"Wait, why am I only changing the Gym's typing? When the time comes, I can apply to the League to change the Gym's name, too!"
Rong Fei seemed to have thought of something, suddenly becoming enlightened and no longer agonizing over the original problem.
Yet hearing him say this, his old man's face darkened completely.
"Have you lost your mind! You even want to change the Gym's name? Let me tell you, as long as I'm still around on this day, don't even think about it!"
Altering the inherited typing had already caused Rong Lei to feel his blood pressure rise, and now this son even wanted to change the name; in his eyes, this could be considered utter treason and forgetting one's ancestors.
"Oh, don't worry, Dad. While you're still the Gym Leader, I definitely won't change it. That's all stuff for the future."
"You!"
At this time Rong Lei was already starting to consider whether to take on an apprentice or raise a backup, while at the same time feeling somewhat envious of his Ghost-type colleague. Rumors had it that the main combatant of that Ghost-type Gym was a Gengar that had lived for hundreds of years.
Although it had started out just as a partner, having lived for so long, it already possessed the status of a founding ancestor of the family. If the newly appointed Gym Leader wanted to take the top spot, they still had to pass Gengar's test.
"Ahem, Gym Leader Rong, today's challenger has already arrived."
"Wait till I turn back and deal with you! Roughly what's his strength?"
"The information shows he just registered his Trainer status, but he's very strong. He wiped all of us in seconds. Here's the battle record."
"Mhm, I know. Take him to the competition field; I'll be over in a moment."
The officially recognized Gyms totaled twenty-four, and the number of Trainers far exceeded that by a lot.
Therefore, Gym Leaders would all use their own methods to screen challengers first; some put challengers through all sorts of abstract game trials, and the most direct approach was to have challengers fight an apprentice first.
This was also the main job of Gym apprentices. After all, if they couldn't even beat an apprentice, then challenging the Gym Leader carried no real meaning.
Aside from that, Gym apprentices also had duties such as maintaining the official website and caring for the Pokémon inside the Gym, with the specific details depending on which areas the Gym Leader's side jobs involved.
When challenging the apprentices, the apprentices would also judge the challenger's strength and notify the Gym Leader in advance.
Based on the apprentices' feedback, the Gym Leader would likewise dispatch Pokémon of comparable strength to meet the challenge.
After all, challenging a Gym in reality had no fixed sequence. Although there were disparities in the Gym Leaders' strength, that was also judged through horizontal comparisons among Gym Leaders themselves.
Novice Trainers encountering a Gym Leader carrying a main team had very slim odds of winning. To better test novice Trainers, there naturally had to be suitable intensity.
Naturally, the standards for a first-tier Gym would be somewhat higher than those of a second-tier one.
"Meowscarada, all first-turn one-hit KOs..."
"Another one taking advantage of type matchups. Dad, let me handle it."
"Hmph, do you know why I only let you try acting as provisional Gym Leader? It's precisely because of this personality of yours! What's wrong with type counters?
Since the counter relationships of types exist, they can naturally be utilized. The Gym is testing the new arrivals while simultaneously tempering us."
"I know, but I feel that fighting only with advantageous types is nothing more than running away? Choosing the types you love to face difficulties and defeat them-that is what a qualified Trainer is!"
Everyone had their own thoughts, and the same applied to matters concerning Pokémon.
Some treated Pokémon as family or companions, while others merely treated them as tools, or even felt disgust and fear toward Pokémon.
Among Trainers there were also their respective philosophies; whether a Trainer specialized in a single type or was a generalist, each had their own persistence.
"You're splitting hairs. Even single-type Pokémon can master moves of other types, and you can't possibly use moves of only one type, either.
Don't assume I'll definitely pass the Gym down to you. Your strength is passable, but with this personality of yours, you'll most likely be directly judged as unqualified by the League Inspector.
Forget it, you can take this challenger this time."
Rong Lei thought about it, but decided to leave the remaining words unsaid. He felt that his son was still too young and had grown up far too smoothly.
As a Gym Leader, he was naturally able to provide a better growing environment and superior training conditions; under such circumstances, his son won far more often than he lost.
Recently taking advantage of type matchups had caused quite a few challengers to suffer.
Judging from the identity information, Xin Mu was right around his age, and Rong Lei felt that letting his son stumble a few times would allow his son to learn some lessons and shed those flaws of his.
As long as they weren't people squandering their time, older people also possessed a greater wealth of practical experience.
As a Gym Leader specializing in individual types, the most familiar type was naturally the one he was proficient in, followed closely by the type that countered him.
Rong Fei had only glanced at the first page of the information before heading off to take the challenge, but Rong Lei had read much more. From the subsequent analytic data, he didn't believe that Meowscarada lacked a means to deal with Flying-types.
While the interior of the Gym was preparing for battle, Xin Mu also boarded a four-wheeled electric cart, heading toward the competition field.
Or rather, heading toward another construction site.
"No, mister, is the Lanxiang Gym obsessed with construction sites?"
"The Gym Leader's side hustle. You know how it is, the destructive power of Pokémon battles isn't small, and repairing the field is always a huge expense.
So the Gym Leader often picks places that are preparing for development so he doesn't have to fix them after a fight.
Right, I need to correct that-that plot of land isn't a construction site, it's prepared for farming."
Xin Mu suddenly felt something wasn't quite right, so he picked up his phone again to check the reviews regarding the Lanxiang Gym.
According to past battle footage, the Gym battles here didn't seem to be limited to turning soil and laying foundations; they even involved house demolition.
Yet their official description for this on the website was diverse combat environments...
"The young Gym Leader doesn't think that way. He feels that construction sites are a sunset industry, and he wants to change careers to do extreme challenges and live streaming or something, with that I-... what was her name..."
"Iono?"
"Right, that little girl. Anyway, it's the kind of stuff you young people get into.
We've arrived; this is the battle field for this period."
The electric cart even performed a drift right where it was, subsequently coming to a halt on a barren patch of land covered in battle scars.
"Then where's your Gym Leader?"
"He should have arrived by now. Let me make a..."
The uncle beside him had just wanted to make a phone call when a shadow swept past above the two of them. Looking up, a person was controlling a parachute and approaching their location.
Only, the parachute's speed wasn't controlled very well; upon landing, the person rolled five or six times in succession, and was finally entangled in the parachute cords, rolling straight into a muddy pond nearby.
"Your Gym Leader... is also quite young..."
"That's the young Gym Leader... Looks like he's the one battling today."
"Then... the future of your Gym is pretty... pretty interesting."
Meanwhile, inside the Gym, Rong Lei-who was watching the situation here via surveillance monitor-opened a drawer on his desk, took out a pack of wolfberries, and dropped them into his thermos cup.
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