Flannery looked about Natsui's age, strikingly attractive with a great figure, wearing a black, cropped T-shirt and jeans. Her vivid red hair was styled in large, flower-like sections.
As a trainer specializing in Fire-type Pokémon, Flannery was as passionate as her chosen type—perhaps a little too passionate, as her overly familiar attitude could be overwhelming.
And the most baffling part was her reaction to someone coming to challenge the gym.
Despite this, Natsui asked hesitantly, "Wasn't Mr. Moore the Gym Leader of the Lavaridge Gym?"
The 'Mr Moore, he mentioned, was the previous Lavaridge Gym Leader, a former member of the Hoenn Elite Four. He was a kind-looking old man with glasses.
Before coming to Hoenn, Natsui had read the trainer's guide, which clearly stated that Moore was the Lavaridge Gym Leader. He hadn't expected the leader to have changed in just a few days.
"My grandpa?" Flannery shook her head. "He already retired, and the Gym Leader position was passed down to me. Alright, let's hurry up and battle! I'm already fired up!"
Grandpa? So she's the new Gym Leader...
He could tell Flannery was impatient and easily startled, but also very cheerful. From just these few sentences, it was clear she was an easy person to get along with.
Perhaps this was a common trait among Fire-type specialists.
Although the Gym Leader had changed, it didn't affect Natsui's plans.
His only regret was not being able to battle the former Elite Four member.
Before Natsui could say more, Flannery took out another Poké Ball. She threw it, and in the next second, a large, dark-brown turtle appeared before them.
"Alright, enough talk! Let's have a blazing hot gym battle!"
She was about to command the giant turtle to fight, but as she did, Misty quickly stopped her.
"Wait a minute!" Misty asked, looking at Flannery with surprise. "Miss Flannery, shouldn't a gym battle be held on the official field inside the gym?"
"Ah, I forgot," Flannery admitted, pausing. With an embarrassed smile, she added, "I got ahead of myself. Sorry, I've only been a Gym Leader for a few days—I'm still getting used to it."
Her explanation, however, only made Misty more distrustful.
Not used to it? Come on, isn't that common knowledge?
And her grandfather was the previous Gym Leader! How could she forget something like that? It's ridiculous.
As someone who also came from a gym family, Misty naturally knew more about gym operations than the average person. Seeing Flannery's unprofessionalism, she couldn't help but feel a bit dismissive.
Natsui, however, remained silent.
It wasn't that he was more tolerant of beautiful women. He just realized that everyone starts as a beginner and is bound to feel flustered in unfamiliar situations. He could also see that Flannery was extremely passionate about her job as Gym Leader; it was just her personality that made her seem so rash.
Flannery led them into the Lavaridge Gym.
Inside the entrance was a vast lobby, and beyond that was the battlefield.
But when Natsui and Misty arrived, they both frowned again.
Perhaps because it was at the foot of Mt. Chimney, or because the town was rocky, the Lavaridge Gym's battlefield, despite being a Fire-type gym, was a Rock Field covered in boulders.
But the field before them was a complete mess. The ground was full of potholes, and the rocks were shattered into countless pieces, covered in battle scars.
Noticing their expressions, Flannery gave another awkward smile.
"Hahaha... um... I had a battle with a challenger yesterday, but I forgot to clean up the field afterward, so it ended up like this."
She forgot about that, too?
Misty was even more speechless.
Normally, field maintenance wasn't the Gym Leader's job. The Pokémon League provided ample funding; they could easily hire people to handle such chores.
Of course, someone like Brock, who had to care for a large family, was a different story. He had to use all his funds to raise his siblings and couldn't afford to hire staff.
But judging by the scale of the Lavaridge Gym, it clearly wasn't short on money. It shouldn't be run like this.
It was clear now that Flannery wasn't just careless; she lacked any management skills.
Flannery was about to ask Natsui and Misty to rest while she fixed the field, but Natsui stopped her.
"Don't worry about it," Natsui said, shaking his head. "Even though the field is damaged, I find a battle-scarred arena like this much more interesting than the standard, cookie-cutter rock fields."
Hearing him say that, Flannery looked at him with newfound respect.
An ordinary trainer, or one lacking confidence, would insist on waiting for the field to be repaired for a fair fight.
To be so unconcerned... this man must be extremely confident in his own abilities.
It was only then that she took a good look at him, noticing he was about her age and very handsome. His eyes, in particular, were very attractive.
Her favorable impression of him grew, and respecting his wishes, she stopped insisting on repairs. She and Natsui walked to opposite sides of the field.
"Let me explain the rules," Flannery said, her demeanor suddenly more professional. She puffed out her chest and continued, "When my grandfather was here, he would decide the number of Pokémon based on the challenger's strength, but that's too much trouble. I've decided to use the same rules as other gyms: this will be a three-on-three battle!"
At this, she remembered something else and added, "Of course, only you, the challenger, can substitute Pokémon during the battle. Is that okay?"
Natsui nodded. These rules were indeed standard.
As for what Flannery mentioned about her grandfather, that ability to adjust rules on the fly based on the challenger's strength wasn't something just any gym could do. It required the Gym Leader to possess both immense strength and rich experience.
Clearly, Flannery didn't have that ability yet, which is why she wasn't using that rule.
Out of courtesy, Natsui introduced himself, letting Flannery know his name.
Flannery repeated the name to herself, then commanded the giant turtle-like Pokémon onto the battlefield.
Natsui and Misty's eyes focused on the Pokémon.
Although the turtle was only about 50 centimeters tall, it looked incredibly heavy. It had blackish-gray ring-like stripes on its limbs and long neck, and three claws on each foot. Its shell was mostly dark gray, with five bright red depressions that seemed to vent excess heat from its body.
Misty, seeing it for the first time, took out her Pokédex.
Pokédex: "Beep. Torkoal, the Coal Pokémon. A Fire-type. It is said they are often found in abandoned coal mines. They dig for coal and burn it in the hollows of their shells. When attacked, they emit black smoke and escape. When it blows smoke from its nostrils, it makes a sound like a train whistle."
So it's called Torkoal.
Misty nodded and put her Pokédex away, focusing on the match.
From his position, Natsui looked at the Torkoal, wondering which Pokémon to send out.
Judging by its aura and condition, this Torkoal was clearly not a weak Pokémon; it might even be one of her strongest.
His Eevee, Combusken, and Beldum weren't ready for an opponent like this.
With that in mind, he didn't immediately send out his Pokémon. Instead, he asked, "Miss Flannery, is this your strongest Pokémon?"
"Strongest?" Flannery thought for a moment, then smiled. "It's one of them. I also have a Magmortar—both are my most trusted partners!"
Just as I thought...
As a newly appointed Gym Leader, Flannery clearly had a lot to learn. For instance, she hadn't even prepared a team of weaker Pokémon for rookie trainers, instead sending out her main ace.
He glanced again at the ruined battlefield and asked tentatively, "Um... I was wondering, what kind of trainer was the one who challenged you yesterday?"
"That trainer?" Flannery said with a smile. "She was a young girl who had just started her journey. Very cute. She even told me my gym was the first one she challenged!"
"Did she win?"
"Of course not!" Flannery shook her head, as if surprised by the question. "She used all three of her Pokémon and just barely managed to defeat my Magmortar. When I sent out Torkoal and told her it was just as strong, she burst into tears and ran off without even battling!"
Natsui: ...
That's just cruel.
Looking again at the battle-scarred field, he could imagine it: a rookie trainer, having just caught three Pokémon, full of hope, challenging her first gym, only to run straight into the leader's ace lineup and get demolished.
She used all her strength to barely beat one, and before she could even catch her breath, she had to face another Pokémon just as strong. One can only imagine her despair.
That battle must have left an indelible shadow on that trainer.
What a terrifying woman.
But since this Torkoal was one of Flannery's strongest, it actually made things simpler.
No longer hesitating, Natsui took a Poké Ball from his pouch. With a throw, his Tyranitar was released.
If the opponent was average, he'd use an average counter. If it were an ace, he'd use an ace counter.
Aside from Gardevoir and Gengar, all the non-legendary Pokémon Natsui currently carried still needed training. No matter what level his opponent sent out, he had a response.
As soon as Tyranitar appeared, it roared at the sky, just as before.
ROAR!
The massive roar echoed through the gym, even louder in the enclosed space.
Though Flannery was careless, she was unusually perceptive when it came to Pokémon.
With just one look at Tyranitar, she immediately sensed it was extraordinary.
"Oh?" Flannery frowned, sizing up the Pokémon as her tone grew uncharacteristically serious. "Your Tyranitar looks incredibly strong. I've only sensed an aura like this from my grandfather's Pokémon!"
Is my Tyranitar strong?
Natsui just shook his head, noncommittal.
Having already owned the Red Gyarados and Crystal Steelix, Tyranitar's strength was just average by comparison. At best, it was mid-tier among its kind. It wasn't yet outstanding, and certainly not up to Natsui's standards.
That was precisely why he kept Dragonite, Tyranitar, and Scizor with him, to focus on training them during this journey.
Tyranitar's gaze fixed on Torkoal.
The two Pokémon stared at each other, their battle spirit rising.
As a woman as passionate as fire, Flannery's admiration quickly turned into battle focus.
She looked serious, a complete transformation from her demeanor moments ago.
This was what a real, qualified Gym Leader looked like.
Since there was no other staff, Flannery acted as her own referee.
With her call of 'Begin,' at Natsui's command, Tyranitar immediately attacked from a distance.
It roared, and a series of sharp stones erupted from the ground, shooting rapidly toward Torkoal.
It was the Rock-type move, Stone Edge.
With Torkoal's movement speed, it couldn't possibly dodge. But in response, Torkoal used the most common defense for turtle Pokémon.
It withdrew its head and limbs into its shell, blocking the Stone Edge attack with its hard exterior.
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Note: I haven't been able to upload chapters because I didn't have internet.
The Bleach story is now complete. We'll still be uploading two new Bleach stories.
Also, The Black Dragon of the Katsuragi Family now has 160 chapters.
Pokemon now has 710 chapters
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