The mountain range north of Celadon City stretched across a vast area, giving Tetsuya and Lorelei plenty of room to go all out.
Tetsuya arrived at the agreed location early. He checked the condition of his four Pokémon and found that they had all recovered quite well. After breakfast, they began warming up on the spot.
The sky, however, was overcast, looking as though it would rain at any moment…
---◓---
About half an hour later, Lorelei arrived after running there with several of her Pokémon. After a brief rest, the battle between the two officially began.
"Houndoom, you're up first," Tetsuya said.
"Lapras, I'll leave this battle to you!" Since Lapras was inconvenient to move around on land, it had remained inside its Poké Ball. The moment it appeared, it let out a cry toward Tetsuya.
Tetsuya smiled and nodded. Lapras was extremely intelligent and had already recognized him as the Tetsuya who had battled it five years ago. It was just that the Haunter from back then had now become Houndoom.
Lapras had already been very strong back then, and its use of Water-type energy had been exceptional. Its growth over the years was naturally beyond measure.
"Leer," Tetsuya ordered first, intending to boost Houndoom's Special Attack.
"Water Pulse," Lorelei commanded.
Tetsuya had no intention of responding. By the time Water Pulse reached it, Houndoom would have already gained one stage of Special Attack.
However, Lapras' control of Water-type energy had now become astonishingly powerful. Water Pulse formed directly around Houndoom without needing to be fired at all, instantly trapping it inside a watery prison.
Before Leer could even take effect, Houndoom was already imprisoned within the Water Pulse!
Tetsuya could not help drawing in two sharp breaths. How could Lapras already have such control? It was completely manipulating water at will. This was clearly an ability that, in his memories, belonged to one of Misty's main Pokémon decades later. He did not remember any of Lorelei's Pokémon having such an ability.
Tetsuya deliberately observed Lorelei's expression and saw that she was just as surprised. Since she did not regard Tetsuya as an outsider, she spoke directly, "Tetsuya, this doesn't make sense. Although my Lapras has excellent control of Water-type energy, it has never reached this level. Could it be that seeing you today caused Lapras to perform beyond its limits…?"
As she spoke, the Water Pulse exploded, leaving Houndoom completely soaked. Since even Lorelei herself had said so, there had to be something unusual going on. However, Tetsuya did not know much about Water-type Pokémon, so he had no idea what the reason might be.
Even so, the battle had to continue…
"Houndoom, 'Howl'." Only by changing the weather to weaken the surrounding Water-type energy might he still have a chance of winning. Lorelei's brief distraction had already allowed Houndoom to successfully use [Blazing Howl].
Having just taken damage, Houndoom's howl rang out even more powerfully. The overcast clouds were instantly swept away. After Sunny Day took effect, the blazing sun shone intensely, and the strong sunlight falling upon Houndoom seemed to ease much of the damage it had just suffered.
"Fire Blast, Flamethrower!"
Tetsuya launched his counterattack. Under Sunny Day, Fire-type moves became overwhelmingly powerful. Fire Blast surged forward, propelled by the support of Flamethrower, making it even faster as it reached Lapras in an instant.
"Hydro Pump!"
Lorelei could not worry about anything else now. All of her questions would have to wait until after the battle was over.
A massive pillar of water shot forward. However, Lapras could already clearly sense that its control of Water-type energy was no longer as strong as it had been moments ago. This led both Tetsuya and Lorelei to conclude that the strange phenomenon from earlier had been caused by the weather.
Without that extraordinary control over Water-type energy, there was no way Lapras' Hydro Pump could contend with Houndoom's combination of Fire Blast and Flamethrower under Sunny Day.
Hydro Pump was steadily forced backward by the combined force of Fire Blast and Flamethrower. Lapras itself was pushed five or six meters across the ground by the impact, leaving a deep trench behind it.
As Fire Blast exploded, the power of Hydro Pump was completely exhausted. Houndoom's follow-up Flamethrower engulfed Lapras entirely.
"Rain Dance!"
Sunny Day put Lapras at an extreme disadvantage. If it wanted to win, it had to start by changing the weather. Lorelei's thinking was correct, but Tetsuya was thinking the same thing. If Lapras successfully used Rain Dance, combined with the terrifying Water-type energy control it had displayed earlier, Houndoom would undoubtedly lose.
"Sunny Day!"
Tetsuya refused to back down. At worst, they would simply compete over the weather.
The sky became truly unpredictable. One moment, dark clouds; the next, the sky was completely clear.
In the end, neither side succeeded.
It did not rain, yet the sunlight was no longer intense either. The weather settled into a cloudy state that affected neither side.
"[Blightfire Assault]."
"Water Pulse, Surf."
Tetsuya and Lorelei simultaneously ordered their Pokémon's signature moves.
Houndoom released Inferno and Smog one after another, then immediately used Double Team. Ten Houndoom charged into the blazing flames. The fire drew in the poisonous miasma, and ten volcanoes wreathed in toxic fumes crashed toward Lapras.
Although Lapras could not move freely on land, it did not affect its ability to use moves in the slightest. Flowing water suddenly appeared beneath it, lifting it upward. The current grew larger and larger until it completely surrounded Lapras.
Standing atop the waves within the water, with three Water Pulse orbs revolving around its body, Lapras remained completely composed as it faced Houndoom.
The first wave of [Blightfire Assault] struck with its greatest power, instantly wiping out two of Lapras' Water Pulse orbs. The second wave consumed the third Water Pulse orb. After that, Surf clashed directly against the clones.
With each violent collision, white steam rose across the entire battlefield. Both Lapras and Houndoom fought with all their might, gasping heavily for breath. By the time the white mist finally dispersed, neither had enough strength left to launch another attack.
"Let's finish this battle in the simplest way possible."
Tetsuya spoke, and Lorelei understood immediately.
"Lapras, one final push… Hydro Pump!"
"Houndoom, Overheat!"
Water and fire collided in midair. Only the hissing sound of boiling water could be heard. As the sound gradually faded, Lapras and Houndoom exchanged one final glance before both collapsing.
Tetsuya and Lorelei each recalled their Pokémon.
"Hahh~ Another draw." Tetsuya smiled helplessly.
"No… I think I lost this time. Lapras' control over Water-type energy isn't normally that powerful. It only performed beyond its limits today. As for actual combat power, I can tell it wasn't equal to your Houndoom," Lorelei said frankly.
"Lorelei, battles are exciting precisely because their outcomes are unknown! There are always days when you're in better form and days when you're not. There's no need to dwell on it. Let's begin the next match. You're up, Weezing!"
With that, Tetsuya threw out the four-headed Weezing's Poké Ball.