Two Pokémon clashed in a fierce, blow-for-blow battle, making Flannery's blood boil with excitement. Her long, crimson hair fluttered in the breeze like a waterfall of flames.
"Go, go, go! Torkoal, use Earth Power!"
Torkoal abruptly raised its front legs and slammed them down.
In an instant, the ground began to ripple like waves during a surging tide, the tremors converging toward Crawdaunt.
"Crawdaunt, use Substitute to avoid it!"
As Sieg's command fell, Crawdaunt stood unmoving, but a layer of translucent Substitute quickly formed over its shell like a second skin.
The force of Earth Power surged in from all directions.
Crawdaunt didn't suffer a scratch, the Substitute taking the full brunt of the attack instead.
"Torkoal, set up Sunny Day again!"
Flannery wanted to repeat her strategy, letting Torkoal seize the advantage with the weather once more.
As a Gym Trainer, Flannery's battle sense was sharp, and she chose the perfect moment to unleash Sunny Day. Crawdaunt had just finished using Substitute, leaving a window to act. Besides, the boost from Dragon Dance was gradually fading, making it even less suitable for a head-on clash.
"Crawdaunt, don't drag this out, use Dragon Dance then Aqua Jet!"
Sieg had no interest in dragging out a battle of attrition with a tank like Torkoal, whose rock-solid defense could easily wear him down.
Torkoal lifted its heavy head high and let out a muffled roar.
Sunny Day activated with force.
Crawdaunt swung its powerful claws wide and began a fierce, mystic dance beneath its armored shell.
Dragon Dance, boosted once more.
"Explode under the sunlight! Use Eruption!" Flannery waved her hand, her pretty face flushed with fervor as she shouted her command.
"Razor Shell!"
For the first time, Sieg's expression shifted, a flicker of tension crossing his usually calm face as he watched the center of the battlefield.
Torkoal's shell erupted in roaring flames.
Scarlet flames flooded the entire field like a raging tide, churning into the earth as if they could lift the ground itself.
Smoke rose from the trembling terrain, energy beneath the crust kept building up, and finally, at its peak, it burst forth in an eruption. Countless jets of flame shot up from underground.
Boom!!!
"Protect!"
Sieg's command rang out through the smoke-filled arena.
The battlefield was a haze of swirling smoke and flying debris, with splashes of water scattered in the chaos.
Red and Green energy waves pulsed across the smoky field, and through the drifting haze, faint silhouettes flickered.
As the smoke slowly cleared, Flannery and Sieg both watched the center of the battlefield with bated breath.
A flash of Green light flickered suddenly.
Crawdaunt was still standing. Against a boosted Eruption, it had endured with Protect.
Encased in flames, Torkoal seemd exhausted, the fire on its shell slowly dying out.
Sieg seized the chance and ordered Crawdaunt to attack.
"Crawdaunt, Razor Shell, now!", he shouted, knowing full well that Crawdaunt was barely hanging on.
It started to lunge forward, pulling from its last bit of power it had left, a weak, blue glow started to shimmer around its pincers.
Flannery was in a pinch. She knew, if this attack hit, she would lose, but her Torkoal was also just barely hanging on. She was thrilled, she rarely was this excited. With a smirk, she shouts, "Torkoal, Use Ancient Power to block the attack and retaliate!!!"
Torkoal tried its best, but barely gathered enough energy and only managed to have three rocks floating around it.
Two of these rocks were flung towards Crawdaunt, but since they weren't exactly strong, Crawdaunt managed to take care of them with his other pincer. He was now right in front of Torkoal, lifting its arm, ready to strike down. In that moment, Torkaol used its last rock, to try and block the attack.
Crawdaunt sliced right through it with its last bit of power remaining, crushing its pincer against Torkoal's shell. As it was hit, its fire faded completely and it fell into unconsciousness.
Only two seconds afterwards, Crawdaunt as well, slumped to the ground, unconscious and exhausted. The referee seems conflicted, but then finally spoke:
"Torkoal has lost the ability to battle, so the winner is the challenger, Trainer Sieg!"
He announced the result with a hint of surprise. After all, as an old man who'd worked at the Gym for over a decade, he knew a few secrets.
This Torkoal had been specially requested by the former Gym Leader from a rare habitat where Fire-type Pokémon were raised with exceptional care.
Indeed, this Torkoal had always proved itself extraordinary. Until today, few Pokémon of similar level had ever defeated it.
Especially when it came to weather control, it was nearly unbeatable.
Even some Fire-types over level 50 couldn't compete with this Torkoal in weather dominance.
No one expected it to lose today.
What a surprise.
But that wasn't for a humble referee to worry about. Quietly, he dismantled the battle recorder and uploaded the data to the League's database.
"Ahh~~ I can't believe I lost!"
Flannery puffed out her cheeks in frustration, looking adorably annoyed.
However, her bright and hearty nature quickly recovered, and in no time, she was back to her fiery, unstoppable self.
In that regard, she was just like a certain fool he knew.
"Don't get discouraged, you did well... Always push forward, set your heart ablaze and become even stronger!", she comforted her Pokémon.
Flannery returned her Pokémon and handed them to the medics, then strode up to Sieg with a businesslike air.
As a Fire-type trainer, she could never bring herself to like Trainers who used Rock or Water types.
"Here, this is proof that you've conquered the Lavaridge Gym, the Heat Badge!"
Sieg didn't mind Flannery's slightly frosty tone. He simply smiled and accepted the badge quietly.
The Heat Badge was shaped like a flickering flame.
After a respectful bow, Sieg returned to the Gym's front desk, registered his battle data, and collected his challenge reward.
After all, this was a mid-tier challenge.
His Pokémon had been limited to levels 30–40.
He'd also paid a higher entry fee compared to the normal challenge, so the reward was better than the lowest-level challenges.
Of course, the prize wasn't Sieg's true goal.
The real reason he'd spent the extra money to challenge the higher tier was so he could fight the Gym Leader directly.
If he'd gone for the normal challenge, he'd have only battled Gym apprentices, needing to defeat three of them before he'd even get a chance at the Gym Leader.
Sieg had no interest in wasting time steamrolling rookies.
So, spending a bit more to face the Gym Leader head-on was well worth it.
"A special Fire-type Pokéblock, huh? Too bad it's no use to me." Sieg looked at the Gym's reward and sighed softly.
He placed the badge neatly into his badge case. Three badges now rested inside, each different in shape and color.
The Gym challenge had gone smoothly. On his way out, he noticed a few Trainers registering for their own challenges.
They were all aiming for the lowest tier, battling the Gym apprentices first. Naturally, when Sieg checked out, some curious Trainers gathered around, hoping for a look at his new badge.
With a polite smile, Sieg declined and left the Gym.
Once outside, he found the group of old men still basking in the sun. But when Sieg stepped out, they all turned to study him curiously.
Since the Gym's battlefield was outdoors, the roar of his battle with Flannery had naturally reached them.
Sieg gave them a shy and warming smile and greeted them politely before heading back to the Pokémon Center.
The old men under the tree shade watched Sieg's back as he walked away and sighed one after another, "What a good kid, so polite, very friendly indeed."
Pokémon Center.
The moment Sieg stepped inside, he handed his battle-worn Pokémon to Nurse Joy for treatment.
After all, they'd suffered a few burns during the fight.
His Umbreon had even been poisoned once. Though it had used its moves to cleanse the poison mid-battle, residual toxins could linger unnoticed and affect its growth in the future.
Just to be safe, Sieg asked Nurse Joy to run a full check-up on Umbreon.
Thankfully, the results were good. In less than half an hour, the check-up was done.
"Daauunntt~"
"Breeeee~"
"Sharrrrr!"
Umbreon padded over gracefully and, out of habit, tried to leap into Sieg's arms, only to realize its current size wasn't quite suitable.
Looking pitiful, it nuzzled against Sieg's leg, begging for affection.
"Good job, everyone."