After receiving an affirmative response from Ethan Black, Rachel Blake smiled slightly.
She then threw the Poké Ball she had in her hand, and a Pidgeot appeared on the field.
Next, Pidgeot lowered its body, allowing Rachel Blake to mount its back.
"This is my flying mount, Pidgeot. Let's go, it can take us to the area where the Shellder gather," Rachel Blake said as she mounted.
After giving her younger sister some instructions, she turned to Ethan Black and spoke.
Ethan Black nodded, and very carefully, he climbed onto Pidgeot's back.
Then, the bird flapped its wings strongly, and its body quickly rose into the sky.
It was Ethan Black's first time riding a Flying-type Pokémon, so he couldn't help but feel somewhat nervous. He could feel the wind constantly hitting him, and had no choice but to cling tightly to the feathers of Pidgeot.
The bird's speed was impressive. Before long, they had arrived at a shallow area and landed firmly on the ground.
"It seems you should find time to practice riding. If you want to be a Pokémon Hunter, you need to master that skill," Rachel Blake said with a laugh, watching as Ethan Black wobbled while dismounting, his legs shaky.
"Yeah, I definitely need to train that," Ethan Black nodded, patting his numb legs before standing up.
When his gaze shifted towards the beach in the distance, he was left speechless: the place was filled with Shellder!
These Shellder were similar in structure to clams. They had bodies covered by a hard shell with spikes on both halves, and eyes inside their soft, black mass, always sticking their tongues out.
"Wow... there are so many Shellder!" Ethan Black exclaimed, completely surprised.
"Ah, looks like these Shellder plan to make nests here," Rachel Blake commented with a soft smile. "The League had already planned to send Pokémon Hunters to evacuate them. When I saw it, I volunteered to handle the mission."
"With so many Shellder here, I'm sure I can find one that interests me," Ethan Black nodded excitedly, throwing a Poké Ball. Sandslash appeared on the field.
"Then I'll leave it to you. I'll make sure to protect you," Rachel Blake said firmly.
With her permission, Ethan Black led Sandslash to a dike in front of the beach.
"Alright, let's get started! Sandslash, use Sandstorm against the Shellder!"
Upon receiving the order, Sandslash nodded and, to Rachel Blake's surprise, spun around and unleashed a large sandstorm that covered the entire area.
Following Ethan Black's instructions, Sandslash minimized the damage from the attack, focusing on expanding the area of effect of the storm.
Upon feeling the sudden storm, the Shellder retreated into their shells, letting the sand hit their bodies as dry, constant cracking sounds could be heard—crack, crack, crack.
From the dike, Ethan Black watched carefully, scanning each Shellder, looking for one that didn't seem affected by the storm.
"None?" Ethan Black frowned, realizing he was getting dizzy from so much looking. "Looks like this method doesn't work for such a wide scan..."
"Ethan, look over there. There's a psychic energy wave," Rachel Blake intervened from behind.
Ethan Black jumped, and following Azumarill's direction, he indeed noticed that within the sandstorm, there was a psychic barrier standing. The sand was hitting it forcefully, making a dry sound.
"Leave it to me. Go, Xatu! Use Ally Switch with that Shellder that used the Barrier move!"
With Rachel Blake's command, a Xatu appeared in the open field.
Immediately, the psychic bird emitted a strong mental wave, then suddenly disappeared. In the spot where it had been, there was now a Shellder.
In the blink of an eye, Xatu reappeared farther away: it had just used the Teleport move.
The combo between Ally Switch and Teleport left Ethan Black astonished.
"The battle is now yours," Rachel Blake said as Xatu retreated to the rear, and she watched with interest.
"Understood," Ethan Black replied, focusing his attention on the Shellder in front of him.
The Shellder, forced out of its hiding place by the Ally Switch move, immediately sensed the danger. It quickly raised another defensive barrier in front of itself.
(End of chapter)