During the following days, Ethan didn't leave the Pokémon Researchers Guild headquarters.
When he went to check his researcher points, he was surprised to find he had received a huge new amount.
After comparing the income records, he noticed that those points came from researchers who had accessed his thesis: "A New Direction in Pokémon Evolution."
It was easy to imagine why — a topic like new evolutionary directions was extremely valuable, both to large organizations and independent researchers alike.
And anyone who wanted to begin studies in that field had to go through Ethan, since he was the original author of that research.
According to the guild's regulations, researchers who accessed a thesis had to maintain strict confidentiality and not disclose its contents.
Of course, in practice, those rules were little more than words on paper — confidentiality was nearly impossible to enforce.
However, when a researcher wanted to officially publish a study based on that subject, it was different. Even if they had obtained the information by other means, they still had to formally subscribe to the thesis to use it legitimately.
After all, if a student discussed the contents of a study in public without having legally acquired it, that would clearly be considered academic theft.
That was why, before starting their projects, all those researchers — even if they already knew the contents — formally subscribed to Ethan's thesis.
As a result, the massive number of points now accumulated on his card came from those subscriptions.
With a satisfied smile, Ethan put his card away and went straight to the Resource Exchange Center.
"Huh? I didn't expect the guild to have such a large stock of Awakening Potions," he murmured in surprise.
Last time he'd only come for the Dragon Scale, so he hadn't checked the exchange list carefully. But now that he did, he was left stunned.
Without hesitation, he used all his points to exchange for a huge quantity of those potions.
Although Awakening Potions didn't guarantee success, with enough of them, the results were almost certain. Besides, at that moment, the move Hidden Power was the fastest way to boost his Pokémon's strength.
Back in his room, Ethan released all his Pokémon.
First was Sandslash, his veteran partner. After drinking several doses, he finally awakened Hidden Power (Fire).
Next was Cacturne. Under the effects of the potions, he too managed to awaken his Hidden Power, and the result was surprising — Fighting type.
Ethan fell into thought: that confirmed Cacturne's natural talent for close combat, something that fit perfectly with the new training direction he had planned.
He had noticed that Cacturne's root field was weak against opponents of similar level, so he planned for it to evolve toward a more physical combat style.
Since both Slowking and Shellder already knew Hidden Power, Ethan turned his attention to Shuckle.
Shuckle, the fourth member of his team, served mainly as support — using precision moves, providing assistance, and producing nutritious berry juices. Ethan felt he had been neglecting him, so he decided to make it up to him by giving him several Awakening Potions.
To his surprise, Shuckle awakened Hidden Power (Grass).
"Could it be because he eats so many berries?" Ethan frowned.
He didn't recall Shuckle being able to learn moves of that type, meaning his talent for Grass-type energy should be very low. And yet, he had awakened precisely that affinity.
"Sigh... I'm understanding less and less how to train you," Ethan sighed with a black line on his forehead. No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't come up with a good way to make use of that energy type. At best, it slightly broadened Shuckle's offensive options — better than nothing.
He shook his head and looked at the rest of his team. Meltan couldn't learn Hidden Power, so he skipped him. The next was Trapinch.
As expected, Trapinch awakened Hidden Power (Flying), confirming that the move's type depended heavily on the Pokémon's natural talent and elemental affinity.
As for Absol, he awakened Hidden Power (Bug). What was most surprising was that this energy activated hidden Bug-type genes within Absol, allowing him to learn an Egg Move — Megahorn.
That proved that Absol's talent came from his parents, and that powerful Bug-type move greatly boosted his strength.
"Now there's only enough potion left for one more Pokémon..." Ethan said after a moment of silence, glancing between Charmander and Kingdra.
"Charmander, you're still young, so focus on building your foundation first. I'll give this turn to Kingdra," he said while patting Charmander's head.
"Chaarrr!" Charmander nodded obediently and gave Kingdra a gentle push toward Ethan.
"Kiinggdd!" Kingdra seemed a bit embarrassed.
"Don't worry," Ethan said with a smile. "The stronger you are, the greater your responsibility. If you become powerful, you'll be able to protect your teammates even better."
Although Kingdra had been the last to join the team, his strength was outstanding. At present, he belonged to the team's second power tier — still unable to surpass Meltan or Absol, but already very strong. Moreover, his long-range attack ability made him unique and highly valuable to the group.
Another interesting detail was that Kingdra was nearly two meters tall, making him an excellent Pokémon for underwater riding. However, since Ethan didn't yet have a license, he hadn't tried it for safety reasons.
After deciding, he handed Kingdra the last Awakening Potions.
As soon as Kingdra drank them, a current of air began swirling around him. His body rose slightly, while a powerful stream of Flying-type energy emanated from him.
(End of Chapter)