🎆 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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Pa, pa, pa!
At that moment, sudden clapping was heard in the middle of the forest.
A man dressed in black slowly emerged from among the trees, with a Sneasel at his side.
"So, you really had me under surveillance?"
Ethan Black looked at the man in black before him with caution in his eyes.
"Sha!"
Sandslash, who had just finished off Persian, jumped back to Ethan Black's side, watching the newcomer with the same seriousness.
"Well done, boy. At first I thought a few wild Pokémon would be enough to bring you down, but I didn't expect I'd have to step in myself." The man's voice was hoarse.
"Wild Pokémon?"
Ethan Black's heart skipped a beat. His expression darkened as he glanced at the fallen Golbat, Persian, and the three Arbok on the ground.
If those Pokémon—strong as they were—turned out to be wild, then this man in black had to be even more dangerous!
"So then..."
"Will you come with me on your own, or do I have to take care of it myself?"
A mocking smile appeared on the man in black's face as a Poké Ball appeared in his hand.
"Go with you? Never!"
Ethan Black snorted coldly. The moment his words fell, Sandslash was already charging forward. His claws gleamed as they struck straight at the man in black's neck without a trace of mercy.
"Did he succeed?"
Ethan Black frowned at the sight of the motionless man in front of them.
But just as Sandslash's claws were about to strike, the shadow behind the man twisted strangely. A ghostly figure emerged, blocking Sandslash's attack.
"Gengar!"
Ethan Black's expression shifted as he recognized the Pokémon.
Gengar had a round, dark purple body, hands attached to its torso, a pair of legs, a short pointed tail, red eyes, spikes on its back, and a twisted, sinister, terrifying grin.
"Gengar, use Shadow Punch!"
After blocking Sandslash's strike, the man in black gave the command.
"Kekeke!"
Gengar let out a strange laugh, clenched its little claws into fists, and a ghostly energy condensed into a massive spectral fist.
"Sandslash, use Metal Spin (Rapid Spin + Metal Claw)!"
Sensing the power of the ghostly energy, Ethan Black's face tensed. Although he didn't know the exact strength of Shadow Punch, the sheer pressure radiating from it was terrifying.
Therefore, Sandslash held nothing back and responded with his strongest move.
Boom!
In midair, Shadow Punch and the combined move Metal Spin collided violently under Ethan Black's anxious gaze.
Swoosh!
The next instant, Sandslash was sent flying even faster than his charge, crashing into a boulder and shattering it into pieces.
"Sandslash!"
Ethan Black's face tightened.
"Sha!"
At his call, Sandslash quickly stood up, though with a grave expression, fixing his gaze on the enemy Gengar.
He could feel it: that Gengar was incredibly strong. Even if he gave his all, he probably wouldn't be able to win.
"He endured... not bad." The man in black's tone carried a hint of surprise.
"Hmph! This isn't over yet!"
"Cacturne, use Magical Roots!"
Ethan Black ordered coldly, gathering all his Pokémon around him.
At the same time, the Root Field that Cacturne had prepared activated, and countless roots sprouted around the man in black, seeking to wrap him completely.
Since he had shown hostility, Ethan Black had no intention of holding back.
"What a peculiar method of using roots!"
The man in black muttered in surprise as, with Gengar's help, he floated into the air.
"Kekeke!"
Gengar laughed eerily, and suddenly his body lit up with electric sparks. He used Thunderbolt to pulverize the roots surrounding him.
"Sandslash, use Sandstorm!"
Ethan Black held nothing back, immediately unveiling his sandstorm team strategy. A gust of sand enveloped the battlefield, covering the entire area.
"A sandstorm climate?"
The man in black raised an eyebrow and threw a Poké Ball. A white light flashed, and a Nidoking appeared.
"Roar!"
Nidoking roared furiously as it emerged, disdainfully shaking off the sand striking its body and glaring indifferently at Sandslash.
"Nidoking! Looks like this man in black is a trainer specialized in Poison-type Pokémon."
Ethan Black frowned. Just the thought of Poison-type trainers was already uncomfortable.
"Well then. Is it ready now?"
As Ethan Black prepared to carry out his strategy, he heard the man in black murmur quietly.
Suddenly, a terrifying psychic wave burst forth from the sky, transforming into a radiant multicolored light that covered the entire battlefield.
It was an instant, or perhaps an eternity.
When Ethan Black regained consciousness and slowly opened his eyes, he found himself inside a dark cave.
His heart tightened, but upon seeing his Pokémon still at his side, he breathed in relief.
"Where am I?"
He looked around cautiously.
"That mural... Slowpoke and Shellder?"
Suddenly, his eyes landed on the stone walls, where a mural clearly depicted Slowpoke and Shellder.
"And that object Slowpoke is holding in its hand... is that the King's Rock?"
Seeing the entire mural, Ethan Black's face abruptly changed.
The mural showed a Slowpoke lying on a slope, raising a crown in its hands, while a Shellder watched silently.
Slowpoke, Shellder, and the King's Rock... that represented the process of evolving into Slowking!
Slowpoke had two evolutionary methods: When joined with Shellder, it could evolve into Slowbro. Or, when holding the King's Rock and evolving through trade alongside Shellder, it could become Slowking.
Could it be that the mural depicted precisely the process of evolving into Slowking?
(End of chapter)