"My god, what a thrilling match! I have to say, as a newcomer myself back in the day, I definitely wasn't on the same level as these two trainers—especially Nathan. Ever since that brand-new Fighting-type move he unveiled last time, it seems he's developed yet another new one this time. I wonder if the audience noticed that, for just a moment, Pangoro's body became incredibly solid."
"That's right. Although it was hard to tell from the outside, we could clearly see sparks fly when Kingler's Razor Shell landed on Pangoro—indicating a physical change in Pangoro's body. Most likely, it's another brand-new Fighting-type move. I have to say, Nathan really keeps surprising us."
"Nathan also remained incredibly calm during the second match."
"Exactly. Here's a fun fact most people might not know—when Cloyster uses Withdraw, its defense skyrockets, but if the opponent can endure that phase, there's a chance to strike when Cloyster exits that state. That's because it temporarily loses its boosted defense and experiences a brief moment of physical relaxation, reducing its defenses."
"If Cloyster hasn't been specially trained, it's easy to take advantage of that brief window and land a decisive blow. This is the kind of obscure knowledge only Cloyster trainers usually know. The timing is hard to master too, so it's clear Nathan has a strong grasp of Pokémon mechanics."
The two commentators enthusiastically described the ongoing match.
After the battle ended, the crowd erupted in cheers.
[Your Pokémon "Pangoro" has won the battle! Gained 165 experience points. Current level: 28!]
Hearing the system's voice in his ear, Nathan withdrew Pangoro and turned to walk down the trainer corridor. As soon as he exited, he rushed to the temporary Pokémon Center for treatment.
The Top 16 preliminaries would last for three days. To qualify, a trainer had to win five consecutive battles. If they lost one, they'd need even more matches to advance.
After handing Pangoro's Poké Ball to the pretty nurse, Nathan sat in a corner and pulled out his phone, intending to open his messaging app.
But just then, another system alert chimed in his ear.
[Ding! Congratulations on advancing to the preliminary round and winning your first match. You've completed the first phase of the "Trial Tournament" quest. A random reward will be given!]
[Reward granted: Congratulations! You've received "Black Belt" and "Special Defense Enhancer ×3."]
"Whoa, seriously? That good of a reward?"
Nathan's eyes widened in surprise as he heard the notification.
He had nearly forgotten about that first quest phase, but what truly shocked him was the reward itself.
The Black Belt is a held item for Fighting-type Pokémon that boosts the power of Fighting moves—perfectly suited for Pangoro.
But what he valued even more were the Special Defense Enhancer (Zinc).
These were powerful nutrient drinks.
They didn't exist in the real world, nor were they available in the system's shop.
These drinks could boost a Pokémon's base special defense. For example, if a Pokémon's special defense was originally 1 and later grew to 10, after using the enhancer, that same growth would lead to 15 instead.
So, you could imagine how significant the boost was.
And there weren't just one, but three bottles.
That was very nice.
[Would you like to claim your rewards now?]
"No."
As tempting as it was, system rewards usually appeared right in front of him when claimed. That could lead to some awkward situations, so it was better to wait until he got home.
Besides, he only needed one more win before he could leave.
If he did have another match, it would be tomorrow anyway.
Nathan took out his phone.
When he opened Weibo, he instantly spotted a trending topic in the top 20—ranked #16—it was about him.
[Another New Fighting-Type Move? Rising Star—Nathan Vesper!]
Seeing that headline, Nathan couldn't help but stroke his chin and smile. "Tch, are they praising me that much? I'm blushing a little here."
While his words were humble, his actions were anything but—he immediately tapped in to read the comments.
Especially the ones from fans who liked his looks. Occasionally, he'd even check out their profiles, peek at their selfies, and make a few mental notes.
"Tch, this girl's got a nice figure."
"Damn, milkers!!"
"This one's just okay."
"Whoa, those legs are almost on par with Lily's—impressive."
Nathan scrolled and commented to himself with great interest.
Time passed quickly.
Soon, the second match began.
Nathan's opponent this time was a peer from North City, someone from a humble background. Unfortunately for him, both his Pokémon were Rock-types—weak to Fighting.
The guy looked like he was about to cry the moment he saw Nathan.
You could see the defeat written all over his face.
After his first Pokémon was taken down in just three rounds, he immediately surrendered.
With two straight wins under his belt, Nathan wasted no time and rode a shared bike home.
No one else was home.
Returning to his room, he called out, "System, claim the reward!"
[Ding! Reward dispatched!]
The system's voice rang out.
Before Nathan, a black sash and three bottles of liquid resembling energy drinks appeared.
The sash, of course, was the Black Belt.
The drinks were the Zinc.
"One bottle for Volcarona. The other two go to Pangoro," Nathan quickly decided. Compared to Volcarona, Pangoro needed the help more.
…
Nathan's expectations for Pangoro were simple: he wanted it to become a physically powerful war machine.
As a Fighting-type, Pangoro's attack stat was already decent.
It had recently learned two new moves—Shave and Iron Body—which helped shore up its weaknesses in battle.
Shave was used to close in on fast, long-range opponents.
Iron Body was effective against other Fighting-types, as it greatly boosted physical defense—though it didn't help much with special defense.
Even with those, Pangoro was still somewhat lacking in both defense and special defense.
Defense was vital for Fighting-types.
Unlike other Pokémon that could throw energy beams or hurl projectiles, most Fighting-types had to rely on their fists and feet.
If an opponent altered the terrain or kept them at a distance, they could easily be forced on the defensive.
That's why defense was so important.
With proper training, Pangoro could become the sturdy tank of Nathan's team—and this tank would pack a serious punch too.
The Zinc came at the perfect time.
Buzz.
A red beam of light flashed from the Poké Ball.
Pangoro's massive form appeared before Nathan.
"You're not a little guy anymore… guess I should call you the big guy now," Nathan chuckled. "Here, take this."
He handed over the Black Belt.
"Roar?" Pangoro scratched its head, confused.
"This will boost your moves' power," Nathan explained.
Upon hearing that, Pangoro's eyes lit up. It eagerly grabbed the Black Belt and tied it around its right arm. Hmm… maybe it thought strapping it to its round belly wouldn't look cool?
Held items didn't need to be equipped in any specific place—just wearing them was enough.
So, tying it on the arm worked just fine.
After securing it, Pangoro flexed its arm, admiring the Black Belt with a satisfied grin. It even struck a bodybuilder pose, showing off its muscles.
Nathan sweatdropped at the sight.
Shaking his head, he picked up two of the enhancer bottles, opened them, and handed them over. "Drink these too—they'll help boost your power."
Upon hearing that, Pangoro gulped them down in one go. A moment later, it let out a happy roar, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Looks like you can already feel the change. Not bad," Nathan smiled, patting its shoulder.
He originally wanted to pat its head, but it was too tall—he could only reach the shoulder.
Next, Nathan summoned Volcarona and gave it the remaining bottle.
After feeding both Pokémon, he returned them to their Poké Balls, took a nice hot shower, and relaxed.
Just as he finished drying his hair and sat on the bed, his phone rang.
It was a call from Vice President Cloud.
"Yo, Vice President, what's up?" Nathan answered.
"Heh, kid, I watched your match today. Well done—you really made Poplar City proud," Shane praised right away.
"If that's the case, is there a reward?" Nathan laughed.
"Of course there is. But only if you get a good placement—like making it into the Top 8," Shane said. That might sound easy, but...
In truth, it wasn't. The Trial Tournament had been held for many years now.
And Poplar City... well, let's not even talk about it.
Nathan chuckled and took a sip of water from his desk. "So, what did you really call me about, Vice President?"
"Ah, right. I wanted to ask—do you have the confidence to pass the Elite Trainer exam before the National Tournament starts?"
"The Elite Trainer exam?" Nathan frowned and sat up. "Why do you ask?"
"To be frank, it's about access to a secret realm," Shane explained. "You probably haven't heard about it—this info only circulates among elite trainers and above. Recently, a new secret realm appeared in the No Man's Land in our country. It's classified as an A-rank realm, but its danger level is closer to S-rank."
"A new secret realm? Can you tell me more?" Nathan asked.
"Sure," Shane said without hesitation. "It's extremely dangerous. Most of the Pokémon inside are ones we've never seen before—and they're incredibly strong, with aggressive combat instincts. They frequently attack and even prey on ordinary Pokémon. That realm has earned the nickname The Hunting Ground."
"But as a newly discovered realm, it's full of untapped resources. The higher-ups have allocated each division one slot to send in a rookie. It's meant to train up newcomers, and it's tied to next year's National Tournament—but you don't need to worry about that just yet. Among all the rookies in Poplar City, you're clearly the standout. So, I'd like to give the slot to you—if you can pass the Elite Trainer exam first."
"There's some danger involved, so you can choose whether to go or not."
Nathan fell silent, his brow furrowed in thought.
A brand-new secret realm… filled with Pokémon no one had ever seen?
Even setting that aside, Nathan understood how secret realms worked.
When a new one appeared, it wasn't developed right away. Its danger level had to be assessed first. Afterward, it would be opened up to trainers of specific ranks for a limited time.
People with connections could sneak in too.
This initial period was known as the First Access Window.
(TN: Do you guys prefer the move Shave to be Soru and Iron Body to be Tekkai?)