Chapter 197

Instead of returning to his own room, Nathan went to living room and started making pokeblocks.

"So, this is… a pokeblock?"

Holding a small piece of the pokeblock in her hand, Jenny muttered with a strange expression.

Although this item didn't have much promotional backing yet—or rather, the Mist family hadn't pushed it to the lower ranks—there was no doubt that within the mid-to-high-level trainer circles, it had already become a well-known name.

However, many trainers, wary of being scammed again like in the past by unscrupulous merchants, avoided it. Only the truly confident ones or big-name trainers dared to try it, and many who took a chance ended up becoming loyal supporters.

Even so, the studio's sales had exploded.

"Yes, this is a pokeblock. It allows Pokémon to absorb 100% of the nutrients and energy from food."

Nathan calmly explained while continuing to make more cubes.

In this world, Nathan could be considered the pioneer of this massive industry. But to him, money was a secondary concern.

At least since both he and his Pokémon became well-established, he rarely even used the system shop anymore.

"Is it really as miraculous as the online reviews say?"

Still skeptical, Jenny couldn't help but question it.

On the internet, the pokeblocks were almost being hyped up like magical elixirs.

But since these were made by Nathan himself—plus the ones he previously bought from the system shop—they did come pretty close to being miracle items.

Over time, Nathan hadn't seen a single case where someone's Pokémon had better development than his own.

And they were cheap and effective.

So, he didn't bother explaining further. Instead, he simply handed the freshly made pokeblocks to his Pokémon.

Seeing the condition of these Pokémon, Jenny was momentarily speechless.

Regardless of which one it was, from size to coat condition, they all seemed to be physical proof of the pokeblocks effects.

Just by feeding them, their development was already better than even her teacher's hand-raised Pokémon!

No wonder she couldn't win a single battle against Nathan's Pokémon, even after exhausting them. As long as the level difference wasn't huge, she didn't stand a chance.

After that, Jenny didn't leave.

Nathan didn't seem in a hurry to send her away either. Instead, he changed the topic to combination moves.

This was an area where he'd long been groping in the dark.

With someone like Jenny—who had been trained by a top-tier teacher—Nathan's understanding of combination techniques suddenly improved drastically, as if everything finally clicked.

Though Jenny had a bit of a temper, she was surprisingly professional and knowledgeable!

Even Nathan found his opinion of her changing.

Likewise, Jenny's impression of Nathan shifted as well.

She'd seen geniuses before—even ones stronger than her—but someone like Nathan, with his wild creativity and completely unique approach, was a first.

He wasn't bound by traditional move mechanics, and instead based his ideas on a Pokémon's inherent attributes.

His thought process made her exclaim inwardly: "Now that's a professional!"

Gradually, this girl who seemed to be wrapped in a hedgehog's shell began to see Nathan differently too.

This boy wasn't so annoying after all.

At least when he was serious, he looked… kind of handsome.

They talked late into the night before Jenny finally left, still somewhat reluctant.

Yawning, Nathan crawled into bed, completely unaware that a silver-haired little girl had somehow snuck under the covers.

As for Bella—she claimed she could sleepwalk straight to her master just by smelling his scent.

…

The next morning, just as the sky began to brighten—

Nathan looked at the little one in his arms with helplessness.

A heavy drowsiness still lingered in his mind.

Well, no surprise—he had stayed up quite late last night.

Glancing at his phone, Nathan saw that the nightclub issue had already been resolved by Serene and Jenny's teacher.

Not only that, Jenny herself had been dragged away overnight—apparently shocked to her core.

Serene sent a message of thanks to Nathan, saying there was no need for more words—if he ever needed anything, just ask.

Even Jenny's teacher, a League-recognized Elite, had taken the initiative to add Nathan on WeChat, saying she owed him a favor.

"Sigh… too bad Tina is a Ghost/Water-type Elite…"

"If she weren't, I might not be stuck at such slow progress with my combination techniques."

Grinning as he replied to messages, Nathan muttered to himself with a touch of greed.

Unlike League-certified Elites, uncertified Elites like Tina were more like mercenaries. Though still considered Elites, they generally specialized in only one type.

As someone aiming to master all types, Nathan had few peers.

Even among League Elites, people like him were extremely rare.

But it was understandable. Being a wild trainer and reaching Elite status was already a monumental feat.

If wild Elites could actually surpass those backed by the League, the League might as well disband and let its Elites die of shame.

…

After washing up and having breakfast with little Bella, Nathan didn't head straight to the Skyrend Arena.

According to the bracket, the semifinals would take place in the afternoon.

Unfortunately, Nathan's opponent was Mira Vern.

Though female, intel suggested she was even trickier than Griffin or Seth!

The only silver lining was that Nathan wouldn't have to fight all three of them in a row.

After all, those three were in a whole different league compared to Jenny.

Against Jenny, Nathan could maintain a flawless win record using just his newly crowned Elite-tier Zeraora and Metagross.

But facing those three… without Volcarona, he might not even have a 50% win rate.

Just Mira alone, who looked completely harmless, had already revealed more than three Elite-level Pokémon!

Two of them were around level 56!

Though she was also a seeded player, during the quarterfinals, she used just one of those Pokémon to wipe out half her opponent's team!

It was a massacre—brutal and overwhelming.

Clearly, the gap between the top 8 and the top 4 was like night and day.

Before the match, Nathan wanted to relax a bit.

Even Volcarona needed to be ready!

"Tch—my idol's a lolicon! Going shopping with Bella and not inviting me?!"

As a pink Ferrari suddenly pulled up beside him, Nathan had a sinking feeling.

He wasn't even sure if he'd have full stamina left for his match.

Forget everything else—just the last shopping trip with Lily nearly cost him his legs!

He'd been surviving in the wild since childhood; his physical endurance was above average at worst.

But when it came to shopping with women, all his survival skills were useless.

…

The afternoon arrived.

Though his legs weren't destroyed, they were definitely wobbly by the time Nathan stepped onto the battle stage.

Across from him stood Mira, looking a little shy but clearly ready.

"Purple hair, purple eyes… definitely a Valar native," Nathan noted, examining her closely.

With her tracksuit and demeanor, she had a strong resemblance to Fate/stay night's Medusa.

But rather than the Fifth Holy Grail War version, Misa looked more like a younger, girlier version.

She had the aura of a frightened bunny.

Just Nathan's gaze was enough to make her tremble.

"S-Sir Nathan, could you please not look at me like that…?"

She flinched and pleaded with a face that looked like she might cry any second.

So delicate—she probably would cry if punched once.

"Alright, Zeraora, come out!"

Nathan immediately averted his eyes and threw out his signature Pokémon.

This girl might look harmless, but she was anything but.

He had to go all-out from the start.

"C-come out, Raichu… I'm counting on you…"

Misa also summoned her Pokémon—a Raichu appeared on the battlefield.

Compared to the cheaper Pikachu, Raichu was considered quite powerful among Electric-types.

From what Nathan observed, this Raichu—roughly level 53—seemed like it was built for hand-to-hand combat!

"Oh? A battle of Electric-types? Well, we're not backing down!"

"Zeraora, let's try our new move—Raikiri!"

After sizing up Raichu, Nathan gave a crisp command.

The audience and commentators immediately erupted.

"There it is! Nathan not only leads with his signature Zeraora but also debuts a brand new move! That's the decisive, lightning-fast man we know!"

"No more words—Nathan, forever the GOAT!"

Commentator Kat shouted enthusiastically, her voice brimming with energy.

Meanwhile, veteran casters Lee and Draven weren't even watching Nathan anymore.

After all, how could a teenage boy outshine a cute girl like Mira on stage?

(End of Chapter)