5. Abra Or Ralts

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It took Chris two hours to cross Route 102.

There weren't many trainers along the way. Aside from a boy in shorts and a few others, a total of four in all, none posed much of a challenge. Only one, a boy named Yong, caused any real trouble for Chris.

Yong had not only a LV4 Zigzagoon but also a LV4 Taillow. The Taillow, with its Flying-type advantage, put pressure on Chris's Torchic for the first time. Luckily, Taillow was only LV4, and its only Flying-type move was Peck. Torchic managed to knock it down with Ember before it could take to the air again, securing the win.

With that victory, Torchic reached LV7 and learned "Focus Energy," increasing its chance of landing a critical hit.

However, Chris had to turn back halfway to return to the Pokémon Center in Oldale Town. Reluctant to use a Potion, he opted to run back instead.

"It would be great if I could catch a Pokémon that knows Teleport," Chris mused. In the game, Teleport can take the protagonist directly back to the last healed Pokémon Center.

Speaking of Teleport, Chris thought of Abra, a Pokémon that could be caught near Rustboro City. He could capture one there to help him later, especially against Fighting-type Gyms.

It was a bit disappointing that Chris didn't see any Pokémon he wanted to catch on Route 102.

Besides the three Pokémon he battled, he encountered two others: Lotad and Seedot. Lotad evolves into Ludicolo, and Seedot into Shiftry. Both are good Pokémon, with types that could counter the Rock-type Gym, but neither particularly appealed to Chris.

Still, he thought about catching one later if the Rustboro Gym proved too tough. If necessary, he could return to train a Lotad or Seedot with good stats.

Along Route 102, Chris also found a Potion and picked two Oran Berries and two Pecha Berries, the latter useful for curing poison, from trees by the roadside.

Upon reaching Petalburg City, Chris went to the Pokémon Center first and then headed to the Petalburg Gym to meet the protagonist's father.

The protagonist's father, Norman, is the Gym Leader of Petalburg Gym. His Slaking is especially memorable. In the comics, Norman even awakens Rayquaza and stands on its head to stop the battle between Kyogre and Groudon.

As the protagonist and Norman were catching up, a green-haired boy entered the gym. His name was Wally, a neighbor who had just moved to the Hoenn region. He came to ask Norman for help in catching a Pokémon.

Chris remembered this as a "beginner's tutorial," teaching new players how to catch Pokémon.

Norman took both the protagonist and Wally to Route 102. After a few steps into the grass, a battle screen appeared.

[A wild Ralts appeared!]

"Ah, this…" Chris stared at the Pokémon that looked like a small girl with a green mushroom-shaped head. His eyes widened. "Ralts!"

Immediately, Chris's excitement soared as his eyes lit up.

"I remember this is the only place in the Hoenn Region where Ralts can be caught."

Chris had never encountered one on Route 102 before, as Ralts were incredibly rare. Even knowing that it was here didn't guarantee an encounter.

"Catch one myself?" Chris felt a surge of excitement after watching Norman help Wally capture the Ralts right in front of him.

Chris liked Ralts more than Abra. However, he recalled that Abra was more commonly found than Ralts, which is why he'd usually go for Abra when playing the Emerald version. But capturing Abra was tricky.

Before evolving, Abra only knew one move—Teleport. If a Poké Ball didn't succeed in capturing it immediately, it would vanish with Teleport.

Without an "instant save" option, this capture method could waste a lot of Poké Balls. Ralts, on the other hand, was more reliable but took longer to find.

After returning to the gym, Norman told him, "Son, you're still too young. Get four Badges first, then come challenge me!"

Chris had the protagonist leave the gym quietly.

Standing outside the gym's entrance, Chris hesitated. Should he go straight to find a Ralts or follow the main story?

"Let's train first." Chris quickly made up his mind.

Although Gym Leaders adjust their Pokémon's strength based on the challenger, the Pokémon they use would likely be at least level 15 or higher, and there would be three of them.

Chris would travel from Petalburg City to Route 104, then through Petalburg Woods, and finally to Rustboro Gym. There would be trainers to battle and items to collect along the way. The whole journey would take about half a day, but Chris didn't think he could raise Torchic from LV7 to LV16 during that time, so defeating Roxanne seemed unlikely.

Therefore, Chris decided to level up Torchic while also hunting for a Ralts.

He immediately controlled the protagonist to rush back to Route 102, retracing the steps where Norman had just helped Wally catch Ralts. Walking back and forth, Chris began his own search.

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