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At eight o'clock in the morning, island time, Chris the plane returning to China.
There was no need to remain on the Sky Island any longer. From now on, he only needed to wait until the World Pokémon Tournament's Masters Eight Competition officially commenced. Perhaps one of the Masters Eight matches would be held on the Sky Island, and he might return then.
Chris activated his handheld device and checked the progress of his currently active tasks in the Pokémon Championship system.
[Notification: Number of Champions Defeated So Far (9/10)]
[Note: When the number of defeated Champions reaches 10, the Pokémon Championship will automatically unlock, and all Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, and Champions that have been defeated will be strengthened and appear in the Pokémon Championship!]
Although Mustard had clearly told Chris that he wasn't planning to participate in any Pokémon Championships, the system still counted him as one of the Champions defeated.
Chris was now only one step away from unlocking the Pokémon Championship system.
And he had already identified his target for achieving that final championship victory.
Red—also known as the "World's Mightiest Trainer" in the Pokémon universe.
Even Ash would have to step aside when compared to him.
However, Chris wasn't prepared to issue his challenge immediately.
He had been completely focused on the World Pokémon Tournament in the real world. Instead, he was more concerned with facing Red, and then the enhanced version of Red that would appear in the Pokémon Championship system after defeating him once.
That was the opponent he truly cared about challenging.
Therefore, Chris intended to spend considerable time training his Pokémon before that critical battle.
When facing Red, only six Pokémon could be used by him. Chris had seen those six Pokémon multiple times in anime series from his previous life.
He remembered them clearly: Pikachu, Espeon, Snorlax, and the three Kanto starters—Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur.
In the games, whenever Red appeared, it was basically this exact lineup. At most, he might include the utility Pokémon Lapras and Arcanine for water and land coverage.
Should he prepare a team specifically to counter this lineup of six main Pokémon?
Chris thought carefully for a while but still couldn't decide definitively.
He remembered that in the anime he had watched before traveling to this world, Red had already completed the Pokédex for the entire Kanto Region.
The Legendary Birds and even Mewtwo had been captured by him.
If Red brought his absolute strongest lineup, Mewtwo would almost certainly be included. After all, there were also scenes in certain versions where Ho-Oh and the Legendary Beasts appeared on his team.
If Mewtwo really was part of the lineup...
Should he first challenge the "Mewtwo Strikes Back" theatrical version dungeon on New Island, or the Galar Region's special dungeon "Darkest Day"? Or should he go capture Rayquaza himself first?
With both Mewtwo and Rayquaza on his team, he would be nearly invincible.
But he was getting ahead of himself.
Regardless of whether Red possessed Legendary Pokémon or not, Chris had to consider him as being on the same competitive level as opponents like Mewtwo and Rayquaza.
However, whether he challenged Red first or pursued Mewtwo and Rayquaza beforehand, he needed to select his six strongest Pokémon regardless.
After all, when battling them in dungeon scenarios, he could only bring a maximum of six Pokémon.
Chris retrieved his notebook and wrote down his anticipated team composition.
Greninja, Gardevoir, Zeraora, Lugia, Gengar, Garchomp.
In truth, these six weren't necessarily his absolute strongest Pokémon individually, but considering type coverage and the current levels of certain Pokémon, Chris settled on this lineup.
The Urshifu especially—if its level increased by just ten more levels, it would become the strongest ace Pokémon in Chris's entire roster.
Depending on the opponent's type matchups, he could make minor adjustments as needed, and that wouldn't pose any significant problems. After returning home, he would focus his training efforts primarily on these six.
When the plane from the Sky Island landed in the capital city.
The local time was also exactly 8:00 AM.
Many of Chris's fans had come to the airport to welcome him home. First, Chris's recent accomplishments on the Sky Island had once again shocked the entire world.
It could be said that his achievements made those who originally admired him become even more devoted fans, while casual observers who had previously been indifferent to Chris now recognized that he might become China's next world-famous figure.
Those who brought honor to their nation naturally gained popularity among the general public.
Second, the Sky Island trip had been almost entirely public, completely different from his low-key travels in the past. Chris was bound to encounter heavy crowds.
However, that posed no real obstacle. As soon as he noticed people blocking his path, Chris released Zoroark.
Illusions enveloped the area.
Just like that, in a venue filled with noisy gongs and drums, exploding firecrackers, and massive crowds of people, Chris and Lin Wei were "ignored" by everyone in such a blatant manner. They boarded the private car that had come to pick them up and departed from the airport, heading toward Chris's villa in the capital.
"Boss, the Trainer Association sent a video message, saying they've discovered a Secret Realm that you would be interested in," Lin Wei suddenly announced not long after boarding the vehicle, handing over a mobile phone.
"Which Secret Realm would interest me?" Chris smiled as he accepted the phone. By now, he had numerous options to choose from.
Unless it was a Secret Realm from ancient times like the one Senior Roy had taken him to, or a Secret Realm containing Legendary Pokémon, he would completely disregard any ordinary Secret Realm.
Chris tapped the video on the phone screen.
The video feed was pitch black initially, but when the camera angle shifted upward, a massive crescent moon came into view against the night sky.
What truly made Chris narrow his eyes and stare intently, however, was the location where the crescent moon's pale light illuminated the ground—a humanoid Pokémon wearing an elegant white dress was dancing beneath the moonlight.
"Gardevoir?" Chris confirmed he wasn't mistaken. The figure was indeed an ordinary Gardevoir.
As the video progressed, Gardevoir's dance became increasingly ethereal, her form floating gracefully through the air like a fairy preparing to ascend toward the crescent moon. And as she danced, the entire camera angle began to sway unnaturally.
No—to be more precise, it was the entire world that was trembling, not merely the camera's filming angle.
Just as Chris suspected, when the perspective stabilized, everything visible in the video—along with the endless moonlight itself—was dancing alongside Gardevoir in an impossible, reality-defying rhythm.
"Such a powerful Gardevoir..."
"No, it's not simply a matter of being powerful. This Gardevoir is no longer an ordinary Gardevoir. Its every movement shows no trace of deliberately channeling physical energy, yet it's like a Legendary Pokémon, possessing the ability to influence natural phenomena..."
Chris stroked his chin thoughtfully as he analyzed what he was seeing.
Without deliberately exerting power, it could naturally influence the fundamental forces of the world. This was something even his own Gardevoir couldn't accomplish.
Could it be...
"Could this be a Gardevoir with divine authority?" Chris's eyes suddenly flashed with realization as he raised his head and gave instructions to the driver.
"Change of plans—take us to the Trainer Association instead!"