"Diancie doesn't always know her own strength. Please don't take it to heart."
Damian walked slowly toward the Galarian Moltres, which could no longer get up. He had a kind smile on his face.
Mega Diancie floated beside Damian. She was also staring at Galarian Moltres "kindly," and the butterfly light sword in her hand was glowing brightly.
"So now, Moltres, are you willing to become my partner?"
Damian lowered his head slightly and looked at Galarian Moltres.
Galarian Moltres felt that this human was threatening it!
Whenever this human spoke, the tip of Mega Diancie's sword was pointed straight at its forehead.
If this wasn't a threat, then what was?
"You can think about it carefully. If you agree, I will train you well. You can become much stronger in the future."
Damian acted like he didn't see the sword. He continued to smile at Galarian Moltres.
His tone sounded as if he were just having a friendly discussion.
"I really hope you can give me an answer that makes me happy."
This human was going too far!
In a fit of anger, Galarian Moltres made its choice.
"Chirp!"
"Good. That is a very wise choice. Then, come inside."
Damian nodded when he heard the cry. He took out a Poké Ball and threw it at Galarian Moltres.
That's right, Galarian Moltres had agreed. It felt that it had wandered for half its life without meeting a worthy master, but now it had found one.
Mega Diancie moved the butterfly light sword away. Galarian Moltres finally let out a sigh of relief.
Then, it secretly gave Mega Diancie a fierce look.
How annoying! But it had no choice for now. This pink diamond lady was simply too powerful.
I'll put up with this for now!
Just wait until this bird gets stronger. Then we'll see.
"Our luck is really good today."
Looking at the Poké Ball in his hand that held Galarian Moltres, the corners of Damian's mouth curled up.
Their luck was indeed good. He hadn't expected to run into a gathering of the three Galarian Legendary Birds as soon as they arrived.
It was the perfect chance to catch all three.
Damian turned his head. He saw that Caitlin and Serena were still in battle.
On Caitlin's side, Mega Metagross was already pinning down and beating up Galarian Articuno.
However, the battle on Serena's side was a bit more intense. Although Blacephalon was immune to Fighting-type moves, even a wild Galarian Zapdos didn't use only Fighting-type attacks.
Galarian Zapdos was violent, but it wasn't stupid.
After trying and finding that Fighting-type moves were useless against Blacephalon, it had switched attacks.
"Damian~ Congratulations!"
Seeing that Damian had successfully caught his Pokémon, Platinum immediately ran over. She congratulated Damian with a very happy expression.
"Thank you. Platinum, did you give your chance to Serena?"
Damian rubbed Platinum's head. The girl immediately closed her eyes, feeling a bit shy.
Since the matter with Akari had been brought out into the open, Damian's attitude toward Platinum had become increasingly intimate. He often did these kinds of affectionate things.
However, Platinum didn't push him away. Instead, she enjoyed it very much.
She had actually been a bit worried at first about what attitude she should use with Damian. But she was very willing to let things become closer and more natural like this.
If she had to be the one to take the lead, Platinum's skin was a bit too thin for that.
"No, we just played a small game, and Serena won."
Platinum quickly explained the situation clearly.
"I see. But it's fine. Next, we will go look for the giants. The giants sealed in the Crown Tundra are also very special," Damian said with a nod.
"Mmm~!"
Platinum's voice was very cute, almost like she was acting spoiled.
The two of them watched Caitlin and Serena's capture battles. They weren't worried that either of them would fail.
Caitlin went without saying, and though Serena's battle was a bit more difficult, Galarian Zapdos was still a wild Pokémon.
Defeating Galarian Zapdos was only a matter of time.
"If I remember correctly, Regidrago and the others are sealed in the Split-Decision Ruins."
Damian thought back. It had been quite a long time, but he remembered that Regidrago and Regieleki were both sealed inside the Split-Decision Ruins.
In the games, if you wanted to enter the Split-Decision Ruins, you first had to catch the three giants: Regirock, Regice, and Registeel.
Furthermore, inside the Split-Decision Ruins, you could only choose one between Regieleki and Regidrago.
But in the real world, such rules naturally didn't exist. You just needed to find the location of the Split-Decision Ruins.
"I remember it's to the east, right?"
Damian opened the Crown Tundra map that Peony had kindly given him. Finally, his eyes settled on the far east.
It was indeed to the east. The next goal was clear.
After waiting for a while, Caitlin successfully caught Galarian Articuno, gaining another powerful member for her team.
And on Serena's side, she also managed to catch Galarian Zapdos without any more trouble.
The young girl was incredibly excited as she held the Poké Ball containing Galarian Zapdos. With this, she finally had a Legendary Pokémon.
She now had the confidence to stand on equal footing with people like Platinum.
"Congratulations, Serena. You should train Zapdos well. It can become the ace of your team," Damian said to Serena with a smile.
"Thank you. Thank you very much, Damian."
Serena's bright eyes blinked as she gave Damian a very formal bow.
She knew very well that Damian had looked after her a great deal. Otherwise, he didn't need to bring her along at all.
Moreover, he had given her the chance to catch Galarian Zapdos. Although she had earned the chance from Platinum, what if Damian had caught Galarian Zapdos himself and kept it in World Tree Park?
In the end, it was Damian who gave them this opportunity.
Ever since she joined Team Rocket, Damian had really been very good to her.
Serena didn't even know how to repay him.
"You got this through your own hard work. There's no need to thank me." Damian gave a small laugh.
"Now then, let's rest for a while and keep moving. The next destination is decided."
The four of them rested under the big tree for half an hour. Then, they headed toward the location of the Split-Decision Ruins.
The Split-Decision Ruins were located at the far east of the Crown Tundra, at the very end of the Three-Point Pass.
With Reshiram as their mount, the group traveled very quickly. Before long, they arrived at the Split-Decision Ruins.
"Huh? Damian, the door to the ruins is actually open."
Platinum looked at the wide-open door of the ruins with some surprise.
"It looks like we've run into another adventurer. Let's go in and take a look."
Damian narrowed his eyes slightly. He looked at the footprints at the entrance of the ruins. They looked fresh.
This meant that the person hadn't been inside for very long.
After pulling back Reshiram, the four of them walked into the ruins.
The interior of the Split-Decision Ruins wasn't small. It was similar to other ruins, old and desolate inside.
In the very center was a high platform. You could walk straight up the steps.
On the platform, a girl was currently examining the statue in the center of the ruins, looking thoughtful.
"Eh? There are other people in this place?"
Hearing the footsteps, the girl turned around. She looked at Damian's group with quite a bit of surprise.
When he saw the girl clearly, Damian raised an eyebrow.
The girl had smooth, short chestnut hair. On her head, she wore a green Scottish tam o' shanter.
She was wearing a pink dress, with a gray hooded jacket over it. Her face was cute, and her eyes were bright.
She was currently looking at the four of them with curiosity.
Damian recognized her at a glance. This person was the female protagonist of Sword and Shield, Gloria!
In the original story, she was the girl chosen by Zacian.
Well, in this world, Zacian's Rusted Sword had already been taken by Damian himself. It seemed she was destined to have no connection with Zacian.
"She's a very cute girl."
Platinum also looked at the chestnut-haired girl with surprise. She hadn't expected an adventurer who went deep into the Crown Tundra to be such a young-looking girl.
After all, the Crown Tundra area was quite dangerous. The wild Pokémon here were all very high-level.
Also, there were many Power Spots. Wild Pokémon near Power Spots could be stimulated by Dynamax energy and suddenly Dynamax.
"Hello! I am Gloria from Postwick. I am currently on an adventure to challenge the Gyms."
Gloria clearly had a friendly personality. She took the lead and introduced herself to Damian's group.
"Hello. I am Damian from Kanto, and these are my friends."
Damian replied with a kind and sunny smile. He also introduced Caitlin and the other two girls.
"Damian? That name sounds so familiar."
Gloria tilted her head in confusion. But soon, the girl's eyes lit up.
"Oh! Right! You're Damian from Team Rocket, aren't you? I've seen your interview video!"
Gloria remembered. Her eyes were sparkling as she spoke to Damian. Her tone was a bit excited.
"I didn't expect you to have seen that interview. Yes, I am the leader of Team Rocket, Damian." Damian gave a light chuckle.
"You are truly amazing! I was so excited back then. I'm your fan! My friend admires you a lot too."
The atmosphere immediately became much more relaxed. Gloria really hadn't expected to meet someone she admired in the Galar region.
After all, Damian's interview did have a very positive and uplifting feel. Especially that whole message about changing the world. It had already spread far and wide online.
It had gained Damian many fans.
The friend Gloria mentioned was Hop, who had set off on a journey the same day she did.
Well, Hop really liked Damian. According to Hop himself, besides his older brother Leon, the person he admired most was Damian.
"Thank you. I'm glad you liked it." Damian's smile was still very friendly.
The two of them chatted for a bit. Of course, it was mostly Gloria talking.
She was very interested in Team Rocket, and Damian was very patient and polite in his replies.
This was because Damian was quite interested in recruiting someone like Gloria.
"Gloria, why did you come to these ruins?" Damian asked curiously.
"Ah~ Because I've already challenged all the Gyms. The Champion Cup hasn't started yet, so I thought I'd come to the Crown Tundra for some special training."
Gloria blinked. Actually, she was planning to leave the Crown Tundra in a few days. She was preparing to go to the Isle of Armor to visit Master Mustard.
This was because Champion Leon had told her that Master Mustard was looking for a suitable trainer for his Urshifu's child.
Leon felt that Gloria was the right person. As for his younger brother, Hop?
Leon hoped that Hop could become his rival in the future, but when Leon compared Hop and Gloria...
To put it politely, there was still a gap between them right now.
Leon truly felt that Hop might not be able to pass Master Mustard's trial yet.
That's right, Leon was also a student of Mustard, though he had long since surpassed his teacher.
Leon thought very highly of Gloria as a junior. He also felt that Gloria should be able to get Mustard's approval and take Kubfu with her.
Just thinking about Gloria challenging him with an Urshifu in the future made Leon feel that it would definitely be a thrilling battle!