"It seems that fame does, in the end, serve some purpose."
At that moment, beneath the infinite sky, Vibrava was carrying Ethan as they flew.
Ethan looked at the Martial Arts Tournament champion medal in his hand and smiled faintly.
Although a champion's medal and the prize no longer meant much to Ethan...
For Cacturne, on the other hand, this was the best possible reward for all the training during this time.
With the end of the Martial Arts Tournament, Cacturne's recent training had also come to a perfect conclusion.
"The advanced application of the move Ingrain, the development of the ability Water Absorb, and close-combat training."
"Now that these three development paths of Cacturne are complete, the next step will be to merge them into one."
Ethan smiled slightly. He had long since planned Cacturne's subsequent training; from now on, everything would depend on Cacturne's own effort.
"I don't know how Sandslash's and Charizard's training is going. And also Slowking and Lucario, who are training with President Beckett. Adding in Cacturne, Meltan, and Vibrava who are with me..."
"These seven should be my Pokémon with the greatest potential and, most likely, the main core with which I'll participate in the world tournament."
"As for the other Pokémon, although they're not bad, they still need more polishing if they want to reach the world stage."
Ethan reviewed the information of the Pokémon he had in his mind, intending to continue improving his strength before the world tournament began.
At the same time, this was also a test for all of them: only those whose strength truly reached the level of core team members would be taken to the world tournament.
"The next step will be the trip to Dragon Valley..."
Ethan took out his notebook and checked the itinerary he had planned.
After the Martial Arts Tournament concluded in November, the Dragon Clan Festival would begin in late December.
After the festival, the professional Pokémon Hunter exam would arrive, and in March the competition for spots in the world tournament would be held.
In his notebook, the calendar was completely filled, and the next destination was undoubtedly Dragon Valley.
"This Dragon Clan Festival is an exceptional opportunity."
"If I can earn the recognition of some Dragon-type Pokémon, perhaps I can add another strong member to my main team. Generally speaking, trainers prepare six absolute main Pokémon to compete, along with two or three substitutes."
Ethan reflected silently. Before heading to Dragon Valley, he would still need to return to the mobile Secret Kingdom in the Tarkaan Desert and to the headquarters of the Pokémon Researchers' Guild to pick up the Pokémon he planned to take on this journey.
Fuuu, fuuu~
Vibrava flew swiftly and with complete stability.
After using the move Tailwind, Vibrava looked like a glider, smoothly sliding through the air.
Thanks to its Levitate ability and its control over the wind, Ethan felt no obstruction throughout the entire journey; the trip was as relaxing as going out for a casual stroll.
After flying for more than a day, Ethan finally returned to the Tarkaan Desert and, with Meltan's help, entered the mobile Secret Kingdom.
Inside the Secret Kingdom, the Pokémon were living extremely comfortably: eating, sleeping, eating again... The mountains of Smooth Rocks that had once been piled up like hills had mostly been absorbed, leaving only scattered fragments now.
In contrast, the aura of Sandslash and the others had increased noticeably; all of them contained an enormous amount of energy inside, waiting to be digested.
When Ethan entered the cave, Sandslash and the others immediately opened their eyes, their expressions filled with joy.
"Cac!"
Seeing his companions again after so long, Cacturne also cried out excitedly.
The other Pokémon quickly gathered around, and before long the place was filled with laughter and noise.
"It's been a long time, Tyranitar. Thanks for taking care of Sandslash and the others during this time."
Ethan smiled and spoke to Tyranitar, who was still excavating minerals off to the side.
"Tyran!"
Tyranitar waved his hand casually.
Then, it casually tore a chunk of Smooth Rock from the wall and stuffed it into its mouth, chewing it with a dry crunch.
Seeing this, Ethan raised an eyebrow. After eating so many Smooth Rocks, who knew how much energy Tyranitar was now storing in its body.
Even so, although Tyranitar had an enormous amount of energy, it was clear that it had not yet fully digested it.
"Tyranitar, do you remember what I told you?"
With a slight smile, Ethan looked at it with a serious expression.
Tyranitar was startled and turned its gaze toward Ethan.
It remembered that Ethan had said he could make it even stronger... even allow it to evolve once more.
Could it really evolve again?
Was that even possible?
"Then, do you think Rhydon can still evolve?"
Ethan smiled faintly and, instead of answering directly, pointed at Rhydon.
"Tyran (Rhydon)?"
Tyranitar tilted its head and thought carefully.
In the mobile Secret Kingdom also lived Rock- and Ground-type Rhydon, and they were one of the most powerful tribes in the area.
However, it could not recall ever seeing an evolutionary form stronger than Rhydon.
It had lived for a very long time.
And even so, it was certain that Rhydon had no evolution.
"I'll give you the answer now."
The corner of Ethan's lips curved slightly.
Next, he suddenly took out the item Protector, which he had kept in his backpack for a very long time.
"This item is called Protector, and it's an item created by humans. And it allows Rhydon to complete a new evolution."
When Ethan finished speaking, Rhydon had already stepped forward, its gaze filled with longing.
Ethan had spoken to it before about evolution, and after absorbing a large quantity of Smooth Rocks, Rhydon had accumulated an enormous amount of energy in its body.
Ethan planned to use the evolution to allow Rhydon to digest all that energy in one go.
"Are you ready?"
Ethan handed the Protector to Rhydon.
"Rhhydodnn!"
Rhydon roared excitedly.
"Protector and also trade by connection..."
"Meltan, now it depends on you. Use the Spatial Magnetic Field."
Ethan murmured to himself and spoke to Meltan.
"Zzzt!"
Meltan nodded and began releasing an intense magnetic field from its entire body.
Boom!
At the same time, Rhydon, holding the Protector, suddenly burst into an intense white light that enveloped its entire body.
(End of chapter)