Matsuba pulled up Tetsuya's file once more.
[Tetsuya, seven years old, Ecruteak City, parents...]
'Seven years old… is this child in front of me really just seven?'
Matsuba could hardly believe it. That level of battle skill, how could it possibly belong to a mere seven-year-old? Could he really be a prodigy?
Unable to make sense of it, Matsuba could only attribute it to one word, "talent." Some people truly were born to battle.
Tetsuya, having won the battle, stood next to Raine. Raine instinctively took half a step back.
At this moment, Raine felt like there was a terrifying assassin standing beside him. The battle just now had filled him with dread toward Tetsuya. With strength like that, he would probably spend the rest of his life under Tetsuya's shadow.
The other two advancing candidates, much like the loli, hadn't understood Tetsuya's battle at all. There was no fear in them because they hadn't grasped what had happened.
Looking at the four candidates in front of him, Matsuba noted that the oldest was Raine, ten years old. It was just his hairstyle that made him look more… 'Mature(?)'.
"You four are the finalists. Two more will be eliminated. But even if you're cut, it won't be for nothing. I'll inform your schools to award you extra credits. You've all had a long day, go home and rest. Tomorrow, you'll be staying at the Bell Tower the entire day. And you'll be required to catch a Ghost-type Pokémon. This mission won't be easy."
With that, Matsuba turned and walked inside with Morty.
Matsuba glanced at his son -also known as a "child prodigy"- and said, "Morty, you're the same age as Tetsuya. You just saw his battle. If you were to fight him, how confident would you be?"
Morty thought back on the fight. "Tetsuya is really strong… His control over the flow of battle is excellent. If I use Ghost-type Pokémon, I think I'd have a fifty percent chance!"
Matsuba patted Morty on the head. "Heh! Then it means you only understood fifty percent of that battle."
"F-Fifty percent?" Morty looked at his father in surprise.
"Because I believe your actual chance of winning is zero. Morty, you need to keep working hard. Don't be blinded by your current achievements. The road ahead is still very long." Matsuba's tone was serious and heartfelt.
"I'll follow your guidance, Tousan!"
---◓---
Tetsuya and the other three also left one after another.
"Hey! Tetsuya, tomorrow let's team up in the Bell Tower and eliminate those other two. That way, it'll just be the two of us. What do you think?"
Raine had already begun to align himself with Tetsuya. This was the intimidation of strength; in every world, power is what gives you the right to speak.
Hearing his suggestion, Tetsuya rolled his eyes. "Baka."
"You…!" Raine was annoyed, upset that his "good intentions" were met with insult.
"Keep your little schemes to yourself. You'd best behave in front of Matsuba. Those two don't even compare to you. Their elimination is just a matter of time. And you want to pull a stunt like this right under Matsuba's nose? That's not just dumb, it's suicidal."
Tetsuya's words left Raine red-faced. Tetsuya's sharp, all-seeing eyes was something he could never hope to match.
---◓---
After dinner, Tetsuya and Ditto returned home.
Tomorrow they would enter the burned Bell Tower. It was filled with Ghost-type Pokémon, masters of illusions. Going in unprepared would surely put him at a disadvantage.
'Machop…' A spark flashed in Tetsuya's mind.
"Ditto, can you still Transform into Machop?"
Ditto hadn't transformed into many Pokémon yet, and it had only been a few days, so it probably hadn't forgotten. If it really couldn't remember, then he'd have no choice but to ask Raine to bring out Machop before they entered the Bell Tower tomorrow.
Ditto did not disappoint Tetsuya; it successfully Transformed into Machop, looking almost identical to Raine's.
Tetsuya nodded. It seemed his instincts were right. Ditto had a natural talent for Transforming.
"Machop can use the move Foresight. Give it a try."
Ditto focused its energy. Its eyes gleamed, and two white beams shot out, like the beams from high-powered flashlights.
"That's enough."
At Tetsuya's word, Ditto reverted to its original form.
Looks like Raine really did come prepared. Tetsuya had been wondering why someone with his personality would choose a Machop as a partner. It had to be for Foresight…
Three more hours of [Trainer Move: Shadow Dagger] throw training.
Progress comes with consistent repetition. After today's training, Tetsuya had increased his throwing range to six meters.
---◓---
The next morning at 8:00 a.m., the four remaining candidates gathered at the base of the burned Bell Tower.
Matsuba handed each of them a specially marked Poké Ball.
Cheating had to be guarded against at all times!
"It's now 8:08 a.m. You must stay inside until 5:00 p.m. I'll ring the bell outside when the time is up. Even if you catch a Ghost-type Pokémon, leaving early will still be considered a failure. Got it?" Matsuba emphasized the rules again.
""""Aye!""""
All four stood straight and answered in unison.
"Good. Since everyone understands the rules, each of you will enter through one of the four doors, east, south, west, and north."
With that, Ryuto, the trainee, pointed each of them to their designated entrance.
Tetsuya entered the burned Bell Tower through the east door.
He was immediately hit with a musty scent. Everything inside was already in ruins. The staircases were charred and broken. Climbing to the upper floors would be no easy task. The wooden floorboards were aged, creaking beneath each step and making one feel entirely unsafe.
Tetsuya grabbed the railing and began climbing slowly.
The stair treads, weathered by time, couldn't bear much weight. Just halfway up, his foot slipped, and he started falling.
Tetsuya reacted quickly, grabbing the railing with one hand, ready to pull himself back up.
Suddenly, dark clouds gathered above…
Thunder crackled!
A Rayquaza lunged at him with its mouth wide open!
Tetsuya shook his head.
"Hn, pretty realistic. Ditto, Transform into Machop. Use Foresight."
A Machop clung to his shoulder. Its eyes shot out two white beams, scanning the surroundings.
Several Gastly instantly revealed themselves, and the illusion was wiped clean.
Tetsuya and Ditto took the chance to stabilize themselves.
The Gastly looked at each other, startled. Realizing their bodies had become solid, they fled in fear.
'That was close…' He almost got caught.
Having learned his lesson, Tetsuya had Ditto-as-Machop use Foresight again as soon as they reached the second floor. Sure enough, a few hidden Gastly were waiting to attack, but once discovered, they quickly vanished.
According to legend, about 700 years ago, the nine-story Bell Tower and Brass Tower were built in Ecruteak City. The two towers symbolized the hope of coexistence and friendship between humans and Pokémon. The Brass Tower to the west was said to awaken Pokémon, while the Bell Tower to the east served as a place for Pokémon to rest.
It's believed that back then, a massive silver-colored Pokémon resided atop the Brass Tower, while the rainbow-colored Ho-Oh made its home atop the Bell Tower.
Tetsuya had no dreams of coexisting with Pokémon. So he didn't expect to ever meet Ho-Oh. And if he did, there would be only one reason… to subdue it!
It was a fantasy, of course, but the thought flashed through his mind nonetheless.
Climbing the nine-story, 700-year-old Bell Tower took most of the day. Yet every floor brought the same experience, after using Foresight, the Gastly would flee.
•
•
IMPORTANT: As I understand it, according to the games there are two towers: the Brass Tower and the Bell Tower. But according to the anime, and several entries I've read, cough… Bulbapedia… there was only one tower, the "Bell Tower".
In the games, it was destroyed by a 'mysterious fire,' while in the anime it was lost in a "war". Afterwards, a new one was built.
So… in the anime's version, you have the "burned Bell Tower", aka the "Burned Tower", and the newly constructed "Bell Tower".
Which means that for those obsessed with canon… like me… this ff, it ends up being a comb of the games and the anime, the "Bell Tower", the "burned Bell Tower", and the burned "Brass Tower". THREE TOWERS BRO!