Though Sieg was confident about the exam, he was still slightly surprised that the middle-aged man had modified the rules for him.
After all, there weren't many good-hearted people in Team Rocket. Every single one of them was far from a saint.
"Must be Archer's influence," Sieg speculated internally.
As an executive who'd been transferred here from the Kanto region, Archer's every move naturally attracted attention from countless people below.
The fact that Sieg and his three companions had been taken in as confidants wasn't kept too secret. The captains below quickly learned about it.
So opening some small backdoors for them was a common understanding among these people.
Sieg took a deep breath and threw three Poké Balls. Sharpedo and Honchkrow were all released, each emanating a powerful aura that wasn't weak at all.
In the second-floor viewing box, the middle-aged man sat with his legs crossed, watching the battle below with interest. When he saw Sieg's Pokémon being released, his eyebrows couldn't help but rise.
A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. With his experience, he could naturally see how excellent these Pokémon's potential was.
At least from their appearance, significant money had clearly been spent on training them. Heavy investment had definitely gone into them.
"Could this lad actually be a core member from some faction in the Kanto region?" The middle-aged man sat up straighter, looking at Sieg below with noticeably more importance.
"Tsiiiin~~~~"
As the iron cage slowly opened, Flygon flapped its powerful wings. Endless sand dust instantly swept across the field as it flew into mid-air, letting out angry roars.
"Honchkrow, use Taunt, then follow up with Confuse Ray. Sharpedo, Aqua Jet, stack speed, then Ice Fang."
"Crawdaunt, Rain Dance!"
As one of the few Pokémon that could learn Dragon Dance through leveling up, once Flygon reached elite level after evolution, it would automatically master the Dragon Dance skill.
So Sieg's first priority was having Honchkrow use Taunt. He absolutely couldn't let this powerful Dragon-type Pokémon power up.
Otherwise, combined with Dragon Claw, Dragon Rush, and other powerful Dragon-type moves, Sieg would have zero chance of winning.
Honchkrow waved its wings with an extremely punchable taunting expression on its face, making Flygon even more furious when it saw this, its eyes flashing with crimson light.
Before it could react, a dark, chaotic light orb struck it squarely. Flygon angrily beat its wings, whipping up two yellow sand storms.
Two abyss-like storms swept across the entire field. The "Sand Tomb" attack Flygon used had clearly reached a masterful level of proficiency.
It could actually change form and transform into a tornado shape. You have to understand, even Sandile who specialized in Ground-type moves, could only barely transform it into a wall shape.
The overwhelming sand instantly swept half the field, gradually rushing toward Sieg's Pokémon.
Crawdaunt naturally wouldn't show weakness. These past days, it had consumed quite a bit of "Weatherflow Essence" and received personal guidance from Castform.
When it came to comprehending Rain Dance and other weather-type skills, its progress could be described as rapid.
Crawdaunt instantly raised its pincers above its head. The ceiling of the arena gradually became humid, and several dark clouds floated up.
After just a few seconds, countless raindrops fell, and as more and more dark clouds gathered, it gradually formed a torrential downpour.
The Rain Dance weather blocked Sandstorm's invasion.
This weather contest ultimately presented an evenly matched situation. After all, Flygon still had to keep part of its focus on defending against the other Pokémon, so it naturally couldn't devote its full attention to weather control.
Thus, it gradually fell into a disadvantage.
"Honchkrow, use Tailwind to boost everyone. Crawdaunt, use Ice Beam. Sharpedo, Ice Fang."
Sharpedo's Speed Boost ability had already stacked to a considerable state, and now it had Tailwind's boost as well.
It directly transformed into a blue lightning bolt, charging toward Flygon. Opening its menacing shark mouth, its sharp teeth still dripped with traces of blood.
"Sharrrrr!"
Its jaws snapped down viciously.
In an instant, endless cold invaded Flygon's body. As a quadruple effective Ice Fang, its power was fierce.
Flygon naturally wouldn't just sit and wait for death. It had already been subjected to Team Rocket's berserk drug experiments, and combined with being hit by Honchkrow's Confuse Ray earlier, it had fallen into a confused state.
Right now it had long lost its senses, with only the most primal instincts remaining throughout its body.
Counterattack! Attack! Kill!
Flygon instantly broke free and suddenly raised its sharp massive claw, slashing downward.
Dragon Claw, as the Dragon-type's signature move, could only be learned by pure-blooded Dragon-types. Its power was naturally quite formidable.
In the blink of an eye, it swatted away Sharpedo, who'd boosted its speed to the maximum. The Dragon-type's domineering nature was on full display now.
"Honchkrow, harass it with Dark Pulse. Crawdaunt, don't engage it head-on!!"
Sieg naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to engage in close combat with Flygon. After all, it's ubiquitous, that Dragon-type Pokémon's physical qualities are the best.
As a battle of many against one, Sieg could command with ease. Though the opponent's individual strength and energy were formidable, it couldn't withstand his side's proper coordination.
Whether or not a Pokémon had a trainer's commands made a world of difference in the combat power displayed.
If this Flygon had an experienced trainer commanding it, perhaps it would have a chance to compete with Sieg.
In the viewing box, the middle-aged man's eyes flickered with a strange glint as he kept muttering, "Interesting, truly interesting..."
But before he could continue his commentary, the door behind him creaked open. The middle-aged man thought some subordinate had barged in rashly and turned around impatiently, ready to lose his temper.
"Who is it! Don't you know I... A...Archer sir, this subordinate has been offensive!"
The middle-aged man immediately knelt on one knee, lowering his head to admit his mistake, unable to hide the tension in his expression.
Archer didn't acknowledge him, instead sitting on the sofa on his own, looking down at Sieg who was still in battle, his expression unreadable.
The battle below had reached its final stage.
Flygon, surrounded and attacked from multiple directions by several Pokémon, ultimately couldn't hold on. When Crawdaunt's final Ice Beam hit, the Flygon whose entire body had already been frozen used its final ultimate move.
"Oh no, it's Draco Meteor!"
Sieg really hadn't expected that Flygon would actually know this move. After all, Flygon could only learn Draco Meteor through tutoring.
Whether through leveling up, TMs, or breeding, there was no way to learn this move.
Before the battle started, Sieg had thought his luck couldn't possibly be bad enough to encounter a Flygon that knew Draco Meteor.
He didn't expect to hit such low odds.
"Everyone gather together and use Protect."
Sieg commanded quickly. Although Draco Meteor had great power, it was ultimately an area attack. As long as all defensive power was concentrated at one point, enduring Draco Meteor wouldn't be difficult.
Brilliant meteors tore through space. One giant meteor after another fell in a straight line from the sky, sweeping across the entire battle field.
Crawdaunt stood at the front using Protect, while Sharpedo and Honchkrow behind it also used Protect.
All the Protect power concentrated into one point.
"Bang~ Bang~ Bang~ Bang~ Bang~ Bang~ Bang!"
Countless meteors fell, and explosion sounds echoed throughout the entire field. Even the yellow sand still flying in the air instantly disappeared.