Chapter 159

But why was he able to hear the heartbeat inside the Pokémon egg?

Was it because of the egg's unique nature, or had something changed with his psychic powers or Viridian Power?

Or perhaps it was a combination of both?

No matter what the reason was, Nathan knew he had to investigate it thoroughly.

"Idol? Why are you spacing out? What's all this about a heartbeat...?"

Seeing Nathan staring intently at the Pokémon egg in his hand, Zoe grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"It's just a Pokémon egg, what's the big deal? It's not like we haven't seen one before!"

The eggs laid by her Milotic, after all, had far more beautiful colors!

Sadly, the Pokémon that hatched from them were always just little Feebas.

A truly tragic story.

Before Nathan could answer, the door to the lounge suddenly burst open.

"Zoe! Why did you take Nathan outside? Don't you know how dangerous that was?!"

Evelyn stood at the doorway, panting and bracing herself against the frame, glaring fiercely.

Normally so cool and aloof, seeing her like this with such an expressive face was actually quite charming in a surprising way.

"No need to be like that, Evelyn," Nathan said quietly, placing the egg gently on the table. "If you're worried about the Dark Spirit Organization, they're already here."

To have disguised a Pokémon egg so carefully and placed it so inconspicuously in a street stall...

Only the Dark Spirit Organization would be daring enough to pull off something like this!

"What?! The Dark Spirit Organization? How did they get here so fast?!"

"Aahh, we're doomed! I need to call my dad, like, right now!"

Hearing Nathan's words, Zoe began to panic like a frantic little rabbit, hopping around.

But oddly, it didn't come off as annoying.

In fact, it was kind of cute.

This side of Zoe made it easy to forget her age — and to lower your guard around her.

"Put the phone down. The Dark Spirit Organization isn't targeting me this time."

"Even if they were desperate, they wouldn't dare make a move on me in the sub-division tournament."

"My guess is that this Pokémon egg holds something very special," Nathan said seriously, the rhythmic heartbeat still clear in his ears.

Maybe it was an accidental discovery, or maybe it was the result of some inhumane experiments.

Either way, now that the egg had ended up in Nathan's hands, he couldn't just leave it alone.

Evelyn and Zoe, however, seemed visibly relieved and didn't pay too much attention to the egg anymore.

In their eyes, Pokémon were still more like cute pets than partners or comrades.

Even though Nathan had already shown them the deep bond he shared with his Pokémon, it would probably take something dramatic — like a Pokémon sacrificing itself to protect its trainer — to truly change their views.

It wasn't just their education; it was the influence of the entire societal environment.

That afternoon, it was time for another match.

As soon as Nathan stepped into the battlefield, a thunderous roar erupted from the stands, coming from all directions.

By now, it seemed that Nathan had become a full-fledged superstar of the subdivision tournament!

His opponent's name was Will Mans, and he had three Gym-level Pokémon: Butterfree, Beedrill, and Scyther.

"If I send out Volcarona... would he just cry on the spot?"

Seeing the expected Butterfree appear, Nathan couldn't help but think mischievously.

If he sent Volcarona out, it wouldn't even be bullying —

It would be like a world champion boxer punching a two-year-old child!

One finger would be enough to make them cry for days!

Cough cough "Zeraora, go!"

Suppressing his wicked thoughts, Nathan chose his signature Pokémon.

The moment Zeraora appeared, the crowd's excitement exploded to another level!

Even in the middle of the battlefield, Nathan could clearly hear people shouting his and Zeraora's names over and over.

Maybe once, this kind of attention would have made Nathan happy.

But now, he could remain completely calm.

After all, he understood very well the fickle nature of public opinion.

It was fine to joke around about it, but if you took it too seriously?

Remember: water can carry a boat — but it can also overturn it.

In his previous life, the world felt like an endless ocean with no land in sight.

Survival meant sailing from one wave to the next.

But in this life, it was different.

Pokémon could be more than just a boat —

They could be airplanes!

Come on, once you're flying above it all, why would you even fear a tsunami a few hundred meters tall?

"Zeraora, use Quick Attack!"

Clearing his mind, Nathan gave a calm and decisive order.

Once he entered battle mode, his usual gentle demeanor disappeared, replaced by the aura of a seasoned trainer —

Calm, sharp, and ruthlessly efficient.

Seeing Zeraora rush in to finish the battle quickly, Will felt an overwhelming pressure descend on him!

"Butterfree, put some distance between you and Zeraora! Then counter with Sleep Powder!"

Gritting his teeth, Will barked out his commands sharply.

It was the right strategy.

Unfortunately, he had underestimated Zeraora's speed.

In less than a second, Zeraora appeared right next to Butterfree, like a ghost materializing from thin air!

"Save your energy — Thunder Punch!"

Crossing his arms, Nathan ordered coldly.

Butterfree was not exactly known for its toughness.

Quite the opposite — it perfectly embodied the "fragile" stereotype of Bug-types.

With a single Thunder Punch, Butterfree collapsed to the ground, utterly defeated.

"There it is! Not even six seconds! Six seconds and the match is over! That's Nathan's signature style! The undisputed king of speed!"

—

"Dammit... so this is what a teenage genius feels like? Completely overwhelming..."

Will wanted to fight back, but after glancing at the remaining Poké Balls on his belt, he sighed and surrendered.

Continuing the battle would have been meaningless.

His other Pokémon weren't much stronger than Butterfree.

Against Zeraora, Pangoro, and the soon-to-evolve Metagross...

It would be like staring into a bottomless abyss.

"Eh? He surrendered?"

Scratching the back of his head, Nathan genuinely had no idea just how terrifying his reputation had become.

He could already defeat some Elite-level trainers without much trouble.

If the tournament hadn't limited matches to 1v1, many trainers would probably have ganged up on him out of sheer desperation!

—

Just as he stepped off the battlefield, Zoe and Evelyn hurried over to meet him.

"Nathan, that Pokémon egg you bought for 600 credits — we had it checked," Evelyn said brightly, walking naturally beside him. "There's nothing seriously wrong with it."

"But... it turns out it's a Charmander egg."

At the mention of Charmander, Nathan's expression turned a bit odd.

He had actually been hoping for a Water-type Pokémon.

Among the classic Fire, Water, and Grass starter types, Water was the only one he still lacked.

But life wasn't like a fairy tale — you didn't just magically get exactly what you needed.

"Still, a Charmander isn't bad! And if the Dark Spirit Organization went through all that trouble to sneak it into the tournament zone... this egg must be special!"

Thinking about Charizard's dominance in battles, Nathan quickly let go of his initial disappointment.

There were things in life worth calculating carefully — and things that weren't worth overthinking.

Like how he would never pay for a scam but wouldn't hesitate to spend 600 credits on a beautiful Pokémon egg sculpture.

—

After grabbing dinner outside, Nathan returned directly to the hotel.

The Pokémon egg was carefully brought back with him.

Along with it, he carried fresh Miltank milk, a baby bottle, a miniature Pokémon bed, and other essentials.

"Now then... let's see what's so special about you!"

Staring intently at the egg, Nathan whispered: "Synchronization — unfold!"

Merging his psychic powers and the Viridian Power into a mental bridge, Nathan's consciousness entered the Pokémon egg.

Inside, he found a blurry awareness, a delicate yet fully formed little body, and a rich reservoir of energy — or in other words, excellent potential.

It was indeed a Charmander.

And just like Evelyn had said, there didn't seem to be any problems.

But just as Nathan was preparing to exit after carefully circling the egg three times...

"Char!!"

A dragon's roar suddenly erupted from the tiny heart of the unhatched Charmander!

It wasn't a real sound.

Rather, it was a wave — a pulse that could only be perceived while in a synchronized state!