In a dark passageway, the flashlight flickered.
"Another fork... Looks like this place is like a maze," murmured Ethan Black as he saw another split appear before him. He sighed lightly, left a mark with an arrow at the entrance, and randomly chose one of the paths.
Clack clack clack!
He hadn't gone far down the tunnel when suddenly he heard the sound of stones rolling in a nearby fork.
"Cacnea, use Ingrain right here."
"Shellder, get ready to use Barrier for defense," ordered Ethan Black, tensing as he pressed himself against the wall and carefully poked his head out.
"That is...!"
"An Aron!"
Immediately, a small Pokémon with a metallic body, four short legs, and a large round head appeared before his eyes.
"I didn't expect to find an Aron here! It's really rare to see one outside of this kind of place..."
Ethan Black observed the Aron as it happily gnawed on a piece of iron ore. His eyes sparkled with excitement.
Aron, being a Steel- and Rock-type Pokémon, was perfect for his team. And its evolution, Aggron, would undoubtedly be the "poster face" of his Sandstorm team!
"Cacnea, use your roots on that Aron."
"Shellder, be ready to strike with Water Gun at any time."
"Cac!" Cacnea nodded. Immediately, a root began moving underground from beneath its feet, crawling stealthily toward Aron.
Just as Aron was enjoying its iron ore, a root burst out of the ground and, catching it off guard, wrapped around it completely.
Shellder reacted instantly, firing a strong blast of water that struck Aron directly as it struggled within the roots.
"Well done! Cacnea, use Absorb!"
"Shellder, don't stop attacking with Water Gun!"
Boom!
With their combined attacks, Aron was slammed against a wall and fell to the ground, no longer able to fight.
"Go, Poké Ball!"
Ethan Black quickly pulled a Poké Ball from his backpack and hurled it at Aron.
A red flash absorbed it, and the Poké Ball began shaking on the ground.
But since Aron had already been weakened, after a brief struggle, the Poké Ball stopped with a click.
"Great job!" exclaimed Ethan Black excitedly, pumping his fist in the air.
He ran to pick up the Poké Ball, and after hesitating for a moment, decided not to release Aron but to lock the Poké Ball.
In truth, capturing a Pokémon with a Poké Ball was only the first step. Earning its recognition and turning it into a true partner was what really mattered.
So, although he had already captured it and could use it to find more Arons, as long as he hadn't gained its full trust, he didn't dare release it.
"For now, it's better to rely on myself. If I really get into trouble, then I'll consider using it," thought Ethan Black, carefully placing the Poké Ball in a compartment of his backpack.
"Come out, Shuckle!"
"Cacnea, Shellder, here's some nutritious juice for you!"
After making sure there was no danger nearby, Ethan Black released Shuckle from its Poké Ball.
He pulled two small cups from his backpack and served the juice Shuckle had prepared for Cacnea and Shellder.
"Good work, Shuckle. You can go back to your Poké Ball and rest."
Ethan Black stroked Shuckle's head before returning it to its Poké Ball.
Shuckle still wasn't trained for battle, so Ethan Black hadn't used it since entering the sanctuary. Its role in the team was support: preparing nutritious juices, applying the effects of the moves Acupressure and Helping Hand to its partners.
After Cacnea and Shellder regained some energy, Ethan Black wiped a bit of juice from the corner of his lips, stood up with Shellder in his arms, and resumed his exploration of the cave.
"Cac!" suddenly cried Cacnea, extending an arm to stop him.
It then launched the move Magical Leaf toward a corner of the wall.
Boom, boom, boom!
An explosion revealed the figure of a Geodude, whose spiral-shaped eyes showed it had been knocked out in a single strike.
"A Geodude! Good thing Cacnea detected it. If it had ambushed us, it could've been dangerous," said Ethan Black in relief as he patted Cacnea in recognition.
After a moment of hesitation, he pulled out another Poké Ball and directly captured the Geodude. He had plenty of Poké Balls, so better safe than sorry.
He placed the Geodude's Poké Ball in the same compartment of his backpack and continued deeper into the cave.
"Another Aron?"
During his advance, Ethan Black encountered another Aron. His eyes gleamed with excitement.
Without hesitation, he ordered Shellder and Cacnea to attack. Aron was defeated effortlessly and captured easily with a Poké Ball.
"Could this place be the nest of the Arons?"
Ethan Black looked at the Poké Ball of the second Aron with a thoughtful expression.
"GRAAAAR!"
Just as he was about to store the Poké Ball, a roar echoed from deep within the cave, accompanied by battle sounds.
"Is there a fight!? Could it be Alex and Jasper?"
His eyes lit up, he hesitated for a moment, and then began moving cautiously toward the place where the battle noises were coming from.
(End of Chapter)