Another winter arrived.
All of the Pokémon continued their special training in the freezing environment. However, this winter, every Pokémon trained with a relaxed state of mind because they had already completed their objectives. They were now simply taking advantage of these uniquely ideal conditions for their final reinforcement.
Whether at lake, or inside the cave, traces of their training could be seen everywhere. Most of it now consisted of sparring. Every Pokémon was eager to test the results of its year-long drilling.
The one Tetsuya cared about the most was still Skorupi. Its Evolution would directly affect the establishment of his Poison-type team, so every day, the battles he watched most closely were Skorupi's.
Every day, aside from Miltank, every Pokémon battled Skorupi once. Regardless of whether they had already been injured, they would apply a Super Potion and continue fighting.
As a result, every time Nurse Joy came that winter, she gave Skorupi the most thorough treatment so it could recover to its best condition.
Only when the warm breeze began to blow, the old trees sprouted new buds, and the water temperature at glacier falls gradually rose did they finally begin to feel the arrival of spring.
Tetsuya glanced at the calendar. There were only three days left before the New Year. Spring had already arrived. This had been the most peaceful year since his… regression? There had been no turmoil and no distracting thoughts. His mind had held only one goal: becoming stronger!
Although he had not stirred up any trouble during the year, it had honestly been a fulfilling one. Every one of his Pokémon had undergone a complete transformation, and their strength had improved by leaps.
In another three days, he would turn fifteen. He now had a clear understanding of his own capacities. It was more than enough to survive comfortably in the wilderness, and the plans he had made would begin this year.
On this day, Tetsuya recalled all of his Pokémon, left the glacier falls, and arrived at Mahogany Gym.
When Pryce saw Tetsuya appear, he could not help but smile with delight and asked, "Well!? Have you completed your goal?"
Tetsuya nodded and said, "It was already completed when winter began. Now I think I'm ready to come out."
"Good! In that case, how about we have a battle? This could be considered our first official battle since we've known each other," Pryce said.
"Then I'll give it a try." Not just anyone had the opportunity to battle the "Icy Pryce". His level could truly be described as being beyond that of a Champion.
"Hoho~ That's the spirit!" After speaking, Pryce immediately sent out six Pokémon: Delibird, Swinub, Weavile, Froslass, Beartic, and Cloyster.
"…What's this?" Tetsuya was puzzled when Pryce suddenly sent out six Pokémon at once, unable to figure out what he was planning.
"League tournaments are one-on-one battles, but in a 'real battle', no one is going to give you the chance for a fair duel. So let all six Pokémon fight together. This is the kind of battle that surpasses League tournaments," Pryce said.
Tetsuya nodded. In that case… "Mamoswine, Golurk, Weezing, Miltank, Houndoom, and… Skorupi."
After repeated consideration, these were the only six Pokémon capable of forming even temporary coordination. Although they could still interfere with one another, when facing Pryce's "test", he had no choice but to face it head-on.
All six Pokémon from both sides appeared on the field. Without another word, hail and snowflakes had already begun falling from the sky, naturally filling Pryce's six Ice-type Pokémon with excitement.
Pryce's Delibird merely hovered high in the air without making a move. Of course, if that Delibird did make a move, it could take on all six of Tetsuya's Pokémon by itself. Simply put, Pryce was only using five Pokémon against Tetsuya's six.
"Skorupi, use Toxic Spikes. Houndoom, use [Blightfire Assault] to keep the opponents occupied. Miltank, use Helping Hand. Mamoswine, Weezing, get ready. Golurk, provide cover," Tetsuya gave the first command.
Pryce, however, gave none, clearly testing Tetsuya.
Skorupi was the first to use Toxic Spikes, scattering them across the entire field. Naturally, the purpose was to restrict Weavile's and Beartic's movements. One had incredible Speed, while the other had the Slush Rush Ability.
These two were clearly Pryce's frontline attackers. Although the Toxic Spikes field might be able to hinder their movements, Skorupi was, after all, not a member of the Ice-type team. Being able to use Toxic Spikes already represented the limit of what it could contribute.
The Hail still inflicted damage on it. Although its long training at glacier falls had given it a certain resistance to Hail and Blizzard, remaining in such an environment for an extended period would inevitably become difficult.
Miltank had already begun clapping its hands as it used Helping Hand. Tetsuya's Pokémon immediately became highly worked up, fighting with even greater enthusiasm.
In the blink of an eye, Houndoom had already charged. Golurk surged ahead with powerful rocket propulsion, while Mamoswine and Weezing were already preparing the move combination Tetsuya had designed.
Houndoom unleashed [Blightfire Assault]. Flames spread everywhere, forcing even the Hail to part before them. Pryce's Swinub and Froslass were the first to charge forward. Their Snow Cloak Ability activated within the Hail, making them ghostlike and impossible to pin down in the snowy weather.
Swinub controlled Ice-type energy, launching a Blizzard toward Houndoom. Froslass appeared and disappeared unpredictably, using one move after another to effectively hold Houndoom back.
Faced with the combined assault of Swinub and Froslass, Houndoom was quickly overwhelmed. Every Double Team clone vanished, while its true body, together with the flames surrounding it, was sealed within ice.
Houndoom's expression froze, Swinub was Pryce's second-strongest Pokémon, so it was no surprise that it could freeze Houndoom so effortlessly…
Tetsuya understood Houndoom's strength better than anyone, so seeing it defeated so easily inevitably left him feeling somewhat unwilling to accept it…
However, this also demonstrated the gap between himself and an elite like Pryce.
The difference between Elite Four and Champion level was another completely distinct stage. It was common for a Champion to overwhelm an Elite Four member instantly, let alone someone who had not yet reached Elite Four level.
Tetsuya's Golurk charged. Pryce's Beartic moved across the snow like a ghost, thanks to its Slush Rush Ability. Golurk's charge carried overwhelming force, and it was simply waiting for a worthy opponent against whom it could test its power.
Faced with Golurk in such a state, the other Pokémon all avoided it, but only Beartic charged straight toward it.
Pryce's Beartic had an exceptionally powerful physique. It thrust both paws forward, gathering all of its energy to clash head-on with Golurk.
Beartic's Slush Rush Ability doubled its Speed during snowy weather. With that increase, its running speed was doubled, and the power behind the moves it unleashed naturally increased as well.
…Booooom!
Beartic and Golurk became locked in a stalemate!