Gaiien Region: Tier 4 Gym Leader: Pyre

Name: Brent "Pyre" Carter
Location: Russet Town
Awards: Pyre Badge
Affinity: Fire-type
Age: 32
Hometown: Castelia City, Unova
Hobbies: Fossil Hunting, Astronomy

Pyre grew up in Unova and was well-liked in school with a flair for performance. Like most trainers, he waited until he finished high school to train pokemon full time, although he had completed several badges during grade school summer vacations. He rose to prominence with a select and precise routine in pokemon contests and was tapped as an effects specialist for training pokemon for film and TV, but burnt out after a few years of grueling scheduling. He was appointed to gym leadership about ten years ago during a period of restructuring the Gaiien League; he was selected for his proposed gym theme, and retained after that plan fell through and the usual type specialty setup was adopted.

Pyre famously ran that gym theme for several years after his appointment, where he affected a manner reminiscent of old vampire movies and used primarily Fire/Dark and Fire/Ghost pokemon. It's rumored that Belladonna's appointment inspired him to reinvent his image, but the change actually occurred a year before; another rumor suggests his mother visited the gym and expressed a degree of disappointment. (Videos of the old gym and his costume still exist on Poke-Tube for those curious.)

Pyre's style change also coincided with the increased advertising push to promote Russet Town as a site for onsen and associated mountain recreation, with a greater number of and higher-quality hot spring sites compared to Verdure Town. It's possible that the league desired a more mainstream source of entertainment for prospective tourists, and Pyre began building up a team of impressive, popular, and beautiful pokemon such as Charizard, Fleetah, and Antepard.

Pokemon Roster (Tier 4): Ignitrice, Geysard, Tigerlitly, Magpyre, Fleetah, Arboar, Pyrant, Hellion, Habadryad
Pokemon Roster (S-Tier): Oxhaust, Houndoom, Ravurn, Ignitrice, Tiamat, Charizard, Antepard, Tyranikea, Chandelure