Garchomp tugged at Tyrantrum's short, sturdy forelimb and turned toward the rocky reef area not far away, clearly intending to take this "new friend" somewhere quieter to have a proper "chat."
It was rare for Garchomp to meet another dragon type Pokémon that, like itself, "did not use Dragon Dance." It could not wait to act like an older brother and pour out all the frustrations it had accumulated over the years.
Tyrantrum, however, stood frozen in place, looking toward Theo in confusion.
Its training was not even finished yet!
And Garchomp was acting far too strangely. Just moments ago, it had been a rival, confronting it head on, yet now its attitude had completely changed, offering friendliness and even an invitation. The sudden shift left Tyrantrum at a loss.
Still, faced with Garchomp's enthusiasm, Tyrantrum found it difficult to refuse.
"Go on, that's enough training for today," Theo said with a smile, waving his hand toward it, secretly hoping Tyrantrum could spend more time learning from Garchomp.
The moment it heard that training was over, Tyrantrum's eyes widened with joy. In a flash, it dashed past Garchomp and ran toward the rocky shore, occasionally glancing back as if worried Theo might change his mind.
Only then did Garchomp remember to seek its trainer's permission. It turned toward Cynthia and let out a soft, low sound.
Cynthia was still recovering from Theo's earlier answer, her mind buzzing. She absentmindedly waved her hand, allowing Garchomp to go off on its own.
With permission granted, Garchomp excitedly chased after Tyrantrum toward the reef, clearly eager to "talk things through."
Steven glanced at Cynthia's slightly dazed expression, suppressing a laugh as he took out a Poké Ball from his waist and tossed it into the air.
Several flashes of red light appeared, and his Pokémon materialized one after another: a shiny Metagross, Aggron, and Claydol among them.
"It's not often I come back home, so you might as well come out and relax," he said casually.
Aggron let out an excited rumble the moment it landed and immediately turned toward the mountains beside the beach, rushing off.
That was its home.
Its family, including several Aron, lived there, and in recent days Tyrantrum, Metang, and Larvesta had spent plenty of time playing with them.
At that moment, Metang noticed the appearance of the shiny Metagross and eagerly floated over, circling around it.
The shiny Metagross gently patted its head with one of its metallic limbs, then turned and gestured for it to follow toward its nest.
Clearly, it intended to show Metang its home.
Metang immediately turned to look at Theo, its eyes full of anticipation.
"Go ahead, your training ends here for today," Theo said with a smile and a nod.
Metang wobbled excitedly and quickly followed, climbing onto the larger Metagross's body.
Soon, the two silver figures, one large and one small, disappeared into the distance.
"Lar! Lar!"
Larvesta spun anxiously in place, the flames from its antennae flickering wildly, clearly showing its agitation.
Tyrantrum and Metang had both left. Surely it would not be the only one forced to continue training?
That would be far too unfair!
"You can go play too," Theo said, gently rubbing its head. "Everyone else is off having fun, I can't leave you behind."
Before his words even finished, Claydol floated over and lifted Larvesta into the air using psychic power.
By now, Larvesta was no longer afraid of Claydol as it had been when they first met in the cave at Meteor Falls.
Having realized that Claydol meant it no harm, Larvesta instead enjoyed being carried around by its telekinesis.
Claydol's psychic strength was far greater than Metang's, and as it carried Larvesta through the air, it felt as though it was experiencing the joy of flight.
Soon, Claydol carried Larvesta off in the direction where Garchomp and Tyrantrum had gone.
Cynthia finally came back to her senses. She took out another Poké Ball.
"Since Garchomp has gone off to play, Togekiss, you should come out and get some fresh air too."
A flash of red light appeared, and a birdlike Pokémon covered in pure white feathers appeared before Theo.
Its body was rounded, with three small tufts of red, blue, and white feathers atop its head, like neatly styled bangs.
Its wide triangular wings flapped gently, and when it landed, it even bowed slightly toward Theo and Steven like an elegant gentleman.
At the same time, Cynthia's shadow suddenly began to shift.
It stretched and twisted, a faint purple glow emerging, and a Pokémon with a small stone base and a swirling gaseous upper body slowly appeared.
Within the vortex of gas, green points of light formed its facial features, smiling mischievously at Theo and Steven.
It was Spiritomb.
Theo's gaze fell upon the two Pokémon, and their information naturally surfaced in his mind.
[Pokémon: Togekiss]
Type: Fairy / Flying
Category: Jubilee Pokémon
Ability: Serene Grace (Heaven's Blessing – makes additional effects of moves more likely to occur.)
Moves: Fairy Wind, Sweet Kiss, Safeguard, Baton Pass, Wish, Tri Attack, Extreme Speed, Fire Blast, Aura Sphere, Air Slash, Dazzling Gleam, Sky Attack…
[Pokémon: Spiritomb]
Type: Ghost / Dark
Category: Forbidden Pokémon
Ability: Pressure (Emits a terrifying aura, making opponents' moves harder to use.)
Moves: Night Shade, Shadow Sneak, Confuse Ray, Nasty Plot, Grudge, Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, Hypnosis, Will-O-Wisp, Dream Eater, Light Screen, Reflect, Sucker Punch…
After greeting Theo and Steven, Togekiss tilted its head and looked toward Cynthia. Upon receiving her nod of approval, it immediately spread its wings and soared into the sky, quickly catching up with Claydol and Larvesta.
It circled excitedly around Larvesta, gently nudging it with its wings as if inviting it to ride on its back.
Larvesta happily leaped over and landed steadily on Togekiss's back. With a cheerful cry, Togekiss carried it high into the sky.
Claydol followed alongside using its psychic power, and soon the three Pokémon disappeared into the clouds, leaving behind a trail of joyful sounds.
Spiritomb, however, remained floating beside Cynthia, its gaseous body gently swaying, showing no intention of leaving.
"Not going to play with the others?" Cynthia asked softly, lowering her head to look at it. "Don't worry, I'm safe here. There's no danger."
Spiritomb swayed slightly, clearly unwilling to leave her side.
"I see, then stay with me," Cynthia said, reaching out to gently stroke the stone at its base.
As she touched it, faint white light began to flicker from her body, while the purple glow of Spiritomb deepened.
Theo watched with curiosity.
Noticing his gaze, Cynthia explained,
"This is how Ghost type Pokémon feed. They require mental energy to replenish themselves. Not only humans, but other Pokémon can also provide this energy. But with wild Ghost types, you have to be careful. They don't know moderation and can easily absorb too much, which can be dangerous."
As soon as she finished speaking, Spiritomb's gaseous form suddenly contracted and transformed into a streak of purple light, diving back into Cynthia's shadow.
It was as if it had never appeared at all, like a silent guardian always protecting her from within the darkness.
Steven looked at Cynthia and asked, "Didn't you bring your other Pokémon with you?"
"Roserade and Gastrodon are helping out on the ship. Some of the accompanying researchers are suffering from seasickness, so Roserade is assisting them in easing their discomfort…"
At that moment, the butler came forward to inform them that tea and refreshments had already been prepared.
Steven immediately led Theo and Cynthia to the terrace for tea and snacks. The terrace had an open view, and from there they could see the beautiful seaside scenery stretching into the distance.
The three of them sat down on the terrace, sipping tea and enjoying pastries as they chatted casually. Most of the time, Theo simply listened quietly as Steven and Cynthia talked, their conversation flowing naturally from Pokémon training insights to the unique characteristics of Gym challenges across different regions.
Just as the conversation was becoming lively, a series of rumbling sounds suddenly came from the distance, abruptly interrupting them.
Hearing the noise, Theo and the others quickly stood up and went to take a look.
Near the reef area by the mountains on the beach, Aggron, Claydol, Togekiss, and Larvesta had all gathered together. They were roaring and chirping excitedly, as if cheering for someone.
At the center of the group were Tyrantrum and Garchomp.
The two Dragon type Pokémon were each holding a massive boulder larger than their own bodies with their forelimbs and smashing it against their own heads, apparently competing to see whose head was tougher.
With a dull, heavy sound, Tyrantrum suddenly exerted force, slamming its forehead into the boulder and cracking it open.
Garchomp, unwilling to fall behind, let out a roar and smashed its own rock against its head, instantly shattering it into pieces.
The surrounding Pokémon erupted into even louder cheers, and even Aggron could not help but stomp its feet excitedly in celebration.
"That guy… I didn't expect it to still remember this game," Cynthia said, both amused and exasperated, a nostalgic expression appearing on her face.
"When it was a Gible, it loved doing this the most. But as it grew up and followed me through more training and battles, it rarely had the chance to play like this anymore. I didn't expect it to be this happy today… Let's not disturb them, let them enjoy themselves."
The three returned to the terrace and sat back down. The sea breeze carried a slight coolness, gently dispersing the noise and excitement from before.
Cynthia lifted her teacup, her fingers lightly brushing along the rim. Then she suddenly turned to look at Theo, a hint of seriousness appearing in her eyes.
"Would your Tyrantrum be interested in going out on a trip?"
Theo froze for a moment, not quite understanding what she meant, and instinctively let out a confused sound.
Cynthia smiled and explained, "What I mean is, would you be willing to let Tyrantrum accompany me to Unova? It's rare for Garchomp to acknowledge a friend like this. I'd like them to spend more time together, and…"
She paused slightly, her gaze drifting toward Tyrantrum and Garchomp, who were still playing in the distance.
"It seems your Tyrantrum hasn't mastered Outrage yet, right? Garchomp can teach it. For Dragon type Pokémon, that move is an extremely important trump card."
"Let Tyrantrum go to Unova with you?" Theo repeated, clearly surprised by the suggestion.
"Yes," Cynthia nodded, her tone sincere. "If it goes with me, it definitely won't suffer. To put it simply, just like me, it would represent our League as an envoy. There will be no shortage of resources or good food."
"More importantly, Professor Juniper in Unova, aside from researching various ruins, has another major research focus, fossil Pokémon revival. Together with her close friend Professor Fennel, she has developed a new fossil restoration machine. This time, the team traveling to Unova also includes people from your Devon Corporation, to exchange fossil revival techniques between the two regions."
"Professor Juniper has always believed that the fossil Pokémon revived today differ from their original forms. For example, the Rock type they possess after revival. In ancient times, their original forms likely did not have the Rock type at all. She has always wanted to improve the revival technology to recreate the true ancient forms of fossil Pokémon."
Steven added from the side, "The researchers at our company actually share the same view. Fossils preserve the genetic information of ancient Pokémon, allowing them to reappear in the modern world. However, this process inevitably affects them."
"It causes all revived fossil Pokémon to gain the Rock type. It's possible that their original typing was different, and the Rock type replaced one of those types. For them, that could be suppressing their true potential."
"Although both are fossil revival techniques, our method differs from Professor Juniper's. Perhaps by combining and comparing the two, we might find a way to further unlock the potential of fossil Pokémon."
Hearing Steven and Cynthia's words, Theo's heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Tyrantrum, once the king of the ancient world, currently possessed the Rock and Dragon typing, with Rock as its primary type and Dragon as its secondary.
If there really was a chance to bring Tyrantrum closer to its true ancient form… what kind of existence would it become?
Just thinking about it made Theo's excitement surge uncontrollably.
Even so, he quickly calmed himself down. Looking at Cynthia seriously, he said, "I need to ask Tyrantrum what it wants. It's my partner, I can't make that decision for it."
Upon hearing this, the way Cynthia looked at Theo became even softer, filled with approval.
"You're right. I didn't think that through carefully enough. It's fine, even if it doesn't want to go this time, when I return in the future and have some free time, you can let me know anytime. I'd be more than happy to let Garchomp train together with it."
…
As the sun gradually set, the Pokémon that had been playing all afternoon finally returned.
The butler had already prepared dinner. The long dining table was filled with all kinds of food that the Pokémon loved, energy rich meat prepared for Dragon types, specially made dishes for Steel types, and deep sea delicacies favored by Water types.
After an entire afternoon of playing, the Pokémon were already starving. The moment they saw the food, they eagerly rushed forward.
Tyrantrum and Garchomp stood side by side in front of a pile of meat, devouring it in large bites. From time to time, they would bump their heads together, as if sharing the enjoyment of the meal.
Theo looked at Garchomp's head and could not help but laugh.
There was an extra little crown drawn on it with yellow paint, exactly the same as the one on Tyrantrum's forehead.
During the afternoon's play, Garchomp had seen Tyrantrum's crown and had become envious, whining to Cynthia that it wanted one as well.
Seeing that, Theo had directly used a brush to draw a matching crown on Garchomp's forehead.
That simple act had made Garchomp incredibly happy. At the time, it had even excitedly hugged Theo and showered him with enthusiastic affection.
…
Author's Note:
Regarding Tyrantrum's original typing, I've only seen the correctly restored fossil Pokémon from the Galar region, but I'm not too familiar with earlier generations.
For example, I personally think Aerodactyl's original typing should be Flying and Dragon, and Aurorus should be Ice and Dragon, but for Tyrantrum, I'm not quite sure.
It could be pure Dragon type, or a dual typing like Dragon plus another type.
If you have any good ideas, feel free to share them.
Of course, it will take time to fix the flaws of fossil Pokémon, after all, cooperation with the Unova region has only just begun.
(End of Chapter)