"Mamoswine, use Icicle Crash."
For this battle, Tetsuya had already given up on the idea of winning. If he could hold out even one second longer, it would be one more affirmation of his own capacities.
Weezing had already been incapacitated. The only remaining hope of resisting was Mamoswine, but Mamoswine's [Blizzard Vortex] could only hold the opposition back for a short time.
Under Tetsuya's command, Mamoswine repeatedly drove rows of Icicle Crash into the ground. Even so, it was nothing more than a final desperate struggle.
It did not hold out for much longer before the [Blizzard - Icicle] on Pryce's side swallowed Mamoswine's. It even absorbed the energy of Mamoswine's blizzard, making it even more powerful.
The rows of icicles created by Mamoswine were uprooted completely, just as a typhoon would rip up young saplings.
It was about to strike Mamoswine…
Mamoswine shook its body and flung Skorupi away. It did so entirely to protect Skorupi. Moreover, Mamoswine was completely unafraid of Ice-type moves. It knocked away the icicles with Ice Fang, while the blizzard blowing against its body was completely ineffective.
Pryce nodded. He already knew that Tetsuya's Mamoswine was "immune" to Ice-type moves, but witnessing it firsthand still surprised him. To put it simply, Tetsuya's Mamoswine had also been raised by Pryce himself, yet he had never imagined it would had such an ability…
◓---
Aside from Pryce's Delibird, no other Pokémon with immunity to Ice-type moves had ever appeared, including Pryce's own Swinub and his missing… Piloswine. Now the Swinub he had raised had evolved into Mamoswine and had this ability, making Pryce wonder whether Tetsuya had experienced some "extraordinary" opportunity.
Tetsuya, however, had already prepared his explanation. He had disappeared for nearly five years, so he could simply make up any story he wanted. There was no longer any way to verify it anyway. Whatever he chose to say would be accepted because no one could prove otherwise.
Perhaps that was the one good thing about having been kidnapped by Shadow Team…
To be fair, Tetsuya never expected such support from Pryce; it was simply a transaction from the start. That is why he could do what he did with a clear conscience… after all, even though he appeared to be a "child" at the time, he had already experienced the realities and hardships of life in his "past life", especially in a world where an individual's power could affect an entire region.
Had he known everything that would happen… well, at least he would have done things differently; instead of taking "shortcuts", he would have gone to find the Eternal Ice on his own. It would have taken him longer, but after all, time was something he had.
But anyway, the past is, after all, the past!
---◓
Although Ice-type moves were ineffective against Mamoswine, Weavile, whose Attack had been raised to the limit after using Swords Dance three times, was unstoppable. From the beginning of the battle until now, Mamoswine had never had the opportunity to use Curse, mainly because, aside from Golurk, none of Tetsuya's other Pokémon had been able to create the necessary chance for it.
If Mamoswine had managed to use Curse six times, Tetsuya was absolutely confident that it could have defeated at least one of Pryce's Pokémon. As things stood, however, making even a single one of Pryce's Pokémon lose its combat ability was now impossible. That was the difference in strength.
Weavile led the charge, displaying terrifying offensive power. Night Slash, Sucker Punch, and one powerful Contact move after another left Mamoswine unable to defend itself.
After repeatedly unleashing powerful Blizzards, Mamoswine no longer even had the chance to use another move against Weavile's relentless assault.
Watching from behind, Skorupi was completely dumbfounded. It was overwhelmed by Weavile's offensive power. Even Mamoswine, with all its "overwhelming strength", had been unable to withstand it, let alone a little minion like itself…
Boom!
With a tremendous crash, Mamoswine collapsed right in front of Skorupi.
At that moment, Skorupi's emotions were in complete turmoil. Tetsuya, Mamoswine, and all of the other Pokémon had always protected the maknae of the team. Now, they were all incapacitated.
The Pokémon that had protected it had all fallen. The only one left to rely on was itself…
Summoning all of its courage, Skorupi let out a long howl!
Instantly, dazzling white light filled the battlefield, making it impossible to keep one's eyes open.
"…!!!"
For the honor of the team, Skorupi evolved…
Everyone focused their attention on Skorupi at that very moment.
When the white light faded, a Drapion stood before everyone. Brandishing its pincers imposingly, it radiated an awe-inspiring presence!
Facing Weavile's attack, Drapion charged directly. It had secretly used Hone Claws just moments earlier, giving its Attack another boost. It lashed out with Cross Poison, forcing Weavile to retreat with ease. Its offensive power was indeed razor-sharp!
Weavile continued relying on its speed-based disruption tactics, waiting for the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow.
Just as Weavile prepared to attack from behind Drapion, Drapion's tail finally revealed its true value. It suddenly extended, its hooked tail clamping tightly around Weavile and refusing to let go as poison began seeping into its body!
Tetsuya was deeply gratified. Drapion had evolved of its own accord for the honor of the team.
Moreover, Tetsuya understood Drapion better than anyone else.
It could be said that no one in this world knew Drapion and Ariados better than he did!
Back when it was still a Skorupi, Tetsuya had focused primarily on training its pincers, tail, and biting strength. These would all become Drapion's primary methods of attack after evolving.
This had always been one of the main focuses of Tetsuya's training. The reason Drapion was able to bind its opponent with its tail the very first time it used it was entirely because of Tetsuya's emphasis during training.
By strengthening its tail through repeated use of Poison Jab and Poison Tail, it was now capable of trapping Weavile in a single strike!
At first, Weavile paid little attention to Drapion's attack. Only after the poison's toxins began spreading through its body and its breathing became labored did it realize something was wrong…
Weavile immediately swung both claws with all its might!
At this point, Pryce had no intention of having his remaining Pokémon continue attacking. It would have been unfair to Tetsuya. What had begun as a large-scale team battle had now become a one-on-one duel between Drapion and Weavile.
Drapion endured the gusts generated by Weavile's slashing claws. The hook at the end of its tail tightened more and more until it became deeply embedded in Weavile's body.
The harder Weavile struggled, the faster its blood circulated, causing the poison to spread even more quickly. At the same time, the deeper Drapion's hooked tail dug into Weavile's body, the more painful every struggle became.
Only now did Weavile truly sense the danger. It found itself unable to bring its strength to bear. Breathing became increasingly difficult, and it even began to feel dizzy…
Suddenly, Drapion sharply turned its head.
Cross Poison shot forward directly at Weavile. By now, Weavile no longer had the strength to resist and could only await its fate. After all, Weavile was an assassin-type Pokémon that specialized in offense. Stamina was its greatest weakness. Under Drapion's relentless assault and the unchecked spread of the poison, it finally lost its combat ability.
Pryce could only watch Weavile helplessly. He gave no command and simply allowed Weavile to lose.
Being able to defeat one of Pryce's Pokémon was already Tetsuya's limit, and it had also fulfilled the purpose of this "test".
Pryce recalled Weavile and said, "You've already become very strong. Not only can you leave Mahogany Gym, but you can also travel beyond Johto without concern. There's no need to continue this battle. Tetsuya, you… you've already done remarkably well!
"Heh… it was only because you deliberately held back. If Delibird had entered the battle… I'm afraid my team wouldn't have lasted even ten minutes." Tetsuya shook his head helplessly with an awkward smile.
It was another reminder of just how far beyond his reach Pryce's level still was…