"At last... the leader of the Seadra is mine."
As he watched Seadra being absorbed into the Poké Ball, Ethan let out a long sigh of relief.
"Congratulations, Ethan."
Beneath his diving suit, Derek Ashford's face looked more bitter than if he were crying.
After successfully capturing Seadra, Ethan no longer felt like staying underwater, so he quickly returned to the surface along with Derek.
Then, accompanied by him, he went to the breeding center's administrative office to register his new Pokémon. Thanks to Derek's status as a young master, the entire fee was waived.
Under the resentful gazes of the staff, Derek escorted Ethan out of the breeding center, and riding once again on Feraligatr, they returned to the opposite shore.
"Ethan, are you sure you don't want to stop by my place for a bit?"
Standing on the beach, Derek looked at him, dark lines covering his face—surely this guy didn't plan to disappear after taking advantage of him, right?
"Next time. I really have something important to do now."
Ethan apologized sincerely. Now that he had both the Dragon Scale and Seadra, he was eager to evolve it into Kingdra and gain entry into Dragon Valley, which would also help his Trapinch evolve successfully.
"All right, but don't forget. You promised to help me with something—don't play dumb later."
Derek emphasized, afraid that Ethan might back out.
"A small matter," Ethan said, stressing those two words.
After saying goodbye, Ethan mounted Pidgeot and flew toward Ironvale City.
"Good work, Pidgeot. Go rest."
Stopping on the outskirts of the city, he fed it some Pokémon food before returning it to its Poké Ball and locking it again.
Then, instead of heading into the city, he released Absol and rode on its back toward the distant forests.
It's worth mentioning that around that time, the Pokémon Researchers' Guild had discovered that Growlithe could also possess the ability Justified. Because of that, the president and researchers decided to focus their studies on that species instead.
After all, compared to Absol, Growlithe were far more common, allowing them to better eliminate individual variations.
Thanks to that, Absol was finally enjoying a long vacation, and Ethan no longer had to spend all his time in the Sky Secret Kingdom with him.
"We're here. This is the place."
"Come out, Meltan. Open the entrance."
Arriving at the spot Absol had found earlier—the one he himself had named the Secret Base—Ethan released Meltan, who used its magnetic spatial power to open the entrance to the small Secret Kingdom.
"Come out, Sandslash, Cacturne, Slowking, and Trapinch."
For safety, Ethan released his other four Pokémon before carefully stepping inside the hidden realm.
Everything seemed peaceful.
Although the League had technology capable of detecting and opening Secret Kingdoms, that capability was limited to large organizations. Besides, exploration detectors had a very short range. A Secret Kingdom this small, hidden in such a remote location... no one would waste expensive equipment scanning this desolate area.
"This place is perfect as a secret base."
Ethan thought with satisfaction and released Charmander and Shuckle as well.
The advantage of having a secret base was that he could do whatever he wanted without worrying about being discovered.
"And now, you..."
"Come out, Seadra."
In front of a small lake within the realm, Ethan released the newly captured Seadra.
Indeed, the fact that he could release it without any problem confirmed his suspicion: he could have nine active Pokémon at once—three more slots still available.
"Seeeaadd!"
As soon as it appeared, Seadra surveyed its surroundings with a defiant air.
"Seadra, now that I've caught you..."
"Do you acknowledge me as your Trainer?"
Ethan looked at it steadily, speaking calmly.
As he finished, Slowking moved closer to stand by his side.
Seadra looked first at Ethan, then at Slowking, remaining silent.
"I know you can't accept it right away, but tell me—do you want to become stronger?"
"If you decide to stay with me, I'll make you as powerful as they are."
Ethan knew Seadra couldn't easily accept a new Trainer, so he used the strongest incentive there was—the promise of power.
As he expected, Seadra's eyes gleamed with a faint spark.
Then it looked at Ethan's other Pokémon. It could sense that, except for Shuckle, Trapinch, and Charmander, all the others radiated an aura far more powerful than its own.
After observing them carefully, Seadra lifted its gaze with a serious expression, as if to say: And how do you plan to make me stronger?
"I can make you evolve once more... into the supreme king of Seadra."
Upon hearing that, Seadra's eyes filled with confusion. Could its species really evolve again?
"You don't believe me?"
"Then just try trusting me. After all, you've got nothing to lose."
Ethan smiled faintly, and Seadra's expression shifted several times.
Finally, it made its decision—it lowered its head in submission. Just as Ethan had said, there was nothing to lose.
"Welcome to my team. Don't worry, I'll train you with everything I've got."
Ethan smiled and took out a large amount of Pokémon food, determined to reward everyone and celebrate Seadra's arrival.
As soon as he began pulling out endless supplies of food from his new dimensional bag, the gluttonous Sandslash was the first to pounce, drooling with excitement.
Soon, the delicious aroma attracted the rest of the Pokémon. Seadra hesitated for a moment, but eventually swam over to take its share as well.
"Let's eat!"
Seeing them lined up and ready, Ethan hugged one of his Pokémon and smiled.
At his command, everyone began eating happily. It was clear that between Ethan and his Pokémon, there already existed a silent connection—a bond of trust... even with the newly arrived Seadra.
(End of Chapter)