"Apprentice Kikuta's Magnemite is unable to battle. Please send out your next Pokémon."
The referee's voice snapped Kikuta out of her shocked daze. She'd naturally heard the audience's murmuring, and it stung.
Unfortunately, Ground-type moves were simply too devastating against Electric-types. She could only hope that Sieg's next Pokémon wouldn't be Ground-type as well.
Sieg recalled Sandile, shrinking the Poké Ball and returning it to his belt before retrieving another, this time, a Luxury Ball.
"Umbreon, you're up."
A creature of the night stepped gracefully onto the field, its elegant movements capturing the attention of countless spectators.
For most casual viewers who didn't understand competitive battling, these aesthetically pleasing Pokémon always drew attention.
Kikuta breathed a small sigh of relief. As long as it wasn't Ground-type, she still had a fighting chance.
She collected another Pokémon from the staff nearby, one close in level to Umbreon.
These gym-provided Pokémon were a toin coss. After all, her main team members were all around level 40.
However, when she saw the Pokémon the gym had randomly assigned her, surprise flickered across her face. "What are the odds?" she thought.
"Jolteon, get ready to battle."
A cat-like creature with spiky fur crackling with yellow electricity appeared, white fur adorning its neck.
Jolteon, from the same evolutionary line as Umbreon!
The moment Jolteon entered the field, its fur bristled into sharp spikes, and it glared at Umbreon with fierce eyes.
Umbreon merely cast a brief glance before surveying its surroundings with cold, proud eyes.
The charm of branched evolution was on full display at this moment.
Whether it was the gentle Leafeon Sieg had seen before, Umbreon's aloof pride, or Jolteon's volatile aggression.
Each evolution pushed Eevee to its peak potential in different ways. Eevee's status as one of the most beloved Pokémon among trainers wasn't built solely on its cute appearance.
It was also the mysterious allure of its evolutionary branches.
Sieg's expression grew slightly more serious. This Jolteon's level wasn't low, nearly identical to his Umbreon's, both hovering around twenty-nine.
At the referee's signal, both trainers issued their commands.
"Umbreon, Shadow Ball."
A sphere of dark energy instantly formed and shot forward.
As one of Umbreon's few offensive moves, it hadn't been training for nothing during this time, the technique was executed with practiced precision.
Especially during nighttime battles, its stealth capabilities increased several notches. Enemies often couldn't even tell where the attack was coming from.
Ghost-type moves were just that overwhelming in outdoor night battles.
"Jolteon, use Pin Missile."
Jolteon could learn Pin Missile, a Bug-type move, and Double Kick, a Fighting-type move, both of which were super effective against Umbreon's Dark typing.
This lifted Kikuta's spirits somewhat. She felt this battle was still winnable.
Green-glowing needles shot out like bullets, three consecutive strikes intercepting the flying Shadow Ball mid-flight.
"Umbreon, Yawn!"
Sieg wasn't surprised to see the attack blocked. Umbreon's specialty had never been direct offense anyway, it excelled at support and disruption.
Its arsenal of status moves was enough to infuriate any opponent.
Umbreon lazily stretched its body and let out a heavy yawn. Instantly, a wave of drowsiness washed over Jolteon, its body becoming sluggish with sleepiness.
This inherited move's proficiency was even higher than Shadow Ball's.
A slight smirk tugged at Sieg's lips as he continued commanding. "Strike while the iron's hot, Dark Pulse!"
At his words, Umbreon's body erupted with a terrifying aura of malice. A dark brownish wave surged toward the drowsy Jolteon.
"Jolteon, Protect!"
Seeing the dangerous situation unfold, Kikuta shouted urgently.
A jade-green barrier materialized, barely blocking the attack in the nick of time. Jolteon's energy concentration speed was impressively fast.
"Close in and use Double Kick!"
Jolteon darted across the field at incredible speed. Its base 130 Speed stat wasn't just for show, in terms of pure velocity, it outclassed Umbreon by several tiers.
Unable to counterattack in time, Sieg simply ordered Double Team instead.
As one of the earliest TMs Umbreon had learned, it could now create over five copies of itself, each one remarkably realistic.
Confused about which one to attack, Jolteon randomly kicked through two fake clones.
"Umbreon, Assurance!"
Taking advantage of Jolteon's close proximity, Umbreon leaped and spun, using its fluffy tail to strike Jolteon.
"Don't give it a chance to react, Sucker Punch!"
Umbreon caught Jolteon off guard and launched another attack. Two 70-base-power Dark-type STAB moves packed quite a punch.
Jolteon stumbled and collapsed onto the ground.
"All or nothing! Jolteon, use Thunder Fang!"
Kikuta glanced at the camera that had been recording the entire match. All she could do now was silently pray this battle wouldn't end too embarrassingly.
Sieg saw that his opponent's defeat was inevitable and quickly ordered Umbreon to use Protect defensively.
"Umbreon, Dark Pulse."
"Umbreon, Shadow Ball."
At this point, Jolteon's normally spiky fur began to soften. Without its electrical charge to support it, the fur became fluffy and loose.
Jolteon lay sprawled on the ground, its eyes spinning, clearly unable to continue battling.
"Jolteon is unable to battle! Umbreon wins! The challenger has won two matches!"
"Therefore, the winner of this gym badge challenge is challenger Sieg!"
The referee, wearing an earpiece that blocked out the audience's cheers, announced the final result on his own.
Simultaneously, a female attendant approached carrying a tray with the proof of his gym victory, the Dynamo Badge.
Sieg smiled as he took it, lifting it toward the lights where it gleamed with golden brilliance.
"Thank you."
Sieg politely bowed to both the referee and the attendant before exiting the arena.
With the match concluded, Arena Six naturally entered its intermission period.
The next gym apprentice defending Arena Six likely wouldn't be Kikuta. After all, she'd already conducted three consecutive battles.
Facing three challengers in a row and losing a badge in the process, the physical and mental exhaustion alone meant she couldn't continue.
But none of this concerned Sieg. After completing his challenge, he didn't leave. Instead, he returned to the audience seating to continue watching.
After all, these gym challenges offered valuable learning opportunities and insights worth studying.
Sure enough, after the fifteen-minute intermission ended, Arena Six's gym apprentice had been replaced. Kikuta had most likely retreated backstage to rest.
"Being a gym apprentice isn't easy either..." Sieg murmured, watching the apprentice battling earnestly on the field.
After collecting a Thunder Wave TM, Sieg departed from Mauville Gym.