Thus, another peaceful week went by.
Ethan Black, as always, remained immersed in the library, tirelessly absorbing the nutrients of knowledge, while beginning to refine Sandshrew's future training plan.
During the recent battles, he had noticed that although Sandshrew could use the move Sandstorm regularly, its use of weather was still very limited.
Using Sandstorm merely as cover to charge up energy for Rapid Spin couldn't be considered a true exploitation of its power.
"The simplest way to make use of Sandstorm should be by developing Sandshrew's ability," Ethan Black reflected.
"Whether it's Sand Veil or Sand Rush, both abilities allow one to maximize Sandstorm, which could lead to specific combat methods."
Ethan Black thought silently. In fact, during that time he had already tried to develop Sandshrew's ability, but in this world, research on abilities was still in an exploratory stage. It was like moving forward blindly without a clear direction.
"It seems I still have to start directly with Sandstorm itself. Maybe improving Sandshrew's control over the sand is a good starting point," he mused while writing and scribbling in his notebook.
"Perhaps I can use the move Dig as a method to train mastery over sand!"
With that idea, Ethan Black headed to the section of books that talked about the move Dig. Although none offered a step-by-step training guide, many concepts were useful and could be adapted into a specific training method for Sandshrew.
That night, Ethan Black went to the laboratory to pick up Sandshrew and headed with him to the back hills, intending to begin training for the move Dig.
From the literal meaning, the concept of digging was simple. The real difficulty of training lay in how to use Ground-type energy to assimilate hard soil, transforming it into sand to dig tunnels quickly.
"Sandshrew, try using Sand Attack on the ground," instructed Ethan Black, standing on muddy terrain, beginning to explain to his Pokémon the key points of the training he had developed.
Sandshrew nodded immediately, channeling Ground-type energy into its claws and forcefully tearing at the soil.
Immediately, the earth flew into the air. One could see how the soft terrain was quickly torn apart, turning into a cloud of dust that dispersed far away.
"Looks promising! Sandshrew, keep using Sand Attack. Memorize that sensation of assimilating the earth," ordered Ethan Black with eyes shining with excitement.
Under his direction, Sandshrew became like a diligent farmer, opening multiple holes in the muddy ground.
After this little trial, Ethan Black took him to harder soil and asked him to use Sand Attack again.
But this time it wasn't so easy. Sandshrew's claws barely lifted a little superficial dust when scratching at the hard ground.
"Seems like it's still not enough... but at least my method is valid. Using Sand Attack as a foundation, Sandshrew should be able to learn the move Dig," Ethan Black sighed in relief.
Then he picked up a rock and handed it to Sandshrew:
"Your next training will be to use Sand Attack to wear down this rock. When you can quickly turn it into sand, we'll move on to the next step."
Sandshrew took the rock, nodded, and began channeling Ground-type energy to try to disintegrate it with Sand Attack. As expected, it failed miserably.
"Don't worry, take it slow," said Ethan Black with a smile, giving him a gentle pat on the head before returning him to his Pokéball.
...
After the Autumn Festival, National Day quietly arrived.
During the seven-day Golden Week, students kept chatting animatedly about where they would go to have fun, creating a very lively atmosphere.
Amidst that bustle, Professor Harris discreetly drove a car, taking Ethan Black and Alex Baxter out of the school.
After half an hour's drive, the car slowly entered the mountains behind the school, finally stopping in a valley surrounded by mountains on three sides.
"ROAR!"
Shortly after the car stopped, a roar echoed from deep within the valley. Soon, a Rhydon appeared walking from afar, accompanied by a small Rhyhorn.
"Hahahaha, long time no see!" greeted Professor Harris to the Rhydon, throwing a Pokéball.
With a flash of white light, his own Rhydon appeared with an imposing roar.
"ROAR!"
As soon as it came out, the little Rhyhorn affectionately ran up to rub against its body, causing a tender expression to appear in Rhydon's eyes.
Evidently, the Rhydon that emerged from the valley was the mate of Professor Harris's Rhydon, and the little Rhyhorn was their offspring.
(End of chapter)