Verdanturf Town was a place lush with greenery. Though it wasn't a city, it still had a population of tens of thousands.
What made such a town flourish wasn't just the fresh air and the relaxing environment it offered, but also two key establishments.
The Contest Hall, and the Battle Club.
"Sigh, too bad the next Contest won't be held until another two months. By then, I'll probably be long gone."
Sieg looked ahead at the rows of houses that had come into view, his footsteps subconsciously quickening.
Crossing a plateau filled with the fragrance of fresh grass and and flowers, he stepped through Verdanturf Town's gates, his adorable Eevee following by his side.
Sieg headed straight for the Pokémon Center, which sat just a short distance from the entrance, seemingly built for passing Trainers to rest.
"Hello, welcome to the Pokémon Center!"
A soft and enthusiastic voice rang out. Miss Joy, standing at the reception desk, smiled warmly.
Seeing that familiar face, Sieg couldn't help but feel a bit dazed. "Hello, Miss Joy, I'd like to register for lodging, please."
He scanned the Center's main hall. Compared to the ones in the previous two cities, this one was clearly lacking in several ways.
"Well, it is just a small-town Pokémon Center. Not only is there no battle arena, even the basic facilities are quite outdated," Sieg thought to himself.
After dropping off his luggage in the room, he immediately left the Center, heading straight toward his true destination, Verdanturf Town's Battle Club.
Of all places in this town, the Battle Club drew the most foot traffic. It was even busier than the Pokémon Center.
Sieg stood at the grand entrance, looking up at the slogan above the doors.
"Come witness thrilling battles with your own eyes!"
Just then, a wave of wild cheering erupted from inside. Sieg pushed the door open, and a surge of heat and excitement washed over him.
Inside the hall, the crowd surged. Vendors sold items, civilians packed the spectator stands, and well-dressed nobles placed their bets.
"Outside, Verdanturf Town is so quiet and peaceful, yet in here, it's buzzing with life." After a brief glance around, Sieg realized that most of the betters were elderly folk dressed in fancy clothes.
It seemed these wealthy old businessmen hadn't chosen to retire here just for the clean air. They had something more in mind, profit.
Sieg found a seat in a quiet corner and began browsing the online records of the Petalburg Gym's library.
"So, the Battle Club is a subsidiary under the Battle Frontier. No wonder it's so popular. Looks like there's some serious capital backing it."
The Battle Frontier was a special type of facility found throughout the Hoenn region, with each one being overseen by elite-level Trainers known as Frontier Brains.
Every one of those Frontier Brains possessed strength comparable to that of Gym Leaders.
"I remember Hiroki once said his family used to be shareholders in the Battle Frontier," Sieg murmured, recalling that pudgy kid on the pirate ship.
Just then, the entire Battle Club burst into another round of cheers. Apparently, a match on the central stage had ended.
It wasn't just a battle between two Trainers, it was also the culmination of countless bets placed by the town's elite.
When someone wins money, someone else is bound to lose.
Sieg stood up and walked toward the registration desk. "Hello, I'd like to register for the Beginner's Arena."
"Write your name and the Pokémon you'll be using on this form," said the staffer flatly, not even bothering to look up as they slapped a form on the table.
Sieg filled it out, then quietly waited for processing.
It didn't take long before his information was recorded in the Battle Club's database. He was also handed an ID card representing his status.
"Head over to the self-service terminal over there to submit your match application," the staff member finally spoke with a bit more patience, his tone softening slightly when he saw Sieg's Trainer credentials.
Sieg didn't care much. He had seen this sort of snobbish favoritism far too many times.
The Battle Club operated 24/7, never closing.
There were three arena tiers: Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced.
The Beginner Arena was for Pokémon below level 20. The registration fee to enter was 500 Pokédollars.
If one won a match, not only would they get their registration fee back, but also take the opponent's fee as prize money.
Winning repeatedly brought even greater rewards. Besides claiming the opponent's fee each time, there were also valuable prizes sponsored by the Club.
Some of these included miracle potions developed by the Battle Frontier, or commemorative Pokéballs.
But the rarest prize of them all was the Ability Capsule.
If a Trainer could string together ten consecutive wins in the Beginner Arena and beat the Arena's Ring challenge, they would earn this valuable item worth well over a million Pokédollars.
Rumor had it that Ability Capsules were developed exclusively by the Battle Frontier and couldn't be purchased anywhere else.
"And then there's the Prize Pool too. A portion of all the betting money is drawn into the pool. For every match you win, you can earn an additional 20,000 Pokédollars!"
Sieg's eyes lit up, his fighting spirit blazing.
A 500-Pokédollar entry fee, and a single win could potentially earn you 20,000, plus a bundle of commemorative items worth thousands.
This business model was exactly why Battle Clubs were booming in towns across the regions.
Not to mention, the Ability Capsule, worth a fortune after a ten-win streak!
On top of that, the Club drew in nobles and gamblers from all around, turning it into an even more profitable arena.
Sieg didn't rush into battle. Instead, he circled the various stages, carefully observing the ongoing matches.
"I didn't expect to see League operatives participating here."
Buying a ticket, Sieg found a seat in the stands, where he noticed the word "League" stamped clearly on the chairs.
During the match, all he could hear were waves of cheers from the spectators. The commands from the Trainers in the arena were drowned in the noise.
It had to be said, this Battle Club knew how to manipulate the crowd's psychology.
Not only did they blast stirring music during key moments of the matches, but their rules also deviated from the League's standard formats.
They even allowed a certain degree of blood and violence.
The Club's reasoning was brutally straightforward: battles between Pokémon aren't children's games, injuries and casualties are simply part of life.
To most common folk, this made the battles feel far more thrilling. Many would stop by after work just to watch.
And with the Club operating around the clock, ticket sales alone were enough to make them a fortune.