🎆 Happy New Year! 🎆
Thank you all for the amazing support throughout this year. 💙To celebrate the arrival of the new year, here is a special New Year code:
🎁 Code:NewYear: F3B16
📅 Code validity:
Start: December 30, 2025 at 11:55 p.m.
End: January 2, 2026 at 11:00 p.m.
Enjoy it and let's start this new year strong. 🚀✨Here's to an amazing 2026! 🎉
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Very soon, Ethan Black had completely swept through that forest.
But just as he was about to leave, at the distant entrance of the forest a huge figure suddenly appeared.
"Is that... an Ursaring?"
Seeing that familiar silhouette, Ethan Black was momentarily stunned, then turned his head to glance at the fallen Beedrill hives on the ground, a look of understanding appearing on his face.
"Rooar!"
At the same time, the Ursaring in the distance also noticed the disturbance in the area, letting out a furious roar; its eyes instantly dyed red.
Those damned intruders had destroyed its honey nursery! Unforgivable.
"Just as I thought... Beedrill honey is the deadliest temptation for an Ursaring. Most likely, these hives were raised by him personally."
Ethan Black arched his brows and took a slight step back, allowing his Pokémon to arrange themselves in battle formation.
"Meltan, this fight will be yours."
At once, Ethan Black made his decision. Just one look at Ursaring showed he wasn't an easy opponent; with Trapinch's current strength, facing him would be far too much.
"Zzzt!"
Hearing Ethan Black, Meltan cheerfully nodded, leaping out from among the crowd and curiously eyeing the Ursaring before him.
"Rooar!"
Ursaring locked onto him, then with another roar suddenly charged forward. Its arms glowed with a white radiance: it was the move Hammer Arm!
"Meltan, Flash Cannon!"
Ethan Black knew all too well the terror of Ursaring's close combat, so he immediately commanded a long-range attack to stop him.
Boom!
In Meltan's eyes appeared an unusual seriousness; silvery energy rapidly condensed in the hole of his nut, firing off a dazzling flash.
Boom!
In midair, Meltan's Flash Cannon violently collided with Ursaring's Hammer Arm. The clash of energies was so strong that Ursaring staggered back unsteadily.
"Rooar!"
Being blocked, the already irritable Ursaring erupted in fury. Orange energy began gathering in his mouth, forming a brilliant sphere. Orange particles of light rapidly condensed, releasing a terrifying pressure.
"It's Hyper Beam!"
"Meltan, use Acid Armor!"
Seeing his actions, Ethan Black's face grew solemn.
Boom!
In an instant, Ursaring unleashed Hyper Beam, a powerful orange ray that tore through the space and in the blink of an eye arrived before Meltan.
But Meltan was already prepared: his body dissolved into a silvery fluid and quickly seeped underground.
Boom!
The blast of Hyper Beam shook the entire terrain, tearing up the ground and exposing the bare earth.
"Meltan!"
Seeing the magnitude of the attack, Ethan Black's pupils contracted as he called out in worry.
"Zzzt!"
The response was Meltan's characteristic electronic sound, emerging once more from underground, gradually regaining his form.
"Well done! Now Ursaring is paralyzed from Hyper Beam's recoil. Go and use Mercury Mold!"
At his words, Meltan transformed into a sphere and rolled rapidly until he was right before Ursaring.
With a leap, his body spread open like a net, directly wrapping around the bear's neck.
Then, that liquid mercury-like body twisted into the shape of a rope, forcefully strangling Ursaring's throat.
"Rooar!"
Feeling himself trapped, Ursaring roared in rage, struggling to rip Meltan off with his hands.
"Use Toxic!"
Seeing Meltan latch on, Ethan Black revealed a confident smile.
Meltan activated his move. Thanks to the Toxic Orb within him, purple energy gathered in his tiny hands. They shifted shape into needles, stabbing into Ursaring's body and quickly injecting him with poison.
"Rooar!"
Feeling the poison spread through his body, Ursaring let out a roar of pain. A sickly purple began to spread across his form, blotching him with venomous spots.
"Zzzt!"
After the tactic succeeded, Meltan released his foe, hopped back in front of Ethan Black, and calmly watched Ursaring writhing on the ground.
"Roaar!"
"Roaar!"
Exhausted and poisoned, Ursaring let out a few more painful roars before staggering and fleeing into the trees, abandoning all thought of revenge.
"Let him go. A common Ursaring doesn't stir in me the desire to capture it."
"Besides, this Secret Kingdom is extremely well hidden. If it weren't for Absol and his ability to sense the entrance of Secret Kingdoms, I would never have found it. That's why it's best not to take any Pokémon from here. If anyone were to discover Absol's special ability, the consequences would be far too serious."
"As long as this place remains undisclosed, I can treat it as my secret base and come explore from time to time."
With those thoughts, Ethan Black looked toward the forest where Ursaring had vanished, clenched the Poké Ball in his hand, and then slowly lowered it.
"Absol, let's head toward the exit of the Secret Kingdom."
After once more clearing the battlefield, Ethan Black and his Pokémon resumed their exploration.
The rest was peaceful. With seven Pokémon at his side, no other dared to stand in their way. Sensing the strength of Sandslash and the others, the wild Pokémon fled far off, abandoning even their own territories.
Very soon, guided by Absol, Ethan Black found the exit of the Secret Kingdom amid a dense forest.
"The sky is about to darken. We'll end our exploration here for today."
"After all, this desert is dangerous; anything could happen. Better to be cautious."
"Anyway, this expedition has already yielded great rewards. With the nutritious juices Shuckle can ferment from the Berries we collected, my Pokémon will be able to further improve their physical condition."
Patting his backpack, already filled to the brim, Ethan Black looked at the sunset and smiled. With a command, Meltan activated his Magnet Pull ability to open the portal of the Secret Kingdom, and Ethan Black vanished in a flash.
(End of chapter)