Cacnea's Ingrain move allows it to use roots to control a wide area. At the same time, those roots that sprout can also surround Cacnea's body, forming a defensive root field.
In fact, before deciding to capture Shellder, Ethan Black had already considered the idea of training Cacnea as a defensive core.
Because whenever Cacnea managed to generate a root-covered area, it could manipulate the roots to block enemy attacks.
Ethan Black had actually tested this. When dozens of roots tangled together, not even Alex Baxter's Magneton could easily break them with the Thunderbolt move!
That's why, in the root field generated by Cacnea, not only are attacks blocked, but it also prevents close-range opponents from advancing. It was a tactic that combined terrain control with defense!
Ethan Black wanted to train Cacnea in that direction as a defender, but there was one problem: in sandstorm conditions, its roots couldn't withstand environmental damage. And since his strategy relied on a sandstorm team, he had no choice but to seek another defensive core.
Also, generating that extensive root field required a lot of preparation time, and that was the main reason he abandoned the idea of using Cacnea as a defensive core.
However, now that he was building a double defense core strategy, Ethan Black reconsidered the possibility of using Cacnea as a secondary defensive support.
And the truth was, once he understood the key to the matter, his mind started to race: Cacnea and Shellder could complement each other perfectly!
Because what Cacnea needed most to deploy its root field was time, and Shellder, with its Barrier move, could provide just that.
And once Cacnea managed to establish its field, it could use its roots to protect Shellder, allowing it to transition from a defensive role to an offensive one.
In summary, the combination of Cacnea + Shellder was like building a fortress: Cacnea established the defense line, Shellder attacked from the rear, and Shellder's barrier also protected the rooted Cacnea, which couldn't move, preventing it from taking damage from long-range attacks.
Additionally, thanks to Shellder's Overcoat ability, Ethan Black could also avoid sandstorm damage. With this double defense, all he had to do was stay beside Cacnea and give orders.
"But this double-core strategy still has a big problem."
"If the enemy manages to break all the defenses and engage in close combat, neither Cacnea nor Shellder would have an effective way to defend themselves!"
On this matter, Ethan Black thought that if Cacnea evolved into Cacturne and learned the Spiky Shield move, maybe he could also train it for close combat, making the entire double-core system much more complete.
As his ideas took shape in his notebook, his eyes sparkled. He began refining his dual defense system.
And to materialize it, the most important thing was to train Shellder to become the primary defense core. That's why continuing to develop the use of Barrier was the priority.
In addition, Ethan Black had considered many ways to repair Shellder's shell, and the first one that came to mind was to evolve it into Cloyster.
But when he placed the Water Stone on Shellder, although he could see that it enjoyed the energy it emitted, the evolution light didn't activate.
Ethan Black suspected that Shellder wasn't ready to evolve yet, so he set that option aside for now.
He also thought about resorting to legends like Mew or Ho-Oh. Mew for its universal genes, and Ho-Oh for its resurrection power. Both could perhaps restore Shellder, but... that was simply daydreaming.
Not realistic at all!
After discarding those ideas, Ethan Black stopped worrying about it and focused on designing a plan to train Shellder as a special attacker.
For now, Shellder's only ranged attack was Water Gun, and if he wanted it to become a special attacker, that clearly wasn't enough.
Therefore, he planned to specifically train Shellder's ranged attacks, not just strengthening Water Gun, but also teaching it more Ice-type moves.
After all, in the games, Cloyster was known for its multiple attack capabilities and the Icicle Spear move, earning it the nickname "Dragon Slayer"!
Additionally, according to Ethan Black, Ice-type moves could also help control the terrain, and if combined with Cacnea's Ingrain move, the effect would be devastating!
Apart from training Water and Ice type moves, Ethan Black also planned to have Shellder train Aqua Ring.
This move creates a mantle of water around the body, allowing it to recover health each turn.
And its external ring form is ideal for use as part of the Counter Shield. If Shellder spun while using Aqua Ring as a shield, it could create a perfect move combining attack, defense, and recovery!
Additionally, this would allow it to mitigate its close combat weakness, giving it more tools to resist when facing close-range opponents.
Speaking of the Counter Shield, Ethan Black also wanted to document the training method for this peculiar technique.
In fact, the technique wasn't so hard to learn, the most complicated part was mastering the execution form and the key points of using strength.
On those two aspects, he already had a lot of data collected thanks to Sandslash, who had learned both the version with Sand Attack and the version with Rapid Spin.
Now, he planned to apply his method with Shellder. If Shellder managed to learn the Counter Shield technique with his method, that would prove its viability.
After that, he would send his training method to the Pokémon Research Guild for evaluation. And if it passed the review, he could publish it as a technique manual for sale!
That way, besides receiving royalties from the Pokémon Research Guild, he would also profit from the sales of the manual.
Just like singers when they release an album, the earnings could be quite considerable! And that would be more than enough to solve his current financial problems.
(End of chapter)