"Hahahaha! Go and teach that useless one a lesson, use Scratch!" shouted Eric Lawson enthusiastically.
Apparently, Eric Lawson had also been training diligently. At his command, his Sandshrew acted immediately: its small claws glowed white as it swiftly lunged into the attack.
Faced with such an imposing attack, Ethan Black's Sandshrew's eyes reflected clear fear, and instinctively it wanted to retreat.
But just at that moment, Ethan Black's voice rang out firmly: "Sandshrew, if you trust me, try to stop it head-on!"
Hearing Ethan Black's words, Sandshrew hesitated for a second and closed its eyes. In its mind, memories of the intense days of training with Ethan Black began to surface.
Why had it worked so hard?
To defeat the opponent standing before it!
Was it going to back down without even starting the fight?
No! It had made a promise with Ethan Black: to become a strong Pokémon. And this was no time to retreat!
Suddenly, Sandshrew opened its eyes. Its claws also began to glow, and it lunged forward to intercept its rival.
"Hahaha, you really want to face my Sandshrew head-on!? How naive you are!" Eric Lawson laughed arrogantly.
From his perspective, his Sandshrew was clearly bigger and bulkier. Ethan Black's looked like a kid in comparison.
But in the next instant, his laughter stopped abruptly, and his expression turned to total astonishment.
The two Pokémon clashed head-on, their claws locked, and began struggling with force. However, despite the size difference, they were completely evenly matched.
His larger Sandshrew couldn't win in strength!
"Just as I thought... Thanks to Rollout training, Sandshrew's physical condition has improved greatly." Ethan Black smiled in satisfaction as he saw this.
"Shaaa!"
Ethan Black's Sandshrew understood as well. The intimidating image of its rival, which had weighed so heavily on it, completely crumbled in its mind.
After a brief struggle, both separated and stepped back. They stared at each other intently. It was the start of a true duel!
"Now it's our turn to attack! Sandshrew, use Rollout!"
Ethan Black smiled with confidence. He had noticed the change in his partner's attitude and gave the order with determination.
"You use Rollout too, crush him!" shouted Eric Lawson furiously. He was indignant that his Sandshrew, which had cost him so much effort to tame, was being matched by a worthless one.
Both Pokémon curled into balls, and their bodies began to glow with Rock-type energy as they charged at each other.
"Already managed to master Rollout without training? This Sandshrew really has talent... It must have held an important position in its pack," thought Ethan Black, surprised.
Although Rollout is a move Sandshrew learns naturally over time, fully mastering it required a lot of effort in the real world.
BOOM!
Both Sandshrew collided in the center of the field like two spinning steel balls wrapped in Rock-type energy. Sparks flew and rocks shattered through the air.
"Again they're evenly matched?" Ethan Black frowned. Despite two weeks of intensive training, he couldn't surpass the rival Sandshrew in a simple collision.
BANG!
Another explosion. Both balls were blown backward by the force of the impact.
Eric Lawson's Sandshrew hit the ground and stopped spinning. Dizzy, it shook its head to recover. But when it looked ahead...
Ethan Black's Sandshrew was still spinning!
Tracing an arc across the ground, it launched itself back into the attack!
Eric Lawson's Sandshrew's expression immediately changed. It didn't dare to be careless. It leapt forward, curled in the air, and launched itself against the enemy Sandshrew.
But this time, at the moment of impact, one of the two was sent flying through the air without being able to resist.
BOOM!
Eric Lawson's Sandshrew was violently thrown against a rock wall, crashed, and then slowly fell to the ground. It had lost consciousness.
"Although its Rollout was powerful, since it hadn't fully mastered the move, once it stopped... the battle was already decided," said Ethan Black with a calm smile.
The Rollout move became stronger the longer it kept spinning. That's why maintaining continuous rotation was key to victory.
And Ethan Black's Sandshrew had won in overwhelming fashion.
"Shaaa!" cried Sandshrew in excitement as it stopped. Seeing its opponent defeated, it lifted its head and let out a roar of joy.
In that instant, the huge mountain of insecurity that had crushed it for so long collapsed. In its eyes now shone a new light: confidence.
"How did that victory feel?" asked Ethan Black as he walked down from the cliff, Poké Ball in hand, smiling.
"Sha sha shaa!" Sandshrew replied that it loved it. It loved that feeling!
"Damn it, don't get so full of yourselves!" Eric Lawson growled as he recalled his Sandshrew into its Poké Ball.
"I only just captured it! Once I train it properly, my Sandshrew will still be the strongest!"
His gaze toward Ethan Black was full of resentment.
"You don't stand a chance. We're only going to keep getting stronger," said Ethan Black confidently.
"Hmph, we'll see about that!" Eric Lawson snapped.
"Don't you know how expensive it is to train a Pokémon? I don't think your family can afford it!"
"Mine can! My family owns mines! I don't care how much it costs—if I throw money at it, I'll crush you!"
Eric Lawson stormed off angrily, hurling threats. After all, he was the son of the richest man in town. He didn't believe Ethan Black's family could compete with him.
"Seriously...? If you can't win, throw money...?"
Ethan Black rolled his eyes as he watched Eric Lawson hurry off with his Poké Ball. But his words also made him think.
Training a Pokémon cost a lot of money: food, training equipment, supplements, healing, battle items... everything was a huge expense!
With his family's finances, they could barely cover Sandshrew's food. How could they afford everything else?
"Looks like I'll have to find a way to make money... I can't just rely on my parents," thought Ethan Black, already planning for the future.
(End of Chapter)