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After defeating the Mauville Gym, Chris walked west to Verdanturf Town and then made his way to Rusturf Tunnel.
This was the same place where Chris had previously helped the old man, Mr. Briney, and a Devon Corporation employee to recover the Wingull and the stolen suitcase from Team Aqua.
(Back then, I remember helping Mr. Briney and his Wingull, Peeko... It was such a heartwarming moment.)
Heading west from here would lead to Rustboro City.
Crossing this tunnel meant Chris no longer needed to rely on Mr. Briney's boat to travel. However, the Rusturf Tunnel was blocked by a Rock Tomb. Chris called on his Combusken and used Rock Smash to clear the boulders. As soon as the path was cleared, the leader of the construction crew emerged from behind the rocks.
[Foreman: Thank you so much for breaking the boulder that was in our way. I can't thank you enough. Here, take this as a token of my appreciation!]
[Received HM04 "Strength"!]
Strength is also one of the essential HMs.
However, Chris will have to defeat the Lavaridge Gym before he can use it outside of battle.
Chris accepted the HM, but just as he was about to leave, the foreman was embraced by a petite girl, though the hug wasn't for Chris.
[Foreman: Darling, sorry I'm late. I've been working all day!]
[Aman: No worries, sweetheart, you're right on time!]
Caught off guard, Chris couldn't help but feel a little out of place with the couple's public display of affection.
Just as Chris was about to depart, Aman broke free from the foreman's arms and handed Chris an invitation.
[Aman: Please, kind stranger, join us for our wedding in three months. We would be honored if you could attend.]
Chris awkwardly accepted the invitation, his mouth twitching slightly. *Great, now I've got to attend a wedding in-game? And probably give a gift too?*
Oddly enough, Chris realized that this part of the game's plot wasn't something he remembered from the original.
Along with the wedding invitation, there was also an S.S. Ticket for the ship, *Wavebreaker*.
*Wait... Wavebreaker? I feel like I've heard of that ship somewhere before...*
With the couple gone, Chris continued through Rusturf Tunnel and emerged to find a man with long hair wearing a plaid shirt. However, the man was frantically searching for something—his glasses, apparently.
Chris pulled out the Itemfinder Professor Birch had given him and quickly located a pair of glasses, though they turned out to be a Pokémon item: *Black Glasses*, which boost Dark-type moves by up to 30%.
"Seriously? Someone just left this lying around on the ground?" Chris thought, shocked.
At the same time, Chris couldn't help but marvel at the usefulness of the Itemfinder. *This thing really does find treasure!*
After stowing away the Black Glasses, Chris retraced his steps back to Mauville City and headed north to Route 111.
Along the way, after battling various trainers, he arrived at a small house. An older man stood in front of it, calling himself part of the *Winstrate Family*. Without a word, the man challenged Chris to a battle.
Father : Taillow LV16, Zigzagoon LV16.
With such low-level Pokémon, Chris hesitated, feeling it would be too easy.
"Alright then... Gabite, you're up!" Chris decided, calling out his powerful Pokémon.
Father : ??? "Are you some kind of monster?"
A minute later...
[Father : I can't believe it! How could I lose so badly?!]
Father ran back into the house, and before Chris could catch his breath, an older woman appeared.
[Mom : Who dares to bully my husband? Was it you? No time for talking—let's battle!]
Without hesitation, Chris found himself pulled into another battle.
Mom : Roselia LV17.
This strength...
Chris pondered for a moment before sending out Gabite.
Half a minute later...
[Mom : He hits women! He hits women!]
Chris: ???
Mom : ran into the house crying, and soon a teenage girl rushed out.
[Daughter : It's rare to meet a Trainer who can beat my parents back to back! Now it's up to me to defend the honor and dignity of the Winstrate family!]
Without giving Chris a chance to respond, Daughter dragged him into another battle.
By now, Chris had figured it out. This wasn't some winning streak family—it was a never-ending gauntlet! If their opponents were of similar strength, they'd be sent back to the Pokémon Center in no time.
Daughter Daughter : Marill LV15, Shroomish LV15, Numel LV15.
"Gabite, handle this!" Chris commanded.
One minute and thirty seconds later...
[Daughter : Grandma! He bullied me!]
Daughter ran back into the house crying, and before long, an elderly woman emerged, leaning on a cane.
[Grandma : In broad daylight, how dare you bully my granddaughter after knocking on the door! Let this old woman teach you a proper lesson!]
Chris's head swirled with confusion. "Wait a minute," he thought, "wasn't it your family who dragged *me* into these battles? Why am I the bad guy now?"
He decided he wouldn't hold back—grandma or not, it was time to settle this.
"Gabite, let's go!"
Granny : Meditite LV18.
Thirty seconds later...
[Grandma : You young folks have no respect for the elderly! I suggest you reflect on yourself!]
With that, Grandma hobbled back into the house, and finally, no one else came out.
*No one else?* Chris thought, glancing at the house. It seemed like the whole family had been defeated.
Curious, Chris walked into the house. Inside, the father, mother, daughter, and grandmother sat together around a table. He approached them and struck up a conversation with Grandma . She mentioned that although their family had never been beaten, they had a grandson named Vito who was currently on an adventure and had made it to Victory Road. Only by defeating Vito would Chris truly have bested the Winstrate family.
*Victory Road, huh?* Chris thought. *When I get there, I'll make sure to send him back to join the family.*
In the meantime, he received a Pokémon item from Mom: the *Macho Brace*.
*Macho Brace: When held by a Pokémon, it halves their speed but doubles the effort value (EV) they gain from training.*
Chris noted that the item's effect seemed slightly different from what he remembered. It worked like training gear, such as a weighted vest in real life, but without the hassle of wearing one.
Looking over his team, Chris decided to give the Macho Brace to Combusken. Since Combusken trained hard regularly, it would benefit from the extra effort. On the other hand, Gabite—who preferred eating over exercising—wouldn't make good use of it!
With nothing left to do in the house, Chris stepped outside, glancing back.
*In a way, this family really is the Winstrate family,* he mused, *but it refers to the challengers' winning streaks.*