I look forward to learning from you, Mr. Qingyu!"
Diary of a struggling writer, April 25
Fun fact: Nemona knows Lacey, and she once challenged the Driftveil Gym. Its Gym Leader is Lacey's father, Clay.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet showed Nemona's poor stamina several times, so based on the details above, I added the fan-created backstory that she took time off to recuperate.
Honestly, judging by her appearance alone, Nemona looks like she'd be a total athlete. Who would've thought she'd need several breaks just to climb the school stairs? You can really tell she's a weakling, haha.
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