Pulling out two Ultra Beasts might have seemed like playing his final trump cards, as if he had exhausted all his options.
But Nathan was absolutely certain that it wasn't that simple. They must be still hiding some trump cards.
If this truly was the extent of their strength, then Samuel and his teammates would be letting their country down—massively.
Against all ordinary Pokémon, Nathan effortlessly defeated the remaining Liberty Union players and secured yet another victory.
"I hope you don't run into me again!"
After the match ended, Samuel walked up to Nathan and said coldly.
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and left.
But upon hearing Samuel's words, Nathan became even more convinced—Samuel definitely had one or more cards up his sleeve.
However, it was likely that those hidden trump cards were reserved for the finals.
Unfortunately for him, Nathan also had trump cards—undeniable, overwhelming ones.
With three legendary Pokémon at his disposal, Nathan knew that even if he were an idiot, he could still rely on them to win.
But unless absolutely necessary, Nathan had no intention of bringing out Entei and the other two in an official match.
"Ah~ I just earned another hundred million Pokécoins today.
Next time you need a business partner, be sure to come find me!"
As soon as Samuel walked far enough away, Nathan raised his voice loudly in Samuel's direction.
The previously cool and aloof Samuel suddenly stumbled mid-step, then broke into a jog to quickly distance himself.
Meanwhile, Evelyn returned to Nathan's side with a smile on her face.
"What on earth did you say to Samuel that got him so worked up?"
She was truly curious about what Nathan had whispered to Samuel.
And whatever it was, he apparently hadn't even lied.
------------
Nathan briefly explained to Evelyn how he had obtained Mewtwo.
After hearing the story, she burst out laughing.
But following her laughter, a look of sympathy flashed across Evelyn's face—for Mewtwo.
A sentient, highly intelligent Pokémon like Mewtwo had actually been subjected to such cruel experimentation by a dark organization.
Fortunately, it had encountered Nathan.
Otherwise, who knows how much longer Mewtwo would've continued to suffer.
"Let's not talk about that. I just hope that tomorrow's opponent ends up being a weaker nation, so you can get in a few more matches,"
Nathan said, noticing her change in expression and quickly shifting the topic.
"I'd like that too," Evelyn replied. "But why are you going through so much trouble for me?"
She truly didn't understand.
With Nathan's strength, taking down three countries in this competition would be a walk in the park.
Yet, just so she could face more opponents, Nathan had gone out of his way to get her resources and help her Gyarados grow significantly stronger.
Naturally, Nathan didn't mention the system quests.
"Come on, we're competing at the World Tournament here. How can I not help you shine a little?
Besides, who knows—you might not even get the chance to show off in the finals."
He casually made up an excuse.
That night passed quickly.
By morning, Nathan and Evelyn headed to the main island.
Most participants had already arrived.
Samuel cast a dark, resentful look at Nathan upon seeing him.
Not that Nathan cared about whatever grudge Samuel held—what a pity the "walking ATM" could only appear once.
As with the previous two days, matchups were determined by drawing lots.
But unlike before, elimination rounds were now beginning.
Among the top twenty countries, three had already lost both of their previous matches.
Which meant that today, these three would be putting in everything they had.
Upon learning this, Nathan could only hope he wouldn't be matched against them.
He just wanted to complete his mission in peace.
It seemed like his prayers were answered—or perhaps his luck was just excellent.
He ended up drawing a match against a relatively average country, one that had a win and a loss in its earlier rounds.
Upon discovering that they'd be facing Celestia, the opponent nation Gangin immediately forfeited any ambition of winning.
Evelyn easily defeated every one of Gangin's contestants.
Nathan's mission was successfully completed.
Sometimes, good luck was more important than strength.
If he'd been matched with someone like Gurney's country, he probably wouldn't have been able to complete the mission so smoothly.
Even though Nathan had completed his objective, some viewers were not entirely pleased.
Evelyn was undoubtedly a beautiful woman, yes—but what they truly wanted to see was Nathan in battle.
The kind of graceful, almost artistic battles Nathan delivered were a rarity.
Only when watching him could they truly appreciate the beauty of high-level combat.
With the team successfully advancing to the finals and his mission complete, Nathan was in an especially good mood.
This time, the system's reward was decent—he received a formula for Ability Capsule.
Ability Capsules could be used on Pokémon with two possible abilities, allowing one of their abilities to be randomly replaced with another entirely.
Although this item wasn't particularly useful for Nathan's own Pokémon, it was extremely valuable for others.
After all, many trainers in this world had to abandon Pokémon due to receiving subpar or undesirable abilities.
But once Ability Capsules entered mass production, they'd be an absolute hit on the market.
"Evelyn, I just got my hands on a new formula. Once we're back, you should open a factory and start producing it."
Nathan said to Evelyn, who was busy training her Gyarados.
The moment she heard Nathan mention a new formula, Evelyn immediately tossed Gyarados aside without hesitation.
From the very beginning—whether it was pokeblocks or Dynamax candies—every formula he'd brought her had been exceptionally rare.
And now, he had yet another one?
This guy was practically a walking formula book.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before the company they co-founded completely monopolized the Pokémon goods market.
"What kind of formula is it? Something edible or consumable?"
Evelyn asked curiously.
Nathan took the blueprint out of his bag and handed it to her.
"Take a look for yourself."
When Evelyn saw the formula and read the effect of the final product, she was utterly stunned.
This was basically a godsend for trainers—regardless of whether they were beginners or high-level veterans.
Every trainer needed something like this!
Plus, this was an entirely new product that had never appeared on the market before.
As expected, every formula Nathan brought her was a pleasant surprise.
"Sometimes I really want to assign someone to follow you—just to see where you get all these formulas from."
She said playfully, her tone deliberately suspicious.
Follow him?
If only it were that simple.
Even if someone crawled inside his stomach, they still wouldn't figure out where the formulas came from.
Unless they could monitor his brain activity directly and observe his internal communications with the system.
But would that ever be possible?
"You can just think of it as... luck."
Nathan replied offhandedly.
Since he was handing out formulas so frequently, he didn't even bother making up elaborate excuses anymore.
Evelyn almost wanted to strangle him.
Luck?
Each of these formulas could make a beggar into a billionaire.
If that's "just luck," then what did that make the rest of them—eternally cursed?
"How are you planning to sell this once it's ready?"
Evelyn asked, choosing to let the matter go before it gave her a migraine.
Whatever the case, as long as the formula came from Nathan, it would be a joint product with their company anyway.
What puzzled her more was where Nathan actually spent all his money.
Every time profits were distributed, she'd give Nathan his share—but he never seemed to buy anything.
Could it be that he was just hoarding cash for no reason?
Evelyn knew better than to pry.
It was his personal business, after all.
But if she had asked, Nathan might have been tempted to vent a little.
Every time he made money, the system would oh-so-"coincidentally" refresh some rare item or power-up.
And these items were always priced just right—down to the last coin in his wallet.
In essence, all the money he earned was being funneled into feeding his system.
"Let's do the same thing we did with Dynamax candies.
But we can give our existing candy distributors early access—so long as they're willing to pay a bit extra."
Nathan said after thinking for a moment.
Their business was already running smoothly.
Introducing a new product now only meant expanding production and finding a few new distributors.
It no longer required the meticulous planning of the early days.
Evelyn jotted down his instructions and began carefully studying the formula.
After all, when it came time for mass production, the two of them would still need to oversee everything together.
As they were chatting, the sky gradually darkened.
It seemed the weather was about to change.
"We should head back before it starts pouring," Nathan suggested.
------------
The two had just returned to the island when loud thunderclaps rumbled across the sky.
Then came the downpour—a torrential rain fell like water dumped from a giant basin.
While everyone rushed for shelter, deep beneath the thunderclouds, on a small island, a mysterious entrance quietly opened.
A Mystic Realm entrance!
However, the skies were far too dark, and no one noticed anything unusual in that direction.
The storm lasted for more than ten hours.
When dawn finally broke the next morning, the rain ceased at last.
On the small island where the mystic realm had appeared, staff members from the World Tournament arrived to conduct inspections.
The moment they discovered the entrance, they immediately reported it to their superiors.
Soon enough, many officials from the tournament gathered at the site.
"So this mystic realm appeared last night?"
...
Because the contents of the realm were unknown, the officials didn't dare to enter recklessly.
After all, every mystic realm in this world was unique.
Who knew what lay within?
Perhaps a pack of baby Pokémon—or maybe a colony of ancient, thousand-year-old master-level Pokémon.
Or even legendary Pokémon.
Rushing in blindly would be nothing short of suicide.
(End of Chapter)