"Protect…!"
Lorelei called out. At this point, it was the only thing she could do.
Propelled forward by Flamethrower, Fire Blast rapidly drilled into the Poison Gas. At the same time, Tetsuya withdrew his psychic powers.
…Booooom! Boom!
Two consecutive explosions rang out as a massive pillar of fire erupted from the spot. A mushroom cloud rose above the pillar, and both Tetsuya and Lorelei were forced backward again and again by the blast wave.
By the time the smoke cleared, even though Glalie had used Protect, it was already seriously injured and had fainted.
Protect could block the vast majority of moves. The few exceptions were unconventional moves like Feint that caused the protective barrier to disappear. As for directly breaking through Protect's defense, that required absolute power, completely overwhelming it through sheer move domination.
Lorelei recalled Glalie, her heart trembling slightly. Had Glalie not used Protect in time, it probably would have been killed by the explosion just now. Tetsuya's power had already become so overwhelming that even she found it frightening.
After the first two battles, Tetsuya had one win and one draw. Even if he lost the final battle, today's match would still end in a draw. However, Tetsuya's last Pokémon was Golurk. There was simply no way Lorelei could defeat it.
Tetsuya recalled Weezing. His final Pokémon, Golurk, stood firmly on the battlefield, exuding an imposing aura capable of splitting hearts~ and shattering minds!
"…Jynx."
Lorelei placed her last hope on Jynx. It was also one of the Pokémon she trusted the most. Its combination of Psychic-type moves and control over ice had reached a masterful level, and it excelled at field control. Golurk had only limited resistance to Ice-type moves, so Jynx still held a certain type advantage in this battle.
After Jynx appeared, it swayed its body from side to side, giving the distinct impression of an… eh, african… auntie(?)
"Blizzard, Confusion!"
Lorelei took the initiative, opening with Jynx's strongest combination without giving Tetsuya the slightest opportunity.
Blizzard roared forward, sweeping toward Golurk under the control of Confusion.
"High Horsepower, charge!"
Tetsuya gave the order. Golurk's feet ignited like rockets as it charged straight into the Blizzard. The force behind Golurk's charge had once allowed it to break through the glacier waterfalls and tear Venusaur's and Meganium's Frenzy Plant out by the roots.
Such power was exactly why Tetsuya had absolute confidence in Golurk!
Wrapped in Ground-type energy, Golurk charged into the Blizzard. It split the Blizzard apart, breaking through it with ease.
Jynx's Blizzard did not do much to slow Golurk down. It was already on the verge of closing in on Jynx…
"C-Confusion, stop it!"
Such overwhelming power had exceeded Lorelei's expectations. This Golurk was actually far stronger than the Houndoom and Weezing that had battled before it.
Jynx immediately abandoned Blizzard and concentrated all of its energy into Confusion, focusing its psychic power entirely on Golurk. Jynx's desperate resistance did manage to bring Golurk to a momentary halt…
"Phantom Force, Focus Punch."
Tetsuya immediately changed tactics. Golurk's moveset was highly versatile. In an instant, Golurk vanished into another dimension, and while within that dimension, it had more than enough time to fully charge Focus Punch.
Jynx's Confusion instantly lost its target.
Golurk suddenly appeared, its fist radiating light as it smashed fiercely toward Jynx. Jynx hastily used Confusion to block it.
However, it was completely unable to stop Golurk. Even Protect could not withstand Phantom Force, let alone a hastily cast Confusion…
With the tremendous power of Focus Punch, combined with Golurk's immense strength and its Iron Fist Ability, Jynx was sent flying dozens of meters!
Golurk extended both feet and landed firmly on the ground once again.
There was no suspense.
The outcome had already been decided.
Jynx was unable to battle. Lorelei's heart felt incomparably heavy. Although she had managed one draw and one loss in the previous two battles, she had caused Tetsuya plenty of trouble. She had even believed she still had a very good chance of winning.
Yet against Golurk, Jynx, one of her absolute mainstays, had been completely overwhelmed without any ability to fight back…
She had been far too confident, believing there were very few people of the younger generation who could rival her, and she had even hoped to win the Indigo League this time. She had never imagined there would be such a huge gap between herself and Tetsuya. If Tetsuya entered the tournament, she would have absolutely no chance of becoming the champion.
Lorelei recalled Jynx, forcing herself to calm down even though she was barely able to hold it together.
"…Tetsuya, you're truly strong. I lost today… but sooner or later, I'll win it back!"
After saying that, Lorelei ran off in the direction of Celadon City.
'…'
"Sigh, girls… who understands them?"
---◓---
After finishing his battle with Lorelei, Tetsuya headed toward Saffron City alone. As the largest metropolis in the Kanto Region, its bustling atmosphere went without saying. What he still did not know, however, was whether the Gym Leader of Saffron Gym was Sabrina or her father. Would seeking out that woman to "exchange knowledge" about psychic abilities simply be asking for trouble?
In this life, he had never expected to become a psychic user himself. Since Sabrina was the representative figure among psychic users, if he never had the chance to interact with her, it would almost feel as though he had his psychic abilities in vain.
That evening, Tetsuya arrived at a small town on the outskirts of Saffron City. There was no Pokémon Center there, so he could only provide basic recovery treatment for his four Pokémon himself. Houndoom had suffered the most serious injuries during the day's battles, so Tetsuya applied Potions to its wounds.
While treating Houndoom, Tetsuya continued thinking back on the battles from earlier that day. It was obvious that Lorelei's Lapras was not normally that strong. In particular, its control of Water-type energy had exceeded all his expectations. Even Lorelei herself had admitted that her Lapras did not usually have such ability.
So what exactly had caused it? No matter how much he thought about it, he could not figure it out…
---◓---
After spending the night in the small town, Tetsuya officially arrived in Saffron City the following day. It truly lived up to its reputation as Kanto's largest metropolis. Towering buildings lined the streets, crowds of people came and went, and all kinds of individuals could be seen everywhere.
Tetsuya went straight to the Pokémon Center. Although he now held an official position, he belonged to the Johto League, so he could only receive certain discounts here. He handed his Pokémon over to Nurse Joy for a full recovery treatment.
Tetsuya also entrusted Kenny's four Pokémon, Venusaur, Meganium, Cacturne, and Jumpluff, to her as well. If he wanted to sell them for a good price, they first needed to be in good health. He certainly was not going to be stingy over such a small expense.
Afterward, he rented a room.
Once all of his Pokémon had fully recovered, he would visit Saffron Gym tomorrow. For now, the only thing he could do was get a good night's rest.
Having nothing better to do, Tetsuya browsed the News online. A report from Johto immediately caught his attention, and it had a great deal to do with him…