Tetsuya was fully aware of Morty's strength, which was why he'd been wary from the start. The opening Curse had been aimed at Morty from the very beginning.
Fantina was already flustered as her Drifloon fell into confusion.
At this point, Tetsuya was in complete control.
"Night Shade."
Tetsuya launched the final attack on Drifloon.
No matter how loudly Fantina screamed, she couldn't snap Drifloon out of its confusion. All she could do was watch helplessly as her Pokémon was slowly swallowed up by that terrifying illusion.
Her eyes were filled with despair and helplessness...
"Use Infestation on Spiritomb."
Raine was also riding a wave of enthusiasm. Facing a Spiritomb that was already weakened by Curse and barely hanging on, he could already see the scene of his own victory.
Tetsuya glanced at Morty's expression and already knew what was coming for Raine.
Duskull charged recklessly at Spiritomb, riddled with openings. In the final moment, Spiritomb suddenly leapt up and slammed a brutal Feint Attack straight into Duskull.
Raine was completely stunned. Tetsuya let out a cold chuckle, while Morty breathed a sigh of relief...
Duskull was knocked out in a single blow, becoming the first Pokémon to lose the ability to battle. But Spiritomb also collapsed shortly after due to severe vitality/stamina loss.
Now, only a shadowy figure remained on the field. But having seen this move before, Raine already knew the outcome.
Drifloon's vitality was being drained by Gastly. It fell from the air under the assault of Night Shade.
Only Gastly remained.
Tetsuya and Raine's team emerged victorious. Fantina hung her head in defeat.
"…See? I told you, he's the one my father selected out of over a hundred candidates," Morty said.
Fantina could only nod awkwardly.
Matsuba stepped in to ease the tension. "After a battle, everyone gets to understand each other's strength. That's a good thing!
From now on, the four of you must work together. Go get some rest today. Starting tomorrow, your training will be full-force, day and night, focusing on Brass Tower. All Gym duties will be left to Ryuto."
"Ahhh…!" Ryuto looked like his soul had left his body. This meant all the cleaning work in the Gym would fall squarely on him. He had only himself to blame, he'd been too lazy before and hadn't trained properly. Now karma had arrived, and he'd become the Gym's glorified janitor.
Tetsuya simply chuckled. Honestly, the only reason he was getting this treatment was because of Morty and Fantina. His role was just to be Morty's sparring partner.
Still, thanks to them, he wouldn't have to waste the precious morning hours on chores. With over double the training time, his strength would naturally improve faster.
But this opportunity would only last two months. Once Fantina left, there was no way he'd be allowed to slack off like this. So for the next two months, he had to pour his entire focus into special training.
---◓---
The next morning, Matsuba unlocked the second floor of Brass Tower for the four of them.
This floor was guarded by a Mismagius leading twenty Misdreavus.
"Shouldn't we pick a team captain to coordinate our actions?" Fantina suggested.
"Let's go with Morty."
Raine had just been about to nominate Tetsuya in order to push back against Fantina a little, when Tetsuya directly called out Morty's name. It left Raine with a strange feeling of being undercut.
Being "captain" was a thankless job, and would only make Fantina more hostile toward him. Better not to take it. She had made the suggestion for Morty's sake anyway, there was no reason to make things difficult for himself.
Fantina was clearly satisfied with Tetsuya's voluntary "concession." Morty remained "humble", but naturally assumed the role of captain.
"This time we're just testing the waters. Clearing it in one go is impossible. Everyone play it by ear, and make sure not to let the Misdreavus form an organized attack."
There was no denying Morty had some leadership ability. His commands were spot on. Now it was just a matter of execution.
Gastly, Duskull, Spiritomb, and Drifloon… four Pokémon against a Mismagius and twenty Misdreavus.
The moment they stepped onto the second floor battlefield, Mismagius immediately began directing the Misdreavus to encircle the four Pokémon.
Morty and Fantina commanded Spiritomb and Drifloon to unleash a dual Ominous Wind. The chilling gusts surged forward, targeting Mismagius directly.
Tetsuya's Gastly used Embargo to freeze one Misdreavus in place, opening a gap in their formation. Then Night Shade engulfed three Misdreavus, breaking the attempted surround.
Raine's Duskull had already learned Pursuit, and decisively blocked another Misdreavus.
Seeing the situation turn against it, Mismagius unleashed a brilliant light that sparkled like a gem, slicing straight through the Ominous Wind.
"Power Gem!"
Mismagius charged forward. Spreading its hands wide, it launched Magical Leaf from both sides, forcing Gastly and Duskull to retreat.
In that instant, four Misdreavus were already out of the battle.
But under Mismagius's command, the remaining Misdreavus finally completed their encirclement of the four Pokémon.
Psywave.
So many Misdreavus using Psywave at once… the powerful psychic shockwaves interwove to form a massive "mind web" that instantly bound all their Pokémon.
Gastly's Night Shade was also ensnared in the mind web, and was being steadily eroded.
Mismagius stood tall above the shimmering psychic net, eyes locked firmly onto the field.
"Psychic-type Psywave. Morty, Psychic moves don't affect your Spiritomb. You can Feint Attack," Tetsuya reminded.
Morty nodded. "Spiritomb, Feint Attack!"
Sure enough, Spiritomb burst out of the mind web, driven by overwhelming resentment, and charged straight at Mismagius.
Mismagius, completely in control of the battle, wasn't fazed at all. It opened its mouth and spewed out a stream of blue flames, engulfing Spiritomb.
Mismagius's Mystical Fire.
Having failed to land a hit, Spiritomb had to fall back and used Ominous Wind to counter the Mystical Fire.
Tetsuya kept a close watch on the field. Spiritomb was no match for Mismagius. Without Morty's commands, it would've already fallen.
Drifloon and Duskull were completely bound. The intense mind web turned their situation into a living nightmare, forcing painful howls from both.
Gastly was barely holding on, relying on the defense of Night Shade. Psychic moves dealt heavy damage to it. If Night Shade broke, it would be finished.
The current mind web was powered by the combined psychic energy of sixteen Misdreavus. It was absolutely indestructible.
'Is there really no way to break through this?'
Tetsuya, seeing how bad the situation had gotten, couldn't help but feel restless.
But sitting around waiting to "die" had never been his style. Even if it ended in mutual destruction, he had to fight.
Tetsuya shared his idea with Morty.
Morty's face turned grim…