"..."
Xian lay flat on his back, staring blankly up at the ceiling of the simulation room.
"Now, that was what I call a fair fight," Azure said, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. He raised his Luxury Ball and clicked the button, a beam of red light recalling the massive form of the Dreadnought back into its capsule.
"Fair? In what universe was that fair?!" Xian screamed internally, his mind practically spinning. "I couldn't even land a single scratch on you because of your ridiculous Logic Points, not to mention that absolute fortress of a ship!"
A few feet away, Gible Redux and Metagross—who had recovered from the simulation's damage much faster than their trainer—stood quietly, looking down at Xian's still-paralyzed body.
"Gible?" Gible Redux tilted its head, grunting at Metagross as if asking, *Why is he still lying there like a broken doll?*
"Meta!" Metagross chimed in telepathically, explaining, *It's because he's still under the residual lockdown of the Point Logic.
"Gible," the dragon muttered, its small eyes widening slightly, as if concluding, *Wow, so that ability can actually do that.*
"Meta," Metagross nodded in solemn agreement.
Azure turned his attention back to the incapacitated trainer. "Alright, training is officially over. It's time for us to get ready."
"Are you seriously just going to leave him like that? He literally can't move," Metagross projected directly into Azure's mind, its tone dripping with deadpan judgment.
"Oh, right... good point," Azure muttered aloud, rubbing the back of his neck as the telepathic message registered. *"Maybe I shouldn't have used the automated lockdown function on him,"* he thought to himself.
With a casual snap of his fingers, Azure deactivated the restriction. The invisible shackles dissolved, and Xian instantly bolted upright, gasping for air.
"Finally!" Xian cried out, flexing his newly freed hands.
"Get your gear together. We're heading out to the museum in a few minutes; our main mission is about to begin," Azure instructed. He turned on his heel and walked toward the exit of the simulation chamber.
Xian scrambled to his feet, dusting off his clothes before whipping around to face Metagross and Gible Redux. He crossed his arms, glaring at them. "Hey! Why didn't you guys back me up out there at the end?"
Metagross and Gible Redux exchanged a look, their faces completely unreadable.
*"To put it bluntly: because we are sane,"* Metagross fired back via telepathy, while Gible Redux offered a sharp, synchronized nod of approval.
"Yeah, but still! You could have at least tried to help me counter him... why did you both choose to just turn around and run away?!" Xian argued, throwing his hands up.
Metagross and Gible Redux simultaneously let out a heavy, long-suffering sigh. It was painfully obvious that their trainer had completely overlooked a massive tactical oversight.
*"Hey! Use your brain for a second!"* Metagross's telepathic voice boomed with exasperation. "The Dreadnought is a Grass, Steel, and Ghost-type. Do you even remember what our types are?!"
Xian froze, the gears slowly turning in his head.
"Wait a minute... you're a Psychic and Steel-type," he muttered, pointing an accusing finger at Metagross. Then, he shifted his finger toward Gible Redux. "And you're a Water and Ghost-type..."
The harsh reality of Pokémon type advantages finally clicked. Xian placed a hand on his chin, nodding to himself. "Ah. It was a complete type disadvantage. No wonder you guys didn't dare to engage."
Metagross and Gible Redux glared at him, thoroughly annoyed by his phrasing. But since it was technically a fact and they didn't have a better counterargument, they just rolled their eyes and accepted it.
Xian pulled out their respective Poké Ball and Dusk Ball, clicking the buttons to recall the duo. "Alright, time to move," he whispered, staring at the capsules before rushing out of the simulation room.
Up in the observation deck, Aron—who had successfully compiled a massive archive of combat metrics—finally stood up from his monitor terminal, raising his arms to give his stiff muscles a deep stretch.
"Looks like it's our time to move too, Smeargle," he said, glancing down at his partner Pokémon waiting patiently by his side.
"Smeargle!" the Painter Pokémon chirped happily. Together, they stepped out of the monitoring booth and headed downstairs.
Meanwhile, out in the main lobby, Devon and Ren were busy conducting a final inventory check and preparing their equipment for the museum operation. They looked up as Azure stepped out of the training wing.
"Is the session wrapped up? How is Xian's progress looking?" Devon asked, checking his watch.
"Training's done," Azure replied, walking into the center of the lobby. "His progress is actually quite impressive. He adapts to his new capabilities incredibly fast."
Ren looked past Azure, spotting Xian and Aron jogging into the lobby. Once Xian caught up to the group, Ren turned to him. "How is the new power feeling, Senior?"
"Honestly? I still have a massive amount of things to learn," Xian admitted, rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish grin. "But I've managed to grasp the fundamental basics."
"It looks like everyone is accounted for," Aron noted, scanning the room. "We should probably get moving."
With their objective locked in, the group headed through the main exit of the base, stepping out into the evening air to begin their march toward the museum. But just as they took their first few steps down the street, Devon suddenly pulled up short, a sudden realization hitting him.
"Wait a second... hold on," Devon called out, stopping the group. "Someone needs to stay behind to guard the base."
The team stopped, blinking as they processed the oversight. They ran through the logistics, and within three seconds, every single gaze slowly turned and locked onto Aron.
Aron's jaw dropped. "Are you serious?! I want to see the exhibition too! Why do *I* have to be the one to stay behind and play house?"
"Oh, come on, just give it up already. You don't really have a choice," Devon laughed, stepping forward and clapping a heavy hand onto Aron's shoulder. "You're the only one here who actually knows the override codes for the security systems anyway."
Before Aron could protest further, Azure, Xian, Devon, and Ren turned around and resumed their march toward the museum, leaving him standing solo at the entrance.
Aron let out a long, defeated sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Ah, whatever. Forget it."
He turned back toward the heavy security doors, stepping back inside the base as the lock clicked shut. "I just hope we don't get any uninvited guests tonight."