"Is that... a weather move?"
"How is it possible for a Sandshrew to know a weather move?!"
At the same time, in the club leaders' lounge, everyone exclaimed in astonishment. They watched with serious expressions the sandstorm raging on the field, completely unable to believe that a Sandshrew could use the move Sandstorm.
Weather moves were known to be rare and very difficult to learn!
"Is this really... a Sandstorm?!"
Ryan Grant, standing at the edge of the field, instinctively took several steps back upon seeing the storm in front of him.
But just as he was about to order Ursaring to attack again, he saw the storm beginning to dissipate, with sand particles falling to the ground.
Looking back at Sandshrew, he saw that it had already lost consciousness, collapsed onto the sand.
"Huh...? Is the battle over?"
"Looks like it. That Sandshrew has exhausted all its energy."
"What a pity. I was hoping to see more of that rare weather move. A real shame."
The audience, after overcoming their momentary shock, looked at the fallen Sandshrew with some pity, though they couldn't hide the sparkle of surprise in their eyes.
After all, it wasn't every day one witnessed a weather move in action!
"Sandshrew!"
Ethan Black rushed onto the stage and quickly picked up his unconscious partner.
"That was... the move Sandstorm, wasn't it? Well done."
Ryan Grant stared at him intently for a few seconds, then pulled out another recovery potion and tossed it to Ethan Black.
Ethan Black caught it, surprised, and without much time to think, immediately gave it to Sandshrew.
The medicine took effect right away: Sandshrew's ragged breathing stabilized, and it was clearly no longer in danger.
"Tha... thanks."
Ethan Black breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the young heir standing before him.
"Don't mention it. Your Sandshrew... is interesting."
"A Sandstorm, huh?... Heh."
Ryan Grant turned around, waved his hand without looking back, and stepped off the stage, disappearing through the exit.
"Whew! The battle is over!"
"The winner is Leader Ryan Grant!"
The announcer, seeing Ryan Grant leave, let out a long sigh, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and announced the result into the microphone.
"What strength! That Ryan Grant is incredible!"
"Incredible? Of course!"
"They say young Ryan Grant has shown talent as a trainer since childhood. He's one of Ironvale City's geniuses."
"Ah! That talent really is impressive... though his personality..."
"Personality? You don't know anything! If I had that kind of strength, I'd be walking on air too."
In the stands, the spectators began heatedly discussing the young master Ryan Grant. Soon, all sorts of rumors and information about him spread, leaving everyone stunned.
"A genius, huh...?"
"It seems this world is much more complicated than I thought."
"Surely every great organization must have its own specialized Pokémon training system."
"Like that Ryan Grant... If he didn't have a systematic training method, he would never have grown so fast."
"Although I have so much knowledge about Pokémon in my head, turning it into real power... that's a completely different path."
"Maybe joining an organization to obtain training methods would be a faster way to advance..."
Ethan Black reflected in silence. The inflated excitement from his recent victories began to slowly deflate.
...
"That Ethan Black is a civilian, isn't he?"
"If he managed to train a Sandshrew to this level all on his own... he's already done an admirable job."
From the leaders' lounge, they all looked with some sadness at Ethan Black's dejected expression. Sometimes, that's how the world is: some are born with advantages, while others have to earn everything through effort.
They themselves had gone through the same. As civilians, no matter how much they worked, they could never reach the level of those privileged youths.
That's why they chose to join a club, offering their loyalty in exchange for limited resources, and thus managed to achieve the power they now possessed.
"Perhaps we should consider inviting him as a club trainer."
"Honestly, I'm very intrigued by how he got his Sandshrew to learn Sandstorm."
The Rock-type leader sighed. His Pokémon was a Graveler, and it shared similarities with Sandshrew. He felt that perhaps his Graveler could replicate the same path.
If it could master that incredible combo of Rapid Spin with Sand Attack, along with Sandstorm, it could transform completely. Maybe it could even lead him to become an advanced-level trainer!
And becoming an advanced-level trainer... was the dream of many!
"Yes, exactly. His greatest strength is his youth... and that wild imagination."
"But without the necessary resources, continuing to explore on his own is simply too difficult."
"If he keeps going down that path, he'll eventually be surpassed by the privileged ones, and in the end, he'll just be another face in the crowd."
The other leaders also sighed in unison.
(End of chapter)