"No rush—put Tyrunt into a Poké Ball first," Professor Doi said as he opened the container door.
Tyrunt lay on the platform, chest rising and falling steadily, still fast asleep.
Seeing the little dinosaur dozing so soundly, Gary wondered if it had been napping when it originally died—perhaps it had passed away in its sleep.
Zinnia, already familiar with Poké Balls, tapped one to Tyrunt and secured the capture. Although the Draconid tribe was isolated, it hadn't been completely cut off from outside knowledge.
Professor Doi then led them to the examination suite and performed a full check-up. Tyrunt was perfectly cooperative, sleeping through the entire procedure.
"So cute, and so well-behaved!" Zinnia cooed, hugging the fifty-kilogram youngster and planting kisses on its snout.
"Don't celebrate too soon," Gary cautioned. "It's been an hour since Tyrunt was revived and it still hasn't woken up—doesn't that worry you?"
Zinnia's smile faded. "Professor, is something wrong?"
"I'm not sure," Professor Doi admitted. "Fossil revival technology is still relatively new, and we've collected little data on later-generation Pokémon like Tyrunt. If you're concerned, try a Full Heal to wake it."
"Tyrunt, wake up," Zinnia whispered, gently shaking the Pokémon—no response.
"Here, try this." Gary handed her a few energy cubes formulated for Rock-types—rations he usually kept for Lairon.
Almost immediately, Tyrunt's nostrils twitched. Its eyes cracked open and it blinked around, confused.
"You're awake!" Zinnia said, stroking its head.
"Rawr?" Tyrunt chirped.
"Hungry, huh?" Zinnia guessed; she had always been good at sensing a Dragon Pokémon's emotions.
"Go ahead, feed it." Gary poured some standard Pokémon feed into a bowl while Zinnia held an energy cube to Tyrunt's mouth. The baby predator opened wide and accepted the treat politely.
Gary kept quiet. Tyrunt's bite force was infamous, yet this one was astonishingly gentle with Zinnia; the two seemed destined to bond.
Once it had eaten its fill, Tyrunt's natural energy surfaced, and it began romping around the room. Zinnia laughed and chased after it.
"It looks perfectly healthy—just hungry," Professor Doi said with relief. Devon Corporation's reputation remained intact.
"Great. Now that Tyrunt's fine, we won't take up any more of your time," Gary said. He was eager to get moving. With the Ever Grande Conference on the horizon, he needed an all-Hoenn team and still lacked a strong Water-type. Having failed to find a high-potential Mudkip, he planned to try his luck fishing.
"If you have any problems, come straight back," Professor Doi said.
Gary and Zinnia left Devon Corporation that afternoon, resupplied, and set out for Rusturf Tunnel the next morning.
Three Days Later
Their pace toward Verdanturf Town was unhurried; each day included Pokémon training sessions. With Eevee and Lairon supervising, Gary was free to indulge in his new hobby—fishing.
"Why is it always Barboach and Magikarp?" he groaned, unhooking yet another Barboach. For three straight days, those two species were all he had caught.
"Gary, this is pointless," Zinnia said, approaching. "If you want a Water-type, just ask Latias to scout underwater. Why stand here fishing?"
"You wouldn't understand. This is a man's romance," Gary replied, smirking.
"Really?" Zinnia thought of the uncles in Meteor Village who spent hours fishing in the underground river—the village aunties called it a useless pastime.
"Finished training already?" Gary asked. As a rookie, Zinnia followed the regimen he'd designed; right now, she should have been drilling Tyrunt.
"Tyrunt finished today's performance exercises early, so I'm giving it a break," she said.
"If it finished early, increase the workload. Tyrunt will fight up close when it's older—its stamina needs to be pushed to the limit," Gary said.
"Alright, alright. We'll train harder tomorrow. Today can be its holiday," Zinnia conceded, though she still felt a little sorry for the baby dinosaur.