Chapter 144 - 144: Start of the League Season

Words : 1026 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

The sun rose over Moonwood Town, casting golden rays across its vibrant streets. The air buzzed with anticipation as the Pokémon League season officially began, a milestone that set Kanto's young trainers on their quest for badges and glory. Inside the Moonwood Gym, Gladion leaned back on his chair as he waited for challengers to show up. His thoughts drifting to the influx of challengers he'd face. 'Not expecting many this early,' he mused, 'Most new trainers need at least two Pokémon to challenge me.' Fresh trainers, typically 10-year-olds starting their journeys, often began with a single starter given by their schools, regional professor, sponsors or parents. And capturing a second Pokémon took time and training it also took time. Of course there were always exceptions like Gladion or his own sister who had 3 Pokemon before they started their journeys. There was another reason why Gladion was not expecting many trainers on the first day. 'Moonwood town is not exactly next door to Pallet or Viridian. Most trainers start their journey from there as it's a traditional route. They need to travel through forests and routes, battling wild Pokémon or training their starters. The only trainers that would come would be those from Moonwood town, surrounding towns and Cerulean city. His smirk widened as he considered the traditional Kanto route. 'Most'll hit Pewter City first, challenge Flint for their Boulder Badge.' Pewter's Rock-type gym was a logical starting point—close to Pallet Town, with wild Pokémon like Rattata, Pidgey, Mankey nearby for easy captures. 'By the time they beat Flint, they'll have two Pokémon, maybe three, trained up a bit. Then they'll trek to Moonwood for their second badge.' Gladion was pretty sure that many trainers would not challenge him above a three star badge challenge. His reputation was a double-edged sword. 'Beating Champion Pryce with two Pokémon and crushing Roland with three? That's intimidating for many young trainers. Newbies hear 'Gladion Vortex' and they would think I'm unbeatable, especially for higher badges—six, seven, eight.' He shook his head, amused. 'They don't get it. Gym Leaders hold back or rather they have to hold back by a lot.' The League's badge system was a training curve, not a gauntlet. 'No way a rookie with a Charmander beats an Ace veteran's full team. We scale our power—weak Pokémon for early badges, stronger ones later, never using our true teams.' These gym battles were about growth of young trainers, not elite trainers giving them humiliation. Gladion's mind turned to his gym roster. Over his travels in Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, Gladion had caught dozens of Pokémon—Pidgeot, Raticate, Sandslash, even Hoenn's Zangoose and Johto's Sudowoodo among others. They were all going to be used for gym battles. He didn't train them him self, though. He'd hired staff—breeders, battle coaches—to raise them at his Moonwood ranch, ensuring they were battle-ready but not his focus. 'They're tools for the gym, not family.' His main team—was his heart, forged through blood, friendship and battles. 'The others? I don't care much about 'em. They are only to be used for gym battles.' For seven- or eight-badge challenges, he'd deploy weaker main team members, like Tengen the Scizor or Hisoka the Gliscor. 'They're strong but not overwhelming—perfect for testing elite challengers without unleashing Colossus or Arsenal and making these kids pee in fear Lol.' Gladion chuckled at his own poor joke as he looked if everything was ready for the coming months. The gym was a fortress of preparation, every staff member in position. Security teams patrolled the gym, Vortex's house, and the ranch. Cameras covered every angle, feeds streaming to the control room, ensuring no Team Rocket grunt could sneak in. At the main gate, Guy, Gladion's Machamp, stood like a bouncer, his four arms flexed, wearing a garish yellow T-shirt emblazoned with "YOUTH!" in neon green. Guy grinned, waving at passing kids, shouting, [Embrace your YOUTH, challengers! Battle with PASSION!] A group of 5-year-olds giggled, one mimicking Guy's flex, only to trip and land in a bush, prompting Guy to laugh and haul him out with one arm, ruffling his hair. [That's the spirit, kid! Fall, rise, FIGHT!] Another kid, clutching a Squirtle plushie, whispered, "He's so loud!" Guy overheard, striking a dramatic pose, [Loud? I'm the VOICE of YOUTH!] He flexed again, accidentally knocking over a signboard, which he sheepishly propped up, drawing more laughs. Gladion, watching via feed, chuckled. [Guy's a show-off, but he's perfect—scares off trouble and would pump up challengers easing their nerves.] And you might be wondering why was Gladion doing so much work for trainers that have just began their journey? Well, It's all about money. Every match would be recorded, with battles for six badges or fewer uploaded to PokéTube, drawing millions of views and ad revenue. Higher-badge matches—seven or eight—would air live on Kanto TV, boosting Moonwood's profile and broadcaster rights would also give money. Tickets for gym are already selling out, with people booking tickets for whenever someone challenges Gladion for their 7 or 8 badge. Challengers also pay a fee to battle the gym leader—small amount for first-timers, doubled each time if they lose and try again. The system deterred spammers while funding gym upgrades—new fields, better tech, more staff. 'Win or lose, these kiddies are going to give me a lot of money hahahaha' Gladion evilly laughed at that creeping out everyone in the room. -------- Author Note It's a chapter about how gym makes money and why gym leaders who are supposed to be the best lose to 10 year olds with little of no experience and with Pokemon who they have trained for less than a year. Just wanted everyone to know since it would be a part of the story and play an important part in it. Y'all can read 18 extra chapters on my pat*reon. 6 more than what was offered earlier!! https://pat reon.com/mrmime24 [No Space in pat*reon]

Chapter 144 - 144: Start of the League Season

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