Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, a day had already gone by.
After a full day of research, Professor Harris finally confirmed the existence of the Overcoat ability!
And thanks to the data he gathered, he also made many interesting discoveries, which he said would be of great help in his research on sandstorm weather.
After dinner, Professor Harris returned to the lab, full of excitement to continue his study, and during that process, he also contacted Alex Baxter to come and assist him.
As soon as he received Professor Harris's call, Alex Baxter hurried over. After greeting Ethan Black briefly, he plunged straight into the lab, which left Ethan Black a little resigned.
Later that night, Ethan Black returned to his room accompanied by his three small Pokémon, all of them visibly content.
Ignoring the three Pokémon who were playing lively, Ethan Black sat at the desk and pulled out the two notebooks Rachel Blake had given him.
Looking at the titles on the table—Notes on Training Xatu and Notes on Training Water-type Pokémon—Ethan Black thought for a moment, then picked up the one about Xatu to start reading.
This notebook contained the entire raising process that Rachel Blake had carried out with Xatu, and her experiences in training Psychic- and Flying-type Pokémon pleasantly surprised Ethan Black.
Undoubtedly, studying this material thoroughly would be of great help in raising Pokémon of those two types.
However, much to his regret, the notebook didn't include any training methods for Psychic-type moves.
And indeed, Psychic-type moves were extremely complex. Many moves that seemed insignificant in the games could have terrifying effects in real life.
The clearest examples were the moves Teleport and Future Sight.
The way these moves functioned was something that current human science simply couldn't comprehend.
"What a pity... If possible, I'd like Shellder to learn Reflect," Ethan Black sighed.
In the games, the move Reflect allowed one to reduce physical attack damage for five turns by means of a magical barrier.
And in Ethan Black's idea, if he could integrate Reflect's effect into the move Barrier, then its endurance could be greatly enhanced.
In that case, Shellder's Barrier would be solid enough to turn it into a true defensive wall!
But of course, Psychic-type moves were already the rarest of all, and finding a way to teach one was extremely difficult.
After skimming through the Notes on Training Xatu, Ethan Black picked up the other notebook, the one about Water-types, and began flipping through it.
Compared to Psychic-type Pokémon, Water-types were much easier to train. On top of that, Rachel Blake was an expert in that type, so her notes were full of ideas and advice that left Ethan Black impressed.
"Looks like I owe her a big favor this time..."
At the same time, Ethan Black couldn't help but sigh. He understood that in the upcoming National Pokémon Club Tournament, he would have to give it his all.
Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Ethan Black opened the notebook to the page dedicated to Shellder.
Perhaps because Rachel Blake had never raised one, most of the information there seemed to have been compiled from various sources and was somewhat sparse. Still, it allowed Ethan Black to form a preliminary training plan.
Moreover, this notebook didn't just contain basic raising methods for Water-type Pokémon, but also very practical ways of training certain Water- and Ice-type moves.
Among them were the Ice-type moves Ice Beam and Ice Punch, as well as the Water-type moves Water Gun, Hydro Pump, and Water Pulse.
And in fact, the moves Ice Beam, Hydro Pump, and Water Pulse were precisely the ones Ethan Black planned for Shellder to master in the future.
Unfortunately, one of Shellder's signature moves—Icicle Crash—wasn't included in these notes.
Seeing that, Ethan Black sighed again. He understood he would have to find a way to teach it on his own. After all, that move was essential for Shellder to stand out as a true "Dragon Slayer."
Without Icicle Crash, what kind of "Dragon Slayer" would Shellder be?
Thinking of this, a faint smile appeared on his face. Then he continued reading the notebook while jotting down ideas into another one with his pen.
Time flew by, and after several hours, he already held a preliminary training plan for Shellder in his hands.
Reviewing it carefully once more, Ethan Black nodded in satisfaction, then looked at Shellder, who was at his side, and his gaze rested on the cracks in its shell.
That matter of the cracks was something Ethan Black had asked Professor Harris about during dinner.
But even someone as erudite as Professor Harris didn't have a clear solution for it, which was disappointing for Ethan Black.
"I've already figured out Shellder's training method... Now what's next is to find food for Water- and Psychic-type Pokémon, and repair the cracks in its shell."
As for how to repair the shell, the only thing Ethan Black could think of was through evolution.
Regarding why Shellder hadn't evolved upon contact with the Water Stone, he had also asked Professor Harris. The answer was that its strength still wasn't enough.
It turned out that, in this real world, Pokémon that evolve with stones don't do so automatically upon contact. Factors such as their strength level or the stone's quality also played a role.
And even though the Water Stone Ethan Black had came from the treasure vault of Ironvale City's Pokémon University and was of the highest quality, the problem surely lay within Shellder itself.
That's why Ethan Black wasn't in a rush. He only needed Shellder to grow stronger, and then evolution would come naturally.
"Looks like the first thing I need to solve now is the issue of food for Water- and Psychic-types."
He murmured to himself while recalling the Slowpoke ranch Rachel Blake had mentioned.
"Maybe... I can trade the method of evolving Slowking for that kind of food."
Ethan Black's eyes lit up at this thought. It was quite a viable idea, and it had a high chance of success.
The only problem was how to explain that he knew how to evolve Slowking.
Unless he personally raised a Slowking, there really wasn't any logical way to justify that he knew of its existence...
(End of chapter)