Three days passed in silence.
Ethan Black and Jasper Reid remained in the Greenrock Mountain Breeding Area for all three days.
On the fourth day, the Secret Kingdom reappeared, and a specialized team of Pokémon Hunters entered to explore it.
During this exploration, Ethan Black was able to witness firsthand the progress of human civilization in relation to Pokémon.
Thanks to special instruments and equipment, humans could now locate and open the entrance and exit of a Secret Kingdom at will.
Once the exploration concluded, rewards also arrived for both of them. They were very simple: they could freely choose a Pokémon from the Breeding Area, as long as it agreed to accompany them.
Without hesitation, Jasper Reid requested to catch a Bulbasaur, a request that was immediately accepted. Accompanied by staff, he went directly to the area where the Bulbasaur lived.
"Can I freely choose one of them?" Ethan Black asked, a gleam in his eyes, then looking to his side where Absol stood.
At that moment, Absol looked at him as well, and their eyes met.
"Absol, do you want to be my partner?" Ethan Black asked sincerely, extending an invitation from the depths of his heart.
"You want to choose Absol?" the staff member hesitated upon hearing the choice.
There was only one Absol in the entire Breeding Area, and they were extremely rare throughout the league.
"If he wants to, then yes," Ethan Black replied, looking at the staff member, making it clear that the decision would be Absol's.
If it preferred to stay in the Breeding Area and live a peaceful life, he wouldn't force it. But if it wished to become his partner and travel the world, he would do everything possible to take it.
The answer came quickly: Absol was a Pokémon with a strong sense of justice and adventurous spirit; a peaceful life was not what it desired.
"Abbssss!"
So, upon hearing Ethan Black's words, it nodded without hesitation.
However, after accepting, Absol ran a few meters and assumed a battle stance, with a slightly challenging look.
"You want to come with me, but only if I catch you in battle?" Ethan Black said with a slight smile, pleased with the condition.
"This..." the staff member, seeing the scene, hesitated and said after thinking: "I can't decide this alone; I must inform my superiors."
As the employee hurried away, Ethan Black paused for a moment and called President Hamilton on the phone.
Half an hour later, the same staff member returned with a confused expression. After looking carefully at Ethan Black, he said that he could take Absol, as long as it agreed.
Of course, Absol agreed, but on the condition that Ethan Black caught it honorably in battle.
"Ready? I'm coming for you!" laughed Ethan Black, throwing the Poké Ball from which Sandslash emerged.
Seeing the Pokémon, Absol became excited: it knew Sandslash was Ethan Black's strongest, proving the seriousness of the battle. The final result was that Absol lost, but the battle was spectacular.
"From now on, we're partners," said Ethan Black, smiling as he held Absol's Poké Ball.
"And how did it go for you?" Jasper Reid asked, returning with a Poké Ball in hand, visibly excited.
"Ah, I caught Absol," Ethan Black replied with a satisfied smile.
"Absol, that's really impressive," commented Jasper Reid with a hint of envy; it was a Pokémon with power and beauty, and he would have liked one too.
"Hehe, it looks like you caught your Bulbasaur. So this trip to the Breeding Area ended perfectly."
...
At sunset, Ethan Black and Jasper Reid returned to the Pokémon University of Ironvale City.
The journey had gone unexpectedly smoothly; in total, it had only taken three days.
As soon as they returned, both headed to the Pokémon Trainers' Guild to register their new Pokémon. Ethan Black's team grew from six to seven members.
That night, Ethan Black returned to his dormitory.
"Everyone out, let's welcome a new partner," he said with a smile.
He released Sandslash, Cacturne, Shellder, Shuckle, Meltan, and Trapinch.
Then he took Absol's Poké Ball and took a deep breath. Although he was already confident he could release more than six Pokémon at once, he couldn't help but feel a bit tense.
He pressed the button, and a white flash revealed Absol's figure in the center of the room.
Once again, he had successfully released a seventh Pokémon, confirming his advantage as a traveler from another world.
"Sha sha!"
"Cac cac!"
"Zzzt zzzt!"
Everyone came over to greet it.
Thanks to the battles together in the Secret Kingdom, integration was quick, and soon everyone was chatting animatedly.
"With this, I now have all six of my main Pokémon together," Ethan Black thought, smiling in relief.
Now his goal was to train all seven, one by one.
During this time, he had caught Pokémon relentlessly, aiming to form his main team as quickly as possible.
After all, each one needed time to grow and could be trained separately, maximizing training efficiency.
With the resources he had, there was nothing to fear: he just had to provide them with the best possible environment for development.
(End of chapter)