Spending billions, even tens of billions, would be enough to stun quite a few trainers.
Of course, that was just a thought. As the daughter of the richest man, she probably wouldn't actually go that far.
Shaking his head, Nathan prepared to leave, but suddenly turned back and quickly pulled out his phone, waving it with a warm smile.
"Hey, beautiful, how about adding each other as friends?"
He had nearly forgotten—this rich young lady would be a major client in the future. He had to make sure to add her right away.
Hearing this, Evelyn was slightly stunned. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded. The two moved closer, and Evelyn pulled out her phone to let Nathan scan her QR code. They became friends and then parted ways.
Inside the contestant hallway, Nathan glanced at the heiress's nickname.
Gotta say, it was actually kind of cute—"Eevee Loves Pudding."
Even her profile picture was an Eevee.
But then he noticed the string of glowing VIP badges behind her avatar, and Nathan immediately felt the overwhelming malice of money.
As soon as he stepped out of the tunnel, Leo came up to him smiling.
"Nathan, you're such a cheat. That Volcarona of yours is practically unbeatable."
"What can I say? Gifted by nature," Nathan replied with a smile.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Leo pulled a mock-disgusted face, then added, "But be careful in the finals, haha. Miss Evelyn's Eevee hasn't even evolved yet, and I heard there's a new evolution form that was just discovered recently. No idea what type it is yet, but Evelyn's Eevee is probably going to evolve into that. And with the resources her family has… tsk tsk."
Even Leo couldn't hide the envy in his eyes as he said that.
Sure, his own family had money, but compared to Miss Evelyn? He was nothing.
That girl was rich enough to use premium resources like daily necessities.
"A new evolution?" Nathan asked, puzzled. "Got any details?"
"Wait, you're interested too?" Leo asked curiously.
"Of course, I am. It's a new evolution for Eevee—we're all curious. Besides, maybe I'll catch an Eevee of my own someday," Nathan replied.
"Fair point." Leo pulled out his phone and searched a bit before saying, "No one knows the exact type or form yet, just that it was discovered in the extreme north, related to some kind of special mineral from that region."
Hearing that, Nathan immediately understood.
'Looks like it's Glaceon,' he thought to himself.
Eevee had a lot of evolution paths. Among the original three, none were particularly good-looking. But Glaceon had a high aesthetic appeal.
Still…
If it really evolved into Glaceon, then Nathan had even less to worry about in the finals.
Volcarona had a clear type advantage over an Ice-type like Glaceon.
Not to mention Volcarona's overall strength already crushed most opponents.
Shaking his head, Nathan chuckled.
"Who knows, maybe someone else will make it to the finals against me?"
"No way," Leo said instantly. "One of the two finalists will definitely be you, and the other will definitely be Miss Evelyn. Her Gardevoir is already really strong, and now her Eevee's going to evolve too. If she gets that special mineral tonight, her strength will skyrocket."
Nathan smiled and said no more.
After chatting briefly with Leo and a few others, he left.
On the way home, he was thinking about Gardevoir.
No doubt about it—Gardevoir was incredibly elegant. As a trainer, he'd eventually have to head out into the wild, and Gardevoir, being a Psychic-type, could be very useful.
Most importantly, with some proper training, Gardevoir could even take care of the trainer.
Ahem… not what you're thinking.
By "take care," he meant cooking and other household stuff.
Definitely a must-have for travel and home life.
"I should really consider getting a Gardevoir," Nathan thought.
There weren't many Psychic-types that matched his preferences. Gardevoir was one, and the Galar-region's Rapidash was another.
Both were stylish and worth investing in.
They'd be super useful in the wild—one could help with daily needs, and the other could be a rideable mount.
Though ideally, he'd want a Flying-type for a mount.
Unconsciously, Nathan arrived home.
With two back-to-back wins, his matches for the day were done. All that was left was to wait for tomorrow's rounds.
Back home, Nathan didn't rush to shower. He let Pangoro continue its "sea salt scrubbing" routine, then bought it a TM for the move "Brutal Swing."
There were plenty of moves he wanted it to learn, but time was limited—he had to go one step at a time.
After a bit of busywork, Nathan finally went to wash up. It was worth noting that Pangoro showed great talent when it came to punching-type moves, quickly grasping new techniques even with just a TM.
Probably thanks to its Iron Fist ability.
As for other kinds of moves, though—it would take some time.
..
After a flurry of activity, it was already around 8 or 9 p.m.
Nathan's parents had returned home.
His dad sat in the living room drinking tea and reading a newspaper, which covered recent global developments related to Pokémon.
His mom was in the kitchen preparing dinner.
Meanwhile, Nathan was in his room, phone in hand, ready to... well, "persuade"—no, market his Pokéblocks.
He hadn't managed to make any high-quality ones yet, but the lower-grade ones...
Still worked, right? As long as you fed enough of them, they'd still improve a Pokémon's attributes, just at a slower rate.
More importantly, Nathan felt it was time to start relying on himself. He needed money and couldn't always depend on buying or trading for resources.
He had to find a way to earn his own income.
First target: the heiress.
After all, she had money.
Nathan: "Hey Miss Evelyn, got a minute to chat?"
Evelyn: "Talk."
"So cold?" Nathan muttered, then snapped a picture of a pale-blue Pokéblock he'd made earlier and sent it over.
Nathan: "Wanna buy some Pokémon chow?"
Evelyn: "???"
Evelyn had just returned to the villa she bought after arriving in Poplar City. After a bath, she told the maid to prepare dinner and was about to lie down when Nathan's message came in.
But when she saw the picture and the message, she was confused.
Pokémon food?
It looked more like jelly or pudding.
Nathan was originally texting with one hand, but now he went full-on double-thumb mode.
Nathan: "I can tell you're someone who's seen real quality. Just one look, and I bet you can see how extraordinary this Pokéblock is. I made it myself using a blend of nutrient-rich berries, extracting both energy and nutrition. Just one block is enough to fill up even a light-eating Pokémon. Long-term use enhances physical stats across the board and can even influence appearance—your Gardevoir could become even more beautiful!"
Evelyn: "…Wait a sec, you typed too much. I need to read carefully."
Nathan: "…"
Evelyn: "Okay, finished. So, you're pitching me a product?"
Nathan: "Ahem, not pitching, just being honest. So… want some?"
Evelyn: "How much?"
Nathan: "1,000 Pokécoins per block!"
"1,000 should be reasonable, right?" Nathan thought nervously. This was his first customer, after all. If he pulled this off, he could advertise: "Even the richest heiress feeds her Pokémon my Pokéblocks."
That would boost his rep in no time—and bring in steady income.
Ding.
Just as Nathan was lost in this fantasy, his phone vibrated.
Message from Evelyn.
Evelyn: "So cheap?"
Nathan's mouth twitched. Yep, this girl really was loaded.
Nathan: "So… you buying?"
Evelyn: "Buying."
Nathan: "How many?"
Evelyn: "Ten!"
Nathan: "Send me your address."
Smiling at her reply, Nathan quickly opened his delivery app, called a same-city Dodrio courier, and started packing up ten pale Pokéblocks.
By the time he finished packing, Evelyn had already transferred 10,000 Pokécoins.
And the courier had arrived.
After writing the address and handing over the package, Nathan sent her an "OK" emoji.
Dinner was ready.
While eating, Nathan's dad, Jerry asked, "Nathan, got any thoughts about your next Pokémon?"
"Huh? Why do you ask?" Nathan replied, curious.
His mom explained, "Your dad has made quite a few connections over the years. He figured if there's any particular Pokémon you want, he could reach out and ask around. After all, we should be supporting you on your journey as a trainer."
She said this while putting some veggies in Nathan's bowl.
Nathan took a bite and casually said, "Well… how about a Dragon-type?"
His dad lowered his head, speaking flatly. "Forget I asked."
A Dragon-type?
Who do you think your dad is? The head of the Pokémon League?
Even he couldn't afford that.
Dragon-types were rare, powerful, and expensive. A basic one already went for tens of millions, and those with strong parents could easily break 100 million.
And those elite bloodlines? You couldn't even buy them, no matter the price.
Plus, raising a Dragon-type cost a fortune on top of that.
Cough cough.
Seeing his dad on the verge of a breakdown, Nathan gave a sheepish laugh and quickly said, "Just kidding. Actually, I think a Ghost-type would do."
The trial tournament was about to end. After that, he'd take the Elite Trainer assessment and start accepting exploration missions.
Without a Ghost-type, he'd be pretty limited in that field.
"A Ghost-type, huh…" his dad mused. "Any specific one in mind?"
Nathan took another bite, then tried,
"How about… Dragapult?"