The Hoenn region.
Rustboro City, Trainers' School.
"Alright, that concludes our theoretical lesson for today..."
Closing her book, the teacher stepped elegantly out from behind the podium, her slender legs clad in pink pantyhose.
The young instructor brushed a lock of ribbon-tied hair behind her ear, her crimson eyes sweeping across the students attending her class.
"Next, we will review yesterday's practical Pokémon battle exercise. Chloe... the records show you lost to Max in yesterday's class battle. The match lasted only a pitiful few seconds. Did you forfeit immediately?"
"Um..."
Called upon, the little girl with the mushroom haircut stood up, nervously gripping the hem of her skirt.
"But, Ms. Roxanne!"
At that moment, another young girl with a ponytail raised her hand and stood up.
"I remember the type matchup chart says Rock-types are weak to Water-types! If that's the case, then Chloe's Nosepass really couldn't beat Max's Poliwag, right?"
"Ah~ As expected of the top student in our class. Nami's foundational knowledge is very solid."
First praising the student's initiative with a bright smile, Roxanne then shifted her tone.
"However, in a real Pokémon battle, the side with the type advantage isn't always the guaranteed winner."
Looking at the broader picture, the current Hoenn Champion had once defeated a challenger from the Sootopolis Gym—a Gym specializing in Water-types—using a team consisting entirely of Rock, Ground, and Steel-type Pokémon.
And closer to home, Roxanne herself had faced countless challengers bringing Pokémon meant to counter her Rock-types.
But the end result? Not every challenger could successfully leverage their type advantage. Losing due to blind overconfidence was a common occurrence.
"The true keys to victory lie in the Pokémon's raw strength, the Trainer's tactical commands in the heat of battle, a certain level of creative strategy... and ultimately, the bond of mutual trust and reliance between Trainer and Pokémon."
Roxanne paused for a moment, her crimson eyes locking sharply onto the student.
"Chloe, when facing an opponent with a type advantage, the greatest taboo is losing your nerve before the battle even begins. I believe your Nosepass has already learned Spark... Next time you battle, please place your full trust in your Nosepass."
"O-Okay... Ms. Roxanne."
The little girl with the mushroom haircut nodded, her fingertips pressed together nervously as she looked down.
Roxanne of the Rustboro Gym served dual roles as both the Gym Leader and a teacher at the Rustboro Trainers' School.
Rumor had it that before she graduated, she was a quiet, polite, top-tier student. But now, as a teacher, she could be incredibly strict and stern whenever her students made mistakes.
"Ms. Roxanne! A challenger has arrived at the Gym!"
"Alright, I understand."
After replying to the referee who had rushed over, Roxanne turned her attention back to her students.
As part of their practical Pokémon battle curriculum, observing other Trainers in action was just as important as participating in battles themselves.
"That concludes our classroom session for today. Everyone, follow me~"
Leading the pack of students, her polished leather shoes clicked rhythmically as she walked out of the classroom.
Stepping into the Gym, Roxanne laid eyes on a handsome young man who looked like the protagonist of a Pokémon movie, a soft and adorable green cat perched on his shoulder.
"Hello, I am Roxanne. You must be the challenger. May I ask how many Gym Badges you currently possess?"
"As for Gym Badges, I currently only have the Boulder Badge from the Pewter Gym in the Kanto region, but..."
Before Hakuya could say anything else, the Rustboro Gym Leader nodded understandingly and cut him off.
"I see. So you are a rookie Trainer who just began their journey. Understood."
"Since this is an introductory Gym for rookie Trainers, the battle rules for the Rustboro Gym will be a 2-on-2 format. The match ends when either side's Pokémon are entirely unable to battle."
Having explained the rules, she took her position on one side of the rocky battlefield.
Seeing this, Hakuya immediately shifted into battle mode, choosing Sprigatito as his vanguard.
"A Sprigatito from the Paldea region?"
Roxanne was slightly surprised, but she quickly collected herself.
It seemed this young man named Hakuya truly was a novice.
One of the starter Pokémon from the Paldea region, and it hadn't even evolved into its second stage yet. Its level couldn't be very high.
"Everyone, do you remember what I just taught you in class? Type matchups do not dictate everything! Watch the following battle closely and do not lose focus~"
Roxanne addressed her students in the stands while pulling a Poké Ball from her belt.
Her flawlessly beautiful face turning serious and unsmiling was the sign that this Gym Leader was entering battle mode.
"My first choice is this!"
Glancing at the green cat, which had arched its back and entered a combat stance, Roxanne looked toward her Geodude.
"The opponent is a Sprigatito with a type advantage. You shouldn't have any problem handling this, right, Geodude?"
"Geo!"
In a scene that felt all too familiar, Geodude threw a punch into the air, presenting its Trainer with a reliable back that practically screamed, I can totally elbow this guy!
It had specifically learned the move [Fire Punch]; fighting this Grass-type cat was well within its capabilities.
"The challenger will have the first move."
Hearing the command to begin the battle, Hakuya nodded and issued his order.
"Alright, Sprigatito, use Petal Blizzard."
—Referee raises flag: "Gym Leader Roxanne's Geodude is unable to battle! Please send out your next Pokémon!"
—Referee raises flag: "Gym Leader Roxanne's Nosepass is unable to battle! Both of the Gym Leader's Pokémon are unable to battle! The winner is the challenger!"
"Thank you, Gym Leader Roxanne, for your careful guidance. Having such an exhilarating battle right after arriving from the Kanto region has truly been a rewarding experience... Let's go, Sprigatito."
"Meowha, meowha~"
"..."
Watching the black-haired young man and the green cat turn and leave after receiving the badge, Roxanne felt a lump form in her throat.
She had been utterly crushed.
But that wasn't the main issue. The real problem was...
As a rookie Trainer, that is NOT how you're supposed to fight a Gym Challenge!
You were supposed to command your Pokémon to use a super-effective move, which my Geodude would then dodge before counterattacking with [Fire Punch]! Then, after a back-and-forth exchange of tactics, you would earn my acknowledgment and win the Stone Badge!
You weren't supposed to just walk in and send out an unevolved Sprigatito that uses [Petal Blizzard] with the sheer force of two consecutive [Leaf Storms]—a Pokémon that is so obviously illegal—and completely steamroll me without giving me a single chance to offer any 'guidance'!
I refuse to accept a rookie Gym challenge like this!!!
...
7:00 AM
[Rustboro Gym. Gym Leader: Roxanne. Challengers are advised to bring Pokémon that have an advantage against Rock-types.]
Having just elbowed the real Roxanne, Hakuya waited until late at night to log into the Randomized Emerald and elbow the cyber-Roxanne.
"Finally, I can initiate the Gym challenge. Once I win, I can break past the level 15 cap."
Hakuya took his spot on the rocky battlefield, feeling a sense of anticipation.
After playing with a "baby team" for the past few weeks, he could finally let Sprigatito evolve into Floragato.
"I've decided! Go, Exeggcute!"
Roxanne unclipped a Poké Ball from her waist and threw it with the elegant, perfect form of a top-tier student.
As the white light from the Poké Ball faded, six pale pink, slightly cracked eggs landed on the field.
"Exeggcute, use Confusion."
A massive wave of psychic energy suddenly erupted. In the split second before it crashed into Sprigatito, Hakuya executed a flawless switch, and a small, soft cream Pokémon raised its hands to block the attack perfectly.
"Thank God I switched Milcery in time."
After the first exchange, Hakuya looked at the section of the battlefield that had been pulverized by the psychic energy and wiped the sweat from his forehead.
This Exeggcute actually rolled the [Parental Bond] ability.
Because an Exeggcute consists of six separate eggs, that single [Confusion] attack had struck six times in a row!
If he hadn't noticed the danger and recalled Sprigatito immediately, the little kitten would have been treated like a chew toy and flattened by that 6x stacked psychic assault.
"Milcery, use Dazzling Gleam."
"Nai~"
Her soft, creamy hands gathered in front of her chest. With a crisp shout from Milcery, a dreamlike cluster of multicolored energy enveloped her before blasting toward the opponent, who had no time to dodge.
Since this [Parental Bond] Exeggcute hadn't learned any moves to counter Fairy-types, it predictably collapsed with swirly eyes under Milcery's relentless barrage.
Seeing her first Pokémon fall, the cyber-Roxanne showed no emotion.
She simply recalled it silently and threw her next Poké Ball with even greater force.
Next to enter the field was Aggron.
Hakuya didn't expect the Rock-type Gym Leader to actually randomly roll a Rock-type Pokémon. But as the iron-armored monster landed, a massive energy sword suddenly descended from the sky, kicking up a choking cloud of dust.
[Aggron's Intrepid Sword raised its Attack!]
"It actually rolled Zacian's signature ability? You're the Sword King too, huh?"
While Hakuya was still silently roasting the game, the background music suddenly shifted into an intensely dramatic and epic track.
"Nai~" "Yeah, it's probably that again..."
Hakuya and Milcery exchanged a glance, his mouth twitching uncontrollably.
As everyone knew, whenever an overpowered monster appeared, it was accompanied by a mind-blowing soundtrack—just like that [Contrary] Rayquaza from before. It seemed this unscrupulous Gym Leader was secretly playing Ultra Emerald with cheats enabled.
Roxanne elegantly opened the book in her hand, revealing a colorful stone embedded in the title page.
Then, her calm, measured voice echoed throughout the Rustboro Gym.
"Challenger, your Pokémon are indeed well-raised. But as someone who loves Rock-types, I will not concede defeat so easily. Respond to my heart! Aggron, Mega Evolve!"
The moment the Mega Evolution energy chains faded, the surrounding ground was instantly cracked by the sheer weight.
Amidst the swirling dust and shattered rocks, a steel behemoth towering over three meters tall let out a deafening roar.
Lv 20!
Mega Aggron!
It had shed its Rock-typing and gained the pure Steel-typing, which was currently the absolute hardest type for Hakuya's team to deal with.
"Aggron, use Heavy Slam."
Following cyber-Roxanne's command, the steel armor encasing Aggron began to vibrate with a metallic hum.
It violently pushed off the rocky ground, its entire massive frame diving forward like a meteor. The sheer momentum, amplified by Mega Evolution, caused the air around it to distort into spiral halos.
Everywhere it passed, the rocky surface cracked into spiderweb patterns, the debris pulverized into dust by the violent air currents before it even hit the ground.
Faced with such a colossal impact, even with her impressive levitation (that would make Groudon green with envy), Milcery couldn't find a safe spot to dodge in time. Realizing this instantly, Hakuya changed tactics and shouted.
"Milcery, quickly spray whipped cream to block it!"