After washing up and blow-drying his hair, Nathan picked up his phone and made a call.
It didn't take long for someone to pick up.
"Nathan, you're back from the secret realm?" A pleasant voice sounded—it was Lily.
Lying lazily on a soft sofa, Nathan replied, "Yeah, I'm back. Where are we going to eat tonight? What are we having?"
"Hotpot sounds good. Let's go to the place we always went to back in middle school," Lily responded after thinking for a moment.
"Alright. When are you heading out?"
"The day after tomorrow, in the morning."
"Got it. We'll talk more then. I'm gonna rest for a bit."
"Okay, see you tonight."
Nathan hung up and fell asleep right there on the couch.
By the time he woke up, it was already 6:30 in the evening.
After calling his mom to let her know, he got ready and headed out.
…
Nathan and Lily had been classmates since they were kids. They often went out together to eat or watch movies. Their favorite hotpot place was called "Charmander Hotpot."
He rode a shared bike to the restaurant and immediately spotted Lily standing outside—very eye-catching as always.
Like most girls these days, Lily liked wearing JK-style outfits. Today's outfit looked a lot like the main character from an anime Nathan had watched before he crossed over—"Rascal Does Not Dream."
With her long black hair, Lily looked remarkably like Mai Sakurajima. If her hair had been gray, she could've been a real-life version of her.
"Tch, all dressed up like this. Trying to leave a deep impression on your old man before you leave?" Nathan teased with a smile as he walked up.
Rolling her eyes, Lily smirked. "You should be grateful to have a beauty like me accompany you. You're lucky—should be over the moon."
"Then should I laugh out loud to show how happy I am?" Nathan shrugged with a grin.
"No, that would just make you look like an idiot," Lily replied flatly, arms crossed as she walked into the restaurant.
Nathan followed her upstairs. After telling the owner what kind of broth they wanted and ordering a few dishes, the two started chatting.
"Which Gym are you planning to challenge first?" Nathan asked.
"Flower City," Lily replied. "That Gym uses Grass-types. My Vulpix has a type advantage, and Pidgey can use the experience too."
"Flower City, huh? Not a bad choice," Nathan nodded in agreement.
There were twelve Gyms across the country.
To qualify for the National Tournament, aside from needing six Pokémon, you also had to collect eight Gym Badges.
Contrary to what anime might make people believe, the Gyms weren't weak. While not overwhelmingly powerful, they were still a solid challenge for beginner trainers.
The two chatted while eating.
The spicy hotpot turned Lily's face red. Beads of sweat rolled down her cheeks, and she kept sticking out her tongue to cool off.
"By the way, which university are you aiming for?" she asked while sipping a drink.
"Haven't thought about it yet," Nathan shook his head. There was still time until graduation, so it felt a bit early to think about that. Still, he added, "If nothing goes wrong, probably Magic City University or Imperial University. They're both top-tier schools with great facilities. It'll be easier to raise new Pokémon there."
As the world developed, many regions had been overtaken by wild Pokémon. But humans, through exploration, had discovered and utilized many mysterious resources.
For example, top universities now had special training rooms—Thunder Chambers, Misty Chambers, and more—made possible by rare seeds found during expeditions.
Like the Misty Seed, Electric Seed, and so on.
These seeds couldn't be planted. But when buried in an area, they could gradually alter the environment and magnetic field around them.
They were incredibly rare, only available at elite universities. So, if Nathan were to go to college, he would only consider those top schools.
By the time they finished eating, it was already 8:30 p.m. After saying goodbye to Lily, Nathan headed home.
His parents were there too, but after greeting them, Nathan went straight to his room and crashed.
…
The Next Day
Nathan woke up early.
The weather was great—clear skies and bright sunshine.
After washing up and eating breakfast, he hopped on a shared bike and headed to the competition venue.
Even though the first match hadn't started yet, the whole stadium was already buzzing with excitement. The commentators were hyping up the atmosphere.
"Welcome everyone to today's matches! Today, we'll determine the Top 8 of this year's Trial Tournament!"
"That's right! It's the Round of 16! And this year's newcomers are seriously impressive. They might be rookie trainers, but they've shown incredible strength."
"Exactly! Whether it's Evelyn Mist or Nathan Vesper, they're both shocking. They don't feel like rookies at all—I'd believe it if someone told me they were elite trainers already."
"Haha, and let's not forget—our third match today features none other than Nathan Vesper! Let's see if we get to witness that awe-inspiring Volcarona again. But we'll save that excitement for later—let's first enjoy the thrilling first two matches!"
As the commentary ended, cheers erupted from the crowd.
In the players' lounge, Nathan glanced at the live stream on screen and spotted something amusing—a dozen girls in pleated skirts waving banners and shouting his name from the stands.
Yep. The banners read "Go Nathan!"
They were probably from his school's fan club?
..
"If I win three in a row today, I'll make it to the Top 8," Nathan murmured to himself, glancing over the list of sixteen contestants.
Everyone who made it this far was among the best rookie trainers. Their Pokémon weren't weak either.
Most were fully evolved and ranged from elite to commander-level. A couple even had Gym-level Pokémon.
Take Willow Blaze and Evelyn Mist, for example.
Willow's grandfather was a former Fire-type Elite Guardian member. Though retired now, he still had the experience—and those elites often had their own unique methods of raising Pokémon.
Willow herself followed the Fire-type path. Her first Pokémon, a Charizard, wasn't just any average Charizard.
And Evelyn? A rich heiress. No shortage of resources, no shortage of top-quality Pokémon.
Even if she just poured money into them, she could boost their strength through sheer investment.
Honestly, Nathan was a little jealous.
"When is my dad gonna tell me, 'Son, we actually own a bunch of businesses, and it's time for you to take over'?" Nathan thought with a wry smile.
But even if that were true, he probably wouldn't take over.
After all, his dream was to become the strongest trainer.
And explore every corner of the world—even the places untouched by humans. Yep, he wanted to catch legendary Pokémon.
He figured, since he came to this world, not catching at least one legendary would be a waste.
He didn't need anything too grand—just catching a Rayquaza would do.
If that didn't work out, maybe a Groudon. Sure, Groudon couldn't fly, but at least... it looked cooler than Ho-Oh.
Chuckling at his own thoughts, Nathan mentally activated the system.
System Store – Open.
The 10 million Pokécoins from Elite Guardian Gray had already been transferred to his card.
Last night, Nathan had sent 5 million to his mom and kept the rest for himself.
Perfect timing to go shopping in the system store.
New items had just refreshed today, and Nathan hadn't checked them yet.
But as soon as the store opened, his eyes widened in shock.
[Mystical Fruit]: A mysterious fruit that gives a Pokémon a chance to awaken a new Ability. If the Pokémon already has an Ability, there's a chance it will gain a second one. (All possible Abilities will be compatible with the Pokémon.)
Price: 3 million Pokécoins[Berry Blender]: A tool for mixing Berries. Combine different types of berries to create powerful Pokéblocks.
Price: 100,000 Pokécoins[Revival Herb]: A miraculous item. Just like the name implies, it can bring a fainted Pokémon back to full health—essentially giving it another life.
Price: 1 million Pokécoins
"Damn... these are all incredible," Nathan was stunned.
He'd seen the Mystical Fruit before, but only as a mission reward. He could never afford to buy one.
Volcarona having two abilities was thanks to one of those fruits.
The Berry Blender would let him craft his own Pokéblocks without relying on the system store. Maybe someday he could even start a berry business. Could be quite profitable.
And as for the Revival Herb—a total no-brainer. He had to buy it.
These were so rare, even the Pokémon League Headquarters only had a few, and they were only used in the direst situations.
No hesitation—Nathan bought all three items.
They appeared in his inventory.
After carefully examining them, he zipped up his backpack, threw it over his shoulder, and casually resumed playing on his phone.
Tap, tap. Footsteps approached.
"Hello, Nathan."
"Hm?" Nathan looked up and blinked. "Leo Ford?"
"Looks like you know me," Leo smiled and extended a hand. "Nice to meet you. We might end up facing off, so I hope your Volcarona takes it easy on me."
"Oh, I know you—your Venusaur is really strong," Nathan smiled and shook his hand.
"Strong? There's no way it can beat your Volcarona," Leo said with a helpless grin. "When it appeared on the field... I was completely stunned."
He had even considered forfeiting, since he didn't think he had a chance.
But in the end, he decided to tough it out.
"You're too kind. I still find your Venusaur pretty intimidating," Nathan said humbly.
Leo twitched at his words.
Bro, you serious? That's such a load of crap.
You call that intimidation?
One hit from that firestorm and even Venusaur—with all its bulk—would probably get roasted.