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"Chimecho has lost the ability to battle, so the winner is Riolu!"
As Chimecho fell to the ground, Nemona's whistle blew to signal the end of the match.
Nurse Joy smiled wryly and recalled Chimecho into its Poké Ball.
"I lost…"
Among the Joy family, aside from a few sisters who served as League investigators or examiners, her battling skills were considered above average.
After all, most Pokémon Centers in Paldea were located on the outskirts of cities or in the wild, where they often encountered startled wild Pokémon.
Sometimes, battles were unavoidable, and over time, she believed her command skills weren't too shabby.
But reality had dealt her a small blow.
Even against a Pokémon still in its base form—and despite having a significant type advantage—she was still easily defeated by Aiden.
"It was a wonderful battle. Losing isn't a big deal; keep it up and win next time, Nurse Joy!"
Having finished her role as referee, Nemona, who had been holding back for a while, immediately perked up and gave Nurse Joy a thumbs-up.
"Right, Teacher Aiden?"
Aiden nodded with a smile, approving of Nemona's words.
Since the Gym challenge was over, it was time for review and analysis.
"Nurse Joy has already developed her own tactical style and has good synergy with Chimecho. In my opinion, she's passed the test."
As he had said before the battle, Aiden cared more about a Trainer's skill than the outcome of the match.
In this regard, Nurse Joy, who made use of Chimecho's sound-based abilities and remained calm under pressure, was definitely qualified.
"Unfortunately, the Sunlight Gym isn't one of the eight designated Gyms for the Victory Road assessment. Otherwise, she should have earned a badge."
Aiden shook his head helplessly.
Each region had slightly different rules, usually set by the local League.
In Kanto, every Gym had the authority to issue badges.
However, most regions followed the eight-Gym rule, and Paldea was no exception.
Still, since she came to challenge the Gym, it would only be proper to offer some advice as a Gym Leader.
"I don't have much to say about your commanding or training methods, but I do have some thoughts about Chimecho's move set."
As soon as Aiden finished speaking, Nemona and Nurse Joy instantly perked up.
"Mm-hmm, please guide me, Teacher Aiden!"
Although Aiden was currently just a Gym Leader, his consecutive victories over two Elite Four members proved that his tactical skills and fundamentals were exceptional.
Chimecho was relatively niche in Paldea, so Nurse Joy didn't expect Aiden to know about it either.
Nurse Joy from Los Platos began to look forward to Aiden's suggestions.
"Actually, it's nothing major—just a suggestion to teach Chimecho the move Yawn."
As he spoke, Aiden opened the Rotom Phone that Nemona had given him as a gift earlier and accessed the National Dex function.
**[Yawn, a Normal-type move. By yawning loudly, it induces drowsiness in the opponent, causing them to fall asleep.]**
The phone's voice announcement rang out shortly after.
During the battle, Aiden noticed that Nurse Joy's tactical style was cautious, favoring hit-and-run tactics to harass opponents from a distance.
However, once Chimecho was approached, it lacked the means to create distance again.
Thus, Yawn was undoubtedly the most suitable disruptive move for Chimecho at the moment.
"If you encounter an opponent like Riolu that can close the distance quickly, Yawn should significantly alleviate defensive pressure."
"Ri?!"
Following Aiden's train of thought, Riolu imagined the scenario.
Such a sneaky move—it even used sound waves, which were hard to dodge…
If I were hit by Yawn…
Would I have to rely on sheer willpower to stay awake?
No, there's a simpler solution!
If I use Fake Out on myself, maybe I could shake off the urge to sleep!
Next time I feel sleepy, I'll try it and see if it works.
Aiden, of course, had no idea what Riolu was thinking behind him.
This was all the advice he had to offer.
For Psychic-type Pokémon like Chimecho, they generally paired well with psychics, but ordinary people could also try raising them.
Aiden could tell that Nurse Joy must have systematically trained Chimecho in meditation, allowing it to barely execute a powerful move like Extrasensory.
With more practice, as its mental strength improved, the power and frequency of its moves would naturally increase.
"Understood."
Nurse Joy nodded repeatedly.
Aiden's advice seemed entirely appropriate and would solve a significant portion of the practical issues she faced in battles.
At the same time, her perception of the Sunlight Gym had completely changed.
Although it had been closed for half a year, this young Mr. Aiden possessed all the qualities of an excellent Gym Leader.
Strong in ability, patient in guiding challengers, and offering practical advice—if he could maintain this, the Sunlight Gym's reputation would surely spread throughout the Paldea region sooner or later.
Especially for new Trainers, having someone to guide them was incredibly important!
As a Gym Leader, Aiden was truly an industry benchmark!
"Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Aiden~"
Nurse Joy bowed politely, her tone becoming lighter and more cheerful.
"If it's you, Teacher Aiden, I think there's a good chance you'll directly advance to the eight-Gym rank during the year-end Gym assessment!"
"…Hopefully."
Aiden wasn't particularly enthusiastic about this topic.
The system's task had stalled at the Gym assessment stage. If he wanted to move up a level, he couldn't avoid this step.
However, he was just a rookie Gym Leader who had been active for only a week, so he wasn't qualified to think that far ahead yet.
Making progress every day was enough for now.
"One more thing, Teacher Aiden."
Nurse Joy suddenly remembered something.
"Do you know that the Paldea League also has a work communication group?"
Because the Gym had been closed for half a year, Aiden probably hadn't been added to the League's recently established communication group, right?
To facilitate easier communication between Gym Leaders and improve the efficiency of information and task sharing, the Top Champion had created such a group chat.
?
I didn't know!
Aiden looked bewildered.
Had he been isolated by the Paldea League?
Oh, I guess it was me who isolated the world earlier. Never mind then.
"Then, please come with me to Los Platos!"
Nurse Joy smiled and nodded.
As an official League group chat, an application needed to be submitted to the Paldea League headquarters via the League network.
Of course, there was one more important matter.
"Teacher Aiden, you haven't claimed your Tera Orb yet, right? As a Gym Leader, you're eligible to use Terastalization. Let's go to the Pokémon Center to claim your Tera Orb as well!"
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A/N:
The story line of this book takes place about two years before the game starts. According to the main timeline, the Paldea League had already figured out the mechanism of Terastalization and developed the Tera Orb about eight years ago.
However, in the game, students rarely use Terastalization, while Gym Leaders use it more often. So it's a bit AU—it shouldn't affect reading enjoyment.
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