Because of Shellder, Slowbro was unaffected by Mamoswine's hailstorm. As a result, Slowbro became the first Pokémon capable of fitting into the Ice-type team Pryce had envisioned.
"Use the falling snow and hail to surround those Pokémon." Tetsuya used telepathy to issue his command to Slowbro.
Slowbro used its psychic powers, its eyes shining like sapphires. Immediately afterward, all the snow and hail on the ground rose into the air once again, surrounding the fifteen Pokémon like an enormous Aurorus.
The three Rangers had never witnessed such a scene before. Ever since becoming Rangers, they had been assigned to this barren mountain region, where there were no forests and virtually no big, ferocious Pokémon. Their positions had gradually become little more than "sinecures". Over time, they abandoned their training altogether, spending their days idling away at the League outpost. As a result, their Pokémon had become weaker than before, worse with each passing year.
Some of the fifteen Pokémon struggled against the blizzard and the icy encirclement created by Slowbro. Some were frightened by the overwhelming scene, while others had already completely lost the will to fight…
Only ten of the fifteen Pokémon continued resisting. However, these Pokémon had all once been formidable. They unleashed their moves simultaneously to resist, and Slowbro's psychic powers were no longer enough to completely withstand such a counterattack.
"Mamoswine, move!"
Tetsuya gave the order.
Catherine also saw that Slowbro could no longer hold out, so she immediately threw the Poké Balls of Skarmory, Chatot, and Honchkrow.
Catherine's three Pokémon used Whirlwind from the outer edge of the blizzard to reinforce it.
At that moment, Mamoswine let out a mighty roar, unleashing an even fiercer Blizzard. It merged with the blizzard controlled by Slowbro's psychic powers, and with the assistance of the Whirlwinds from Catherine's Pokémon, it formed an enormous [Blizzard Vortex].
The power of all five Pokémon merged into one, producing tremendous force. The two sides fell into a brief stalemate, and the Rangers' fifteen Pokémon finally sensed the danger before them. They no longer dared to hold anything back.
"Miltank, use Helping Hand!"
Tetsuya sent out Miltank. Right now, they desperately needed an extra source of strength to break the deadlock, and Miltank was the perfect choice.
After Miltank emerged, it let out repeated cheers while clapping its forelegs together, encouraging its allies!
The five allied Pokémon were inspired by Helping Hand. They all let out furious roars as their power surged. In that instant, the [Blizzard Vortex] swallowed all fifteen Pokémon.
Slowbro was the first to collapse. It had overexerted its psychic powers. Tetsuya recalled it to its Poké Ball. Its psychic cpabilities had not yet reached that level, and lasting this long had already been remarkable.
Tetsuya had already made the best arrangements for it.
Once the old nun from Slowpoke Temple arrived in Ecruteak City, he would have her raise Slowbro. After about ten years, following ten years of Calm Mind, Slowbro's psychic powers would have fully matured, allowing it to gradually become absurdly overpowered.
Mamoswine unleashed another burst of power, and enormous snowballs fell from the sky. Empowered by Miltank's Helping Hand, every one of Tetsuya's Pokémon fought with all its might.
The blizzard and ice shards engulfed the three Rangers' Pokémon, battering them relentlessly with the freezing cold, snow, and ice. Their entire battle line had now completely collapsed.
Watching their Pokémon being completely overwhelmed without any ability to fight back, the three Rangers' faces turned bright red. They wanted to do something… but there was nothing they could do!
At that moment, Tetsuya sent out Koffing. There was still another Pokémon, and it was a monster they had never seen before. That completely extinguished any thoughts they had of using force against Tetsuya and Catherine.
When the blizzard finally subsided, all the Pokémon fell to the ground, nearly unable to battle. The only three that hadn't been incapacitated were the Fire-type Pokémon, which had stronger resistance to Ice-type moves.
Not even the Water-type Pokémon had escaped the [Blizzard Vortex], because Mamoswine's Blizzard contained the frigid power of Freeze-Dry, and Freeze-Dry was especially effective against Water-type Pokémon. As a result, even the them could not escape its deadly effects.
The reason Tetsuya had sent out Koffing was precisely because of those three Fire-type Pokémon. Koffing fired Sludge Bomb, knocking all three Fire-types down before they had even regained their footing.
"With this level… you still dare call yourselves Rangers…? What a joke! You even use the Rangers' reputation to rob passing Trainers. Today I'm taking all of you to see Officer Jenny!" Tetsuya threatened.
"""No… No, please!"""
The three men hurriedly backed away in fright. If Tetsuya really dragged them to the police station, they would be utterly disgraced. Three Rangers had been completely overwhelmed by two children barely twelve or thirteen years old and left in such a miserable state.
More importantly, if the fact that Rangers had been robbing passing Trainers became public, not only would they likely lose their Ranger positions, but the League might also strip them of their Trainer qualifications.
All three of them understood this perfectly well…
Even though they could still register as Trainers in another region if that happened, becoming a Ranger again would require starting over from the Gym Challenge and League tournaments step by step!
They all knew exactly what they were capable of.
Their strength had declined to an embarrassing degree. If they tried competing in League tournaments again, even qualifying for the main event would be a serious challenge.
By then, however, Tetsuya's and Catherine's Pokémon had already surrounded them.
"W-What will it take for you to let us go…?"
The lead Ranger spoke with noticeably less confidence.
"Hand over the Fire Stones you're carrying," Tetsuya said.
"Th-That..."
The lead Ranger glared fiercely at the fool standing beside him. If that idiot had not revealed that the three of them were delivering Fire Stones, Tetsuya would never have demanded them!
The three Fire Stones they were transporting were all of exceptional quality. On the market, each one could easily sell for 100,000 Pokédollars. If Tetsuya took them away, how could he possibly explain it afterward?
Worse still, as a Ranger, he had actually been robbed within his own patrol area. Such utter humiliation was something the three of them would never dare tell anyone about.
"Is it really that difficult…? Mm! Then let's just head to the police station," Tetsuya said impatiently.
"Fine... we'll give them to you…" The lead Ranger said through gritted teeth.
"You can't! These are..." The Ranger beside him protested unwillingly.
"Shut-Up!"
With that, the lead Ranger took out a box and tossed it to Tetsuya. Tetsuya opened it and confirmed that they were indeed Fire Stones. The stones were bright crimson with flame-shaped markings. Just touching them made them feel hot to the touch. They were unquestionably genuine Fire Stones.
Tetsuya put away the Fire Stones and let the three Rangers leave.