"Washing your hands before eating is a rule in this house!" said Ethan Black firmly, while inside he felt quite proud of himself.
And yes, he had done it on purpose. His intention was clear: to slowly get Sandshrew used to not fearing water.
One point for him!
"Sha?" Sandshrew hesitated between its fear of water and the delicious aroma of food.
But after thinking for a bit, it understood that it only needed to wash its hands a little to be able to eat. With some resignation, it clenched its teeth: it had decided to give it a try.
It stuck out one of its little paws and carefully approached the bowl of water...
"What's taking you so long?! Come on, hurry up!" exclaimed Ethan Black, and without giving it time to think, he grabbed its claw and plunged it straight into the water.
In an instant, a heart-wrenching scream came out of Sandshrew's mouth, as if it were being killed.
"Come on, eat more, eat more...!" said Ethan Black, smiling as he kept filling its bowl with meat.
Sandshrew, tears in its eyes, glared at him with resentment. How infuriating!
Finally, the Shiny Sandshrew could no longer resist Ethan Black's culinary offensive. It completely collapsed. Tears welled up again, this time from pure emotion: this was without a doubt the most delicious food it had ever tasted in its life!
"Very good, very good. Sandshrew, from now on you're part of our family. With me, you'll eat well and live well!" said Ethan Black as he watched Sandshrew clutch his leg tightly. He couldn't help but twitch an eyebrow.
And to think he was worried before about how to win its trust... In the end, it turned out that it was the Pokémon who got attached first!
"Sha~!"
Hearing Ethan Black's words, Sandshrew nodded enthusiastically and quickly returned to its chair, happily eating nonstop from the bowl.
Soon, Sandshrew devoured all the food on the table, leaving Ethan Black's parents stunned by its insatiable appetite.
"Uhm... this is starting to worry me. Am I really going to be able to afford feeding this glutton?" thought Ethan Black, a little anxious.
He'd have to think of ways to make money. He couldn't depend on his parents to feed his Pokémon—it would be shameful!
Although, to be fair, now that he had his beginner-level trainer license, making money would also be much easier, so he wasn't too worried. Of course, that was only if he managed to turn Sandshrew into a powerful Pokémon.
With that thought, he looked at his Pokémon, who was already full, rubbing its white belly in satisfaction. Determination sparked in his eyes.
"Sha?" Sandshrew, sitting in its chair, suddenly felt a chill. It turned its head, a little scared, and sure enough...
Ethan Black, at some point, had already filled another bowl with water. With a serious face, he said: "After eating, you have to wash your hands too!"
Sandshrew hesitated again, but seeing the food scraps all over the table, it clenched its teeth once more. Oh well, time to wash up!
Watching it wash its little hands obediently, Ethan Black smiled with satisfaction. Good habits were cultivated from an early age!
...
After eating, Ethan Black decided to go out for a walk with Sandshrew so it could get used to the surroundings and, at the same time, explore possible training grounds.
On the village paths, Sandshrew was clearly timid, always walking closely behind Ethan Black, not daring to look at the villagers who greeted them.
"Ah, isn't that Ethan?"
"Is that your Pokémon?"
"But how can that Pokémon be so ugly?"
When they reached the village center, a boy Ethan Black's age approached him with a mocking tone.
He was playing with a Poké Ball in his hand, making it clear that he was also a Pokémon trainer.
"Eric Lawson?" Ethan Black frowned.
This boy was the son of the local landlord. They had never gotten along since they were kids.
Later, Eric Lawson had moved to the city and they had lost contact. Ethan Black didn't expect to run into him again today of all days.
And apparently, he had also received a Sandshrew and become a trainer.
"My Pokémon doesn't need your comments," replied Ethan Black, not wanting to talk to him, and tried to walk past.
"What's wrong? Did I hit a nerve?"
"How about a Pokémon battle to have a little fun?"
Suddenly, Eric Lawson stepped in front of him with a provocative smile.
"A battle?" Ethan Black's eyes lit up for an instant.
He wouldn't deny it: ever since he received his Pokémon, he had been looking forward to having a battle.
But thinking about the state of his Sandshrew, he shook his head.
"Ah, I get it. You're scared!" mocked Eric Lawson. "It's normal. Your Sandshrew is so weak it couldn't even face mine!"
As he spoke, he opened his Poké Ball. With a flash of white light, a large, muscular Sandshrew appeared.
It looked strong, no doubt about it. Ethan Black even started to suspect whether Eric Lawson had cheated to get one like that.
But just as his expression began to change slightly, Eric Lawson's Sandshrew, without paying him the slightest attention, went to sit alone in a corner with its arms crossed like a grumpy old man.
Clearly, he hadn't tamed it yet!
"Damn it!" Eric Lawson didn't know where to put his face.
He had tried to show off and ended up embarrassing himself.
"You haven't even managed to get your Pokémon to obey you?" Ethan Black shook his head and once again tried to walk around him.
What did he expect to battle with if he hadn't even tamed his Sandshrew?
But right at that moment, he saw his own Shiny Sandshrew staring fearfully at Eric Lawson's Sandshrew.
"Now I get how you managed to tame that Sandshrew."
"It's so cowardly it doesn't even dare look at mine!" Eric Lawson sneered, laughing mockingly.
He was convinced Ethan Black had only managed to win over his Sandshrew because it was a weak, timid Pokémon.
(End of Chapter)