The yellow figure that flew toward them was, of course, the tyrant of the forest - Beedrill.
In the forest, Beedrill, who lives in groups, was undoubtedly one of the deadliest threats.
As the Beedrill darted swiftly between the trees, just a single glance was enough for the two to estimate that there were at least fifty of them.
"Sandslash, whip up a sandstorm to disrupt their attack!"
Working together, Sandslash hindered the enemy's movements while Gengar wiped out the Beedrill that broke through, quickly defeating the entire attacking swarm of Beedrill.
However, before they could even feel relieved, another swarm of Beedrill, even larger than before, came rushing toward them. And judging from the cries coming from behind, flocks of Spearow were also flying in their direction.
Impossible…
Lan Jenny and Jade Joy's expressions changed. Even in the deepest parts of Viridian Forest, there shouldn't be this many Pokémon attacking in swarms.
As newly appointed members of the International Police, they only had two Pokémon each. If too many Pokémon attacked at once, there was no way they could hold out for long.
"Lan-chan, don't act rashly yet!"
Just as Lan Jenny was about to command Sandslash to intercept the Beedrill, Jade Joy suddenly realized something was off and spoke quickly.
"This is an illusion. Don't bother with the Pokémon, we need to break the illusion."
An illusion?
Lan Jenny was startled for a moment but then nodded, choosing to trust Jade Joy. "Sandslash, use Earthquake!"
"Gengar, use Dark Pulse to shatter the illusion!"
Realizing that everything around them was nothing but an illusion, Jade Joy immediately made her move. As Sandslash shook the ground, the surroundings began to violently tremble. At the same time, Gengar unleashed a wave of dark energy, and within the Illusionary Space, an immense force erupted, shattering the mirror-like world around them.
Clap, clap, clap…
As Lan Jenny and Jade Joy broke free from the Illusionary Space, they saw Terrance standing before them, smiling and clapping his hands.
"I originally intended to use the illusion to test your abilities. I didn't expect you to notice the problem so quickly."
"Even though everything seemed real, every Beedrill used the exact same way to resist the sandstorm. That was far too strange. Not only that, but every Beedrill that fell under Hypnosis dropped in the same trajectory. Those were all clues." Jade Joy explained.
Because of that, she had tried communicating with her Gengar and eventually realized that they were trapped under Hypnosis.
"Good observation," Terrance said, glancing instinctively at the nearby, hidden Mismagius. The fact that the Hypnosis hadn't been used to its full strength had been his intention, but he hadn't expected them to be so sharp in noticing the details.
"Well then, since you managed to break through the illusion, I'll test you in battle directly."
"Having a good eye for detail isn't enough. Combat ability matters just as much. The mission ahead is dangerous. I don't know whose idea it was to send you two to me, but if your skills aren't up to standard, I'll send you back." Terrance said coldly.
The two exchanged a glance. Lan Jenny stepped forward and said, "I failed to notice the illusion earlier, so let me take the first match."
"Both of you can come at me together. The next test won't be easy to pass." Terrance took out a Poké Ball and tossed it forward.
"The power of this one is far beyond what the two of you can handle. If you are careless, it'll be your Pokémon who will pay the price."
Terrance's harsh words made Lan Jenny and Jade Joy pause, after which they dared not be careless.
"Castform can only transform into one type. To counter your Sandslash, it'll probably transform into a Water or Ice type. When that happens, I'll have Gengar use Thunderbolt or Will-O-Wisp to deal heavy damage."
While Jade Joy and Lan Jenny secretly exchanged strategies, Terrance's Castform was already prepared on the other side.
"Let's begin."
With Terrance's simple announcement, Sandslash and Gengar launched a fierce assault, giving Castform no chance to alter the weather.
"Double Team."
At Terrance's command, Castform created over a dozen clones. Sandslash's Crush Claw tore through several, while Gengar's Shadow Ball swept across and dispersed even more. Yet, after the barrage, three Castform still remained on the field.
"Didn't hit the real one?"
As the two hesitated, they quickly ordered another attack, but then, a shocking scene unfolded before them.
Out of the three Castform—one real, two clones—two of them suddenly gathered the powers of water and fire around their bodies. Without relying on the weather, they instantly transformed into their Rainy and Sunny form.
"Don't be surprised. Castform's form changes depend only on temperature and humidity, not the weather itself. As long as you can control the energy to alter the environment, switching forms becomes quite simple." Terrance said with a faint smile.
Even after Terrance's explanation, the two were still stunned. The clones had each taken on different forms?
This technique was something they had never seen before, or rather, it was a technique far beyond their level to even encounter.
Since Terrance and Castform had entered the top-tier, aside from partially revealing it during their battle against Ash's Charizard, this newly trained technique was being fully revealed by Terrance and Castform for the first time.
"Be careful."
As Terrance gave his warning, the three Castform flew upward, each in a different form, unleashing the powers of sandstorm, water, and fire simultaneously.
In an instant, the entire battlefield transformed. Sandslash was nearly swallowed by the molten, lava-like ground, while Gengar tried to take to the air to evade. Yet the dense, searing white steam filling the area left it nowhere to escape. Within moments, both Sandslash and Gengar were engulfed by the domains of magma and steam.
Besides weather-based techniques, after entering the Elite Four level, Castform also trained in techniques to alter temperature and humidity using moves without relying on the weather, as an emergency measure for special environments, as well as techniques that fuse the energy of moves of different types to create variations.
These fusion techniques produced attacks far more powerful than those of a single type. When combined, they became devastating killing moves, methods Terrance rarely used in ordinary battles.
"Can you break through this?"
Calmly watching the two International Police rookies frown in concentration, Terrance decided to give them ample time to think of a solution.
With Castform's current strength, maintaining the lava-and-steam environment for an entire day posed no problem at all.
The real question was whether the two of them could endure it. It was what mattered most. Although Terrance was holding back, the longer the battle dragged on, the more severe the damage to their Pokémon would become.
This was Terrance's first test. If they could pass this one, and then the second test that followed, only then would Terrance be willing to cooperate with them in forming the Special Operations Squad.
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