Where do you find the highest concentration of Trainers in any given city?
If you guessed the Gym, you're only half right. The real heartbeat of the Trainer world is the Pokémon Center.
It's the ultimate crossroads. Whether you're a rookie who just picked up a Pokédex or a grizzled veteran aiming for the Elite Four, the Center is your sanctuary. It's where you go to heal your team, stock up on Berries, and—most importantly for those with empty pockets—check the job boards for local errands to cover travel expenses. With a Pokédex, your stay is free; without one, it's still cheaper than the seediest motel in the Sinnoh backwoods.
But there's an unwritten law that governs these sterile halls, a rule as old as the first Poké Ball ever forged:
"If your eyes meet, you have to battle! It's the basic etiquette of being a Trainer!"
In the wild, a battle can happen anywhere—on a muddy trail or in the middle of a tall grass patch. But in the city, things are more civilized. Most Pokémon Centers feature a dedicated Battle Zone, equipped with reinforced flooring and recovery stations.
Julian, however, was a total rookie to the Center's automated matchmaking system. He stood before the glowing kiosk, tapping his ID against the sensor.
"Let's see... 'Looking for a practice match. Level: Intermediate. Goal: Skill refinement.' And... submit."
The machine whirred for exactly three seconds before a green light flashed.
MATCH FOUND: ALLEN FROM SOLACEON TOWN (3 BADGES).
Julian blinked. According to the system's logic, five badges marked the "watershed" moment where a Trainer transitioned from a novice to a serious contender. Since Julian technically held four (though the struggle for them had felt like a lifetime of war), he was automatically paired with anyone in the three-to-four-badge bracket.
The battle court was a standard rectangular arena with a high ceiling. A small crowd of resting Trainers gathered by the glass partitions to watch.
"Go, Monferno!"
His opponent, a young boy named Allen who looked like he'd just stepped off a farm in Solaceon, threw his Poké Ball with a flourish. With a flash of white light, a brown-and-orange monkey Pokémon appeared, its tail tip flickering with a steady flame.
Julian looked at the Monferno and did a quick mental scan. Entry-level strength? Probably his starter. Is this really the peak of a three-badge Trainer's team?
Julian couldn't help but feel a bit skeptical. He remembered his battles against Fantina and the other Gym Leaders. If this was the standard, how on earth did people get past the first few Gyms? Was his own experience just an absurdly difficult outlier?
"Have fun out there, Growlithe," Julian said, tossing his ball. "Don't overdo it."
Growlithe manifested on the court, his fur bristling with excitement. He'd been cooped up for too long, and his Aura radiated a fierce "Finally!" through Julian's mind.
"Monferno, use Mach Punch! Don't let them breathe!" Allen shouted.
The Monferno's fist glowed with white energy as it lunged forward. To the casual observer, it was a blur of speed. But to Julian, who had spent weeks dodging Fantina's Drifloon and Mismagius, it looked like it was moving through molasses.
This is Mach Punch? Julian thought, his mind wandering. It's barely faster than a paralyzed Drifloon. Is the difficulty gap between 'Normal' Trainers and 'Gym' Trainers really this massive?
"Dodge to the right," Julian commanded calmly.
Growlithe didn't even need to exert himself. He gave a light hop to the side, and the Monferno's glowing fist whistled past his ear, hitting nothing but air. The monkey Pokémon stumbled slightly, its momentum carrying it forward because it hadn't prepared a follow-up.
"Try out the new trick, Growlithe. Fire Spin!"
"Woof!"
Growlithe opened his mouth, and a thin, concentrated stream of fire shot out. Instead of a direct blast, the flames began to spiral, whipping into a glowing vortex that encircled the Monferno just as it was turning around.
Julian nodded to himself. The release is still a second too slow, but the containment is solid. For a move he just mastered this morning, he's doing great.
Allen panicked. "Monferno, you're fine! Fire-type moves won't hurt much! Use Flame Wheel to break through the circle!"
The Monferno chirped a battle cry and tucked its body into a ball. A shroud of flames erupted around it as it began to spin rapidly, turning into a fiery tire that roared across the court toward Growlithe.
Julian's eyes practically turned into dollar signs. Someone's giving me exactly what I asked for! He'd literally just been talking about Growlithe learning Flame Wheel, and here was a live demonstration.
"Growlithe, don't attack yet! Keep dodging! Watch the way the fire moves around his body. Feel the flow of his energy!"
The battle turned into a bizarre game of tag. The Monferno rolled back and forth, trying to pin the fire-dog down, but Growlithe was a master of evasion. He moved with a predatory grace, his eyes locked on the spinning monkey, his Aura sensing the "flicker" of the flames every time the Monferno made a turn.
After several laps, Julian decided they'd gathered enough data.
"Alright, let's wrap this up. Jump back to the left-rear... now, Bite!"
Growlithe executed the command perfectly. He leaped backward just as the Flame Wheel reached its peak speed. As the Monferno rolled past, its leg momentarily extended from the fire-shroud to regain balance. In that split second, Growlithe's jaws clamped down on the limb.
"Woof!"
"Oh no! Monferno, shake him off!" Allen screamed.
"Don't let go! Fire Spin, point-blank!"
While still holding the Monferno's leg, Growlithe unleashed the fire vortex directly into the monkey's face. The concentrated heat was too much to bear. The flames of the Flame Wheel extinguished instantly as the Monferno was blasted backward, tumbling across the court.
It didn't even struggle to get up. The Monferno lay there, swirls in its eyes, completely fainted.
Allen stood there, frozen. His Poké Ball was still in his hand, but he looked like he'd forgotten how to use it. "What... but... Flame Wheel is my strongest move..."
"Hey," Julian said, walking over to the center of the court. "Your Monferno is a Fire-type, so he'll recover quickly, but you should probably get him to Nurse Joy right now. A point-blank Fire Spin is no joke."
Allen snapped out of his daze, hurriedly recalling his Pokémon and stammering a "Good game!" before sprinting toward the healing counter.
Julian squatted down as Growlithe trotted back to him, looking very smug.
"How's the mouth? Any burns from biting a Flame Wheel?"
"Woof woof~ (I'm fine, I'm fine! My teeth are made of better stuff than that monkey's fire.)" Growlithe opened his mouth wide, showing off his pearly whites.
"Did you get a good look at how he channeled the fire for that spin?" Julian asked, handing him an Oran Berry as a reward.
"Woof~ (Yeah. It's basically just a Fire Spin that you wear like a coat. I think I already knew the 'how'—I just needed to see someone else mess it up to know what not to do.)"
"Ready for another one?"
"Woof! (Bring on someone who actually fights back!)"
Julian signed up for several more matches in a row. The results were... underwhelming.
Match 2: A Trainer with four badges and a Staryu. Growlithe ended it in under a minute by using the terrain to avoid a Water Gun and counter-attacking with a Bite.
Match 3: A "Veteran" with three badges who relied entirely on a Geodude's defense. Growlithe's Fire Spin turned the arena into an oven, making the rock-type overheat and faint from exhaustion.
Match 4: A Trainer with five badges—the "watershed" level.
Julian had actually been excited for the five-badge match. Surely, someone with five badges would give them a run for their money?
Five minutes later, Julian stood over a defeated Luxio, while Growlithe wasn't even breathing hard. The Trainer had decent power, but his commands were slow, and his Luxio lacked any sense of tactical positioning.
Julian leaned against the court railing, feeling a deep sense of confusion. "Three four-badge Trainers, two three-badge Trainers, and even a five-badge Trainer... none of them could even touch you."
"Woof... (Is everyone in this city a pacifist? Or am I just that good?)" Growlithe barked, sitting down to wait for his next Oran Berry.
"It's not just the strength," Julian mused, looking at his notes. "Their battle philosophy is just... basic. They shout 'Attack!' and hope for the best. No coordination, no energy management, no reading the opponent's rhythm."
He realized then that his time spent under the tutelage of Gym Leaders like Fantina had warped his perception of "normal." In the Gyms, even the apprentices were trained to think three steps ahead. The proxy-battles and the high standards of the Leaders meant Julian had been playing on "Hard Mode" from the very beginning.
"No wonder Fantina was so interested in our battle," Julian sighed, scratching Growlithe's ears. "Compared to the average Trainer here, we must look like professionals. This isn't training; it's a warm-up at best."
He looked at the crowd. There were dozens of Trainers, but none of them looked like they could provide the "pressure" Growlithe needed to truly master Flame Wheel.
"Alright, one more try," Julian said, his eyes scanning the registration board. "If we don't find someone who can challenge us in the next ten minutes, we're going to find a more 'dangerous' part of town to train in."
"Woof! (Agreed. I'm starting to feel like a bully.)"