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Route 120 and Route 121.
Chris advanced further along the main storyline.
These two routes were fairly unremarkable, serving primarily as the main path to Lilycove City. However, Route 120 did make Chris pause briefly.
The reason? A rare Pokémon, Absol, inhabited this area.
While Absol's base stats weren't exceptional, its Attack stat stood out. With the top-tier Ability "Magic Bounce," Absol could hold its own. Even so, Chris decided not to linger; his team already had enough Dark-type Pokémon.
On Route 121, Chris came across the Safari Zone.
This area didn't allow battles. Instead, Trainers could only throw Poké Balls, use Pokéblocks, and focus purely on catching Pokémon.
Chris took a quick tour of the area. There weren't many Pokémon that caught his interest, aside from Heracross, Mareep, Houndour, and Pikachu. He jotted down all the Pokémon found here in his notebook, thinking he could return later to capture any he might need.
Heading further to the right, Chris noticed three members of Team Aqua speaking in hushed tones. The moment he approached, they scattered.
If Chris remembered correctly, this was part of the storyline involving Mt. Pyre.
Despite this, Chris decided against heading directly to Mt. Pyre. Instead, he continued eastward, reaching Lilycove City.
East of Lilycove City lay the ocean, and beyond it was Mossdeep City, which Chris was eager to visit. From there, he planned to head to the Kalos region. However, his progress was halted by a Team Aqua grunt blocking the way with three Wailmer. The grunt refused to move or fight, leaving Chris no way forward.
Nearby, Chris noticed a base with its doors wide open.
"That's Team Aqua's hideout," Chris recalled. "I remember there's a Master Ball in there!"
The Master Ball, a game-breaking item that guaranteed the capture of any Pokémon, was a treasure worth chasing. To Chris, obtaining it would mean being one step closer to catching a Legendary Pokémon.
Unfortunately, the hideout wasn't accessible at this point in the story. Chris would have to progress further in the storyline before he could enter.
Unable to proceed toward Mossdeep City or enter the Team Aqua hideout, Chris reluctantly turned back.
In the heart of Lilycove City, the department store caught Chris's attention.
The store offered a variety of items, from standard Poké Balls and Potions to Pokémon dolls and Technical Machines (TMs). The dolls were for decorating secret bases, but Chris's secret base was already adorned with real animals, so he skipped that section. Instead, he focused on the TMs.
Though there were only 11 TMs for sale, they were all high-quality moves. Among them were Fire Blast, Thunder, Blizzard, Focus Blast, Stone Edge, Hyper Beam, and Giga Impact. All of these were powerful offensive moves, but they came with hefty price tags.
Each elemental move—Fire Blast, Thunder, Blizzard, Focus Blast, and Stone Edge—cost 1 million Pokédollars. Hyper Beam and Giga Impact, the Normal-type powerhouse moves, were even pricier at 5 million each.
In a normal game, these prices would be impossible to afford without extensive grinding. In reality, though, Chris knew he could quickly recoup the cost of these moves.
"If I put up a sign advertising advanced Pokémon training and teaching high-level skills, I could easily charge 10 million Pokédollars for lessons!" Chris mused.
When it came to defensive moves, there were only four: Protect, Safeguard, Reflect, and Light Screen.
These moves offered comprehensive defensive options:
Protect: In the games, it blocks almost all moves for one turn. In reality, its effectiveness depends on the opponent's power. Protect can only block moves from Pokémon with a combat power not significantly higher than its own, regardless of their level.
Safeguard: Protects the team from status conditions for a few turns.
Reflect: Reduces damage from physical attacks for the entire team.
Light Screen: Reduces damage from special attacks for the entire team.
In summary, any Pokémon built for defense should learn all four moves.
And who fits that bill better than Wobbuffet?
Wobbuffet: "Wobbuffet! (^^)º!" (Salutes with pride)
The prices of defensive moves were naturally lower than offensive moves but still significant—each move cost 1 million Pokédollars. Compared to attack moves, Chris figured defensive moves would be less popular, but they were still useful for personal use.
Chris ended up buying three copies of each of the 11 available Technical Machines, paying a total of 87 million Pokédollars.
"Small change—less than 100 million," Chris shrugged.
Opening his Pokémon panel, he set to work. Whether for his main team, second team, or third team, any Pokémon capable of learning a move was taught it. Even if it wasn't immediately useful, it was always good to prepare for the unexpected.
This strategy also expanded the attack options for his Pokémon. For example, Gyarados, with its dual Water and Flying types, could learn Flamethrower and Thunderbolt. Against Grass-types or opposing Water-types, these moves provided a clear advantage.
Chris didn't have the TM for Flamethrower, so he opted for Fire Blast instead. After that, he taught Gyarados Thunder.
"Thunder is stronger than Thunderbolt," Chris mused.
With the Hurricane move being boosted by a rain setup, pairing it with Thunder, which has perfect accuracy in rain, turned Gyarados into a devastating force.
It took him two hours to teach all 11 moves to every compatible Pokémon on his roster. The initial 87 million expenditure turned out to be just the beginning. By the time he was done, Chris had spent over 400 million Pokédollars.
"Still," Chris thought, "it was money well spent. The improved strength and versatility of my Pokémon were worth it."
Satisfied, he reassured himself: "I'll earn it all back from others soon."
With that, Chris left the Lilycove City department store and headed to the Pokémon Center to heal his team, ensuring they were in peak condition.
His next destination? Mt. Pyre.