A few days later, in the Secret Kingdom of the Sky.
After exploring the Secret Kingdom of the Desert, the strength of Ethan's Pokémon had improved even further.
Moreover, both Sandslash and Cacturne had fully mastered the move Sandstorm, so the sandstorm team could already be considered complete.
Although the sand team wasn't his only option, if possible, he preferred to train all his Pokémon to become individual combat cores.
However, he couldn't deny that weather teams possessed incredible strength in group battles, as they could unite all Pokémon on the team and unleash their full potential.
For now, the provisional members of his sand team were: Sandslash, Cacturne, Slowking, Meltan, and Vibrava.
Among them, Sandslash and Cacturne could handle the weather; Sandslash relied on its Sand Rush ability to attack with speed, while Cacturne used its roots to control the battlefield.
Slowking acted as a defender using Psychic- and Water-type moves, Meltan served as a front-line attacker thanks to its ability to turn into a weapon, and Vibrava functioned as aerial support with flight and sound-based attacks.
"It seems that if I want to form a true sand team, I must train Vibrava well and then find another Pokémon that can integrate into the team."
"Ideally, that Pokémon should have the ability Overcoat or Magic Guard. That way it can withstand sandstorm damage during battle and allow the other Pokémon to harmonize better with the team."
Ethan already had a plan in mind, but when it came to choosing the final member of the sand team, he thought he needed to consider it carefully.
After all, he already possessed nine Pokémon, and he still had Tyranitar, Scyther, and Rhyhorn not yet added to the team. His lineup was practically full.
Normally, a trainer could only release six Pokémon at a time, so the common practice was to train six main members and a few substitutes.
But Ethan was a special case: he could release twelve Pokémon simultaneously, so he could train twelve main members and even have some reserves.
For that reason, he did not plan to capture too many Pokémon; otherwise, it would be easy to neglect one, and in that case, it was better not to catch it.
"First, I'll focus on training Vibrava. Once Vibrava evolves into Flygon, its combat strength will increase tremendously. Also, Flygon can be used as a mount, which would be a great improvement to the team."
Ethan made his decision, released Vibrava, and began preparing an evolution plan.
First, training its sound-type moves was the most important. Ethan planned to push that skill to the limit before attempting evolution.
...
Half a day later, Ethan left the Secret Kingdom of the Sky with Vibrava.
Once the training plan was set, Ethan decided to visit a certain professor.
This professor was Jonathan Ackerman, an expert in sound-type moves and a friend of Professor Harris.
Professor Ackerman's laboratory was located in a valley, and Ethan had to make quite an effort to find it.
"You must be Ethan Black, right? Professor Harris already sent us a message."
At the laboratory, Ethan was warmly greeted by one of the professor's students.
"Hello, yes, I'm Ethan Black."
Ethan smiled and extended his hand.
"My name is Nolan Carter, I'm a student of Professor Ackerman."
Nolan shook his hand with a smile.
Poli poli poli~~
While Ethan and Nolan were talking, a beautiful melody suddenly echoed.
"Ah, this is a disaster! I forgot to close the isolation door of the lab."
Nolan's expression changed immediately and he ran toward the laboratory. But halfway there, he began to feel dizzy, and his steps faltered.
"Is that... Jigglypuff's song?"
Ethan's expression also changed. He threw a Poké Ball and Vibrava appeared in the air.
Vibrava quickly descended, reached the soundproof door, and slammed it shut.
"Whew, finally."
Nolan wiped the sweat from his forehead and collapsed onto the floor.
"Are you okay? Here, drink some juice to recover."
Ethan approached and offered him a glass.
"I'm fine... how embarrassing."
Nolan sighed and took a sip.
After handing him the drink, Ethan looked into the laboratory through the glass door.
Inside, a Jigglypuff was holding a microphone and singing passionately. Of course, with the door sealed, Ethan couldn't hear anything.
Curious, Ethan shifted his gaze to the adjacent laboratory and saw an Exploud roaring with all its might in front of a device that measured sound power.
Watching the numbers rise again and again, Ethan was stunned. Just by shouting they could generate attacks of such magnitude; even by touching the wall, he could feel the entire room vibrate.
"Sound resonance?"
Ethan narrowed his eyes in thought.
If it were only about using sound waves to attack, Vibrava could already do that with Sonic Boom. But resonance was something else. A very common real-life example came to mind: the classic experiment where opera singers shatter glass with a high note.
A normal sound wouldn't break a cup; what breaks it is resonance.
There are many similar cases: a shout in a mountain can cause the snow on the peak to resonate and trigger an avalanche; a moving car can lose control if the rotation frequency matches the natural frequency of the suspension, causing fatal accidents.
Therefore, if they could master the power of "resonance," the combat strength would be incomparable.
And speaking of vibration and trembling... Vibrava was precisely known as the Vibration Pokémon.
If he developed this ability properly, couldn't he himself become a source of tremors?
Thinking about it, Ethan recalled none other than Whitebeard from One Piece and his Tremor-Tremor Fruit, capable of shaking even space itself.
(End of chapter)