Chris took out his handheld and leaned back on the bed.
Fly's time for action had come, but the "special event" Chris was looking forward to didn't happen.
What this special event might have been, Chris had already speculated—perhaps a sudden encounter with Rayquaza breaking through the ozone layer.
It didn't happen this time, but Chris remained confident another opportunity would arise.
Descending from the sky, Chris landed at the entrance of Fortree City. He retrieved his Poké Ball and returned Flygon. Used to frequent visits to the Pokémon Center, Chris instead decided to examine the stats of the Bulbasaur he had just acquired.
[Bulbasaur (Grass, Poison)] (Totem)
Level: 13
Ability: Overgrow (When HP is less than 1/3, the power of Grass-type moves increases by 1.5 times.)
IVs: HP (31), Attack (24), Special Attack (31), Defense (31), Special Defense (31), Speed (31)
Moves: Tackle, Growl, Vine Whip, Growth, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf, Sleep Powder, Poison Powder, Seed Bomb
Held Item: None
A 5V Totem Pokémon!
The stats were excellent, but Chris surmised this Bulbasaur had simply stood out on its island to become a Totem Pokémon.
"Overgrow, huh…" Chris muttered. He had hoped for the Chlorophyll ability, which would synergize with a Sunny Day team. However, considering Bulbasaur's massive size as a Totem Pokémon—likely growing even larger upon evolving into Venusaur—dexterity was bound to be an issue. Even with high speed, its size would limit its ability to dodge moves. Thus, Overgrow seemed better suited for this bulky Totem Bulbasaur.
A Venusaur with only a third of its health remaining would be a truly formidable force!
"Not bad," Chris decided. Bulbasaur would be trained as his main Grass-type Pokémon, especially since he already had a Mega Stone prepared for its eventual evolution into Venusaur.
Chris grabbed his phone and ordered Miracle Seeds and Poison Barbs as treats for Bulbasaur.
Returning to his handheld, Chris postponed harvesting berries and instructed Flygon to transport him to Rustboro City.
There, at the Devon Corporation, Chris met with researchers to use their fossil machine to revive a rare fossil he had obtained from Alto Mare—a dark Aerodactyl fossil.
As the machine whirred, thick black smoke suddenly billowed out, momentarily alarming the researchers. However, the resurrection was successful, yielding an Aerodactyl with a purplish-black glow and blood-red eyes.
It wasn't shiny but had a unique and ominous appearance.
Chris released the Aerodactyl onto his balcony. The Pokémon stood still, its red eyes scanning the surroundings like a watchful gargoyle.
When Chris reached out to touch it, Aerodactyl obediently lowered its head into his palm.
It was clear this wasn't an artificially imprisoned Dark Pokémon. Instead, it seemed to have gained dark powers from its revival process. Chris guessed that the fossil's resurrection stripped away emotions while imbuing the Aerodactyl with dark energy, embedding this power into its genes.
Even though it lacked emotional bonds, Aerodactyl could skillfully control its dark powers. This dark aura, invisible to most, was glaringly apparent to Chris.
Chris examined Aerodactyl's in-game stats carefully:
[Aerodactyl (Flying, Rock) (Dark)]
Level: 10
Ability: Rock Head (Prevents recoil damage from moves.)
IVs: HP (31), Attack (31), Special Attack (31), Defense (31), Special Defense (31), Speed (31)
Moves: Bite, Ancient Power, Supersonic, Wing Attack, Scary Face, Rock Slide, Dark Attack, Dark Wave
Held Item: None
A flawless 6V Aerodactyl! Chris couldn't help but compare it to his Tyrant, whose fossil quality was a step below Aerodactyl's. His Tyrunt had also started as 6V, so it was no surprise Aerodactyl shared that perfection.
What made Aerodactyl unique was its classification as a Dark Pokémon, granting it exclusive moves.
Dark Attack: Physical move, 40 power.
Dark Wave: Special move, 50 power.
These were moves Chris had never encountered before. Remembering the game mechanics, he noted that Dark moves were super effective against non-Dark Pokémon, dealing double damage, while their effect was halved against Dark Pokémon.
Using this logic, Dark Attack had an effective power of 80, comparable to powerful moves like Machamp's punches or Mega Punch. Meanwhile, Dark Wave effectively reached 100 power, surpassing even Surf used by Kingdra.
"This needs testing," Chris mused. He was curious about how these moves would fare in real battles. Furthermore, Dark Attack and Dark Wave were likely just the beginning; he eagerly anticipated more powerful moves as Aerodactyl leveled up.
After reviewing Aerodactyl's and Bulbasaur's stats, Chris felt a mix of satisfaction and exasperation.
He muttered, "I swore off catching Pokémon for now, and yet here I am with two more."
Still, how could anyone resist Pokémon with such flawless potential? It wasn't a matter of affordability—he could handle it.
Chris picked up his phone again. Having already ordered a Miracle Seed and Poison Barb for Bulbasaur, he now bought a Sharp Beak and Hard Stone to enhance Aerodactyl's moves.
With that done, Chris focused on his tasks: harvesting berries, replanting, watering, and selling the crops. He then set out to explore all the accessible routes and finish up with a once-a-month Volcano dungeon run.
Before entering the dungeon, Chris equipped Wobbuffet's Exp. Share onto Bulbasaur.
"After all," he thought, "the goal of this camp is to use selected Pokémon in battles. Let's level up Bulbasaur and sweep every opponent in a month!"