"No wait, why am I only changing the Gym's type? 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, and suddenly had a flash of insight, no longer tangled up in the original issue.
However, upon hearing this, his father's face completely darkened.
"You've gone too far! You even want to change the Gym's name? Let me tell you, as long as I'm still here, don't even think about it!"
Changing the inherited type had already made Rong Lei feel his blood pressure rising. Now this son of his even wanted to change the name—this, in his eyes, was outright rebellion and forgetting one's roots.
"Oh, don't worry, Dad. I definitely won't change it while you're still the Gym Leader. This is all for the future."
"You—!"
At this moment, Rong Lei was already considering whether he should take on a disciple or start training a backup successor. He also felt a bit envious of his Ghost-type colleague—rumor had it that the ace of the Ghost-type Gym was a Gengar that had lived for several hundred years.
Although it had started out as just a partner, after living that long, it had essentially gained the status of a clan ancestor. The new Gym Leader had to pass Gengar's test in order to take over.
"Ahem, Gym Leader Rong, today's challenger has arrived."
"I'll deal with you later! What's their general strength?"
"The records show they just registered as a Trainer, but they're really strong—beat several of us in seconds. Here's the battle footage."
"Got it. Take them to the arena. I'll be there shortly."
There were only twenty-four officially recognized Gyms, but the number of Trainers far exceeded that.
Therefore, Gym Leaders would use their own methods to screen challengers first. Some used various abstract games to test them, but the most direct approach was to have the challenger battle an apprentice first.
This was also the main role of a Gym Apprentice—after all, if someone couldn't even beat the apprentice, there was no point in challenging the Gym Leader.
Besides that, Gym Apprentices also had duties like maintaining the official website and taking care of the Pokémon in the Gym. The specifics depended on what side jobs the Gym Leader was involved in.
When battling challengers, the apprentice would also assess their strength and notify the Gym Leader in advance.
The Gym Leader would then send out Pokémon of roughly matching strength based on the apprentice's feedback.
After all, in reality, there was no fixed order for challenging Gyms. Although there was a difference in strength between Gym Leaders, that comparison was made laterally among Gym Leaders.
A rookie Trainer going up against a Gym Leader with their main team had a very slim chance of winning. So to better evaluate rookie Trainers, the level of challenge had to be appropriate.
Of course, the standards for a Major Division Gym are higher than those for a Minor Division Gym.
"Meowscarada… it defeated all of them instantly…"
"Another one taking advantage of type matchups. Dad, let me handle this one."
"Hmph, do you know why I only let you try acting as a substitute Gym Leader? It's because of that personality of yours! What's wrong with exploiting type advantage?
The type effectiveness system exists for a reason—it can naturally be used. Gyms are meant to assess rookies, but also to temper us."
"I know, but I feel like only choosing favorable type matchups in battle is just avoiding the challenge. Choosing the type you love, facing adversity with it, and overcoming it—that's what makes a true Trainer!"
Everyone has their own opinions, and that's true for things related to Pokémon as well.
Some treat Pokémon as family, as companions. Others treat them purely as tools, or even fear and hate them.
Among Trainers, there are also different philosophies. Whether one specializes in a single type or is a more traditional Trainer, each of them has their own principles.
"You're overthinking it. Even Pokémon of a single type can learn moves of other types, and you don't just use one type of moves, either."
"Don't assume I'll definitely pass this Gym down to you. While your skills are decent, with that personality of yours, there's a good chance the League Inspector would deem you unqualified outright."
"Forget it—for now, you can take on this challenger."
Rong Lei thought it over, but didn't voice the rest of what was on his mind. He felt his son was still too young, and had grown up too smoothly.
As a Gym Leader, he could naturally provide a better environment for development and more excellent training conditions. Under such circumstances, his son had won far more often than he had lost.
Recently, his son has been taking advantage of type matchups, which had caused many challengers to suffer.
According to the information on file, Rowan was about the same age as his son. Rong Lei figured that letting his son stumble a few times might finally teach him some lessons and help fix some of his flaws.
As long as one wasn't wasting their time, those with more years under their belt generally had more real-world experience.
As a Gym Leader who specialized in a specific type, he naturally knew his own type best—and the type that countered his.
Rong Fei only glanced at the first page of the information before going off to battle. But Rong Lei looked further—based on the later analysis, he didn't believe that Meowscarada didn't have a way to deal with Flying-type Pokemon.
As the Gym prepared for the challenge, Rowan also hopped onto a four-wheeled electric cart and headed toward the arena.
Or rather, to another construction site.
"Umm, uncle, is the Lanxiang Gym obsessed with construction sites or something?"
"It's the Gym Leader's side job. You know, the destructive power of Pokémon battles is no joke—repairing the battlefield has always been a major expense."
"So the Gym Leader often chooses places that are slated for development. That way, after the battle, there's no need for repairs."
"Oh, and I should correct you. That piece of land isn't a construction site—it's being prepared for farming."
"..."
Rowan suddenly felt like something was off, so he picked up his phone and looked up reviews for Lanxiang Gym.
Based on past battle footage, the Gym matches here didn't seem to be limited to plowing or laying foundations—some even involved house demolition.
But according to their official website, the description was: "diverse battle environments"...
"The young Gym Leader doesn't think the same way. He feels that construction is a declining industry and wants to switch to extreme challenges and livestreaming or something...like that Io...Io-something..."
"Iono?"
"Yeah, that little girl—anyway, it's stuff you young people are into.
We're here. This is the battle site they're using for the time being."
The electric cart even did a bit of drifting in place before coming to a stop on a patch of barren land scarred with battle marks.
"So, where's your Gym Leader?"
"He should already be here. I'll give him a—"
Just as the uncle was about to make a call, a shadow swept overhead. Looking up, they saw someone descending toward them by parachute.
It was just that the parachute's control wasn't great—the person rolled five or six times upon landing, got tangled in the parachute ropes, and ended up rolling straight into a nearby muddy pond.
"Your Gym Leader is… pretty young too..."
"That's the young Gym Leader… Looks like he's the one battling today."
"Then… your Gym's future is going to be quite… quite interesting."
Meanwhile, inside the Gym, Rong Lei—watching the situation through the monitor—opened his desk drawer, took out a pack of goji berries, and dropped them into his thermos. [TN: goji berries are used for high blood pressure.]