The "training grounds" at glacier falls were a place where no one ever came. Even Sheila would only wait for him at the cabin, because Pryce had instructed her not to disturb Tetsuya's "special" training.
Of course, even if someone did approach, Tetsuya would quickly detect them with his psychic abilities. That was why he could freely use the [Shadow Contract] abilities, including sparring with Beedrill and training with Skorupi.
After spending a year battling in the wilderness, the only way to know how much Houndoom's strength had increased was to test it personally…
Tetsuya spread both hands apart, and two black shadows silently approached Houndoom.
It was Hex!
Houndoom had no need to rely on its sense of smell or sight. Its experience surviving and battling in the wilderness alone was enough for it to sense the approaching danger.
Dark Pulse spread outward, and the barrier of energy prevented Gengar's Hex from extending any farther.
The instant Houndoom successfully neutralized the danger, it glared fiercely. Its blood-red pupils struck fear into those who looked at them. Combined with the effect of the King's Rock, it truly created an invisible pressure that left others struggling to breathe!
Tetsuya had no choice but to use his psychic powers to relieve the pressure!
---◓---
Gengar had already fired dozens of Shadow Balls. Both Tetsuya and Gengar clearly understood what Houndoom was doing. At the very moment it used Leer, it had already begun using Nasty Plot. Since it was a move combination that Tetsuya himself had devised, no one understood it better than he did.
Whoosh~ Whoosh~ Whoosh…
One Shadow Ball after another tore through the air toward Houndoom. Houndoom was forced to interrupt its use of Nasty Plot. It understood Gengar's power better than anyone. The firing speed of its Shadow Balls was practically like the speed of light!
Back on Shadow Island, when Gengar had still been a Haunter, it had already defeated Houndoom…
Although both had improved over the years, the combined power of Gengar and Tetsuya far surpassed Houndoom's. Tetsuya's psychic abilities and Gengar's moves could be used simultaneously.
Faced with dozens of Shadow Balls, Houndoom continuously retreated while dodging. Quite a few struck the ground directly beneath its feet, and the resulting explosions inevitably caught it in their blast radius.
Using his psychic powers, Tetsuya predicted Houndoom's movements. As the tenth Shadow Ball was launched, he suddenly changed its trajectory, and it was about to strike Houndoom.
If this had been the Houndoom from a year ago, it would certainly have been hit. But over the past year, Houndoom had challenged countless wild Pokémon groups on its own. The danger of facing attacks from more than a dozen Pokémon at once was self-evident.
Now, the relentless assault from Tetsuya and Gengar was equivalent to being surrounded by an entire Pokémon group.
Houndoom turned its head, unleashing a roaring Flamethrower that detonated the incoming Shadow Ball. At the very moment it withdrew, it also fired a Fire Blast, naturally to prevent Gengar from pressing the attack and to ensure the safest possible retreat.
Tetsuya could not help but nod. What this battle demonstrated was not "overwhelming power", but experience accumulated through battle after battle.
The moment Houndoom regained its footing, it immediately began preparing for the next round of attacks. It used Double Team, followed by Smog. This time, it unleashed its signature move combination, [Blightfire Assault]!
However, this move was naturally not as powerful as usual because Tetsuya had interrupted Nasty Plot, so it received no power boost.
In an instant, dozens of volcano-like clones surged toward Tetsuya. Houndoom dared to use such a move combination against him because it knew Tetsuya had the capacity to withstand it.
With Tetsuya and Gengar's minds united, their psychic power merged into one. The waters of the lake responded to their will. The current surged, spiraled upward from the lake, then crashed down onto Houndoom!
The water flowed without end. Houndoom braced itself against the icy torrent as water and fire clashed, producing a continuous "Hiss... Hiss..." while clouds of steam billowed upward.
This had become a direct contest of power, and Houndoom chose to confront it head-on…
It was the greatest test of its might.
Houndoom's strength had risen to another level!
Tetsuya thought to himself that both he and Gengar now had to use their all just to manipulate the lake water. In the end, although Houndoom's move combination was formidable and its surrounding assault had terrifying effectiveness, it was ultimately the power of only one Pokémon.
The torrent gradually extinguished the flames, every Double Team clone was destroyed, and only Houndoom remained, struggling to hold on.
Tetsuya and Gengar exerted themselves once more. The force of the rushing water grew even stronger, and Houndoom was finally swallowed by the torrent and swept more than ten meters away.
However, Houndoom held its breath beneath the water. A red glow flickered across its body, and once the torrent had passed, Houndoom was still standing safely.
If it had been the Houndoom from a year ago, such an attack would certainly have left it incapacitated. Just now, while underwater, Houndoom had released the fire energy within its body to resist the torrent's assault, and by holding its breath, it had prevented itself from choking on the water.
Even in the face of danger, Houndoom remained calm and had already reduced the damage to the absolute minimum!
What astonished Tetsuya the most was that Houndoom could now control the fire type energy within its body so skillfully. Directly releasing that energy to form an effective defense was something average Pokémon simply could not accomplish.
With this ability alone, Houndoom could remain calm in the face of virtually any attack!
Houndoom shook its head and once again assumed a battle stance…
"Shadow Ball."
With a thought from Tetsuya, Gengar immediately launched Shadow Ball. In truth, the moment Houndoom had managed to stand back up, this "training" session could already be considered a perfect success. However, they continued fighting, first to complete a full battle, and second to test Houndoom's physique and willpower.
Dozens of Shadow Balls were fired once again. However, because Tetsuya and Gengar had already consumed so much energy, their firing speed had slowed considerably. Houndoom, on the other hand, was much more seriously injured.
Facing the barrage of Shadow Balls, Houndoom first fired a Fire Blast, then immediately began retreating.
A deafening explosion rang out, and smoke spread everywhere.
Within the smoke, the following Shadow Balls never paused. They pierced through it and continued flying toward Houndoom.
Houndoom retreated while dodging, and Tetsuya also had to continue advancing to keep Shadow Ball within range.
This simple exchange of attacking and dodging continued for more than half an hour. In the end, Houndoom finally collapsed. Although it no longer had even a trace of strength left in its body, its eyes remained open, looking at Tetsuya…
Tetsuya walked over and gently stroked Houndoom's head. "Heh… you've already become very strong, Houndoom . I've reached my limit… as well…"
After saying that, Tetsuya also collapsed. A human body was, after all, no match for a Pokémon's. Although Gengar was completely unharmed, Tetsuya's stamina could no longer hold out, and he lost consciousness in front of Houndoom.
When Tetsuya woke up, all of his Pokémon were gathered around him, huddling together for warmth.
'…'
"…Thank you, everyone…
…We'll definitely stand at the very top of this world.
Definitely…"
Tetsuya didn't know why, but his vision was a bit blurry…
Perhaps he just needed to rest a little more…
.•.•.•◓⃙•.•.•.