Leadership Dojo: How to Be a Gym Leader

Introduction

In the main-series games and anime, Gym Leaders are recognized as being the strongest trainer in their respective Pokémon Gym. For aspiring Pokémon Trainers, Gym Leaders are role models of what to strive for. However, despite the reverence that comes with the status, the process and requirements of becoming a Gym Leader are mostly unknown. For example: how do you create a Gym; what is the policy on two Gyms being in the same city; or why do Gym Leaders early in the game have lower-leveled Pokémon despite them showing that they own much higher-leveled Pokémon? The answers aren't top secret; rather, they are broken in pieces and scattered across generations and mediums that need to be strung together to find them. This article will attempt to do exactly that and answer many of the questions brought about by the mysteriousness of Pokémon Gyms and their Leaders.

How to Create a(n Official) Gym

Leading a Gym is impossible if there is not one to lead in the first place, so logically the first step is to create one. Unlike most things, creating a Gym is a lot easier to do than it sounds as the requirements to do so are relatively easy to achieve. The first requirement is to have a facility to serve as the base of operations. This may seem difficult to do at first, but the building doesn't need to be exclusively for the Gym itself. For instance, the Gym in Striaton City used to be solely a café until it was remodeled to double as a Gym, and the one Nacrene City occupies the same building as the local museum.

Next step to creating a Gym is to have someone to lead the Gym, also known as a Gym Leader. This step may seem obvious, but just because it is obvious doesn't lower any of its importance. This step is what separates Pokémon Gyms from places like Silph Co, the Battle Company, and other random conglomerations of trainers in buildings. Gym Leaders also must be present at the Gym all the time; otherwise the Gym will be forced to close until the Gym Leader returns, like the Viridian City Gym and the Olivine City Gym. There is much more to Gym Leaders than that which was just described; however, this will be gone over in a later part.

The last, and perhaps most difficult, step is to recruit other people to train at the Gym. Basically, you need at least one other person besides the Gym Leader to train at the Gym. This was implemented to gauge the popularity and strength of a Gym. As it would be imagined, a Gym with more recruits typically means a more powerful and popular Pokémon Gym and the opposite is the same. It is also worth noting that because of this rule, the stations of the Battle Frontier are not Pokémon Gyms as the Trainers there are not training; rather, they are competing, which goes against the final part of the rule.

Once these requirements have been fulfilled, you have a Pokémon Gym. However, just because it is a Gym doesn't mean that it will be automatically recognized by the Pokémon League. Whether or not a Pokémon Gym is recognized by the the Pokémon League is based on a number of criteria. For example, the Yas and Kaz Gyms were rejected because of their attempt to use the Gym primarily to earn money, whereas the Coastline Gym is currently unofficial due to the Gym's lack of popularity. However, beyond knowing why the Pokémon League rejects certain Gyms from becoming official, there is no information regarding the criteria that the League uses for accepting them.

How to Become an Official Gym Leader

The process behind becoming an official Gym Leader varies depending on which Gym Leader is talked to. Basically, there are two options to choose from, both of which split into other categories as well: becoming the leader of an unofficial Gym and working until it becomes official or earning the position from another Gym Leader from a preexisting official Gym. As a frame of reference, most of the Gym Leaders in the Kanto Region earned their positions through the former method, whereas half of the Hoenn Gym Leaders earned theirs through the latter method. Being the more popular and straightforward one, the first method will be discussed first.

The former option works by building an unofficial gym from the ground-up and eventually having that gym become official. Although this method of obtaining official Gym Leadership takes more time to complete compared to the second, it is the more reliable option as, if the Leader is patient and has good intentions, this method has a 100 percent success rate. It is also worth saying that unless they specifically said otherwise, it is assumed that all of the Gym Leaders that are fought during the main-series games obtained their leadership through this method.

The second option is less reliable than the first, but can be achieved faster than the first as well. It works by taking over the responsibilities of a previous Gym Leader from a preexisting official Gym. Unlike the first, this method can be gone about in many different ways. The most common way this happens is through heredity when a family member passes down his/her Gym Leader position to their child or grandchild. Flannery is the granddaughter of the original Gym Leader of the Lavaridge City Gym, who passed it down to Flannery when he could no longer continue his duties as Gym Leader. Janine is the daughter of the now Elite Four Member, Koga, who trusted his daughter to lead the Fuschia City Gym while he was away. Gym Leaders and Elite Four Members hold the power to ask trainers to take over the leadership of a Gym if the current Leader must take a leave of absence. Gym Leaders such as Juan, Whitney, and Cheren all obtained their positions by taking over the leadership of a Gym Leader that could no longer fulfill their duties. A special case to this rule is Sabrina, who technically took over the responsibilities of another Gym Leader, but did so in a unique way. In Saffron City, there were two official Gyms, which went against a rule set by the Pokémon League. According to the policy, there was a battle to determine which Gym would keep its official status. Sabrina won, taking over the responsibilities as Saffron City Gym Leader from the previous Leader. A Gym Leader's job isn't over when they become a Gym Leader; rather, it is only the beginning. The goal of becoming a Gym Leader may be complete, but now it is time to step up to the plate and take on the responsibilities of being a Gym Leader.

How to Be a Gym Leader

Being a Gym Leader isn't all about battling and handing out badges. While it is true that this is the primary job of a Gym Leader, the responsibilities of a Gym Leader stretch beyond that. One of a Gym Leader's responsibilities is to choose their Gym's specialty type and layout based upon the local fauna and attractions. A Gym Leader's job is to make his/her Gym as close to the area around the Gym as possible. While deciding on the flavor aspects of their Gym, Gym Leaders must also think of the competitive aspects of their Gym as well. They must be conscious of their Gym's specialty type and create a suitable environment for their Pokémon to thrive. Humilau's tropical and laid back Water-type Gym takes obvious inspiration from its surrounding environments, even having part of the environment being part of the Gym. The same can also be said about Azalea's Ilex Forest-inspired Gym, whose Bug-typed origins can be found only 20 steps away.

Sticking to the competitive theme, it is the Gym Leader's responsibility to judge the skill level of their opponent and attempt to make the battle as fair as possible. Even though all Gym Leaders have proven to have much stronger Pokémon than the ones they choose to use during the player's Gym Battle, they choose to bring Pokémon that relate to their opponent's experience. If it were not this way, it would be nearly impossible for a trainer with no Gym Badges to defeat a Level 63 Rampardos or a Level 56 Pidgeot, which Roark and Falkner have been proven to have in the Battleground and Fighting Dojo. However, as the player earns more badges, Gym Leaders should be able to recognize this and are subsequently able to ramp up the difficulty of the battle. Of course, despite what has already been said, a Gym Leader's main job is to test the skills of trainers to see if they are both physically and mentally prepared to challenge the Pokémon League. In a sense, Gym Leaders are mentors, whose goal is to guide new trainers and encourage experienced ones to pursue their best in whatever way that they see fit.

Conclusion

Pokémon Leagues don't stop at eight official Pokémon Gyms per region; they are looking for as many talented Pokémon Gyms as they can. This however leaves one more question that I cannot answer: who will be the next great Gym Leader? It is time to get out there. The veil over Gym leadership has been lifted and with it a world of opportunities have been revealed. It is the choice of each trainer whether or not they want to take this chance and answer the final unanswered question.

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