Chapter 797 791: Capturing Totem Raticate

"Go, Poké Ball."

After Garchomp defeated Totem Raticate, Ethan directly threw a Poké Ball.

Back when he first saw Totem Kommo-o, he had already thought about the idea of studying it thoroughly.

But that had been in Dragon Valley, and there it was completely unrealistic to consider forcibly researching Totem Kommo-o.

Now, after capturing Totem Raticate, they could finally calmly study a complete Totem aura.

Totem Raticate, the Sparkling Stone, and the relationship between the two...

It could be said that this trip through the Secret Kingdom had been a bountiful harvest for Ethan.

Even so, he did not intend to be satisfied with just that. His intention was to continue exploring Alola's Secret Kingdoms.

Deep down, he even felt a small expectation.

If he continued exploring like this, would there be a possibility of finding one of the guardians?

After all, it was a legendary Pokémon. If he could capture it...

"Garchomp, you did very well."

When Garchomp returned dragging its tired body, Ethan praised it with a smile.

In that battle, Garchomp had fought almost the entire time using speed and air blades.

And that fit precisely with the training plan Ethan had designed for it.

For now, it seemed that this training line suited Garchomp's characteristics perfectly!

As long as it continued advancing along that path, Garchomp could undoubtedly open its own road.

"Gaarrcchhmp!"

Garchomp nodded obediently.

It also had many expectations for the future Ethan had planned for it.

"Sandslash, did you find anything else?"

Afterward, Ethan once again turned his gaze toward Sandslash.

At that, Sandslash shook its head.

The simple fact of having found a Sparkling Stone in that place had already been enormous luck.

"I see. Then let's try to see if Raticate knows anything else."

Taking out Totem Raticate's Poké Ball, Ethan released it.

With a flash of light, Totem Raticate's figure appeared.

As soon as it came out, Totem Raticate cast a wary glance at Garchomp, and then fixed its eyes on Sandslash.

Both were Totem Pokémon, and Totem Raticate observed Sandslash with some confusion, as if it felt that Sandslash lacked something.

"Hello, Raticate."

Ethan greeted it with a smile.

At the same time, he himself was a little surprised.

After all, Totem Raticate had received injuries that were not light before, but he had not expected it to have recovered so much in such a short time.

It seemed that terrifying recovery ability was also one of the abilities granted by the Totem aura.

"Raattiicattt!"

Only then did Totem Raticate turn its gaze back toward Ethan.

After remaining silent for a while, it observed the four Pokémon watching it cautiously and finally nodded toward Ethan, accepting obedience.

"Good. There are some things I want to ask you next."

Seeing that Totem Raticate had already accepted him, Ethan began communicating with it.

Among the most important questions was, naturally, how it had become a Totem Pokémon.

And Raticate's explanation, just as Ethan had expected, was indeed related to the statue of Tapu Koko.

It had been precisely by receiving the illumination of a light emerging from inside the statue of Tapu Koko that it suddenly mutated and became a Totem Pokémon.

"A light emerging from inside the statue... It seems that should be precisely the light emitted by the Sparkling Stone."

Ethan mentally connected all the pieces.

And that, furthermore, bore a great similarity to the legend that said the light leaked from the ancient battle between Necrozma and the Tapu transformed into the aura of Totem Pokémon.

Necrozma, the Sparkling Stone, and the Totem aura: there undoubtedly had to be a very deep relationship between those three elements.

In addition, if the Sparkling Stone could be used to make Z-Rings, that meant that the Totem aura system and the Z-Power system also had to be connected in some way.

If that was so, Necrozma, Alola's guardians, the Sparkling Stone, and the Totem aura formed, at least implicitly, a kind of network of connections.

And, aside from that, there were Solgaleo and Lunala, so closely related to Necrozma, who perhaps also had some connection to the Totem aura.

After all, according to the ancient legends of Alola, Solgaleo, Lunala, and Necrozma—the three legendary Pokémon of Alola—had fought in ancient times against the island guardians.

And when mentioning Solgaleo, Lunala, and Necrozma, it was also inevitable to think of the other Ultra Beasts that lived alongside them in the Ultra Megalopolis.

In that way, Ultra Beasts, the Totem aura, and the Z-Power system, those three great forces exclusive to the Alola region, seemed to be implicitly connected to each other, forming a network full of unknowns.

"Forget it, there is no point thinking so much about this now."

"It is still not the time to thoroughly explore Alola's three great power systems. The only thing I need is to find a method to strengthen Sandslash's Totem aura."

Ethan shook his head, pushing all those chaotic thoughts out of his mind, and once again focused on the information related to Sandslash's Totem aura.

"Thank you for your help, Raticate."

After thanking it once more, Ethan returned it to the Poké Ball.

Next, he released Melmetal again, so that it would continue looking for fracture passages between the Secret Kingdoms.

Just as he had said before, the exploration had only just begun!

"This time there is only a single fracture passage between the Secret Kingdoms?"

After obtaining Melmetal's answer, Ethan felt a strange relief inside.

He hated having to choose! He almost preferred following a single path to the end.

During the following time, Ethan and his Pokémon swept through the entire Secret Kingdom from one end to the other.

And, in the end, naturally, they found nothing else.

Inside that Secret Kingdom, the most valuable things had precisely been the Sparkling Stone and Totem Raticate, and both had already fallen into his hands.

"Let's continue to the next Secret Kingdom."

Guided by Melmetal, Ethan arrived before the fracture passage between Secret Kingdoms.

He had Lucario once again explore the other side with aura power.

Once it was confirmed that there was no danger, Ethan withdrew Sandslash, Garchomp, and Kommo-o, and stepped into the passage.

This time, he appeared directly in the middle of a forest, which at first glance looked quite similar to the one in the previous Secret Kingdom.

Turning around and looking behind him, he could see a blurry scene, as if some force had cut the entire forest with a single slash.

"Sandslash, Garchomp, Kommo-o, come out."

Once again, Ethan released his three Pokémon, returned Melmetal to its Poké Ball, and began a new exploration.

After becoming a Totem Pokémon, Sandslash's size already exceeded three meters, and when it moved through the forest, it looked literally like a gigantic beast.

In an instant, the forest filled with birds and beasts fleeing in disorder, because Totem Sandslash's pressure and presence were far too terrifying for them.

"Still haven't discovered anything?"

"Don't worry, we will go slowly. If we don't find anything here, we will continue with other Secret Kingdoms. Sooner or later, some clue will appear."

Ethan smiled as he spoke to Sandslash, and then, under Lucario's protection, continued exploring the Secret Kingdom.