To prepare for the afternoon battle, both Tetsuya and Ditto had adjusted themselves to peak condition.
At two o'clock, the eight competitors gathered in the courtyard of Ecruteak Gym.
Aside from Tetsuya and Raine, the other six competitors were all accompanied by their parents. Even before the actual battles began, a war of words had already broken out between some of the parents.
The first match was between fourth and fifth place.
Sentret vs. Snubbull.
It was a typical scrappy scuffle with no real tactics involved. In the end, Snubbull won thanks to its habit of biting tails… once it latched onto Sentret's tail, it didn't let go. Sentret passed out from the pain.
Next was third-place Mareep versus sixth-place Hoothoot.
The battle was downright laughable. Against the Electric-type Mareep, Hoothoot dove straight into Mareep's wool. It was a miracle it didn't get electrocuted on the spot.
Then came Raine's Machop, ranked second, facing the seventh-place Geodude. If not for Geodude's Ability, Sturdy, holding on for just one second, it would've been a true one-hit KO.
The losers had already left in advance. Nobody paid attention to those who left in defeat.
Tetsuya's battle against the loli was scheduled last.
Tetsuya took off his "sunhat" and tossed it aside. "Ditto."
A light-purple, blob-like Pokémon appeared on the field.
Matsuba gave a small nod. 'Ditto…' This boy really was bold. What kind of performance he'd deliver was certainly something to look forward to.
The loli burst out laughing at the sight of Ditto. "Wahaha! A snot slug? That's hilarious. I'll squash you flat in no time. Go, Drapion!"
A Drapion, its whole body patterned in deep and light purples with a menacing face, burst onto the scene. Its roar made several people instinctively step back.
Matsuba glanced over at the loli's father. The ojisan -middle-aged man- looked away in embarrassment, avoiding eye contact. Matsuba, however, had already made up his mind; if Tetsuya's performance was solid, he'd allow him to advance regardless. This battle was clearly unfair.
Raine silently rejoiced. 'Tetsuya… you can't blame me for this. That Drapion's level is far beyond anything your Ditto can handle.'
If Tetsuya had heard his thought, he would have said, 'Why, in Arceus's name, would I blame you for anything… emo kid, actually.'
The two competitors who had just advanced also felt Tetsuya had no chance.
Tetsuya glanced at the Drapion in front of him and shook his head. 'Its eyes lacked sharpness. The pincers, fangs, and tail stinger all seemed rusted… Judging by its coloration, the poison was weak too.'
It was just a subpar Drapion, likely freshly evolved.
'What a shame. Of all your Pokémon, you just had to choose a Poison-type!'
"Ditto, Transform." Tetsuya gave the command coldly.
With a roar and a wave of its pincers, a second Drapion appeared on the field, its presence equal to, if not stronger than, the loli's.
The loli, who had managed to score eighth place on the test, at least knew a thing or two about Ditto, so she wasn't too shocked. She figured that as long as Tetsuya didn't know Drapion's moves, all she had to do was beat him before he figured anything out.
"Drapion, use Pin Missile!" She shouted impatiently.
Forced to follow the command of its young Trainer, Drapion obeyed.
Its pincers aimed at Ditto, it launched Pin Missile, sharp needles rained down in a dense flurry, stabbing toward Ditto like a violent storm.
"Strike them back with Knock Off."
Tetsuya was intimately familiar with Drapion. If it weren't for the fact that this Drapion was transformed from Ditto and couldn't unleash its full potential, he could easily take down the opponent in under two minutes.
Ditto's transformed pincers moved so rapidly they became a blur. The Pin Missiles couldn't get close. In fact, each one was deflected and sent flying back. Boosted by the force of Ditto's swings, the needles embedded themselves into Drapion's body, hurting even more than a regular Pin Missile would have.
After just one exchange, the loli was completely at a loss. Though her father had drilled her for hours on how to use Drapion, nothing had prepared her for this.
"Hone Claws."
Tetsuya's face was ice-cold as he gave the command. The loli's father was already beginning to panic.
Matsuba cast an approving look. 'Even moves like that… he knows them well. A talent like this will undoubtedly bring great things to the Gym.'
Ditto-as-Drapion rubbed its claws together, sharpening them to a gleaming edge. Its eyes locked onto the opposing Drapion, which still hadn't recovered from the rebounded Pin Missiles.
The loli had no clue what Tetsuya was doing and urgently shouted, "Drapion, go! Use Poison Fang! Bite it… bite it to death!"
She stomped her feet as she yelled, randomly calling out a move without any real plan. No thought went into how to structure the attack, where to strike from, or whether to follow up or fall back.
Battles aren't as simple as shouting out a move name. Not everyone is cut out to be a great Pokémon Trainer. If you can't read the battlefield clearly or stay sharp to every little detail, then all you're doing is sending your Pokémon to its doom.
Following her muddled command, Drapion opened its jaws wide. Poisonous fangs bared, purple toxins began dripping from its teeth.
Tetsuya glanced at the ground. The toxins dripped down and was immediately absorbed by the dirt, no reaction at all.
'Can that even be called poison?'
Drapion lunged forward, opening its mouth and biting toward Ditto.
"Scary Face."
Ditto let out a "terrifying roar", revealing a ferocious, vicious expression that assaulted Drapion's visual nerves. How could Drapion withstand such a sudden fright? Its momentum was instantly broken, it stumbled back half a step, and its body became stiff.
"Now. Clamp its front pincers at the second joint."
Still shaken, Drapion had no time to react. Ditto's pincers shot forward, locking onto the second joint above Drapion's hooked claws, completely preventing it from exerting any strength. Its pincers were effectively crippled.
As for Drapion, he knew every part of this Pokémon's body inside and out.
After using Hone Claws, Ditto's hooked claws were razor-sharp. Clamped onto Drapion's joints, the claws had already pierced into muscle.
No matter how loudly the loli shouted now, Drapion couldn't move at all. The more it struggled, the more intense the tearing pain in its pincers became.
"Ice Fang, release it through the pincers."
A cold smile appeared on Tetsuya's face. Only Raine, watching from the side, felt an overwhelming sense of terror…
Bone-chilling cold spread from Ditto's hooked claws, seeping straight into Drapion's muscles.
Blood and internal parts of its body were being eroded by the freezing air, yet there was no visible change on the surface of its shell.
At this moment, Drapion's mouth hung open uselessly. It couldn't even let out a scream.
The cold aura from the Drapion transformed from Ditto continued to seep in. Tetsuya stood motionless, his eyes locked firmly onto Drapion.
The aura of death…
Eyes filled with despair…
Drapion had already begun hallucinating.
"That's enough."
Tetsuya said calmly. Ditto released Drapion. In this situation, he absolutely could not kill Drapion, or the consequences would be unimaginable.
Seeing Drapion freed.
The loli shouted, "Drapion, hurry and attack, hurry and attack!"
Tetsuya let out a cold snort.
Drapion collapsed heavily to the ground.
"I-Impossible… impossible… H-He clearly didn't do anything… How could he have defeated Drapion just like that!?"
The loli completely lost control, causing a scene in the field.
Her father felt utterly ashamed. He stepped forward and slapped her across the face.
This was the first time in her life her father had ever hit her. The loli stood there in shock, staring blankly at her father.
"There's always someone stronger. Even when you lose, you have to lose with dignity! Look at yourself right now. What kind of behavior is this? That Tetsuya boy… even your father isn't his match, let alone you! If he hadn't shown mercy, sigh… Drapion would've been killed here, by you!"
The middle-aged man recalled Drapion, bowed deeply toward Matsuba, and left with his daughter.
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Reading Guide.
"Dialogue"
'Toughts'
[Systems, Special Moves, Special Tags, Special Pokémon, Voice through devices.]
"Telepathy" Italics for telepathy
"Whoaaa!" Bolds instead of CAPS for SHOUTING!