Chapter 227

The offer was certainly tempting, but Nathan still had many things to take care of.

The World Tournament hadn't started yet, and there were still many places he wanted to go. Compared to that, the offer to stay stationed in a single location just didn't seem as important.

John was a bit disappointed by Nathan's refusal.

Back when the proposal for this generous offer was first brought up in the city bureau meeting, everyone was strongly against it.

Such a lucrative package—all funded by Grace City itself—seemed excessive.

They believed that if the city had so much money and resources, wouldn't it be better spent developing the military?

Why should it all be given to just one person?

"Sigh… well, if that's the case, I can only respect your decision,"

John said with clear disappointment in his voice.

"Still, Mayor, rest assured—after I participate in the World Tournament, if I ever decide to settle down somewhere, Grace City will be my first choice."

Although he had refused for now, Nathan didn't completely shut the door on the idea.

After all, who could say what the future might hold?

Upon hearing this, John, whose hopes had just hit rock bottom, now felt conflicted again.

But would Nathan really come back after the World Tournament?

If he placed well in the tournament, there would be no shortage of people offering him even better conditions.

"Well then, let's hope you achieve a great ranking in the World Tournament,"

John said in the end.

When Nathan left the mayor's office, he had a new document in hand.

It was about the mystic realm the Mayor had mentioned—

the one where he could potentially find a mega evolution stone.

This mystic realm was classified as A-rank, and its guardian Pokémon was a Champion-level Gyarados.

In addition to the information, John also told Nathan that he wouldn't need to pay any PokéCoins to enter the realm.

Generous, to say the least.

Normally, entering that realm would cost 500,000 PokéCoins,

but John had promised Nathan free access—for life.

Though it wasn't much in the grand scheme, it still made Nathan quite happy.

In contrast, the Dark Organization, Chiyou wasn't nearly as cheerful.

Following the recent Pokémon riot, they had come under unprecedented pursuit.

But it was as if they had anticipated this and had already gone into hiding.

The police had managed to catch a few members,

but they were all peripheral figures—low-level grunts with little to no useful intel.

Still, the organization was furious—because their plan had completely failed to deliver the expected results.

Their original intent was to use the riot to at least destroy half of Grace City.

But now?

Thanks to Nathan's intervention, the city had barely been affected at all.

"Nathan! Nathan again! Why is it always him getting involved!?"

an enraged voice shouted in a large, empty room.

"We didn't expect him to be studying at Grace City University. That was our miscalculation."

A man on his knees tried to explain, though his trembling hands made his fear evident.

Facing that man's fury, he was terrified—afraid of being used as a human test subject himself.

"I don't want to hear excuses. You have one week.

Bring me Nathan—dead or alive."

After that cold declaration, the room fell silent.

The man on the ground slowly stood up and left the room, preparing to carry out the mission.

At that moment, Nathan—unaware he'd just been placed at the top of an assassination list—was busy preparing to enter the mystic realm.

Even if he knew, though, he probably wouldn't care—

after all, he had Mewtwo.

Though Mewtwo hadn't yet regained its full strength, it was still far beyond what most could handle.

…

After finishing his preparations at school, Nathan packed his things and set out for the mystic realm.

This A-Grade realm was located on an island near the sea. (Duh)

"Flygon, head toward the 3 o'clock direction!"

In less than half an hour, Nathan arrived at the island.

Originally, it was an uninhabited island,

but ever since the appearance of the mystic realm, it had become populated.

Various temporary structures had sprung up all over the place.

Despite the realm's A-grade classification, many people were still eager to enter.

Unlike Nathan, though, most of these people were carrying large backpacks loaded with supplies.

The 500,000 Pokécoins entry fee had really stretched their wallets,

so most of them planned to stay inside for at least a month.

In contrast, Nathan looked out of place, standing in the long line with just a small backpack.

After nearly ten minutes of waiting, it was finally his turn.

When the soldiers guarding the entrance saw Nathan,

they respectfully saluted him and waved him through without charging him a coin.

This caught the attention of the people behind him.

They couldn't help but wonder—he hadn't paid?

Every mystic realm was under local government control, and the entry fees went to those governments.

Was this blatant favoritism? Some kind of inside connection?

Someone even took a video of Nathan entering the mystic realm without paying.

"Officer, why didn't he pay?"

a man who had witnessed the scene asked out of curiosity.

He had spent a long time saving up just to afford the entrance fee,

hoping to earn something valuable inside.

But seeing someone else just stroll in without paying made him feel seriously bitter.

One of the soldiers glanced at him and replied,

"If you managed to achieve the greatest merit during a Pokémon riot,

you could enter for free too."

"…"

One moment the man had been grumbling in frustration.

The next, he was silently handing over his fee.

Everyone knew about the riot.

Tens of thousands of frenzied Pokémon had overrun Grace City—

not something just anyone would dare face.

Sure, Grace City had a bit of a rowdy reputation, with fights breaking out daily.

But fighting people wouldn't cost you your life.

Facing tens of thousands of rampaging Pokémon?

One misstep, and you'd be dead.

As for the person who had filmed the scene,

he had initially planned to post it online that night and rant about the "unfairness."

But after hearing the soldier's explanation, he changed his mind.

Before entering the realm, he uploaded the video—

with a simple and blunt title:

"Want Free Entry into a Mystic realm? Just Do This…"

Once the video was online, it drew widespread admiration and envy.

People were jealous that Nathan could enter for free,

but also deeply respectful of what he had done during the riot.

Of course, not everyone online was good-hearted.

Some were members of Chiyou.

As soon as they learned that Nathan had entered the mystic realm,

they immediately began planning an ambush outside it.

Previously, Nathan had merely been a "high-interest individual" in their eyes—

powerful, innovative with self-created moves, but not worth direct action.

Now, though, he was public enemy number one.

No matter what, killing Nathan had become their top priority.

And the Dark Organization wasn't planning to rely solely on their own people.

Hunters were also an excellent option.

They released word into the underground world:

30 million PokéCoins for Nathan's head.

This information was shared only with hunters—no one else.

When they heard that killing a national champion would earn them 30 million PokéCoins,

hunters everywhere were stunned—and thrilled.

"Thirty million, huh? Tch… I was just thinking about retiring.

Guess I've got one last job,"

said Joe, smirking as he looked at his phone.

Joe Gold was a seasoned hunter, already tired of the life.

He'd been planning to retire after one final big payday.

And now, that payday had arrived.

Thin and unremarkable in appearance,

Joe blended into any crowd effortlessly.

But among hunters, he was infamous.

Everyone knew the name Gold-Eating Dragon Joe.

The nickname didn't refer to his Pokémon—it referred to him.

There was once a mission where Joe had been hired to capture a Pokémon.

He caught it—but kept it for himself, still collecting the full fee.

The employer ended up dead.

And that kind of incident had happened more times than anyone could count.

If a client lacked strength, Joe would kill them,

take their money and their Pokémon.

He'd do anything, as long as it paid.

The "gold-eating" nickname came from this—once money entered his hands, it never came back out.

After landing at the airport, Joe hailed a cab and checked into a hotel.

Once he dropped off his luggage, he immediately headed toward the mystic realm.

He had already found some intel about the A-Grade realm while still on the plane.

Now, he couldn't wait to claim his 30 million PokéCoin prize.

By the time he arrived at the island, Nathan had already been inside the realm for nearly two days.

But as Joe waited in line, he noticed something—

there were quite a few fellow hunters around.

Clearly, he wasn't the only one gunning for that prize.

"Holy crap—is that Joe!?"

One hunter, currently in line, caught sight of him and was stunned.

He had heard plenty of stories about Joe.

Originally, he and a few fellow hunters had planned to ambush Nathan.

But now, seeing Joe… he was ready to give up.

"Maybe… we should back out?"

(End of Chapter)