"Chomp!!"
Garchomp was extremely excited when it flew for the first time. Its condition was very similar to how Salamence had felt during its first flight.
In the wild, Garchomp and Salamence were natural rivals. They often clashed in the air over food. Gary wasn't sure whether this Garchomp would get along with his Salamence in the future.
Garchomp flew through the sky for more than twenty minutes before descending, only coming down once it started to feel a little strained.
Gary patted Garchomp's shoulder and said, "Let's have something to eat later. This afternoon, I'll take you to the Pokémon Department Store to get a Flying Protector custom-made. In the future, whenever I travel through the Sinnoh Region, I'll be riding with you."
"Chomp!"
Garchomp nodded, indicating that it was no problem.
Gary rested his hand on Garchomp and pulled up its current data.
[Pokémon: Garchomp ♂]
[Type: Dragon / Ground]
[Level: 50]
[Potential: Champion-tier]
[Ability: Sand Veil (Evasion increased by 20% in Sandstorm weather.)]
[Moves: Tackle, Dig, Dragon Breath, Bulldoze, Bite, Slash, Dragon Claw, Crunch, Dual Chop]
[Inherited Move: Metal Claw]
[Taught Moves: Shadow Claw, Rest, Stone Edge, Rock Slide, Dragon Pulse, Body Slam, Fire Blast, Iron Tail, Protect, Earthquake, Stealth Rock, Hyper Beam, Waterfall]
[Friendship: 255 (Max 255)]
Garchomp's current data was already very good. The only thing Gary was dissatisfied with was the lack of a stat-boosting move.
By all logic, Dragon-type Pokémon should be able to learn Dragon Dance, but Garchomp couldn't. It was really embarrassing for a Dragon-type Pokémon.
Fortunately, there were plenty of other Pokémon who could learn Swords Dance, and Garchomp could as well.
So...
"System, I want to exchange for the Swords Dance TM."
[Ding! Swords Dance TM exchange successful.]
Gary spent one of his self-selected permanent skill learners on Swords Dance.
After teaching Swords Dance to Garchomp, Weavile, and Metagross, Gary took Garchomp to the Pokémon Center for lunch.
In the afternoon.
Gary went to the Pokémon Department Store in Oreburgh City and found a shop that specialized in custom Pokémon equipment. He placed an order for a set of Flying Protectors.
The clerk measured Garchomp's shoulder height and body width, then told Gary it would take three to five days to craft the Flying Protectors, with delivery in about a week.
Gary had no problem with that.
Garchomp wasn't yet fully comfortable with flying, so a week would be perfect for training its flight skills. The rest of his Pokémon could continue their regular training in the meantime.
After leaving the Pokémon Department Store, Gary settled into a daily Pokémon training routine. In the afternoons, however, he would still go out to search for wild Pokémon.
Of course, it wasn't to capture anything specific. There were mostly Rock and Ground-type Pokémon around Oreburgh City. Gary was hoping to see if he could encounter a Shiny Pokémon. If not, he would just treat it as free walking exercise.
For this reason, Gary specifically teleported Gardevoir over, because Gardevoir had the ability to sense the emotions of nearby creatures. Wild Pokémon in the area couldn't easily hide from her.
As for why he insisted on using Gardevoir specifically, the reason was simple—Gardevoir looked pleasant, and wild Pokémon were naturally less wary when they saw her.
There was no other choice. Except for Glaceon, all the Sinnoh Pokémon Gary had captured looked more fierce than each other. Having them out would only scare the wild Pokémon away.
Although Glaceon didn't look intimidating, the outside climate wasn't suitable for it to move around freely, so aside from training, Glaceon stayed inside its Poké Ball.
Days passed, and soon a week had gone by. Gary was walking back toward Oreburgh Gate.
"It seems there really aren't any Shiny Pokémon here."
Gary had been searching for wild Pokémon near Oreburgh Gate and Route 207 all week, but for six straight days, he hadn't found a single Shiny.
However, this area was close to the city, so the number of wild Pokémon nearby wasn't very high. Gary had seen many Pokémon he'd already encountered before. Over the six days, the total number of unique wild Pokémon he had come across was less than 100.
Real wilderness wasn't like a video game where you could keep grinding Pokémon in a single patch of grass and train to Level 100. The number of Pokémon in any given area was fixed. Especially in the wilds and forests near a city, the count would rarely exceed 100—often no more than 50.
"Let's head back. We can leave tomorrow."
Gary gave up his search. The Flying Protector would be delivered the following day, and finding a Shiny wasn't something to rush. It could be found slowly over time.
Perhaps because he'd already caught the Shiny Metagross earlier, the Shiny Charm's effect had reset. If he wanted to encounter another Shiny Pokémon, he might have to start from scratch.
Gary began walking back. When he reached Oreburgh Gate, he saw three people coming out from the other side.
Gary and the three people who had just walked through the gate locked eyes. Both sides froze for a moment.
One of them, a girl, asked in confusion, "Ash, Brock, what's wrong with you two?"
"Gary!!"
Ash and Brock spoke in unison.
"Ash... why are you with Brock? And who's she?" Gary asked, feigning ignorance.
"You know each other?" Dawn asked in surprise.
Ash briefly introduced them. "His name is Gary. He's my childhood friend from back home in Pallet Town. We actually came to the Sinnoh Region together, but split up to travel separately after we arrived in Sandgem Town."
"Oh, I see." Dawn nodded and said cheerfully, "Hello, I'm Dawn."
"Hello." Gary nodded, then turned to Brock. "Brock, how did you end up coming to the Sinnoh Region?"
"I was traveling to become a Breeder, and I happened to come to Sinnoh. I met Ash along the way, and we ended up traveling together," Brock said.
"Is that so? Then you two really were destined to meet," Gary said with a smile.
How could Gary not know how Brock had ended up meeting Ash? He'd hitched a ride with a female truck driver who was delivering goods, followed her all the way to the Sinnoh Region, and then ran into Ash halfway through the trip after she left him behind.
Brock had even taken care of the truck driver's food, lodging, and travel expenses along the way—practically paying for everything out of his own pocket. He really was a big-hearted casualty.
But the truck driver had also been unlucky in her own way. Although Brock had a wandering eye, he was genuinely loyal and reliable when it truly mattered.
Especially since Brock's family were serious rock enthusiasts. How many families in this era could actually afford that kind of hobby? Some girls really didn't know how to appreciate what was right in front of them, and ended up missing out on a real chance at happiness.