Another week passed.
Natsuhiko stayed quietly in Suiyi Town for a week without any unexpected incidents, nor did he encounter any so-called probing.
It was as if life had suddenly entered a period of calm and reflection.
To be honest.
He quite enjoyed this kind of life.
Every day, if he wasn't playing around with Pokémon, he was doing some training to develop their tactical skills.
However.
During this time, Natsuhiko wasn't completely inactive.
He took the time to write a research paper on one of Eevee's evolutions, Espeon.
He had no choice.
If he didn't write it soon, the Alliance would really come after him.
It's like writing a novel.
When the Alliance Leader and monthly votes are all lined up, are you really going to take a break?
Do you really want to risk the wrath of the readers?
But truth be told, Natsuhiko was gaining some fame in the Pokemon Research Community, and his previous papers on Eevee had received widespread acclaim.
The "Affinity" paper he co-authored with Sakuragi was still buzzing with attention.
The paper he published on Espeon was quickly featured on the homepage.
Moreover, it received a lot of praise from Espeon owners.
In terms of Eevee research, Natsuhiko was pretty much at the top.
Of course.
Once the paper on Espeon was published, Trainers with Umbreon, Leafeon, and Glaceon were eagerly demanding papers as well.
They just hoped to see a paper on their Pokémon soon, to get the most correct ways to train them.
Natsuhiko wanted to write them too.
But he couldn't.
His rare moment of leisure and reflection had to come to an end.
Because.
The competition for seats in the Hunter Guild had finally begun.
...
...
In the Sinnoh Region.
In a secret underground base somewhere in Hearthome City.
Under the identity of "Hunter Natsuka."
Natsuhiko arrived here.
This was one of the Hunter Guild's bases in the Sinnoh Region.
And today he came here.
Because he was summoned by Miss Q, one of the highest seats.
In a small room.
Miss Q lounged on the sofa with her legs crossed, her fair and slender legs particularly noticeable.
In the dim room, it was just the two of them, with Natsuhiko standing there expressionless.
Seeing Natsuhiko's serious demeanor, Miss Q smiled faintly, her cat-like eyes full of charm.
She raised an eyebrow, "Missed your sister?"
Natsuhiko: "..."
"Hehehe—" Seeing his speechless look, Miss Q laughed happily, her not-so-tightly-wrapped pair on her chest heaving.
"No."
The laughter came to an abrupt halt.
Miss Q was taken aback.
But she didn't take it to heart, switching her legs and sitting up, adopting a more comfortable posture.
Putting away her playful expression.
"The list and method for the seat competition are out," she said.
Natsuhiko lowered his gaze, not saying a word.
"There are a total of three seats."
"Wasn't it four?"
How did it become three?
This somewhat surprised Natsuhiko.
"It was actually supposed to be five, but one died, and we pushed two people up. Trust me, you wouldn't want to be one of them."
Upon hearing this, Natsuhiko fell silent.
Another one had died.
But they pushed two people up.
It was obvious that the power struggle for the highest seats in the Hunter Guild was heating up.
And those two brought up were probably just puppets, lacking any real autonomy.
All to maintain balance.
"The cost?" Natsuhiko couldn't help but ask.
Miss Q bit her finger, somehow produced a lollipop, popped it into her mouth, and swirled it around twice.
Only then did she slowly speak, "She was given three spots in this competition."
Natsuhiko's eyes narrowed.
Tom Rokicki had plenty of confidence.
She entered three people in the competition and even offered up two spots, fully believing her three would secure seats?
"Pretty confident, huh?"
With a pop, Miss Q took out the lollipop and looked at Natsuhiko.
Natsuhiko silently nodded.
This was beyond confidence.
This was arrogance.
"Do you have the confidence to snatch one back?" Miss Q winked at Natsuhiko.
If they could get even one back, it wouldn't be a total loss for them.
Natsuhiko twitched the corner of his mouth.
"I don't even know the rules yet."
"Oh, almost forgot."
Saying this, Miss Q took out a document from under the coffee table and pushed it towards Natsuhiko.
"Have a look first."
Natsuhiko didn't refuse, and with curiosity, he began to flip through the document.
But the more he flipped, the wider his eyes grew. By the time he had skimmed the last page, he looked at Miss Q with a face full of surprise.
"This..."
"Yes, a new region." Miss Q seemed very calm.
The reason why Natsuhiko was so shocked was that the document was entirely about the Alola Region.
The Alola Region!
Some of the higher-ups in the Alliance had long known about this place and had been negotiating with them for a long time.
However, some aspects had yet to be agreed upon, so the Alola Region had not yet been announced.
But those who were well-informed had long known about the region's existence.
But due to Alliance regulations, they hadn't spread the information.
The Hunter Guild, however, cared nothing about the Alliance's rules.
Moreover.
The Alliance had already sent several groups of elite Trainers to the Alola Region.