Using psychic power to assist with move chaining?
Tetsuya had only thought of it on a whim. In his past life, he hadn't done much research in this area, he'd only battled Will a few times.
Will's main Pokémon, Slowbro, had terrifyingly powerful psychic capabilities. It didn't rely on any moves, just raw psychic force. No matter the battlefield, under its control it would become advantageous: rocks on a Rock Terrain would turn into Rock Wreckers, leaves on a Grass Terrain would transform into Leaf Storms, and even common dirt on a plain battlefield would be spun up by its psychic force into deadly projectiles.
In Will's Slowbro's hands, psychic power was almost omnipotent. That's why Tetsuya wanted to give it a try.
Though Haunter's psychic power was nowhere near Slowbro's level, it was still worth experimenting with as a form of move support.
Haunter's eyes gave a faint red glow, and its psychic energy began to radiate. At that moment, it launched a Shadow Ball.
It was faster.
That was Tetsuya's first impression, the move charged much quicker.
Then came Sludge Bomb and Dark Pulse.
There was still a second or two of delay, but it was already a huge improvement.
Just moments ago, Haunter had been making major errors, and now with psychic support, the results were unexpectedly good.
Even Haunter, let alone Tetsuya, could hardly believe it.
It meant the concept was correct. Psychic-type Pokémon were known for their high IQ. Pokémon like Alakazam and Metagross had brains more powerful than even computers from decades into the future.
Precisely because these Pokémon were highly intelligent, psychic training became easier, and their mental power naturally stronger.
That's what led Tetsuya to consider that psychic energy might accelerate brain function. If that was the case, then the move charging speed would increase, and a brain running at high speed would execute commands faster, leading to smoother chaining.
The whole point of practice was to "imprint" the execution of moves deeply into the brain so that in real battle, they could be triggered effortlessly.
Now, with psychic assistance, something that was previously difficult had become easier. That's why Haunter had been able to link its moves so smoothly just now.
No wonder so many people specialized in Psychic-types and reached the Elite Four level so early, like Sabrina of Kanto, Will of Johto, Lucian of Sinnoh, and Caitlin of Unova. All of them had risen to Elite Four status quite young.
So there was a shortcut after all.
'Elite Four, huh?'
If this life, he aimed only for Elite Four… wouldn't that be a complete waste of the second chance Arceus had given him?
Those Psychic-type elites had reached their peak at that level. Tetsuya knew none of them had made it to Champion level…
Psychic-assisted move execution certainly had its merits, but if one neglected steady, grounded training, their strength would never truly rise to the proper level.
Those who climbed step by step through consistent training would naturally defeat those who relied on shortcuts.
Why? Because of reflex.
Psychic assistance might speed up move usage, but it still required processing through the brain. Whereas many Champion level Pokémon had already internalized their moves to the point that, once in battle, they could launch attacks without even thinking; pure instinct.
That kind of level was naturally a whole tier above someone relying on psychic support. But reaching that level required years and years of relentless training.
So Tetsuya wasn't going to give up on either type of training. He would take shortcuts when available, but he would also commit to diligent, rigorous practice. From now on, Haunter's training would proceed from three fronts.
First: strengthening its psychic power and training in Psychic.
Second: mastering the chaining of Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, and Dark Pulse.
Third: using those moves under the support of psychic power.
Tetsuya explained the full training plan to Haunter in detail. To Haunter, it sounded like an endless path of training.
As for Ditto, its value in battle was now almost negligible. The focus had already shifted elsewhere. It could now transform into Rapidash without issue. It was about time to find the next transformation target.
But learning too many forms could cause confusion for Ditto, so this had to be approached gradually.
Once they reached Mahogany Town, they would likely encounter a Lapras. That would be the time to have Ditto fully master both Rapidash and Lapras forms, switching between them with ease.
His two current Pokémon now had clear training plans. That alone gave Tetsuya some anticipation about meeting Swinub again!
---◓---
He rested by the lake overnight, and early the next morning, Tetsuya began walking upstream along the Lake of Rage.
"Hey, traveler on the shore, are you heading to Mahogany Town!?"
A crisp, bell-like voice rang in Tetsuya's ears, and he instinctively turned around.
It was a girl of about ten, with bright red hair tied into a ponytail. She wore a black windbreaker over a black V-neck T-shirt. She stood atop a Lapras, full of confidence and spirit.
"Yes," Tetsuya replied.
"Hi, I'm Lorelei~ I'm also heading to Mahogany Town, let me give you a ride!"
'…Lorelei?'
Tetsuya took another look. The future Ice-type Elite Four of the Kanto Region… no wonder her traits were already showing.
Lorelei was from Four Island in the Sevii Islands of Kanto, a place ideal for raising and training Ice-type Pokémon. It was said that her family was the wealthiest on the island, having made their fortune mining Never-Melt Ice. That Lapras was most likely her starter Pokémon, her future ace.
"Thanks."
Tetsuya answered, and Lorelei guided Lapras to the shore. He climbed onto its back.
This ride was killing two Pidgey with one Rock Throw.
With Lapras's speed, they'd reach Mahogany Town in about an hour.
More importantly, Ditto could now properly attune itself to Lapras's presence and swimming rhythm.
"Ditto, climb onto Lapras's head, just like you did with Rapidash."
As soon as Tetsuya said it, Ditto clambered up onto Lapras's head, syncing its breathing with the rise and fall of Lapras cutting through the waves.
"So~ I'm from Four Island in the Kanto Region. This is my first time visiting Johto. What's your name!?"
It seemed Lorelei was on her first journey. Her curiosity about the outside world was evident. She radiated the innocent charm of a ten-year-old girl.
"Tetsuya."
"Oh… you don't talk much, do you? Do you like Ice-type Pokémon too~!?" Lorelei seemed genuinely eager to know.
Tetsuya wasn't quite sure how to answer that.
He turned his head and looked at Lorelei.
Their eyes met.