Half a month had passed.
And Ethan Black's greatest achievement in those fifteen days was undoubtedly passing the exam to earn the license to ride Absol.
On a vast plain, the silhouette of Absol ran at high speed, while Ethan Black, holding tightly to the fur collar around its neck with both hands, remained firmly seated on its back.
Whooosh!
The wind whistled in his ears as Absol crossed meadows, valleys, and forests, quickly leaving the Pokémon Riding License school behind.
"Wow, what Pokémon is that?!"
"It's unbelievably cool! I want one!"
At the entrance of the school, some students waiting for transportation couldn't help but exclaim in surprise at the sight of Absol.
Ethan Black heard those voices in the distance and smiled slightly, stroking Absol's soft fur with satisfaction.
Absol let out a cheerful growl and accelerated toward Ironvale City.
This time, Ethan Black was heading to Ironvale City to collect his monthly resource allotment.
On previous occasions, President Hamilton usually sent someone to deliver them, but now it was different: he had Absol as a new team member, and he also wanted to consult with the president about training for his other Pokémon.
And of course, with such an incredible mount as Absol, traveling to Ironvale City had become too convenient to resist.
In no time, thanks to Absol's speed, Ethan Black reached the outskirts of the city.
Since releasing Pokémon in public areas of Ironvale City was not allowed, he immediately stored Absol in its Poké Ball and continued on foot toward the Pokémon Research Guild.
"I didn't expect you to catch an Absol, such a rare Pokémon," President Hamilton said admiringly, surprised by Ethan Black's good fortune.
"President, I'm going to need a little guidance. I have no experience raising Dark-type Pokémon like Absol," Ethan Black said with a smile.
"No problem, release all your Pokémon," President Hamilton replied.
Ethan Black released his six Pokémon, except Shuckle.
"Hand me Shuckle's Poké Ball," President Hamilton requested with a smile. He took the Poké Ball and placed it in a nearby machine.
After pressing a button, the sphere opened and Shuckle appeared.
"So a Poké Ball can be opened with a device..." Ethan Black observed in surprise, recognizing human advances over the past two decades.
"Good, let's have your Pokémon demonstrate the results of their training," said President Hamilton as he set up several measuring devices in the area.
Ethan Black nodded and let Absol go first.
"Yes... its physical attack stats, speed, and reflexes are excellent. Also, the scythe on its head concentrates much of its energy; it could learn many horn-based charging moves," commented President Hamilton, giving several training recommendations and promising to find Dark-type moves for practice.
Next was Meltan's turn.
Bip, bip, bip...
As soon as it stepped onto the testing platform, an alarm sounded and the screens lit up in a deep purple.
"Does Meltan, in addition to being Steel-type, also have Poison-type?" President Hamilton asked, surprised.
"Ah, yes... it has a Toxic Orb inside it," Ethan Black explained.
"Toxic Orb!?" President Hamilton exclaimed alarmed.
Ethan Black then recounted the story of the Secret Kingdom in the Greenrock Mountain Breeding Zone and asked Meltan to spit out the Toxic Orb.
Tssss!
As soon as it touched the ground, a corrosion sound was heard, and a faint green smoke rose.
"Wow, that's some strong toxicity!" President Hamilton was astonished.
However, before he could examine it further, Meltan picked it up again and stored it, as if saying: "You can look, but don't touch."
"This Meltan really loves its Toxic Orb..." President Hamilton said, half-amused, half-resigned.
Under Ethan Black's guidance, Meltan demonstrated its Poison-type moves: Acid Armor and Toxic, which made President Hamilton's eyes light up.
"If you want to make full use of the Toxic Orb, I have a method," said President Hamilton as he checked his notebook for information.
He found a book titled Learning the Move Toxic Using a Toxic Orb.
"Here it is: you can use the Toxic Orb to teach a Pokémon the move Toxic!"
Ethan Black was surprised; he had thought of something like this when Meltan learned Toxic, but the risk was huge for any Pokémon that wasn't Steel-type.
President Hamilton reviewed the contents and commented, "It's a bit like a vaccine... but it only works on Grass-type Pokémon."
After explaining the procedure, he smiled: "If you want, I can help your Cacturne learn the move Toxic."
"Cacturne, it's up to you," said Ethan Black, calling it and explaining seriously.
Cacturne nodded without hesitation; it wasn't going to miss such a clear opportunity to get stronger.
(End of chapter)