Standing beside Kofu at the bow, Yong watched the ship push the drifting ice floes to either side and asked with a smile,
"Are you heading back to Kanto?"
"Ah..."
Kofu gazed into the distance, a little distracted, but quickly came back to his senses and nodded.
"The restriction on challenges hasn't been lifted yet. Rather than waste time here, I think I'd be better off leaving early and doing some special training at the Indigo Plateau!"
"After all, the Indigo Plateau Conference starts a little earlier than the Lily of the Valley Conference. I'll leave the Battle Zone for the next time I pass through Sinnoh!"
Yong smiled in understanding.
"Then you'd better give it your all! I'm a Frontier Brain, you know. I'll be waiting for your challenge anytime!"
Kofu paused, then burst out laughing.
"All right! Just wait until I knock you off your perch!"
The Indigo Plateau Conference would begin in late November, while the Lily of the Valley Conference would start a little later, in mid-December.
That meant Kofu had less time than Yong. Fortunately, the Kanto region lay just south of the Sinnoh Region. In terms of straight-line distance, those two regions were actually closer together than the Hoenn Region and the Sinnoh Region.
After all, the long-distance sea route bypassed the Kanto region entirely and connected to Sinnoh from the other side. Naturally, that made the journey longer.
The two soon arrived in Snowpoint City.
They said goodbye at the port. Kofu headed straight to the Flight Platform to catch an airship to Veilstone City, while Yong went to the Pokémon Center.
There were some things he needed to discuss with his family.
The call connected, and warmth filled Yong's heart as his parents appeared on the screen.
He knew his family was