On the way back, Yuga no longer collected herbs, so his pace was much faster. Additionally, he was much more familiar with the surrounding environment, allowing him to return to the Nido tribe's territory in just one day.
Before even entering the territory, Decidueye came swooping over from a distance. During Yuga's absence, it had waited at this spot every day, longing for his return—each day felt like three years apart.
Upon his return, Yuga went to meet with Joyin and the others to inquire about their progress in negotiating with the Nido tribe. However, Joyin and her team wore bitter expressions, explaining that the negotiations had made no progress at all, as neither side was willing to compromise.
After some thought, Yuga said to them, "Let me go talk to Nidoqueen." He then left the cave where Joyin and the others were staying.
Half an hour later, Yuga returned and informed Joyin and the group, "It's settled. Nidoqueen has agreed to trade the Revival Herbs with you. Go meet her again soon and finalize the deal."
Joyha was astonished and asked Yuga, "Really? How did you manage to persuade Nidoqueen?" Over the past few days, they had been going back and forth in verbal battles with the Nido tribe, and Nidoqueen had never budged. Yet Yuga resolved the issue as soon as he returned.
Yuga replied with a smile, "I told Nidoqueen that I would handle the transaction for Max Revive in the future, so she wouldn't have to trouble you anymore."
"You'll trade Max Revive with them? But you…" Joyin asked in confusion.
Yuga didn't hide his intentions and stated directly, "This island is rich in Pokémon resources, and I plan to develop it. I may visit this island frequently in the future."
"But this island is so far from the human world. Developing it would be incredibly difficult and not cost-effective at all," Joyin said, frowning, unable to understand why Yuga had chosen to develop this island.
The idea of developing unknown regions wasn't foreign to the Joy family. Their family had developed various locations across different regions, some used for growing medicinal herbs, others for secret research facilities, and some for training bases.
However, all of those places were close to the human world and maintained constant contact with it. This Resurrection Island, on the other hand, was extremely isolated, making travel and operations inconvenient.
"I have my own solutions for that," Yuga replied. Of course, he wasn't going to reveal too much information. Maintaining a necessary sense of mystery was important.
The reason Yuga didn't hide his intention to develop the island was to let the Joy family know that this place would be his territory in the future.
By using the Joy family to spread word to the outside world about his plans to develop the island, even if people didn't know the exact location of the place, they wouldn't question the origins of the Pokémon from Yoyo Day Care.
Moreover, since the Joy family had no plans to develop the island and was currently at an impasse in negotiations with the Nido tribe, Yuga solving their issue would also earn him a favor from the Joy family.
Killing two birds with one stone!
Seeing that Yuga had his own plans, Joyin and the others didn't try to dissuade him further. Instead, they went together to meet Nidoqueen.
Just as Yuga had said, Nidoqueen didn't make things difficult for Joyin and her team this time. The negotiations went smoothly, and they quickly agreed on a deal: as long as Joyin and her team made enough Max Revive for the Nido tribe, they would receive a corresponding amount of Revival Herbs in return.
In truth, Nidoqueen preferred working with Yuga over the Joy family.
That very day, Joyin and her team began working full-force to produce Max Revive for the Nido tribe, using up all the materials they had brought with them.
Having been away for quite some time, and with the mission nearing completion, Joyin and her group were eager to return home.
The next day, Joyin handed over Max Revive they had made to Nidoqueen, who in turn gave them the collected Revival Herbs. The transaction was thus completed.
The transaction concluded, and Yuga, along with Joyin and her group, prepared to leave Resurrection Island.
Before their departure, Nidoqueen repeatedly reminded Yuga not to forget their agreement. After Yuga reassured her several times that he wouldn't, she "reluctantly" let him go.
On the way back…
Sitting atop Wailord, Yuga opened the system task panel. The two additional tasks displayed as completed, though the rewards had yet to be claimed.
When Aggron's tribe agreed to trade with Yuga, the second additional task was marked as complete. Yuga had initially planned to claim the reward for Task One and place it in Aggron's territory, allowing the Light Gate to connect his Ecopark with Resurrection Island. He could have then returned home briefly.
However, the system informed him that the Light Gate could only be installed in the Ecopark upon his return to Verdanturf Town. Installing it directly on Resurrection Island wasn't an option, which infuriated Yuga.
What difference does it make if it's installed here or at home? Sadly, the system didn't answer his question.
Just like on their way to the island, Yuga and the others encountered various Aquatic Pokémon attacks on their return journey. However, the group managed to handle these threats with teamwork. While there were minor challenges, Yuga's guidance ensured nothing serious occurred.
Over ten days later, Wailord gradually swam into Cerulean Strait, where Joyba, Joyha's mother, had already gathered a team on the beach to greet them.
Before reaching the strait, Joyha had contacted her mother, informing her that their mission had been successfully completed.
As soon as Yuga and the others disembarked from Wailord, Joyba approached with a warm smile.
"Thank you all for your hard work. This mission's success is entirely thanks to Gym Leader Shimizu. I've arranged for a hotel—please join us to rest. After so many days at sea, you must all be exhausted."
"Thank you."
Yuga, indeed feeling weary, graciously accepted her arrangements.
Thus, Yuga and the group boarded the vehicle Joyba had arranged in advance, heading toward Cerulean City.
Yuga was seated in the same car as Joyba and Joyha. On the way, Joyha enthusiastically recounted everything that had happened on Resurrection Island to her mother.
After a while, as Yuga rested with his eyes closed, he suddenly overheard Joyba quietly asking Joyha, "How did things progress between you and Gym Leader Shimizu on the trip? Have you gotten closer?"
Joyba was quite pleased with the idea of Joyha pursuing Yuga, hoping they'd get married immediately. A son-in-law like Yuga would be hard to find again.
Joyha let out a deep sigh. "Don't even bring it up. Gym Leader Shimizu is as dense as a block of wood! He was constantly running around the island, and I barely had a chance to spend time with him."
"What a shame!" Joyba exclaimed, genuinely disappointed. She then added, with a hint of frustration, "It's because you're not assertive enough! When I pursued your father, I had him wrapped around my finger in no time. If only you had even a fraction of my skill, you'd have no trouble catching a man!"
Joyha retorted mercilessly, "Don't think I don't know—it only took Dad one love letter to win you over!"
Joyba's face flushed as she stammered, "Nonsense! That's just your father exaggerating!"
Listening to their conversation in its entirety, Yuga was mortified. Hey, hey… don't you know how to keep your private discussions private? The Gym Leader Shimizu you're talking about is sitting right here in front of you!
Opening his eyes, he glanced at the driver beside him. The driver's expression remained calm, as if he hadn't heard a thing, or perhaps he was simply used to such situations. Yuga couldn't help but admire him silently: As expected of the Joy family's driver—what professionalism!
Upon reaching the hotel, Yuga rested in the room Joyba had arranged for him, sleeping soundly until evening. A hotel attendant later knocked on his door to deliver dinner.
Joyba didn't disturb Yuga during this time, allowing him to recuperate fully. It wasn't until the next day that she met with him formally.
As a gracious host, Joyba not only treated Yuga to a fine meal but also delivered the promised reward from the Joy family: ten Blissey, ten Audino, and ten Wigglytuff.
Yuga planned to release these thirty helper Pokémon into the newly constructed Ecopark on Resurrection Island, where they would manage the system-rewarded Ecopark.
Afterward, Joyin and her companions were set to leave the Kanto region. As the clan leader of the Kanto branch of the Joy family, Joyba had a host of responsibilities to manage and couldn't stay in Cerulean City for long.
Before departing, Joyba suggested that Joyha use the family's aircraft to fly Yuga back to Hoenn, but Yuga declined because he wasn't planning to return to Hoenn just yet.
At the invitation of Lance, Yuga planned to head directly from Kanto to Blackthorn City in Johto to participate in the Dragon Tamer Clan's Trainer Exchange Conference and, while there, visit the Dragon's Den to see what it was like.
Joyba was quite disappointed that her plan didn't work out—she had been hoping Joyha and Yuga would spark a romantic connection during the trip to Hoenn!
After the Joy family left Cerulean City, Yuga visited the Cerulean Gym. Since he rarely came to Cerulean City, he had to stop by and check in on Misty.
When Yuga arrived at the gym, a water ballet show was underway, and the venue was bustling with excitement.
The Cerulean Gym had gained quite a reputation in recent years, not only because of Misty's growing fame as a Gym Leader but also thanks to her three sisters. The daily operations of the gym were largely funded by the profits generated from their water ballet performances.
Daisy, Lily, and Violet, the three sisters, were quite famous across the Kanto region, rivaling even top celebrities.
Recently, Misty had also started participating in her sisters' water ballet shows. Although she wasn't as stunningly beautiful as her sisters, she had a charm of her own. Combined with her reputation as a Trainer, her performances had been very well received.
Yuga bought a ticket like any other spectator and entered the gym to watch the performance. Coincidentally, Misty was the first to appear on stage.
The audience seats were packed, and Misty didn't notice Yuga's presence. It wasn't until the show ended and the audience had left that the four sisters spotted him.
The sisters were thrilled to see Yuga, especially Lily, who had a notorious habit of fawning over him. She insisted that Yuga stay at the gym for a meal.
However, Yuga had already booked a flight to Johto. This visit to the gym was just a quick stop to say hello, so he had no choice but to turn down Lily's invitation.
After leaving the Cerulean Gym, Yuga boarded an aircraft bound for Johto.
Since the Kanto and Johto regions are connected, it didn't take long to travel from Kanto to Johto by air.
Yuga first flew from Cerulean City to Johto's major city, Goldenrod City. While in Goldenrod City, he visited Grandpa Milton and Whitney. Then, he took another flight from Goldenrod City to Blackthorn City.
When Yuga arrived in Blackthorn City, he found that the Trainer Exchange Conference had already drawn a large crowd of Trainers.
Blackthorn City is an ancient city in Johto, but its small size made the influx of Trainers especially noticeable.
Yuga had done some research and learned that the Dragon Tamer Clan's Trainer Exchange Conference is held only once every several years, making it a major event in the Trainer community. The last time it was held was before Yuga had even transmigrated to this world—at least a decade ago.
In the blink of an eye, Yuga realized that it had already been nine years since he transmigrated. This body had grown from sixteen to twenty-five years old. Time truly flies!
Initially, Yuga planned to stay at the Pokémon Center in Blackthorn City. However, when he arrived, he discovered it was already fully booked.
As he stepped out of the Pokémon Center, he suddenly heard a roar from above. Looking up, he saw two Dragonites speeding through the sky. On the back of one of the Dragonites was a woman.
Yuga immediately recognized the Dragonite flying in the lead—it was the Ancestor Dragonite. Chasing after it was none other than Clair, the Gym Leader of Blackthorn City.
Hearing the exasperated shouting from Clair, Yuga guessed that the Ancestor Dragonite must have caused some trouble again.
Having such a troublemaking ancestor sure was hard on the sibling duo of Lance and Clair.
Yuga shook his head, about to find a hotel to settle in, when suddenly the Ancestor Dragonite descended from the sky, landing right in front of him.
"Dragonite~!"
Yuga! It's really you!
The Ancestor Dragonite greeted Yuga with a wave, looking delighted. Yuga, however, felt a little guilty, worried that the Ancestor Dragonite might bring up the incident of him tattling about Yuga's actions in the past. But the Ancestor Dragonite seemed to have forgotten about it and maintained a friendly attitude toward Yuga.
"Hey, Old ancestor, we meet again!"
Yuga greeted the Ancestor Dragonite, and the two began to chat casually.
At this time, Clair also descended on her Dragonite, her cheeks still flushed from anger. She looked at the Ancestor Dragonite, who was talking to a stranger, feeling very puzzled because the Ancestor Dragonite rarely interacted with strangers.
"Hello, Gym Leader Clair."
Seeing Clair staring at him, Yuga had to take the initiative to greet her. It was only then that Clair suddenly recalled Yuga's identity.
"So it's Gym Leader Shimizu."
Although she had never met Yuga in person, she had seen his photos before. It just took her a moment to connect the dots.
"Is Gym Leader Shimizu also here to attend the exchange conference?" Clair asked.
Yuga nodded. "Yes, I ran into Lance earlier, and he told me about the conference."
Hearing this, Clair suddenly understood.
At this moment, the Ancestor Dragonite tugged at Clair and called out to her. Clair looked at Yuga helplessly and asked, "The Old Ancestor wants to invite Gym Leader Shimizu to our home as a guest."
While chatting with the Ancestor Dragonite earlier, Yuga had already mentioned that the Pokémon Center was full. He hadn't expected the Ancestor Dragonite to take the initiative to invite him to the Dragon Tamer Clan's home.
Could Clair actually understand the Ancestor Dragonite's language?
"Then I humbly accept the invitation."
Yuga didn't decline the Ancestor Dragonite's offer. Since he was here to attend the exchange conference hosted by the Dragon Tamer Clan, staying with them would indeed be more convenient.
On the way to Blackthorn Gym, Yuga learned through his conversation with Clair that she couldn't actually understand the Ancestor Dragonite's language. Her ability to interpret the Ancestor Dragonite's intent was merely due to the tacit understanding developed from living together with it since childhood.