"Your pace is far too slow," Gary said. "A healthy man should be able to run five kilometers in about twenty minutes, and women in thirty. You needed a full hour—slower than the average woman."
"I know, Brother Gary. I've been weak my whole life and have never exercised," Wally replied.
To his surprise, however, after fifty laps, Wally realized he could have kept going. Regular training, Gary had explained, would quickly narrow the gap. And at only ten years old, Wally was still about to hit a growth spurt—the perfect time to start.
"All right, take a ten-minute break," Gary said. "Stand while you rest—no sitting."
"Yes, sir."
While catching his breath, Wally checked on Roselia, who had already finished her own laps and was now running through move training with Grovyle.
Gary let his Pokémon choose the techniques they enjoyed most, as long as it didn't hamper overall progress.
Grovyle, for instance, loved attacking with the Leaf Blades on his wrists; forcing him to focus on anything else right now would only slow him down.
"You two can rest as well," Gary added, feeling the telekinetic pressure around him slacken. The twin Ralts had been trying—and failing—to lift him with Confusion for nearly an hour and were exhausted.
"Ra!! …Ra!!"
They protested, unwilling to admit defeat.
"Your Confusion isn't weak," Gary soothed them. "The Power Lens is simply weighing you down."
At that, the sisters finally flopped onto the grass, breathing hard.
"Take the Power Lens off while you're resting," Gary reminded them.
They shook their heads. Every one of Gary's other Pokémon was wearing a Macho Brace, and Grovyle sometimes trained with a Power Lens as well. They refused to be outworked.
Gary sighed. Technically, the Lens only hindered mental power, so as long as they weren't using psychic moves, the weight didn't matter.
Training continued until noon. After lunch, they rested until two o'clock, then moved on to targeted exercises that focused on each Pokémon's weaknesses.
Roselia stayed with basic move practice, while the two Ralts concentrated on strengthening their minds. They would gain real combat power only after evolving into Kirlia.
–––––
One week passed.
Following the program Gary had written for him, Wally now covered five kilometers in roughly forty-five minutes. He still looked half-dead afterwards, but his stamina and complexion improved daily—visible to his parents and sister, who had grown noticeably less anxious.
On Gary's last morning in Verdanturf Town, Wally met him at the gate.
"Brother Gary, are you really leaving?" he asked reluctantly.
"All good things must end," Gary said, smiling. "I hope to see you at the Hoenn League Conference."
"Don't worry—I'll be there!" Wally declared.
"Then until next time."
After farewells to Wally's family, Gary and Zinnia headed east toward Mauville City on their bikes.
–––––
Not long after they left the suburbs, Eevee sounded sharply.
"Vee."
"Trouble?" Gary interpreted, squeezing the brake. Zinnia stopped as well, scanning the roadside, but saw nothing. Even Whismur, whose hearing was extraordinary, detected no unusual sounds.
The next second, two figures materialized on the road ahead:
[Lv. 51 Gallade ♂ — Quasi-Elite]
[Lv. 55 Gardevoir ♀ — Elite]
"What Pokémon are those…?" Zinnia breathed. She had met Ralts before but hadn't known its evolutionary line. She quickly opened Gary's Pokédex.
Pokédex: "Gardevoir, the Embrace Pokémon. It will expend all its psychic energy—even creating a miniature black hole—if it is to protect its Trainer."
Pokédex: "Gallade, the Blade Pokémon, a Fighting-type evolution of Kirlia. Further data unavailable."
"Are they related?" Zinnia asked.
Gary ignored the question and addressed the newcomers directly. "Are you Ralts' parents?"
Gallade nodded. Through telepathy, he explained that they had come to ask Gary for help.
Gary blinked. He knew Gallade could communicate mentally, but he couldn't imagine what kind of favor the pair wanted from him; he hadn't shown any extraordinary ability in their presence.
"What do you need from me?" Gary asked.