Pokemon: Sandstorm Elite

With Lance, the Dragon-type Champion, now on the scene, both Pryce and Klein understood that the battle could no longer continue.

By now, Lucas had already escaped Johto's jurisdiction.

Pryce still had the urge to pursue, but the Johto League's attention was now focused on restructuring its leadership. In addition to the Kamiyama family's downfall, factions from Ecruteak City, Violet City, the Whirl Islands, and Cianwood City were all pushing their own representatives forward.

Pryce turned away.

"Lance," he muttered.

"...The Johto League is in your hands now. I'm returning to Mahogany Town."

And with that, he left. Without another word, without looking back—his solitary figure fading into the distance.

Perhaps, from now on, choosing to step away from the world entirely was the best path for him.

As Johto's political infighting began, Klein and Lance were already on their way back to Indigo Plateau in Kanto.

"Wakaba was furious," Lance said, reclining in his seat. "But he was also worried about you. Pryce isn't someone to take lightly."

Klein stared out the window of the aircraft.

The sunlight streaming in made his exhaustion more apparent.

Lucas… are you alright?

The resonance of the DNA Splicer was faint, but Klein was sure of one thing—Lucas had escaped safely and had returned to Unova with Kyurem.

Far away, within Unova's Giant Chasm, Lucas let out a small laugh.

"This Johto trip is finally over," he murmured. "I'll keep training here with Kyurem… but next time we meet, Klein, I won't lose to you."

A faint warmth spread through the DNA Splicer markings on their bodies.

Klein smiled slightly.

And across from him, Lance's expression changed.

Klein… just smiled?

That was terrifying.

Klein, Kanto's Sandstorm Elite, never smiled.

From the moment Lance had met him, Klein had always carried that same unreadable, serious expression. And now, he was sitting here, smiling like it was nothing.

Something was definitely up.

By the time the private jet landed on Cinnabar Island, a welcoming party was already waiting.

Standing at the front was Gary and his classmate Brooke, along with a group of fellow students.

Brooke, who had been severely injured by Mirror Property earlier, still had bandages wrapped around him, but his eyes were full of energy—a clear sign that he was doing much better.

The Celebi Temple incident had also changed something else—the rivalry between Gary and Brooke.

Before, Brooke had always looked at Gary with resentment. But now, he finally saw him as a worthy rival.

As the jet landed, Agatha, headmistress of the academy, stepped forward with several faculty members and a crowd of students.

"Teacher Klein!"

Hearing the students call out to him, Klein nodded slightly.

Then, his gaze met Agatha's.

The elderly woman stepped forward and looked him up and down.

After a moment, she clicked her tongue in amusement.

"You went head-to-head with Pryce and didn't even get frostbite? Impressive."

"I don't get cold easily," Klein replied.

His DNA Splicer mark, imbued with Kyurem's power, gave him strong resistance to extreme cold.

Agatha didn't seem surprised, but Gary and the others finally stepped forward.

"Teacher Klein, if not for you, Celebi would've been lost," Brooke said.

Klein placed a hand on Brooke's shoulder.

"I should be thanking you," he said. "Without your persistence, this crisis could have been much worse."

Then, he paused.

"But sometimes, you need to learn how to rely on your team. Gary is not just your classmate—he is your partner."

For once, Klein wasn't his usual cold, indifferent self.

His words carried weight, and his tone had softened.

It was a subtle change—but one that both Agatha and Lance took notice of.

After a brief welcoming ceremony, Klein and Agatha walked side by side back to the academy.

Lance, who still had other matters to handle, gave a short explanation before flying off on his Dragonite.

Agatha turned to Klein.

"I heard what happened," she said. "It's good that you stand by your principles… but you also need to protect yourself."

Then, with a knowing smirk, she added:

"The advice you gave Brooke? It applies to you too, Klein."

She wasn't wrong.

Pryce had been furious.

The battlefield had been surrounded by Johto's strongest trainers.

And Klein had been stubborn enough to stand his ground.

If Lance hadn't arrived when he did… things could've gone much worse.

"My apologies for causing trouble," Klein said.

Agatha simply patted his shoulder.

"For now, just focus on your work here at the academy," she said. "Your Dual-Core Strategy isn't finished yet, right?"

She then handed him a report.

"Kanto's student gym challengers have finished their trials. The data is in."

Every battle had been recorded—from the trainers' tactics to the Pokémon selection strategies.

"Upload the reports online," Klein suggested. "If any Gym's performance is subpar, at least they won't be able to complain."

Agatha gave a thoughtful nod.

"One more thing," she said.

"In a few days, a delegation from Sinnoh's main academy will be arriving for an exchange program."

Then, she smiled mischievously.

"Their lead representative specifically requested to meet you."

"...Who?"

"Cynthia."

Agatha chuckled.

"And she's including a battle as part of the exchange."

Klein exhaled.

Cynthia.

The undefeated queen of Sinnoh—one of the strongest League Champions in the world.

Her battle style was ruthless and aggressive.

She was also one of the only trainers in history to master a Four-Core Strategy.

An ideal opponent.

"I look forward to it," Klein said.

Johto Region – Eternal Dream Manor.

In a secluded estate west of Johto, Kamiyama Naga strode through the gates.

One man was waiting for him.

The leader of North Saffron Gym—Komon.

"You've been missing for years," Komon remarked. "I thought your father had finally disposed of you."

He smirked.

"Turns out, you got sealed away by a bunch of rookie trainers. That's… actually hilarious."

As an old friend of Naga, Komon had originally gone to Kanto for training.

But when he heard that the Johto League had issued a King's Summon Order to crush the Kamiyama family, he decided to return—just for the fun of it.

He never expected to find out that Naga's 'tragic backstory' was just his own recklessness.

Seeing Komon's expression, Naga raised an eyebrow.

"...You look excited."

"It's been over four years," Komon admitted.

"For me, it was an instant," Naga said flatly.

Komon ignored him and pushed open the estate's doors.

A lavish banquet had already been prepared.

Tugging off his Team Rocket-style coat, Naga sighed.

"First, I'm taking a bath," he said. "Then, I want a full report—tell me everything that's happened to the Kamiyama family in the past four years."

Komon scoffed.

"When did you start caring about your family?"

"I'm just curious," Naga said.

"Curious about how they managed to ruin themselves."

(End of Chapter.)