But the impact it caused wasn't just this.
The place where its blade met the Slaking's Flame Fist turned a bright red.
Doublade indeed felt the pain from the burn.
"Cherrim." Natsuhiko called out just in time, and Cherrim immediately sent Aromatherapy to Doublade, slowly dissipating its burning pain.
He glanced fearfully at the Slaking, which had once again collapsed on the ground, squinting its eyes in a sleepy stupor.
It lazily turned over, presenting its rear to Natsuhiko and Doublade.
Gym Leader Level!
And even among Gym Leader Level, it was considered quite powerful.
Although Doublade was still at Elite Level, it had been boosted twice with "Sword Dance," and this was the third strike of Holy Sword Slash. Even a regular Gym Leader Level Pokémon would struggle to withstand such an attack.
Yet, the Slaking merely took a few steps back.
"Zzz—"
The Slaking lying on the ground waved its hand, and immediately, the Vigoroths that were surrounding Natsuhiko and Kona scattered, looking as if they were ignoring them.
"What's happening?" Kona whispered.
Natsuhiko pursed his lips, "It seems Doublade's strength and capability earned recognition from the Slaking, so it's not stopping us from wandering around their territory freely."
I suppose...
Kona suddenly understood.
Took note of this fact.
Among wild Pokémon, besides the gentle ones indifferent to territorial matters, and those who fiercely attack when their territory is invaded, there's a kind like Slaking and Vigoroth. If one's strength is acknowledged, their hostility diminishes substantially.
Learned something new.
"Then we..."
"Let's keep looking for the marks without disturbing the normal life of Slaking and the Vigoroths." Since they were being so accommodating, Natsuhiko thought they should also behave themselves.
Shifting his gaze past the tree under which the Slaking was sleeping, Natsuhiko saw inside...
There were about a dozen more Slakings lying there!
If they all possessed such power and united, it would indeed be a huge trouble.
Better to have less trouble than more; now that the Magma Team has entered the Alternate Space, it's crucial to quickly locate Lance and gather everyone, ensuring at least some degree of safety.
What they hadn't noticed was
that after Natsuhiko and Kona left with their Pokémon, the Slaking with its back facing them lightly shook its open fist, which bore a red mark.
The Slaking gently blew on it with slight heartache.
Natsuhiko guessed correctly; Doublade's strength did earn recognition from the Slaking.
Of course, that was part of the reason, and the other part was they were... lazy.
Too lazy to take the trouble to drive Natsuhiko and his group away.
The Vigoroths weren't powerful enough, and Slaking was lazy, so Natsuhiko and Kona naturally obtained a "pass" to roam around the vast territory of the Slakings.
...
...
Half an hour later.
Looking at a head poking out of a tree hollow in a rather disheveled manner, Natsuhiko felt a wave of despair.
Gwen!
Flint's fangirl!
He remembered now, there was an unexpected addition when discussing marks with Lance and the others.
At this moment, he was quite in despair.
He came to find a strong ally, but now it seems he's the strong ally?
Was the script written wrong?
But for Gwen, Natsuhiko's appearance was like a savior; if it were Flint, she might have rushed crying.
For this group of young Trainers transported into the Alternate Space, Gwen was the unlucky one, but also fortunate in a way.
Unlucky, because she almost met her end shortly after arriving.
She landed directly in the territory of Slaking and Vigoroths, and such a vast area, really a cry for help that went unanswered by earth or heaven.
One can imagine the scene as she arrived, surrounded by a group of Vigoroths, it truly was...
Tsk tsk.
Like Kona, Gwen is also from an academic background, but compared to Kona, Gwen is younger, less experienced, and has always been under her father's protective wing. Her wilderness survival experience is almost none, and even this trial, she registered secretly behind her father's back.
To have encountered the Slakings and Vigoroths already deemed troublesome by Kona, it's imaginable how miserable her past few days were.
Luckily, Vigoroths weren't bloodthirsty and ferocious Pokémon, at most challenging her Pokémon to one-on-one duels a dozen times a day.
As for why she's considered lucky.
Because at least she hadn't faced life-threatening danger, living in constant fear but managing to stay safe.
Also, being in the Vigoroths' territory helped fend off most of the brutal Pokémon, and most importantly, kept away some malevolent human Trainers.
In such a situation where the Magma Team is entering the Alternate Space, being under the "protection" of the Vigoroths means lesser worries about attacks from the Magma Team.
Just that...
She indeed looked a bit pitiful now.
After Gwen recounted her experiences, Kona sympathetically patted the younger girl's head.
Being part of the academic faction herself, Kona could empathize with Gwen's bewilderment upon entering the Alternate Space, knowing she would've had a tough time as well without encountering Natsuhiko.
By the campfire.
Watching the two girls sitting across, one a mature allure and the other a definitive lolita charm, Natsuhiko still couldn't bring himself to feel joyous.