"You want to know how to become a Champion? Sure, I'll teach you!"
"Mewtwo, use Thunderbolt!"
As one of Nathan's Pokémon, Mewtwo obviously had no shortage of moves.
Especially since Mewtwo was a near-all-type Pokémon.
When Nathan called out Thunderbolt, Joe froze for a second—then came the panic.
The white mist and blizzard earlier weren't direct attacks, but they had unknowingly coated the surroundings with water!
Electric currents surged around Mewtwo's body. With a single hand, Mewtwo pointed toward the Salamence.
A massive bolt of electricity, guided by Mewtwo, shot straight toward it.
Salamence tried to dodge or defend itself, but it was futile.
The damp environment around them had become the perfect conductor for Thunderbolt.
The electricity struck Salamence and spread rapidly along the watery ground.
After the current hit Salamence, even this powerful Pokémon couldn't withstand it—its entire body trembled uncontrollably.
If even Salamence couldn't bear it, there was no way Joe could.
The moment the electricity reached Joe, he immediately lost consciousness.
Thankfully, he was only caught in the aftermath. Had he been the direct target, it wouldn't have just been fainting.
"And this guy dares to call himself a Hunter? What a disgrace to all Hunters."
Nathan walked over to the unconscious Joe and said with clear disdain.
He took the Pokéball from Joe and recalled Salamence, then instructed Mewtwo to carry Joe as they headed toward the exit.
Mewtwo's psychic powers were extremely strong—lifting a person with them was effortless.
Watching the sheer power of Mewtwo's psychic abilities, Nathan couldn't help but wonder how it did it.
After leaving the mystic realm with Mewtwo, Nathan went straight to the military personnel guarding the entrance.
"I caught a Hunter, one working for the Dark Organizations. You guys take him."
As he spoke, Mewtwo levitated the unconscious Joe and dropped him in front of the soldiers.
These soldiers recognized Nathan immediately—and they held him in great respect.
They never expected Nathan, who had only entered the mystic realm casually, to return with a Hunter connected to the Dark Organizations.
"Yes, sir!"
The guarding soldiers saluted him respectfully.
Nathan took his phone from his backpack and turned it on.
Message alerts rang out non-stop.
Mewtwo was recalled back into its Pokéball.
People nearby, having overheard Nathan's words, were shocked.
"So that's the power of a national champion? He casually enters a mystic realm and comes out with a Hunter in tow."
"So jealous. I heard there's a bounty reward if you capture a Hunter and hand them to the police."
…
Nathan had long since gotten used to comments like these.
Fame naturally came with more attention—and with that, more chatter. After a while, he just tuned it out.
He released his Flygon and hopped on its back, replying to messages as they flew.
First, he checked in with his parents. Then he reported capturing Joe to Mayor John.
Next came the money.
His studio had just sent him another profit share.
This time, it was a sizable one—seventy million PokéCoins.
Since he became the National Champion, the sales of Pokeblocks had skyrocketed.
The studio had been swamped with orders—yet the boss himself, Nathan, had been nowhere to be found.
"Seventy million in dividends… I guess I should find a way to promote Pokeblocks at the World Tournament."
Nathan murmured, resting his chin in his hand.
Previously, making thirty million in a month was already excellent.
But becoming Champion had more than doubled sales.
Now, with this seventy million plus his earlier savings, he had over a hundred million PokéCoins.
"Let's see what goodies are in store. I'm a rich man now!"
With money comes confidence.
As he thought, the system shop interface appeared before his eyes:
Golden Lucky Egg – Price: 20,000,000
World Pokéball – Price: 10,000,000,000
Dynamax Candy Recipe – Price: 50,000,000
Seeing the limited-time shop refresh, Nathan's scalp tingled with excitement.
The Golden Lucky Egg, priced at twenty million, wasn't too bad.
When a Pokémon holds it, it gains four times the experience.
Given how slow leveling becomes at higher stages—especially for Volcarona and Mewtwo—this item was incredibly valuable.
Even grinding nonstop, it took two weeks to gain one level.
The World Pokéball, on the other hand, felt like the system was just teasing him.
Even if he could scrape together the ten billion required to buy it, did he really dare try catching a God-class Pokémon?
If he ran into a particularly fiery one, it could probably blow him to bits in one breath.
But the Dynamax Candy Recipe really tempted him.
Pokeblocks were selling well, but his studio still lacked rare and exclusive items like this.
When a Pokémon consumes a Dynamax Candy, its body size increases by 2%.
Each additional candy consumed would yield diminishing returns of 10% effectiveness.
So after 10 candies, a Pokémon's size would increase by 11% overall.
For Pokémon who had hit a growth bottleneck, this was a significant way to improve their power.
"System, I swear you're just trying to empty my wallet."
Nathan complained internally.
Still, despite the pain, he bought the Golden Lucky Egg and the Dynamax Candy Recipe.
His freshly received seventy million, still warm in his account, vanished back into the system—along with his savings.
Saving up had not been easy.
But the thought of adding new products to his studio brought him some comfort.
Returning to school on Flygon, he had just stepped into his dorm when Mira appeared.
Their eyes met. No words were spoken.
"Don't tell me you didn't leave the dorm at all while I was gone?"
Nathan stared her down.
Mira nodded, cheeks flushing.
"You're really… Whatever, I'll take you out for a meal."
As he spoke, Nathan walked toward the fridge. After roughing it in the mystic realm for several days, he was dying for an ice-cold Cola.
But when he opened the fridge, it was completely empty.
So, she really hadn't left the dorm at all.
She'd even eaten everything in the fridge—and would've starved if he hadn't come back.
She had a surprisingly big appetite.
He'd only been gone for three days, and yet the 260-liter, three-door fridge he'd left fully stocked was now wiped clean.
He took Mira out to a random restaurant near campus.
"Boss, bring us one of everything on the menu."
With a human vacuum cleaner like her, there was no point ordering normally—it wouldn't be enough.
Just as they were getting seated, Nathan got a call from Mayor John.
"You've been bounty-listed. Thirty million PokéCoins."
Mayor John's voice came through as soon as Nathan answered.
"Yeah, I know. That Hunter mentioned it, right?"
Mayor John was shocked by how calm Nathan sounded.
Dude, you've been bounty-listed. Can you act at least a little worried?
Sure, Nathan was strong—a National Champion whose power surpassed even some seasoned veterans.
But still, as a target of assassination, shouldn't he be at least a little anxious?
"Here's your order sir."
While worrying about Nathan's safety, Mayor John suddenly heard the waiter's voice on the phone—and was left speechless.
He's really out eating like it's nothing?
"Do you need anything else? If not, I'm hanging up and eating now."
After days of canned food and dry rations in the mystic realm, now that he had real food in front of him, Nathan had no intention of letting it get cold.
"…Fine. You're clearly not worried."
Mayor John didn't know what else to say about Nathan's nonchalance.
"Actually, I called for another reason too. The Chiyou's next target has been identified."
Informing Nathan of the bounty was just one part—this was the real reason he called.
Because of the chaos caused by this Dark Organization, the authorities had officially started taking the matter seriously.
(End of Chapter)