Professor Birch small eyes gleamed with a sharp intensity, no different from a hawk eyeing its prey. As he stared at John, there was an unsettling aura about him, as though he could slice through someone's resolve—or flesh—at any moment.
John couldn't help but shiver under the weight of that gaze. Had he somehow offended Professor Birch? He couldn't think of any reason why. He'd sent so many Pokemon back to Birch's lab—shouldn't the professor be thanking him instead?
Steeling his nerves, John stepped forward with a friendly smile. "Professor! Long time no see!"
Professor Birch approached without saying a word, placed a heavy hand on John's shoulder, and spoke in a calm yet weighted tone. "Have you seen my daughter?"
John blinked, caught off guard by the question. He thought for a moment before answering honestly, "Not recently. The last time I saw her was at Lavaridge Gym."
A faint sense of unease crept over him. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't faced May in battle even once. Normally, it would've taken at least three or four encounters to progress the storyline to this point. Yet here he was, with no sign of her.
Birch nodded slowly and fished two TM discs out of his pocket. He handed them to John. "One is for you, and the other is for her. If you see her, pass it along, will you?"
John accepted the discs, a bit puzzled. "Sure thing, Professor."
Birch turned to leave but stopped after a few steps. Looking back over his shoulder, he locked eyes with John and gave him a pointed reminder. "Catch more Pokemon. Diversify. You've missed plenty in the Pokedex. You understand what I mean, right?"
The subtle reprimand wasn't lost on John. Birch wasn't telling him to stop catching Pokemon—far from it. The message was clear: variety matters. Focusing on just a few wasn't enough.
John nodded earnestly, hiding his embarrassment. He'd been focusing so much on electric-types lately: Magnezone, Electivire, and Manectric. They added up to over 200 entries, yet there wasn't much variety among them. His house was starting to look like a power station, not a home for Pokemon.
Worse yet, the electricity bill had skyrocketed. When Birch had seen it, he'd nearly torn the paper apart in frustration. "If you weren't my best friend's son," Birch had grumbled, "I'd have shoved this bill in your face."
John made a mental note: after Fortree City, a trip to the Safari Zone was in order. It was time to broaden his collection.
Satisfied with John's acknowledgment, Birch finally departed for real this time, leaving John to inspect the TMs he'd received.
One of them was the coveted Fly. However, it was a hidden technique—he wouldn't be able to use it until he'd earned Fortree City's Gym Badge.
Reaching Fortree City, John healed his Pokemon at the local center before heading straight to the Gym. But his path was blocked by what seemed to be an invisible wall.
Digging through his bag, John pulled out the Devon Scope. Activating it revealed a Kecleon hiding in plain sight, its green scales shimmering with its natural camouflage.
"Kecleon, LV 30," John murmured, sizing up the chameleon-like Pokemon. Despite the word "dragon" in its name, it had no relation to dragon-types. Its unique ability, Color Change, made it an interesting opponent.
Color Change allowed Kecleon to alter its type based on the last move it was hit with. For example, if struck with a fire-type move, it would become a fire-type Pokemon, halving the damage of subsequent fire attacks. This adaptability made it a solid defensive choice.
But John could see the flaws in such an ability. Against a smart opponent, Kecleon's type could be manipulated to their advantage. It was a double-edged sword, and with Kecleon's relatively low stats, it wasn't worth the effort.
"Sorry, pal," John said, signaling his Tyranitar to finish the battle with a single Earthquake. The ground shook, and Kecleon fainted instantly.
Clearing the obstacle, John entered Fortree Gym. As a Flying-type Gym, it was packed with trainers using bird-like Pokemon. Tyranitar made quick work of them with Rock Slide, clearing the path to the Gym Leader, Winona, in record time.
The battle arena wasn't indoors but an open-air field resembling a runway. In the distance, an old hangar stood, and a vintage plane gleamed in the sunlight.
A woman with purple hair and a pilot's cap was perched atop the aircraft, adjusting its controls. Her movements were precise, exuding confidence. This was Winona, the Gym Leader.
As she spotted John, she gracefully jumped down and approached him. "You're the challenger today?" she asked with a smirk. "Let's get this over with. I've got a flight to catch."
John raised an eyebrow at her nonchalant attitude. "Confident, huh? Don't worry. I'll make this quick."
The referee, dressed in aviator gear, took his position at the center of the battlefield. Holding up two flags, he announced, "Let the battle begin!"
Winona reached for her first Pokeball, and John tightened his grip on his own. The battle was about to take flight—literally.