We Need More Dirtbag Pokemon Gym Leaders
Pokemon Gyms have evolved a lot over the years. Originally, gyms were much closer to their namesake. They resembled boxing gyms - albeit filled with conveyor belts and invisible walls. Over time, Gyms have become stadiums and arenas. As the scope and graphics have improved, gym battles have become public spectacles, and Gym Leaders in turn have become international celebrities.
While I enjoy the grandeur and fanfare around a good Gym Battle - especially when I’m the one winning them - I also miss the days when gyms were a more intimate and casual affair. Elevating every Gym Leader to celebrity status has had a homogenizing effect. The differences between their personalities is somewhat blunted by the fact that they all represent the same class of elite, high society people. We need more Gyms on the wrong side of the tracks, and we need more dirtbag Gym Leaders.
Related: Pokemon's Most Unaccomplished Gym Leader Teaches Us It's Okay To Be Average
If not for the sake of variety, consider how strange it is that every gym has become a version of Madison Square Garden. It’s well established that the Pokemon League has some pretty dubious economics. Gym Leader salaries are largely covered by the meager fees trainers pay when they lose Gym Battles, and upkeep is likely subsidized by unpaid Pokemon labor. Gyms, at least outside of Galar, aren’t exactly money-making machines. It would be reasonable to expect a few more Gym Leaders to lead a bohemian lifestyle, and it would be interesting to see some Pokemon Gyms that are just scraping by. This isn’t something the games have explored, but financial hardship must be a reality for many rural and underpopulated gyms.
What if there was a Gym Leader that operates out of his mom’s
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