Gyms
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Pokémon Gyms
Pokémon gyms are a valuable asset for trainers. They can either join a gym or challenge a gym for practice or badges. For members, gyms are sort of like Pokémon training dojos, where trainers can learn about skill and strategy for the type of Pokémon they specialize in. Gym members can be identified by the specialized badge that they wear, which is a white and gold variant of the badge awarded to challengers.
In order to qualify for the Pokémon League tournament, trainers must earn badges from a certain number of gyms.
All gyms have a specialty type. This means they only accept trainers who fight with Pokémon of that type. For example, Cerulean Gym is a water type gym, which also accepts ice type. This means that only trainers with water or ice type Pokémon are allowed to join at Cerulean Gym.
Gym members can challenge trainers who are on their way to challenge the leader for a badge. They can serve as a sort of test of worth, making sure the badge-seeker is ready to go up against the gym leader. If a trainer is defeated by a gym member, it's usually a sign that they should go train more before trying to take on the leader, but there is no official rule that says they can't still challenge the leader after losing to a regular member. (Whether the gym leader will take them on after losing to a regular member is, of course, entirely up to the gym leader in question.)
The main battlefield of a Gym is where the important battles take place, such as challenging Gym Leaders for badges. Sometimes a gym's main battlefield can be very elaborate, built to mimic various types of terrain. There are also plain battlefields that are just the regular court lines drawn on the ground, but these fields tend to be for minor spars or challenges against regular members.
Gym Leaders
Gym Leaders are, obviously, the leaders of their respective gyms. They decide on the rules, layout, and system for their gyms, as well as who joins and who doesn't. Basically, Gym Leaders have the final say on anything that has to do with their gyms, as long as it remains within Pokémon League rules.
Trainers normally challenge Gym Leaders for Gym Badges, though this system can vary. Some Gym Leaders will force trainers to fight other members first to prove their worth, or may decline to fight at all and instead let another gym member take the badge challenge in their place. The only thing that is 100% certain throughout all the regions' gyms is that badges must be won through a Pokémon challenge, and that only Gym Leaders can declare the conditions for winning their badge. (This means that a second-in-command can't give out badges when they've been beaten unless the gym's leader has specifically told them to do this.)
Gym Leaders as PCs
Players are permitted to apply for Gym Leader positions! You can make them based on the game or anime or even manga versions of the original Gym Leader, or just make up a new one completely from scratch. If you app your own original character as a Gym Leader, we will retcon whatever you decide needs retconning for that character. For example, if you apped an original character to be the Gym Leader of Pewter Gym, and you say he'd been there for five years and the main battlefield was just a plain court, we'll change the Gym Leaders info to reflect this and say that Brock retired five years ago when your character took over.
There is a lot of flexibility on apping a Gym Leader. You could make pretty much anyone you wanted for any gym, within the outlined parameters of that gym. (That is, you couldn't make an ice type gym leader for Cinnabar Gym, but you could make almost any fire type trainer that you wanted.)
You might app a Gym Leader and later decide you don't want to play them, or just don't want to play them as a Gym Leader. It happens. There's a system to handle this, so don't feel obligated to keep playing a character you don't enjoy just because they're a Gym Leader. If you choose to drop the character, we'll say the original leader returned from retirement and is filling in the position until a new Gym Leader is found. If you're already playing the original leader, then the character is just NPCed until somebody apps a new leader.
Taken Gym Leaders
- Viridian Gym - Giovanni [NPC]
- Goldenrod Gym - Shannon Vincent Gray
