The intense spatial fluctuations, accompanied by a strong sense of dizziness, caused Natsuhiko to walk out of the spatial device with heavy steps.
He once again felt the long-missed dazzling sunlight of the Pokémon Realm.
When his eyes adjusted and slowly opened, he saw the originally deserted island now filled with people.
Uniformed Alliance personnel, expressionless, ensuring the smooth operation of the spatial device.
As he stepped out, two Alliance staff members in white medical attire immediately approached to take him for a check-up.
However, Natsuhiko politely declined.
His body was just tired, nothing was wrong with him.
The staff did not insist and quickly took the Trainer, who came out looking rather disheveled after Natsuhiko, into a temporary medical tent for a comprehensive examination and treatment, along with his Pokémon.
Clearly.
The Alliance had completely taken control of this island.
The trial ended rather abruptly, but understandably, as Natsuhiko had already gained plenty and no longer needed to stay in the Alternate Space.
The Alliance was still quite humane; there were still two days left before the trial ended, so if anyone felt like staying, they could.
However, after the commotion caused by the Magma Team, it's unlikely many would want to remain any longer.
"Natsuhiko."
Standing at the exit, Lance waved at Natsuhiko as he emerged.
Beside him stood Hilona, Flint, Kona, and Du Juan.
Although their time together in the Alternate Space was not long, they had barely formed a "revolutionary friendship."
Shaking his head to clear the last bit of confusion, he walked up to them.
"What were you busy with?" Lance couldn't resist asking.
Natsuhiko came out quite a bit later than the rest.
"Just a small matter."
Natsuhiko wasn't planning to elaborate on the topic and instead asked, "What's next on the agenda for us?"
"Rest for a bit, then a plane will be arranged to take us back later," Flint replied.
Next would be two weeks of rest, followed by preparations for the "Lily Youth Competition" held on Lily Island in the Sinnoh Region.
Despite the unexpected incidents they encountered in the Alternate Space, the Alliance had already publicized the competition, attracting Trainers from various regions eagerly signing up, canceling the event was a definite no, and it would still proceed as planned.
However, those who survived wouldn't need to participate in the preliminaries and would directly enter the group stage.
"Natsuhiko, where are you headed?"
Lance's question made everyone turn to him.
They all had clear destinations.
Lance would return to the Kanto Alliance to file a report, detailing what transpired in the Alternate Space and the information he gathered while infiltrating the Magma Team.
However, under Natsuhiko's firm request, Lance would appropriately omit certain sections concerning him.
Kona was traveling the same route as Lance, returning to Silver Academy to finalize preparations for the upcoming competition under the guidance of academy instructors.
Flint and Du Juan were both headed back to the Hoenn Region.
Hilona would naturally head back to Sinnoh.
Her Glaceon had undergone some integration with her within the Alternate Space, next was to arrange tactical moves and fully incorporate Glaceon into her team.
Only Natsuhiko was uncertain of his destination, or perhaps he had many choices available.
Natsuhiko pondered for a moment.
"Sinnoh."
He had a batch of Pokémon left in Sinnoh, and if all goes well, he would choose to apply there to become a Dojo Leader.
The Kanto Region was already overcrowded, with Dojo Leaders in every small and large town, making competition fiercely challenging.
The Rocket Team would also pose a hindrance.
Natsuhiko had a natural apprehension towards Giovanni.
The Hoenn Region was similarly challenging, as Natsuhiko had provoked both the Magma Team and Ocean Team, two major organizations, and had little connection in the Hoenn Alliance, hence not a favorable choice.
If Flint were already the Champion, things might be different.
At least he had Dr. Yamanashi as a tentative connector in Sinnoh.
Hilona was also the future Sinnoh Champion, someone he could firmly rely on.
Moreover, he still had affairs to settle on Celestial Crown Mountain, be it the Ice Cave that potentially held Slate relics, Articuno's past remarks to Beedrill, or fulfilling his promise as the League's spokesperson for the Divine Hall of Snow Peak.
Upon hearing he was heading to Sinnoh, Lance roughly understood the stance Natsuhiko would take in the upcoming competition.
Surprisingly, he wasn't disappointed; rather, he felt a hint of excitement.
Promising Natsuhiko he wouldn't challenge him for half a year, but if they met in the competition, it didn't count as breaking his word, right?
Besides.
Lance had also learned some insights from Agatha.
Natsuhiko was destined to tread different paths with the Kanto Alliance.
"After I finish the current matters, let's see if I can spare some time for a joint special training with you," Lance suggested.
Natsuhiko was very open to this idea.
A living training partner is always better than a lifeless one.
Kona opened her mouth but was cut off by Natsuhiko saying to her, "Contact via phone."
Pressing her lips together, she didn't say anything more.
The conversation relaxed from there, with discussions about future planning, Pokémon training queries, or tactical issues.
Exchanges leaned more towards mutual learning.
Natsuhiko learned some small tidbits about Pokémon training from them, insights not found in books, yet very practical.
Before long.
The Trainers who didn't require special medical attention boarded planes heading to various regions.
Returning to their own homes.
Due to the unique circumstance, the Alliance didn't check those emerging from the Alternate Space regarding excessive Pokémon capture or resource gathering.
Being able to survive was already commendable; the Alliance didn't wish to delve deeper; should someone have done so, it would be seen as a tiny compensation for the incident.
But considering the external pressure exerted by the Magma Team, it's doubtful many focused on capturing Pokémon or collecting resources, rather prioritizing self-preservation.
This rendered the preparations Natsuhiko made to face potential inspections futile.
Though it did save him quite a few troubles.
Natsuhiko and Hilona were on the same plane, as they were both headed to Shenhe Town.
The two scarcely conversed, each contemplating the gains and lessons from the journey to the Alternate Space.
And the lessons to be learned and areas for improvement.
"Natsuhiko, intending to become a Dojo Leader in Sinnoh?" Hilona suddenly asked.
Startled, Natsuhiko responded briefly, "Yes."
"Have you chosen a location?"
"More or less."
After a brief silence, Hilona replied, "Oh."
Oh...
Natsuhiko was more or less adapted, even immune, to Hilona's conversational habits.
Watching the charming woman leaning against the window, looking down.
Her sudden change in topic left Natsuhiko slightly puzzled.
However, since she didn't continue, Natsuhiko didn't pry further.
Preventing a perfectly good topic from becoming a dead end.
Hilona's "conversation killer" nickname, he came to understand well enough.
"By the way, I caught a Togepi."
But just as Natsuhiko was about to take a nap, Hilona suddenly mentioned.
Togepi?
Caught in the Alternate Space?
"That's good, this kind of Pokémon has high affinity with you, integrating into various teams shouldn't be too troublesome. Your Pokémon lacks a Controller; you could develop in that direction." Natsuhiko shared his thoughts.
"Yes," Hilona softly replied, "Help me take a look when possible."
Such Pokémon as Togepi are uncommon, and before Affinity was discovered, figuring out its evolution was a real challenge.
Natsuhiko was among the few that Hilona knew who were most familiar with Togepi.
Moreover, having the pre-existing Ice Eevee evolution event, Hilona had great trust in Natsuhiko's expertise.
"Understood."