Sieg's match was assigned to Battle Arena Six, and the senior apprentice defending Arena Six was a woman named Kikuta.
Sieg sat in the main hall, watching the battle unfold on the broadcast screen nearby. The strength this Kikuta apprentice displayed put her among the strongest trainers below the Elite level.
Both her Electrode and Magneton were just one step away from reaching Elite-tier strength.
As Sieg walked through the competitor's tunnel toward the audience seating, a cacophony of voices reached his ears.
"Let's go! Crush them with electricity!"
"Unleash your full power!"
"Come on, challenger! Show us what you've got!"
For any gym, ticket sales for gym challenge matches were undoubtedly the biggest moneymaker, especially when it involved their most skilled apprentices.
Rumor had it that whenever Wattson's direct disciples battled, every single seat would be packed, creating a situation where tickets were nearly impossible to find.
However, these well-established gyms really know how to make money. They'd managed to turn what should have been a basic duty into one profitable venture after another.
As the intermission ended, the match resumed.
"Will the next challenger, Sieg, please enter the arena!"
The referee sat on the elevated platform, announcing through his microphone.
"The following gym challenge match, with a gym badge at stake, will be between challenger Sieg and gym apprentice Kikuta."
"The match follows a best-two-out-of-three format. Each side will use three Pokémon for three separate battles. The challenger wins if they claim victory in at least two matches."
"The challenger will send out their Pokémon first, and the gym apprentice will use a randomized Pokémon provided by the gym."
(Note: The randomized Pokémon provided by the gym must be close in level to the challenger's Pokémon)
Once both competitors were in position, the referee picked up his microphone and repeated the battle rules once more.
"Sandile, this is your debut match! Get ready to battle!"
"Kroooook~"
A flash of white light revealed a Sandile with an earthen-yellow scaled back appearing on the field.
"Oh come on, another Ground-type?"
"Seriously, do these challengers only know how to abuse type advantages?"
"Wait, what Pokémon is that? I've never seen one like it before."
The moment the audience caught sight of the Pokémon, discussions erupted throughout the stands. However, since Sandile was a relatively rare Pokémon, only a handful of experienced trainers could identify it.
The vast majority of regular spectators had no idea what it was.
Still, this didn't dampen their excitement for the battle. After all, matches involving Elite apprentices were always entertaining to watch.
When Sieg sent out Sandile, gym apprentice Kikuta furrowed her brow slightly, her previously expressionless face turning somewhat sour.
In truth, gym apprentices like her didn't have it easy. They either had to pay an exorbitant tuition fee or sign a binding contract with the gym that could last for decades.
So they weren't nearly as glamorous as ordinary people might think. At the very least, Kikuta faced considerable financial pressure when it came to raising her Pokémon.
She frequently had to venture into the wild to take on bounty missions just to earn enough for training supplies.
Gym defense matches like this were also tied to the gym's internal evaluation system. Right now, she desperately wanted to send out her ace Pokémon and teach this arrogant youngster a lesson about respect.
Unfortunately, gym challenge rules were clear: when facing challengers, she had to use Pokémon of comparable strength.
Therefore, she could only use the Pokémon provided by the gym.
Taking the Poké Ball from the referee beside her, Kikuta silently prayed it wouldn't be a pure Electric-type.
The moment she saw the Pokémon inside the ball, her anxious heart finally settled.
"Go, Magnemite!"
A floating screw-like Pokémon shaped like a magnet appeared. The Magnet Pokémon, Magnemite.
Electric and Steel-type.
While this meant she wouldn't face the embarrassing situation of Electric-type moves being completely ineffective, since Magnemite's Steel typing allowed it to learn Magnet Bomb,
Electric and Steel combined also meant a quadruple weakness to Ground.
Kikuta no longer held much hope for winning this match. She could only hope this cocky kid's commanding skills were terrible enough that she wouldn't lose too badly.
After all, every gym defense battle was recorded and evaluated at the end of the month, which directly affected her resource allocation within the gym.
"Sandile, sharpen yourself with Hone Claws, then use Stomping Tantrum!"
Sieg had no intention of testing the waters. Sandile's battle style had always been straightforward and aggressive.
Sandile sharpened its claws until they gleamed, cold light glinting off the razor-sharp edges as its attack power increased.
Then Sandile suddenly raised its front claws and slammed them into the ground. Ripples of energy spread across the arena floor toward Magnemite.
"Magnemite, use Magnet Bomb."
Magnet Bomb was the only non-Electric move Magnemite knew, so Kikuta had no other options. She could only give the command with a frustrated expression.
Silver-white spheres of metal shot toward Sandile. The crocodile Pokémon twisted its body, using its back as a shield to block the attack.
Its earthen-yellow scales served as protective armor, and Sandile easily withstood the strike.
But Magnemite wasn't so lucky. Sandile's Stomping Tantrum hit without fail. Magnemite staggered, unable to maintain its balance, and dropped to the ground.
This gave Sandile the perfect opportunity to press the advantage.
"Sandile, use Sand Tomb! Don't let it get back in the air!"
Extremely proficient with Ground-type moves, Sandile instantly summoned a swirling storm of yellow sand, forming small cyclones that trapped Magnemite within.
"Finish it off with Fire Fang!"
At Sieg's command, Sandile rapidly crawled toward the sand-trapped Magnemite and opened its jaws wide.
Fire Fang, wreathed in roaring flames, clamped down hard.
"Magnemite is unable to battle! Sandile wins! Challenger Sieg takes the first match!"
The referee announced the result with an expressionless face, completely unsurprised by the outcome.
This Magnemite wasn't Kikuta's Pokémon, it was raised by the gym specifically for handling challengers.
Naturally, its potential was fairly ordinary.
And what about that Sandile?
Those fierce eyes, that gleaming earthen-yellow scaled back, those sharp claws, those menacing, terrifying fangs.
Add to that a far larger than typical Sandile, it was clearly meticulously trained.
Combined with complete type advantage, the opponent not only nullified Electric-type moves but also had a quadruple advantage over Magnemite.
While the referee saw this as an utterly predictable match, most of the audience, who didn't understand battling or Pokémon well, began murmuring among themselves.
After all, she was supposed to be a senior apprentice, yet she'd been defeated in mere moments.
It wasn't as if they'd never seen challengers choose Ground-type Pokémon that were immune to Electric and had type advantage. They'd even seen starter Pokémon like Marshtomp and Grotle.
But even when facing unfavorable type matchups, most gym apprentices put up decent fights, ultimately delivering entertaining battles.
Yet seeing a same-level battle end in a complete sweep in less than half a minute, that was definitely a first.