"Of course."
Nathan agreed without hesitation.
He had been in need of this map.
Although he could still reach the Silverpeak Mountains without it, it would be more troublesome and time-consuming.
With a map, he could reach the mountains more safely and efficiently, so he was naturally willing.
After a moment's thought, considering the other party had put up a wager, Nathan spoke again. "Alright then. Since you've put up a wager, I'll wager 10,000 Pokécoins."
"That's fine. Honestly, the wager doesn't matter to me. I just want the chance to battle with the champion of the Trial Tournament," John said with a casual wave.
As he spoke, he led Nathan to a nearby battlefield.
By now, quite a few spectators had taken their seats, ready to watch the match.
Nathan even spotted the same group of girls from earlier, seemingly cheering him on.
"One-on-one battle. This is the Pokémon I'll be using. Go, Flareon!" John tossed out a Pokéball, and with a flash of light—
A small, orange-red Pokémon with features resembling a brown scarf and tail appeared before Nathan.
Flareon's appearance wasn't surprising, as Eevee and its evolutions were known to be common around this ancient city.
Nathan pulled out a Pokéball and said softly, "Pangoro, come on out."
This Flareon was no pushover—it had reached the advanced level.
Sending out Trapinch would be too much of a mismatch; it couldn't handle the fight.
Using Volcarona would be overkill; the opponent would be crushed.
So Pangoro was the most suitable choice.
"Flareon, let's go on the offensive first—use Ember!" John said excitedly.
Flareon let out a cry, took a deep breath—a sign of its attack coming—and then unleashed a sudden burst of flame.
"Evade and close the distance," Nathan said calmly. "Look for an opening and use Feint Attack."
Upon hearing the command, Pangoro leapt aside, dodging the flames.
It then burst forward with Shave, rapidly closing in on Flareon.
"Use Swift!" John quickly responded. "Then follow up with Quick Attack and Fire Fang combo!"
Flareon let out another cry, launching a flurry of glowing stars that struck Pangoro, but they didn't seem to do much damage.
Then, like a bolt of lightning, Flareon dashed toward Pangoro, flames flaring in its mouth, ready to strike.
"Get ready to use Vital Throw. Break its Fire Fang." Nathan remained composed.
Pangoro tensed up.
Bang!
Flareon's Quick Attack collided with Pangoro's body—it felt like it had rammed into solid steel. Even so, Flareon swiftly moved in to bite with Fire Fang.
But Pangoro was faster.
As soon as Flareon's Quick Attack ended, Pangoro grabbed it and hurled it over its shoulder. The immense force left Flareon dazed and seeing stars.
"End the battle—Hammer Arm," Nathan ordered.
"Roar!!"
Pangoro let out a mighty roar and struck just as Flareon was getting up.
The Hammer Arm slammed into Flareon, sending it flying.
The overwhelming power caused Flareon to collapse, unable to battle.
"So strong!"
"No wonder he's the champion of the Trial Tournament—this Pangoro defeated tons of opponents during the competition!"
"Nathan is amazing! Let's go, Nathan!!"
The crowd buzzed with excitement.
John looked stunned, clearly not expecting to lose so quickly.
However, he quickly came to his senses, recalled Flareon, and said with a bitter smile, "You really are strong. Here's the map."
Despite the loss, he showed no sign of anger—he simply handed over the map without complaint.
"Thanks, I really needed this," Nathan thanked him and took the map.
"You earned it. Mind if we add each other as friends?" John asked, pulling out his phone. "I'd love to challenge you again someday."
"No problem." Nathan agreed without hesitation.
…..
The next day.
Nathan left the ancient city early in the morning and headed for the Silverpeak Mountains.
With a backpack on his shoulders, Trapinch followed loyally at his side.
Leaving the city, Nathan immediately followed the route marked on the map.
After receiving the map yesterday, he'd spent more time in the street battle zone fighting some trainers.
Most of them were beginners, but it had been a great opportunity for Trapinch to grow.
[Name: Trapinch]
[Ability: Hyper Cutter (Attack can't be lowered)]
[Type: Ground]
[Description: The Ant Pit Pokémon. It digs funnel-shaped nests in deserts. Its powerful jaws can crush hard rocks. The nests it builds resemble mortars—once prey falls in, there's no escape.]
[Level: 15 (Growth Stage: 11–20)]
[Moves: Sand Attack, Scary Face, Hone Claws, Bite, Mud-Slap]
The battles yesterday had helped Trapinch reach level 15.
If Nathan encountered suitable wild Pokémon along the way, Trapinch might even reach the advanced level by the time they returned to the city.
Nathan glanced at Trapinch and asked, "How are you holding up?"
Trapinch gave a firm nod in response.
"Good."
On Trapinch's leg, a close look revealed a small training accessory—a Power Anklet.
Nathan had purchased it from the system store.
It reduced speed but increased the Pokémon's speed growth rate over time.
The set came with two pairs—one for Pangoro and one for Trapinch, switched out every three days.
In addition, with every step, Trapinch instinctively kicked up sand or flung dirt—a form of training Nathan had set up to help it master Dig.
However, because of this training, Trapinch kept tripping, shaking its head, then getting back up and continuing forward—only to trip again... and again...
"It'll take two days to reach the Silverpeak Mountains on foot. There and back will probably take about a week," Nathan muttered with a frown, then put away the map and sighed.
Luckily, a week wasn't too bad—still within an acceptable range.
He just didn't know what kind of Pokémon he'd encounter.
Time passed quickly.
Two days later—
At the foot of the Silverpeak Mountains, Nathan had finally arrived and was in the middle of commanding Pangoro in battle.
Their opponent: a wild Houndoom, an Advanced-level Pokémon on the verge of reaching commander-level.
In fact, most wild Pokémon Nathan had encountered these past few days were of this level.
Roar!
Houndoom opened its mouth wide and let out a deafening cry, spewing flames toward Pangoro.
Its flames were especially dangerous—deadly, even.
They could carry toxins capable of causing unrelenting pain when burned.
Avoiding them was a must.
"Pangoro, dodge, then use Shave to close in and finish it with Hammer Arm," Nathan calmly instructed.
"Raaagh!!"
Pangoro roared, its figure vanishing as it charged forward.
With speed and power far beyond Houndoom's reaction time, Pangoro appeared in front of it and landed a crushing Hammer Arm.
Houndoom was blasted away and collapsed, knocked out.
[Your Pokémon 'Pangoro' has won the battle. Gained 98 EXP. Level increased to 41!]
[Name: Pangoro]
[Abilities: Iron Fist (boosts punching moves); Sap Sipper (boosts Attack and nullifies Grass 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: 41 (Gym Stage: 41–50)]
[Moves: Shave, Iron Body, Thunder Punch, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Crunch, Hammer Arm, ...]
Pangoro had gained two levels over the past few days and finally reached the Gym stage.
"Nice job, Pangoro!" Nathan praised with no hesitation.
Pangoro scratched its head and gave a sheepish grin.
Nathan chuckled, recalled it into its Pokéball, then bandaged the unconscious Houndoom.
By the time it started to wake up, Nathan had already left—knowing how aggressive wild Houndoom could be.
He then pulled out the system reward map and unfolded it.
Now that he was already in the Silverpeak Mountains, the previous map was no longer necessary.
He carefully studied the route and, after confirming the direction, took a deep breath. "Still a bit further. Seems like the destination is deep inside... I hope I don't run into anything dangerous."
Muttering to himself, Nathan pressed on without pause.
The Silverpeak Mountains were densely forested.
With the rise of the Pokémon era, many natural environments had reverted to their primeval states.
Here, it felt like a prehistoric wilderness.
The trees soared into the skies.
The grass reached as high as a grown man.
Danger could lurk anywhere.
Even with Volcarona, Nathan had to remain vigilant.
He traveled cautiously—resting when tired, then continuing onward.
He released Pangoro again to guard him, just in case of surprise attacks.
Unknowingly, as dusk began to settle, Nathan had reached the mountain depths.
"We should be close."
He murmured and pulled out the map once more.
But just then—
Voices suddenly echoed from nearby.
Through the dim twilight, he could faintly make out several shadowy figures.
Nathan quickly put away the map and looked up—his eyes widening.
"That's... a Beldum?"
Nathan's tone was filled with shock, his eyes brimming with awe.