"Let me see what random reward item I got this time."
After leaving the Oreburgh Gym, Gary immediately checked the Pokémon item rewarded by the system in his space backpack.
[Superb Ice Stone: Use on a Pokémon with potential below Legendary-tier. Potential +1.]
"An Evolution Stone...!"
Gary was genuinely surprised.
After having the system for so long, this was the first time he had received an Evolution Stone as a reward. And this Ice Stone was clearly not ordinary. As long as it was used on a Pokémon whose potential was below Legendary-tier, that Pokémon's potential would rise by one level.
That was very valuable.
Unfortunately, Gary couldn't use this Superb Ice Stone for the time being.
There was only one Ice-type evolution in Sinnoh that used an Ice Stone, and Gary already had Glaceon. It was impossible for him to raise another Glaceon just for this.
So this Superb Ice Stone could only be saved for an Ice-type Pokémon he would raise in the future.
"Then the Cetoddle line is probably the best choice."
There weren't many Pokémon that evolved using an Ice Stone. There were only six in total: Alolan Sandshrew, Alolan Vulpix, Eevee, Galarian Darumaka, Crabrawler, and Cetoddle.
Glaceon was already available.
Alolan Sandshrew and Crabrawler both had relatively low species strength, and their stat distributions weren't good enough either, so Gary ruled them out immediately.
That left Alolan Vulpix, Galarian Darumaka, and Cetoddle.
Galarian Darmanitan was strong, but it was difficult to use properly. Alolan Vulpix could be used to build a snow team, but if he was talking about the main attacker of a snow team, Cetitan was more suitable.
Cetitan had higher species strength than the other two. More importantly, it was thick-skinned and bulky. Even though it was pure Ice-type, it wasn't something an average opponent could instantly defeat. It could also cooperate with snow to attack first.
The only drawback was that Ice-type physical attack moves lacked high power. Almost none of them broke 100 power, and the ones that did were mostly exclusive moves. The strongest physical Ice-type move Cetitan could normally learn was Ice Spinner, with only 80 power.
"Then I'll go with Cetoddle in the future."
Gary decided that he would raise a Cetoddle later. After all, a top-quality Evolution Stone rewarded by the system couldn't be wasted.
After that, Gary exchanged for the Stealth Rock skill learner.
There was no helping it. Rock-type moves were very practical. He already had Stone Edge and Rock Slide, and there weren't many other strong Rock-type skills. Stealth Rock was still quite useful.
If the opponent couldn't clear Stealth Rock, then every time they sent out a Pokémon, it would take damage upon entering the field. That kind of pressure was very effective.
Gary taught Stealth Rock to both Rhyperior and Gabite.
After that, Gary prepared to head toward Floaroma Town.
Gracidea flowers grew north of Floaroma Town. It was also on Shaymin's migration route. Because Floaroma Town had been built by humans near the flower fields, whenever the Gracidea bloomed, people would go out to pick them and bring them back.
Some Shaymin would sneak into Floaroma Town, absorb the pollen of the Gracidea flowers, transform into Sky Forme, and then fly away.
If Gary wanted to capture Shaymin, he could only wait around Floaroma Town and search the wild flower fields whenever he had time. After all, Shaymin was a very timid Pokémon. When it wasn't in Sky Forme, it usually hid in bushes.
Gary rode Magnezone and flew northwest.
At Magnezone's speed, it would take about a week to get there.
"Let's evolve Gabite first."
After thinking for a long time, Gary decided to evolve Gabite. He still had a lot of Intermediate Rare Candy stored up.
In the Sinnoh Region, Gary was destined not to catch too many Pokémon. At most, he would add one or two more. The Intermediate Rare Candy he had in stock was more than enough.
After deciding to evolve Gabite, Gary hurried to the Pokémon Center. He handed Magnezone over to Nurse Joy for treatment, then rented a nearby indoor training ground.
"Gabite, come out."
Inside the training room, Gary released Gabite.
[Lv.39 Gabite / Champion-tier]
Gabite was already Level 39, only one level away from the requirement for evolution.
Gary placed his hand on Gabite's rough skin and used nine Intermediate Rare Candies in one go.
Gabite's level rose rapidly, soon reaching Level 48.
"Gab...?"
Gabite felt the sudden surge of power and looked shocked. It wanted to ask what had happened, but before it could, the restless evolutionary energy inside its body surged out.
White light appeared across its body. The glow became brighter and brighter, completely covering Gabite.
It was bathed in the light of evolution.
Gabite's body began to grow rapidly. It soon surpassed Gary's height, reaching nearly two meters. Its body became longer and more streamlined, and the shark fin on its back also grew larger.
As the light faded, a Garchomp appeared before Gary, with the yellow star-shaped mark on the tip of its nose clearly visible.
"Chomp!"
Garchomp looked down at its new body.
Its perspective had changed completely. The sickle-like fins on its arms had become thicker and sharper. Although its general appearance hadn't changed too drastically, its size had grown tremendously.
The key point was that after evolving into Garchomp, it had gained the ability to fly.
Garchomp's flying speed was not inferior to that of a jet aircraft. Its maximum speed could reach Mach 3, enough for it to reach various places in the Sinnoh Region in a very short time.
Of course, if it was carrying a passenger, Garchomp definitely couldn't fly at full speed. A human body couldn't withstand that kind of speed.
But with Garchomp as transportation, Gary's journey would still become much faster.
"I'll need to buy a saddle or cushion. Otherwise, sitting on you won't be comfortable."
Gary touched Garchomp's back. Its skin was rough and even a little prickly.
He imagined sitting on Garchomp's back during flight. If Garchomp suddenly braked, his backside would definitely suffer.
Oreburgh City was still very developed. The Pokémon Department Store here sold flight protectors. As long as he customized a set according to Garchomp's body shape, it would be fine. It would just take some time.
Gary wasn't in a hurry.
According to Shaymin's migration schedule, it was still early for them to reach Floaroma Town. Shaymin would likely get separated from the group around the time Ash and his friends arrived there.
Calculating the time, Gary had already obtained his second Badge, while Ash hadn't even earned his first. Ash and the others should currently be heading toward Oreburgh City and would probably arrive soon.
Gary then used two more Intermediate Rare Candies to raise Garchomp to Level 50.
After that, he taught Garchomp several moves to enrich its movepool.
Once everything was finished, Gary brought Garchomp outside and let it get used to flying.
After all, it had only just gained the ability to fly. Before using it for long-distance travel, Garchomp needed to adapt to its new body and flight condition properly.