Night fell quietly.
Ethan looked at the sky and understood that today he would have to spend the night in the forest.
And nighttime in the wild was, without a doubt, the most dangerous time of day—also when the greatest vigilance was needed.
"Looks like we'll have to find a place to camp." Ethan murmured as he looked around.
Before long, he found a clearing, quite suitable for lighting a campfire.
Without hesitation, he brought along Slowking, Shuckle, and Vibrava.
He first released Sandslash, Meltan, and Charmeleon; all of them had been inside their Poké Balls all day and needed to stretch their bodies.
Zzz...
zzz...
Charmeleon was still snoring with no intention of waking up.
Ethan didn't mind; he had actually taken Charmeleon out only to use his fire. It was December, and the nights were still cold.
"Sandslash, go catch something to eat. Vibrava, go gather firewood. Make sure it's good and dry. Meltan, it seems there's nothing here you can eat. Go take a walk; maybe you'll find some Electric-type Pokémon to recharge yourself."
Once he assigned the tasks, Ethan began preparing everything for the meal.
Although Poké Balls reduced Pokémon's physical wear, if too much time passed without eating, they would still feel hungry.
After receiving the orders, the three Pokémon immediately moved in different directions.
Once they left, Ethan dropped to the ground. After walking the entire day— even with the Levitate ability lightening his body—his physical exhaustion was great.
Shuckle was also worn out from the day's battles; he lay down beside Ethan and fell asleep.
"Yadon!"
Slowking looked at Ethan and Shuckle, closed his eyes, and began to rest as well, leaving Shellder—on his head—to stand guard.
No one knew how much time passed before Sandslash returned dragging a wild boar. From its twitching body and the electric sparks, it was clear Meltan had done his part.
Ethan got up, stretched, and under everyone's expectant gazes began to prepare the meal.
Preparing and cooking wild animals was a basic survival skill, so Ethan did it with ease.
And with support from Slowking's Water-type moves and Meltan's blade, the wild boar was soon roasted, golden, and crispy. Even the sleeping Charmeleon twitched his nose and his eyelids trembled as if he were fighting to wake up.
After eating, Ethan and all the Pokémon were satisfied, though a bit overwhelmed from so much roasted meat.
So Ethan planned for everyone to drink a bit of the juice Shuckle fermented inside his body.
But when he opened the plug on Shuckle's shell, no juice came out—instead, small crystals of various shapes fell out.
"Huh?"
"Could it be too cold?"
Ethan froze for a second but shook his head. Those crystals were releasing warm steam, so they couldn't be ice.
"What are these crystals?"
As he pondered it, a thought suddenly struck him.
"Except for the shape... aren't these pokéblocks!?"
His eyes widened in shock.
And before he could analyze further, the gluttonous Sandslash grabbed a crystal and shoved it into his mouth.
His eyes flew wide open. Then he stared intensely at the cup holding the crystals, his gaze spinning with hunger.
But before Sandslash could lunge again, Ethan quickly lifted the cup, preventing him from stealing more.
"Sandslash, were those pokéblocks?"
The Pokémon hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded, confirming the theory.
"Then they were pokéblocks!"
"But... why did the juice inside Shuckle suddenly turn into pokéblocks?"
Ethan frowned and began reviewing Shuckle's current move set in his mind.
Based on what he remembered, pokéblocks were made by crushing Berries and placing them inside a Berry Blender, where the mechanical process turned them into compact pokéblocks.
"Right... the Berry Blender works by spinning."
"And when it comes to spinning, Shuckle has the moves Rollout and Gyro Ball... that fits perfectly."
He recalled that throughout today's battles, Shuckle had used Rollout and especially Gyro Ball countless times, reaching speeds comparable to an industrial mixer.
"But... forming pokéblocks can't be as simple as just spinning."
"If it were that easy, replicating a Berry Blender would be super simple."
"Normally, after spinning, the mixture has its impurities removed and is left as the liquid essence of the Berry. It shouldn't solidify into a perfect pokéblock."
"So the Berry Blender must have some extra method of purifying and condensing the Berry's energy until it crystallizes."
"Trapping all the energy into a single pokéblock is the key step."
Ethan pondered. And when it came to purifying and condensing energy... Shuckle had the perfect combination: his ability Gluttony and the move Hidden Power.
Thinking through all of this made Ethan excited. Shuckle could perform both processes perfectly.
"Sandslash, try these crystals again. I need to confirm whether they really are pokéblocks."
"Sha!"
Sandslash happily took the crystals Ethan handed him and ate them all.
He immediately felt a surge of energy coursing through his body, as if burning with vitality, proving the incredible effect of the pokéblocks.
(End of chapter)