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The Violet Gym is located on the other side of Violet City, completely in the opposite direction from the Petalburg Gym and Violet City's iconic Bellsprout Tower.
Therefore, it took the group some time to arrive at the Violet Gym, only to find it closed.
So, the group decided to rest at a Pokémon Center near Violet City for the night and challenge the Violet Gym the next morning.
"I checked online. The Violet Gym allows one-on-one battles. The Gym Leader, Falkner, isn't the original Gym Leader; he inherited the position from his father and uses only his father's Pokémon. Therefore, his trainer level is probably lower than the original Gym Leader."
Brock checked the Violet Gym's information on the Pokémon Center's computer. The information showed that the Gym Leader had changed; the previous Gym Leader had stepped down and gone on vacation. The current Gym Leader is a young man in his early twenties named Falkner.
Falkner's trainer level is definitely lower than his father's, because Falkner himself hasn't been able to train a single Gym Leader-level Pokémon. His strongest Pokémon is only at the Elite level, about on par with Misty when she first went on her travels.
Therefore, while Falkner's level is stronger than the average trainer, Serena isn't without a chance to bridge the gap. It depends on the level of the Pokémon Falkner sends out and how much Serena has learned under Ash's tutelage.
"This guy looks way worse than Dad! If it weren't for inheriting his Pokémon, he probably wouldn't even qualify to be a Gym Leader! Why would he choose someone like this as a challenger? It's so pointless," Max said with a hint of disdain after looking at the information.
He was already intimately familiar with the Pokémon rankings. A trainer like Astray was nowhere near his father's level. Choosing someone like this as a challenger wouldn't improve his skills at all!
"Max!!" May shouted coldly, making Max tremble. Don't let May's usual gentle demeanor fool you; when she lost her temper, she was more terrifying to Max than his parents.
They say an older sister is like a mother, and May usually treated her younger brother quite well, which is why Max developed his sheltered, hothouse-like personality.
In other matters, May would usually turn a blind eye and patiently guide and smooth things over, but this time, Max's words involved insulting the dignity of other trainers. Therefore, even May, who was usually gentle with Max, became cold.
"No matter how much you admire your father, or how high you think you'll reach in the future, none of that gives you the right to insult other trainers!"
"Besides, you're not even a trainer yet. What right do you have to insult other gym leaders? I know you're upset about your father's defeat, but does belittling other trainers make you feel better?"
"Furthermore, Falkner, the trainer at the Violet Gym, is only in his early twenties, just starting out as a trainer. Having inherited his father's responsibilities, he will undoubtedly work even harder to move forward. He will become a true gym leader sooner or later!" May's icy words left Max speechless. He realized his mistake; taking his anger out on other gym leaders because of his father's defeat was absolutely wrong, yet he had acted impulsively and belittled them.
It was fortunate Falkner wasn't there; otherwise, he would probably be prostrating himself in apology.
Ash, who was about to say something to Max, smiled upon hearing May's words, swallowing his own words.
With an older sister like that, even if Max's personality is somewhat arrogant and unruly, he'll definitely be on the right track in the future.
Besides, it's normal for a ten-year-old to have a slightly unruly personality. While he might not have been unruly in terms of trainers and Pokémon at ten, he might have been even more unruly in other areas than Max.
It's just that his love for Pokémon suppressed his unruly side; otherwise, he would have been a troublemaker as a child.
"Alright, now that we know about the Gym Leader of Violet City, let's devise a battle strategy." Ash clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back.
"Device a strategy? Is...is it necessary? I only have one Pokémon right now." Serena pointed to herself with her slender finger, a slightly embarrassed smile on her face.
It's been almost two months since she started her journey. During that time, Ash has caught several Pokémon, while she hasn't caught a single one. Two months and she only has one Pokémon – that's practically impossible for an average trainer.
"One-on-one battles really test tactics! To ensure Serena's victory in her first battle, a strategy is essential. I was thinking that if we battled today, I'd let Serena experience defeat first, and gather information about her opponent."
"But since we coincidentally didn't have a battle today, and I even found information about the Violet Gym Leader online, let's devise a strategy with victory as our goal."
Serena: ...So Ash, you challenged me with the intention of making me lose from the start?! That's a bit too cunning! ...
The next morning at ten o'clock, the group arrived in a grand procession at the Violet Gym. The staff greeting challengers at the entrance almost mistook them for troublemakers. Fortunately, Ash's face was somewhat recognizable, and just as the staff were about to call the police, they recognized Ash, chatted for a while, and then let everyone in.
The Violet Gym was a massive tower, with gym battles taking place on the top floor.
The group took the elevator straight up, and upon reaching the top floor, the scene inside surprised them somewhat. The Violet Gym's arena was not only vast but also completely open, without any roof or ceiling.
Most of the gyms Ash had challenged before were indoors; this was the first time he had seen one without any overhead obstruction.
Serena, seeing a real gym for the first time, couldn't help but gape in astonishment at the sheer scale of the Violet Gym.
"Welcome to the Violet Gym. I'm Falkner, the Gym Leader of the Violet Gym. Are you Ash here to challenge the gym?" Falkner's gaze immediately fell on Ash upon their first meeting.
Although this was their first in-person meeting, he had seen countless news articles about Ash online, and with the reports from his staff, recognizing Ash was only natural.
As for why he assumed Ash was the one challenging the gym… well, Falkner naturally hoped it was Ash.
Battles against strong trainers are something every trainer dreams of, and among the six people present, Falkner only knew Ash as a relatively strong trainer.
"No, it's not me challenging the Violet Gym, it's my partner," Ash said, stepping aside to let Serena step forward.
"She's still a novice trainer, with only one Pokémon. She's only been traveling for less than two months. Please, Gym Leader Falkner, show some mercy."
Hearing this, Falkner sized Serena up and down, his eyes showing little disappointment. Although Serena certainly exuded the aura of a novice trainer, Falkner could sense a hidden danger emanating from her.
"Then let's begin. I'll battle you at the lowest possible level. But let me warn you, even if you pass this lowest-level battle and obtain the Violet City Gym Badge, be prepared for the challenges you face at later gyms. Firstly, the more gym badges you have, the higher the difficulty becomes. Secondly… no one will hold back at the Silver Conference."
Just as Ash had anticipated, even though Serena only had one Pokémon, Falkner still had a strategy. Just like when Ash challenged Brock, the Gym Leader had a special difficulty level designed for beginners, so there was no need to worry about facing an overly powerful opponent.
Even if the Pokémon's levels are similar, strategies and command skills vary significantly. Although Falkner has only recently become a Gym Leader, this doesn't mean his skill level is mediocre.
Falkner is, after all, a trainer with elite-level Pokémon, making him undeniably stronger than a novice like Serena. If both trainers field Pokémon of the same level, Falkner will undoubtedly have the advantage.
"Please stand on the battlefield. Spectators, please move to the back of the arena and avoid getting too close to the ground to prevent being affected by the aftershocks. The battle is about to begin." A referee stood in the center of the arena, first directing Ash and his friends, as well as the students from the Violet Gym, to step back, leaving the arena for Serena and Falkner.
After both sides had retreated to a safe distance, the referee waved his flag and announced the start of the match.
"Then I'll use it. Go, Noctowl!" As Falkner threw the Poké Ball, a grayish-brown Pokémon with a cat's head and an eagle's body appeared on the field.
"Noctowl, the owl Pokémon, the evolved form of Cuckoo. It has special eyes that allow it to see night as day in the slightest light. It possesses extremely high intelligence and sometimes rotates its head 180 degrees to activate its brain cells." Serena took out her long-unused Pokédex and checked Falkner's Noctowl information.
Previously, with Ash by her side, he could always answer her questions about unfamiliar Pokémon or anything she didn't understand. But this battle was hers. Ash had done everything he could for her last night; the rest was up to her.
"It really is Noctowl. If Ash is right, then I should be able to gain an advantage from the start... Go, Serena!" Serena murmured the first part to herself, only shouting the last part aloud.
Along with Serena's shout, the Pokémon she threw out appeared. A flash of light, and a bipedal fox with a long, fluffy yellow tail and yellow fur appeared on the field.
This was Serena's starter Pokémon, and her only one: Charizard!
"I've never seen this Pokémon before… It shouldn't be from the Kanto or Johto regions, right?" Ash examined Charizard closely, finally speaking with some surprise.
He was very familiar with the Pokémon from Kanto and Johto, but he had never seen or even heard of this Pokémon Serena had sent out. This meant it must be from some distant region.
"Yes, this is one of the three starter Pokémon from the Kalos region, and also my starter Pokémon. I'm sending out Gym Leader Ash. Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Without much pleasantry, Serena simply greeted her and decisively commanded Charizard to use Flamethrower to attack.
The decisiveness of the attack surprised even Falkner. Was this the kind of action a novice trainer could achieve? The action was far too swift.
Fennekin, upon receiving the command, didn't hesitate for a moment. She gathered her breath and then unleashed a torrent of scorching flame, a long streak of fire shooting straight at the Noctowl in mid-air.
If Serena's decisive command of Fennekin had surprised Falkner the first time, the speed of the approaching flame was the second!
"This speed… how is this possible?! Peak Advanced Level?! Noctowl, get out of the way!!" Falkner's voice rang out, but it was too late.
The flame struck the Noctowl in mid-air with incredible speed, turning it into a roasted bird.
However, moments later, the Noctowl emerged from the flames, somewhat disheveled, but not seriously injured.
Falkner's Noctowl was only at the intermediate advanced level, two levels lower than the Fennekin. However, the level difference between these levels wasn't too significant, so even with the two-level difference and being hit directly by the opponent's STAB move, Noctowl wasn't rendered unable to battle.
This initial show of force immediately put Falkner on the defensive.
"I never expected that in just two months, you could train a Pokémon at the peak advanced level. It seems another rising star is about to emerge... But don't think you can get the Violet Gym Badge so easily! Noctowl, use Air Blade!" After praising Serena, Falkner decisively retaliated.
In the sky, Noctowl decisively flapped its wings, sending dozens of sharp air blades slicing through space towards the Fennekin on the ground!
Facing the dense barrage of sharp blades, Serena's face showed no panic, only shock and decisiveness: "It's... exactly as Ash said... Charmander, use Flame Vortex to envelop yourself in defense!"