"Well done, everyone. Rest for a bit first."
After storing in his backpack the score plates Cacturne had brought him, Ethan also took out the Poké Balls and recalled Sandslash, Cacturne, Vibrava, and Charmeleon.
Although the result this time had been enormous, he suddenly realized a serious problem: resource replenishment and food.
At that moment, Ethan began to miss Shuckle. If Shuckle were by his side, both its ability to find food and its skill in making nutritious juices and energy crystals would be absolutely indispensable in the wild.
Additionally, having a Pokémon with healing-type moves was extremely important; his team was still lacking such a member.
Although Slowking also knew Heal Pulse, the energy cost was enormous, and without proper training, the healing effect was not ideal; it barely worked in emergencies.
Therefore, starting now, either Slowking had to seriously practice Heal Pulse, or Ethan would have to capture a Pokémon specialized in healing and make it the support core of the team.
Between the two options, Ethan leaned more toward capturing a healing Pokémon. After all, there were many types of injuries, and each required a different treatment method to achieve the best result.
Pokémon healers were a profession equivalent to trainers, breeders, and Pokémon researchers; training a Pokémon in healing was no simple task.
"Well, it's better to leave that for later. For now, finding food is more urgent."
Thinking of this, Ethan set off to search for food along with his Pokémon.
"Meltan, have you managed to sense the spatial magnetic field?" Ethan asked the little Meltan floating at his side.
"Zzzt!"
Meltan shook its head: it still hadn't detected the spatial magnetic field inside the Secret Kingdom.
"Don't worry, don't rush it." Ethan smiled and patted its head.
Happy, Meltan nodded and raised itself slightly, circling around Ethan.
By now, its Magnetic Levitation ability was completely natural; it could maintain constant flight like a Magnemite or a Klink.
...
"Huh? He didn't see me?"
On a slope, Laura Frost watched Ethan leaving and slightly opened her mouth.
In reality, she had already known Ethan for quite some time. She participated in the same competition for the Starter Pokémon slot, although she didn't have a very good result.
It was then that she first met him, and seeing how confidently Ethan claimed the championship left a deep impression on her.
If back then Ethan had merely left a mark, the Ethan of now had already etched himself into her heart.
"Follow him."
Barely thinking for a moment, Laura Frost made her decision.
...
Meanwhile...
The monitoring room was completely silent.
The Desert Terrain, a tactic never before seen, had left the examiners utterly stunned.
"Hurry, upload the video! Send this material to the main headquarters of the Pokémon Trainer Guild!"
The chief examiner gave his final conclusion and allowed everyone to return to their respective monitors.
Even so, their gazes continued drifting back toward the screen showing Ethan, much to the amusement of the examiner in charge of his channel.
In the following time, Ethan acted quite standardly: after eliminating a large number of Seviper, he began searching for water and food.
With Slowking, finding water was extremely easy; the difficult part was food, as he found nothing but a few wild Berries to stave off hunger.
"It seems this Ethan is very reluctant to eat wild Pokémon," one examiner thought. But with such high energy consumption, if he didn't find food soon, his team's combat capability would drop drastically.
"Wait, have you noticed?"
"For a long while now, the route he's following... his direction is pointing straight toward the exit of the Secret Kingdom!"
The examiner who always followed Ethan's movements suddenly spoke, and the others turned to look at the screen.
"It's true!"
"It seems he's already found the exit... so fast!"
The examiner in charge pulled up the route on the map and let out a cry of surprise.
"The exit of the Secret Kingdom is always located in the area where the energy is densest."
"That means Ethan has already detected that point. But being able to notice it from so far away... he either has an extremely sensitive Pokémon for energy fluctuations, or he can calculate them himself to deduce the exit."
The chief examiner spoke after a few seconds of silence. Finding the exit was actually the hardest part of the survival test.
Although intermediate-level mandatory courses taught how to locate it, very few succeeded in a real Secret Kingdom.
For Ethan, however, the reason was obvious: Meltan had finally managed to sense the spatial magnetic field of the Secret Kingdom. And coincidentally, the point where the field was strongest was also where the energy converged: the exit.
Moreover, as a mythical Pokémon, Meltan possessed the ability to sense the magnetic field of the entire world; even in real Secret Kingdoms, it could detect something. Here, even more so.
"Then it's certain: if Ethan continues straight in that direction, he'll reach the exit in half a day."
The examiner compared the route on the map and confirmed there was no mistake.
"Wait! If he keeps going that way, he'll walk straight into the Lord's territory!"
At that moment, an examiner shouted in horror. On the map, a red skull symbol marked that area: extreme danger.
"That can't be..."
"CHHAA!!"
Just as he finished speaking, even through the cameras, a terrifying roar shook the entire room.
On the screen, the moment Ethan stepped into the dark thicket, a gigantic shadow appeared before him.
(End of chapter)