Spark Of Interest

It Only Takes A Spark

With Elesa being out of town on business for a few days, the usual crowds that flocked to the gym were whittled down to a much smaller audience consisting mainly of battle enthusiasts. While some were disappointed that Elesa wasn't around, that didn't stop them from enjoying a good spectacle. As Ivan sat on the bench next to Joulia, the judge, Joulia reviewed the terms of his contract in regards to trainers earning badges as well as the level of difficulty each trainer would qualify for upon challenging the gym.

"So you see, trainers that only have one or two badges would qualify for a two on two match while those with three can have a three on three. As the badge number increases, so does the challenge difficulty. Sometimes, Elesa's been challenged to full battles due to her being the last gym that the trainers faced. Most people aren't aware of this, but all gym leaders are required to be equipped for any level of challenge that walks through their door, so a team of six is necessary to have in the event that something like that were to happen," Joulia explained.

"I see, so there's a chance that I may have to fight a full battle at some point huh? I guess it's a good thing I made it a point to capture a variety of Electric-types," Ivan replied, glancing back up at the badge rules with a puzzled expression. "So, what would happen if someone were to have this gym as their first challenge? Would it just be a two on two match also?"

"Correct, although something like that hasn't happened in a while and it usually requires us to reduce the challenge difficulty to a level that the challenger can handle. While we're on the topic, is your team prepared for these levels? From what Elesa told me, you have several well trained Pokémon that have years of battling experience. That's great for higher tier trainers, but if someone comes in with only one badge, you may have to face them with just one Pokémon."

Ivan nodded and said, "as a matter of fact, I do have a few that could help with that. I was wondering why Elesa told me to bring six Pokémon with me. She said that they needed to be divided up into three sets of two, each set having Pokémon at a different stage of development."

"Oh good! Sorry, I feel as though I've reiterated something she'd already told you. Excellent, so you're prepared for a few different scenarios," Joulia said with a relieved sigh.

Joulia looked down at her X-Transceiver and pulled up a screen which displayed the front doors of the gym. She could see them opening and three challengers loading into the car. From what she could see, each of them had roughly two Pokémon on their belt which meant that he had some possible lower tier challengers coming.

"Alright, it looks like you have three on the way," Jouila informed him as she stood up to walk to the center of the gym.

Ivan took a deep breath and stood up, taking a moment to mentally prepare himself for his first day on the job. Joulia was going to be evaluating his performance and reporting back to Elesa, so it was imperative that he keep himself composed and professional at all times. The doors soon parted and in rode the car carrying two teenage boys and a young girl. They all got out of the car, laughing and chatting away about how fun the ride was.

"I guess that's my cue," Ivan said to himself, putting on a smile as he approached the challengers. "Mornin' trainers! I take it you're all here for the gym challenge. Have you three agreed on who's going first, or have you not decided yet?"

The three trainers looked at one another and began whispering among themselves. After a few minutes of deliberation, the girl nervously stepped forward. The young girl had short black hair and dark brown eyes. She gave her friends an uncertain glance before turning back around and facing Ivan.

I've seen that look before, Ivan thought while watching her fidget with her hands. Alright, it's probably her first gym battle so let's try to lower her anxiety a little. And I know just the partner to do the job. He's a too strong for her team to handle since she's a beginner, but that doesn't mean he can't help out a bit.