Gary waited for about fifteen minutes.
Then Dahlia emerged from the passage, dressed in a green midriff-baring top and a pair of jeans.
Dahlia was a woman with tanned skin. Dancing was her personal hobby, and she had a fiery, uninhibited personality. She was a genuine hot girl.
"Hey, which one of you is Gary?"
Dahlia entered the hall and looked at the many people gathered there, but she didn't know which one was Gary.
Gary stood up and quickly walked over, stopping a little more than a meter away from her.
"Hello, Miss Dahlia. My name is Gary. Mr. Scott recommended that I come here."
"So you're Gary!"
Dahlia looked him over carefully before commenting, "You're quite handsome. Since you're here to challenge me, come with me."
Gary followed her. Watching her figure as she walked, he felt his heart stir slightly.
After all, Gary was no longer a child. Dahlia also liked wearing close-fitting clothes that showed off her attractive figure, leaving him unsure where to look.
"If you want to look, you don't have to be so reserved about it," Dahlia suddenly said, turning around.
Gary's face immediately reddened. Dahlia truly was enthusiastic and uninhibited, even bolder than the women he had met in the Hoenn region.
"Sure," Gary shamelessly agreed.
Dahlia was rather surprised. Usually, teenage boys would blush when they saw her, and a little teasing would leave them flustered. Gary had blushed briefly, but he still responded so calmly.
Gary naturally didn't care that much. He had seen plenty of "educational material" in his previous life and had long since gotten used to this kind of thing.
Dahlia led Gary into a room with a television mounted on the wall. A Pokémon battle was currently being shown on the screen.
"The battle on TV is being held in the arena," Dahlia explained. "Once their match is over, it'll be our turn."
"Is there only one battlefield?" Gary asked.
The Battle Arcade occupied a considerable amount of space, so it should have had more than one arena. Besides, Dahlia used the battle facility as a business, so she certainly shouldn't have been short on money.
"This is the arena open for roulette challenges," Dahlia replied.
Spectators could also be seen on the television broadcast, making it obvious that the matches here were open to the public.
Because of its roulette-based battles, the Battle Arcade was very popular. Many tourists and gamblers came specifically to watch its matches.
Roulette battles involved not only skill but also luck, and there was plenty of side betting around them. Only by combining all of that could the facility make real money.
The roulette's special rules also made every battle full of twists and turns, making the matches particularly exciting. A contestant who originally had a high chance of winning might suffer from bad luck and begin the battle poisoned or asleep, immediately putting them in a very unfavorable position.
"So we can start just like that? There's no need to make an appointment in advance?" Gary asked in confusion.
Everything seemed far too casual. He had arrived, and they were going to begin the battle immediately.
"Weren't you already prepared before coming here to challenge me?" Dahlia asked.
"Of course I'm prepared, but with the match open to the public, aren't you afraid you might embarrass yourself?"
The only battle facility Gary had challenged before was the Battle Dome, where the time of the match was normally arranged in advance.
"That's how things work at my Battle Arcade. The battles are completely random. That's what makes them interesting, isn't it?"
Dahlia looked at Gary playfully.
"As for losing, you should have read the rules displayed outside, so I don't need to explain any further."
Gary fell silent.
The rules of the roulette battle were indeed somewhat troublesome. If Dahlia spun an automatic victory three times in a row, that would be truly embarrassing.
"Miss Dahlia, you aren't going to rig the wheel, are you?" Gary asked.
"Don't worry. This is a Frontier challenge between you and me. I have no reason to cheat," Dahlia replied, placing her hands on her hips. "But if your luck is bad, you can't blame me for it."
Gary nodded.
He didn't think Dahlia had any reason to secretly manipulate the wheel.
After all, she had nothing to lose regardless of whether she won or lost a Frontier challenge. The Frontier Symbol was provided by Scott, and she only needed to care about the outcome of the match.
As long as Dahlia had nothing to do with the side betting, there was basically no reason for her to manipulate the roulette.
"Miss Dahlia, I suggest that we remove the automatic-win option from our battle," Gary said.
He was still a little worried.
That option was simply too disgusting, and there was always a possibility that someone might secretly tamper with it. Removing it would be safer.
"Don't worry. There's no option that allows either of us to win without battling."
"That's good."
As long as there was no automatic-win result, Gary didn't have to worry about hidden manipulation. However, some of the other results were still troublesome, such as beginning the battle with the sleep status condition.
If one side started the battle asleep, the opponent could immediately use moves to raise its stats, placing the sleeping Pokémon at a serious disadvantage.
"Watch the match for now. I'll go make some arrangements."
Dahlia left Gary in the room and went out to arrange their upcoming battle.
Gary turned his attention to the match on television. The two Pokémon being used were Luxray and Cacturne, and both of them had been afflicted with status conditions.
Luxray was burned.
Cacturne was poisoned.
Although both Pokémon had been afflicted with status conditions, Luxray was clearly at a greater disadvantage.
When a Pokémon was burned, the power of its physical attacks was reduced by half, and it also continued to take damage over time. Most importantly, Luxray was primarily a physical attacker.
After several rounds of fighting, Cacturne, which should originally have been at a disadvantage, instead managed to defeat Luxray.
"The match is over! The Red Side wins!"
"Next, I have a surprise announcement for everyone!" the host continued as soon as the winner had been decided. "A trainer has arrived to challenge our battle facility. All matches currently in the queue will be suspended, and a Frontier challenge will soon be presented to everyone!"
The announcement that a Frontier challenge was about to take place instantly excited the audience.
"Damn, a Frontier challenge! The big event is finally here!"
"I need to tell my friends right away and have them bring more money. I'm going to win back everything I lost!"
"Where can I place a side bet? I want in!"
The Battle Arcade had always been open to the public, but Frontier challenges were rarely held. The main reason was that there were simply too few challengers. Only trainers who had received a recommendation from Scott were qualified to challenge the Frontier facilities.
Whenever a Frontier challenge began at the Battle Arcade, the side-betting market would become especially active. No one knew exactly who the challenger was or how strong they might be, so the odds offered on the challenger were naturally very high.
The available side bets weren't limited to which side would win or lose. People could also bet on who would score the first knockout and how many Pokémon the winner would still have remaining when the match ended.
After the Frontier challenge was announced, the Battle Arcade's staff began preparing and reorganizing the battlefield. It took them twenty minutes to finish.