"Then, let's begin."
At Ethan Black's voice, Shellder curled its tongue and swallowed the potion completely.
Boom!
In the next instant, a wave of energy erupted inside its body, transforming into a soft glow that enveloped it entirely.
"Come on, Shellder," said Ethan Black, watching with some tension.
He knew the success rate of the Hidden Power Move Potion was only one in ten. Although this probability could increase depending on the Pokémon's talent, Shellder's case was special, and Ethan Black could not be certain.
As time passed, the light covering Shellder intensified and dimmed intermittently, until it was finally absorbed into its body.
Boom!
Suddenly, a second wave of powerful energy exploded.
Crack, crack!
The force made every object in the room shake; several jars fell to the floor, clattering loudly.
At the same time, Ethan Black felt as if an invisible force pressed down on him, pinning his entire body and rendering him unable to move.
Sensing the strangeness of the situation, the other Pokémon immediately approached. Cacturne hugged Ethan Black and, with a slight gesture, dispelled the pressure, restoring his mobility.
"Uff... seems like these things need to be handled carefully. Even a small amount of power unintentionally released by a Pokémon can be deadly for a trainer," thought Ethan Black with a shiver.
"Sheell!"
At that moment, Shellder slowly opened its eyes. Then, noticing what it had caused, it looked at Ethan Black with some guilt and licked his cheek with its large tongue.
"It's okay, it's nothing. I know you didn't do it intentionally," said Ethan Black, smiling as he hugged it.
Shellder closed its eyes happily. Sometimes, Pokémon were incredibly easy to please.
"So... did you learn the Hidden Power move?"
Although he already had an inkling of the answer, Ethan Black asked the question.
Shellder nodded immediately, and a blue gleam shone in its eyes.
In the next instant, Ethan Black saw the keys on the table float on their own, spin in the air, and then gently settle back down.
"Psychic-type Hidden Power!" exclaimed Ethan Black joyfully.
The type of the Hidden Power move varied according to the individual characteristics of the Pokémon. Essentially, it was a latent ability that, when trained, awakened and manifested as a move.
Shellder, with its innate mental strength, had almost naturally awakened its Psychic-type Hidden Power.
"Sheell!"
Curious about its new ability, the Pokémon began emitting waves of psychic energy, making several objects in the room levitate as if it were playing.
"Looks like Psychic-type Hidden Power works similarly to telekinesis," deduced Ethan Black.
It was perfect for his plans: with this power, many of the moves he had in mind for Shellder could be developed more easily.
Perhaps due to its great innate mental strength, or its previous experience controlling Barrier, Shellder handled the move surprisingly well for the first time.
Gradually, Ethan Black saw Shellder begin to float... this time without any supporting barrier, relying solely on its own telekinesis, just like many pure Psychic-type Pokémon could.
"What incredible power... it can already sustain itself in the air," thought Ethan Black, impressed. Shellder's psychic talent could rival that of many pure Psychic-type Pokémon.
"Shellder, let's try that training we couldn't complete before," said Ethan Black with anticipation.
Shellder nodded and floated to perch on his shoulder.
With everything decided, Ethan Black stored the other Pokémon in their Poké Balls and quickly headed to the gym.
With confident steps, he rented a room, placed Shellder in the center of the field, and released all his Pokémon again to form a protective circle around it.
Shellder, ready, activated Aqua Ring, generating a warm ring of water around its body.
"Shellder, use your telekinesis to control Aqua Ring and execute Counter Shield."
Under his command, the water began moving slowly, its rotation accelerating under psychic influence until it became a vortex that completely covered him.
Now, with the Psychic-type Hidden Power, Shellder's control over water had greatly improved: it completed the Counter Shield technique in an instant.
"Perfect! This psychic power is an incredible improvement for you," said Ethan Black, then ordered: "Shellder, use Barrier!"
Shellder emitted a blue glow in its eyes, creating multiple barriers that spun rapidly around it, joining into an almost continuous wall.
"Meltan, fire Flash Cannon at the barrier!"
Boom!
Meltan shot a silver beam that struck the barriers.
In the blink of an eye, all of them repositioned in front of the attack, taking the impact. One by one, they broke, but the beam failed to penetrate the final defenses.
"It seems that, with the awakening of the Psychic type, the resistance of its barriers has also greatly increased," commented Ethan Black, satisfied. The Hidden Power move and Shellder seemed made for each other.
(End of chapter)