Lily sighed and said,
"You're at the entrance of my school!?"
Nathan exclaimed in surprise, quickly pocketing his phone and running out.
Come on, his girlfriend had come all this way—how could he not rush out to greet her?
In his hurry, Nathan completely forgot that Volcarona and Mewtwo were still sparring inside the training room.
The moment he stepped out, the building's shaking intensified noticeably—though Nathan was too focused to notice.
What was normally a five- or six-minute walk, Nathan covered in just two.
When he saw that familiar, beautiful figure standing at the school gate, a natural smile appeared on his face.
"You came?"
Nathan asked in surprise and delight.
"Did you just come back from a mystic realm?"
Lily looked at the scruffy-looking Nathan and guessed.
Under normal circumstances, Nathan would never let himself look this disheveled—he had clearly just spent some time in a mystic realm.
"Yeah, I just wanted to check my Pokémon's strength, so I came to the training room right away after returning."
Nathan scratched his head awkwardly.
Just then—
A loud explosion suddenly rang out, deafeningly loud and audible from miles around.
Nathan also felt the shockwave rumble up through his feet.
And then, he suddenly remembered… Mewtwo and Volcarona!
He turned his stiff body around—slowly.
And when he saw the massive mushroom cloud rising from within the school grounds, his mind went blank.
He didn't need to guess—he knew it had to be those two.
Still, he silently prayed: Please let no one be hurt.
Before he could react further, flames shot into the sky, painting the heavens red.
"That… wasn't caused by your Volcarona, was it?"
Lily asked, covering her gaping mouth.
"What do you think?"
Nathan replied bitterly, then took off running back toward the training room at an even faster pace.
It's over—it's all over.
He had just received that 15 billion reward, and now he might have to use it to rebuild a training room.
And if anyone had gotten hurt, he might have to pay out even more compensation.
Those two damned Pokémon… didn't I tell them to go easy?
When Nathan arrived, the training room was already surrounded by a crowd.
People had already called the fire department and the police.
The staff member who had been trying to find him finally spotted Nathan and rushed over.
"Quick, call back your Pokémon! If you don't, the whole school's going down!"
Nathan nodded, then walked toward the now flame-engulfed training room.
"Volcarona! Mewtwo! Stop!"
Nathan shouted at the top of his lungs.
When the crowd heard the name "Volcarona," they instantly knew who the culprit was.
So it was the champion of the Pacific region—Nathan's Pokémon that caused this!
Deserving of a seeded spot in the international tournament!
…
Pokémon have intelligence too.
So, when Mewtwo and Volcarona saw that Nathan had left, they decided to really let loose.
The longer they fought, the more intense their emotions became—and the harder they hit.
They were completely caught up in the moment.
Even though both Pokémon were extremely powerful and could hold back enough to avoid fatally injuring one another…
The training room, unfortunately, didn't have the same durability.
As the damage and shockwaves increased, the staff realized that despite warning Nathan, the battle was still raging.
They decided to intervene directly.
After ringing the doorbell for a long time with no response, a staff member used a backup keycard to open the private training room.
What they saw inside was no longer a training room.
It was a sea of flames.
The walls were pockmarked with craters and cracks.
And keep in mind—these were reinforced walls.
If they had been standard construction, the room would have collapsed already.
The worst part? Nathan was nowhere in sight.
The staff member shouted for the Pokémon to stop several times, but Mewtwo and Volcarona were so caught up in their battle that they completely ignored him.
If it had been Nathan calling, maybe they would've listened.
But a stranger? Not a chance.
With no other option, the staff began evacuating the entire training complex.
If the battle kept up, the place wouldn't last.
At the same time, the fire department and police were called.
And then came that massive explosion.
The president of Grace City University had been in his office working on a lesson plan when the explosion occurred.
He rushed to the scene—only to find a burning wasteland.
And then… Nathan arrived.
The moment his voice rang out, the two Pokémon stopped and returned to his side.
Seeing the legendary Pokémon standing calmly by Nathan, the crowd was abuzz:
"Whoa! So that's Volcarona? It's so beautiful—and crazy strong!"
"Who cares about beauty? Look at the one next to it! That Pokémon is so cool! What is it!?"
"I think I heard Nathan call it 'Mewtwo'? That's Mewtwo? I want one too!"
…
Hearing all the chatter, Nathan quickly recalled both Pokémon.
Now wasn't the time—he could scold them later when things calmed down.
Right now, he had a bigger problem: the training room they just blew up.
"Nathan, was this… your Pokémon's doing?"
The university president asked, his expression twitching.
He was heartbroken.
This training room had cost a fortune to build, and even though it was a bit old, it had still been functional.
Now, thanks to Nathan, it was rubble—and would need to be rebuilt from scratch.
"I'm sorry, Principal. I didn't manage my Pokémon properly!"
Nathan bowed and apologized immediately.
"Sigh…"
The principal sighed. Facing Nathan, he honestly couldn't bring himself to scold the boy.
He had been president of Grace City University for decades.
And in all that time, he had never met a more talented student than Nathan.
Nathan was already Pacific's champion.
At this rate, a world championship was within reach.
But the issue now was whether Nathan should be made to pay for rebuilding the training facility.
"Principal, this was entirely my fault. Please allow me to cover the cost of rebuilding."
Nathan said earnestly.
Seeing how distressed the principal looked, Nathan's heart ached a bit.
This man was already nearly seventy—close to retirement—and now something like this had to happen.
"Sigh… It's not that I don't want you to pay for it.
But rebuilding that training room will cost a lot of money. I'm just worried…"
He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
Nathan suddenly laughed, though he quickly apologized:
"Sorry, I didn't mean to laugh at you."
"If you're worried about money, you really don't need to be. I'm not exactly strapped for cash."
Nathan said confidently.
He didn't know the exact cost of rebuilding a training room, but he knew he could afford it.
And if needed, he had two Pokémon coin-printing machines. Money would never be a problem.
If it really came down to it, he could always create more.
"You're sure?"
The principal still looked skeptical.
Training rooms weren't cheap—their materials had to be extremely durable to withstand powerful Pokémon attacks.
Construction materials, labor, and other expenses would total at least 300 million yuan.
That was why the principal had been so distressed after learning Nathan was responsible.
"I'm sure."
Nathan nodded.
He'd made the mess—he would take responsibility. He wasn't the kind of person to dodge it.
"Rebuilding that facility will cost no less than 300 million. Are you really certain?"
The principal repeated, thinking maybe Nathan didn't realize how expensive it would be.
Hearing the number, Nathan's mouth twitched.
Good lord…
He was definitely going to give Mewtwo and Volcarona a serious talking-to when they got home.
(End of Chapter)