After leaving the temporary campsite, Kyurem's ice didn't pursue them again.
Natsuhiko couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
Traveling at night, regardless of one's strength, is not something to advocate for.
But Natsuhiko had no choice but to do so.
He didn't know if Kyurem would follow them.
When they stopped again, the dawn was slowly dispersing the thin mist in the sky.
Facing the morning light, witnessing the vibrant scenery of the forest at dawn.
"Awoo~~"
The Vulpix stood still, its crystal clear eyes reflecting the harmonious beauty of the white sky and the green forest.
"Buyi~~"
Eevee leapt onto Natsuhiko's shoulder, squinting its eyes, taking a deep breath of the breeze mixed with the scent of grass.
The other Pokémon also showed slight smiles to varying degrees.
The Unova Region, especially the mornings near the East Coast of the Unova Region, was quite different from the Sinnoh Region.
On the tree behind Natsuhiko and his companions, a barely visible Pokémon.
With wave-like emerald green hair, a light aquamarine gem on its forehead, and a headpiece resembling both a musical note and a microphone.
Blinking eyes as pure as the gem on its forehead, listening to the "rustling" of the leaves as the breeze passed through, the ethereal "ding dong" of the spring water droplets, the "laughter" of early-rising Pokémon welcoming the new day, the "praise" from Eevee and Vulpix.
Gently closing its eyes, a faint smile appeared on its lips.
"Melo~~"
Seemingly aware of something, the Dragapult beside Natsuhiko slightly turned its head.
Yet saw nothing.
Slightly frowned.
An illusion?
Natsuhiko also couldn't help but take a deep breath.
For some reason, he suddenly felt completely relaxed, an uncontrollable feeling of joy rising within him.
This feeling made Natsuhiko puzzled.
He knew he shouldn't easily experience such an emotion, yet at this moment, he had no vigilance at all.
Or rather.
He was alert, but he didn't perceive any malice.
Not through his intuition, nor through his psychic abilities.
The Pokémon were much the same as he was.
The fatigue of the night seemed to vanish entirely.
"Buyi!"
The Eevee on Natsuhiko's shoulder opened its eyes, its ears twitching slightly.
The soft cry echoed in Natsuhiko's ear.
"Yes, I heard it too."
Natsuhiko gently restrained his raised smile, realizing that the immersion and relaxation of his mind just now unexpectedly led to a slight enhancement in his psychic abilities, making his perception more acute.
So when Eevee gave him the cue, Natsuhiko also noticed.
Not far from where they currently stood.
There were human voices.
Concealing his presence, using his psychic skills to shield his footsteps, he approached the source of the sound.
The petite figure on the tree behind them also heard the voice.
Pouting, it showed a slightly annoyed expression.
As they got closer.
The sounds became more apparent and clear.
"Hurry! Although it's just a prototype, the effect is surprisingly good. We need to grab more Pokémon, the boss needs more test subjects."
"Though capturing Pokémon like this is convenient, it's all the fault of those idiots in the Hunter Guild. If they hadn't screwed up, we wouldn't be out here doing this dirty work."
"Heh, the Hunter Guild? They're just too greedy. Soon, the Hunter Guild might disappear completely from the Unova Region, do you know what our ideology is?"
"Ideology? That's just what the regular members believe in. You've been with the Doctor long enough, surely you understand whose orders the Doctor is following? And what the Doctor is doing is related to the so-called ideology..."
"Shut up, speaking ill of the two bosses behind their backs, I see you're courting death..."
"..."
Hiding in the canopy of a tree, Natsuhiko watched as the two below bickered while controlling a machine that didn't seem convenient, gathering Wild Pokémon.
Although the machine was about half the size of a car, it seemed to be made very meticulously.
The most important thing was.
With the machine's light beams, some Wild Pokémon just emerging from their caves were, in almost indiscriminate fashion, rendered unable to move by the special beams.
The two divided their labor, one responsible for controlling the machine, the other for capturing the Pokémon.
And on their nearly identical outfits, a symbol was printed.
It was shaped like a shield, divided into black and white halves, with a blue pattern forming the characters "P" and an inverted "Z" in the middle.
Plasma Team!
Listening to the content of their exchange, Natsuhiko squinted his eyes.
It seemed that these two individuals held a somewhat special status.
Members of the Plasma Team responsible to Colress, aware of far more than regular Plasma Team members.
They might also know something about the death of the Hunter Guild's leader in the Unova Region.
And the "prototype" they controlled should be the initial version of the Pokémon-controlling machine invented by Colress.
Continuing to listen silently for a while.
After confirming that only bragging and self-praise remained between the two of them, Natsuhiko waved his hand gently.
The little ones understood.
Monferno leapt down directly from the tree branch, the flames on its tail blazing fiercely, flames seeping from its clenched fists, instantly engulfing its entire hand.
When they sensed the approaching heat, the two members of the Plasma Team's expressions changed abruptly.
One of them reacted rather quickly.