Chapter 382 · Gardevoir’s Gift

"Gardevoir…!"

Gary was stunned when he saw the dazzling gem in Gardevoir's hand. This was no ordinary gemstone—it was a Mega Stone.

The stylized leaf symbol embedded in the stone shone with green, pink, and red hues, matching the colors of Mega Stone.

Wally, standing nearby, was also curious about the gem but didn't recognize it. He simply thought that Gardevoir was giving Gary a special gift as thanks for taking care of Kirlia.

"Gardevoir, are you giving this to me?" Gary asked, still surprised.

"Voir."

Gardevoir nodded. She was indeed offering the Mega Stone to Gary.

"Do you know what this stone does?" Gary asked again.

"Voir."

Of course, Gardevoir knew.

This stone once belonged to her former Trainer, who had since passed away. With no use for it herself, she decided it would be better in Gary's hands—after all, it was meant for her daughter when she evolved.

Gary was surprised. He hadn't expected that Gardevoir and Gallade's previous Trainer had possessed a Mega Stone.

Thinking about it carefully, it was unlikely that Kirlia would evolve into Gallade on her own, meaning that both Gallade and Gardevoir must have been raised by a Trainer.

And given the Hoenn region's connection to Mega Evolution, it wasn't strange that their Trainer had mastered it.

"Thank you for your gift. I'll give this to Kirlia once she evolves into Gardevoir," Gary promised sincerely.

Gardevoir nodded, relieved to entrust this keepsake to someone worthy.

Gary gently took Kirlia's hand.

He hadn't expected to obtain a Mega Stone just from visiting Kirlia's parents.

His luck had been incredible lately: first discovering Great Tusk in the desert, and now receiving a Mega Stone.

This motivated Gary to accelerate Kirlia's evolution into Gardevoir.

The evolution level requirement wasn't high—Kirlia could evolve into Gardevoir at level 30. If he raised her to level 27 through training, three low-level Rare Candies would complete the evolution.

After leaving Wally's home, Gary and Zinnia stocked up on supplies at the Verdanturf Poké Mart.

The next day, they set off again. Traveling through Rusturf Tunnel, they reached Rustboro City in three days.

After spending a day restocking in Rustboro City, they continued south toward Petalburg City.

Five Days Later…

Gary and Zinnia finally arrived in Petalburg City.

During the journey, Gary's Pokémon made some progress:

Vigoroth: LV 25 → 27Breloom: LV 32 → 35Shelgon: LV 30 → 31Kirlia: LV 23 → 25Combusken: LV 18 → 20

There were no new captures, but the team was steadily improving.

Looking at his Pokémon's levels, Gary considered whether special training was needed before challenging the Gym.

Norman, the Petalburg Gym Leader, was rumored to be a potential successor to the Elite Four, making him a formidable opponent. Even though he wouldn't use his strongest Pokémon during Gym battles, his team—especially his Slaking—was dangerously powerful. Without the hindrance of Slaking's Truant Ability, the battle would be very tough.

Still, Gary recalled how Ash's Grovyle managed to defeat Norman's Slaking in the anime. This suggested that Norman's Slaking during Gym battles wasn't at full strength—its level likely below 40. But even at a lower level, a Pokémon with a base stat total of 670 was still a massive threat.

"Let's just challenge him first." Gary decided not to waste more time grinding levels.

After all, he still needed to head east to Fortree City for his next Badge, then travel by sea to Mossdeep City and Sootopolis City for the final two. Plus, he had to escort Zinnia to Sky Pillar. Time was tight.

If he lost, he could always train harder and try again.

The Next Day…

Gary gave Zinnia some spending money, asking her to buy lunch for herself, leaving her to be independent. Inspired by Wally's example, Gary also wanted to teach Zinnia to take care of herself and her Pokémon.

Eventually, they would part ways. Zinnia would need to learn to fend for herself, so better to start preparing her now.

At the Petalburg Gym entrance, Gary checked the system tasks:

[Ding!] New Tasks:

Defeat Petalburg Gym and earn the Balance BadgeReward: Intermediate Rare Candy ×6, Giga Impact Permanent TM, Premium Silk Scarf ×1 Defeat Petalburg Gym using only Hoenn PokémonReward: Intermediate Rare Candy ×10, Normal-Type Self-Select Permanent TM (choosing from naturally learnable Normal-type moves), Random Battle Item ×1

Just like before, it was clear that Norman wouldn't use his full-strength Pokémon. Based on the task rewards, Norman's main Pokémon should be below level 40.

Gary pressed the Gym doorbell.

After a while, a male Gym apprentice opened the door.

"May I help you?" the apprentice asked politely.

"Hello, I'm here to challenge the Petalburg Gym," Gary said.

"Oh, a challenger. Please follow me."

The Gym apprentice led Gary inside. Gary had been here once before, so he was somewhat familiar with the layout.

Soon, the apprentice brought him to the battlefield where Norman was waiting.

"So it's you. Looks like you've collected enough Badges," Norman said, somewhat surprised to see Gary again.

"Yes, I've earned four Badges so far," Gary replied, opening his Badge case and showing them.

"Alright, let's begin your Gym challenge," Norman said without further small talk.

The apprentice stepped forward as the referee, and Gary and Norman took their places on the battlefield.

"The Petalburg Gym's rules are simple," the apprentice explained. "It's a 3-on-3 battle. Only the challenger is allowed to switch Pokémon. Do you understand?"

"I understand. Let's start anytime," Gary confirmed.

"Then I declare… the Petalburg Gym Challenge officially begins!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Norman threw his first Poké Ball.

"Go, Slakoth!"

Bang!

Slakoth appeared on the field, looking as lazy as ever. Its body swayed, and it seemed like it would flop down at any moment—but it never quite did. Unlike a typical Slakoth, this one wasn't sleeping on the spot.

Normally, a Slakoth would lie on the ground and barely move. But Norman's Slakoth had clearly overcome the downsides of its Truant Ability.

[LV 30 Slakoth · Champion Potential]

Gary wasn't sure how Norman trained his Pokémon, but this Slakoth was clearly exceptional.

"Go, Breloom!" Gary called, tossing a Poké Ball.

Thud!

[LV 35 Breloom · Gym Potential]