After the welfare period ended, the secret realm was to be taken over by the Pokémon League. Anyone wishing to enter again would have to pay a fee.
Additionally, the Pokémon League would begin resource extraction in the secret realm, though other trainers could still enter. However, when it came to resource gathering, no one could match the League's efficiency.
"The Elite Trainer Examination, huh..."
Nathan's eyes flickered before a slight smile curled on his lips.
"I got it. No problem."
…
The Elite Trainer Examination wasn't as simple as one might think.
First, a minimum of three gym-level Pokémon was required.
Second, you had to go to a Pokémon Center, take on three exploration missions, and complete them. Only after fulfilling these requirements could one be recognized as an elite trainer.
For those from humble backgrounds, just having three gym-level Pokémon was already a tough hurdle. After all, achieving even one was challenging for many.
But three? That took time—and resources.
And the most important part: the exploration missions.
These missions were extremely dangerous, as they mainly involved venturing into unexplored areas unknown to the League.
Places like wilderness zones, remote mountain ranges, and more.
There was always the chance of encountering strong and wild Pokémon.
Of course, while dangerous, many still aspired to become elite trainers. The reason? The benefits.
Once you became an elite trainer, major companies would offer you high-paying jobs. The Pokémon League itself would grant annual stipends of coins and resources.
However, the title of elite trainer wasn't permanent. Every year, you had to complete one exploration mission to retain your status.
Fail to do so even once, and your title would be revoked.
On top of that, if a secret realm suddenly appeared and a major threat arose, elite trainers in the area were obligated to assist, fighting under the League's command to protect civilians.
A single misstep could cost your life.
After all, the benefits the Pokémon League provided didn't come cheap.
Still, the exploration missions came with rewards too. Based on difficulty, the League would issue both coins and valuable resources.
For highly dangerous missions, even rare first-tier resources could be obtained—sometimes even unique ones.
Having gym-level Pokémon wasn't easy for Nathan either, but it wasn't impossible. With enough time, he could manage.
Once the Trial Tournament ended, there would still be a few months before the national tournament, giving him enough time to raise three gym-level Pokémon.
As for the exploration missions—he could take them on while challenging gyms across the regions.
With a Elite-tier Volcarona at his side, he had some measure of safety.
"Kid, you should know about the Elite Trainer Examination, right?" the vice-president asked.
"Of course. If I didn't, I wouldn't have agreed so casually," Nathan replied with a nod.
"Then why are you so confident? I'm guessing it's related to your first Pokémon, right? Tsk, mind telling me what it is? I'm really curious."
The vice-president chuckled, curiosity in his tone.
As the vice-president of the Poplar City branch of the League, aside from tedious administrative duties, his most important task was monitoring new trainers in the city.
The stronger the local trainers, the more resources and financial support Poplar City could request from headquarters.
And among the new generation of trainers, Nathan was undoubtedly the most promising.
The fact that he was able to negotiate a deal with a Elite-tier Pokémon inside the secret realm was unprecedented among rookies.
Although he was curious what Nathan had traded to make that happen, he didn't pry. Everyone has their secrets.
As long as Nathan had no connection to any evil organizations, that was enough.
"You're the vice-president of the Poplar City branch, right? You must have tons of work every day. Instead of wasting time chatting, maybe go finish up those tasks of yours?"
"I've got stuff to do. Talk later."
Nathan rolled his eyes and hung up the call.
Shaking his head, he took a cold soda from the fridge, took a big gulp, and started planning his next steps.
His next focus: continuing to train Pangoro.
Although Zinc had already been consumed, proper training was still needed to fully bring out its effects. Plus, he needed to work on targeted defensive training.
"Man... training's going to cost a lot moving forward."
With a sigh, Nathan placed an order for a bulk batch of coarse sea salt on a local shopping app.
Then he opened up the system shop and began purchasing items for upcoming training.
"Gravity Wristbands... way cheaper than the ones sold outside. I'll grab one—Pangoro will need it to build arm strength later."
"Herbal Soaking Potions... I'll take three bottles."
"Hmm… and some advanced healing medicine too."
After browsing the system shop, he was left with only 50,000 Pokécoins. He would've spent it all if he didn't need those funds for energy cubes.
Knock knock knock.
After finishing his purchase, someone knocked on the door.
Opening it, Nathan saw a delivery man in a uniform with a Pidgeot emblem, holding a giant burlap sack.
"Hello, I'm a courier from Pidgeot Express. This is your sea salt order."
"Thanks."
Nathan smiled and accepted the sack.
The courier then hopped onto his Pidgeot and soared into the sky, yelling,
"Pidgeot Express—Mission Accomplished!"
Hauling the salt into his room, Nathan began browsing the web to do more research.
Since he had a match tomorrow, he postponed training to two days later.
Time passed slowly.
Unknowingly, the next day arrived.
As usual, Nathan woke up at 7 a.m. sharp. His mom had already made breakfast and left after reminding him to eat well.
After eating, washing up, and feeding his two Pokémon their energy cubes, Nathan packed his bag, grabbed his Pokéballs, and left for the tournament venue.
With the new day came new changes.
As the number of contestants in the Trial Tournament shrank, the official site now listed daily match schedules and opponents.
Nathan had three matches today.
If he won all three, he'd move on to the Top 16.
But if he lost one, he'd have to continue competing tomorrow.
His matches were scheduled as follows:
10:00 AM – Nathan Vesper vs. Lucy Bell1:00 PM – Nathan Vesper vs. Max Sky3:00 PM – Nathan Vesper vs. Helen Rose
He was confident that Pangoro could handle the first two opponents easily.
But Helen was a different story. She specialized in Ghost type pokemon, which tended to be tricky.
Her Ghost-type Pokémon were also quite strong. Even with Pangoro's current power, Nathan wasn't sure of victory.
If push came to shove, he might have to send out Volcarona.
…
Arriving at the venue, Nathan didn't run into that pretty journalist today. After parking his shared bike, he entered the contestant hall.
Right away, a girl in a white dress approached.
She had twin pigtails, a cute and innocent face, and wore white heeled sandals—like a pure white lotus, elegant and graceful.
"You're Nathan, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Helen Rose." She smiled and extended her hand.
"Uh, hi." Nathan blinked, then quickly shook her hand.
He was surprised—not by her looks—but by the fact that she, with such a pure aura, was a Ghost-type trainer.
Although he hadn't known what she looked like before, he did know both of her Pokémon were Ghost-types.
And most trainers who specialized in a single type would develop traits influenced by their Pokémon—especially Ghost-type trainers, who usually had a darker vibe.
But Helen looked like the embodiment of innocence and light. This was the first time he'd seen such a contrast.
"Nice to meet you. What can I help you with?" he asked, smiling after his surprise faded.
"Just wanted to say hi. After all, we have a match today," she said, hands behind her back as she gazed at the Pokéball on his necklace.
"Also… I'm curious—what Pokémon is inside that Pokéball?"
"Mind telling me?"
She batted her eyes at him with a sweet smile. Most guys would probably blush under such attention.
But Nathan remained calm and simply said with a smile,
"Defeat Pangoro, and you'll find out."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Helen nodded lightly, then flashed a stunning smile.
"In that case, be ready to lose. I won't go easy on you."
"Same here," Nathan shrugged.
She turned and skipped away playfully, then looked back, waving her phone.
"Mind adding me as a friend?"
…
After exchanging contacts and watching her leave, Nathan shook his head with a wry smile.
"She looks pure on the outside, but I get the feeling she's a bit mischievous inside…"
Finding a quiet corner, he sat down and began playing on his phone.
Time passed quietly as the clock on the wall ticked on.
At 10:00 AM, Nathan's first match began.
His opponent was a pretty girl named Lucy Bell, who used a Nidoqueen and Butterfree.
She was skilled, but Nathan's Pangoro easily took them both down.
In the 1:00 PM match, his opponent was a boy of similar age, using Beedrill and Nidoking.
Again, Pangoro defeated both in a 1v2.
Fun fact: the first two opponents—a boy and a girl—were actually a couple.
When Nathan beat the girl, the boy comforted her.
When he beat the boy, the girl comforted him.
All in all, Nathan felt a bit awkward.
He came to battle—but ended up witnessing a full serving of couple drama.
[Name: Pangoro]
[Ability: Iron Fist (Increases the power of punching moves)]
[Type: Fighting + Dark]
[Description: Pangoro, the Dauntless Pokémon. Evolution of Pancham. Hot-tempered and always looking for a fight. The bamboo leaf in its mouth acts as a sensory organ, detecting nearby movements.]
[Level: 32 (Commander Tier)]