Pokemon: A Gym Leader's Rise(SI)

After winning the Soul Bade, Gladion had teleported to two minor gyms and quickly acquired their badges. Thus, He had finished at least the gym part of the circuit.

Fuchsia City was home to many things—stealthy ninja trainers, a sprawling Safari Zone, big fields and now, Gladion was on one of the rented field to train his Pokémon.

The Fuchsia City Training Grounds were an expansive stretch of land meant specifically for Pokémon trainers to hone their skills. For a small fee, trainers could rent out a 300-meter section of the plain, allowing them to train without worrying about causing too much destruction—though some Pokémon (cough Pupitar cough) still managed to push those limits.

The land was dotted with impact craters, scorched patches of earth, and jagged rock formations left behind by intense battles or Pokemon moves.

Gladion stood in the middle of his section, watching as one of his Pokémon basked in his recent evolution.

His Mankey had just evolved into a Primeape, and now the monkey Pokémon was looking at himself in the reflection of a nearby pond, flexing his muscles like he had just won a bodybuilding contest.

But what surprised Gladion the most wasn't the evolution itself—it was how much Primeape now adored Guy.

Guy was the team's martial arts as well as Physical training expert. He had been relentless with training, constantly pushing the Mankey to his limits.

Mankey had initially been terrified of Guy. The sheer intensity with which Guy trained—waking up before dawn, doing hundreds of push-ups before breakfast, and insisting on "youthful sparring sessions" at all hours—had nearly broken the poor monkey's spirit.

But now, Primeape was mimicking Guy's actions.

If Guy did one-handed push-ups, Primeape did one-handed push-ups.

If Guy shouted about the fires of youth, Primeape screeched just as loudly.

If Guy practiced a new fighting move, Primeape copied it with terrifying enthusiasm.

Gladion pinched the bridge of his nose.

'Dear Arceus, what have I created?'

Still, he couldn't deny that Primeape had changed for the better. The wild, unruly Pokémon that had once thrown tantrums when things didn't go his way was now disciplined and determined. And there was only one fitting name for such a Pokémon.

"From this day forth," Gladion declared, pointing dramatically, "you shall be known as Rock Lee, the Primeape! The Disciple of Might Guy, the Machamp."

'And future Annhilape' Gladion kept that to himself.

Primeape turned to him, eyes wide, before throwing his fists into the air and roaring in excitement. Guy wiped a single tear from his eye.

'A true student of youth...' Guy thought

Sabrina, who had been meditating nearby, opened one eye and muttered, "I still don't get how you name your Pokémon."

Gladion ignored her and turned to Rock Lee. He set up a Psychic barriers so that Sabrina can't hear him.

"Alright, time to work on the next step of your journey—evolving into the next form."

Rock Lee looked at him, tilting his head in confusion.

"To evolve, you need to tap into your ghostly energy. You have to reach deep into your soul, find the anger and rage that lurks within, and—"

Rock Lee blinked.

Gladion sighed. "Alright, let's make this simple. Imagine Zeus just stole your favorite banana."

Rock Lee's eyes widened in pure horror.

"Now imagine he ate it right in front of you and said it tasted terrible."

Rock Lee's fists clenched.

"Now imagine he tossed the peel at your face and walked away laughing."

A low growl rumbled from Rock Lee's throat. His fur bristled, and a faint, eerie aura flickered around him—ghostly energy beginning to surface. The best way to get access to Ghost energy was to have some grievance that must be repaid. Since, Rock Lee already had access to Ghost Energy due to the move curse, now he just needed to learn how to harness it.

Gladion grinned. "Perfect. Now hold onto that feeling and meditate."

Rock Lee took a deep breath, sat down, and crossed his legs. He clenched his fists, focusing on the hypothetical banana theft with all his might.

Gladion let him train while he moved towards Sabrina.

Sabrina, watching this from the sidelines, simply shook her head. "You have... a very strange way of training."

Gladion smirked. "And yet, it works."

A few meters away, Hydros, Gladion's Wartortle, stood with his arms crossed, staring at his reflection in the water. His determination was clear. He was just one step away from evolving into a Blastoise.

He had endured grueling training sessions, and pushed his limits every single day. Now, he could feel it—his evolution was close. He had grown stronger, tougher, faster. But he wasn't satisfied yet.

Gladion walked up to him, placing a hand on his shell. "You'll get there soon, Hydros."

Hydros nodded firmly. He was ready.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the training field, pure devastation was taking place.

BOOOOOM!

A massive crater had formed where Collosus was supposed to be training.

CRACK!

A chunk of the ground split apart.

Sabrina, still seated on the sidelines, sighed and shielded herself with a psychic barrier as dust and debris flew in every direction. "What in the world—"

Gladion groaned as he watched the disaster unfold. "Collosus! I said control your Hyper Beam, not obliterate half the field!"

Collosus stood at the center of the destruction, looking completely unfazed. The young pseudo-legendary had been training to control the immense power of Hyper Beam, but things weren't going well.

Or rather, they were going too well—as in, his Hyper Beams were far stronger than expected.

Gladion rubbed his temples. "We're gonna get kicked out of here if you keep blowing everything up."

Pupitar let out a defiant roar.

Gladion sighed. "Alright, let's take a break before the training field manager comes running with a bill for property damage."

Pupitar huffed but complied, settling down on a large rock—one of the few still left standing.

As the sun started setting, Gladion gathered his team.

"Good work today, everyone. We're making progress."

Hydros nodded, Rock Lee grinned, and Collosus… well, he was still trying to look innocent after nearly destroying half the training ground.

Gladion smirked.

'We're getting stronger. But we still have a long way to go.'

Sabrina, who had been watching the entire time, walked up to him.

"You know," she said, smirking, "for someone who prides himself on control, you really suck at teaching it."

Gladion groaned. "I don't need commentary from the peanut gallery."

Sabrina then walked towards Collosus and placed a hand on Pupitar's rocky exterior and spoke softly, "You're strong. Even for an Alpha, your raw power is exceptional. You'll become a monster someday."

Pupitar let out a proud growl, puffing up slightly.

Gladion crossed his arms. "So you can talk to Pokémon like a normal person, but with humans, you just mess with them?"

Sabrina smirked. "Obviously."

Gladion sighed. At least she's good with Pokémon.

------Author Notes------

Thankyou Daemon Crux for supporting me!

Y'all can read 12 extra chapters on my pat*reon.

https://pat reon.com/mrmime24

[No Space]