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Of course she had objections—how could she not?
How was she supposed to know if he could actually win?
Last time, the leaders of both clans had worked together and barely managed to escape from this Pokémon. Now he was rushing in alone.
This was bound to end badly.
Sabi had already made up her mind—if something went wrong, she'd retreat with Chris immediately. Although this was their first meeting, he was still a Galaxy Team member. There couldn't be a "diplomatic incident."
Mega Garchomp approached rapidly. Regirock, which had been on "standby," detected that an enemy had entered its guard range and immediately activated. It swung its massive rocky arm and threw a sudden punch.
"Hammer Arm!"
Regirock's fist became coated with a thick layer of crimson light, like steel that had been tempered at high temperatures in a blacksmith's forge. Even the earth would shatter under this punch.
Sabi grabbed the hem of Chris's clothes with one hand, ready to persuade him to retreat the moment Mega Garchomp was repelled by Regirock.
However, what happened in the next second left her stunned.
"High Horsepower," Chris commanded with a raised hand.
CLANG!
The collision between Mega Garchomp's scythe and Regirock's punch sounded like a hammer striking steel, producing a dull, heavy echo.
Brilliant sparks scattered everywhere, and the sheer weight of the power collision was fully demonstrated in this moment.
And then, in the very next second—
Regirock's rock-solid body flew backward uncontrollably and crashed into the stone platform holding the special stone.
BOOM!
The platform shattered down the middle, creating a massive crater.
Regirock then continued flying backward and slammed into the wall of Snowpoint Temple's second floor.
CRASH!
The entire temple trembled.
The Diamond and Pearl Clan members resting on the first floor immediately leaped to their feet.
"What happened?" Gaeric looked around, searching for the source of the tremor.
"It seems to be coming from the second floor," a Pearl Clan member said, pointing at the ceiling.
Gaeric frowned. "The second floor should have been cleared already..."
"Unless..." Gaeric's pupils suddenly dilated as he thought of something alarming. He quickly turned and rushed toward the second floor.
"Everyone, prepare for battle and follow me!"
Second Floor
Regirock was deeply embedded in the second floor wall of Snowpoint Temple.
It offered no resistance because it had lost the ability to battle.
Chris used a Poké Ball to capture Regirock.
With his current strength, he no longer needed the legendary titans for power. However, every trainer had a collecting habit.
Chris planned to have the legendary titans settle in his ranch.
Gardevoir materialized behind Chris, using Psychic to levitate the special stone from the platform into Chris's hands.
Rock of Life: Legendary item. Increases Rock-type move power by 100%, increases maximum HP by 100%, and restores 3% of HP per second.
"Oh?" Chris was pleasantly surprised. He'd originally assumed this was just a key, but it turned out to be a legendary Pokémon-held item as well.
Perfect timing—he'd add it to his collection once he opened the ranch gate.
Since it was Rock-type oriented, it would be ideal for Tyranitar.
Hidden treasure material +1.
Sabi stood frozen in place.
She stared directly at Chris, as if her eyes were glued to him and couldn't be torn away.
The powerful Pokémon that even their own captain Iscan and Pearl Clan captain Palina together couldn't defeat had been instantly defeated by this man's Pokémon?
"Chris, your Garchomp is amazing!" Akari praised enthusiastically.
But she seemed less shocked, as if this outcome was completely expected.
"Of course." Chris wanted to respond modestly—"No, it's just normally powerful"—but Mega Garchomp had already returned with the Poké Ball containing Regirock. The Pokémon would probably get upset if it heard it was only "normally" powerful.
"Sabi! Are you okay?!"
Gaeric from the first floor rushed over, followed by a group of Diamond and Pearl Clan members. Everyone had released their Pokémon with serious expressions, as if preparing for battle.
"I... I'm fine," Sabi snapped back to reality and quickly replied, waving her hand.
Looking at Chris again, her eyes remained filled with astonishment.
After reaching Sabi's side and confirming that all three of them were indeed uninjured, Gaeric began surveying the scene before him.
The stone platform had been blasted apart down the middle. When had such a structure appeared on the second floor?
A massive indentation bearing the outline of a giant figure remained. There had clearly been an intense battle here...
And there—stairs leading to the third floor.
Wait, those were the stairs to the third floor!
"This is..."
"This is where that powerful Pokémon was stationed..."
"But... where is that Pokémon?" Gaeric looked around, searching for Regirock.
"Right here." Chris accepted the Poké Ball from Garchomp, who had just released its Mega Evolution.
Gaeric immediately focused his gaze on the Poké Ball in Chris's hand.
Although he'd never seen the Poké Ball style Chris used, it wasn't difficult to identify it as a Poké Ball.
"You caught it?" Gaeric couldn't believe it.
"Yes," Chris smiled.
"ROAR!" Garchomp waved its claw, taking credit.
"This..." Gaeric wanted to question further, but Sabi interrupted before he could speak.
"Yes, that Pokémon was captured by Mr. Chris. I witnessed it myself."
Gaeric looked at Sabi.
As a Diamond Clan warden, Sabi wouldn't lie about something like this.
"I'll restore some of its strength first, then release it for you to see," Chris offered.
Gaeric nodded. He needed to see it with his own eyes before he'd believe it.
"By the way, where's the stone used to open the underground passage door?"
"Also here." Chris produced the Rock of Life and showed it to them.
"However, I need to keep this item."
"That's perfectly natural. You defeated that Pokémon, so the key should naturally be kept by you," Sabi quickly agreed without waiting for Gaeric to voice any objections.
Unconsciously, she'd even changed how she addressed Chris.
At the same time, she signaled her agreement to Gaeric with her eyes.
Gaeric had no objections—it was just a key. Whoever kept it would eventually use it to open the door anyway. Seeing that Sabi had already agreed, he said nothing more.
After storing the Rock of Life, Chris glanced at Regirock's stats again. He was about to transfer it to his storage when the Pokémon's attribute panel genuinely surprised him.