Combusken was working on his core strength in the gravity room of the Pewter Gym training grounds.
"Stand a little wider, hold the final position for two seconds, and then lower yourself back down."
Tetsuya was also training in an area with slightly reduced gravity, keeping a close eye on Combusken's progress. His own upper body was drenched in sweat.
"When Boldore evolves in the future, we can focus on training its control over gravity skills. That way, we can use gravity training anytime, anywhere. Weighted clothing still has its limits."
Tetsuya's body was in motion, but his mind was constantly analyzing. Nearby, he spotted Boldore practicing its moves after replenishing its energy.
"Boldore, you can finish up your skill training in fifteen minutes. Don't overexert yourself and drain too much stored energy."
Boldore acknowledged the command with a calm nod. Perhaps due to its Rock typing, it had a composed personality—unusual for a Pokémon that had just recently evolved from its larval stage.
After finishing the final round of training, Tetsuya stood up. By now, Combusken was already resting on the side. Noticing that his trainer was done.
Combusken grabbed a towel and handed it over.
"Thanks, Combusken." Tetsuya took the towel and wiped the sweat off his upper body. "What's with that smug look? Just because I finished later than you? Looks like you still have energy to spare. Guess that means more training."
Combusken let out a low chuckle, clearly amused. Tetsuya shook his head. His Combusken had a strange personality—unlike the usual hot-tempered Fire-type Pokémon. If anything, Combusken had a teasing nature that often made him feel like it was asking for trouble. But at least when it came to battles and training, it was always serious and focused.
"Rest up and take Nutritional Potion No. 3. Then we'll do another round of core strength training. After that, move on to five sets of leg muscle training with the usual weights and gravity setting."
Tetsuya picked up his water bottle and took a sip. "I'm heading to the wind tunnel room to check on Pidgeot. Keep an eye on Boldore. Once it's done with training, it can go to the materials room and absorb 500g of Rock No. 3."
Combusken nodded.
"Yeah, just let it control its internal energy flow like before. It's much easier for it to do than for you, so you don't need to micromanage."
Combusken seemed to have understood.
"Alright, alright, you're right. Just finish your potion and get to training. When you're done, head to the energy room and work on energy control."
As Tetsuya walked away, he could hear Combusken grumbling behind him. He smirked but didn't turn back.
Combusken, on the other hand, downed the potion and sighed. He thought about it for a moment—his trainer had no real advantages aside from being somewhat handsome, a decent cook, a great strategist, and a solid trainer. But his personality? Awful. There was no way this guy had a girlfriend. He had no charm when he spoke.
Combusken exhaled heavily and stood up. Being a Pokémon was tough these days.
"Achoo!"
Tetsuya sneezed as he walked. "Damn, did I catch a cold from training? Should've grabbed a jacket."
When he arrived at the wind tunnel room, he could see Pidgeot training inside. After greeting a few trainers taking a break, he made his way into the observation room.
The wind tunnel simulated harsh storm conditions, allowing Flying-type Pokémon to train their bodies and refine their control over wind currents. Since Pewter Gym specialized in Rock-types, the wind tunnel here was relatively small. In contrast, Gyms specializing in Flying-types had massive wind chambers, some considered key training facilities.
The room was divided into training spaces and separate observation areas for trainers, separated by reinforced glass panels. Trainers could monitor and guide their Pokémon through a microphone system.
Watching Pidgeot battle the strong winds, Tetsuya nodded in approval. It was clearly not slacking off. He pulled up his training panel and frowned slightly.
The higher the level, the slower the energy accumulation. It had been almost a month since Pidgeot had leveled up to 43, and it was only at 44 now. At this rate, Pidgeot would barely reach level 50 by the time of the Indigo League Conference.
Still, while its level hadn't changed much, Pidgeot had improved in other ways. Its physical endurance had increased significantly, and its skill proficiency had gone up. However, mastering moves with different typings was proving more difficult.
Tetsuya focused on the panel displaying Pidgeot's Heat Wave move. It had learned the move from Magmortar, but their progression rates were completely different.
Initially, both Pokémon could barely produce anything beyond a warm gust of wind. It was ineffective—just a hot breeze that only drained stamina. But over time, Magmortar's Heat Wave had evolved into a technique capable of inflicting burns. Pidgeot, however, had only improved slightly in power.
Heat Wave was a strong Fire-type move, but like all attacks, it required practice. Without training, even a strong move wouldn't live up to its potential.
Fortunately, Tetsuya hadn't expected Pidgeot to use Heat Wave as a primary attack. The main purpose was to expand its attack range—an added advantage rather than a core battle strategy.
Pidgeot's biggest improvement was in flight mastery and wind perception. Although it hadn't yet mastered Brave Bird or Sky Attack, its control over Hurricane had significantly increased.
More importantly, Pidgeot had reached one of Tetsuya's main goals: sustaining high-speed movement and Quick Attack levels of velocity for prolonged periods without sacrificing agility.
In the past, Tetsuya's strategy for Pidgeot revolved around overwhelming opponents with speed. But maintaining high-speed movement for extended periods required immense stamina and precise skill control. Before this, no Pidgeot had managed it flawlessly.
However, through rigorous wind tunnel training, Pidgeot had gradually adapted to this style, refining its endurance and efficiency. Combining this with frequent use of Quick Attack, it had now reached its current peak in speed.
At the very least, it could easily help Tetsuya escape in emergencies—as long as he was properly protected. Otherwise, the sheer wind pressure at high speeds would make the ride unbearable.
After watching for a while, Tetsuya leaned into the microphone and spoke through the intercom.
"Training's done for today, Pidgeot. You can rest now. I'm shutting down the wind tunnel, so be ready."
He reached for the controls, keeping a watchful eye on his Pokémon as the simulated storm died down.
"Beep~"
Pidgeot heard a familiar voice and turned to see his trainer standing in the observation room.
With a cry in response to the trainer's instructions, Pidgeot's massive body turned with surprising agility and flew to the corner of the room.
Tetsuya watched Pidgeot's movements and quickly powered down the instrument in his hand.
Before stopping training in the wind pressure chamber, it was essential to communicate with the Pokémon and prepare accordingly. Otherwise, if the machine was suddenly turned off, the Pokémon might lose balance in the middle of an intense session and end up injured. This was one of the first lessons Tetsuya had learned upon arriving at the gym.
He pushed open the small door and stepped into the now-quiet training ground.
"Good work, Pidgeot." He ran his fingers through Pidgeot's ruffled feathers.
"Beep~" Pidgeot nuzzled against Tetsuya's body affectionately.
Patting Pidgeot's head, he said, "Alright, get into your Poké Ball and take a rest. Once Combusken finishes training, we'll go eat."
Pidgeot nodded, and Tetsuya took out a Luxury Ball, recalling his partner.
He then made his way to the energy room and material room, retrieving Combusken and Boldore, who had both completed their training. With all his Pokémon accounted for, he headed toward the small restaurant.
By the time he arrived at Brock's personal kitchen, dinner was already prepared and waiting.
Releasing his three Pokémon, Tetsuya placed their carefully prepared meals into their bowls. He had also made a portion for Brock's Geodude.
As for Onix, it was too large to fit inside the kitchen, so Brock had left its food in its designated living area.
Brock rarely put Onix inside a Poké Ball. With a body over nine meters long, even the largest Poké Ball space was nowhere near as comfortable as being outdoors.
Tetsuya could only shake his head. The gym leaders really did live differently from the average trainer.
As they began eating, Brock suddenly remembered his unfinished question from earlier that day.
"So, when are you leaving?"
"In about ten days," Tetsuya replied between bites of synthetic beef.
Brock nodded. "Yeah, that should work. Most of the gym challengers from Kanto this year are just over 16 years old, and they usually have two Pokémon each."
"In previous years, their older siblings competed. This time, it's their turn. There are very few who reach the elite level like me at 16. Most have two average-level Pokémon or one average-level starter with a rookie-level Pokémon."
Tetsuya quickly picked up on the oddity. "Then why is the semifinals and finals a 3v3 format?"
Brock sighed. "That's because not all participants are fresh 16-year-olds. Some are replacement trainers. The unspoken rule is that only the eight major Kanto gyms are allowed to send older substitutes."
"Most of the substitutes are around 17 or 18, and they cap it at just under 20 to keep things fair. They usually have three Pokémon."
Tetsuya raised an eyebrow. "So has there ever been a situation where a trainer only has two Pokémon left by the finals, or just one?"
"Yeah, when that happens, they just change the format to a 2v2." Brock said nonchalantly.
"Huh?"
"What? It's not an official league tournament. Does it really matter?" Brock shot him a look.
Tetsuya suddenly had an idea. "So... couldn't I just say I only have two Pokémon?"
Brock groaned. "What are you even thinking?" He shook his head. "The trainers have to submit their Pokémon and level data before the competition. If someone tries to hide their roster, it would be an embarrassment for our gym."
Tetsuya sighed dramatically. "Fine, fine. If you say so."
Brock rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on from dealing with Tetsuya's endless loophole hunting.
"In a few days, you'll get a list of all 32 participating trainers and their Pokémon. Study it carefully."
"32? So only official gym challengers?" Tetsuya asked, sipping his drink like a curious child.
"Yep. Other gyms don't qualify," Brock replied matter-of-factly.
Tetsuya couldn't argue with that. The Pewter Gym had the strength and prestige to make such claims.
This was also evident in the fact that only the eight major gyms could send substitute trainers at will, while other official gyms could only make substitutions in cases of extreme necessity.
Even gym leaders' heirs who turned 16 this year had to compete in the tournament, whereas Brock had the privilege of letting Tetsuya take his place.
Of course, the concept of "heirs" was flexible. With how physically robust people in this world were, and the fact that monogamy wasn't strictly enforced (even if it was the norm), gym leaders often had multiple potential successors.
Pewter Gym was an exception. Brock, being ten years older than his many younger siblings, was the clear successor.
"Your energy level is probably higher than most of your peers, so you already have a solid advantage."
"As for Combusken, its level isn't a disadvantage, and as one of the three main starters, it's naturally strong in battle."
"Besides, if we gym heirs don't reach elite or quasi-elite levels, the elders won't spend money hiring high-level breeders to raise our Pokémon. We have to do it ourselves, which also strengthens our bonds with our teams."
"So, your training gives you another advantage," Brock said, skillfully clearing the table while continuing his analysis.
Tetsuya downed the rest of his drink and said bluntly, "You could've just said, 'I'm stronger than them, and since you can't beat me, neither can they.' Would've saved a lot of time."
Brock's face darkened.
It was true that over the past month, he and Tetsuya had battled multiple times, and he had never won once.
Geodude was still newly trained, so losing was expected. But even his Onix, despite having a type advantage, was outmaneuvered by Pidgeot.
And as for his Charmander? Well, it barely managed to defeat Onix.
Brock estimated that Tetsuya's Combusken had near-champion-tier potential. After all, his Onix was no pushover, yet even with an advantage, the fights were too close for comfort.
While part of it was due to Tetsuya training Combusken specifically to counter Onix, the sheer talent and growth speed of his Pokémon were undeniable.
That was why, after reviewing the competition lineup, Brock had no problem letting Tetsuya represent Pewter Gym.
Otherwise, his grandfather would have never let him hear the end of it.