After the battle ended, Professor Harris hurriedly took Ethan Black and Alex Baxter back to the Pokémon University of Ironvale City, and directly locked himself in the laboratory, determined to organize the data collected that day.
"Sandshrew, try to remember that feeling from before. Do you think you could use the move Sandstorm again?" Ethan Black asked cautiously, while watching the two busy researchers.
Sandshrew put on a distressed face. That feeling from before?
What exactly was he referring to...?
Sorry... I forgot.
"It seems Sandshrew needs to battle more, especially against stronger opponents. Only when being overwhelmed could his true potential erupt," Ethan Black thought to himself.
"Sha...?" Sandshrew suddenly trembled, as if it had sensed something terrible.
"Well then, Professor Harris? Did you discover anything important?"
It took quite a while before Professor Harris and Alex Baxter finally came out of the laboratory, both with radiant expressions full of excitement.
"Ha ha, boss! We finally discovered the core of the problem!" Alex Baxter exclaimed excitedly, hugging Ethan Black while laughing nonstop.
"Boss? Fine, whatever you say," Ethan Black replied with a wry smile. Seeing that Alex Baxter had even lost his composure, it was obvious he was truly happy.
But... what exactly was that "mysterious force" they were talking about?
"Now the real challenge begins," said Professor Harris, less optimistic. "If we don't figure out what that mysterious energy is, we'll never be able to reproduce the move Sandstorm."
Their goal was not just to observe the phenomenon, but to reproduce it, turn it into a documented move, so that humans could learn it and use it actively. Only then could they consider it a scientific success.
After all, even though there are Pokémon who master the move Sandstorm, all of them learned it on their own; there is no replicable method to teach it.
This could be the closest they had ever been to the secret behind this move. If they managed to understand that mysterious force, then they could completely unveil its mystery.
Professor Harris immediately laid out the new research plan:
1. Investigate Sandslash: As an evolved species of the same line as Sandshrew, it's possible it also possesses that mysterious force.
2. Help Sandshrew evolve: It's likely it doesn't yet master that energy due to lack of power. Evolution is the fastest way to increase a Pokémon's strength.
3. Expose Sandshrew to intense battles: Only under pressure can hidden potential be unlocked.
With the plan in place, preparations began. Since they already had an effective method for raising Sandslash, they were confident they could make Sandshrew evolve quickly.
The Tarkaan Desert, located near Velthar City, covers an area of 357,300 km². It is the largest desert in the country and the second largest shifting sand desert in the world. Mysterious and fascinating.
In its central zone, an extreme continental climate dominates, with strong winds and sandstorms all year round. It is the prime location for researchers of the move Sandstorm.
Three days later, in order to facilitate Sandshrew's evolution, Professor Harris took the two youths to this uninhabited land. In front of the endless golden sea of sand, all were deeply impressed.
"Go, Onix!" exclaimed the professor as he threw his Pokéball.
A huge rock serpent appeared above the sand, roaring at the sky with an obvious expression of excitement.
"Ha ha. How does it feel to be back home?" the professor laughed as he petted Onix's hard rocky skin.
"Eh? Did this Onix get caught in this desert?" Alex Baxter asked in amazement.
"That's right," the professor replied. "Don't release your Pokémon just yet. In this desert there are many wild Pokémon. Outsider Pokémon might provoke their hostility."
That warning surprised the boys even more. They had always thought Pokémon only lived in the Secret Kingdoms. They hadn't expected that in the real wilderness there were also so many wild Pokémon.
"The world is vast... and there are still so many places humans haven't set foot in," sighed Professor Harris. "Like the oceans or the deserts, where new Secret Kingdoms open every day. That's something humans cannot prevent."
"With the constant arrival of Pokémon from those kingdoms, these places have already become forbidden zones for us."
In the cities, thanks to the presence of the League and the Pokémon hunters, most people live in relative safety.
But as Professor Harris explained, oceans, deserts, and remote areas are places humanity can barely access, and therefore cannot stop the expansion of the Secret Kingdoms.
Those territories have already become true paradises for Pokémon.
The reality is much harsher than it seems. And as the Pokémon population in these forbidden zones continues to grow, the day will come when, not content with what they have, they invade human lands. When that happens, it will be a war of survival between Pokémon and humans.
"Well, those kinds of things aren't something you youngsters should worry about now," said Professor Harris with a faint smile. "For now, what you need to do is become stronger."
"Perhaps someday, the world will depend on you."
After saying this, the professor climbed onto Onix's back and signaled for them to climb up as well.
Ethan Black and Alex Baxter looked at each other and sighed. Definitely, these were not matters for their age.
Onix's body slid swiftly across the desert. As a native Pokémon of the place, it knew the terrain perfectly. Their destination: an area of active sandstorms on the desert's edge.
There, a very high concentration of Rock-type and Ground-type energy could be found. It was the ideal place for Sandshrew's evolution.
Pokémon evolution represents a transformation to a higher level, and the environment where it occurs has a great impact on the result.
Just as evolutionary stones improve the process by providing energy, evolving in an area with dense earthly energy would allow Sandshrew to have a more perfect evolution, and could even significantly increase its potential.
(End of chapter)