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Birch's small eyes glimmered with a sharp intensity, no different from a hawk's piercing gaze. Fixated on Chris, he seemed like someone who could cut a piece of meat at any moment.
Chris shivered involuntarily. Did he somehow offend Professor Birch?
No, that couldn't be it. He had sent so many Pokémon back to Birch's lab. If anything, Professor Birch had thanked him profusely for his efforts.
Reassured by this thought, Chris straightened up and hurried forward to greet him.
"Professor! Long time no see!"
Professor Birch approached Chris silently, clapping a heavy hand on his shoulder. His expression was unreadable as he said lightly, "Have you seen my daughter?"
Because Chris only felt the in-game effects of Birch's actions, he interpreted the gesture as a show of "respect" and "enthusiasm."
Chris answered earnestly, "I haven't seen her in a while. The last time was at Lavaridge Gym."
It was strange, now that he thought about it. He'd never battled May, not even once. According to his calculations, at least three or four matches should have happened by now to fit his story's progression.
This moment, for example, should have been where May appeared to challenge him.
Professor Birch nodded slowly, pulling two Technical Machines (TMs) from his pocket. He handed them to Chris.
"One for you, and one for my daughter. If you run into her, please pass it along."
With that, Professor Birch turned to leave, his silhouette fading into the distance. Just before he walked away completely, he paused, turned back, and locked eyes with Chris.
In a solemn tone, Birch gave a pointed and cryptic reminder. "Catch more Pokémon, diversify your team. There are still many species in the Pokédex you haven't captured. You know what I mean."
It wasn't an outright command to stop capturing Pokémon—after all, the Pokédex had to be completed. But Birch seemed to be urging Chris to broaden his focus and raise a variety of Pokémon instead of relying on just a few.
Chris glanced at his recent additions. Magnezone, Electivire, and Manectric—all Electric types. In total, he had sent at least 200 Electric Pokémon back to Birch's lab.
"My family is not a power station," Birch muttered under his breath, "and I don't need them generating electricity!"
These Pokémon had been idling around Birch's lab, consuming electricity at an alarming rate. The latest utility bill had almost made Birch faint—it was higher than the combined total of the last ten years.
If Chris weren't the son of his best friend, Birch might have slapped that bill directly onto his face.
Chris nodded seriously. The professor's advice was clear: he needed to catch more Pokémon and ensure his team had variety.
"Don't worry," Chris thought to himself. "After Fortree City, I'll head to the Safari Zone. There are bound to be rare Pokémon there. Maybe I'll find something that clicks."
Seeing Chris's agreement, Birch felt a sense of relief. Young trainers were eager and enthusiastic about capturing Pokémon—it was only natural. With that, Birch turned and left for good.
The meeting was a success, leaving both sides content.
Once Birch was out of sight, Chris examined the TM in his hand. It was for the move Fly—a crucial Hidden Machine for progressing through Hoenn. Of course, Fly couldn't be used until he cleared the Fortree City Gym.
Arriving at Fortree City, Chris visited the Pokémon Center to heal his team and prepared to tackle the Gym. He then headed to the Gym's entrance, only to find his path blocked by an invisible barrier.
To proceed, Chris opened his backpack and used the Devon Scope.
A Kecleon, level 30, suddenly leapt out in front of Chris.
Despite the "cleon" in its name resembling "chameleon," Kecleon is not a Dragon-type Pokémon. Instead, it is based on a real-world chameleon and possesses the unique Ability called Color Change.
Color Change: When Kecleon is hit by an attack, it immediately changes its type to match the type of the move it was hit with.
For example, if it's hit by a Fire-type move, Kecleon becomes a Fire-type. If it's hit by a Water-type move, it becomes a Water-type. This Ability provides some defensive utility: after being hit by a Fire-type attack, Kecleon becomes a Fire-type, which halves the damage of subsequent Fire-type moves due to resistance.
Additionally, Kecleon boasts impressive special defense, making it a decent special defense shield.
However, Chris quickly realized that this same Ability could also be a liability. The change in type is entirely dictated by the opponent. A savvy opponent wouldn't continue to use Fire-type moves once Kecleon becomes Fire-type. Instead, they would exploit the type change by hitting Kecleon with a super effective move based on its new type.
Furthermore, Kecleon's overall stats, or Base Stats, aren't particularly strong, leaving it quite fragile despite its defensive utility.
With this in mind, Chris decided Kecleon wasn't worth catching. He directed his Tyranitar (nicknamed Tyranitar) to use Earthquake, eliminating Kecleon in one swift move. With that obstacle out of the way, Chris turned his attention to the Fortree Gym.
Fortree Gym specializes in Flying-type Pokémon, and the trainers inside all used Flying-types to impede Chris's progress. Chris sent out Tyranitar, who swept through their teams with Rock Slide, an area-of-effect Rock-type move that hit every Pokémon at once and exploited their Flying-type weaknesses. No one stood a chance.
Soon, Chris arrived at the final challenge: Winona, the Fortree Gym Leader.
Unlike most gyms, the battle wasn't indoors. After passing through a large gate, Chris emerged into a vast open space that resembled an airfield. A hangar loomed in the distance, and the area appeared to be a runway for planes to take off and land.
Winona, identifiable by her purple hair and aviator hat, was busy working on an old-fashioned airplane, adjusting its controls. She appeared poised and professional, embodying the spirit of the skies.
Chris recalled reading about Winona in a Pokémon manga from his past life. In the Pokémon Adventures series, Winona was romantically linked to Hoenn's Champion, Wallace. He couldn't help but wonder if that relationship held true in the game universe.
"If I beat Winona here," Chris mused, "will Wallace come after me later?"
Noticing Chris's presence, Winona nimbly dismounted from the plane, her movements graceful and swift.
"Are you today's challenger?" she asked, her voice calm yet commanding.
Without waiting for a response, she added, "Let's get started. Finish the battle quickly—I've got a flight to catch."
Chris raised an eyebrow. Her confidence was apparent, almost verging on arrogance.
"Wallace, I hope you won't mind what I'm about to do to her team," Chris thought with a smirk.
He stepped into the trainer's box on the battlefield, prepared for the showdown. The arena was perfectly placed in front of the vintage airplane. The referee, dressed in aviator gear, stood between them, holding red and green flags, ready to signal the start of the battle.