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The current Gym Leader of Lavaridge Gym was Flannery, who had recently taken office.
Flannery was passionate and fearless. Soon after assuming her position, she'd earned the nickname "The Fiery Girl!"
The nighttime temperature in Lavaridge Town was quite pleasant, making it perfect for enjoying the hot springs. Steven had a rare opportunity to experience a hot spring trip, and it felt as if the day's exhaustion had been completely washed away.
He didn't know if it was his imagination, but Steven felt much more refreshed the next day.
Steven arrived early at the entrance of Lavaridge Gym, which was located some distance from the town center. The roof of the Gym building was fiery red, making it easily noticeable at a glance.
Ding-a-ling—
Steven rang the doorbell and waited for two or three minutes before the door in front of him opened.
"Hello?" A girl poked her head out and asked.
Her fiery red hair was tied back in a style that reminded him vaguely of an Exeggutor's leaves. Although thinking this might be slightly impolite, Steven kept the observation to himself.
"Hello, I'm a Trainer here to challenge Lavaridge Gym," Steven said with a smile, his gaze assessing the girl who appeared to be around his age.
She wore a black crop top that exposed her midriff and dark green pants held up by a belt. She certainly looked the part of a Fire-type specialist.
"Ahem... I see. I am the Gym Leader of Lavaridge Gym—Flannery!" Flannery lightly coughed into her fist and said seriously.
"Follow me, then!"
Flannery led Steven to the battle arena in the central area. Like the Fighting-type Gym, it used natural earth as the battlefield.
"The battle rules are three-on-three! As the Gym Leader, I cannot switch Pokémon, but as the challenger, you can switch freely. Do you have any questions?"
Flannery explained the rules and looked at Steven expectantly.
"I actually do," Steven said with a serious expression, though he looked slightly puzzled.
"Go ahead! Let me, your senior, answer you!" Flannery straightened her back, adopting what she felt was a proper mentor's posture.
"Shouldn't you ask me how many Badges I've obtained first, and then battle with Pokémon of corresponding strength?"
"Um..."
Flannery's face visibly reddened, and her confident posture faltered a bit.
"Ahem... I know! I was going to ask you that next anyway."
Flannery turned slightly to the side, looking up as she spoke.
"Is that so?" Steven said with a smile and a nod.
"That's right! So, how many Badges do you have now?"
"Three," Steven replied, taking out his Badge case from his bag and showing it to Flannery.
Flannery paused slightly, lost in thought.
Three... which set of Pokémon should I use?
"Um? What's wrong?" Steven asked curiously.
"Nothing, nothing!" Flannery snapped back to attention and waved her hand dismissively.
"Oh, I thought you weren't sure which Pokémon to use," Steven said with a soft chuckle.
The blush on Flannery's face, which had just begun to fade, immediately returned in full force.
He noticed!
"No, that's not it!" Flannery protested.
"Are you ready to battle?!"
"Yes, I'm ready," Steven replied calmly, walking to his position on the field.
Flannery hurried into a nearby room, selecting her set of Poké Balls.
"This should be the right one..." Flannery picked up the third set of Poké Balls, walked out of the room, and took her place at her command position.
"Then, let the battle begin! I'll send out my first Pokémon!"
Since there was no referee present, Flannery had to act as one herself.
"Go!"
Flannery threw her Poké Ball, and with a flash of white light, a turtle with smoke rising from its shell appeared on the field.
It was the Fire-type Pokémon, Torkoal!
As soon as Torkoal appeared, Steven felt the sunlight on the open-air field become noticeably more intense.
"A Torkoal with the Drought ability," Steven murmured.
The most common weather setter for Sunny Day teams—Torkoal!
Torkoal stood only 0.5 meters tall, just slightly taller than Aron...
"Then, my Pokémon—I choose you!" Steven pulled out a Poké Ball, flattened his palm, and pressed the button in the center.
Bang!
"Kuo!"
Lairon appeared!
As a Steel and Rock dual-type, Lairon had neutral resistance to Fire-type moves. While the Steel-type was weak to Fire, the Rock-type resisted it, balancing out the matchup.
Torkoal's defensive capabilities were on par with Lairon's, but under Sunny Day conditions, Torkoal's offensive power exceeded Lairon's. However, in terms of raw strength, Lairon still held the advantage.
"The challenger goes first," Flannery said, suppressing the urge to take the initiative and courteously yielding the first move to Steven.
Steven, of course, didn't hesitate and immediately commanded his Pokémon to attack.
"Stomp!"
"Kuo!"
Lairon lifted its foreleg and slammed it heavily onto the ground. Immediately, the battlefield began vibrating violently, and a shockwave launched an attack from underground!
Flannery pondered her strategy, thinking deeply about how a proper mentor should respond.
With the boost from Sunny Day, I'll use a high-power move!
"Flamethrower!"
Due to Flannery's momentary hesitation, Torkoal took Lairon's Stomp attack first. The super-effective Ground-type move was devastating, even for the physically defensive Torkoal.
After enduring Stomp, Torkoal finally unleashed a scorching flame from its mouth, its power greatly enhanced by the Sunny Day weather!
"Dodge it."
After Stomp connected with Torkoal, Steven had ample time to react. Lairon easily sidestepped Torkoal's Flamethrower.
"Rock Tomb!"
Rock-type moves were also super effective against Fire-types like Torkoal!
"Kuo!"
Several rocks suddenly rose from beneath Torkoal's feet, dealing damage while restricting its movement!
Should I use Withdraw?
No! As a mentor, how can I retreat!
"Torkoal, use Overheat!"
"After Rock Slide, use Protect!"
Torkoal unleashed flames even hotter and more intense than before! The rocks in front of it shattered from the extreme temperature, and the flames surged toward Lairon!
Lairon merely stomped its foot, and the rocks around Torkoal floated up briefly before slamming down violently!
Boom!
Facing the surging flames, Lairon raised a transparent, spherical protective barrier just in time. The extreme heat of Overheat melted against the Protect shield, but Lairon only felt the warmth—the attack itself didn't connect.
Once the smoke from Rock Slide cleared, Torkoal had already fainted.
Steven frowned slightly, wondering how Pokémon could truly grow from battles fought this way.
"Listen..."
"You're overthinking too many unnecessary things during battle. It's better to trust your instincts and fight freely!"
Steven understood Flannery's current state of mind. Having just taken office, this responsibility might be overwhelming for someone so young. That's why she had so many concerns, trying to play the role of a competent mentor.
"You're right..." Flannery looked annoyed with herself and apologized to the Poké Ball in her hand. "I'm sorry, Torkoal."
I'm only realizing this problem now! I'm really not a competent mentor yet!
"Next, I'll give my all in this battle!" A confident smile bloomed once again on the girl's face.
Flannery pulled out her second Poké Ball, tossed it upward, and declared loudly:
"Burn with passion! Magcargo!"