No wonder Morty had seemed so afraid of Drapion's Pin Missile hitting Drifblim just now.
Drapion's direct attacks had all been neutralized with ease by Drifblim. That was because Drifblim was a balloon-like Pokémon, capable of using the gas inside its body to negate direct physical attacks.
However, dense attacks like Pin Missile were its greatest weakness. After all, what balloon was not afraid of being pierced by needles?
As a result, Drifblim suffered greatly under Pin Missile, while the gas inside its body steadily leaked away.
"Cross Poison."
Drapion crossed its pincers, sending a purple Cross Poison slashing forward. Drifblim was smashed to the ground, unable to move, and had already been poisoned.
Although Drifblim was originally known for its stamina and vitality, the poison rapidly drained it away. It managed to float back into the air only through sheer determination. After all, being poisoned by Drapion made even breathing difficult, let alone battling.
Without needing any further command from Tetsuya, Drapion charged on its own and slammed the Drifblim that had just floated back up onto the ground. Its tail then struck with Fell Stinger, piercing directly into Drifblim's body.
Drifblim completely lost its combat ability, while Drapion's Attack was raised after using Fell Stinger to knock out its opponent.
This was also part of Tetsuya's regular training for Drapion. By observing the opponent's condition, if Fell Stinger could be used to finish the opponent in one hit, then Fell Stinger would always be the preferred choice.
It not only defeated the opponent but also increased Drapion's Attack, actually killing two Pidgey with one Rock Throw!
"Come back, Drapion."
Tetsuya immediately recalled Drapion. This surprised Morty greatly. After all, Drapion had just received an Attack stat boost and held a huge advantage. Morty's chances in the next battle were now extremely slim.
However, Tetsuya had no intention of taking advantage of Morty in that way. What concerned him most was that if Drapion continued attacking, it might end up taking Drifblim's life…
That would become a serious problem, right?
"Are you two still going to fight the last battle?" Ryuto asked. In truth, Morty had already lost two Pokémon, so there was really no need to continue.
"Of course. This was 'training' with Tetsuya to begin with. I've already lost, so in this last battle I can finally fight without holding anything back. Come out, Gengar!"
Morty sent out his final Pokémon. Gengar wore its eerie grin, occasionally sticking out its tongue.
"Beedrill."
Tetsuya still chose Beedrill.
Recently, Beedrill had had fewer opportunities to battle, but its training had never fallen behind. In fact, during its time at the glacier falls, aside from the time it spent sparring with Skorupi, it had spent the most time training.
After Beedrill conquered the glacier falls, the strength of both its twin stingers and wings had increased tremendously. This naturally manifested as improvements to its physical condition, Attack, and Speed. Afterward, it focused on practicing Swords Dance, with Tetsuya himself serving as its sparring partner.
The moment Beedrill entered the field, it moved itself like a proud warrior. Even Scyther might not possess such an imposing presence.
The opponents Beedrill excelled at defeating were fragile Pokémon such as Gengar.
As Morty's first Pokémon, Gengar shared perfect understanding with its Trainer. Without waiting for Morty's command, Gengar had already disappeared.
"Double Team, Swords Dance."
"!!!?"
The moment Tetsuya gave the command, Morty immediately realized something was wrong. Once Beedrill finished using Swords Dance, its Attack would soar dramatically. At that point, Gengar really could be knocked out in a single hit.
"Q-Quick, use Shadow Ball to stop it!" Morty shouted hurriedly.
However, Beedrill's Speed had already reached the point where it no longer needed Agility to deliberately increase it. It was not something an average Pokémon could keep up with.
By the time Gengar was ready to attack, Beedrill had already created more than twenty Double Team clones.
Thanks to its extensive battle experience, gained from years of assuming challenges at the Gym, Gengar knew that the more this happened, the more it had to keep attacking without stopping. It fired Shadow Ball, successfully destroying several of Beedrill's copies.
…However, Beedrill suddenly began spinning its body, successfully using Swords Dance.
"Spam Shadow Ball! Hurry and stop Beedrill!!!" Morty had already sensed the danger. Yet from the beginning of the battle until now, he had been completely forced to follow Beedrill's pace.
In reality, he also knew that Beedrill was likewise a fragile Pokémon. As long as he could find a way to hit Beedrill, his chances of winning would be high.
…The problem was that Beedrill was simply too fast. Gengar could not keep up with its rhythm at all!
At the critical moment, Morty's Gengar demonstrated its own remarkable strengths. It unleashed Shadow Ball in a relentless barrage.
Morty also knew the training method for "spindle-shaped" Shadow Ball, so his Gengar had learned it as well. As a result, the Shadow Balls flew through the air much faster than before, eventually destroying every one of Beedrill's Double Team clonoes.
Now Beedrill had already used Swords Dance for the second time. This was becoming dangerous…
Gengar never stopped attacking, but Beedrill moved up, down, left, and right while flying, skillfully evading the Shadow Balls. Whenever one or two could not be avoided, Beedrill simply knocked them aside.
No matter how anxious Morty became, his Gengar's Shadow Balls still had no way of stopping Beedrill.
At last, Beedrill came to a halt. Its stingers extended forward as it stood there with imposing presence. Any Shadow Ball that flew toward it was struck down immediately.
"X… Scissor!"
The moment Tetsuya finished speaking, Beedrill disappeared. Its flying speed had reached the point where it was no longer visible to the naked eye.
Slashh!
A cry of pain rang out. Gengar had already been struck from behind by Beedrill's X-Scissor!
"W… W-What just happened…?"
Morty had clearly not yet recovered from the shock. He could not understand how his Gengar had been struck so inexplicably. Immediately afterward, Beedrill thrust out its twin stingers, stabbing Gengar in a relentless storm of attacks until it collapsed to the ground, unable to get back up.
Beedrill then crossed its stingers in front of its chest.
Without even glancing at the fallen Gengar, it stood there with exceptional pride!
Of the three battles, this one ended the fastest. After all, Gengar had been Morty's final ace, yet it had lost its combat ability in the shortest amount of time.
Of course, that was all thanks to Beedrill's Speed and Attack.
Had Gengar managed to land those Shadow Balls on Beedrill instead, the one incapacitated would have been Beedrill. This was the only consolation Tetsuya could offer Morty.
Both Pokémon were "assassins" types. Their contest came down to whose strike was faster. At present, however, Morty's Gengar was still far behind Beedrill in terms of Speed.
The battle came to an end. In truth, the outcome was not what mattered. What mattered was that both Morty and Tetsuya had gained something from it.
As for combat power, Morty himself knew very well that he was no match for Tetsuya. As long as he had learned something from the battle, that alone was already an excellent result.
---◓---
During those two days, Tetsuya remained at Ecruteak Gym, helping Morty with his training while also reinforcing the training of his own Pokémon.
On the third day, Tetsuya had completed all of his preparations. Morty and Ryuto accompanied him to the harbor of Ecruteak City. Tetsuya adjusted the backpack on his shoulders and boarded the passenger ship bound for the Kanto region.
Goodbye… Johto!
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