"Go, Riolu. This is your first Gym battle."
Xin Mu rubbed Riolu's head and gestured for her to step onto the battlefield.
Although Mienfoo was slightly taller, this was the closest opponent to Riolu's own weight class she had faced since birth. As for her opponent's level...
Without a Gym apprentice to conduct a preliminary test, the Gym Leader generally judged an opposing Pokémon's strength by the number of Badges its Trainer held. Since Xin Mu currently had only one Badge, there shouldn't be much of a level gap between Mienfoo and Riolu.
"Riolu."
Riolu copied Mienfoo, adopting a similar stance to signal that she was ready.
"Begin the battle!"
The referee gave the signal, yet the Gym's battlefield remained silent. Neither Trainer called out.
Xin Mu had already established an Aura connection with Riolu, so he didn't need to speak. As for the Gym's side, that was one of its distinctive features.
Gyms across various regions had their own unique battle formats. Exactly how they battled depended entirely on the Gym Leader's mood.
There had even been cases where unusual circumstances left a Gym Leader so demoralized that they put their Badges by the door for anyone to take.
Skyla, the Gym Leader of Mistralton Gym in the Unova Region, had even held imaginary battles for a while.
In these imaginary battles, she first revealed her three Pokémon, then had the challenger reveal theirs.
Skyla would simulate the course and outcome of the battle in her head and decide whether the challenger won or lost, without any actual fighting.
Extreme Realm Gym, meanwhile, operated on the principle that "a master can show you the way, but your training is up to you."
Successive Gym Leaders here treated Pokémon as their disciples. When the current Gym Leader, Zhang Mo, met