🎆 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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At night.
Ethan Black returned to the dormitory accompanied by all his Pokémon.
"Absol, welcome back."
Inside the room, Ethan Black released his seven Pokémon.
"Abbssss!"
Absol happily nodded and rubbed his head against Ethan Black.
"Yadon!"
Upon seeing Absol, Slowking eagerly approached; it seemed like he wanted to thank him for saving him in the past.
Absol immediately responded as well, and their relationship suddenly grew closer.
The other Pokémon, upon seeing this, also came over, and soon everyone was playing together in a lively, harmonious atmosphere.
Ethan Black smiled faintly at the scene. He didn't want to interrupt them, so, taking in his hands the book "Breeding Guide for the Slowpoke Evolutionary Line", he sat at the desk, turned on the lamp, and began to study carefully.
It was evident from the book's contents that the Slowpoke Breeding Center had done very deep research. A large number of training and breeding methods were recorded there, from moves to daily care.
"It seems that this time the Slowpoke Breeding Center really spent a huge sum," Ethan Black thought.
But considering that a member of the Dark League had appeared within their family, it wouldn't be easy for them to clear themselves of suspicion. So, to clean their name, they had to pay this price. Otherwise, if their ties with the Dark League were confirmed, the entire family would be finished.
"I guess I've gained quite the advantage," he murmured with a smile. "Though from now on, I must be more cautious. This place is no longer the safest in the world like before."
He silently warned himself: he had to always stay on guard.
Just like in the "Strongest Shellder Tournament" that had just taken place at the Slowpoke Breeding Center—the purpose behind it was far too obvious!
In fact, after it ended, word had already spread that someone sold their Shellder for an extremely high price.
"It's better to tread carefully from here on," Ethan Black concluded.
"Besides, after this, people from the Dark League will surely keep an eye on me. It's best to stay low-profile, especially with the existence of Slowking... unless it's absolutely necessary, I should avoid showing him in public."
A sense of crisis rose in his heart. And to face that threat, the only thing he could do now was desperately increase his strength.
Taking a deep breath, Ethan Black took a sip of the nutritious juice Shuckle had prepared for him. Then he asked Slowking to use Heal Pulse, and soon, with renewed energy, he dove back into the ocean of books.
"I see... the training of the Slowpoke evolutionary line is mainly based on the move Calm Mind."
Reading the Breeding Guide for the Slowpoke Evolutionary Line proved very rewarding.
Normally, although Slowpoke seemed distracted all the time, in reality they were practicing Calm Mind through a kind of deep meditation.
The research team of the breeding center had spent more than ten years developing a method especially suited for them, centered on the move Calm Mind.
Of course, this method was also applicable to Slowbro. The question was whether Slowking, as another evolutionary branch of Slowpoke, would also be able to adapt.
"But... this is so complicated, why don't I understand anything?" Ethan Black frowned.
After rereading the descriptions of Calm Mind several times, the words still seemed incomprehensible, as if he were reading a book in another language.
"Ehem... Slowking, can you come here for a moment?"
With no other choice, Ethan Black decided to read the Calm Mind instructions aloud for Slowking to hear.
"Yadon!"
As he listened, Slowking placed his claw under his chin in thought, tilted his head, and then suddenly sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and remained still.
"Eh? Don't tell me he's already using Calm Mind?"
Ethan Black blinked in disbelief. Sure, Slowking was very intelligent, but... to learn the breeding center's method so quickly? That was too much.
However, the next instant, his guess was confirmed: Slowking's body began to emit faint psychic waves. He had truly entered a state of meditation!
"Great, another case of the Pokémon being smarter than the trainer," Ethan Black laughed. "Looks like from now on I just need to be Slowking's accessory."
He couldn't help but feel happy. After all, who doesn't like having a big boss to carry you to victory?
"Cac!"
Seeing Slowking in that monk-like meditative posture, Cacturne curiously came closer.
"Sha!"
Meanwhile, Sandslash noticed the energy fluctuations emanating from Slowking, and his eyes sharpened.
Then, he found an empty space, slightly closed his eyes, and in the next moment, snapped them open: his body began to be covered in steel-type energy, a faint metallic light enveloping his short tail.
In no time, the tail was completely coated with that metallic glow: if he released the energy at that moment, it would be the move Iron Tail.
But Sandslash didn't stop there. Instead of discharging the energy, he tried to slowly spread that metallic light across his back.
This was precisely the training Sandslash had been practicing all this time: striving to envelop his entire body with steel-type energy, in order to awaken the hidden steel genes sleeping within him.
Professor Harris's Rhyhorn had used a similar method: covering its entire body with rock-type energy and, through constant charges, integrating that energy into its organism.
According to Ethan Black's hypothesis, Rhyhorn had activated Rhyperior's genes this way. Then he thought: if Sandslash could mutate into its Alolan form, wouldn't that mean it had both ice-type and steel-type genes?
Therefore, if he covered his whole body with steel-type energy and integrated it through collisions, couldn't he awaken his hidden steel-type genes?
Although this theory was only Ethan Black's speculation, Sandslash firmly believed in it and trained with absolute determination.
And even if he never managed to activate those hidden genes, his body would still keep strengthening. Over time, even without awakening the steel type, he would surely end up forging true muscles and bones of steel.
(End of chapter)