After finishing the last day of training, the sessions at the Battle Park had also come to an end. This year only had the final two weeks remaining, and he was about to turn eight years old. As for this age… he truly felt nothing about it.
His current plan was to participate in the New Year Elite Four Challenge, then return to Ecruteak Gym and endure these two years. The most important thing was still to improve the strength of his Pokémon. Once he reached ten years old, he would begin his "illegal" path, earning money to raise Pokémon.
To win the championship in the League Tournament, at the very least he would need twelve powerful Pokémon, which meant two teams.
The League Tournament schedule was very tight. If one team suffered very serious injuries in one battle and had to participate in the next match the following day, there would be no way to guarantee sufficient condition. At that time, without Pokémon that could be substituted, it would be very difficult to win again.
The clearest memory was the year Ash participated in the Johto League Silver Conference. A Trainer from the Hoenn region, Harrison, defeated Ash's Charizard with his Blaziken and advanced to the semifinals. However, Blaziken suffered very serious injuries, and there was no Pokémon that could replace it. In the end he still could not avoid elimination.
Raising twelve Pokémon placed great pressure on him if he relied only on his own ability. The path of becoming a Pokémon Hunter was unavoidable.
He was very clear about the strength of the four Pokémon he currently had.
Ditto could be considered the most special Pokémon. First of all, its basics were absolutely the most solid among the four Pokémon. However, its strength and battle performance depended entirely on his command and prediction ability. When it transformed into other Pokémon there would naturally be many physical incompatibilities, as well as errors in move execution, so it could only rely on his commands to act.
The special training tasks during the past half month had been quite heavy, so he did not practice "[Tetsuya Move: Shadow Dagger Throw]" every day… cough. However, reinforcing it from time to time was enough to maintain the current level without decline, and the throwing distance could still be kept beyond ten meters.
Now the Pokémon Ditto transformed into best were Rapidash and Lapras. This was also its primary responsibility. However, in battle, under his command ability, it could still fight evenly against the Pokémon of Trainers with the level of the top eight in League competitive tournaments.
Haunter's overall strength was currently the strongest, and it had mastered the most moves. Its advantages lay in high Speed and high Special Attack. With powerful psychic power and its unique defensive methods, it could face various Pokémon and various tactics. Its strength was on the same level as Ditto under his command.
Piloswine's overall strength was naturally somewhat inferior to Haunter. Its physical conditioning also had not yet reached the level of Ditto because it had been born only recently. However, Piloswine's advantage lay in its powerful Ice-type energy. It could be immune to "cold air" and ordinary Ice-type moves.
Simply put, when the opposing Pokémon used Blizzard to attack Piloswine, Piloswine would not be affected by the freezing cold of Blizzard, although it would still suffer damage from the wind force.
Because of the move Freeze-Dry, it also had a huge advantage when facing Water-type Pokémon and moves.
Therefore, when Piloswine faced Ice-type and Water-type Pokémon, it would display strength far beyond its own level.
In addition, because of its powerful Ice energy and extremely powerful Ice-type moves, when battling Dragon-, Ground-, and Flying-type Pokémon that feared Ice-type moves, it could be said to hold every advantage. These Pokémon already had very weak resistance to Ice-type moves, and very few could withstand such powerful Ice energy.
However, when facing Pokémon that had strong resistance to Ice-type, it was not so easy to deal with. Its overall strength was still one level lower than Ditto and Haunter, which was why it had consecutively lost to Snorlax and Bronzong. Piloswine's might was still at the level of Pokémon that participated in the main matches of League competitive tournaments.
Golett's situation was currently quite bad. Fortunately, its training time had now been changed to nighttime, which made the efficiency much faster. Golett's energy had already filled its chest and was showing signs of spreading to its limbs, but it still had not reached the standard required for battle.
Tetsuya definitely needed to fully understand the strength of the four Pokémon he currently had. Only by knowing both himself and the opponent could he know what kind of opponent he could deal with.
Tetsuya was no longer the hot-blooded boy he once was. In this world there was no such thing as refusing to accept defeat. In the face of absolute power, you could only bow your head!
---◓---
On the third day, Tetsuya returned to his normal attire. Ditto still transformed into a wrist guard. After packing his belongings, he simply waited for Pryce to arrive.
To welcome Pryce's arrival, the entire Battle Park looked completely refreshed. The training rooms and battle rooms were cleaned spotless. The previously lifeless staff were now full of energy! Flowers had been placed at the entrance and banners hung up. Kawakami Rei stood "respectfully" at the gate.
Tetsuya had long been immune to such scenes. This Battle Park mainly depended on the spirit and combat power of Pokémon. A group of people standing here was not recruiting security guards. Neglecting proper work would instead make Pryce dislike it.
Before noon arrived, Pryce came to the Battle Park.
Pryce had always ignored such displays, and besides, this was his own enterprise, so it was still his own money being spent.
After eating lunch at the Battle Park, Pryce also checked the recent performance figures. There had been a very obvious decline, and Rei began to look nervous.
"…Explain the reason for such a serious decline in performance," Pryce said, directly throwing the account sheet in his hand to Rei.
"E-Elite Four, this is only b-because... only because the Battle Park can no longer satisfy the special training conditions required by many Trainers. T-They all want to go explore the wilderness," Rei said.
Pryce sneered. "Heh. Indeed. The Pokémon in the Battle Park cannot receive timely healing, and training is not taken seriously. Their spirit is weak, so their combat power declines naturally.
And look at the people under your command… do they still look like Pokémon Trainers…? Do you treat this place as a retirement home!? I will give you a warning now. If next year's performance cannot maintain the level it had when I was here… you can prepare to get out!"
Kawakami Rei broke out in cold sweat and kept swallowing nervously. Sinister thoughts had already begun to stir in his mind, but he was intimidated by Pryce's overwhelming "aura" and did not dare to breathe loudly.
"Haah… I don't have time to waste talking with you now. After the Elite Four Challenge ends, I will settle the accounts with you slowly."
Pryce left behind those words and departed with Tetsuya.
Leaving behind Rei, whose eyes were filled with viciousness…