Jerry turned to Juliet and smiled. "Honey, go to the room and bring me my belt."
"No, no, no!" Nathan quickly stopped his dad, looking embarrassed. "Dad, just choose whatever you think is best. I think Gastly is fine. But if it's a shin—"
He had originally wanted to say, "if it's a shiny one, even better."
But seeing the look on his dad's face—one that clearly said 'Say one more word and I'll whoop you right here'—Nathan quickly shut his mouth and lowered his head to focus on eating.
"Alright." Nathan's father nodded. "Over the years, running this restaurant, I've built up a few connections. I'll ask around for you. Oh, and if you're short on money, just ask the family. Being a trainer isn't cheap. We don't have tons of money, but we've got enough for your needs."
"Hey, don't worry. If I'm low on cash, I definitely won't hold back with you and Mom."
…
At the villa, Evelyn quickly received the energy cubes from Nathan.
After taking a quick look, she had someone send them off to a lab in Poplar City for analysis. She simply wanted to verify if these energy cubes were really as miraculous as claimed.
As a trainer, she couldn't just feed any random food to her Pokémon.
And being the daughter of the richest man, she had access to a lab in the suburbs of Poplar City funded by Poké Ball Group and supported by expert researchers. Getting the cubes analyzed was a piece of cake.
In less than half an hour, a report was delivered to Evelyn.
As she skimmed through the report, her face revealed a look of surprise. "The nutritional content is this high?"
"Yes, Miss," replied a woman dressed in a tuxedo-like suit, exuding the air of a refined butler. "Dr. Lin said that this might be the most suitable food for Pokémon. Long-term consumption could boost their strength significantly."
Hearing this, Evelyn nodded thoughtfully. Then, she released her two Pokémon—Gardevoir and Eevee.
Holding the cubes Nathan had sent, Evelyn asked, "Try this food. See if you like it."
The two Pokémon's eyes lit up the moment they saw the cubes.
Gardevoir delicately picked one up and examined it, while Eevee immediately began munching on it enthusiastically. After taking a bite, a look of bliss spread across Eevee's face.
Soon after, Gardevoir also took a bite and let out a cheerful sound, then nodded toward Evelyn.
"I see… looks like this really is a perfect food for Pokémon," Evelyn said in surprise. Gardevoir and Eevee usually had different taste preferences—she always had to prepare different flavors for them. But surprisingly, both loved this energy cube.
After a moment of thought, Evelyn picked up her phone, intending to talk to Nathan about the cubes.
But in the end, she put the phone down and murmured, "I'll wait until after tomorrow's match."
….
As night fell...
After dinner, Nathan returned to his room. Sitting at his desk, he twirled a pen between his fingers while staring at a map of the country laid out in front of him. The map marked various dangerous areas across the region.
These places weren't just dangerous for average trainers—even those at the Elite Four level had to be cautious.
Places like:
Jade Mountains
Asharahn Desert
Silent Plateau No-Man's Land
...and so on.
These were categorized as top-tier danger zones.
They used to be controlled by humans, but now they were claimed by Pokémon.
Of course, Nathan wasn't paying attention to those regions. He knew he had no business there—not unless he had at least three Elite-tier Pokémon.
Otherwise, going there was just a death wish.
He was focused on some of the other, relatively less dangerous zones.
With the Trial Tournament nearing its end, he'd soon be preparing for the Elite Trainer assessment and the Gym challenges that would grant him a ticket to the National Championship.
So, Nathan wanted to first map out some of the key danger zones and draft a route that would allow him to both challenge Gyms and explore regions where Pokémon he wanted to catch might be found.
After a long night planning training schedules, routes, and capture targets, he finally collapsed onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep.
...
The Next Day
A new day dawned.
The weather was once again bright and clear, with a gentle breeze that made the morning feel extra refreshing.
After washing up, eating breakfast, and feeding his two Pokémon, Nathan slung his backpack over his shoulder and headed out.
Today's matches might very well determine who would make it into the finals—if the earlier rounds wrapped up quickly enough.
Arriving at the venue, all the familiar faces were already there.
Just as Nathan arrived, Evelyn approached him directly. "Can we talk?"
"Sure." Nathan smiled and nodded, walking with her to a quiet corner. "What does Miss Evelyn want to discuss?"
"It's about those energy cubes you gave me yesterday," Evelyn said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I had them analyzed. Turns out, they're indeed incredibly beneficial for Pokémon. So, I wanted to ask—would you be interested in selling me the recipe?"
Nathan wasn't surprised at all.
She was, after all, the daughter of the richest man—interested in the formula? Totally reasonable.
He shook his head and chuckled. "Not interested. I'm planning to rely on this stuff to make enough money to get married and start a family someday."
Evelyn nodded—she had expected him to say no. Then she asked, "In that case, would you be able to supply me with a steady amount? I'd like to buy in bulk."
"Sure."
Nathan wasn't about to turn down easy money. He thought for a moment and said, "If you want, we can work out a long-term deal. I can provide 3,000 cubes per batch."
At this point, making energy cubes was pretty easy for him. With all the experience he had, aside from the time it took to prepare berries, he could make one cube in just a few seconds.
So, 3,000 cubes? Not a problem—especially since they were just the lowest-quality ones.
"Sounds good," Evelyn agreed. That quantity met her expectations. "Let's discuss the details after the match today."
"Alright."
Nathan smiled and nodded. After a bit more small talk, they parted ways.
When Nathan returned to where Helen and the others were, they were busy speculating about today's opponents. Since the matchups hadn't been announced yet, all they could do was guess.
"As long as I don't have to face Nathan, I'm good," Leo said with a sigh, resting both hands behind his head.
Nathan just chuckled and shook his head without saying anything.
Helen pointed toward someone in the distance and said, "That guy over there hasn't fought you yet. You might want to pay attention—he's a strong opponent. His Pokémon is a Feraligatr."
"Feraligatr?"
One of the second-gen starter evolutions?
Nathan followed her gaze and saw a young man around their age with short, messy black hair and a trendy outfit. Noticing Nathan looking at him, the boy nodded and smiled in greeting.
Nathan nodded and smiled in return.
"He's from Southern Riverlands. His family's in the aquatic business. He's raised that Feraligatr quite well," Helen explained.
…
[Will contestant Nathan Vesper and contestant Bianca Yan please proceed to Arena Two via the player tunnel. Your match is about to begin!]
[Will contestant Nathan Vesper and contestant Bianca Yan please proceed to Arena Two via the player tunnel. Your match is about to begin!]
[Will contestant Nathan Vesper and contestant Bianca Yan please proceed to Arena Two via the player tunnel. Your match is about to begin!]
After chatting with Liu Feng and the others, Nathan's match was about to start.
His opponent this time was a girl he hadn't faced before—but she wasn't weak. Making it this far meant she had skill. Her outfit was reminiscent of Shauntal from Unova—black tights and a purple mini-dress. Though she was a high schooler just like Nathan, she gave off a very mature and seductive vibe.
Bianca wasn't a Ghost-type specialist. Her two Pokémon were a Water-type and a Mightyena.
The match ended quickly.
Pangoro managed to defeat both of her Pokémon, but then collapsed as well when the referee called the end of the match. It was clear that while Pangoro was strong, he wasn't overwhelmingly powerful compared to the other top rookies.
Nathan's second match that morning was against Aeron Yu, who used two Normal-type Pokémon.
Once again, Pangoro managed to win—barely.
By noon, Nathan was on a winning streak. He hadn't needed to use Volcarona yet, and he had already secured a spot in the semifinals.
But he didn't leave. Instead, he was told the semifinals would start that very afternoon.
…
Waiting Room
Nathan sat looking at his phone, chatting.
Lily:(image)Tada! Look! Your girl got her first badge!
Nathan:Oho~ Nice! Looks like hanging around me rubbed off on you. My brilliance helped boost your strength, huh?
Lily:Pfft. Don't flatter yourself.
Lily:How's your competition going?
Nathan:Semifinals this afternoon. If I win, finals tomorrow.
Lily:Feeling confident?
Nathan:Of course. Worst case? I win and party with pretty ladies. If I lose, I go fish in the ocean for work. Hahaha.
Lily:Screenshot taken. Sending it to your mom.
Nathan:…
After chatting for a while, Nathan looked up at the live broadcast screen.
Right now, the battle was between Evelyn and Helen.
Even though Helen specialized in Ghost-types and had a type advantage over Evelyn's Gardevoir, things went just as expected—Evelyn's Eevee had already evolved.
And just as Nathan had predicted, it evolved into Glaceon.
When Glaceon appeared, the crowd erupted in cheers.
After all, the news of a new Eeveelution had just been released, but no one had seen what it looked like yet.
This Glaceon clearly had excellent training. Even though it had just evolved, it had already learned several Ice-type moves—likely picked up during evolution. That alone showed its high potential.
After exhausting Helen's main Pokémon with Glaceon, Evelyn finished the match with her Gardevoir, securing the win.
…
After lunch, the afternoon arrived.
Since the organizers had announced the semifinals would begin soon, the audience remained in their seats, eager for the matches to continue.
[Will contestant Nathan Vesper and contestant Willow Blaze please proceed to Arena Two via the player tunnel. Your match is about to begin!]
[Will contestant Nathan Vesper and contestant Willow Blaze please proceed to Arena Two via the player tunnel. Your match is about to begin!]
[Will contestant Nathan Vesper and contestant Willow Blaze please proceed to Arena Two via the player tunnel. Your match is about to begin!]
With the broadcast repeating the call, Nathan stood up and looked at Willow beside him—surprised to see she was his opponent.
Willow was also caught off guard, but quickly became excited. "Haha! I've been wanting to battle you for a while, Nathan. Don't hold back later, alright?"