Garchomp, holding Tyrantrum's small, stubby claws, turned and walked towards the nearby hard rock area; clearly, he intended to take his "new friend," Tyrantrum, to find a place to "have a good chat."
It was rare for Garchomp to encounter a Dragon-type Pokémon that, like itself, "didn't know how to use Dragon Dance."
It couldn't wait to act as the older brother and pour out all the worries that had been piling up in its heart over the years to Tyrantrum.
Tyrantrum stood there, somewhat bewildered, looking at Lionel.
Its training wasn't over yet!
And the Garchomp was too strange; just a moment ago, it was an "opponent" fiercely opposing it.
How did it suddenly change to this?
Being all friendly and inviting was really leaving Tyrantrum bewildered.
But given Garchomp's enthusiasm, the Tyrantrum couldn't refuse.
"Go on, that's enough for today's training."
Lionel smiled and waved to the Tyrantrum, secretly hoping it could spend more time with and learn from Garchomp.
Hearing that training was over, the Tyrantrum was overjoyed.
Its eyes widened, and it dashed past the Garchomp basin towards the rocky beach, yet it kept glancing back, afraid Lionel would change his mind.
Garchomp then remembered it should ask its master's opinion, turning to look at Cynthia, letting out a low, soft moan.
Cynthia hadn't recovered from Lionel's reply; her pendant rattled, and she just waved instinctively, letting Garchomp go play by itself. Excitedly, Garchomp chased after Tyrantrum to the reef area for a "heart-to-heart talk."
Steven Stone, looking dazed, thought for a moment, then smiled and pulled a Poké Ball from his pocket, tossing it into the air. Several flashes of red light appeared, and Shiny Metagross, Aggron, Claydol, and other Pokémon emerged.
"It's rare to be home together; come out and play too."
Aggron let out an excited low growl as soon as it landed, then turned and ran towards the mountains beside the beach.
Its home was there. Its family and children lived there, and these past few days, Tyrantrum, Metang, and Larvesta had spent a lot of their free time playing with Aggron and the others.
At this moment, Metang saw Shiny Metagross appear and excitedly rushed over, circling around it.
The Metagross gently stroked its head with its metallic back, then turned to gesture for it to head towards its lair.
Clearly, it wanted to show Metang around its little home. Metang immediately turned to look at Lionel, its eyes full of anticipation.
"You go too, training ends here for today," Lionel nodded with a smile.
Metang excitedly swayed its body and quickly followed, perching on top of the Metagross.
Two silver-white metallic figures, one large and one small, quickly disappeared from sight.
"Squeak!"
The Larvesta paced anxiously nearby, its antennae constantly snapping off flames, revealing its restless state.
"Metang and Tyrantrum are gone; we can't leave one Pokémon behind to continue training, can we? That's too much! You can have some free time too."
Lionel ruffled Larvesta's head.
"They've all gone to play; how can we leave you alone to train?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Claydol appeared, using its psychic powers to lift Larvesta up.
Larvesta wasn't as afraid of Claydol as it had been when they first met in the Meteor Falls cave.
Knowing that Claydol meant no harm, Larvesta actually enjoyed being lifted by its psychic powers.
Claydol's psychic power was much stronger than Metang's, and it carried Larvesta gently through the air, giving it the joy of flight.
Soon, the Psychic Pokémon, carrying the Larvesta, flew toward the direction where Garchomp and Tyrantrum had disappeared.
Cynthia finally came to her senses and took out a Poké Ball.
"Since Garchomp has gone to play, Togekiss, come out and get some fresh air!"
A flash of red light appeared, and a bird-like Pokémon covered in pure white feathers appeared before Lionel.
It had a round body with three red and blue feathers on its head, like a carefully styled fringe.
A pair of large triangular wings fluttered gently, and when it landed, it bowed slightly to Lionel and Steven like an elegant gentleman.
At the same time, the shadow beneath Cynthia's feet suddenly moved.
Gradually, it lengthened and twisted, emitting a faint purple halo, and a Pokémon with a Spiritomb stone at its base and a vortex of gas slowly emerged.
In the vortex, specks of green and light clusters formed facial features, and a forced smile appeared on its face as it looked at Lionel and Steven. It was indeed a Spiritomb!
Lionel's gaze fell on the two Pokémon, and relevant information involuntarily surfaced:
Pokémon Togekiss Spiritomb
Type Fairy/Flying Ghost/Dark
Ability Serene Grace Pressure
Notable Moves: Aura Sphere, Air Slash, Extreme Speed Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, Hypnosis
Togekiss greeted Lionel and Steven, then tilted its head toward Cynthia.
After Cynthia nodded in permission, it immediately spread its wings and flew into the air, quickly catching up with Claydol and Larvesta.
It excitedly circled around Larvesta, gently touching the other with its wing as if inviting it to sit on its back.
Larvesta cheered and pounced, landing steadily on Togekiss. Together, they soared into the sky.
Spiritomb, however, simply hovered beside Cynthia, its gaseous body swaying slightly, showing no intention of leaving.
"Aren't you going to play with everyone?"
Cynthia looked down at it and said softly, "Don't worry, I'm safe here; there won't be any danger."
Spiritomb's gaseous body shook, clearly not wanting to leave her side.
"I see. Then you'll stay with me."
Cynthia reached out and gently stroked the Odd Keystone at Spiritomb's base.
As she touched it, the purple light emanating from Spiritomb's body deepened.
Noticing Lionel's curious gaze, Cynthia explained, "This is how Ghost-type Pokémon feed. They need psychic energy to replenish their power. Not just humans, but other Pokémon's psychic energy can also provide them with energy. However, you can't do this to wild Ghost-types; they don't know their limits and can easily over-absorb energy."
As soon as Cynthia finished speaking, Spiritomb's gaseous body suddenly contracted, transforming into a shadow and disappearing back into Cynthia's shadow.
It was like a silent guardian, always protecting her.
"Didn't you bring your other Pokémon?" Steven asked.
"Roserade and Gastrodon are helping out on the ship! Some of the accompanying researchers are being helped by Roserade to alleviate their sea-sickness."
The butler then came to inform them that tea had been prepared.
Steven immediately led Lionel and Cynthia to the terrace for tea and snacks, where the view overlooked the sea.
Lionel mostly listened quietly to Steven and Cynthia discussing everything from Pokémon breeding to regional gym features.
Suddenly, a series of booming sounds came from afar.
Near the mountains, Claydol, Togekiss, and Larvesta were huddled together, chirping as if cheering.
Surrounded by them were Tyrantrum and Garchomp.
The two Pokémon were each using their strength to pull on giant boulders, smashing them against their heads as if competing to see whose skull was harder.
With a muffled thud, Tyrantrum exerted its strength, slamming its head against a boulder and cracking it open.
Not to be outdone, Garchomp let out a roar and shattered a boulder on its own head instantly.
The surrounding Pokémon erupted in cheers; even Aggron stomped its feet in approval.
"I can't believe Garchomp still remembers this game," Cynthia watched, both amused and exasperated.
"Garchomp loved doing this when it was a Gible, but as it grew older, it rarely had the chance to play like this anymore. Let's not disturb them."
They returned to the table. Cynthia picked up her teacup, her eyes turning serious.
"Lionel, regarding your Tyrantrum, are you interested in going out for a spin?"
Lionel was taken aback.
Cynthia smiled and explained, "I mean, would you be interested in having Tyrantrum accompany me on my mission to Unova? It's rare for Garchomp to recognize a friend so highly. Also, your Tyrantrum doesn't seem to have learned 'Outrage' yet, right? Garchomp can teach it; that move is a vital finishing blow."
"Let Tyrantrum go to Unova with me?" Lionel was surprised.
"Yes," Cynthia nodded.
"It will be treated as an envoy of our league, so there will be no shortage of resources. More importantly, Professor Juniper from Unova is researching fossil Pokémon resurrection alongside Dr. Fennel. They have a new machine."
Steven added, "Our researchers at Devon think the same way. The current resurrection process adds the Rock type to all fossil Pokémon. Perhaps they weren't originally this type, and the Rock type is suppressing their true potential. We want to find a way to unleash their ancient forms."
Lionel's heart skipped a beat.
Tyrantrum, the king of ancient lands, was currently Rock/Dragon.
If there was a chance to return it to its ancient prototype...
what would that look like?
"I need to ask Tyrantrum's opinion," Lionel said seriously.
"It's my partner; I can't make the decision for it."
Cynthia's gaze softened.
"You're right. Even if it doesn't want to go now, the offer stands."
As the sun set, the Pokémon returned for a dinner of energy meat and specialized treats.
Tyrantrum and Garchomp stood side-by-side, devouring their meal.
Lionel noticed a small crown painted in yellow on Garchomp's forehead—identical to Tyrantrum's.
Apparently, Garchomp had been envious of Tyrantrum's royal look and pestered Lionel to paint one on him too.
Note: Regarding Tyrantrum's original attributes, feel free to leave a comment. While the Galar fossils are mixed up, earlier generations like Aerodactyl might have originally been Rock-less (perhaps Flying/Dragon). What do you think Tyrantrum's "true" ancient type was? Dragon/Fighting? Pure Dragon? Let me know!