Golurk conquered the glacier falls on its very first attempt, leaving Ditto and Beedrill feeling inferior. After all, this was Golurk's innate strength, something others simply could not envy.
However, this training method had undoubtedly proven successful. Succeeding once did not mean it could succeed a second time, nor did temporary success guarantee a lasting one. Therefore, Golurk's training was also centered around the glacier falls.
As a result, the Pokémon assigned to train here were now Ditto, Golurk, and Beedrill.
Mamoswine's training remained unchanged. Wearing the Macho Brace, it drank Miltank's milk while Miltank used Helping Hand to assist with its physical training.
Now that Miltank only needed to focus on Mamoswine, the efficiency had increased significantly. Mamoswine's advance was already within reach.
Houndoom and Weezing were both focused on move training.
After learning Dark Pulse, Tetsuya arranged for Houndoom to learn Overheat as well. Having learned two moves in succession, it needed some time for reinforcement training, as well as integrating them with its other moves.
There was also one particularly important move combination: Leer and Nasty Plot. When used properly, this combination could indeed play a decisive role and completely alter the course of a battle.
Weezing learned Fire Blast without much difficulty. However, the move combination Tetsuya had designed could not be dominated overnight, so the Four-headed Weezing also officially entered the move combination training stage.
Now only Skorupi remained. After such a long period of basic training, it had finally begun to take shape and was ready to move on to move and battle training.
At present, the moves Skorupi could use were its Egg moves, Poison Tail and Iron Tail, along with the moves it knew from birth: Bite, Poison Sting, and Leer.
Tetsuya himself would serve as Skorupi's training partner.
---◓---
Tetsuya brought Skorupi into the cave at the glacier falls.
"Starting today, we'll begin physical and move training. First, climb along the cave wall. I'll use my powers to press down on your body, which will be the equivalent of weight training. This is the most basic form of physical training. Begin!"
As soon as Tetsuya finished speaking, Skorupi began crawling along the cave wall. Tetsuya used his psychic powers to gradually increase the pressure on Skorupi. Skorupi immediately felt an invisible force pressing down on its body.
At first, it could still move freely across the rock wall, but as Tetsuya steadily increased the pressure, it climbed more and more slowly. Before long, it was already panting from exhaustion…
Even so, Tetsuya did not lessen the pressure.
Physical condition was the base of everything!
Every move and all combat power were built upon it. That was why physical training was the one thing none of his Pokémon had ever neglected. Every new Pokémon always began with it.
Although focusing on physical training resulted in slower growth in combat capacity at first, in the long run, it was the source of all power.
For the entire morning, Skorupi remained under Tetsuya's psychic pressure, training without interruption except for stopping once to drink Miltank's milk.
At noon, all of the Pokémon stopped to eat lunch. Tetsuya had brought a meal for everyone in his backpack, and Sheila had also prepared a bento for him. After everyone finished eating, they took a short nap.
After warming up, everyone resumed their afternoon session.
Aside from Skorupi, none of the other Pokémon's routines had changed. Although Golurk had managed to reach the very top of the waterfall on its first attempt, every attempt afterward had fallen just a little short.
That was precisely why training at the glacier falls remained necessary. Ditto and Beedrill were also progressing exceptionally slowly. The force of the falls was simply too powerful, and combined with its freezing temperature, it was indeed something ordinary Pokémon could not withstand.
In short, all of their training now depended on steady accumulation over time rather than overnight success. Slow progress was only to be expected.
---◓---
That afternoon, Tetsuya brought Skorupi back into the cave.
"Skorupi, go to the deepest part of the cave and prepare to dodge my… moves."
"…?" Tetsuya's words left Skorupi somewhat bewildered. A human capable of using psychic powers was already extraordinary enough. How could he also use moves!!!?
Filled with confusion, Skorupi made its way to the deepest part of the cave.
"Ready?" Tetsuya asked.
Skorupi nodded.
"Shadow Ball. Just keep it slow." Tetsuya communicated telepathically with Gengar.
Tetsuya's shadow suddenly stretched outward, and then Shadow Ball was launched. However, since Tetsuya had ordered Gengar to slow down, the Shadow Balls traveled at only half their usual speed.
Their rate of fire, however, became much faster…
"Skoooor!???" 'Nani!?'
At that moment, Skorupi finally realized just how terrifying its Trainer truly was. Not only could he use psychic powers, but he could also use moves!
Faced with one Shadow Ball after another, Skorupi could only dodge from side to side, training the agility of its body.
After an entire hour, Skorupi could no longer hold on and was struck by a Shadow Ball.
Skorupi immediately curled up in fear, afraid that Tetsuya would punish it. Tetsuya walked over and said, "Drink a cup of Miltank's milk and get some rest. Skorupi, as long as you've truly given it your all, I won't blame you even if you fail to complete the training."
Skorupi looked at Tetsuya and drank the milk. At first, it had simply feared him. Now, that fear had turned into, eh… respect?
After resting for a short while, Skorupi took the initiative to ask to continue.
Once again, Shadow Balls flew toward it one after another. Skorupi dodged left and right, its eyes locked firmly on each incoming Shadow Ball. Although an occasional Shadow Ball still struck it, as long as it could get back on its legs(?), Skorupi refused to give up!
---◓---
Only after Skorupi had completely collapsed did Tetsuya stop. It was only four o'clock in the afternoon, so he took Skorupi to the Pokémon Center ahead of schedule. Under Nurse Joy's care, Skorupi quickly recovered its energy.
All of its teammates were still training, yet Skorupi, the youngest member of the team, had been the first to collapse. It could not help feeling somewhat dejected.
This was exactly when Tetsuya's mental approach was needed. After using it this time, Skorupi really gave him its wholehearted "loyalty".
"Skorupi, you're the youngest member of the team, so all of your teammates will look after you… But you also need to learn from every one of them. Whether in battle or in training, you must fight until you've given everything you have! Even if you lose, you'll still earn the respect of others," Tetsuya said meaningfully.
"Skor! Skor! Skor!" 'Hai! Hai! Hai!'
Skorupi nodded vigorously.
---◓---
After taking care of Skorupi's injuries, Tetsuya returned to the glacier falls once more and recalled all of his Pokémon.
When they returned to Mahogany Gym, Sheila had already prepared a lavish dinner. The Pokémon also enjoyed the finest Pokéfood to their hearts' content. After dinner, Tetsuya also canceled his usual evening routine.
His training schedule had now eased somewhat. As long as every Pokémon gave its all during training, it would certainly earn Tetsuya's approval. When it was time to rest, it was important to know how to enjoy it. Every evening, all of the Pokémon rested in the courtyard of Mahogany Gym, completely at ease.
The next day, Pryce and Sheila left Mahogany Gym to continue searching for the Shadow Team's whereabouts. Although Pryce had begun to waver, his determination to eliminate the Shadow Team had never changed.
The Gym was still closed for its holiday, so there was no need to worry about Challengers showing up. Besides, the New Year had just ended. Pokémon Trainers spent the entire year traveling, and they had only just managed to return home to celebrate with their families.
Naturally, they had brought their Pokémon home with them as well. Before long, they would grow accustomed to that comfortable routine. More importantly, since they had only just returned home, none of them wanted to head back out so soon. As a result, the beginning of the year was the quietest period for a Gym Leader, allowing Tetsuya to train in peace for a while longer while Mahogany Gym remained officially closed.
---◓---
After an entire month of continuous training, Mahogany Gym remained completely quiet. Tetsuya even had to order takeout himself whenever it was time to eat.
However, that month of training had finally produced noticeable results.
The seventh layer of energy within Golurk had begun to show signs of overflowing. Its success rate in pierce through the glacier falls had also increased significantly, and its strength could now be fully demonstrated.
Golurk's ability to pierce straight through the glacier falls alone left the other Pokémon filled with admiration. After all, such overwhelming power and vast energy were not something anyone else could hope to have.
Suspended in midair, Golurk unleashed one punching move after another: the STAB move Shadow Punch, the Normal-type move Mega Punch, the Fighting-type moves Drain Punch and Focus Punch, the Fire-type move Fire Punch, the Ice-type move Ice Punch, and the Electric-type move Thunder Punch.
One powerful punch after another crashed into the glacier falls. Combined with the tremendous power within its body and its Iron Fist Ability, every strike carried astonishing force.
As the speed of its attacks increased, the entire falls began to split apart before the barrage. Such power was simply terrifying. Golurk had already reached the level of a Gym Leader's main battling Pokémon.
It no longer fell short of any Gym Leader's ace, including Matsuba's.
The only Pokémon on the team that still surpassed Golurk was Mamoswine. After a month of training while wearing the Macho Brace, Mamoswine had grown another full size larger. Naturally, that growth consisted entirely of solid muscle. Mamoswine had spent the entire month doing physical training, leaving it feeling exceptionally restrained. It constantly wanted to find an opportunity to unleash its power and show off.
Houndoom had now completely dominated the two new moves it had learned, Dark Pulse and Overheat. While using Leer, it could also silently incorporate Nasty Plot, boosting its Special Attack. As a result, moves such as Flamethrower, Overheat, and Dark Pulse all became significantly more powerful.
Houndoom's combat power had undoubtedly advanced another step!
What Tetsuya was searching for now was a raising and training guide for Dark-type Pokémon. Many Dark-type moves were incredibly domineering, but he still did not know how to bring those moves to their fullest potential.
If he could find a guide for Dark-type Pokémon, Houndoom would no longer need to train so painfully every day, and its capabilities would naturally achieve another major improvement. Keeping pace with Mamoswine and Golurk would then be beyond question.
Limited by their own capabilities, Ditto and Beedrill had still not completely overcome the glacier falls. However, after a month of training, the improvement in their close-combat capacities was obvious to everyone. They had already conquered two-thirds of the glacier falls, and now only needed to overcome the final stretch.
As for Miltank… well, it never concerned itself with anything else. It only needed to use Helping Hand and produce milk. Tetsuya was always the most lenient with support Pokémon like Miltank.
Miltank was also perfectly content, because it was doing exactly what it enjoyed most!
Using Helping Hand and producing milk…
As for Weezing's move combination, the only flaw was the instant it had to turn its heads to use Flamethrower and Fire Blast. At that moment, there would inevitably be a conflict in coordination and a brief lapse in reaction speed.
No matter how familiar Weezing became with the sequence, there would always be the slightest pause. Even so, training was still training, and it could not accidentally injure the other Pokémon.
Although this move combination could never become truly perfect, it still had to be practiced until it reached the highest level of control. At that point, Tetsuya could also use his psychic powers to hold the Poison Gas in place before releasing Flamethrower or Fire Blast, making the resulting explosion truly terrifying.
The glacier falls happened to be the perfect place to test it.
"Weezing, use the combination we've been practicing on the falls."
At Tetsuya's command, the Four-headed Weezing instantly gathered its energy. A stream of highly concentrated Poison Gas burst forth. Immediately afterward, it released Icy Wind to enfold the Poison Gas, then used the force of the Icy Wind to propel it toward the waterfall.
At that moment, it was Tetsuya's turn to act. The tremendous impact of the waterfall naturally created powerful air currents that would quickly disperse the Poison Gas. Tetsuya immediately used his powers to envelop and hold the Poison Gas in place, protecting it from the influence of the waterfall.
Sure enough, Weezing still hesitated at this stage. The two heads that used Icy Wind could not use Fire-type moves. Although it had practiced this sequence to the point where it could turn its heads almost instantly, even that brief moment was often enough to lose the opportunity in battle.
Weezing turned its heads, releasing Fire Blast, followed immediately by Flamethrower to propel it forward.
Driven by Flamethrower, Fire Blast shot forward at astonishing speed. Had Tetsuya not demanded absolute perfection, this combination alone would already have been more than enough to defeat most opponents.
The instant Fire Blast and Flamethrower reached their target andTetsuya immediately withdrew his psychic powers.
...Bang!
A deafening explosion erupted!
The roar of Fire Blast exploded together with the blast caused by the flames igniting the highly concentrated gas.
The destructive power was simply monumental.
The waterfall was blasted apart at its midpoint, sending water spraying in every direction. Even Mamoswine, whose moves had always remained unmatched in destructive power within Tetsuya's team, let out an admiring cry. The other Pokémon were left utterly dumbfounded.
Without anyone realizing it, the timid little Koffing that had once cowered inside a cave on Shadow Island had already grown this powerful…
On top of its terrifying poisonous toxins that struck fear into its opponents, it could now pull off this destructive finishing move. It had advanced to an entirely new level!
This was the Four-headed Weezing's unique "talent". It was destined to keep pace with Mamoswine and Golurk, becoming Tetsuya's third main battling Pokémon.
In raising this Pokémon, Tetsuya had not relied on anyone else's guidance. It was built entirely upon the experience he had gained raising Poison-type Pokémon in his previous life.