After winning her first battle, Tetsuya also stepped onto another battle field.
Skorupi was the only Pokémon he could use here. If any of his other three Pokémon accidentally used too much force, they would damage the facilities. This was also a good opportunity for Skorupi to gain battle experience.
One consecutive victory!
Two consecutive victories…
…
Ten consecutive victories!
Tetsuya and Lorelei immediately became the center of attention throughout the battle area. Both had achieved ten consecutive victories, and both had done so with Pokémon that appeared to be quite ordinary.
During the battles, Skorupi also learned Pin Missile, so the matches had not been in vain.
After achieving ten consecutive victories, both of them stepped down. Shellder and Skorupi both needed some rest.
They returned to the resting area.
Lorelei was the first to speak. "This ship is headed for Gringey City, and most of the passengers are people traveling for work, so their Pokémon aren't particularly strong. But your Skorupi may be mischievous, yet its strength is impressive."
"Your Shellder's use of Ice-type energy has already surpassed that of ordinary Pokémon. It has a lot of potential as well." Tetsuya had naturally been paying attention to Lorelei's battles. Having trained Mamoswine all this time, he had gained considerable knowledge about Ice-type Pokémon, which was why he came to that conclusion.
"How about letting Shellder and Skorupi battle each other in a little while~? We can treat it as a warm-up! What do you think?" Lorelei suggested.
"Mm, I'd be happy to."
After Tetsuya spoke, it was about time for lunch. Meals were provided on the ship, but Pokémon's food had to be prepared by the Trainers themselves. There was also a designated area for feeding Pokémon.
Lorelei sent out all six of her Pokémon and fed each of them. Tetsuya only had four, but each of them was quite… special.
Golurk emitted dazzling flashes of light from time to time.
Houndoom gave off an invisible aura of pressure, always holding its head high with an imposing presence.
The most astonishing of all was the four-headed Weezing…
A Weezing with four heads immediately attracted a large crowd of onlookers!
"That's incredibly rare, kid! Hmm… how about trading that Weezing for my Raticate?" A greasy-looking man said as he approached Tetsuya.
"Move aside! You should trade it for my Butterfree instead!"
"My Fearow is even rarer~"
Before Tetsuya could even say a word, the group had already started arguing among themselves.
Tetsuya completely ignored them. After calmly letting his Pokémon finish eating, he recalled them into their Poké Balls and left by himself, leaving behind the crowd of idle people still arguing.
Tetsuya returned to the resting area beside the battle fields, where Lorelei had already been waiting for quite some time.
"So! You only brought four Pokémon with you this time?" Lorelei asked.
"That's right."
"Then today we'll just have Shellder battle Skorupi… Once we arrive at Gringey City, we'll only be able to have a Triple Battle!" Lorelei sounded somewhat disappointed. After all, she had regarded Tetsuya as someone capable of reaching the Top Eight and had hoped for a full-team battle.
"A Triple Battle is enough," Tetsuya said.
"Sigh… then I suppose it can't be helped. Since everyone's eating and the court is empty, let's begin!" After saying that, Lorelei walked onto the field first and sent out Shellder.
Tetsuya followed behind her, while Skorupi was already eager to fight.
"Pin Missile."
Tetsuya had Skorupi launch the first attack. Countless silver needles shot from its pincers, heading straight toward the tongue-sticking Shellder.
"Water Gun!"
Shellder's mobility was limited, so apart from defending and counterattacking, it had no choice but to confront the attack head-on. This Shellder's move was exceptionally powerful. The rushing stream of water instantly scattered the dense barrage of needles and continued forward with undiminished force, charging directly toward Skorupi.
"Iron Tail to block it!"
Although Skorupi could have dodged the Water Gun, what it needed more right now was courage, the courage to face its opponent head-on!
Moreover, Skorupi's tail would become one of its greatest weapons in future battles, so it had to be used as often as possible in combat from now on.
Skorupi turned around as a metallic sheen spread across its tail. Swinging it forcefully, it smashed into the incoming Water Gun, sending water splashing in every direction.
However, Shellder's Water Gun was incredibly powerful, forcing Skorupi to gradually retreat to absorb the impact.
"Now, Ice Beam!"
The transformation from water to ice happened in an instant. This was also one of Lorelei's specialties.
Before the Water Gun had completely ended, Ice Beam followed immediately afterward. Under these conditions, the Water Gun would be frozen by Ice Beam into a massive pillar of ice.
If that ice pillar struck Skorupi, the consequences would be severe!
"Turn around and close in on Shellder."
This was where Tetsuya's battle experience gave him the advantage. The ice pillar would soon come crashing down under the force of Ice Beam, leaving no time to escape. However, the most dangerous place was often the safest. The ice pillar was moving forward, while Skorupi charged in the opposite direction, spinning around and rushing straight toward Shellder.
"Forget about the ice pillar! Skorupi's coming from the side!"
Lorelei found herself caught off guard and could not help admiring Tetsuya's quick judgment. Shellder's control of its moves was truly exceptional. It abandoned the ice pillar but continued using Ice Beam, sweeping it sideways instead. Everywhere the beam passed, the ground froze solid.
"Jump over the Ice Beam, then use the ice to slide straight in and use Poison Sting."
As soon as Tetsuya gave the command, Skorupi leaped, dodging the sweeping Ice Beam. Its tail struck the ground for momentum, sending it gliding across the frozen surface. At the same time, purple poison needles shot from its mouth.
Propelled by its momentum, the Poison Sting carried astonishing force!
One Poison Sting after another struck the exposed flesh inside Shellder's shell, its weakest point. Shellder could not withstand the barrage. It immediately stopped using Ice Beam and instinctively snapped its shell shut.
The force behind Skorupi's charge had also increased the power of Poison Sting, driving Shellder backward. However, once it had withdrawn into its shell, it became much harder to damage.
"Use that momentum. Iron Tail!"
Using a Steel-type move against Shellder's shell was undoubtedly the best choice. Skorupi leaped into the air, its tail gleaming with metallic luster as it came crashing down toward Shellder.
"Now! Use Ice Beam!"
Lorelei gritted her teeth and prepared for one final gamble. Shellder seemed to sense her determination. It opened its shell again, its face looking terrible, weak and exhausted.
Tetsuya already knew how this would end. Otherwise, he would not have chosen to use Iron Tail so decisively. Skorupi's poison rivaled that of the four-headed Weezing. It simply had not yet fully developed. Once Poison Sting struck exposed flesh, poisoning the target was guaranteed.
By now, Shellder's blood circulation had slowed, its breathing had become labored, and its mind was growing hazy…
Lorelei also noticed Shellder's condition. Sweat poured from her body as she shouted at the top of her lungs, "Shellder, hang in thereee! Use one last Ice Beam!"
At Lorelei's [Trainer Move: Shout], Shellder regained a brief moment of clarity. Acting on instinct, it fired Ice Beam, which collided head-on with Skorupi's Iron Tail!