Pokémon Court

Thirty times…

Did it practice with both claws?

The four challengers stared towards the battle arena in astonishment, their eyes fixed on Altaria. It was hard to imagine that it had undergone such grueling training.

Using a move isn’t like regular physical training—it doesn’t just drain stamina but also consumes a considerable amount of energy. Sixty uses of Dragon Claw every day for half a year—was that something any ordinary Pokémon could persist with?

Then, what about Gallade, who could hold its own against Altaria ?

“Gallade practices Slash just as much as Altaria practices Dragon Claw everyday, if not more,” Terrance said in a serious voice.

Gallade was different from Altaria. While Altaria had other training tasks and followed Terrance closely, leaving it with limited time for practice everyday, Gallade was different.

Since its evolution, before even learning Slash, Gallade had relentlessly swung its blades countless times each day, pushing itself to utter exhaustion. This wasn’t about energy consumption—it was about depleting every ounce of its stamina. After mastering Slash, Gallade’s training intensity only increased, engaging in dual training while also not neglecting Teleport. Training both these moves was everything Gallade did in a day.

So, in terms of training fundamentals, Gallade was even more crazy than Altaria.

Teleport and Slash made up the entirety of Gallade’s arsenal, while Dragon Claw was just one of many moves in Altaria’s repertoire.

Terrance glanced at the four astonished challengers. He knew they couldn’t begin to fathom this level of training intensity. If their Pokémon trained at just a tenth of Gallade’s intensity, they wouldn’t struggle to counter a basic Slash.

But was a single Slash really that strong?

Terrance remained silent. Maybe it could hold its own against Altaria’s Dragon Claw in this demonstration-style battle, but this was just a performance. Without combining Slash with Teleport, Gallade wouldn’t even achieve decent results in large-scale competitions like the Ever Grande Conference.

It was only against Trainers who even have difficulty collecting Badges that Gallade’s overwhelming strength was evident.

This, in turn, indirectly highlighted these Trainers’ weak fundamentals.

“It’s finally over…”

With the final clash between Altaria and Gallade, the metaphorical thread holding together the challengers’ composure snapped. For the first time, they witnessed such a battle. Even competitions or Elite Four matches they had seen on TV could deliver this level of impact.

Those battles often relied on tactical combinations of various moves and intense exchanges. However, it is nowhere near as impressive as witnessing a match where two Pokémon exchange the same move over and over again for dozens of rounds, engaging in endless attacks, clashes, and collisions.

These simple yet explosive single-move clashes perfectly highlight the solid fundamentals of both Pokémon. Whether it’s their resilience to endure attacks, their reaction speed after each clash, the speed at which they executed their moves, or the depth of their energy and stamina, every aspect left the audience in awe. They finally realized the real disparity between themselves and Terrance, the Gym Trainer.

Their horizons were broadened.

The four challengers were deeply shaken. Something within them clicked as if they had grasped something.

After witnessing Altaria and Gallade’s single-move battle of fundamentals, they expressed their gratitude to Terrance before departing, vowing to complete the task he had entrusted to them. This Gym Battle had been a valuable experience—an opportunity they wouldn’t have found in a regular Gym challenge.

“It’s great to be young…”

Terrance sighed as he watched the four of them leave.

“Why did you want them to spread the news about Rogge Gym replacing its Gym Trainer? And why did you display such strength? Aren’t you worried no one will dare to challenge you anymore?” Aida asked as he approached.

“It’s fine… Isn’t being a Trainer about knowing there are challenges ahead and finding your own way to overcome them?” Terrance said with a smile. “Compared to facing rookie Trainers, I’d much rather face more experienced ones.”

Rogge Gym’s position was too low. Most challengers were rookies or novices who wanted to take advantage and get a badge. Facing this situation, if Terrance maintains his original standards, he would definitely exhaust himself within these two months. So, how to screen suitable Trainers from the many reservations is a big problem!

If he handed out Badges according to the original standard, how could Terrance earn a positive evaluation?

So, the plan was to first spread the word about the new Gym Leader to challengers. As a firsthand participant in the Gym Battle, Terrance believed those four would be able to vividly describe his terrifying abilities.

This would discourage opportunistic Trainers looking for an easy win while attracting those who genuinely sought to challenge strong opponents and improve themselves.

With that, it would be easier to screen the reservations of Trainers and face challengers without being overly distracted or drained by other matters.

A qualified Gym Trainer is supposed to guide defeated rookies, after all. If all the challengers were like those four earlier, Terrance would burn out quickly.

Moreover, most wouldn’t meet his standards for earning a Badge. If he randomly gave out Badges, it would lower his evaluation, but refusing to hand them out would lower his evaluation even more.

Terrance wasn’t afraid of stronger challengers coming to Rogge Gym after his reputation spreads. What a joke! Gallade hadn’t even revealed its Teleport yet.

If someone wanted to meet his standards, they didn’t need to handle the combination of Teleport and Slash, but they at least had to be able to clash with Slash head-on.

“Are today’s challenges over?” Terrance asked Kuraki.

“Uh, yes… There are no more reservations for today,” Kuraki replied.

“In that case, the Gym will be closed tomorrow for the entire day. We’ll start accepting challenges again the day after,” Terrance said.

“Closing for a day?” Aida scratched his head, seemingly understanding Terrance’s intention. However, this was within the rules, as there was no regulation stating that Gym Trainers couldn’t rest during the assessment. It was just that Terrance dared to suggest it during the assessment period: “That’s a good idea. I could use a day off, haha… I guess this doesn’t count as slacking off, right?”

“…” Lucy Joy.

The next day.

The four challengers began spreading the word as requested by Terrance, and the news of a young Gym Trainer at Rogge Gym quickly spread like wildfire.

A single Slash move defeated three challengers in a row.

The Gym Trainer is very young.

A Normal-type move that can hit Ghost-type Pokémon.

Most importantly, the Gym Trainer was none other than Terrance, the current Hoenn Top Coordinator.

Numerous exciting news emerged. After witnessing Altaria and Gallade’s battle, the four challengers exaggerated Terrance’s strength, painting him as nearly invincible. His ruthless defeat of three challengers shocked those Trainers hoping to obtain an easy Badge. At the same time, it piqued the interest of some Trainers who had previously looked down on Rogge Gym.

Moreover, there were also many….. Coordinators who came for Terrance.

Kuraki sifted through the information of Trainers who made the reservation while asking Terrance about his selection criteria.

“Aren’t there way too many Trainers wanting to challenge Rogge Gym now?” Terrance muttered with exasperation.

This popularity was nearly on par with Petalburg Gym, though the two Gyms’ reputation were worlds apart.

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