"Cacturne accidentally awakened the hidden ability that was inside him!"
That was the conclusion Ethan reached after sorting out all the causes and consequences.
It was clear that the water absorption capacity Cacturne's roots had shown earlier came from the hidden ability Water Absorb, which had been dormant within him.
Because he lived in an extremely dry environment like the desert, Cacturne had already partially activated his hidden ability, which had granted him that water-absorbing capability beforehand.
And now, the extremely dense water-type energy contained in the vein of Water Stones had been the final key that broke the seal and allowed the hidden ability Water Absorb to fully activate.
"What a shame... by awakening Water Absorb, it seems that Cacturne's ability Sand Veil disappeared."
After the initial surprise, Ethan immediately recalled the loss of Sand Veil and frowned slightly. Then he looked at his team and realized that his Sandstorm team seemed to be drifting further and further away...
In his current team, aside from Sandslash, Meltan, and Vibrava, Cacturne, Slowking, and Charmander couldn't be considered true sand-team members.
However, with the powerful move Ingrain and his incredible recovery ability, Cacturne could still stand firm under the storm, which gave Ethan some relief.
"Yadon!"
As Ethan returned from his thoughts, he heard Slowking emit a soft sound.
Then, a new burst of water formed in its mouth and was fired directly at Cacturne.
Cacturne hesitated for an instant... but stepped forward to face the attack head-on.
Once again, when the Hydro Pump struck him, it was completely absorbed.
"Yadon?"
Slowking was confused.
Then it used Water Gun and Water Pulse, but all of them were absorbed without exception.
After absorbing several attacks, Cacturne's face showed delight. Evidently, the Water Absorb ability not only converted damage into energy, but also restored his vitality.
"Yadon..."
Slowking's eyes showed reflection.
Then it raised its hand and used Psychic.
As expected, Cacturne ignored it completely.
Seeing this, Ethan was stunned for a moment before reacting.
With his Dark typing and now Water Absorb... Cacturne was the absolute nemesis of Water- and Psychic-type Pokémon!
"Cac!"
Cacturne smiled happily.
The outcome of the battle was obvious: Cacturne achieved a crushing victory.
Even Sandslash was so shocked that he spat out the Berry juice he was drinking, something that made Ethan's heart clench at the waste.
Sandslash was completely baffled. He didn't know Cacturne had awakened his hidden ability, so he thought Cacturne had simply increased his striking power, even surpassing Slowking.
With that thought, Sandslash immediately lost his appetite. Then he put down the roasted chicken wing he was eating, walked seriously toward Cacturne... and challenged him!
Cacturne, a bit inflated after his victory, accepted without thinking.
... And he was completely beaten up and left with his face a total mess.
"So it was all just for show... I almost had a heart attack," thought Sandslash as he picked up his chicken wing with a satisfied expression.
Ethan could only shake his head. The change from Sand Veil to Water Absorb hadn't made Cacturne that much stronger... except for his massive advantage against Water-type Pokémon.
After that, Ethan gathered all his Pokémon and explained the situation of the hidden ability awakening, which finally made everyone understand.
Slowking let out a sigh of relief. So it's not that I got weaker—he just perfectly counters me!
Cacturne, with his face swollen after Sandslash's beating, also understood the situation and sighed. It seemed he had gotten a bit too carried away.
The other Pokémon began wondering: If Cacturne could awaken a hidden ability... could they as well?
Ethan thought about that too and mentally reviewed their abilities.
Sandslash had Sand Rush, his hidden ability, which doubled his speed under a sandstorm. It was perfect for him.
Slowking had Regenerator, also a hidden ability, which accelerated his recovery. Essential for maintaining his role on the sand team.
Meltan and Vibrava had Magnet Pull and Levitate respectively, and both species only had a single natural ability, so there was nothing to modify.
Even so, seeing what happened with Cacturne, Ethan couldn't help thinking...
Was it possible that those species had yet undiscovered hidden abilities?
Maybe they simply hadn't evolved or mutated in a way that revealed them?
He could only speculate. When he traveled to this world, Pokémon was only up to the seventh generation. He had heard that future generations were already planned, but he didn't know whether hidden abilities for those Pokémon would exist in them.
There were also: Shuckle with Gluttony, Absol with Justified, Charmander with Solar Power, and Kingdra with Sniper.
Even if not all of them were hidden abilities, they were extremely suitable for each one, and Ethan had already designed specific training plans to maximize them. There was no need for changes.
This was also related to his strict philosophy in choosing Pokémon: few, but elite. Never choose a mediocre one.
Afterward, Ethan began reviewing how his Pokémon were developing their abilities. All of them had progressed very well, managing to exploit those abilities to the fullest in real combat.
Meltan had developed his control over electromagnetic fields thanks to Magnet Pull. Vibrava had achieved an extremely light weight thanks to Levitate. Shuckle had taken advantage of Gluttony to enhance the energy from Berries.
But what truly surprised Ethan was Cacturne: he had just awakened Water Absorb... and was already using it exceptionally well!
Not only did his roots possess a terrifying absorption capacity, but he could even use the move Absorb to take in water directly.
(End of chapter)