Adding multiple pokemons to a friendly gym without training after taking over a gym

Question

I noticed that sometimes after a gym gets taken over the opposing team is able to add multiple Pokémon's without training. How much time is available to add a Pokémon to a friendly gym after its taken over? And do you have to be part of the battle to take over a gym in order to assign a pokemon?

Answer 1

When a gym loses its last defending pokemon, it gets set to zero prestige. Adding a pokemon gives a gym +2000 prestige. It just so happens that the first three gym slots require 0, 2000, 4000, 8000 prestige for the first four pokemon.

So when the first person adds a pokemon, the gym goes from 0->2000, opening a second slot. The second pokemon added makes the gym go from 2000->4000, opening a second slot. The third pokemon added makes the gym go from 4000->6000, meaning 2000 more prestige from training is required to add the fourth pokemon. Time is mostly irrelevant - you just need to get there fast enough (so people on your team don't take the "free" slots 2/3 or other team's don't knock the first guy out)

Answer 2

The reason a team is able to do this is because a gym receives 2000 prestige when a player places a Pokemon into the gym. The requirement to get to gym level 2 is 2000 prestige, so upon placing the first Pokemon into a gym it will straight away go to level 2, this provides room for a second Pokemon.

Since the prestige needed to get to level 3 is 4000 prestige, the same will happen when the second Pokemon is placed in the gym, it levels up to level 3 allowing a total of 3 Pokemon to be placed into a gym from scratch without training.

The next level (level 4) requires an additional 4000 prestige. So after placing the third Pokemon, an additional 2000 prestige is required.

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To directly answer you questions:

There is no time limit, as long as the gym is at a high enough level and has room (ie. no one else beats you to placing a Pokemon at the gym) you can place your own.

No, you do not need to be a part of the battle, as long as the gym is under your team's control and has an empty spot, you can assign a Pokemon to defend it.

Answer 3

When you take over an empty gym by adding a Pokémon to it, the gym starts at level 2, which means that there is an empty space for someone else on your team to add a Pokémon of their own. They do not have to have participated in the battle; they just have to belong to your team. If there is no one with you when you take over a gym, you can leave the second slot empty for a future passerby--and if you happen to pass by a gym belonging to your team that has an empty slot, feel free to fill it.