"I can't believe it, it really learned the move Rototiller!"
"You have to know that not many Pokémon can learn Rototiller, and Cacturne can only obtain it through inheritance."
Ethan Black's eyes shone. In his previous life, when he played, besides the classic weather teams, he had also researched others like Trick Room teams, or Grass-type formations centered on Florges. That's why the move Rototiller felt very familiar to him.
The effect of the move Rototiller consisted of tilling the soil so that vegetation could grow more easily, thus increasing the Attack and Special Attack of Grass-type Pokémon.
"Looks like a hidden egg move has awakened!"
Sincere joy was reflected in Ethan Black's eyes. Egg moves, like certain genetic diseases, sometimes manifest from the start, but other times remain latent in the organism, even for a lifetime.
That was the case with Cacturne: it had inherited the move Rototiller, but it had always remained hidden. Taking advantage of the opportunity of evolution, the dormant energy inside had finally been activated.
"Very impressive, Cacturne!"
Ethan Black walked up to its side and, looking at that scarecrow-shaped cactus that was just a little shorter than his own head, adopted a thoughtful expression.
In his team, Cacturne had always fulfilled the role of field controller, and the special effect of the move Ingrain was a perfect method of control.
Initially, upon evolving to Cacturne, Ethan Black had planned for it to also take on the role of close-range attacker, since, being a humanoid Pokémon, it could learn quite a few hand-to-hand combat moves.
However, this evolution had brought with it the unexpected acquisition of the move Rototiller, which gave Ethan Black a new idea.
Perhaps he could form a new Grass-type team with Cacturne as the core, which would be an excellent option.
After all, in the exploration of the Secret Kingdoms, there were far too many unknown variables. If a team's configuration was too monotonous, it might not be able to face certain special environments.
For example, with his current Sandstorm team, if the battlefield unfolded in terrain rich with water, its combat power would be drastically reduced. In an extreme environment like the ocean, it wouldn't even be able to fight normally!
That was why he was considering forming a Grass-type team centered around the move Rototiller, to expand his response capacity.
"Sha sha sha!"
"Sheell sheell sheell!"
"Zzzt zzzt zzzt!"
"Shuck shuck shuck!"
Meanwhile, Sandslash and the other three Pokémon ran over to Cacturne to congratulate it.
"You've all worked hard on this mission. Let's go home and celebrate properly."
Seeing his Pokémon gathered and making a fuss, Ethan Black smiled, which made them all cry out in joy.
"Let's all return to rest."
Ethan Black returned all his Pokémon to their Poké Balls and then released Pidgeot.
"Pidgeot, I'll leave it to you."
Stroking its soft feathers, Ethan Black quickly climbed onto its back.
As soon as he was ready, Pidgeot flapped its wings, soaring rapidly into the sky.
"Eh, that sand whirl... looks like that Trapinch is using the move Gust again."
Ethan Black narrowed his eyes. He wanted it more and more.
What to do?
(Ethan Black: Online, waiting... quite urgently.)
...
Headquarters of the Pokémon Researchers' Guild.
Three days had passed since Cacnea evolved into Cacturne.
"Sandslash, that's it, use Metal Claw!"
On the training field, Sandslash's claws gleamed with a metallic flash before slashing at a large rock.
A silver streak crossed the air. An instant later, Sandslash appeared behind the rock, which, with a crack, was split into several pieces and fell to the ground.
"Good job, Sandslash, come and rest a bit."
Seeing that Sandslash executed the move Metal Claw perfectly, Ethan Black smiled in satisfaction.
The Pokémon, happy, ran back, took the nutrient juice Ethan Black offered him, and began drinking it with delight.
While drinking, it cast a challenging glance at Meltan, who was stretching its body off to the side. Both, being gluttons, had competed more than once to see who could eat more.
"Zzzt zzzt zzzt!"
Noticing that Sandslash was already enjoying its reward, Meltan protested with a couple of annoyed sounds.
Its little mercury hands began to twist, coiling like a spring.
Then, Meltan launched itself at a rock and, suddenly releasing its compressed hands, spun them rapidly, striking the stone hard.
Boom!
With a loud crash, the rock was smashed to pieces.
"Zzzt zzzt zzzt!"
After destroying it, Meltan smiled with its eye shaped like a crescent moon and ran toward Ethan Black, seeking recognition.
"Well done."
Patting its nut-shaped head, Ethan Black gave it a bit of liquid metal.
Seeing his two Pokémon enjoying their food, Ethan Black smiled and turned his gaze to another part of the field.
There, Shellder was using the move Aqua Ring and trying to make it rotate around itself. However, judging by the slow flow of the water, it still hadn't managed to master it.
Turning his gaze further, Ethan Black saw a small red shell rolling up dust: Shuckle was training its endurance using the move Rollout, and it seemed to be going very well.
After checking on these four Pokémon, Ethan Black headed to a sunlit room, designed especially for training Grass-type Pokémon.
From afar he could see the imposing figure of Cacturne and the roots constantly spreading around it.
"Cacturne, how's the training of the move Spiky Shield going?"
Smiling, Ethan Black observed. Before the third generation, the move Spiky Shield was an exclusive move of the Cacturne evolutionary line, capable of defending and attacking at the same time: a powerful move that combined defense and offense!
"Cac cac cac!"
At his words, Cacturne cried out happily.
It brought its fists together, releasing energy that formed a green shield covered with spikes, wrapping around its whole body.
"Well done."
Ethan Black nodded in satisfaction.
Afterwards, he asked it to demonstrate its other moves, and he was able to confirm that after its evolution, Cacturne's overall abilities had increased considerably.
(End of chapter)