Swinub's Poké Ball was hidden securely in the Spatial Pouch sewn into the sleeve; completely concealed.
After taking out Swinub, Tetsuya placed some Pokéfood in front of it. After all, it was an Elite Four level Pokémon, and he still held it in a degree of reverence.
Swinub watched Haunter's training, then ran straight up to it.
Blizzard, Ancient Power, Earthquake, Curse, Icicle Crash, Light Screen… six moves unleashed back to back without pause, the transitions between them flowing seamlessly.
Haunter was stunned.
Swinub's brief demonstration was a huge help to Tetsuya. First, it showed Haunter what a truly powerful Pokémon looked like, so he wouldn't remain a Froakie in a well. Second, it gave Haunter a clear example of what had once seemed like an impossible goal, making the training target much more concrete.
Tetsuya recalled Swinub.
"Haunter, believe me, one day you'll be as strong as Swinub. Keep training."
Tetsuya's tone was calm, but the meaning ran deep. Sure enough, Haunter's enthusiasm soared!
---◓---
They trained until ten o'clock. Tetsuya gave Ditto another bottle of Moomoo Milk, bringing the day to a close.
Come to think of it, this was the first time he had camped out in the wild since his "rebirth". With the sky as his blanket and the earth as his bed, his thoughts drifted through the vast night.
The next day, he ran into the same Rapidash Trainer again. Now that Ditto could stay on Rapidash's back without interfering with training, he had it ride along for another morning. By this point, Ditto had completely attuned to "Rapidash's aura and energy flow.
That afternoon was "special training for just Tetsuya and Ditto.
"Ditto, transform into Rapidash."
After spending half the night running in that form, Ditto had become very familiar with it. As soon as Tetsuya spoke, a Rapidash appeared before him.
He secured the reins on Rapidash.
"Ditto, this is all about coordination between you and me. And it has to be seamless. Whether it's [Shadow Dagger] throwing or riding Rapidash like now, you're carrying me as you run.
It'll probably feel awkward at first, but we need to push through together. As always, if we succeed, we rest together; if we fail, we're punished together!"
"Rapidash" nodded. Tetsuya mounted in one smooth motion, he was more than used to this by now.
But as soon as he got on, Rapidash was clearly struggling to adjust to the sudden weight on its back. It started with slow, cautious steps, afraid Tetsuya would fall off.
Holding the reins, Tetsuya said, "Ditto, just focus on keeping your back steady. Don't worry about me. Gradually pick up speed."
While Ditto could now run freely in Rapidash form, having to account for Tetsuya's weight while moving was still difficult. Tetsuya gripped the reins tightly, doing his best to balance on his own.
He couldn't place too many demands on Ditto yet, otherwise it might lose the confidence to run at all. For now, he had to stabilize himself and let Ditto adapt first.
After over an hour of riding, Tetsuya was dizzy and nauseous, having thrown up his entire lunch. His hands were blistered and bleeding from gripping the reins.
Seeing Tetsuya like this, Ditto realized it hadn't done well. It lowered its head in shame.
Tetsuya took a sip of water, caught his breath, then mounted again. "D-Ditto, let's keep going!"
At this point, Ditto's running was hesitant and unsure, as if it couldn't stretch its stride.
"Run. Do your best. I told you, this is about coordination between the two of us. Keep your back steady and pick up speed!"
Tetsuya shouted. Rapidash began accelerating again; clearly much better than before. Now, Tetsuya no longer had to constantly adjust his balance.
After an entire afternoon of riding practice, Tetsuya was completely worn out, his insides practically turned upside down. But the progress was obvious. If they could perform this well in hilly terrain, then flat ground should be no problem at all.
After dinner, Tetsuya went straight into his tent to sleep. Ditto and Haunter continued the special training from the night before.
On the third day, Tetsuya rode Ditto -transformed into Rapidash- straight toward Mahogany Town.
The smooth road was indeed much easier than the hills. At the very least, riding Rapidash no longer made him nauseous.
---◓---
Traveling through the forest road on Rapidash for nearly a whole day without reaching a town, Tetsuya finally came across a stationed Pokémon Center around 3 p.m.
Forests with Pokémon Centers usually had League-cleared paths and Rangers stationed inside. These kinds of forests fell under League management and were relatively safe. That's why they were often chosen by Trainers as ideal locations for wild Pokémon catching and training. Even if danger arose, a Ranger would appear to protect the Trainer, and injured Pokémon could be healed at the Pokémon Center.
However, most such forests were small and rare nowadays. Powerful Pokémon rarely appeared there. Unless a Trainer was still at the "beginner" level, these areas didn't offer much value for serious training. For stronger Trainers, staying in such safe environments brought little benefit.
Tetsuya booked a room, stashed his luggage, and took Ditto and Haunter into the forest.
He hoped to find some good training targets.
This forest had sparse trees and few Pokémon. Tetsuya wandered around but only ran into Pokémon like Rattata, Hoothoot, and Sentret. No real training value. And capturing them was pointless too; they wouldn't fetch any decent price.
Bored, Tetsuya threw a dagger at a nearby tree.
"You… What are you doing?"
Hearing that voice, Tetsuya couldn't immediately tell if the person was friend or foe. He calmly recalled Ditto first.
Turning around, he saw a middle-aged man in a League Uniform staring at him.
"Hmm? You talking to me?" Tetsuya asked deliberately.
"Yes."
Tetsuya had already figured out that this man was a Ranger. Anyone qualified to be a forest Ranger was usually a League Tournament quarterfinalist at minimum. Definitely not someone to take lightly. Right now, without Swinub, Tetsuya wouldn't be a match.
Tetsuya didn't respond. He simply took out his official pupil certificate from Ecruteak Gym.
The Ranger smiled and said, "Oh? So we're fellow students, huh? I'm also a pupil of Leader Matsuba from Ecruteak Gym. Name's Haruto. I'm the Ranger assigned to this forest."
"Nice to meet you," Tetsuya replied.
"This area is dangerous right now. There's a powerful Kangaskhan up ahead. It's gone into a frenzy for some unknown reason. One of my teammates has already gone to subdue it, and I'm heading there now. You should return to the Pokémon Center," Haruto said.
'Kang… askhan?
Tetsuya sensed the scent of prey.
•.
•.
Gente, lend me your Power Stones, please… this book is starving for visibility!
It's practically a ghost on the lists :(