Chapter 135: Sanctuary, Mass Evolution
The next day, Ryan and his companions encountered a dead tree blocking their path in the forest. It was a single tree, but only half of one, as if it had been split in two.
Curious, Sapphire decided to investigate. The others agreed, and they followed the dead tree to a large crater. Inside, many Treecko were watering a young sapling. Seeing Ryan and his companions, they stared at them warily.
"Don't worry, we're just observing. We won't disturb you," Ryan said, using his bond power to communicate with the Treecko.
Seeing that Ryan and his companions didn't make any threatening moves, the Treecko left them alone. It wasn't that they believed Ryan's words, but rather that Celebi often sat on his shoulders, and Ryan carried a certain aura of the legendary forest guardian.
Because of Celebi's presence, the Treecko wouldn't be suspicious of someone who could carry the aura of a Legendary Pokémon.
Most of these Treecko were of low quality, and Ryan had no intention of catching them. Besides, he already possessed a high-quality Grovyle, so he immediately lost interest in them.
Sapphire wanted to catch one, but Ruby held her back, shaking his head. After all, Ruby had traveled with Ryan for so long, and he knew that Ryan could discern a Pokémon's potential. If it wasn't too poor, he would have caught one or two.
But this time, Ryan hadn't made any move, suggesting either they were difficult to catch or their potential was lacking. That's why Ruby held Sapphire back and explained, then said, "If you're traveling with Ryan now and want to catch a Pokémon, it's best to ask him about its potential. Ryan won't lie to you about this. A Pokémon with high potential will be much faster to train."
Sapphire nodded, her eyes shining with understanding. She usually accompanied her father on field research, so she wasn't familiar with some of the more well-known facts, and Ruby always explained them to her.
After observing the Treecko for a while, Ryan and the others continued their journey.
A few days later, Ryan and his companions arrived at a forest sanctuary. The forest was indeed home to a vast number of Pokémon, but unfortunately, it was a protected area, making it impossible to capture them.
Watching several exceptional Pokémon scurry past, Ryan's heart ached with longing.
As for why they stopped now? One reason was that it was almost lunchtime, and another was that Ruby's Kirlia was about to evolve, and he was setting up his camera, preparing to film the evolution.
Ruby's Kirlia was female, undoubtedly evolving into a Gardevoir.
Ruby steadied the camera and gestured toward Kirlia. Kirlia removed the Everstone from around her neck, and instantly light enveloped her. Kirlia's body rapidly grew, and when the light dissipated, a Gardevoir stood in her place.
"That's a Gardevoir," Sapphire said, pulling out her Pokédex and examining its details.
Then, remembering something, she asked, "Ryan, don't you have a Kirlia too? When will it evolve into Gardevoir?"
Ryan smiled and said, "My Kirlia is male. I don't plan on evolving it into Gardevoir—I want it to evolve into Gallade."
"Gallade?" Sapphire asked in confusion. "What kind of Pokémon is that?"
Lillie smiled and tried to explain, but Ryan shook his head and said, "Explanations are nothing compared to seeing it. My Kirlia is on the verge of evolving anyway, so why not show you how Kirlia evolves into Gallade?"
With that, Ryan released Kirlia and simultaneously pulled a Dawn Stone from his backpack and handed it to Kirlia.
Kirlia took the Dawn Stone and was instantly enveloped in light. When the light faded, a Gallade appeared before everyone. Ruby faithfully filmed the scene with his camera.
Comparing the two, everyone could see the difference clearly.
Gardevoir was white, resembling an elegant evening gown, with a green hem. Its hairstyle had changed, becoming curly and extending below its head. Its arms were green, with no distinct boundary between arm and hand. Gardevoir's fingers were long and slender, connected straight to its hands like gloves. The fin-like horns on its head before evolution had moved to its chest and back after evolution. Spikes appeared on the sides of Gardevoir's face, resembling a masquerade mask. A green band on its chest connected to the middle of its horns and to its glove-like arms, giving it the appearance of wearing a long dress.
The lower part of Gallade's body was white, with thick, rounded hips and powerful legs. Its torso was thin, combining the green of its upper body with the white of its lower body. Like Gardevoir, Gallade had sharp red protrusions on its chest and back. Its arms were shaped like elbows, with retractable blades extending from them. Its head resembled a gladiator's helmet, with a white face and a light green crest. Like its counterpart Gardevoir, Gallade had spikes on either side of its face.
Ryan took this opportunity to evolve the Togetic as well. After all, their abilities were nearly mastered, and not evolving them felt wasteful. Ryan still had Togetic training to do. Once they evolved to Togekiss, it would be time to get serious about their training.
Taking out two Shiny Stones, Ryan and Lillie summoned their Togetic and gave them the stones. The two little creatures then evolved into Togekiss.
The evolved Pokémon seemed calmer, less playful than when they were Togepi or Togetic.
"Who are you?" a girl's voice called out, followed by three Mightyena and a Poochyena. They seemed wary of Ryan and his group.
The three Mightyena growled and prepared to attack, ready to pounce at any moment.
"We're on our way to Rustboro City for a Gym challenge, so we're passing through this protected area," Ryan said. "Of course, we're following the rules and haven't captured or battled any Pokémon in the sanctuary."
He then showed the girl the Balance Badge, which finally lowered her guard. It must be said that these badges were quite convincing. Generally, those who received them were registered trainers who had received the approval of a Gym Leader, and were generally trustworthy people.
"Sorry, my name is Kelly," Kelly said. "Because this is a protected area, there are often poachers around. The Mightyena noticed the glow of evolution here, so I came to investigate."
After everyone introduced themselves, Kelly said anxiously, "By the way, since you're travelers, do you have any medicine? A group of Pokémon in the sanctuary is sick, and I need to go to the city for supplies, but I'm pressed for time. If you have medicine, I can pay you."
Ryan shook his head, indicating that payment wasn't necessary. He had plenty of medicine and asked Kelly to take them there quickly.
Kelly nodded, and the Mightyena and Poochyena immediately led the way for everyone. They all followed, heading deeper into the sanctuary.
(End of Chapter)
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