#yes I integrated the starters and yes I integrated variants but in reverse

[black-footed-ferret]

I’m mad at the limited selection of trainers to fight in the Galar Cup (the preliminaries just being your three rivals, I was excited to see what the other gym trainers’ teams shaped up to be and even if the player character, Marnie, and Hop were the only three to get 8 gym badges that doesn’t have to be the case, you fight three gym leaders in a fixed order, and postgame you can’t fight Opal, Allister/Melony in Sword or Bea/Gordie in Shield, and the Gym Challengers don’t Dynamax their Pokemon) but I don’t understand the deal with people mad that there’s no elite four. I think there’s a pretty sound reason not to have them because it fits with the setting, so without changing the plot (I will deal with that in another post)

- You fight a group of Gym Challengers from a randomized pool, a Gym Trainer from each gym makes a cameo (Gym Trainer Leah, Chaka, Sebastian, Lynn, Ian, etc, and this includes from all 10 gym leaders) They all use 5 Pokemon if they really need for them to have only 5 which they’ve been obsessed with since Alola, but I’d prefer for them to have 6

- After a reasonable amount of battles, Bede interrupts you and you battle him. This proceeds exactly the way it does in the game. Maybe the crowd doesn’t... you know what I mean maybe the game doesn’t say “Crowd: Don’t quit!” as if it’s one person. Bede uses a team of 6, and he has his Reuniclus and Gothitelle because I feel bad about him abandoning them.

- Sonia battles you before the second to last battle, she uses her team from when she did her Gym Challenge with Leon (why doesn’t she get to be a trainer you can fight)

 - The penultimate battle is Marnie, she uses a team of 6 and Gigantamazes her Grimmsnarl, which maybe could’ve been featured on her team before this fight (Her team really could have used it) and that proceeds exactly the same way.

- Hop uses a team of 6 and Gigantamaxes his Snorlax. This would be a good way to forshadow the Giga Snorlax event by giving it a cameo before you’re able to get one

- The finals of the Galar Cup have the gym leaders randomized. They use teams of 6 and use competitive strategies. They would have two alternate teams to choose from.

- Maybe they could even introduce new gym leaders (and Allister/Bea, Gordie/Melony, and Opal) by saying all current and former gym leaders, minor league or not, have the option to compete in it and a few of them have. I’m picturing a Bug type leader with a Gigantamax Butterfree, an Electric or Poison leader with a Gigantamax Toxtricity, a Psychic leader with a Gigantamax Orbeetle, or a Flying leader with Corviknight

- When you finally battle Leon, he could use Pokemon from a pool of Pokemon with Aegislash, the pokemon strong against your starter, and Charizard being fixed slots of course. He could choose randomly between Dragapult, Hydreigon, or Kommo-o, and his Haxorus slot could be randomly chosen from strong Pokemon like Bisharp and Mamoswine that fit him. His Mr. Rime, Rhyperior, and Seismitoad slot could have plenty of elemental Pokemon to choose from, like Tsareena, Toxapex and Chandelure. Having a pool of Pokemon from which to randomly use could make him an unpredictable threat and possibly one of the hardest champions to date

So that’s how I’d do it, below I’m going to include the teams of the gym leaders I’ve made as a bonus. I plan to make this a mod one day so  👀  maybe this can all be a reality

Milo - (Harvest Team) Gourgeist, Whimsicott, Cherrim, Ferrothorn, Tsareena, Appletun (Gigantamax) (Floral Team) Roserade, Bellossom, Maractus, Vileplume, Eldegoss, Flapple

Nessa - (Fishing Team) Wishiwashi, Milotic, Gyarados, Barraskewda, Lanturn, Kingler (Gigantamax)  (Rain/Seaside team) Pelipper, Golisopod, Crawdaunt, Mantine, Barbaracle, Drednaw (Gigantamax)

Kabu - (Mythology Team) Torkoal, Rapidash (Kanto), Darmanitan (Unova), Ninetales, Arcanine, Centiskorch (Gigantamax) (Sunlight Team) Torkoal, Arcanine, Ninetales, Salazzle, Heatmor, Centiskorch (Gigantamax)

Opal - Weezing, Mawile, Togekiss, Clefable, Mr. Mime (Kanto), Alcremie (Gigantamax)

Bede - Reuniclus, Gardevoir, Rapidash, Gothitelle, Primarina, Hatterene (Gigantamax)

Bea - (Pure Fighting type Team) Hitmontop, Conkeldurr, Grapploct, Hitmonchan, Falinks, Hitmonlee, Machamp (Gigantamax) (Varied Fighting type team) Sirfetch’d, Hawlucha, Bewear, Pangoro, Lucario, Machamp (Gigantamax)

Allister - (Status team) Sableye, Drifblim, Shedinja, Cursola, Cofagrigus, Gengar (Gigantamax) (Offense team) Dhelmise, Runerigus, Dusknoir, Polteageist, Golurk, Gengar (Gigantamax)

Gordie - (Sandstorm Team) Gigalith, Crustle, Shuckle, Stonjourner, Tyranitar, Coalossal (Gigantamax) (Alt Team) Stonjourner, Barbaracle, Solrock, Lunatone, Corsola (Hoenn), Coalossal (Gigantamax)

Melony - (Hail Team) Abomasnow, Glalie, Avalugg, Mamoswine, Ninetales (Alola), Lapras (Gigantamax) (Alt Team) Eiscue, Cloyster, Beartic, Froslass, Frosmoth, Lapras (Gigantamax)

Piers - Toxtricity, Skuntank, Scrafty, Malamar, Incineroar, Obstagoon

Marnie - Toxicroak, Sableye, Shiftry, Liepard, Decidueye, Grimmsnarl (Gigantamax)

Raihan -  (Sandstorm Team, double battle)  Gigalith, Flygon, Excadrill, Kommo-o, Duraludon, Sandaconda (Gigantamax) (General Weather Team) Abomasnow, Pelipper, Tyranitar, Ninetales, Drampa/Turtonator, Duraludon (Gigantamax)

Hop - Dubwool, Pincurchin, Trevenant, Cramorant, Rillaboom/Cinderace/Inteleon, Snorlax (Gigantamax)

Leon - Aegislash, Dragapult/Kommo-o/Hydreigon/Tyranitar/Goodra, Haxorus/Mamoswine/Bisharp, Weavile/Rhyperior/Mr. Rime/Seismitoad/Venusaur/Blastoise/Tsareena/Toxapex/Chandelure, Rillaboom/Cinderace/Inteleon, Charizard (Gigantamax)

Sonia - Boltund, Persian, Pyukumuku, Greedent, Thievul, Meowth/Pikachu/Eevee (Gigantamax)

Bonus: Magnolia - Rillaboom, Cinderace, Inteleon, Venusaur, Blastoise, Corviknight (Gigantamax)