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Back home, Chris settled into his own comfortable routine.
Coke, movies, games, and a soft bean bag chair.
"Mom, I don't want to go out!"
Chris resolved to stay in as much as possible from now on.
After picking a movie, adding ice to his Coke, and ordering takeout, Chris leaned back on the cozy sofa. He pulled out his handheld console, ready to level up his Pokémon.
This time, he had learned from his past experiences at the four gyms. From those battles, Chris knew that the gyms would become stronger if he failed a challenge, so he wasn't going to rush into anything he couldn't handle.
"When my Pokémon are strong enough, I'll take on the next gym," he thought.
His next challenge would be the fifth gym in Petalburg City—the Normal-type gym. The Gym Leader was none other than Norman, the protagonist's father, known for his incredible strength in the comics, where he once stood atop Rayquaza to stop Kyogre and Groudon from clashing!
Of course, he wasn't quite as strong in the game.
Since this gym specialized in Normal-type Pokémon, a Fighting-type powerhouse was just what Chris needed.
Chris opened his Pokémon roster, spotting his two Fighting-type allies: Hariyama at level 32 and Blaziken at level 36.
During his previous training, he had leveled up his Combusken until it evolved.
[Blaziken (Fire/Fighting)]
[Level: 36]
[Ability: Speed Boost (Blaziken's speed increases by one stage at the end of each turn)]
[Individual Values: HP (28), Attack (31), Special Attack (31), Defense (31), Special Defense (31), Speed (31)]
[Moves: Ember, Growl, Tackle, Double Kick, Flame Charge, Detect, Sand Attack, Quick Attack, Aerial Ace, Slash, Cut, Rock Smash, Bounce, Focus Energy, Flamethrower, Blaze Kick, High Jump Kick]
[Held Item: Black Belt]
Seeing this, Chris called Blaziken over.
Following the training plan suggested by his friend Asha's grandfather, Moore, Chris set up the next stage in Blaziken's training.
He was especially intrigued by a combination move Moore suggested, called "Flame Strike," which combined Double Kick and Blaze Kick.
Mastering move integration wasn't easy. Chris knew this from the difficulty Combusken had faced when combining Double Kick with Force Palm.
Blending Fighting-type moves was hard enough, but adding a Fire-type move raised the challenge even more. Blaze Kick's complexity far exceeded Force Palm's.
Double Kick, a Fighting-type move, paired with Blaze Kick, a Fire-type move, required not only precise control over power but also the mastery of both Fighting and Fire-type energies. Blaziken needed a high level of energy control to make it work.
Thankfully, Blaziken's strong, powerful legs were perfect for the task.
Confident in his Blaziken's potential, Chris assigned the training tasks.
To boost its power, Blaziken would practice Quick Attack for explosive speed; it would build endurance with repeated Double Kicks; and it would refine control over its Fire-type energy by using Blaze Kick.
Chris even ordered a specialized fire-resistant target online to allow Blaziken to train safely at home.
With that settled, Chris turned his attention back to the game, guiding his character out of the Lavaridge Gym. He made a quick stop at the Pokémon Center to heal Steelix, then headed to Meteor Falls to train.
He was eager to see if Steelix could learn to use Rock Slide in battle.
But just as he stepped out of the gate, Chris ran into his rival, May.
[May: Did you already clear the Gym challenge? I guess for a Rival like you, that's nothing!]
[May: Well, I won't be left behind. I'll show that young Gym Leader what I can do!]
[May: Oh, by the way, I've got an extra pair of Go-Goggles here. Consider it a little gift to celebrate your victory over the Lavaridge Gym!]
**Item obtained: Go-Goggles**
*Go-Goggles: Protect your eyes from sandstorms. You can now enter the sandstorm area on Route 111.*
After saying that, May hurried into the Lavaridge Gym, determined to either teach Flannery a lesson or maybe get taught one herself.
"It's time to head to the desert region," Chris thought, considering what treasures he might find there.
He remembered that Route 111's desert had rare items called "fossils."
Fossils could be processed to extract DNA and bring ancient Pokémon back to life. This kind of technology existed in real life, too—and in the game, he could head to Devon Corporation to revive them.
"Let's check it out!" Chris controlled his character to walk toward the desert on Route 111.
Pokémon resurrected from fossils had always fascinated him.
Two of the most interesting were:
First, Tyrantrum. With impressive base stats, a fierce offensive presence, and the "Strong Jaw" ability, it was like a mighty tyrant that could crush anything!
Modeled after a T-Rex, Tyrantrum would make an awesome land mount. Just imagine riding a T-Rex down the street—how cool would that be?
Then there was Aerodactyl, capable of MEGA Evolution, and its power was no joke.
Both fossil Pokémon naturally had the Rock type, so they could benefit from the boosts provided by Sandstorm. While neither Tyrantrum nor Aerodactyl had Sandstorm abilities, they were still powerful enough to work well in a Sandstorm team.
If he found a suitable fossil and didn't mind investing the time, Chris could put together a full Sandstorm team.
However, he remembered that the fossils found in the Hoenn region typically revived Lileep or Anorith, which evolved into Cradily and Armaldo.
Unfortunately, their appearances and strengths didn't quite appeal to Chris, so he wasn't particularly interested in them.
Arriving at Route 111, Chris put on the Go-Goggles, allowing him to navigate the desert freely.
Within the sandy area, he noticed several other trainers, each equipped with goggles like his. Any battles here would automatically have Sandstorm weather conditions in the background.
Chris switched Gabite to the lead position in his lineup and equipped Blaziken with the Exp. Share.
Following his usual routine, Chris planned to explore the new area, identify the types of Pokémon available, pick up any items he could find, and challenge every Trainer in his path.