It seemed that the two Gigalith had also sensed Slowking's power, for they immediately decided to retreat.
The yellowish dust began to dissipate little by little, and it became clear that the two Gigalith—along with three Boldore and five Roggenrola—were sinking into the sand and disappearing without a trace.
Ethan watched as Gigalith left with its young. He hesitated for a moment, but in the end decided not to stop them. After all, they were in the middle of the desert, the absolute territory of those Pokémon.
"What a pity," he murmured. "Gigalith is an extremely rare Pokémon..."
Moreover, it possessed the Sand Stream ability. Whether he handed it over to the League or kept it as a main pillar of his team, it would be an excellent addition.
Ethan let out a sigh, a hint of frustration on his face. He didn't know if he would get another chance to encounter a Gigalith later on.
If possible, he would love to catch one before leaving the Secret Kingdom—especially the one that had used the move Gravity. Its value would be immeasurable.
And if he couldn't catch a Gigalith, then obtaining a Roggenrola to raise from scratch would also be a good alternative.
Fuuu...
After Gigalith's departure, the sandstorm covering Ethan's path began to dissipate.
He lifted his gaze toward the blazing sun on the horizon, mounted Absol once again, and continued forward.
However, after the encounter with Gigalith, he became much more cautious—slowing down and watching his surroundings with extreme care.
Along the way, he repeatedly ran into Rock-type Pokémon such as Graveler and Onix.
What surprised him was that the level of those Pokémon was unusually high. In one-on-one battles, only Cacturne, Slowking, and Meltan could clearly overpower them; the rest of his team could barely hold their ground.
"This is only a micro-type Secret Kingdom," Ethan reflected. "And the size of a Secret Kingdom determines the concentration of energy inside it."
Logically, a micro Secret Kingdom shouldn't be home to so many powerful Pokémon.
"Could it be... that there's some kind of Rock-type treasure or relic intensifying the energy here?"
Ethan frowned, scanning his surroundings, but all he saw was sand and more sand.
With no other choice, he kept going. And as he went deeper, the Pokémon that appeared grew even stronger—so much so that not even Kingdra, despite its elemental advantage, could handle the battles easily.
"It seems I'm getting closer to that supposed treasure," he thought, a spark of anticipation in his eyes.
"TYRAANN!"
Suddenly, a deep roar echoed before him.
"Is that...?" Ethan's eyes widened. "A Tyranitar—the tyrant of the desert!"
Incredible! This Secret Kingdom had a pseudo-legendary Pokémon like Tyranitar.
"TYRAANN!"
While Ethan observed it, Tyranitar stared right back at him.
With a deep roar, it warned him not to take another step.
"So there really is a treasure behind you, huh?" Ethan narrowed his eyes.
It was well-known that wherever there was a natural treasure, a powerful Pokémon would always guard it.
And that Tyranitar fit the role perfectly. If a Pokémon of its caliber was protecting it, what lay behind must be extraordinary.
"I don't plan on leaving empty-handed from a treasure mountain," he said with a determined smile. "Tyranitar, just in time... I'll capture you, and I'll take the treasure you guard as well."
Ethan curled his lips into a half-smile. He hadn't managed to catch Gigalith, but if he could obtain a Tyranitar, that would be even better. And a guardian one, even more so.
"Shuckle, take care of the buffs."
"Cacturne, Meltan, Slowking, and Vibrava—you four will be the main attackers."
"Absol, Kingdra, and Charmander—your job is to protect me."
He immediately organized his strategy.
Since Tyranitar also commanded sandstorms, Ethan chose to send the four Pokémon that wouldn't take damage under those conditions.
The other three—Absol, Kingdra, and Charmander—would focus on his personal protection.
"Cac!"
"Zzzt!"
"Yadon!"
"Viiibbrraa!"
The four main Pokémon—Cacturne, Meltan, Slowking, and Vibrava—charged forward.
Ethan mounted Absol, holding Charmander in his arms, while Kingdra escorted him from the side, retreating until they reached a safe distance.
Avoiding sandstorm damage was possible not only by resisting it, but by staying away from the area of effect.
For that reason, in his strategy, the future Charizard was always meant as an aerial support point: a long-range attacker from the skies, able to dodge sandstorms easily. From now on, he was training Charmander in long-distance attacks.
"TYRAANN!"
Seeing Ethan's group deploy their formation, Tyranitar realized its warnings had gone unheeded.
With another deafening roar, it was the one to attack first.
Boom!
In an instant, its body unleashed a brutal wave of Rock-type energy. The power of the sandstorm erupted around it, covering the field with devastating intensity.
Swish!
Absol's eyes tightened.
That Tyranitar's power exceeded all expectations.
Using its Sand Stream ability and the move Sandstorm simultaneously amplified the area of effect to terrifying levels.
Compared to Professor Harris's Tyranitar, this one was much stronger, and its storm covered more than twice the area.
The problem was that Ethan—who thought he had positioned himself safely—was once again caught inside the storm's radius.
Absol had no choice but to lift him onto its back and sprint at full speed to get him out of danger.
"A miscalculation..." Ethan murmured, frowning. "This Tyranitar has too precise a control over its storm."
Boom, boom, boom!
Meanwhile, on the battlefield, Cacturne, Meltan, Slowking, and Vibrava had already engaged Tyranitar in direct combat.
Cacturne, with its Sand Veil ability, took on the role of control, extending magical roots in all directions.
But Tyranitar, being a pseudo-legendary among Pokémon, possessed an overwhelming physical strength. With sheer power alone, it broke free from the roots again and again.
Not even those reinforced with Grass-type energy could restrain it for more than a few moments.
(End of chapter)