Although Nathan was confident, he wasn't arrogant.
Anyone who made it into the World Tournament couldn't possibly be a rookie—
Unless an entire region was made up of rookies, which was obviously impossible.
After spending a week in the mystic realm, Hotfoot successfully reached level 40, but didn't undergo a second evolution.
Upon returning from the mystic realm, Nathan received a call from Kelly.
"Nathan, according to the latest intel I received, this tournament will be held on an island. You need to be prepared."
As soon as Kelly got the information, he immediately contacted Nathan. But Nathan's phone had been off for days.
It wasn't until two or three days later that Nathan finally turned it on.
"An island? Shouldn't the tournament be held in a stadium or something?"
Nathan was puzzled. There had been World Tournaments before, but they were always held in stadiums of participating countries.
Why was this one being held on an island? Were there new rules?
"Isn't it all because of you…"
Kelly replied, sounding exasperated.
"Because of me? What did I do?"
Nathan was even more confused. As far as he knew, he hadn't done anything out of the ordinary.
Why did it have to be because of him?
"Your battle with Fujiwara Taka destroyed the Murakami Arena—who else could it be because of?"
Kelly explained.
Every regional match in the World Tournament was officially recorded.
During the Pacific regional finals, two Champion-level Pokémon clashed—
And destroyed the arena in the process.
After a discussion among the World Tournament officials, they decided to change the venue to an uninhabited island.
That way, even if stronger Pokémon appeared during the World Tournament, it wouldn't affect civilian life.
After all, arenas were always built in cities.
If Pokémon beyond Elite level started fighting, a single city might not survive.
Nathan fell silent.
As expected, being too powerful had its drawbacks.
"Have they chosen the island yet?"
But on second thought, this could be good—he wouldn't have to hold back during the battle.
"Not yet. But the island will definitely be in international waters."
International waters?
Nathan suddenly remembered the Dark Organizations.
If the island were in any nation's territorial waters, these shady groups might not get too bold.
But if it was in international waters, they might just go wild.
Seeing Nathan go quiet, Kelly thought he was worried about security.
After all, trouble had already occurred during the tournament in the island nation.
"Don't worry about safety. The government is assigning a fleet to escort you."
Now that was prestige!
That was the only word Nathan could think of: prestige.
Participating in a tournament with a military fleet for protection? If that's not high profile, what is?
"You'll be living and staying on the fleet during the tournament. When it's time to compete, someone will take you to the island."
An entire fleet turned into a personal nanny team just for one competitor.
Probably no one else in the world got treatment like this—only Nathan.
…
While Nathan was certainly pleased, there were others even more thrilled than he was.
When Nathan received the World Tournament news, Chiyou got the same information.
A tournament in international waters? That was practically a golden opportunity.
Not only could they go after Nathan, they could also target Pokémon from other regions.
"Hah! It's like the World Tournament officials are working for us!"
The leader of Chiyou said gleefully.
Ever since Nathan ruined their plans for the first time, this was the only good news the boss had heard.
Their research division hadn't made any breakthroughs for quite a while.
The reason was simple—most of the Pokémon in Pacific had already been captured by them.
Except for a few ultra-powerful Pokémon, there weren't many left they hadn't grabbed.
To make matters worse, Mewtwo had been rescued by Nathan, which caused one of their most critical projects to be shut down entirely.
So now, the Dark Organization began planning for the upcoming World Tournament.
Meanwhile, Nathan wasn't idle either.
He boarded a flight to Grace City—
This time to revisit the mystic realm near the city.
He hoped to find a Mega Evolution Stone or Z-Crystal that his Pokémon could use.
For Pokémon like Volcarona, whose level had nearly hit a bottleneck,
these were among the few options left to further increase their strength.
Besides, there was also a woman he'd almost forgotten about at the university in Grace City.
As soon as he landed, Nathan felt a sense of unfamiliarity with the city.
Although he hadn't stayed long in Grace City before, its chaotic atmosphere had left a deep impression.
But this time, the chaos was gone.
There were no fights on the back alleys, no cursing—nothing.
Nathan could hardly believe his eyes.
He had been gone for just about a month.
Had Grog really worked this hard to clean the place up?
Walking along the now harmonious streets, Nathan began to believe the city might soon become a top-tier metropolis—
Maybe even gain global fame someday.
When he arrived at the University of Grace City's Pokémon department, Nathan headed straight to his dorm.
Opening the door, he found the room still tidy and clean.
He was a little surprised.
Wasn't Mira the type who didn't even dare go out alone?
How did she survive the past month?
"You're back!?"
Hearing the door open, Mira rushed out of her room. She was clearly surprised to see Nathan.
But being observant, Nathan also noticed something else—
Was that… disappointment in her eyes?
Could it be that she didn't want to see him?
"Yeah. So, how have you been while I was gone?"
Nathan asked curiously.
Hearing his question, Mira's face turned bright red.
And suddenly, Nathan caught a whiff of something—
The sour scent of romance.
Could it be that a guy had been visiting regularly and taking care of Mira in his absence?
Before Mira could answer, a familiar voice came from outside the door.
"Mira, I'm here. Open the door!"
Hearing the voice, Nathan couldn't help but grin.
So it was that guy.
If it had been someone else, he might've been surprised—
But that guy? Totally expected.
"Mi—Boss! You're back!?"
Just like Mira, Grog was shocked to see Nathan.
"Yeah, I probably shouldn't have come back, huh? Did I ruin your good time?"
Nathan smirked as he lightly punched Grog on the chest in a teasing way.
Although Grog wasn't young anymore, rediscovering his youth had made him look a lot younger.
"N-no, not at all. I've been waiting for you to come back, Boss."
Grog, being street-smart, instantly understood the meaning behind Nathan's look.
He couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
Looking down, Nathan saw the food in Grog's hands and stepped aside to let him in.
"Come on in. You've been coming here often, haven't you? No need to be shy just because I showed up."
Nathan said with a grin.
If Mira really ended up with Grog, that would actually solve a big problem for him.
Nathan had never wanted to take care of such a timid girl anyway.
Now he could simply "send her off."
No—marry her off.
And maybe even collect a bride price.
That's a win-win, right?
"You two enjoy your meal. I'll head to the mystic realm. Once I'm done, I'll visit the company."
Seeing how Grog naturally fetched bowls and utensils, Nathan tactfully stepped aside.
If Lily were here, he wouldn't mind eating—he was genuinely a bit hungry.
But with her absent, there was no way he could eat with a couple.
As Grog quickly put the food down and got up to send him off,
Nathan didn't refuse. He had something to say to him anyway.
Once they were downstairs, Nathan finally spoke.
"Mira's a pure-hearted girl. She might be a little timid, but she's pretty."
"Mm-hmm~" Grog nodded seriously.
"I won't ask for a bride price. Just deduct it from your dividends."
"Mm-hmm~" Grog kept nodding.
(End of Chapter)