Divine Hall of Snow Peak.
The cave where Regigigas slumbers.
The illusory ancient book remained open in front of Feather Moon, but beside her, Natsuhiko was nowhere to be seen.
Her hand hovered in mid-air, the pages halfway turned, her expression complex with a hint of embarrassment.
Honestly, she didn't expect things to turn out like this.
The two attendants standing outside seemed to have noticed the situation inside as well.
They exchanged glances.
Each saw surprise and astonishment in the other's eyes.
However, Feather Moon made no indication, and they simply continued to stand silently outside without moving.
"I didn't expect Mr. Natsuka to be chosen by our god as well. Is it because of Lord Azelf?" Feather Moon murmured softly.
This was the first time she encountered such a situation.
She originally intended for Natsuhiko to use the methods recorded in the "Book of Earth" to enhance his psychic powers, but didn't expect it to end up like this.
But she wasn't too worried.
"Perhaps, this is truly an opportunity for our divine hall to step out and integrate into the new world. Mr. Natsuka might be the key, and our god sensed it too."
Faced with the current situation, Feather Moon could only try to interpret her own judgment and understanding.
After thinking for a moment, she found this possibility quite plausible.
Then, with a gentle wave of her fair and delicate hand, the white light in her eyes gradually dissipated, and the "Book of Earth" slowly closed and eventually vanished completely.
The cave returned to tranquility once again.
Turning around, she left the cave.
As she reached the entrance, she paused slightly and spoke softly to the two attendants, "Stay here and don't disclose what happened just now. If any unexpected changes occur or if Mr. Natsuka returns, inform me immediately."
"Yes, Divine Maiden."
The two attendants bowed respectfully in response.
Then they silently stood at the entrance of the cave like two statues.
...
...
On the other side.
Hiding in the trees, Natsuhiko was no longer the target of the Yanmega. The Archeops in front of him was now their rival.
The relationship between the two groups was extremely poor.
They were originally in competition, and this time the Yanmega trespassed into the Archeops' territory, which could be said to have touched the Archeops' taboo.
Moreover, as the outsiders, the Yanmega had not entered in full force due to their journey, putting them at a clear disadvantage in overall strength.
But they weren't panicked.
Because Archeops, while seemingly formidable, actually had a fatal flaw.
And that was their trait—Defeatist.
Defeatist: When health or state drops below half of its peak, it becomes weaker, halving attack and special attack.
The result was that as the Archeops fought, they would become weaker, while some Yanmega with the Acceleration trait would grow stronger.
Eventually, both groups ceased fighting and retreated.
The battle ended.
After the fight, none of the Archeops suffered losses, while a few slightly weaker Yanmega perished.
It had to be admitted that the Archeops' "Defeatist" trait allowed them to survive well.
But it also meant they were destined not to have too remarkable an upper limit.
After both groups retreated, Natsuhiko descended to the ground with a few Pokémon.
Looking at the remains of the Yanmega left behind, his expression was a bit complex.
The Yanmega and Archeops groups were both very strong, with the Yanmega led by a Gym Leader level leader, and the Archeops side was no weaker.
Just encountering two wild Pokémon groups with Gym Leader level strength was undoubtedly bad news.
It meant that moving in this area always carried the possibility of facing unpredictable situations and dangers.
This was different from the bold actions he took in the Sinnoh forests, confident in his strength. Here, even defeating a wild Pokémon meant worrying about whether that victory would attract a whole group, like the Yanmega just now.
Had he known the outcome would be like this, Natsuhiko would not have even fought that Yanmega and would have fled instead.
And he had to be particularly cautious after nightfall.
When in Sinnoh, he had overcome his fear of the night thanks to achieving some level of strength.
But this place was different.
Engaging in activities when visibility was poor at night was as reckless as lighting a torch in a restroom.
The only comfort was that Togetic's Secret Power could be quite useful at such times.
Standing silently in place, he pondered on how to cope and what to do next.
Slowly raising his head, he surveyed his surroundings.
"It's too dangerous to roam randomly without knowing the specifics of this forest. It's best to find a place to settle down first. After exploring the nearby area and understanding the forest's complexity, consider how to leave, how to return."
Things had to be tackled step by step, no rush.
If you skip steps due to arrogance, everything would become uncontrollable.
Now facing Elite Level and Gym Leader level Yanmega, if it comes down to it, he can rely on Super Great Needle Bee and even Snorlax to ensure safety. But encountering an Elite Candidate or Elite Trainer Level Pokémon would be truly troublesome.
In the Pokemon Realm, encountering wild Pokémon of such power levels is extremely rare, only seen in special locations or situations, but here, it's not guaranteed.
Natsuhiko speculated.
This might be either the ancient Pokémon Realm or an Alternate Space unique to Regigigas.
The Alternate Space seemed more likely.
After all, Regigigas isn't like Celebi or Palkia, who can travel through time at will.
This Alternate Space, untouched for thousands of years or longer, was undoubtedly filled with many dangers, and the strength of wild Pokémon was unpredictable.
On the other hand.
The higher the risk, the greater the potential benefits.
Wild Pokémon never caught by humans, unexploited mines and tree fruit forests, wild Pokémon nests, nascent ancient Pokémon, rare Pokémon...
These are the opportunities that can arise with danger.
If he can seize them, they could surely lead to a qualitative leap in Natsuhiko's strength.
Of course, the prerequisite for everything was survival.
So the first thing Natsuhiko needed to do now was to find a relatively safe place to settle down.
Slowly exploring the surrounding environment and situation, then making plans and arrangements.
Yujira's Super Sensing was fully activated, with Beedrill, Togetic, and Honedge vigilantly watching the surroundings.
In a high-level space like this, releasing a Pidgeotto would be like putting it in harm's way.
Pidgeotto might not have even provided any useful information before being targeted by another Flying Type predator Pokémon.
As Natsuhiko's strength increased, Pidgeotto's strength gradually began to lag behind.
Natsuhiko was ready to replace it with another "tool" type Flying Type Pokémon, allowing Pidgeotto to choose whether to stay with him or return to nature.
As a Pokémon purchased from the Pokemon Store, Natsuhiko treated Pidgeotto quite well. If it chose to stay, he might reserve a space for it in his future planned breeding area.
But those are considerations for later.
With cautious exploration and careful avoidance of many Wild Pokémon, he finally found a suitable place to live.
A large cave on the exposed cliff of a small hillside, surrounded by dense shrubs.
There's also a trickling stream passing by the cave entrance, ensuring a sufficient water source.
But there's still one last troublesome issue.
This cave isn't vacant; from the signs of activity around, it seems to be inhabited by Wild Pokémon.
The number is unknown for now.
But after the experience with Yanmega and Archeops, Natsuhiko was wary of the Wild Pokémon here, especially those in groups.
What kind of Pokémon might reside in the cave?