Wyndon.
Macro Cosmos Headquarters, Fifth Floor.
"Quick! Transfer all the detailed Dynamax data from Hulbury! Make it fast! And send over every bit of information we have on that Toxapex as well!"
In front of a massive screen, Oleana barked sharply at the staff on the other end of the line. Behind her, the researchers and assistants constantly rushed by with piles of documents in their hand. Everything they carried was basically related to Dynamax and Dynamax Bands. Their job was to keep collecting data and use it to refine the band.
Although the battle had already ended, the footage on the screen still showed the Dynamaxed Toxapex. Thanks to more than a dozen cameras filming at the scene, videos from every angle had been transmitted to her lab. All of it was incredibly valuable research material.
She observed the footage while giving instructions to the technician beside her.
"Hurry. Increase the playback speed to the moment when Toxapex fully leapt into the air."
"Yes, ma'am!"
The technician responded at once and quickly adjusted the video.
Oleana's lab had never been this busy. It had always been hectic in the past, but never to the point where it felt like lives depended on every second.
"Shiro's Corviknight actually stayed inside Toxapex's body for so long… and came out completely unharmed?"
That was the part that puzzled her the most.
Whether Gym Leader Nathan could stop Shiro wasn't her main concern. The day's schedule had already been arranged, and the company had long detected the international cruise ship approaching Galar.
What Oleana couldn't tolerate was a problem with the Dynamax project.
Years of relentless research, spanning two generations, had gone into the Dynamax Band and Dynamax itself. And yet, they still couldn't strengthen the internal structure of certain Pokémon?
This wasn't referring to their stomachs, but to Pokémon like Toxapex, whose true body was inside, shielded by its appendages.
While this issue might not apply to all species, it proved that Dynamax didn't reinforce every part of the body equally. There might still be internal weak points that hadn't been discovered yet.
She needed to confirm whether Toxapex lost the battle because its internal structure wasn't properly reinforced or because Shiro's Corviknight was simply too powerful.
When the bird drilled into Toxapex's appendages, her calculations suggested that a Dynamaxed Toxapex should have been able to withstand the intrusion and crush it through sheer pressure.
But the outcome was the complete opposite.
"Ugh…" She rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
Besides the Dynamax research, she also had to deal with the League's TV station and manage public relations.
Nathan's surrender after using Dynamax wasn't a huge scandal. It had only sparked some jokes and gossip, but that alone was irritating enough at the moment.
She couldn't let the mockery spread any further. If in the future, when Galar began large-scale promotion of Dynamaxing and used it to change the region's closed atmosphere and attract foreign trainers, people suddenly bringing up this incident could affect policy.
On top of that, she had to keep track of Shiro's movements and monitor the Royal Unova ship offshore.
Dynamax issues, post-battle rumors, Shiro, and the Royal Unova…
Just as she gathered her thoughts, her communicator buzzed.
Bzzt
She picked up and asked, "What is it now?"
The voice on the other end sounded urgent. "Hulbury... outside Hulbury, the Royal Unova is requesting permission to enter the port!"
"Deny it!"
Oleana gave a crisp reply and ended the call without hesitation.
She thought for a moment about whether to hand over full authority regarding Shiro's movements to the person in charge on-site. But when she lifted the communicator again, she set it down.
She didn't feel comfortable trusting anyone else about the matter.
* * *
Woooo!
The deep blare of a foghorn rolled across the sea.
The waters around the Royal Unova quivered, sending schools of Wishiwashi and other small Pokémon scattering in alarm.
Under the bright sunlight, the ship's bronze hull shimmered with a golden tint, making it look like a vessel forged from gold.
Due to the ongoing Gym Challenge, the streets inside Hulbury were clean and mostly empty. Few noticed the approaching cruise ship. But on both sides of town, under the bridges behind the beaches and in the fisherman settlements along the mountains, crowds were already stirring with commotion.
None of them had ever seen such a massive vessel, nor did they know what it had come for.
In a narrow, filthy alley where dirty water trickled down the walls, someone poked out a grimy face and shouted toward the beach.
"Who's that ship here to pick up?"
The voices around him rose in response.
"Who could it be for? It's probably a cargo ship."
"Do you guys remember a while back... there was another ship that came? But it was way smaller than this one."
"Heh, whatever it's here for, it has nothing to do with us."
Though the chatter was quite loud and the settlement was noisy, with some people even coming out to watch, not a single fisherman dared step beyond the shadow of the bridge onto the sunlit sand.
That was a strict rule set by Hulbury Gym Leader: no one was allowed to appear in the sunlight, ensuring that tourists above the bridge wouldn't see a single pair of dirty eyes.
* * *
Out at sea, on the sparkling golden deck of the Royal Unova, a burly, tan-skinned man pulled out his communicator and dialed a number.
Ring~ ring~ ring~
"Hello? You're already there?" Professor Rowan on the other side spoke first.
Captain Norton hesitated, then replied, "The Royal Unova has arrived at Hulbury, but it seems the Galar side isn't allowing us to dock at the port… Then, how will that professor—"
"You don't need to worry about that!" Rowan interrupted sharply. "If I tell you to stop, you stop. When I tell you to move, you move. Whether you pick anyone up doesn't matter."
"This…" Norton couldn't make sense of the situation.
Still, his superiors had instructed him to listen to Professor Rowan... Whatever, it didn't matter. The entire Royal Unova didn't have many passengers anyway, and they didn't know the routes, nor would they care if they suddenly stopped at the sea outside Galar for a bit.
He quickly agreed. "Understood, Professor Rowan. The Royal Unova is ready for your orders at any time."
"Good."
Rowan nodded in satisfaction, then swiftly switched to another communicator and placed another call.
"Hello? Is this Mr. Corviknight? The Royal Unova is just outside Hulbury in Galar. I was wondering if you…"
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