🎆 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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"Slowking, Shellder."
"Do you mean...?"
As he looked at the Poké Ball in his hand, Ethan Black's gaze couldn't help but shine.
"Yadon!"
Slowking looked at Ethan Black, its eyes narrowing happily as it nodded enthusiastically.
The Shellder on its head also turned slightly toward him, its eyes narrowing as well.
"Shellder..."
Ethan Black looked at Shellder, who had already changed form. He opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, and said: "Shellder, do you like being this way? If you want to return to your original appearance, I'll find a way to make it happen."
At Ethan Black's hesitation, Shellder blinked, then closed its eyes with a smile, slowly moving its head to show that it really liked its current form.
"Is that so? As long as you're happy, that's fine."
Ethan Black smiled faintly. In fact, many signs showed that Shellder really cared deeply for Slowpoke. Now, after Shellder's confirmation, his heart could finally rest.
Then he looked at Slowking, who had turned its head, and smiled softly: "So, from now on, pleased to work with you, Slowking."
"Yadon!"
Slowking nodded happily, even though it was the first time seeing this human.
But after evolving together with Shellder, the memories of both, filled with powerful psychic energy, had fused in the instant of evolution.
Because of that, thanks to Shellder's memories, Slowking already knew Ethan Black well and accepted him without hesitation as his trainer.
After obtaining Slowking's acknowledgment, Ethan Black took out the Poké Ball and placed it on Slowking's head. Immediately, a white flash enveloped it completely and absorbed it into the Poké Ball. It showed no resistance, and the red light on the central button disappeared.
"I've managed to capture Slowking."
Ethan Black clenched the Poké Ball in his hand and whispered it in his heart.
Then, his eyes swept across the place and he immediately stood up. Under these circumstances, the enemy could return at any moment, and he couldn't stay there any longer.
Moreover, Absol's condition was uncertain. He had to get to the Pokémon Center as soon as possible to have him checked.
"Right, I also have to report about the Dark Balls to the League."
Ethan Black carefully picked up some fragments of the Dark Ball left on the ground, then quickly ran toward the exit of the cave with his Pokémon.
But just as he passed through the entrance, a multicolored radiance suddenly enveloped him. When he realized it, he discovered he was suspended in the air!
"Slowking, come quickly to save me!"
Ethan Black panicked and immediately released Slowking.
"Yadon!"
As soon as it came out, Slowking's eyes glowed. It used its psychic powers to support both Ethan Black and itself, slowly descending them to the ground.
"Thank you, Slowking, and you too, Shellder."
Ethan Black smiled gratefully at both, making the two close their eyes in satisfaction.
"That was close... If Shellder and Slowpoke hadn't evolved into Slowking, and if Absol hadn't been there, I probably would've been done for."
"The Dark Balls and those evil organizations... This world is far from being as peaceful as it seems. To survive well, I need to become stronger!"
Ethan Black lifted his gaze toward the Secret Kingdom passage in the sky, etched it into his heart, and took a deep breath before running back toward Ironvale City.
...
Half a day later, after a long walk, Ethan Black finally arrived in Ironvale City.
The first thing he did was go to the city's Pokémon Researcher Guild, in search of President Hamilton.
"Ethan, what brings you here?"
Seeing Ethan Black's somewhat tired face, President Hamilton asked in puzzlement.
"President, please help me check Absol."
Ethan Black quickly spoke, and released Absol, who was still unconscious.
"Hmm?"
"This ominous aura..."
"Could it be that you ran into members of the Dark League?"
Sensing the traces of dark energy emanating from Absol's body, President Hamilton's face instantly turned serious.
"President, you know about those people?"
Surprised, Ethan Black told him everything about the two men in black.
"Absol absorbed the energy of the Dark Balls?!"
After hearing the explanation, President Hamilton realized the gravity of the situation. He immediately asked Ethan Black to return Absol to his Poké Ball and called out his Pidgeot, planning to take him directly to the Sky Secret Kingdom.
That place was the headquarters of the Pokémon Researcher Guild, where the country's best researchers gathered. Perhaps there they could find a way to eliminate the dark energy inside Absol.
Fwoosh!
Pidgeot soared at high speed, carrying President Hamilton and Ethan Black swiftly into the sky, heading toward the Sky Secret Kingdom.
At the main headquarters of the Pokémon Researcher Guild, the grand president Beckett was already waiting for them. As soon as Ethan Black arrived, he took Absol's Poké Ball and brought it immediately into the laboratory.
"This is incredible!"
"The mysterious energy within Absol... it can absorb dark power!"
After a series of tests in the laboratory, exclamations of surprise rang out. No one expected that Absol wasn't being consumed by the dark energy—but was devouring it!
"President, will Absol be okay?" Ethan Black asked worriedly.
"From what we see now, Absol doesn't have any major problems."
"Although it absorbed a large amount of dark energy, it seems to possess some kind of mysterious force that suppresses and assimilates it."
Grand President Beckett let out a sigh of relief, looked over the data in his hands, and patted Ethan Black's shoulder to reassure him.
"A mysterious force?" Ethan Black hesitated for a moment, then said: "President, during training, I discovered that Absol has a special ability."
"A special ability in Absol?!" Grand President Beckett's eyes shone with surprise.
"Yes. I call it Justified. When it receives a Dark-type attack, it increases its own offensive power. President, do you think this ability is related to that mysterious force?"
At this, Grand President Beckett's eyes shone even brighter. If what Ethan Black said was true, then the ability Justified could be the best means to counter dark energy!
(End of chapter)