Tetsuya arrived outside the study window.
The shattered window offered a clear view inside. Though the light wasn't great, it was certain, the Poké Ball belonging to Ninetales was inside.
Tetsuya pushed open the door and froze. Ninetales was lying asleep next to the Poké Ball, beneath a portrait of its former Trainer.
Trying to walk in would definitely wake it.
"…Dagger. Aim for that Poké Ball…"
Tetsuya whispered. A dagger had already appeared in his right hand.
With a soft "whoosh", Tetsuya hurled the dagger.
It had to work!
'C'mon… c'mon… c'mon… c'mon… c'mon…!'
He chanted inwardly.
But just as the dagger was about to reach the Poké Ball…
It stopped abruptly!
'Not good! Ninetales is awake.' "Come out, Swinub!"
Without hesitation, Tetsuya sent out Swinub. At the same time, the dagger transformed from Ditto reversed direction and flew back at him.
That was no minor scare. Tetsuya dashed out of the room.
"Ditto, revert to original form!"
He called out. Fortunately, Ditto shifted back just in time and landed softly in Tetsuya's arms. Its malleable body spared him any real harm.
Even that one brief encounter was enough to show Ninetales's overwhelming psychic power.
Ninetales was now standing on its Trainer's desk, eyes glowing red. All nine tails were spread wide, releasing a powerful psychic field.
Ditto and Haunter would never stand a chance. Swinub was his only hope now.
"Swinub, Ice Beam!"
Swinub's execution speed far surpassed Haunter's. In an instant, a crystalline beam of light shot forward.
But even with Swinub's immense power, the Ice Beam couldn't reach Ninetales, it froze in place one meter in front of it.
Tetsuya's heart trembled. Just how strong was that psychic energy, to stop even an Elite Four level move cold?
"Swinub, establish weather control and look for an opening."
Swinub shivered. The room's temperature plummeted. Ice shards and snowflakes drifted in through the window. Winter's comi… cough… Hail had begun!
Swinub's form grew indistinct, now flickering in and out of visibility in the snowy haze.
Ninetales exhaled a searing blast of flame, which gradually formed into a swirling vortex and pushed forward into the hailstorm. Though it moved slowly, the heat melted all in its path and bathed the room in fiery red.
"Icicle Crash!"
Swinub braced itself. Perhaps it hadn't faced a foe this powerful in a looong time. Five massive icicles dropped from the sky, piercing through the roof of the study and slamming down in a line from the flame vortex toward Ninetales.
As the icicles landed, the vortex of flame collapsed. But Ninetales didn't falter. It unleashed a Fire Blast.
A deafening explosion rang out.
The icicles were shattered completely, but the hailstorm continued. For now, Swinub still had the upper hand. But once daylight came, Ninetales's Drought Ability would activate, and then things would get far worse.
It had to end quickly!
"Swinub, Blizzard."
The temperature dropped even further. The bitter cold howled through the room as snow and ice surged forward to engulf Ninetales.
Ninetales let out a sharp cry.
A Light Screen formed in front of it, shielding both itself and the portrait behind it.
Even with the hail-enhanced Blizzard, the move couldn't break through the Light Screen sustained by Ninetales's psychic power. This only deepened Tetsuya's resolve to capture it.
There was no time. Come daylight, even Swinub might not be able to win.
Cold sweat streamed down Tetsuya's back. In this state, there was nothing Haunter could do to help.
Tetsuya locked eyes on Ninetales, then, a flash of inspiration struck!
'Maybe… that would work.'
This Ninetales had deep affection for its former Trainer. That's why, when someone who looked exactly like its Trainer -Brock- appeared, it had followed him so loyally. What it was protecting now might not be itself… it was likely the portrait behind it!
Tetsuya moved around the Blizzard and positioned himself to Ninetales's side.
"Ditto, dagger."
This time, Tetsuya deliberately raised his voice.
"[Shadow Dagger Throw]!" he shouted, aiming directly at the portrait behind Ninetales. He hurled the dagger with all his strength.
Ninetales saw the dagger flying toward its Trainer's portrait. It instantly abandoned self-defense and redirected all its psychic energy to stop the dagger.
That was exactly what Tetsuya had hoped for.
The dagger flew back toward him once again. But now that Ditto had reverted, the impact didn't worry Tetsuya.
With Ninetales's barrier lifted, Swinub's surging Blizzard unleashed its full power, like a broken dam, the icy tempest roared forward.
Tetsuya quickly ran out of the room and shouted, "Swinub, clear the room!"
In an instant, the Blizzard swept through, engulfing Ninetales and blasting the study wall apart. Ninetales was sent flying over ten meters, crashing into the courtyard, buried beneath snow, hail, and shattered debris, forming a mound of ice and rubble.
Swinub appeared by Tetsuya's side.
With a series of thunderous crashes, the entire study collapsed, dust and ash billowing into the air.
"Ninetales won't go down that easily. It's in the far end of the courtyard. We need to move!"
Tetsuya and Swinub quickly circled the study and emerged on the other side of the courtyard. All they could see was a massive heap of ice, Ninetales lay buried beneath it.
With that much force, the Poké Ball didn't matter anymore. It had to be broken. Those old Poké Balls were nowhere near as durable as modern ones.
"Use Ice Beam on that pile."
Swinub understood Ninetales's strength well. As strong as that last hit had been, it wasn't enough. The Ice Beam was only to reinforce the freeze, to keep Ninetales restrained a little longer.
…Then a spiral column of flame burst from the ice mound, slamming into Swinub's Ice Beam!
'Overheat.'
The scorching temperature tore through space itself!
Waves of heat shimmered through the air, twisting and distorting the surroundings.
"Swinub, fall back!"
Tetsuya knew the situation had turned. Overheat was overwhelming Ice Beam. That first Overheat drew from the full reserves of fire energy within the body, it was extremely powerful. Fortunately, subsequent uses would be weaker due to energy depletion.
Even though Swinub hadn't had to dodge an attack like this in a long time, the sheer intensity of Overheat triggered a deep sense of danger.
Swinub instantly stopped using Ice Beam and rolled back. The searing fire pillar scorched the earth, leaving charred soil in its wake.
Swinub didn't dare relax for a moment. It immediately reoriented itself, ready for the next attack.
Ninetales had broken free of the ice. Its eyes were blood-red.
Hatred…
Grudge…
Tetsuya had destroyed its Trainer's portrait, the study, and its Poké Ball.
Its tails stood upright. Its gaze locked directly onto Tetsuya and Swinub…
Kill.
The first ray of morning sunlight spilled into the valley…