Who should I send out for this match?
Although Yong really wanted to give Excadrill or Rhyperior some experience, the rule against switching Pokémon mid-challenge meant that one Pokémon would have to fight all ten rounds!
Considering the level suppression that kicked in after level 60, those two clearly weren't suitable.
Of all the partners Yong had with him, Steelix, Swampert, and Aggron were undoubtedly the safest choices!
Claydol was good at holding its ground, but lacked offensive drive...
So...
Yong looked at Katsuya and said,
"Mr. Katsuya! I choose Swampert!"
In terms of defense, Swampert couldn't match Aggron! In terms of stamina, it fell short of Steelix, who had surpassed its limits!
But when it came to explosive power and overall balance, Swampert was definitely number one on Yong's team!
Besides, even if something unexpected happened, Yong and Swampert still had a trump card they could use!
So sending Swampert out was undoubtedly the safest option!
"Swampert?"
Katsuya paused, then smiled and nodded.
"A good choice!"
As he spoke, he finished entering the information, and the Pokédex sounded an alert.
Beep! Confirmed!
But once the Pokédex fell silent, Katsuya's expression turned strange.
"Wait! This Swampert... wow..."
"Hm?"
Yong frowned. What was wrong with Swampert?
Katsuya looked at Yong helplessly.
"Your Swampert is already level 61?"
"Uh... yes! Is there a problem?"
"All right..."
Katsuya returned the Pokédex to Yong, then said with something like a sigh,
"Since your Swampert is already level 61, it must have reached Gym Class strength. Why did Mr. Scott put you in the 'silver print' tier?"
"I didn't choose silver or gold when I arrived, but with my current strength, I should still be some way off challenging for a gold print..."
Katsuya thought it over and found that quite reasonable.
"True!