Now it's time to explain how Gym battles work. They're not exactly like I remember from the games or the anime, even though I haven't retained much. Before every battle, the strength of a trainer's Pokémon is checked, and the Gym Leader tries to match that, because arena leaders are experts when it comes to Pokémon battles. They don't just have one team—they have several, because they prepare a team for each level category, at least most of them.
The level categories are:
Baby: 0 to 5
Beginner: 5 to 15
Advanced: 15 to 30
Gym Leader: 40 to 50
Elite 4 Level: 50 to 55
Champion: 55 to 70
Legendary Level: 70 to 100
Most people only reach level 40 or 45. After that, very few reach higher levels. In all of Indigo, there are only 9 Elite 4 level trainers and only 3 Champion level trainers, and none above that.
My mother, Lily, only reached level 40, while my father got to 46—but only his male Houndoom. All his other Pokémon are level 41 to 43. My mother only got her Tauros to level 40; all the other Pokémon are level 34 to 36. The five Miltank are all at level 16, except the leader, who is level 18. My grandmother's Tauros is level 21, while the male Fire Tauros from Paldea is level 42.
Some might wonder, "But you have level 30 Pokémon?" That's true, but that's only because of my Dark-type ability—I can speed up training to level 40.
But enough about all that information. Let's get to my first Gym battle against Steven. Yes, Steven, not Brock. This is not the anime or game world—it is its own world.