Length? (Namely gym battles)

[Nyaa-Neko]

Okay, I've been reviewing the site and the state its in (namely the members and their journeys), and I've been wondering...

Are things taking too long? I don't mean the plot (that will take awhile no matter what), but I mean the actual journeys.

Basically:

The routes/training: are THEY taking too long? Should I up the amount of experience you gain from each battle to accommodate that? I'd rather not, since you really should be able to get through routes quickly (you just need to train in Sankaku Island/Underground Maze/Altering Mansion/Challenge Arena/wish for rare candies while doing the route thing).

The gyms: these I think are taking too long. I was wondering...should I take one Pokemon off of each gym leader's team? I did NOT decide that they should each have three Pokemon, since I took over the site's design after the first two gym leaders were made (and they each had three).

I was thinking that maybe everything would be easier if I chopped off each of the leaders' "best" Pokemon. (So Arisa's jynx, Matthew's rhyhorn, Botan's tangela, Corwin's dragonair, Bahati's metagross, and Shing's persian would bite the dust.) The unfortunate thing is that these are the main members of their teams, as well as their trademark Pokemon.

Would a one-on-one battle be more appropriate, then? Or maybe I should just take out their weakest Pokemon?

Also, what about rechallenges? I dunno how they'd work, but I guess I could save the rejected one/two Pokemon for a rechallenge team...maybe you can rechallenge at any time in an "other place", so the time issue isn't as bad?

(If the gym teams were changed, I may fiddle with the levels and movesets, and the only battles that wouldn't be affected would be gym battles going on right now (currently only Ninetales'/William's) and ones that are already done.)

[MorriganFearn]

Personally, I've been looking forward to challenging the gyms as they are. I probably would have already gone to Arisa's gym if I wasn't so busy with plot stuff and therefore ignoring Tommy's journey. I like tough gym battles (those who've had me as a gym mod before can probably tell as I tend to hold people to the same standard that I would hold myself -- even though I know I'm not supposed to until the last two battles, Nyaa ).

However, if people are finding the gym too long perhaps they could request at the door how many pokemon that they go up against. Example:

Arisa crossed her arms and looked at the fifteen year-old fidgeting in the doorway. "So, you're here to challenge the gym? Fine. We have double battles here, but you can choose whether we use two pokemon or three pokemon. In gyms with single battles you can choose anything from one on one to three on three. Anyway, make your choice and get in the challenger's box."

If you don't like that, then why not make the battles themselves shorter (remembers Matt's gym where geodude didn't die from water gunning...) or longer, if someone is being particularly dense and trying to attack Shing with Ghost type moves, or something.