Sinnoh Gym Leaders
(Feat. an update on the state of the project as a whole)
Hi! So, as you may have kind of guessed this project won’t be going forward as it has been presented in the past. Life gets busy, priorities change, and people with adhd move on. However, I have too many ideas and sprite edits stashed away to let it go completely, so I want to share those things with you in subject-specific posts. Thanks to everyone who’s checked this out, and I hope you find these ideas at least passingly interesting. So, without further ado...
The Gym Leaders!
To see more about this project, you can check out the Peaks of Sinnoh tag!
Half of the gym leaders on the roster are familiar from the original/canon adventure in the Sinnoh region, but three are new (if still somewhat familiar) faces!
The new Oreburgh city gym leader, Carmilla, has already been featured in the Oreburgh city post, but let’s talk about her anyway:
Gym Leader 1: Carmilla
Carmilla is the youngest gym leader in Sinnoh, having taken over the Oreburgh gym from Roark. Her focus is on poison types, and her gym has bouncy, bubble-inspired theming.
If you defeat her team of Stunky, Budew, and Zubat, you’ll receive the venom badge, and have completed the first step of your Pokémon league journey!
Gym Leader 2: Gardenia
Gardenia has maintained her position as gym leader of Eterna city, though the forest maze in her gym has grown thicker and more lush over time, and Lass Caroline is now a Parasol Lady.
You receive the forest badge for defeating her Cherubi, Leafeon, and Grotle.
Gym Leader 3: Maylene
Maylene has grown into a confident and accomplished gym leader in Veilstone city. She still gives out the cobble badge when you defeat her, and all of the other trainers in her dojo-themed gym. However, the other trainers in the gym are no longer exclusively black belts, now including battle girls and a ninja boy (who battles with a Croagunk).
Maylene’s gym challenge team consists of Meditite, Riolu, and Machamp, but outside of the gym, and in any later battles, she can still be found with her partner Pokémon: Lucario.
Gym Leader 4: Quake
Quake took over the Pastoria gym from his mentor Crasher Wake when the elder wrestler retired*. Quake specializes in ground type Pokémon, and has redesigned the gym to better reflect that.
Like Gardenia, Quake’s gym mimics the natural world, with a system of rivers running through it. The rivers can be navigated by crossing a series of bridges which raise and lower based on various control points throughout the gym (not unlike the buttons in the original layout). The rivers may not be wide, but they are deep, and the currents will sweep you right back to the front of the gym if you try to cross without using a bridge! The other gym trainers include rangers, ranchers, and fishermen.
He will award you the coast badge for defeating him and his team of Hippopotas (whose moveset includes muddy water), Quagsire, and (west sea) Gastrodon.
*Crasher Wake still lives in Pastoria city, and will give the player some advice about type effectiveness (grass is best) if talked to before battling Quake. Crasher Wake can also be battled post-elite four on select days of the week.
Gym Leader 5: Keira
Long-time contest judge Keira took over the Hearthome gym when Fantina left to travel the world and hone her battling skills some years ago. Though the ghost-type master has since returned to Sinnoh, Fantina is now a member of the elite four, and Keira and her normal-type team have remained the next step of the gym challenge.
When you first reach Hearthome city, Keira is away from the gym, focused on her contest performances. When met briefly at the super contest hall, she explains that she has a couple very important master-rank contests to complete, and encourages you to challenge the Veilstone gym in the meantime. Keira and Quake can both be challenged after Maylene; it is only a matter of whether the player decides to double back or travel on to Pastoria city first.
The gym itself is constructed to encourage showmanship, and is styled after the super contest hall, with a largely pink, purple, yellow, and blue color scheme. On the first floor, the player must dress up (in any outfit other than the base player outfit. The player can choose to wear their contest outfit, as they well have learned about contests well before challenging this gym) before battling a Lady. On the second floor, you must follow a pattern of DDR-style arrows across the floor (stepping on the wrong tile will drop you down to the floor below) to battle a Lass. The third floor requires you to summon a Pokémon to use strength in order to move stage rosters aside to reach and challenge an Idol.
Then, finally, you can challenge Keira, who will compliment you performance in the gym. Her room has retained the original stained glass, but now includes a stage, and has been repainted in a lighter pink, as opposed to the original, shadowy purple. Once you defeat her Jigglypuff, Porygon-Z, and Lopunny, Keira will award you the Twirl Badge
Gym Leader 6: Roark
Roark has taken over the Canalave city gym for his father, Byron*. The gym is now rock type, as opposed to steel, but has remained largely unchanged in most other respects. The gym trainers you must defeat to reach Roark include Workers, Black Belts, and Ace trainers--most notably Black Belt Jonathan and Ace Trainer Darius.
When you do reach Roark, he notes that he has been interested in your progress. He loves being a gym leader and battling new, promising trainers like you and Carmilla all the time, and that’s part of why he agreed to take over this gym for his father. His team includes Graveler, Steelix, Bastiodon, and Rampardos, and once defeated he awards you the mine badge.
*Byron still lives in Canalave city, but is somewhat less helpful than Crasher Wake. When spoken to, Byron will primarily share information about boat routes, or the appeal of steel type Pokémon. After defeating the elite four, he can be challenged once a week, when he visits Iron Island.
Gym Leader 7: Candice
Candice’s role as gym leader has remained largely unchanged in the many years since the original DPPT games took place. Like Gardenia, she has not updated the interior of her gym, though some of the Ace Trainers in the gym have changed, while others have been replaced by Skiers.
However, you do need to go retrieve Candice from her studies of the Snowpoint Temple before you can challenge her. She can be found on the third floor of the temple, where the stairs leading further down into the temple have worn away and are only accessible using rock climb. She will share some of the temple’s legends with you before returning to the gym.
You receive the icicle badge after defeating Candice’s team of Piloswine, Weavile, Abomasnow, and Froslass.
Gym Leader 8: Barry
As one of the great trainers from Twinleaf Town, Barry was on the shortlist to become a gym leader when leader Volkner became a member of the elite four.
Barry loves the hustle and bustle of Sunyshore, and the close proximity to Victory Road and the Battle Tower. He has refitted the gym to revolve around speed, with the floors of each room using boost tiles to send you zipping across the room! Only by making your way through this breakneck maze and defeating the joggers, cyclists, and ace trainers that also train at the gym can you challenge Barry.
Though, Barry’s still not a big fan of staying still or wasting time. He arrives at the gym at the same time as you, giving you a brief glimpse of the best path through the first room as he rushes to the gym leader’s platform at the end. He also asks what took you so long when you finally arrive!
Once you defeat his Electrode, Jolteon, Crobat, Weavile, and Torterra (his beloved starter is the only Pokémon with a base speed stat under 125) you are given the beacon badge and you’re finally ready to challenge the elite four!
Thanks for checking out this post about the future of Sinnoh’s gym leaders. If you enjoy these ideas, likes and reblogs are much appreciated, and more stuff like this can be found in the Peaks of Sinnoh tag!
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