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The intimacy between Gardevoir and himself is at maximum, 250+? Chris was a little surprised.
This level of bond couldn't even be achieved with my first Pokémon, Blaziken, but I didn't expect Gardevoir to achieve it.
"You can directly bypass the training bonds and proceed with Mega Evolution..." Chris muttered. "But the question is how to trigger Mega Evolution?" He scratched his head, feeling stuck.
This was even more frustrating. Previously, there was an excuse that the bond wasn't strong enough, so Mega Evolution wasn't an option. But now that Gardevoir's bond with me has reached its full potential, I still can't evolve it. It's really frustrating.
It feels like having bugs crawling all over you.
No, I need a distraction.
Chris picked up his handheld device and continued testing the bond levels of his other Pokémon.
He quickly got results.
The Pokémon with bond levels between 200 and 254 were Blaziken, Greninja, and Gardevoir.
These three had been with Chris for a long time, so it was natural for their bond levels to be this high.
The Pokémon with bond levels between 150 and 199 included Aggron, Garchomp, Wobbuffet, Tyranitar, and Steelix.
Most of these had been with Chris since early on or were used often enough to build strong bonds. Aggron, for instance, evolved from Lairon after continuous training. Though it mostly spent its time resting, it had reached level 50 due to Chris's diligent training. Chris planned to rely on Aggron for his early battles to qualify as a Gym Leader.
The Pokémon with bond levels between 100 and 149 included Tyrantrum, Fraxure, Gyarados, Haunter, Venusaur, and Smeargle.
These Pokémon had been with Chris for some time, except Smeargle, who was primarily used as a Sweet Scent utility. Chris was surprised it had even achieved this level of bond.
Tyrantrum, which had evolved from Tyrunt, was often ridden by Chris for relaxing trips around the island.
The only Pokémon with a bond level between 50 and 99 was Slakoth.
This Pokémon spent so much time resting—sometimes even in its dreams—that its bond came mainly from Starter's favorability.
Among these, Gyarados and Venusaur needed more frequent use to boost their bond levels. Venusaur, especially, already had its Mega Stone. Using it sooner would be more beneficial.
Chris exhaled. There was still work to be done.
He headed to the Pokémon Center in Laverre City to transfer some Pokémon back to the PC. Then, with his six main Pokémon, he flew to Shalour City on Flygon.
Chris had to defeat all the Kalos Gyms as quickly as possible. He decided to start with Shalour Gym.
Upon arriving, he found that Korrina had returned from the Tower of Mastery. Surprisingly, she declined a battle, handing him the Rumble Badge and some rewards instead.
"Korrina: You've already defeated me at the Tower of Mastery and shown the gap in our skills. There's no need to fight again for now.
"Korrina: This is the Rumble Badge for defeating Shalour Gym. With it, your Surf skill will be enhanced.
"Korrina: Here's the Power-Up Punch TM I made based on my grandfather's teachings and my own experience as a Fighting Pokémon Trainer. I hope it helps you."
[Korrina: I will work hard on the path of Mega Evolution, and when I compete in the Pokémon Championship, I'll prove the bond between me and Lucario!]
Holding the Rumble Badge and the Power-Up Punch TM in his hand, Chris was momentarily stunned.
Korrina's a genuinely kind person. She could have just handed over the Badge and rewards directly instead of putting him through the effort of battling. This saved Chris a lot of time and trouble.
Gripping the Rumble Badge, he examined its attributes.
[Rumble Badge: The power of all Fighting-type moves in the team is increased by 10%, and the secret Surf move is enhanced.]
An enhancement to Fighting-type moves? That's impressive. Chris already had the Knuckle Badge from Dewford Gym, which also boosted Fighting-type moves.
This led to an intriguing question.
Could the effects of these two Badges be combined?
Chris quickly decided to test it. Taking a Fighting-type Pokémon, he headed to Route 12 near Shalour City to find a wild Heracross to experiment on.
Within minutes, he had his answer.
"It works!" Chris exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with excitement.
He clenched his fist in triumph.
Considering there are seven regions, each with eight Gyms, his Pokémon could theoretically gain a cumulative 560% increase in move power by collecting all Badges.
While the effect wouldn't stack on any one type, there are only eighteen types in total. This meant an average bonus of about 70% for each type, which was incredible.
Chris had speculated about this possibility before, but now it was confirmed.
"Wuhu! Time to set off!" he cheered.
"Even for just a 10% bonus, I'm determined to visit every Gym in every region!" Chris thought, rubbing his chin in determination.
Beyond the power boost for Fighting moves, the Rumble Badge had also further enhanced the secret Surf move.
Chris opened Greninja's stats to observe the change in Surf's power.
[Esoteric Surf: Power 140. Additionally, causes the target to fall into the shackles of Whirlpool. (The additional effect requires the Pokémon to know Whirlpool.)]
"The power increased by 10 points," Chris noted with satisfaction. This was consistent with the effect of the Fog Badge from Ecruteak Gym, which also enhanced Surf when Chris defeated Morty.
All in all, it was a very satisfying improvement.
As for why Surf specifically received a boost instead of other esoteric moves, it was simply a matter of coincidence. The storyline in each region seemed to align with Surf as the preferred secret move.
Chris shifted his focus to the Power-Up Punch TM.
This move was excellent, as it could increase a Pokémon's attack power while damaging an opponent. It was perfect for Fighting-type Pokémon.
However, Blaziken, being more adept with leg-based moves, wouldn't benefit much. Additionally, Machamp had already mastered it. For now, he decided to keep the TM in reserve, saving it for any new Fighting-type Pokémon he might catch in the future.