After discovering Cacnea's use of the move Ingrain, Ethan Black focused all his energy on developing this move further.
While studying it, he suddenly remembered an episode from the Sinnoh saga (the episode with the lone Snover), where a wild Snover also used the move Ingrain.
In that episode, Snover used Ingrain to make large, light brown roots sprout from the ground, which wrapped around Ash and his friends, even lifting them off the ground!
Inspired by this, and combining it with Cacnea's ability to rapidly grow its roots, he developed a new way to use the move Ingrain.
Under Ethan Black's development, Cacnea now had four distinct ways to use the move Ingrain:
Basic energy recovery, the most common use of the move.
Absorbing moisture from the nearby soil, causing desertification in the terrain.
Making the roots grow quickly to spread across the ground and entangle the enemy like vines.
After trapping the enemy with the roots, it can use the move Absorb through them, draining energy from the opponent and causing the roots to grow even more.
When Cacnea defeated the enemy Corphish using Ingrain, the other Corphish on the other fronts were also taken out.
Seeing this, Ethan Black and the others quickly took out the special Poké Balls the League had provided and captured all the remaining Corphish.
These Pokémon could be exchanged for League contribution points, so no one missed the opportunity to capture all they could.
In a matter of minutes, thanks to the powerful teamwork between Ethan Black and the leaders of the Pokémon Nightstar Club, they swept through all the wild Water-type Pokémon in the area. It didn't take long for them to fill their backpacks with Poké Balls.
The way Cacnea used the move Ingrain surprised the leaders of the Pokémon Nightstar Club, who couldn't help but cast astonished glances at him.
First, it had been the combined move with Sandslash, and now this new way of using Ingrain with Cacnea.
In the eyes of everyone, Ethan Black had become a training genius. Some leaders of the Pokémon Nightstar Club even couldn't resist and approached him to ask for advice on how to raise Pokémon.
Even Rachel Blake, the Pokémon Hunter, couldn't help but look at Ethan Black with new eyes. There was a gleam in her pupils... as if she was already plotting something.
Soon after, having cleared the area, the group quickly advanced toward Ashfield City. Along the way, they visited several League supply stations, picking up and handing over more Poké Balls with captured Pokémon in exchange for more contribution points.
During that time, Ethan Black checked the list of rewards that could be obtained with contribution points, and he discovered that there were not only food and supplements for Pokémon, but also eggs, evolution stones, and rare items.
But when he saw the prices of the rare items, he was taken aback. For each Pokémon turned in, they only earned 100 points. At that rate, accumulating enough to obtain a rare item seemed like an impossible task!
However, he knew that this way of earning points was unsustainable. Only by becoming a true Pokémon Hunter, participating in expeditions to Secret Kingdoms, could he accumulate large amounts of points.
After carefully analyzing the list, he exchanged his points for food and Pokémon supplements.
Since they were in a disaster zone, the League offered significant discounts on these products, which allowed him to fill his backpack with supplies.
After preparing, Rachel Blake led the group again. On the way, they were occasionally attacked by some wild Pokémon, but they managed to handle them with ease.
Some of the leaders from the Pokémon Nightstar Club took advantage of the situation to capture Pokémon that interested them, further strengthening the team.
For her part, Rachel Blake, seeking to have everyone train, didn't directly participate in the battles. She only allowed her Azumarill to occasionally use Water Sport to slow down some shockwaves.
But it was that very move that surprised Ethan Black. Azumarill manipulated the water to form a liquid shield that enveloped the entire group.
A move as simple as Water Sport had been transformed into a kind of protective barrier! This made Ethan Black see the differences between the game and the real world with new eyes.
Many moves that were not considered strong in the video games, if developed properly by the trainer, could reach extraordinary potential.
Azumarill's Water Sport move had transcended its original effect, giving rise to multiple alternative uses.
The same was true for Cacnea's Ingrain move, and in the anime, even Ash had developed a similar technique: Counter Shield.
"I saw a lot of Shellder in the pictures... how is it that there are none now?" murmured Ethan Black, a bit frustrated.
Along the way, he searched constantly for Shellder but hadn't seen a single one yet.
Instead, what they found the most were Carvanha, Tentacool, and Corphish, all aggressive Pokémon.
Shellder, being calmer, was much harder to find. Many of them were likely hiding under the water.
"Ethan, what Pokémon are you looking for exactly?" Rachel Blake asked, noticing his persistence, remembering that he had come with the intention of capturing a Water-type Pokémon.
"I have a Water Stone, so I came to catch a Shellder," Ethan Black responded after hesitating for a moment.
"A Cloyster, then?"
"Do you want to use Cloyster as a defensive core?"
Rachel Blake's eyes lit up for a moment, as if she already imagined the plan.
"I have some ideas," Ethan Black didn't deny it.
After all, his plan was to train Shellder to become a defensive Pokémon, so there was no reason to hide it.
"Cloyster can learn the move Barrier, it's perfect for that role," Rachel Blake said, nodding in approval.
Ethan Black was slightly surprised by Rachel Blake's knowledge of Pokémon. It was no wonder she was a professional hunter; she knew much more than any average trainer.
(End of chapter)