Beedrill's Swords Dance sparring partner was Tetsuya himself!
Gengar remained within Tetsuya's shadow, firing Shadow Balls. Beedrill had to evade Gengar's Shadow Balls while using Swords Dance.
In terms of move concentration and firing speed, no one could compare with Gengar's spindle-shaped Shadow Balls, making it Beedrill's ideal sparring partner.
This single training alone lasted an entire three months, an entire autumn!
With the arrival of another winter, Mamoswine completed its training while rejoicing over the frozen land. It could now use Curse six times while also using Amnesia three times…
Mamoswine's Attack, Defense, and Special Defense could all be raised to their limits. With the Macho Brace, Miltank milk, and the assistance of Helping Hand during training, Mamoswine's progress had advanced by more than five years!
Now, Mamoswine's physique could fully support the limits of these stat-boosting moves.
The Macho Brace had lost its value, so Tetsuya removed it from Mamoswine. Mamoswine immediately felt its entire body become light. Both body and mind were filled with exhilaration as its excited roar echoed throughout the valley. It then burst into an excited run.
The moment Mamoswine's feet stepped onto the surface of the lake, the water instantly froze into solid ice.
The lake beneath this place had never frozen because of the waterfall's constant impact, yet as soon as Mamoswine released its icy aura, it froze over completely, and the ice was incredibly solid. Mamoswine could run across it without the slightest difficulty.
However, the area directly beneath glacier falls still had not frozen. Mamoswine was worried that it had nowhere to vent its full power, so it unleashed a roaring Blizzard. The temperature instantly plummeted to the extreme. Even while wearing a down jacket, Tetsuya felt as though his blood was about to freeze, forcing him to retreat far into the distance.
The sky had already been filled with falling snow, and now Hail mixed with the Blizzard battered everything so fiercely that it was impossible to even keep one's eyes open.
Without Gengar, no one could have remained standing in such weather…
All that could be heard was the repeated sound of "Crack! Crack!", yet no one knew what was happening.
When Mamoswine's Blizzard finally came to an end, not only was Tetsuya dumbfounded, but every Pokémon was stunned by the superb sight before them…
The entire one-thousand-meter waterfall had frozen solid, with the flowing patterns of the water preserved in crystal-clear detail.
How could this power even be described…?
The prolonged physical training had completely fused the energy of Eternal Ice and Everfrozen Ice into Mamoswine's body.
With its current individual capacity, combined with Tetsuya's psychic abilities, decades of battle experience, and command, even an Elite Four would gain no advantage against it. Mamoswine had truly completed its transformation!
However, this place was ultimately sustained by an endless torrent of flowing water. More than two hours later, the ice was finally shattered by the relentless current, collapsing onto the frozen lake before being carried away by the water.
---◓---
The one who was most shocked was Golurk. It had originally been the one whose combat power was closest to Mamoswine's, but now it had been left far behind!
Moreover, the seventh layer of energy within its body seemed unable to expand any further. No matter how hard Golurk tried, it could not break the seal. After more than a year of drilling, the seventh layer of energy had expanded to only a palm-sized area at the center of its chest…
At that very moment, Golurk seemed to be stimulated by Mamoswine. The seal around the seventh layer of energy suddenly loosened ever so slightly, and in an instant, the energy expanded another ring across Golurk's chest!
However, the seal quickly stopped it from expanding any further…
"…"
Drawing upon this newly released energy, Golurk charged into action once again!
With a burst of rocket propulsion, Golurk shot upward. The energy throughout its body surged as it spun, forming a cone of energy.
It was as if the glacier's waterfall itself had been torn apart, the water splitting into two currents!
Every Pokémon, including Tetsuya, held their breath, afraid that the slightest sound would cause Golurk to be swept back down by the torrent.
Golurk pressed forward in one continuous effort, surging upward in a single strike. That instantaneous burst of power allowed it to triumphantly break through the falls!
This achievement was completely different from slowly climbing before.
Golurk had conquered it through the explosive force of a single assault. Among all the Pokémon here, it could be said that only Golurk was capable of accomplishing such a feat!
Golurk hovered above, gazing down at the rushing current…
An overwhelming sense of accomplishment welled up within it!
Although its power still could not be compared with Mamoswine's, it had at least begun following in Mamoswine's footsteps…
---◓---
Although Skorupi still had not completely gotten rid of its mischievous nature, it had long since shed its immaturity.
After spending spring, summer, autumn, and winter here, enduring both the "harshest cold" and "hottest heat", it had pierced the walls of the entire cave full of countless holes with Poison Jab. Its strength, speed, and physique were no longer comparable to what they had been a year ago. All it lacked now was the chance to demonstrate its capacities in battle.
The one who could feel Skorupi's growth the most was Tetsuya himself, because both he and Gengar, again, served as its sparring partners. Skorupi's improvement was obvious. It had learned the final three level-up moves, Crunch, Fell Stinger, and Cross Poison. Its fighting style had also become much more versatile.
All that remained now was for it to evolve…
However, Gengar was, obviously, still far stronger than Skorupi, and every match stopped short of a decisive finish. Only time would reveal how much strength Skorupi could truly display in a real life-and-death battle.
---◓---
Weezing's greatest weakness had always been its physical condition because of its timid and cowardly nature. Although its toxicity was extremely potent, its lack of a good physique and speed made it easy for opponents to kite it.
Over the past year, it had undergone the same training as Mamoswine, and those shortcomings had gradually been overcome. Even while floating in midair, it had become remarkably agile. It could now evade quite a few of Gengar's Shadow Balls and was no longer as helpless and flustered as it had been at the beginning.
Now every Pokémon had completed its training. However, winter at glacier falls was unquestionably the best training season, so Tetsuya decided to remain until winter ended. He wanted all of his Pokémon to spend more time reinforcing their training and thoroughly integrate the results of this past year's training.
---◓---
A few days after making that decision, Houndoom returned dragging an Ursaring behind it.
Thanks to Houndoom, they had eaten exceptionally well throughout the year. The fact that all of the Pokémon had completed their training schedule on time was inseparable from Houndoom's efforts.
Looking at Houndoom's increasingly powerful physique after this past year, Tetsuya knew why, even at glacier falls, he would occasionally hear Houndoom's "inspiring" howls. It was Houndoom's cry of victory!
Houndoom now roamed the entire mountain range without obstruction, and its "regal bearing" made that perfectly clear.
"Houndoom, you don't have to go out anymore. We'll stay here until winter is over, then we'll prepare to leave. Throughout this past year, you've constantly been fighting and traveling across mountains. That has always been the training method best suited to you. Now, let me see how much you've grown over this past year…"
After Tetsuya finished speaking, he spread both hands apart, and two black shadows silently extended outward!