BOOM!
In the next instant, Sandslash executed his ultimate triple attack. His body spun, and the sand tornado transformed into a whip of sand that came crashing down with brutal force.
The impact raised an immense cloud of golden dust. When it dissipated, a green body lay on the sand, eyes swirling: completely knocked out.
It was a cactus-like Pokémon. Its body was round, with muscular arms, and from its head sprouted a yellow flower that looked like a crown.
"This Pokémon..."
"It's a Cacnea!" exclaimed Ethan Black, surprised to recognize it.
"Ethan, have you considered capturing it?" asked Professor Harris with a serious expression as he approached.
Ethan Black paused for a second, then looked at the weakened Cacnea.
If that Cacnea had been able to go head-to-head against his newly evolved Sandslash, it meant it had considerable strength.
Moreover, if it could activate the ability Sand Veil on its own, then its potential was nothing to scoff at, and on top of that, the ability fit perfectly with his team system.
With Sandslash generating sandstorm weather and Cacnea using Sand Veil in that environment, they could form an incredible combination!
And more importantly: being a Grass-type Pokémon of the cactus variety, Cacnea would be easy to maintain. Even with his current financial situation, Ethan Black could afford to raise it.
"Professor Harris, I've decided to capture it!" announced Ethan Black, already convinced.
Without hesitation, he pulled out the Pokéball Alex Baxter had given him and threw it at Cacnea.
The sphere struck directly, absorbing it with a red flash, and then remained still on the sand.
"Phew! I captured Cacnea!" shouted Ethan Black, running excitedly to pick up the Pokéball.
"Congratulations, Ethan!" said Alex Baxter.
"A Cacnea that can hide in a sandstorm! If you hadn't defeated it, I would have tried to snatch it myself!" he added enviously.
"You're not the only one. I'm very interested in that Cacnea too," Professor Harris intervened with a slight sigh. "If I'm not mistaken, this Pokémon could be the key to advancing the research on the move Sandstorm."
"What do you mean, Professor?" asked Alex Baxter, eyes widening in surprise.
Professor Harris nodded without explaining further, but handed his laptop to Alex Baxter.
Alex took it, and upon reviewing the data, his eyes opened even wider. He looked at Sandslash, then at the Pokéball in Ethan Black's hand, and muttered in disbelief: "How is it possible that this Cacnea has the same type of mysterious energy as Sandslash?!"
"The same energy as Sandslash?" repeated Ethan Black, frowning as he stepped closer to look at the screen.
And upon reading the data, Ethan Black was stunned. The mysterious energy his Sandshrew had released when unleashing the move Sandstorm... was identical to the energy radiating from this Cacnea!
"So, what they have in common... wait... what if it's their abilities?" thought Ethan Black, his eyes shining in amazement.
Could it be that Sandshrew was able to trigger sandstorms thanks to a weather-related ability?
And if he followed that line of thought...
The reason it could summon the storm without using Rock-type energy was because it had... the ability Sand Stream?
Exactly. Whether it was abilities like Sand Veil, Sand Force, or Sand Rush, all of them were closely tied to the ability Sand Stream.
The first three depended on a sandstorm climate, while the fourth created it. If he wasn't mistaken, all four were connected to that mysterious power Professor Harris referred to.
Maybe what Sandshrew was doing was gathering energy through the moves Rapid Spin and Sand Attack, and then, through that special ability, creating an effect similar to Sand Stream.
And honestly... that theory made a lot of sense!
"Phew! If that's true, then there really is a way to replicate Sandshrew's special storm," thought Ethan Black.
If Professor Harris's Sandslash managed to develop that ability, combining it with the moves Rapid Spin and Sand Attack, it could achieve the exact same effect as Sandshrew.
Furthermore, now that the link between Sandshrew and Cacnea had been detected, Professor Harris would surely also notice the peculiarities of the ability Sand Veil.
Ethan Black hesitated a little, but in the end, he decided not to reveal his suspicions to Professor Harris. After all, the concept of abilities was still in the early stages of research, and if he exposed that information so precisely... it would be way too suspicious!
And if that revealed his condition as a traveler from another world, the risk wasn't worth it.
Of course, that was the main reason... though there was also a pinch of self-interest.
Sandshrew's rapid growth was directly thanks to the support of Professor Harris's studies, as well as the supplements and specialized food he provided. If the research continued, Sandslash would keep benefiting greatly.
The same went for Cacnea: raising it would largely depend on Professor Harris too.
Besides, if he directly revealed the existence of the ability Sand Stream, perhaps the professor would focus on that and lose interest in studying Sand Veil.
But if he said nothing, most likely Professor Harris would begin his research with Cacnea, focusing precisely on its ability to hide in sandstorms.
Ethan Black had already noticed that his Sandshrew had the ability Sand Rush, but it had not yet learned to use it actively in battle.
Although that ability wasn't Sand Veil, if the professor managed to understand the mechanics of Sand Veil well, without a doubt it would help him develop Sand Rush too.
And if Sandshrew had already been capable of invoking storms with weather-related abilities, combining the moves Rapid Spin and Sand Attack, then...
Wouldn't it be possible to develop even more abilities of that style?
If someday he managed to fully exploit the move Sandstorm, and combine the abilities Sand Stream, Sand Rush, Sand Veil, and Sand Force, his Sandslash could become an unstoppable force.
And if he could replicate that system with other Pokémon... he could form the strongest sandstorm team of all!
Just imagining it was already wonderful...
(End of Chapter)