Pokemon: The Gameboy Effect-Chapter 533 533: The Galaxy Expedition Team

John followed Akari up to the third floor of Galaxy Expedition Team headquarters.
Only one room occupied this floor, the captain's office.
The captain of the Galaxy Expedition Team had been waiting for John for some time.
"Hello, I am the captain of the Galaxy Expedition Team. My name is Cyllene." A middle-aged woman wearing traditional Japanese clothing, wooden sandals, and sporting a stern expression greeted John and extended her hand.
"Hello, I'm John, a traveler from another continent." John shook her hand firmly.
"Please, have a seat."
The two settled into chairs opposite each other in the office's reception area.
"Thank you very much for your help. If not for you, I wouldn't be seeing Akari right now." Cyllene nodded to Akari to prepare tea.
"Just lucky timing. Even without me, she would've found a way out." John wasn't being modest.
As the protagonist of the story, Akari definitely wouldn't die that easily.
Cyllene didn't pursue that topic further.
"May I ask which continent you hails from? And what brings you to our ancient Sinnoh Region?"
"The Hoenn continent," John said, hoping the name had already been established in this era. "I came to here to study the local Pokemon ecology while traveling."
"Originally, I planned to research the Galaxy Expedition Team, Pearl Clan, and Diamond Clan first, then choose an organization to join. I never expected to meet Akari by chance, so I came to the Galaxy Expedition Team first to visit and pay my respects."
Having already rescued Akari, John figured he might as well commit to joining the Galaxy Expedition Team.
Unlike the Diamond Clan and Pearl Clan who were constantly at odds over their worship of the time and space dragons, the Galaxy Expedition Team maintained cooperative relationships with both factions and could intervene in major events.
If he joined Diamond or Pearl Clan, dealing with the other clan would become unnecessarily complicated.
The opposition between time and space seemed to originate from the two great gods Palkia and Dialga themselves.
'The Hoenn Region?'
Cyllene searched her memory for this place name but drew a blank. Still, judging from John's tone, it didn't seem like a lie. Perhaps it was simply a distant land she hadn't studied yet.
The world was vast, she couldn't possibly know every continent.
"It would naturally be an honor for the Galaxy Expedition Team to have you join our ranks."
"However, we do have our own protocols. If you wish to join, you'll need to pass a test." Cyllene spoke carefully.
She certainly welcomed the addition of a strong trainer, but she'd only heard Akari's description of the battle. She had no firsthand knowledge of John's actual strength.
If possible, Cyllene wanted to assess John's capabilities herself.
"Of course. I'll follow your rules. I'm willing to accept the test." John had no objections.
Cyllene nodded slightly and tapped the table. Immediately, a capable-looking woman with blue hair and a stern expression entered through the door.
"Captain, you summoned me?"
"Prepare the testing grounds and conduct the assessment for Mr. John's admission."
"Yes, I'll prepare immediately." The woman agreed, then turned to John. "Mr. John, please come this way."
"Then, I'll see you shortly." John stood up.
Cyllene also rose from her seat. "I'll come along. I want to see with my own eyes whether you're as impressive as Akari described."
At that moment, Akari was returning with tea. Seeing John and Captain Cyllene heading out, she hesitated, unsure whether to serve the tea or follow them.
In the end, she simply set the tea on the reception table and hurried after John.
Led by the blue-haired woman, John, Cyllene, and Akari quickly arrived at the western side of Jubilife Village. An open area served as the designated "battlefield," though it lacked the standard markings of modern battle arenas.
John and the blue-haired woman took positions on opposite sides of the field while Akari and Cyllene observed from the sidelines.
"Hello, John. My name is Zisu, and I'm the security captain of the Galaxy Expedition Team. I'll be conducting your assessment today," the blue-haired woman introduced herself.
As she spoke, she pulled out something resembling a primitive Pokeball and opened it.
A Pokemon burst forth.
It was a Heracross.
"The assessment task is simple, defeat one of my Pokemon."
John could see the level displayed above Heracross's head. Just an ordinary Level 50 Pokemon.
"Any other restrictions?" John was already reaching for a Pokeball.
"No restrictions. You can use multiple Pokemon if needed, as long as you defeat my Heracross."
So those were the rules?
"Fair enough." John casually tossed a Pokeball.
Crack!
Garchomp materialized on the field, roaring toward the sky. Its two razor-sharp claws gleamed like steel blades. With just a slight movement, a powerful and savage aura swept across the entire battlefield like a gale.
The battle hadn't even started, yet everyone could clearly feel an overwhelming pressure bearing down on them!
Seeing the intimidating presence of John's Garchomp, Zisu's stern expression became more serious, and she frowned.
Even without engaging in battle, she could tell John was definitely a formidable opponent.
Akari served as the referee for this match.
"Are both sides ready? Battle begin!" Akari raised her hand, confirmed both parties were in position, then brought it down sharply. "Start!"
The moment Akari finished speaking, Zisu's command rang out.
"Heracross, Quick Attack!"
Heracross felt somewhat intimidated by Garchomp's aura, but upon receiving its trainer's command, it charged forward without hesitation. The wings on its back fluttered rapidly as it shot forward, leaving a streak of cold light in the air as it closed the distance to Garchomp in the blink of an eye.
"Megahorn!" Zisu added another command, opening with an ultimate move!
The sharp horn on Heracross's head became coated in dazzling white light, like a steel needle aimed straight at Garchomp.
However, facing Heracross's fierce assault, John didn't even raise an eyebrow, let alone issue a command.
He simply watched as Heracross flew toward his Pokemon.
Garchomp raised one claw and tapped downward lightly.
BOOM!
A crater with a radius of about three meters suddenly appeared in the ground in front of Garchomp, cracks spreading wildly in all directions.