My Pokémon Gym

This post is part of a small collaboration project with Robert Ian Sheperd of Adventure Rules – see the original post here.

So what does my Pokémon Gym look like? First let’s start with where I would decide to set up shop.

Azalea Town would be my number one spot for where I would want my Gym. I love azaleas for a start (they’re one of my favourite plants) and I have always liked Slowpoke Well, and was amused by the idea of a city pretty much brimming with Slowpoke. Also, let’s face it: Bugsy isn’t all that tough. It wouldn’t take much convincing that I would be the better choice as Gym Leader.

Pokémon Heart Gold/Soul Silver: Azalea Town

A theme? I don’t think I would want to follow a type theme – I certainly have my preferences, but part of me always wished the Gyms would have a bit more variety, for the sake of giving some extra challenge. It doesn’t feel that tough when you can steamroll all the Gym trainers and the Leader with a single Pokémon with a clear type advantage, without even needing to head over to the Pokémon Centre because this single Poké is now totally overlevelled…

I would probably choose a trio of types, and my gut reaction to this option is Water, Psychic and Ghost.

All good gyms have a puzzle of some sort to solve, or if not a puzzle then at least an aesthetic. I quite like the format of Norman’s gym from Gen 3, where you have a selection of rooms, each one warning you of what the trainer relies on before you enter, and you have to battle your way through the rooms to reach the Gym Leader. Well what if we combine this concept (although I might take the notes away, I don’t want to make my Gym too easy!) with an aesthetic that is borrowed from another game entirely … In The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time there is a particular room within the Water Temple where you fight Shadow Link. It appears to be a vast, mysterious, watery plain, with a ghostly mist hanging over it. Upon defeating Shadow Link, the illusion is lifted and it is a regular room. What if you enter the trainer’s room to an environment similar to this, and the illusion lifts once you beat the trainer? I feel like this would tie in really well with the Ghost/Psychic theming.