Carrying his Pokéballs, Nathan headed out of the school gates.
Even though he wasn't in a secret realm right now—where wild Pokémon were abundant and good for grinding experience—this was still Grace City.
And if there's one thing Grace City had in abundance, it was opponents.
After leaving the school, Nathan quickly found a street battle spot.
At that moment, two people were already battling there. Each held a stack of Pokécoins, and their faces were red with excitement.
It was clearly a gambling match.
Nathan watched the battle with interest.
He waited until the match ended before slowly walking up to the winner.
Standing before him, Nathan asked, "Want to keep betting?"
The man was still counting his money. When he looked up and saw it was the national champion Nathan, his face froze.
"No, no, thanks."
He knew his own limits. Against someone like Nathan, he wouldn't stand a chance.
Nathan shrugged and looked around at the crowd. He raised his voice, "Anyone want to battle me for a wager?"
"Isn't that the national champion, Nathan?"
"I was planning to win a meal out of this, but now that Nathan's here, it's pickled veggies and steamed buns for dinner."
…
In a nearby corner, a man who had been quietly observing the situation saw that no one dared to fight Nathan. He pulled out his phone and sent a message:
603
Then he stepped forward.
"I'll battle you."
The voice came from a man who looked to be in his twenties. He was a bit unkempt, but Nathan didn't mind. At least someone was willing to battle.
After all, he came here to grind experience.
"Ten thousand coins per match. Send out your Pokémon," Nathan said.
The man tossed a Poké Ball, releasing a level 34 Gurdurr.
Seeing that the opponent only used a level 34 Pokémon, Nathan sent out his newly evolved Grovyle.
"Gurdurr, Bulk Up, then use Hammer Arm!"
Right after Grovyle appeared, the opponent went straight on the offensive.
Gurdurr flexed its muscles, boosting its strength, then launched an attack.
Grovyle quickly dodged. The Hammer Arm slammed into the ground, leaving a fist-shaped dent in the reinforced pavement.
That opening attack had a bit of ambush in it—not quite sportsmanlike, but this was a street battle, not a formal match.
After dodging, Nathan showed no mercy in return.
"Grovyle, use Razor Leaf, then follow up with Low Sweep!"
A flurry of fast, nearly invisible blades of energy shot toward Gurdurr, with Grovyle dashing in right behind them.
It closed in rapidly, placing one hand on the ground and sweeping with a powerful kick aimed at the back of Gurdurr's knee.
Gurdurr was too slow to react. Grovyle's speed outclassed it significantly.
Before it could counter, Grovyle's leg struck its joint, knocking it off balance.
"Grovyle, follow up with Pursuit and X-Scissor—don't give it any chance!"
Because of the earlier sneak attack, Nathan didn't intend to let the opponent recover.
Grovyle dashed again, pressing the offensive.
"Gurdurr, Rock Tomb—on yourself!"
Facing the relentless assault, the man issued a surprising command.
Rocks rose up, forming a barrier that encased Gurdurr completely.
Grovyle's attacks shattered a few of the rocks, but didn't reach Gurdurr inside.
"Not bad. This really is Grace City—everyone here's got battle sense," Nathan thought to himself.
Rock Tomb was rarely used to protect one's own Pokémon. It was typically a control move used on enemies. But this guy had his own strategy.
"Gurdurr, Dig!"
From inside the stone dome, the sound of digging echoed out.
Grovyle stood alert, scanning its surroundings, ready to respond.
While all of Nathan's attention was on the battle, a crowd silently gathered around him.
These people weren't spectators—they were watching him closely.
They even pushed aside some actual onlookers. The displaced crowd wanted to complain, but the newcomers' cold expressions and silent presence quickly shut them up.
Despite being battle-hardened, Grace City residents still didn't enjoy getting beat up.
Suddenly, Gurdurr burst out of the ground—right behind Grovyle.
Nathan, hyper-focused, instantly gave his order:
"Grovyle, use Acrobatics!"
Without hesitation, Grovyle sprang into the air. Its leg tensed and it twisted mid-air, kicking backward with full force.
The sudden attack landed squarely on Gurdurr's head just as it emerged.
The towering Gurdurr collapsed from the direct blow—instantly losing its ability to battle.
"Sorry, I win. Pay up," Nathan said with a casual smile.
As the system notified him of the experience gain, Nathan knew the battle was his.
"You're strong, Champion Nathan," the man said, smiling as well. "But let's not talk about the money just yet—how about a rematch?"
"Oh? You want another round? Then you'd better prepare twenty thousand coins."
Nathan was more than happy to oblige.
"Forget twenty thousand—I'd even bet two million. But you better hope you live to collect it! Do it!"
The man's killing intent erupted.
All around Nathan, Poké Balls were thrown into the air—more than a dozen Pokémon appeared at once.
Only then did Nathan realize the original crowd had vanished, replaced by people all wearing matching outfits.
And the Pokémon they summoned were all Elite-level!
The once peaceful street turned chaotic with the presence of so many powerful Pokémon.
Some people far off saw the commotion and gasped in shock.
Sensing danger, Volcarona burst from its Poké Ball, surrounding Nathan in blazing flames for protection.
"Who are you people?" Nathan asked, frowning.
"Who are we? We're the ones here to kill you!"
As the man spoke, he released his own elite-level Pokémon.
Now nearly twenty elite-tier Pokémon were on the street, and the police had already been called.
But it was too late.
The enemies had made their move.
And Nathan's only hope of survival—
Was his own Pokémon.
The narrow street was now packed with Pokémon.
Surrounded on all sides, Nathan had sent out all his Pokémon.
Pangoro, Metagross, Zeroara, and the others circled around him defensively.
But facing nearly twenty Elite-level Pokémon, they were outnumbered.
"You Chiyou bastards have really pissed me off!"
Nathan glared at the attackers with rage.
Again and again, they'd caused destruction, kidnapped Pokémon for experiments, and now this ambush.
Nathan wasn't a god—he was human, and he had a temper.
"Volcarona, use Heat Wave with Hurricane!"
"Zeraora, use Chidori!"
…
Fueled by anger, Nathan shouted command after command.
Except for Pangoro, the rest of his Pokémon launched their attacks.
But the Dark Organization wasn't unprepared.
They had Nathan's battle data and knew which Pokémon he used.
"Don't panic! Use Blizzard to block the Heat Wave!"
"I've got Zeraora tied down!"
"Metagross is being held too!"
One by one, Nathan's Pokémon were intercepted. Fewer and fewer remained to defend him.
Meanwhile, the enemies still had five or six attackers left waiting to strike…
(End of Chapter)