A grand gathering was held at Madara's home, where everyone had the chance to learn about the plans of Lisbeth, Kirito, and the others.
Kirito had already decided to become a Pokémon Trainer and aimed to participate in the Third Pokémon Battle Tournament, striving to achieve a high ranking.
As for Asuna, she wanted to first observe the Pokémon Contest set to take place next month before deciding whether to follow the path of a Coordinator.
Their choices didn't surprise anyone.
After all, these two competitions were among the most popular and talked-about events in this Pokémon-centric era spanning multiple worlds. Many young people shared the same aspirations, so it was only natural for them to want to participate.
Moreover, given the physical limitations of these "players" in this world, the Trainer path was one of the few ways they could improve their strength.
However, Lisbeth's decision caught everyone off guard.
She didn't want to be a battling Trainer or a Coordinator. She had no interest in being a Breeder, Judge, or even a Pokémon Professor.
"A star?!" xN
Everyone turned their eyes toward Lisbeth, who was sitting at the dining table.
Hariyama, sitting beside her, wasn't surprised in the slightest. He had spent countless nights in SAO listening to Lisbeth's late-night confessions and naturally knew all about her dreams.
"Yes! I want to become an actress! I want to appear on the big screen alongside Hariyama and be seen by countless people!"
Lisbeth nodded enthusiastically.
Back in her original world, she would have never dared to say such things to her parents.
Because in her world, becoming an actress wasn't realistic, and her parents wouldn't support such a career choice.
But things were different on Pokémon Island.
Here, she didn't have to worry about anything. She firmly believed that her master and senior brothers would support her in pursuing her dreams.
Furthermore—
The idol industry in the Tokyo was overly competitive. In contrast, here on Pokémon Island, there was almost no film or entertainment industry to speak of. Only the Ninja World had some productions, but they were still in their infancy.
Lisbeth realized that she could fully utilize her knowledge from her old world to shine in this one and become a superstar!
The more she thought about it, the more convinced she became. For the first time in her life, she felt that her dream was within reach.
With such favorable conditions and the unwavering support of those around her, Lisbeth knew that if she didn't seize this opportunity, she would regret it when she was older.
"If you want to do it, then go for it. But everything depends on you. I won't provide you with any extra help."
Madara supported her decision but made this point very clear.
Everyone understood what "extra help" meant. Even Nawaki, who was once a naïve and passionate young man, had come to understand such things.
If Madara truly wanted to use his influence to pave the way for Lisbeth, countless people would give him face, and even Dak would turn a blind eye.
But Madara wouldn't do that.
He could offer Lisbeth support in many ways, but that didn't include violating the laws of the Pokémon League or putting Dak in a difficult position.
"Master supporting my dream is already enough! I'll become a superstar through my own efforts! I can do it!"
Lisbeth stood up, hands on her hips, brimming with confidence.
Once, she had been a timid girl who would get bullied in alleyways. But now, by Madara's side, she had transformed into a completely different person.
"Lisbeth, you got this!"
Her best friend, Asuna, cheered her on.
Lisbeth's aspirations also gave Asuna some new ideas. Why not bring over things that existed in Japan but weren't found on Pokémon Island?
For example, opening a restaurant or a dessert shop that specialized in food unavailable on Pokémon Island.
However, this thought was completely dispelled the moment Asuna arrived at League City a month later. She quickly realized that this world's culinary industry was far more advanced than Japan's—so much so that Japan couldn't even compare.
Based on her understanding of cooking, Asuna concluded that only by mastering the vast array of culinary traditions from the region could she hope to open a successful restaurant on Pokémon Island.
...
The Next Morning
Madara and Izuna's disciples all went their separate ways to handle their own affairs. Each of them held significant identities, and they had plenty of responsibilities awaiting them.
Having received their master's support, Lisbeth, Kirito, and the others also parted ways.
Kirito and Asuna, with money provided by Izuna, set off for League City. With Izuna's backing, gaining entry into the city wouldn't be an issue.
As for Lisbeth, she stayed behind in Yggdrasil to carefully plan the launch of her acting career.
...
League City
Zak and Sachi were among the earliest arrivals.
League City didn't allow random outsiders to enter, but Zak and Sachi were no ordinary outsiders.
In SAO, Zak had led the Avengers' operations, which had been closely watched by Akihiko Kayaba. The latter seemed to admire Zak's abilities and had recommended him to the League's Investigation Department, specifically to Argen.
At first, Argen assumed that Kayaba was just using his influence to push an unqualified recruit into the Investigation Team. It was a favor Argen could grant, considering Kayaba was part of the Day Care facility.
However—
Although he wasn't particularly close to Kayaba, Argen knew that he wasn't the type to engage in such favoritism. If Kayaba truly wanted to plant an unqualified individual, he would've simply told Argen, "I'm sending a useless guy your way."
Curious, Argen requested access to Zak's in-game records from SAO.
"Hmm… he's definitely cut out to be an investigator."
After reviewing the footage, Argen nodded in approval.
And so, the moment Zak arrived on Pokémon Island, he found himself recruited as an official member of the Pokémon League.
Zak himself was still in disbelief about the whole thing, while the League merely stated that his outstanding performance in SAO had earned him a special recruitment opportunity.
At first, Zak wasn't too keen on working for the League—he had wanted to explore this world freely with Sachi.
But that changed on the very first day.
Without money, they couldn't do anything.
With a job at the League, at least they wouldn't have to go searching for work.
Thanks to the League covering their expenses, Zak and Sachi arrived in League City and were even provided with a house in the League's residential area.
In an instant, life had become unexpectedly perfect.
Now, their daily life on Pokémon Island revolved around Zak working at the League, while Sachi managed their finances and took up a part-time job as a sales clerk at a clothing store in League City.
Back on Earth, they had just been high school students. Yet, upon arriving on Pokémon Island, they had immediately started working. The contrast was amusing to them.
However, unlike the world they came from, life on Pokémon Island was incredibly relaxed, with almost no societal pressure. Not to mention the presence of Pokémon and other fantastical races—beings that would have only existed in fiction back in Japan.
Even though there were no smartphones or computers here, Zak and Sachi preferred spending their time on Pokémon Island rather than dealing with the messiness of their old world.
Zak and Sachi didn't have grand dreams like Lisbeth and the others.
Zak only wished for a peaceful life—so long as he never lost his Floatzel or Sachi , nothing else really mattered.
Sachi , on the other hand, was interested in becoming a Pokémon Breeder. She wanted to save up enough money to open a small daycare where she could take care of other people's Pokémon.
Today, the two had planned an afternoon visit to a place they had often heard their colleagues talk about—the First Shrine.
Being new to League City, Zak and Sachi humbly sought knowledge from their seniors, learning more about the city and the world itself.
When they realized how special League City was, they both felt a deep sense of gratitude and pride for being able to live there.
In Japan, the concept of a "capital city" was deeply ingrained in people's minds.
For the city dwellers, Japan was divided into two groups—"Tokyoites" and "countryside folk." Since Tokyo had a massive population, with one in every four Japanese being a Tokyoite, this perception was widespread.
Some children, lacking self-confidence, would even admit to being "countryside kids" and feel ashamed of it.
Zak and Sachi had been part of that "countryside" group. Back in middle school, when they were still developing their sense of identity, they had occasionally faced discrimination from Tokyo-born classmates. As a result, they had always been somewhat sensitive about their origins.
But now, living in the heart of Pokémon Island's League City—the very center of this world—they couldn't help but feel secretly proud and delighted.
When they asked their colleagues about tourist attractions in League City, their coworkers got very excited.
The Safari Zone, the League Museum, the Pokémon Academy, the First Shrine, the God's Hall, the League Zoo—every possible attraction was eagerly listed.
Some even mentioned the League City Pokémon Center and the Poké Mart, just because they were the largest of their kind compared to those in other cities.
After learning about all these places, Zak and Sachi decided to take their free afternoon to visit Kaiyuan Hall.
While everyone had their own opinions about the various sites—some even getting into heated debates over the different deities of the First Shrine—one thing was unanimous: the importance of Kaiyuan Hall. Everyone spoke of it with deep reverence.
When Zak and Sachi arrived at the First Shrine, hand in hand, they found the enormous temple to be surprisingly lonely.
However, when they saw the statue inside, they weren't particularly shocked. After all, they had already been surprised enough when they first learned that the First League Leader, Dak, looked exactly like the "Arceus" NPC.
But after reading the inscription below the statue, they realized just how extraordinary this First League Leader had been.
Initially, they had just planned to visit out of curiosity.
Yet, the moment they stepped into the temple, they felt an eerie sense of unease—almost as if they were being watched by a divine presence.
Feeling unsettled, they quickly lit incense before making their exit.
(End of Chapter)
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