"To be able to battle against a Gym Leader like you, I couldn't ask for anything more!"
Ash responded almost immediately, his eyes burning with scorching fighting spirit.
Do not think that a personal assessment by a Gym Leader is making things difficult. In a sense, this is a good thing. It increases the 'gold content' of passing the trial.
After a trainer challenges a Gym, a file record is created within the League System. It even includes an evaluation of the trainer written by the Gym personnel responsible for the assessment. If the Gym Leader acts as the opponent, then the evaluation is written by the Gym Leader themselves.
The system of Gym challenges and the Conference is designed to screen and cultivate elite trainers. A good resume isn't necessarily useful, but a bad resume is definitely a no-go.
Seeing this, Erika covered her mouth with her sleeve, letting out a burst of soft, melodious laughter: "Hehehe... what a vibrant young man."
"I really appreciate this unconcealed heart for battle."
She rose elegantly, the hem of her dark green kimono brushing against the tatami mats. "Well then, please follow me."
Erika personally led the way, passing through a carved wooden corridor that connected the Japanese-style room to the main garden area. This action immediately attracted the attention of the staff and apprentices within the Gym.
As the Gym Leader, Erika mostly spent her time in the research lab mixing perfumes or handling administrative affairs; it was rare for her to personally guide a challenger to the battle arena.
There were only 256 participants in the Indigo Plateau Conference each year. A large portion of them did not obtain their qualifications through the Gym system, but rather through the academy examination system.
"It's the Leader!"
"She's taking someone there personally?"
"Who are those young people?"
Whispers spread through the lush greenery of the corridors as curious gazes were cast toward Ash's trio one after another. Soon, apprentices and staff members who couldn't restrain their curiosity quietly followed behind.
Erika's usual personality was very gentle, so the overall atmosphere in the Gym was also quite harmonious.
When Erika led Ash and his party into the open-air battle arena located in the core area of the garden, twenty or thirty people had arguably already gathered in the previously sparse spectator stands.
Most of them were Gym apprentices and staff. At this moment, they were whispering to each other, their eyes focused on Ash, who was following Erika into the arena, filled with scrutiny and curiosity.
In fact, the news had already spread, and even more people were coming over. There were also tourists visiting the Gym and other trainers there for challenges.
"The Leader is conducting the assessment personally today?"
"He looks like a very young trainer..."
"To trouble the Leader to personally step onto the field, he must be no simple character!"
"Look at the Pikachu on his shoulder, and that Misdreavus—their aura is quite formidable."
Obviously, Gym Leader Erika personally conducting a Gym audit was a highly noteworthy event here. Usually, such basic audits were the responsibility of senior trainers within the Gym.
Only when she encountered a challenger she deemed worthy of special attention would she personally take action.
The challengers a Gym Leader would be interested in were generally those with 7 or 8 badges, or challengers from other regions with extremely excellent historical records—such as champions or top four finalists from other regional Conferences.
Of course, this wasn't a certainty. It wasn't a 'Rules of Horror' story where strict rules absolutely had to be followed. Just like how Lt. Surge would take action based on his own whims.
The mighty power of a Gym Leader belongs to themselves; they are free.
Feeling the gazes gathering around them, Misty whispered to Brock, "Wow, so many people suddenly came to watch."
Brock crossed his arms, nodding steadily. "After all, it is a formal battle with the master of the Gym; it's natural for interest to be high."
"This also shows that Miss Erika values Ash highly."
If Erika didn't attach importance to him, she wouldn't have actively proposed the challenge to Ash.
Brock's gaze swept over the field. It was a standard Grass terrain; the soil was moist, and various low-growing but exceptionally tough herbaceous plants grew upon it. There were even a few imperceptible boggy areas—an excellent home field for Grass-type Pokémon.
Erika walked gracefully into the command zone at one end of the field and turned to face Ash. The gentle smile on her face hadn't diminished, but her eyes had quietly become sharp, like an undercurrent lurking beneath a calm lake surface.
"So then, Ash."
Her voice clearly spread throughout the entire arena.
"Let me see... exactly what kind of strength and caliber you possess."
Erika knew that Ash was favored by Professor Oak, which interested her even more. Erika, after all, belonged to Professor Oak's faction. This could be considered a senior weighing up a junior. It wasn't about deliberately making things difficult.
Smile~
The discussion in the spectator stands gradually subsided. Everyone held their breath and concentrated, looking forward to the staging of a wonderful duel.
Ash took a deep breath. Feeling the gazes focused on him from all over the venue and the invisible pressure coming from Gym Leader Erika, instead of being nervous, he revealed an even more excited smile.
"I couldn't ask for more! Miss Erika, please guide me!"
Inside the open-air battle arena of the Celadon Gym, the atmosphere was dignified yet intense. Sunlight filtered through the massive glass dome, spilling onto the lush green Grass terrain, making the dew on the leaves of those low yet tough plants sparkle.
A battle ready to trigger at any moment? That was probably the vibe.
Although Erika didn't use her main team, she was indeed treating this seriously. However, what Erika didn't anticipate was Ash's tactics.
There are some innate disparities that are difficult to overcome no matter how much one trains. For example, how is a land-based artillery battery supposed to hit an airplane without fire-control radar guidance?
It's comical. It can't be done, alright?
Attack moves find it very difficult to change their trajectory, and flight involves time and process. Ash's Pidgeotto had the 'Keen Eye' ability; its eyesight was surprisingly good, sufficient to predict various attack trajectories and evade them.
In FGO (Fate/Grand Order)—why is the so-called 'Tsubame Gaeshi' (Swallow Reversal) of the Assassin class servant, Sasaki Kojirou, composed of three slashes? It is precisely to seal off the swallow's evasion space.
But the Celadon Gym is, after all, a Gym specialized in the [Grass] attribute. When facing challengers, the selection of Pokémon is limited. She couldn't break the rules specifically for Ash, right?
Sometimes, whether one can fly or not is indeed a decisive gap.
If certain 'short-armed' Pokémon lack long-range attack moves... then even if their strength is much, much greater than the opponent flying in the sky, swimming in the water, or burrowing underground, they still can't beat them.
Because they can't hit them.
The phrase "Truth is only found within the range of a cannon" can also be applied to Pokémon battles.
This gap is even larger than in the games. In the games, it seems anyone can hit a bird in the sky. But in reality, if you can't reach it, you can't reach it. Arms are only so long, while the bird flies casually at an altitude of dozens of meters. How do you fight that?
Furthermore: Air, Water, Earth.
Among the three, air resistance is the smallest, which also allows flying units to have the fastest movement speed. Earth and rock have the greatest resistance, but they also form the best shields. Water bodies reside between the two.
These three factors are all situations that give the 'Army Grunts' a headache.
Legend has it that the US military has a chain of contempt like this:
The Air Force has the most money, the best conditions; they are the 'Tall, Rich, and Handsome'.
The Navy travels around the world on aircraft carriers and has seen the most of the world.
The Marine Corps executes the most combat operations, does the dirtiest and most tiring work, yet has to ride the Navy's boats and look at the Navy's faces.
The Army has the lowest status, sitting at the bottom of the contempt chain.
As for the other major branch, the Coast Guard, they are often forgotten and don't even qualify to enter the contempt chain.
Although the differences in the Pokémon world aren't that huge, ridiculous situations still occur frequently.
Erika stood elegantly in the command zone, the sleeves of her kimono fluttering gently in the wind. A Poké Ball was already in her hand.
"First, let it welcome your challenge."
Erika's voice was gentle but not lacking in power; she was a powerhouse ranked highly even within the entire Kanto region.
Erika gently tossed the Poké Ball. "Victreebel, take the stage!"
A light flashed. A plant with a yellow appearance covered in dark yellow spots appeared. A leaf grew from its head to cover its giant mouth which faced the sky, and at the end of the leaf was a long brown vine whip with a small yellow leaf. Sharp teeth grew from its mouth, and it had a pair of very small eyes beneath the mouth. Its hands were leaves on either side of its body.
Just looking at it made one feel a ferocious aura. Victreebel is the Flycatcher Pokémon, a ferocious plant.
"Sure enough, it's Victreebel. Grass and Poison type... Speed is its shortcoming." Ash's mind quickly flashed with a counter-strategy.
He sent out his vanguard without hesitation. "I'll leave it to you, my Sky Eye—Pidgeotto!"
This was a matter planned from the start.
"Biii—!"
Pidgeotto's cry resounded through the arena.
It spread its wings and soared high, carving a graceful arc in the air, its sharp gaze firmly locking onto the Victreebel below. After a long period of bitter training, its plumage had become increasingly full, and both its speed and aura were incomparable to before.
Then, seeing its opponent this time, Victreebel was dumbfounded.
How am I supposed to fight a bird in the sky?
Victreebel: Don't talk about flying!
Victreebel: I don't even have legs!
Victreebel: Pray for my flower life!
____
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