Pokemon: Gym Leader

"Do you think Nemona will be able to succeed in the challenge?"

Iono pondered aloud. Her live stream was still active, and with the consent of both Dylan and Nemona, she continued broadcasting. Neither of them objected.

"Poison was the first type Dylan mastered, and recently, he's captured a few Poison-type Pokémon," Ilene commented with a graceful and elegant smile.

"But he might not use them, right? Those Pokémon are probably part of his Golden Legend team... or maybe not," Lillie tilted her head but hesitated after glancing at the Pecharunt nearby.

While Pecharunt's performance in defeating Ogerpon and others showcased its strength, it also hinted that Ogerpon and the others weren't particularly strong. Normally, Dylan would categorize Legendary Pokémon under the Golden Legend team, but it wasn't guaranteed that he wouldn't include them in his type-based lineup.

At the battlefield:

Seeing Nemona brimming with energy, Dylan couldn't help but smile slightly.

"I'm quite looking forward to this match with you, Nemona," he said, elegantly adjusting his shirt collar.

"As this is your first challenge at Rota Gym, please allow me to formally introduce myself."

"My name is Dylan, the leader of Rota Gym."

He retrieved a Luxury Ball.

"For this battle, I'll be using a Poison-type team. I wonder if you've faced such Pokémon before?"

"The poison of Poison-types can be quite tricky to handle. Let's see how you deal with them."

Nemona's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"My first Pokémon will be this one."

Dylan stylishly tossed the Luxury Ball behind him.

"Arbok, get ready to battle!"

A flash of white light revealed a large, purple cobra. Its icy gaze fixed on Nemona as its forked tongue flicked rapidly.

"Arbok, huh? Then I'll choose you!"

Nemona considered briefly before confidently throwing her first Poké Ball.

"Armarouge!"

From the ball emerged a humanoid Pokémon clad in striking golden armor, standing tall and regal before Nemona.

It was the evolution of Charcadet, known as Armarouge.

Beep~ Armarouge, Fire and Psychic type, the Fire Warrior Pokémon.

Ability: Weak Armor

Signature moves: Armor Cannon, Expanding Force, Flamethrower, Calm Mind, Smokescreen, Psychic, Destiny Bond (inherited)...

Description: A form that evolved by donning armor of a warrior who accomplished great feats. It's a loyal Pokémon.

"Looks pretty cool," Lillie remarked, reading the Pokédex entry, though she thought her brother's Ceruledge looked even more impressive.

"Choosing a Psychic-type Armarouge against Poison-types is a smart move," Iono commented, blinking her large eyes. Psychic counters Poison, after all.

On the battlefield:

Arbok stared coldly at Armarouge, exuding an invisible aura of intimidation. Its Intimidate ability activated, lowering Armarouge's Attack stat by one stage.

"The challenger moves first," Dylan said graciously, gesturing with a gentlemanly demeanor.

"Then I won't hold back, Leader Dylan!"

Nemona wasted no time in seizing the opportunity.

"Armarouge, Expanding Force!"

As a Champion-level trainer, Nemona understood that battles weren't just about type matchups, but leveraging type advantages was crucial. It was one of the fundamentals of Pokémon battles.

Armarouge extended an arm as multicolored energy coalesced, unleashing a Psychic-type Expanding Force.

The colorful shockwave surged forward with speed. Though it would reach its full power in a Psychic Terrain, even without it, Expanding Force remained a potent move.

"Use Sucker Punch," Dylan commanded.

Arbok's eyes gleamed with a dark light as it slithered at high speed, deftly evading the Expanding Force and closing in on Armarouge.

Its swift Sucker Punch struck before Armarouge could react.

"Too fast!" Nemona frowned as Arbok's speed made countering impossible.

"Armarouge!"

It raised its arm to shield itself, trying to mitigate the damage.

Bang!

Arbok's attack struck with force, pushing Armarouge's arm into its chest. The impact caused it to cry out in pain, but its Weak Armor ability triggered, significantly boosting its speed despite the damage taken.

"And now, Crunch!"

Arbok opened its jaws, revealing dark, gleaming fangs—an Crunch attack!

"Psychic, stop it!" Nemona quickly ordered.

Fighting through the pain, Armarouge released a burst of colorful psychic energy, directly hitting Arbok's midsection and forcing it back.

"Impressive reaction and execution," Dylan observed, raising an eyebrow.

Nemona's Armarouge demonstrated its exceptional training, a testament to her skill as a trainer.

"Don't let up! Armarouge, Expanding Force again!"

Nemona's focused, fiery determination fully emerged as she commanded the next move.

"Dig," Dylan said with a faint smile.

Arbok quickly burrowed into the ground with astonishing speed.

Nemona paused, knowing Armarouge didn't have an effective counter against Dig.

"Use Calm Mind!"

Armarouge closed its eyes, a faint blue glow emanating from it as it raised its Special Attack and Special Defense.

Dylan responded calmly, "Toxic Spikes."

From the hole, Arbok emerged momentarily, releasing a dark purple orb into the air. The orb burst, scattering strange purple fluids onto the ground.

"Toxic Spikes?" Nemona frowned.

"Isn't that a control move?"

"That's rare," Iono remarked curiously.

"Is Toxic Spikes not common in Paldea?" Lillie asked.

"Is it popular in Kanto?" Iono countered.

In her experience as a gym leader, she'd never seen challengers use Toxic Spikes.

"In Kanto, Toxic Spikes is extremely popular," Lillie said with innocent honesty.

The move was controversial but widely used, offering damage, control, and persistence all in one.

"Before Dylan popularized it, Toxic Spikes wasn't well-known," Ilene added, smiling.

On the battlefield:

"Setting up Toxic Spikes instead of stopping Calm Mind... interesting choice," Nemona muttered.

Nemona gazed at the Armarouge, now finished with its meditation. Toxic Spikes—a move rarely seen in Paldea—wasn't commonly used.

But she vaguely remembered its effects: Toxic Spikes would poison opponents upon entry, causing ongoing damage.

Still, it wasn't a big issue. A bit of damage was negligible. After its meditation, her Armarouge's special attack had increased again. All she needed was to take down the opposing Arbok first.

"Armarouge, Psychic!" Nemona initiated her attack.

A brilliant blue glow lit up in Armarouge's eyes as a colorful wave of psychic energy surged toward Arbok.

"Sucker Punch," Dylan responded with a calm smile.

Arbok's eyes flashed with dark energy as it slithered rapidly across the ground toward Armarouge.

"That won't work on me a second time!"

Nemona's confident smile radiated energy.

"Armarouge, Psychic again!"

Armarouge instinctively stepped back to unleash another psychic control move, but that very step triggered a sinister purple glow from the ground. Toxic Spikes' poison!

The unexpected toxin engulfed Armarouge, making it wince and hunch over in pain, its body now shrouded in an eerie purple aura.

"Armarouge!" Nemona's pupils contracted in shock.

Armarouge gritted its teeth, fighting through the pain to stand upright, but Arbok was already upon it.

BAM!

The Sucker Punch struck Armarouge squarely in the chest, sending it flying backward with a pained cry.

This is bad! Nemona's heart sank.

"Armarouge, Protect!"

Nemona's battle instincts were sharp; she anticipated Dylan's follow-up.

"Earthquake," Dylan commanded.

Arbok raised its tail and slammed it to the ground, unleashing a powerful Ground-type Earthquake.

RUMBLE!

The battlefield trembled violently as the shockwave surged forward.

Armarouge, sprawled on the ground, endured its agony to conjure a green protective barrier, blocking the oncoming seismic wave.

"Great read, Nemona," Dylan praised, genuinely impressed. Her battle awareness was exceptional.

"But your Armarouge is already hanging by a thread," Dylan remarked calmly.

"The battle's not over yet, Gym Leader Dylan," Nemona retorted with a broad, excited grin.

This was the kind of opponent she lived for—strong, relentless adversaries!

"Oh? I beg to differ," Dylan replied with a faint smile.

"Arbok, Earthquake."

Arbok coldly locked its gaze on Armarouge before slamming its tail down again, unleashing another Earthquake.

"Armarouge, dodge!" Armarouge leapt into the air immediately.

"Dig," Dylan countered.

Arbok burrowed into the ground just as the Earthquake subsided. Armarouge, unable to fly, began to descend.

The moment it landed, the sinister purple toxin struck again, seeping into Armarouge from the Toxic Spikes. Poison continued to erode its stamina.

This Toxic Spikes strategy was more troublesome than Nemona had expected—it could trigger multiple times!

Just then, the ground beneath Armarouge erupted. The massive, venomous cobra emerged, its body infused with Ground-type energy, crashing into Armarouge.

"Destiny Bond!"

"Hmm?" Dylan raised an eyebrow. So this Armarouge had inherited Destiny Bond.

Armarouge's eyes flashed with ghostly light just as Arbok struck. Armarouge was hurled backward, collapsing unconscious.

At that moment, a dense gray mist emerged from Armarouge's fallen form, swiftly enveloping Arbok.

Destiny Bond—a Ghost-type move!

Arbok's vision darkened as it too slumped to the ground, unable to battle.

"Wow! That was an incredible Destiny Bond from Nemona!" Iono exclaimed, her eyes lighting up. But her attention quickly shifted to Dylan, whose calm expression didn't change. "Huh? Dylan doesn't seem surprised?"

"Of course not," Erin chimed in with a smile. "Dylan's a Ghost-type specialist. He's well-versed in moves like Destiny Bond."

"Arbok and Armarouge are both unable to battle," Lillie declared. As the referee, her judgment was impeccable.

"You're amazing, Gym Leader Dylan!"

Recalling her fainted Armarouge, Nemona's fiery gaze burned brighter. She hadn't felt this overwhelmed in battle for a long time.

"You're strong too, Miss Nemona. Few trainers can take down my main Pokémon," Dylan replied with a smile.

"But the warm-up is over. Now, let's see how you handle this."

Dylan retrieved another Ultra Ball and tossed it.

"Your next opponent is this."

"Okidogi, get ready for battle!"

With a low growl, a strong, black-and-green Pokémon adorned with a purple poison chain around its neck landed before Dylan. It raised an arm in a claw-like pose, flashing a menacing grin at Nemona.

One of the Loyal Three—Okidogi!

Though it was a Legendary Pokémon, the Loyal Three weren't exceptionally powerful. Its level hovered around 70, making it a fitting challenge for Nemona.

"Big brother is using Okidogi and the others after all," Lillie commented, her lovely eyes glinting. Beside her, an intrigued Furret glanced at Okidogi before returning to its drama.

"This Pokémon is called Okidogi? What's special about it?" Iono asked curiously. She didn't recognize the Pokémon.

"Well… Okidogi has a nickname," Lillie explained after a moment's thought. "It's one of the legendary Loyal Three."

"A Legendary Pokémon? Is it even fair for Dylan to use a Legendary against challengers?!" Iono gasped, stunned. A battle-hardened Gym Leader using a Legendary Pokémon—wasn't that overkill?

(To Be Continued)