Chapter 95 – To the Wandering Mountains

"You're really lucky," Serene said in amazement.

Although she didn't say it outright, she could already guess that the Pokémon in question must have been a wild one—and any Pokémon that could be called "old" was likely several centuries old.

After all, most Pokémon could live for hundreds of years, or even longer.

A Pokémon that's only a dozen or so years old certainly couldn't be called "old."

A wild Pokémon that had lived for centuries would undoubtedly be incredibly powerful.

And yet, not only had Nathan encountered such a Pokémon without danger, he had even managed to learn the ability to multitask from it. Serene couldn't help but be impressed.

Some people's luck was just enviable.

If she had that kind of luck back in the day, maybe she could've competed for the title of one of the nation's Elite Guardian.

"This is your badge. You're very strong. I hope to see even more spectacular performances from you at the National Tournament," Serene said as she took out a badge and handed it to Nathan.

It was a beautiful pink badge, shaped like a flower with a Gardevoir symbol in the center—something with definite collector's value.

As he accepted the badge, Nathan couldn't help but smile.

This was his sixth badge. He was now just two away from qualifying for the National Tournament.

"Oh, right!" Serene lightly slapped her forehead. Despite being a mature and elegant woman, she suddenly showed a playful side and smiled. "If you do compete in the National Tournament, you might run into my daughter. Be careful—she's very strong too."

"Daughter?"

Nathan looked surprised.

He really didn't know Serene had a daughter.

Then again, it made sense. Most Gym Leaders kept personal information about their families private to ensure their safety.

After all, Gym Leaders often had to fight against evil organizations, and that inevitably invited trouble.

"I see. But if it comes to that, I won't hold back," Nathan said with a smile.

"Good. That's the spirit."

Serene chuckled and said, "I'll be watching your matches. Among this year's new trainers, you shine the brightest. I have a feeling you might become the next champion-level trainer in our country. Don't let me down."

She had high hopes for this junior.

Veteran trainers like her rarely bore ill will toward the younger generation. On the contrary, they often encouraged them.

The stronger the younger generation was, the happier they were.

Because the more powerful trainers a country had, the more resources it could secure, and the better it could grow and thrive.

There was no downside.

"Yeah, I'll do my best." Nathan nodded and then left the gym.

Standing at the entrance, Nathan shook his head slightly and walked toward a waiting taxi, mumbling to himself, "That Gym Leader… she's really something."

Of course, that was just a passing thought—Nathan didn't actually have any deeper intentions.

After all, he was a man. Faced with a sexy, mature beauty, a bit of appreciation was only natural—anything less, and he wouldn't be a man.

"Got the badge. Now, time to prepare for the next exploration mission."

He murmured to himself, got in the taxi, and returned to his hotel.

Once back, he released all his Pokémon.

Lying on the bed, Nathan played on his phone with one hand while stroking his chin thoughtfully.

He planned to catch a Grass-type Pokémon once he arrived in Spring City.

For that, he had basically narrowed it down to either a Snivy or a Bulbasaur.

As for Electric-types, what he truly wanted was the Mythical Pokémon Zeraora. Unfortunately, a Pokémon like that might not appear even once in a lifetime—let alone be caught.

So, Nathan was considering either Electivire, Magnezone, or Ampharos.

A choice of three.

All were Pokémon he liked and felt were worth training.

He wasn't in a rush to catch Pokémon of other types just yet.

After all, raising a Pokémon took time, and Nathan preferred to fully train the ones he already had before capturing new ones. He wasn't the type to catch them all at once.

"Oh right, after I come back from Spring City, I should go see that Gengar."

He slapped his forehead and spoke up suddenly.

That Gengar was definitely a champion-level Pokémon.

And in order for it to join him, he'd have to defeat it first.

But now, he had a peak-tier Master-level Steelix.

And it was a Gigantamax Steelix, capable of fighting any being above the master level opponents.

Dealing with Gengar shouldn't be a problem anymore.

Besides, within the secret realm where Gengar lived, there was another Pokémon Nathan absolutely had to catch.

"A pseudo-legendary…"

His eyes gleamed with anticipation.

That Pokémon—he was determined to have it.

Even if it was just its offspring, it didn't matter.

…

"Volcarona, completely merge Hurricane and Fire Spin—create a Firestorm Tornado!"

"Once it's formed, start condensing a second one!"

"Mimikyu, use your multitasking ability to perform two Shadow Sneaks simultaneously!"

"Pangoro, keep compressing the Energy Ball!"

"Flygon, try generating a Sandstorm at a faster speed!"

"Metagross..."

Inside the training room of the hotel suite, Nathan had assigned training drills to each of his Pokémon, who were spread out in different areas, practicing their respective moves.

It was already the second day.

Nathan hadn't rushed to depart for the Wandering Mountains. Instead, he wanted to finalize his route first—and this planning period gave his Pokémon some valuable training time.

"From Emerald City to the Wandering Mountains, you have to first cross the Eastern Ridge, then there's a large lake. Past that lake lies the outskirts of the Wandering Mountains."

Sitting in front of his laptop, Nathan stroked his chin as he examined the dangers of the areas along the way and mapped out a relatively safe route.

This trip to the Wandering Mountains wasn't just about identifying the kinds of wild Pokémon living there.

The main goal was to see if there were any Pokémon stronger than Elite level.

If there were, the authorities might send their own top trainers to make contact.

Through the Exploration app, Nathan had learned that because of the experimental Spring City, the authorities recently sent people to contact a lot of wild grass-type Elite-level pokemon.

They were trying to convince those Pokémon to migrate to Spring City.

The details were unclear, and Nathan didn't know if they'd succeeded.

But from this, it wasn't hard to infer the government's overall plan.

They wanted to use Spring City as a point of contact with powerful wild Pokémon. Even if they couldn't catch them, their offspring alone would be incredibly valuable for training. And by forging good relationships, in times of crisis, these Pokémon might lend their aid.

Like having secret trump cards.

Of course, success would be difficult.

After all, wild Pokémon tended to be wary and hostile toward humans.

Not the easiest to communicate with.

Still, that wasn't Nathan's concern. After finalizing the route, he noticed it was already noon.

He had lunch and fed his Pokémon.

Then he packed up and made his way to the hotel's rooftop.

There, he released Flygon.

"Flyy~"

Flygon affectionately nuzzled against Nathan.

Stroking Flygon's smooth neck, Nathan climbed onto its back and said gently, "Flygon, let's go. Head in the two o'clock direction and fly straight ahead."

"Flyy~"

Flygon nodded, flapped its wings, and quickly soared into the sky, turning into a streak of light heading into the distance.

From the air, Nathan could see everything clearly below.

He spotted several large wild Pokémon, and when crossing over the mountains, he even saw Onix bursting from the ground and other giant Pokémon locked in battle.

After flying past the lake, he saw Pokémon drinking by the water's edge.

Flying-types. Grass-types. Pokémon of many different kinds were gathered there.

"Flygon, slow down—I want to take a photo," Nathan said.

Flygon immediately reduced its speed.

Nathan pulled out his phone, adjusted the angle, and snapped a beautiful shot of the peaceful scene of Pokémon drinking under the sunlight.

A nice memento of his exploration journey.

One day, when he was older, maybe he could look back on it with fond memories.

"Hmm. That's really pretty. I might have a talent for photography," he murmured. "With all the fans I've got, maybe I could even get someone to come do photo shoots with me someday… Just for the photos, of course."

Chuckling to himself, Nathan smiled and said, "Flygon, let's move on."

"Flyy~"

Flygon nodded and picked up speed again.

The sky gradually darkened.

By around six or seven in the evening, it was nearly pitch black—and Nathan had arrived at the Wandering Mountains.

"Flyy~"

Flygon flapped its wings and descended to the outer edge of the mountains.

As Nathan dismounted, Flygon immediately went on alert, carefully scanning their surroundings.

 (End of Chapter)