Just as this information flashed through Nathan's mind, a garishly dressed woman suddenly appeared beside him.
The colored contacts in her eyes shimmered with the same kind of desire that those men had shown earlier!
Don't think just because you're a guy, you're safe.
Most guys might see this as something to enjoy, but Nathan had no time to waste on a woman like this.
Seeing that Jenny was just about to drink the cocktail, Nathan silently got up and walked over to her side.
"You—what are you doing—"
Before Jenny could even react, Nathan poured the cocktail straight onto the bartender.
"You know what I hate the most? Scum like you—too cowardly to act openly, yet daring enough to indulge yourself in places like this!"
Nathan stared coldly at the bartender, his tone icy and emotionless.
If there weren't so many people around, Nathan would've loved to burn this guy to ashes on the spot!
The most despicable people in this world aren't the ones who've already fallen, but the maggots who drag others into the abyss when they're just on the verge of slipping.
They might look insignificant, but they thrive in the filth.
Even if something happened tonight, it's unlikely anyone would truly come down hard on a guy like this.
After all, he had only "accidentally" mixed the wrong cocktail—right?
"You—who the hell are you? Looking to start something?!"
The bartender wiped his eyes with a towel, his tone growing hostile.
Anyone working in this kind of place obviously wasn't a good person.
At the very least, normal people would feel some shred of guilt—no matter how small.
Over time, it'd eat away at them.
"I'm your damn father. Got it?"
Before the bartender could react, Nathan had already pulled out his phone and dialed a number.
"Hello, Sister Lee?"
"Nathan? It's late. What's up?"
"Jenny's at a bar. She almost got into trouble."
"I'm coming!"
Beep… Beep…
The short, blunt conversation filled the bartender with a growing sense of dread, and Jenny stared at Nathan with wide eyes.
"You—you annoying jerk! You know my mom?!"
She pointed at Nathan, looking as if she'd seen a ghost.
She couldn't wrap her head around it—he knew her mom, yet still went so hard on her?!
All six of her Pokémon hadn't won a single match against him—
And that was on the main battlefield, in front of a massive audience!
"Let's not talk about that now. You should start thinking about how to explain this to your mom."
"If I hadn't shown up just now, you'd probably already be in some guy's arms."
Nathan gave her a flat look, his tone just as cold.
Never mind this life—even in his past life, Nathan had always despised people who frequented bars.
Especially women.
Bars had a bad reputation to begin with. You think all those melodramatic plots in web novels are pure fantasy?
Only now did Jenny start to understand. Her eyes narrowed as she glared at the bartender.
But before she could do anything, Nathan dragged the clueless girl outside.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Once outside the bar, Jenny shook off Nathan's hand and glared at him.
Rubbing his forehead, Nathan sighed in exasperation. "Seriously, expecting you to be reasonable is like expecting pigs to fly."
"What do you mean by that?!"
Her expression froze slightly, and her tone softened a bit.
She wasn't completely clueless.
Though she hadn't realized it right away, she understood now.
If Nathan hadn't shown up…
She'd probably be in a shady motel somewhere, maybe even with more than one guy.
The mere thought made Jenny shudder.
If that really happened, she would probably release all her Pokémon to kill the culprits, destroy the evidence, and then… end her own life.
After all, Jenny had an extremely strong sense of pride.
"You've only got one thing to do now: wait for Sister Lee and let her deal with everything."
"Whether it's this bar or you."
Nathan rolled his eyes at her, then started walking toward the hotel.
Since this issue was resolved, he had no intention of wasting more time.
Although Serene was a gym leader based in Lin City, and most of her admirers were locals…
In reality, she also had a very well-known best friend—
Who also happened to be Jenny's teacher.
Without her teacher's guidance, there's no way Jenny could have mastered combination and area techniques at her age.
Let alone raise Pokémon like Magmortar and Arcanine to such astonishing levels!
And that teacher? None other than Cyra Brand, the strongest candidate to become the next Fire-type Elite Guardian member.
She had already fully entered the Elite domain—a true powerhouse!
Though her base was in Holon City and not in the Capital, her influence in the capital was still formidable.
Her connections and abilities were practically unmatched.
If those two women got mad, could a little bar hope to resist?
Absolutely not.
…
"Hey! Are you planning to let me sleep on the street tonight?!"
Just as Nathan was walking away, Jenny shouted from behind.
He paused, turned around, and asked suspiciously, "You didn't book a room? Or… don't tell me you're out of money?"
Jenny's face instantly turned bright red.
Now Nathan understood—she had come to drink not just because of him.
The real reason was that… she was flat broke!
"You don't know how to borrow money? From your teacher, your mom, even your girlfriends—surely someone would've helped?"
Nathan rolled his eyes and couldn't help but complain.
Jenny's face turned even redder. She squirmed awkwardly, a far cry from her usual hotheaded self.
"I… I didn't want to either. But I've borrowed too many times, and after trying all afternoon, no one would lend me anything…"
She mumbled, and her words nearly made Nathan choke.
Wait… there really are people like this in the world?
Not only did she blow through all her money, but she also begged for loans so much that no one would give her a cent?
If she weren't a prodigy with a wealthy family, she'd be the textbook case of "princess syndrome."
"…Forget it. I'll give you a bit of charity. Just as well—I've been meaning to discuss some Fire-type move ideas with you anyway."
Nathan shook his head helplessly.
Though she was annoying, her insights into flame compression and transformation were brilliant—enough to make Nathan's eyes light up.
Especially that move that could turn the entire field into a magma pool.
If she were a real Elite Guardian member, she could probably transform the whole battlefield into searing lava!
No exaggeration—battles between Elites and Champions in the World Tournament were nothing short of divine wars.
That's also why Tina remained so obedient—
Just because Nathan had a Steelix at the Master level!
The higher a Pokémon's level, the more enormous the power gap became.
If Champions and Elites could destroy cities…
Then Master-class Pokémon were disasters beyond human control!
Not just cities—a small nation could easily be wiped out!
And as for Legendary Pokémon… that was a realm beyond human comprehension.
Anyone who got involved with legendaries was never simple.
Perhaps that's also why, aside from internal power struggles, the Pokémon League had no other real agenda.
Even when they lost out on benefits, they'd promptly offer Nathan compensation or battle rewards.
If Mega Evolution ever became public…
Then Mega Stones would be the foundation of Nathan's wealth and power.
Ahem… back on topic.
As the trainer of a Volcarona, Nathan naturally wanted to explore Fire-type moves and combo techniques with Jenny.
Even though he had already become a Champion, Volcarona still hadn't developed a proper combo move.
And it wasn't just Volcarona—Metagross and Pangoro faced the same issue.
But Pangoro had its Second Gear and Navy Six Styles, while Metagross had Mega Evolution.
So, the lack of combo moves wasn't as glaring.
Without those advantages, Nathan would probably be the most awkward competitor in the entire National Tournament:
Clearly a suave top-tier trainer—yet his Pokémon, despite their high levels, had the weakest performance in their tier!
That was something Nathan absolutely couldn't accept.
After bringing Jenny back to the hotel, Nathan took the initiative to pay for a room for her.
However, what Nathan did not expect was that this woman was not afraid of Nathan at all.
(End of Chapter)