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In the center of the cracked battlefield, Heracross lay motionless in the crater, its eyes already swirling with unconsciousness.
The battle had just begun, yet it was already over.
Garchomp scratched its head in boredom. The opponent had collapsed before it even needed to exert any real effort. This kind of opponent was utterly disappointing.
"Jiu Mi~ Jiu Mi~ (Yay! Amazing!)" Shaymin clenched its tiny fists enthusiastically, congratulating Garchomp on the easy victory.
"Please announce the result," Chris said to Akari.
Akari stood frozen with her eyes wide open and her mouth agape, wearing an expression of complete astonishment. She had seen Chris's Garchomp before and knew it was powerful, but she hadn't thought Captain Cyllene was weak by any means.
Yet the outcome had far exceeded her imagination.
It wasn't that Chris had won after a fierce, hard-fought battle—rather, Captain Cyllene's Heracross had been defeated by Chris's Garchomp in a single casual strike, without even using an actual move.
This meant that... the strength gap between the two Pokemon was enormous, so vast that she could barely comprehend it.
"Clap, clap, clap!"
Crisp applause rang out from Captain Kamado, who was looking at Chris with a satisfied smile on his face.
"Mr. Chris, your strength is even more impressive than what Akari described to me!"
"Akari, announce the result."
"Yes, Captain!" Akari silently stuck out her tongue. She had tried her best to describe Chris as powerful when giving her report, but she hadn't expected that Chris was even stronger than she'd thought. He was simply extraordinary!
"Heracross is unable to battle, and Garchomp wins! Therefore, the victor is Chris!"
A flash of shock crossed Cyllene's face at the swift defeat, but she soon regained her composure and congratulated him expressionlessly. "Congratulations. You've successfully passed the Galaxy Team's admission assessment. From now on, you are officially a member of our Galaxy Team."
"Thank you for the opportunity," Chris said with a modest gesture.
"No need for politeness. You're quite strong—you'll likely qualify for a team leader position in a short time." While Cyllene was speaking, a dark shadow in the sky rapidly approached from the distance. Shortly after, a Braviary descended and landed on her outstretched arm.
Taking a note from Braviary's leg, Cyllene immediately reported to Kamado. "Captain, the leaders from the Diamond Clan and Pearl Clan are about to arrive for peace negotiations."
Hearing this news, Kamado turned to Chris.
"You've just arrived in Jubilife Village, so you probably don't have accommodations arranged yet. Let Akari help you get settled first, then report back to headquarters afterward."
"Understood." Chris was quite interested in meeting the two clan leaders from the Diamond and Pearl Clans, but since Kamado had made this arrangement, he wasn't in any rush. He planned to stay in the Hisui Region for a while anyway, so there would surely be many opportunities to interact with them later.
Leaving the training grounds, Akari took Chris for a tour around Jubilife Village to show him the layout.
"This road is called Garden Street, and some of the more popular shops in Jubilife Village are located along both sides," Akari explained.
"This is the Wallflower restaurant, which also serves as the Galaxy Team's canteen. Galaxy Team members can eat here for free. Of course, if you want to cook at home in the future, you're welcome to, but the Galaxy Team doesn't provide separate meal allowances."
"Do you see that photography studio over there? The person who runs that shop is named Dagero, and he's a good friend of mine. You can take photographs with your Pokemon at the studio. Whenever I experience something memorable, I come here to have a picture taken!"
Following the direction of Akari's pointing finger, Chris did indeed spot a photography studio. He'd already gotten used to such anachronisms.
Even though this was two thousand years in the past, in the Pokemon world, anything was possible. He'd only frustrate himself by questioning the logic.
After passing the hairdresser and the Ginkgo Guild merchant stand, Akari escorted Chris to the Galaxy Team dormitory.
It was a traditional Japanese-style house with its own courtyard. There was a small pond in the yard, tatami mats inside the house, and a stove for both heating and cooking. The accommodations were quite pleasant.
What surprised Chris, however, was that he would be the only person living in such a spacious dormitory.
"We don't have many members in the Galaxy Team, and most of them are deployed on field assignments, so this dormitory sits empty most of the time," Akari explained.
"What about you?"
"My home is here in Jubilife Village, so I go home after missions are complete instead of staying in the dormitory."
Even if others had been around, Chris was accustomed to living alone anyway. This arrangement meant no one would notice or care if he suddenly disappeared or didn't return home at night.
Chris didn't have any luggage to unpack. After confirming where he'd be staying, he left the dormitory with Akari.
They headed back toward the Galaxy Team headquarters.
He still needed to receive his official Galaxy Team uniform.
Arriving at the Galaxy Team headquarters, Chris encountered Professor Laventon as soon as he entered the building.
As soon as Laventon spotted Chris, he couldn't wait to approach eagerly.
"I heard you joined the Galaxy Team?"
"Yes, I just joined. I'm here now to collect my Galaxy Team uniform," Chris confirmed.
"Excellent! Then we're colleagues now!" Laventon said excitedly, though he seemed somewhat embarrassed and kept rubbing his hands together nervously. "Um, I have a humble request. I wonder if you might agree to it?"
Chris had probably already guessed what the professor wanted.
"Go ahead and ask. If it's reasonable, I'll agree. After all, we'll be colleagues from now on."
"Well then, could you please lend me that plate to study for a while?"
"That plate?" Chris acted slightly confused. "This item belongs to my partner Pokemon. If something were to happen to it..."
Chris was telling the truth—the Spooky Plate was an item guarded by his Zoroark.
Even Gengar handled it nervously on the rare occasions it was used.
"Don't worry! I'll treat it with the utmost care and never let it get damaged at all!" Laventon quickly promised.
Damaged? If a Creation Plate could be broken so easily, it wouldn't deserve to be called a Creation Plate in the first place.
"Well, I can lend it to you, but actually, I have a request of my own," Chris said, turning the tables.
"Please, tell me."
"My partner Pokemon has also studied these plates. If possible, I'd like you to lend me the plate in your possession as well."
"Of course, when I eventually leave Hisui, both plates will currently be in your care for safekeeping."
"No problem at all!" Laventon agreed immediately.
Now it was Chris's turn to feel somewhat disbelieving. After all, this was a Creation Plate!
Had the professor been persuaded that easily?
Laventon felt he'd gotten an excellent deal, though.
The important thing about these stone tablets was the ancient text recorded on them. As long as he had sufficient time to decipher the content and at most take photographs to preserve the information, the physical tablets themselves wouldn't be of much further use.
Chris probably wanted the actual plate because they didn't have advanced photography technology where he came from!