Pokémon University of Ironvale City, Principal's Office.
Ethan Black was waiting quietly for his teammates for the upcoming exchange tournament.
"Huh? Ethan, what are you doing here?"
The first teammate to arrive surprised Ethan Black. He didn't expect it to be Alex Baxter.
Then, two more familiar faces arrived: his old rivals from the finals, Lucas Silver and Marcus Foster.
"You guys are here too?"
Seeing Ethan Black and Alex Baxter, both Lucas Silver and Marcus Foster were surprised. They didn't know why the principal had suddenly summoned them.
"Wait a little longer, one more student hasn't arrived yet."
The principal indicated to Lucas Silver and Marcus Foster to sit while he looked toward the door.
It wasn't long before a bulky boy in the school uniform arrived. To everyone's surprise, it was Jasper Reid, who had reached the top 4 in the Devon Corporation tournament, eliminated by Lucas Silver!
"Wait a minute... Jasper's Pokémon is an Onix, right?"
"If that's the case, my Sandslash, Alex's Magneton, Lucas's Metang, and Marcus's Shelgon..."
"Could it be that the principal wants to form a sandstorm team?"
As he observed the others gathered in the office, Ethan Black's eyes lit up. This possibility suddenly occurred to him!
His Sandslash could start sandstorms, the Rock-type Onix and Steel-types like Magneton and Metang, plus the sturdy Shelgon with its hard shell... it was clearly a sandstorm team!
"Alright, now that everyone is here, I'll tell you why I summoned you."
Once all five were present, the principal explained the details about the exchange tournament with the Pokémon University of Duskwell City.
"I see... and what would the reward be?"
"What do we gain if we defeat the Pokémon University of Duskwell City?"
After listening to the principal, everyone remained calm, but Marcus Foster, the young master, got straight to the point.
Cough, cough, cough...
The principal began to cough violently, almost choking at the question.
Wasn't participating in representation of the University an honor in itself? And this kid wanted an extra advantage?
"If there's no reward, I'm not participating."
"If we win, it's the University's merit; if we lose, it's our Pokémon's fault. I'm not working for free!"
Marcus Foster showed no respect for the principal. The others, including Ethan Black, were surprised by his frankness.
But given his status, it wasn't unusual. Only someone like him could speak like that, even in front of the principal.
"Don't worry, I understand."
"If you defeat the Pokémon University of Duskwell City, you'll not only be representing our University but also the Trainers' Guild of Ironvale City."
"If you win, I will personally give you some evolution stones as a reward."
The principal, still somewhat offended, announced the prize.
"Evolution stones?!"
Marcus Foster's eyes gleamed. Perhaps living so much with dragons had developed a taste for shiny things...
"Haha, just as expected from the principal. He knows Marcus's weaknesses well!"
"Don't worry, with us competing, this victory is almost guaranteed!"
Lucas Silver shrugged, giving a confident look at Ethan Black.
The others also expressed their determination to win.
...
Training room of Pokémon University of Ironvale City
"Let's start with introductions. I'm Lucas Silver, the team captain. My Pokémon is Metang."
He threw his Pokéball, and Metang appeared on the field.
"I'm Marcus Foster, and my Pokémon is Shelgon."
The others also introduced themselves and released their Pokémon.
"Huh, Alex? Where's your Charizard?"
Seeing Alex Baxter choose Magneton, Marcus Foster frowned. He wasn't satisfied.
"Sorry... my Charizard hasn't recovered from its last battle yet, so I can only use Magneton this time."
Alex Baxter scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.
"And you think you'll be useful with just Magneton?"
Marcus Foster still wasn't satisfied.
"Marcus," intervened Ethan Black, "I think Magneton fits better than Charizard."
"Even if Alex had Charizard available, I'd still choose Magneton."
"Of course, you two are conspiring! That's why you say that."
Marcus Foster wouldn't give in.
"Enough, let him speak," intervened Lucas Silver, the captain.
"It's actually simple: team defense." Ethan Black explained: "My Sandslash and Jasper's Onix are weak against Water-type Pokémon. That's where Magneton helps."
"Exactly, Onix fears Water. If the opponent uses that type, we'd be in trouble," said Jasper Reid, nodding.
"But they also fear Grass and Ice, right?"
"That's where Charizard would be better for defense," replied Marcus Foster. "And besides, Charizard is stronger."
Ethan Black looked surprised at Marcus Foster. It was clear his knowledge went beyond average.
"Yes, but Magneton is Steel-type. It's essential for a sandstorm team."
"Have you ever wondered why the principal chose the five of us? Just for our strength?"
Everyone realized. The plan was clearly to form a sandstorm team!
"But my Shelgon is Dragon-type..."
"And you think it's affected by the storm?"
"Eh... maybe not much."
"Then it's settled."
"..."
Marcus Foster reluctantly agreed. Although he didn't seem fully convinced... perhaps because he had lost before against Charizard?
Now that everything was clear, the team defined their tactics and began training.
Under Lucas Silver's command, they started practicing intensely. They only had a week.
Sandslash created a sandstorm. Seeing it, Lucas Silver, Marcus Foster, and Jasper Reid were surprised. They immediately released their Pokémon to adapt.
Magneton, Metang, and Onix, thanks to their types, adapted almost immediately. They were right at home.
Shelgon, although affected, stood firm thanks to its resilient shell. The sand bounced off without it moving an inch.
Seeing these reactions, Lucas Silver nodded satisfied and began organizing the field according to the strategy.
Sandslash would be the stealth assassin.
Magneton, Shelgon, and Metang would be power attackers.
Onix, thanks to the special defense bonus from the Sandstorm move, would be the tank and Shelgon's protector.
"Too bad none of them have abilities that synergize with the sandstorm... the effect would be even greater."
Ethan Black thought as he observed.
Professor Harris had conducted studies on abilities like Sand Veil and other mysterious powers, and already had preliminary results. Soon they would investigate more about abilities like Sand Rush and Sand Force.
Ethan Black hadn't fallen behind. He was training his Sandslash to awaken that mysterious energy and activate the Sand Rush ability.
For now, Sandslash could already increase its speed under the effect of Sandstorm, although it still needed more to double it as it should.
Meanwhile, the five Pokémon were getting to know each other and working together with greater coordination.
(End of chapter)