Ten Things I Wish I’d Known Before Taking The Gym Challenge
When it comes to challenging the League, making mistakes is part of the whole experience. No matter when or how you do it, it won’t pan out quite as you expect, and everyone’s experience is different. That said, a little advice can go a long way, so here are my top things to remember:
1. Unofficial gyms are great for everyday training.
In the big cities, official Gyms are crowded, oversubscribed, and pretty dang expensive. Unofficial gyms might not be affiliated with the League, but they’re perfectly serviceable for everyday training. Most are staffed with an array of type specialists, who can advise you with everything from battle technique to how you hold yourself on the pitch. If you’re of school age or taking a gap year, you can usually flash your trainer card and get the same discounts you would in an official Gym. Make use of them. Book a one-on-one session if you can.
That’s not to say you should avoid official Gyms. They’re usually much better equipped, and taking lessons from the Gym Leader themselves will give you a feel for their style. But there’s no need to spend all your time there - especially as the cafés are daylight robbery.Â
2. If you’re staying at a Pokémon Centre, don’t sleep late.
Aside from dorms, most Centres have communal kitchens and cheap laundry services. If you want to have any chance of getting near them, rise early. When it comes to charging phones and Pokédexes, you just need to get lucky - nab a plug, defend it, but try not to hog it. If there’s a queue of people who need juice, priority goes to whoever’s on the lowest percentage. A few weeks into your journey, 40% will become the new 100%.Â
3. For the love of god, don’t keep your trainer card in a random pocket.
You will lose it, and replacing it is a nightmare. You’ll have to cancel the old card and order a new one at full price, even if you received your initial one through an Access Scheme. What’s more, you can’t challenge Gym Leaders without a valid ID, nor enter most paying tournaments, even if the booking was made before the loss of the card. Save yourself the grief and keep it in your wallet.Â
4. You don’t need to stick with one style of battling.
Even if you know what kind of trainer you want to be, don’t be afraid to mess around, especially in friendly battles. Try out doubles and triples, swap pokémon for a few matches, restrict your team to contact or non-contact moves. Even if it’s just for a laugh, you’ll be surprised at how much you’ll learn.Â
5. There is no one way to approach your challenge. Â
Nobody’s experience is the same, so don’t feel self-conscious about not doing it ‘right’. Some people don’t take on the Gyms until they’re well into adulthood. Some people don’t leave home, preferring to train locally and travel out to each Gym in turn. Some are seasoned trainers, already having collected badges in other regions. Some are utter novices. Some approach the challenge casually, seeing it as something for the CV. Others view it as a path towards sponsorship and a long-term career in the battle industry. The one uniting factor? Everybody is too preoccupied with their own experience to judge other people’s. Try to learn from the variety of people rather than comparing yourself to them.
6. You can split the costs of a storage subscription with friends.
For a lot of people, the Gym challenge goes hand in hand with capturing new pokémon. Some Trainer Access Schemes offer a storage account among their benefits, but the schemes are less common than they used to be, and some find the subscriptions offered too basic. Split between a few people, an unlimited Box subscription is good value for money - it also allows you to create several accounts, so you can each keep your spare pokémon in a secure place.Â
7. When you’re battling casually, it’s best to keep money out of it.
While it’s tempting to lay bets and battle for big bucks, it can cause arguments, especially when it’s day 90 and everyone’s stressed and sweaty and worn out. In friendly matches with strangers, the last square of chocolate or the comfiest armchair in the Pokémon Centre lounge are as tempting prizes as any.Â
8. Remember that Gym Leaders are just regular people.
The sooner you stop treating them like huge celebrities, the more comfortable you’ll be in their presence, and the easier it will be to learn from them. Ask them as many (battle-related) questions as you can, put yourself forward, and make sure they understand your style. This is especially important if you plan to challenge the Elite Four, as Gym Leaders can put you in touch with agents and sponsors, as well as offer you advanced lessons when the time comes.Â
Don’t be afraid to ask for selfies with them, though. 9 times out of 10, they’ll be cool with it. Â
9. It’s worth investing in decent Pokéballs Â
Cheap Pokéballs can smell fear, and they will pick the worst opportunity to malfunction or run dry. Some pokémon aren’t permitted to run free in public spaces, so the last thing you want is for them to be forcibly ejected. You also don’t want to gear up for a Gym battle or a tournament, only to have your Pokéball lose power and lock. Silph Pokéballs might be eye-wateringly expensive, but they last for life and never need to be charged. They’re also incredibly secure, boasting touch ID and wireless connectivity to the Box system. In the face of repeated, forcible ejection attempts, the pokémon will be withdrawn from the ball and placed into a linked storage account, which means you don’t need to need to worry about theft.Â
10. You will have to come to terms with your own abilities.
Deep down, we think we’re hotshots at battling. Even if we doubt our skills, we still think we’ll catch a wave at the right moment - suddenly, everything will click, and we’ll start breezing through the Gyms, winning tournaments, making a beeline for that Champion spot.
Fortunately and unfortunately, that’s not the case. The bitter pill to swallow: even when you beat them, Gym Leaders are much more skilled than you are. Some of them are among the best trainers in the world, but their job is to battle at your level and exploit the weaknesses in your technique. As you improve, they will adjust how much pressure they put on you, so you can actually expect to lose more when you challenge later Gyms.
Even once you collect all of your badges, it’s highly unlikely that you will be able to best a Gym Leader in a genuine, all-out battle. Novice trainers often get hung up on this - that they only won because the Gym Leader allowed them to, that they haven’t beaten them for real.
This is something most people have to make peace with. Ultimately, Gym Leaders do allow you to win - but only after presenting you with a rigorous challenge, which you have to train and adapt to. At its heart, the Gym Challenge has always been about personal improvement. So manage your expectations, celebrate your victories, and have fun out there!Â
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