Boom!
With a loud crash, several Pidgey fell from the sky as if they had been hit by an invisible attack, letting out faint groans as they descended.
Then, Vibrava took advantage of the wind and kept flying, unleashing moves like Sonic Boom, Screech, and Uproar nonstop, knocking down one Pidgey after another.
"It seems this sky belongs to the Pidgey."
"Good thing I didn't ask Vibrava to carry us in flight. If all these Pidgey and Pidgeotto surrounded us, things would get ugly."
Ethan's expression darkened. Clearly, this was a mechanism prepared by the university to prevent students from simply riding their Pokémon and flying over the forest.
After knocking down a large number of birds, Vibrava had to return to the ground. Although he was very strong, he couldn't withstand the constant harassment of so many Pokémon.
And as soon as he landed, the Pidgey immediately stopped their attack. There was no doubt they acted only to prevent aerial passage.
"We'd better move on by land." Ethan muttered as he took out the map, trying to locate a water source.
"Shuck!"
At that moment, Shuckle began calling.
His small yellow hand extended from his shell and plucked a Berry from a nearby tree.
"A Berry."
Ethan took the Berry Shuckle handed him as if it were a treasure, surprised.
"Is it edible?"
He looked at Shuckle.
Shuckle nodded vigorously.
After getting his confirmation, Ethan hesitated a bit, then took a bite. To his surprise, it tasted very good.
"I didn't expect you to also know how to distinguish edible Berries."
Ethan was delighted. Knowing how to identify edible fruits was an essential survival skill in the wild. Shuckle being able to do it saved him many problems.
From then on, in addition to fighting, Shuckle received a new task: identifying and eating various fruits to ferment them into juice.
The juice produced by Shuckle restored energy and quenched thirst—an excellent resource for survival.
"Viiibbrraa!"
A few steps later, Vibrava sounded the alarm again.
Tomp, tomp, tomp!
A strong tremor followed, and Ethan grew serious.
Something big was approaching, and judging from Vibrava's reaction, it wasn't weak.
Tomp, tomp, tomp!
The tremor grew stronger until a purple figure appeared: a Nidoking!
It was a large bipedal Pokémon with a purple body, a massive poisonous horn on its forehead, and a row of thick spikes from its neck to its tail. Its appearance was fierce.
"A Nidoking."
Ethan observed it with interest and backed up slightly, leaving the battle to Shuckle.
Shuckle swallowed nervously. It was his first time facing such an opponent.
"Shuckle, use Acupressure."
Ethan gave the order immediately.
Shuckle regained his composure and began using Acupressure repeatedly, reinforcing all of his capabilities.
His body swelled slightly; his stats increased significantly.
"Niddookk!"
Nidoking saw that a small Pokémon was blocking his way and didn't take it seriously. He lifted his foot to advance and crush it.
"Shuckle, Super Rock Throw!"
Upon hearing the command, a rock formed in Shuckle's mouth. But instead of firing immediately, it began expanding rapidly until it became a huge boulder that Shuckle hurled.
This attack was the result of support from the move Helping Hand, which enormously boosted the power of Rock Throw.
Boom!
Nidoking was stunned for a split second. His pupils contracted, and he struck seriously.
Shuckle's physical and special attack were low; despite the impressive attack, Nidoking managed to smash it with a punch.
"Niddookk!"
But even so, the aggression enraged him.
He charged toward Shuckle, gathering energy in his fist, ready to crush him.
"Super Gyro Ball!"
Shuckle didn't dare to be careless. He curled into his shell and began spinning at high speed, surrounded by Steel-type energy.
Boom!
Nidoking's fist collided with Shuckle's attack.
Thanks to the defense granted by Gyro Ball, neither side overpowered the other immediately; they became locked in an intense struggle.
Gyro Ball increased in power the slower its user was. And Shuckle—one of the slowest Pokémon in existence—unleashed tremendous force with it.
Shockwaves rippled through the point of impact, until Nidoking's face began to show strain: he was being pushed back.
Then, Shuckle activated Helping Hand again. The power of Gyro Ball rose once more.
In a brutal eruption, the built-up force exploded, sending Nidoking flying until he crashed into a tree, splitting it in half.
Nidoking fell to the ground unconscious.
Shuckle had won.
"Excellent work, Shuckle."
Ethan picked him up as the Pokémon closed his eyes in exhaustion and satisfaction.
Although Shuckle didn't possess impressive offensive ability, using his moves well could turn him into a devastating force.
And bringing out the full potential of a Pokémon—that was the meaning of being a Trainer. It was the goal Ethan pursued.
To become the strongest.
...
The Secret Kingdom of Ironvale City's Pokémon University was truly enormous.
After walking for an entire day, Ethan was still inside the forest.
Vibrava ascended into the sky to inspect, and Ethan discovered he was still near the center of the woods. Everything within sight was still an endless sea of trees.
He recalled that the exit of the Secret Kingdom was located on a plain, so he still had a long way to go. He had no idea where the university had teleported him at the beginning.
(End of chapter)