A Gym Leader's Duty

[Image: Nurse Joy (Paldea appearance)]

"Hello, Nurse Joy. Welcome to the Sunshine Gym."

Looking at Nurse Joy, whose hairstyle seemed a little dangerous, Qingyu delivered his customary opening greeting.

"I'm Qingyu, the Gym Leader."

"Mhm! I've been a fan of yours for ages, Teacher Qingyu~"

The Nurse Joy from Flat Dish Town smiled. She had already looked the gym over after entering.

"The gym isn't very big, but it has such a cozy atmosphere. It feels wonderful!"

"And you too, Teacher Qingyu! I never expected you to be such a young Gym Leader!"

Nurse Joy's words made Qingyu pause.

I'm Batman now (Paldea version), so why does that feel like a bit of a jab...?

But it was only an offhand remark on her part, and Qingyu had no intention of explaining.

That would only give her something unnecessary to feel bad about.

"Just to confirm, you're here to challenge the gym, correct, Nurse Joy?"

Keeping his gentle smile, Qingyu looked at the Nurse Joy with whom he had quite a history online.

"Of course! Don't assume all Nurse Joys are delicate little ladies. I look forward to learning from you, Gym Leader Qingyu~"

Nurse Joy smiled faintly and gently waved the Poké Ball in her hand.

"Then please follow me."

Qingyu soon led Nurse Joy to the Battle Court.

"Nemona, we have a challenger."

"Yay!"

Sitting in a corner, so bored she had been playing rock-paper-scissors with Pawmi, Nemona instantly perked up and hurried to the sideline at the center of the Battle Court.

As a gym apprentice, filling in as the referee when a challenger arrived was perfectly reasonable, right?

With Nemona joining in, at least the Sunshine Gym looked a little less shabby.

Probably...

Qingyu thought to himself.

He and Nurse Joy soon took their places on the Battle Court, and Nemona's energetic explanation immediately rang out:

"Battles at the Sunshine Gym are one-on-one, with the challenger moving first. When either side's Pokémon is unable to battle, the other side wins!"

Almost every gym followed the unwritten rule that the challenger moved first.

Ultimately, that choice came down to the role and function of gyms within the modern League system.

Challengers varied widely in skill, and this unwritten rule had gradually developed to balance the two sides' strengths and focus on testing a Trainer's overall abilities.

Of course, Qingyu didn't actually have many options.

The Sunshine Gym didn't have enough Pokémon for him to pick and choose freely...

While Nemona explained the gym's rules, Qingyu quietly recalled Eevee and Riolu, who were in another corner, into their balls.

Since this was a Gym Challenge, throwing out a Poké Ball really did make it feel more ceremonial.

"Then this little one will be my choice!"

Nurse Joy nodded and gently tossed her Poké Ball.

A bell-shaped Pokémon appeared before Qingyu, floating in midair.

Chimecho?

Qingyu paused.

He had already mentally prepared himself for a fight to the death against the pink demon he had unleashed.

And now Nurse Joy wasn't following the script?

Still, Chimecho's colors really did suit Nurse Joy.

[Chimecho (female)]

[Type: Psychic]

[Ability: Levitate]

Several lines of small text automatically appeared before his eyes, but Qingyu didn't actually need the system to know her Ability.

Chimecho might have been an uncommon Pokémon, but she was right within Qingyu's area of expertise, so naturally he knew that Levitate was her only Ability.

If it's this Pokémon...

After a moment's thought, Qingyu took a Poké Ball from his pocket, a smile curling his lips.

"As a Gym Leader, I place more value on the style and teamwork of Trainers and their Pokémon."

"Rather than raw strength, a Trainer's skill lies in whether they can bring more than a hundred percent out of their partner."

"So, show me how brightly you can shine."

Having finished his customary pre-challenge trash talk, Qingyu flashed a confident smile and pressed the trigger on the outside of the Poké Ball.

A beam of red light shot out, and Riolu appeared on the court, ready for battle.

That's Teacher Qingyu for you! His opening speech is as impressive as ever!

And he confidently sent out Riolu against a Psychic-type Pokémon despite the type disadvantage. He really does have the bearing of a Gym Leader!

Nemona nodded repeatedly, then lowered her flag at a look from Qingyu.

"Begin the battle!"

"Chimecho, Growl!"

Nurse Joy immediately issued her command.

Her opening choice alone revealed her cautious style. Trying to weaken her opponent first and gain an advantage was a perfectly sound approach.

Chimecho was a Pokémon skilled at using sound, so Growl allowed her to maintain a safe distance while still producing a useful effect.

Qingyu nodded inwardly and immediately countered:

"Riolu, Fake Out!"

In theory, Riolu shouldn't have been able to learn that move.

But none of his Pokémon seemed entirely legal, and Qingyu had gradually come to accept that.

Even Dewgong and Pawmi can use Fake Out. My Riolu has hands and feet, so why can't Riolu give someone a slap?

At Qingyu's command, Riolu moved with virtually zero startup, appearing before Chimecho in an instant and striking with an open palm.

With all the effort going into speed, the blow itself wasn't particularly powerful.

But it successfully interrupted the Growl Chimecho had been preparing and closed the distance between the two Pokémon in one go.

"Chimecho, Astonish!"

Faced with Riolu's swift assault, Nurse Joy didn't panic. She calmly issued another command.

Chimecho used her ribbon to make sharp cracking sounds, trying to startle Riolu into flinching and seize the chance to pull away.

It was a decent move, and it might have worked brilliantly against a timid opponent.

Unfortunately, her opponent was Riolu.

Riolu remained completely unfazed by Chimecho's Astonish.

"Quick Attack."

Qingyu gave the command with a smile.

If his Riolu had the Ability Steadfast, that move might even have backfired.

Still, it wasn't a major issue.

By the standards of an ordinary Trainer, Nurse Joy was definitely above a passing grade.

So what would she do when she was at a disadvantage?

Riolu struck again. After taking two consecutive attacks, Chimecho had already lost a substantial amount of stamina.

Nurse Joy lightly bit her lower lip, seemingly considering how to get out of this predicament.

"Chimecho..."

She drew a deep breath, her gaze growing resolute.

"Use Extrasensory!"

Hearing Nurse Joy's command, Qingyu raised an eyebrow.

Among Psychic-type moves, Extrasensory ranked fairly high in power.

Being able to learn it meant Chimecho's level wasn't low.

Besides, most Psychic-type moves were invisible and intangible. Against Fighting-type Pokémon that relied on observation to react to attacks, they had a natural advantage and were extremely troublesome.

If Extrasensory hits Riolu, it might actually be a one-hit knockout.

That was what Qingyu thought.

But when he noticed Riolu's intensely focused gaze, without a trace of fear, he decisively chose to trust Riolu's judgment.

There was no need to fixate on winning or losing a gym battle. Whatever Riolu chose, there was no right or wrong answer.

He could also use this opportunity to observe and adapt to Riolu's style.

The invisible psychic force Chimecho had mustered with all her strength quickly blended into the air, ready to strike from any direction at any moment.

Riolu, by contrast, showed no reaction whatsoever and continued standing straight in the center of the court.

Only when a stream of psychic force, compressed to its limit, suddenly shot out from behind did a faint white glow instantly appear over Riolu's body.

Then Riolu's legs abruptly drove against the ground, launching Riolu high into the air.

While dodging Extrasensory, Riolu brought a chopping strike down on the defenseless Chimecho.

With that, the outcome was decided.

Thanks to reader 20240903210629565 for the tip.