Tetsuya and the foreman returned to the tunnel entrance.
With the foreman and five workers watching, Tetsuya entered the tunnel.
At this point, the foreman was desperately hoping for Tetsuya's success. Delaying the deadline was one thing, but losing the trust of his superiors would mean he might never get another contract again!
Tetsuya had come fully prepared. Haunter was at the front of the team; he was going to let Haunter go in first. It was his own Pokémon, and it needed to develop its combat ability.
Swinub was strong, but it belonged to Pryce. Tetsuya could make use of it, but he could never rely on it. So he held Swinub in his arms, ready to have it step in the moment Haunter was defeated.
Tetsuya himself sat atop Ditto, transformed into Rapidash. If anything went wrong, he could bolt out of the tunnel at top speed.
---◓---
At the far end of the tunnel -still under construction- a Golem was rubbing its body against the rock. It looked like the Golem was "shedding" its skin.
No wonder it had taken over this cave. After shedding, Golem would experience a week of weakness. During that time, if it were attacked, the consequences could be fatal. So Golem would always find a hidden location to molt. In this stage, Golem was extremely aggressive and would strike down any intruder without hesitation.
Golem heard movement and immediately took up a defensive stance, eyes locked directly on Tetsuya.
Even before Tetsuya could make a move, Golem kept grinding against the rock, bracing itself.
'Rock Polish…'
So this Golem had battle experience, it even knew to use Rock Polish to raise its speed.
'Perfect time to test Haunter's new move.'
"Clear Smog."
Tetsuya gave the command. Haunter opened its mouth, unleashing a cloud of purple poisonous mist that quickly enveloped Golem. Under the smog's corrosive effect, Golem's once-polished surface dulled again.
The stench was suffocating. Golem rolled out of the toxic cloud and immediately hurled three rocks at Haunter. Haunter dodged, weaving through the air. It was quick enough to evade the Rock Blast.
The stones hit the wall behind and exploded on impact.
"Let's test your special training. Use Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, and Dark Pulse one after the other!"
Haunter calmed its focus. It had never used this sequence in a real battle before, but it managed to launch a successful Shadow Ball.
Golem wasn't fazed at all by the attack. It responded with a pounding volley of Rock Blast; three more projectiles.
The oncoming rocks threw Haunter into a panic. It couldn't follow up with Sludge Bomb at all!
Boom!
Boom!
Two blasts rang out. A disoriented Haunter took both hits directly.
With Haunter's low defense, and this Golem being so high-leveled, just two hits had it on the brink of collapse.
Tetsuya shook his head. He'd been too naive. Even if a move was well-practiced during training, battle pressure could throw off the rhythm. Especially for Haunter, who had only trained for a few days.
While he hesitated, the already enraged Golem wasn't about to miss a chance to attack. Five massive boulders dropped from above Haunter, aiming straight for it.
'Hmm? Rock Slide? This Golem knew Rock Slide?' But that move wasn't part of Golem's natural learnset[1], nor could it be passed down through breeding¹. The only way to learn it was via TM.
If it had learned that move, then this Golem likely once had a Trainer. Maybe it hadn't evolved yet when its Trainer deemed it too weak and abandoned it.
From Golem's current performance, its strength was impressive; at least several tiers above Haunter. It clearly understood battle as well, which would make it highly cooperative with a Trainer. It was definitely worth catching.
"Let's test your psychic power."
As Tetsuya gave the order, Haunter's pupils turned blood-red. The five massive boulders suddenly froze mid-air, then, under Haunter's control, all came crashing down toward Golem.
Golem didn't retreat. Instead, it charged straight ahead. Its entire body was wrapped in a silver metallic sheen. As the boulders struck the gleaming surface, they all shattered.
Just as it closed the distance with Haunter, Golem used its momentum to leap into the air, aiming to ram Haunter directly.
"Haunter, retreat. Now!"
Heavy Slam, a Steel-type move. The heavier the user, the stronger the power. In the hands of a heavyweight like Golem, the move became overwhelmingly powerful.
Haunter's psychic power couldn't stop a move like that. No other attack could compare to Golem's Heavy Slam at this moment.
Fortunately, Tetsuya had already disrupted Golem's earlier Rock Polish. Otherwise, Haunter wouldn't have been able to dodge in time. It had been a hair's breadth from disaster.
"Night Shade!"
Tetsuya called out. By now, Haunter had used nearly all of its moves. There was simply nothing more it could do against this Golem. That alone spoke to Golem's high level; if he could catch it, he'd never need to fear brute-force Pokémon in the wild again. Tetsuya's desire to capture it only grew stronger!
Haunter was most familiar with using Night Shade. In an instant, a mass of black veil enveloped Golem. It had just begun draining Golem's vitality…
But Golem suddenly began spinning rapidly inside the shadow!
Haunter was soon forced out, and Night Shade quickly dissipated.
Golem's body, spinning at high speed, radiated a deep blue energy that instantly shattered the shadowy field.
Tetsuya was already preparing to send out Swinub. Haunter had nothing left. This Golem was extraordinary. To think it used the move Rapid Spin in combination with such high speed… it had achieved an unexpected effect!
The Night Shade method Tetsuya had devised himself was shattered by this very Golem. The fact it could use combination move techniques confirmed it, this wasn't just any wild Pokémon. It definitely had a Trainer in the past.
Haunter, furious after being suppressed by this dumb brute the whole time, launched a barrage of torpedo-like Shadow Balls.
Golem let out a low roar. Around its body, sharp stones -fist-sized and Ditto-dagger-long- spun into formation. The Shadow Balls exploded against the outer edge of the stone ring without ever reaching Golem.
With a double-handed shove, Golem launched the stones. The jagged rocks shot out like little blades, hundreds of them, swarming toward Haunter like a hailstorm.
Haunter darted between the rocks, but there were simply too many to dodge them all. Stone Edge, as a Rock-type powerhouse move, was devastating.
Haunter crashed to the ground along with the falling rocks, completely unable to continue fighting.
Tetsuya had just recalled Haunter… when Golem, still in a rage, launched every remaining Stone Edge straight at him!
•.
•.
¹. Up to generation VII, VIII and IX, and only one game per generation
[1] Up to generation VII, VIII and IX, and only one game per generation