As Houndoom let out a howl, it naturally became the center of attention on the grassy hills behind town. Almost everyone turned their gaze toward Tetsuya and Houndoom.
It was admittedly a bit arrogant, but if it left a deep impression on Ash, then it did not really matter. More importantly, it could increase his Pokémon's battle experience.
"I'm the strongest here. If you don't agree, come challenge me!" Tetsuya declared arrogantly.
Hearing those words, the gathered Trainers were naturally unconvinced. Every one of them was filled with indignation. At that moment, Ash also went to gather his friends and spread the word about Tetsuya's bold declaration throughout Pallet Town.
Before long, the first challenger stepped forward and said, "Tch, you think you can act so arrogantly with just one Houndoom? Let's see what you're really capable of!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a Golduck appeared opposite Tetsuya.
"I'll leave this battle to you. Don't take more than two minutes," Tetsuya said to Houndoom. After all, the first battle had to make a stunning impression.
Houndoom also wanted to make its debut count. It used Embargo together with King's Rock to intimidate Golduck, then finished it off with Thunder Fang. From beginning to end, it took only one minute.
From start to finish, Golduck was unable to use a single move before it became incapacitated.
"Th- This…"
Golduck's Trainer was dumbfounded. He had not even had time to recall the Poké Ball he had just used to send out Golduck before he had to recall it again.
"Whoa! Tetsuya, you're amazing! I'm going to stay here and watch all the battles! My friends have already gone to tell everyone!" Ash said, looking at Tetsuya with stars in his eyes.
Then Tetsuya sent out his four Pokémon, and four battles began simultaneously.
Golurk had the most opponents and also finished its battles the fastest. Almost no Pokémon could withstand more than two punches from it.
The four-headed Weezing's toxins were also exceptionally terrifying. As long as a Pokémon was poisoned by it, it was almost incapable of battling. Since there were hardly any Steel-type Pokémon in the Kanto region, Weezing battled with remarkable ease.
Houndoom also became fiercer the more it battled. Its unique aura combined with King's Rock allowed it to overwhelm its opponents without much trouble. However, there were many Fire-type Pokémon in Kanto, impeding its Fire-type moves from being used to their full potential, which limited its strength to a certain extent.
As for Skorupi, naturally could not compare to the other three in terms of physical strength or offensive power, but its toxicity was also formidable. Once a Pokémon was afflicted by its poison, its combat power was greatly diminished. Skorupi also maintained an undefeated record throughout the day.
---◓---
For an entire day, they challenged nearly every Pokémon Trainer in Pallet Town. Of his four Pokémon, only Skorupi had been recalled because it was too exhausted. The other three battled continuously until sunset without suffering a single defeat.
Skorupi also accumulated enough experience during today's battles to learn Hone Claws. By sharpening its claws to make them even, you know… sharper, it increased both its Attack and accuracy.
It was an extremely practical move, and since Hone Claws could be used anytime and anywhere, it often increased its Attack without the opponent even noticing.
Of course, calling out the move by name made it much harder to use successfully. Therefore, Tetsuya naturally had Skorupi begin using Hone Claws the moment it entered the battlefield, then seize every opportunity during battle to continue using Hone Claws.
By now, Tetsuya had practically become Ash's idol. Naturally, he had also become something Ash loved to brag about, especially since Tetsuya was currently staying at his house…
Naturally, when Ash wanted to show off, he did not forget Gary. The two had been rivals since childhood. This time, however, Gary could only swallow his pride, because he had witnessed Tetsuya's strength himself. It was practically impossible to find someone here who was stronger than Tetsuya!
Gary was left with a stomach full of frustration and nowhere to vent it, while Ash took every opportunity to "press the advantage" and verbally tear Gary apart.
That evening, Tetsuya gave his four Pokémon some simple care, provided them with extra nutrition, and recalled them to their Poké Balls early so they could rest.
Just as they were eating dinner, they heard a knock at the door.
"Ashy!? Ashy-boy, open the door!" The knocking became more and more urgent.
"It's Gary!"
Ash jumped down from the dining table, opened the door, and immediately started mocking Gary. "What's wron~ong~? Couldn't find a Trainer who could beat my aniki, Tetsuya, during the day, so you came to my house tonight? Hehehe~ Let me tell you, you've already lost to me! In the future, I'll definitely become the world's greatest Pokémon Master, not you! Hahaha…!"
Gary's face flushed red with anger as he said, "Don't get so full of yourself, Ashy-boy! A-Ahem… Tomorrow at nine o'clock, at the same place as today, someone will naturally defeat him. When that happens, I'll pay you back for every word you said to me today!"
"Tcheh~ Give me a break. I don't believe you! You saw Tetsuya's strength today. His Golurk knocks down opponents with one punch each. His Weezing and Skorupi can poison their opponents without a hitch, and Houndoom… Houndoom is simply majestic!
You want someone to beat him? Keep dreaming!" Ash absolutely refused to lose to Gary in a war of words.
"Just wait and see tomorrow. I'm not afraid to tell you. He's the son of Siegfried, the former Johto Champion and now one of our Indigo League Elite Four, Lance. He came here specifically to attend gramps's lecture. He just won the Johto League Championship. Tomorrow, you just wait to lose! Hahaha…" After saying that, Gary ran back home.
"Darn it, darn it, darn it…!"
Ash stomped his feet in anger and muttered, "…It's only because your grandpa is Professor Oak. What's so great about that…?"
"Ash, come eat dinner!" Delia called.
After returning to the table, Ash immediately asked Tetsuya, "Tetsuya, are you confident you can beat that 'Lance' tomorrow?"
"No." Tetsuya shook his head. Lance was someone who would one day reach Champion level. It was hard for him to judge exactly how strong Lance currently was, but simply having the chance to battle him would make this trip worthwhile.
"Then what are we going to do…? What are we going to do!?" Ash had completely lost his appetite. All he could think about was the imaginary bet between him and Gary.
"Come on and eat. Humph! This whole situation only happened because you borrowed Tetsuya's reputation to throw your weight around. At worst, you'll just lose the 'bet'. Why do you kids care so much about this?" Delia said to Ash.
Ash shook his head and said, "No, no, no… I absolutely can't lose to Gary!"
Both Tetsuya and Delia could only shake their heads helplessly.
Then Tetsuya said, "Don't worry. I'll definitely fight with everything I've got. Now hurry up and eat!"
Only after Tetsuya reassured him did Ash relax a little. His love-hate rivalry with Gary had already begun now, and it would last a lifetime.
After such an exhausting day, Tetsuya went to bed very early. Tomorrow's battle against Lance required him to be in peak condition.
Meanwhile, Ash continued muttering Gary's name under his breath…