"Sure, that's fine," Meowth replied, "but I don't have that much money, meow."
"I can pay for mine myself," Cook Daigu Into Soup chimed in. "If we convert it to gold, that should work, right?"
"Of course, meow. Even if our worlds are different, gold's always precious, meow," said Meowth.
"Kurara! Count me in too," said Come Be My Son, laughing heartily. "Pokémon with strength, character, and potential all rolled into one—I have to say, I'm interested too!"
The Undefeated declared, "We're not exactly short on money, you know."
Demon Spirit replied easily, "Money's easy for me too."
Nature's Heir echoed, "Same here."
"Yeah, yeah, honestly no one in the chat is hurting for money," the Ordinary Group Leader admitted, posting a shifty-eyed emoji.
"So, what do you all want, meow?" Meowth asked.
"I want Growlithe," Cook Daigu Into Soup answered after some thought.
Growlithe was unusual, sure, but compared to most Pokémon, it still looked and acted the most like a normal pet. His world was full of monsters anyway, but for now, a Growlithe seemed just right.
"Pikachu!" said Demon Spirit, dropping a Pikachu emoji for emphasis. "It was the protagonist's first Pokémon, and let's face it, it's just so cute."
"That's the Pokémon you were talking about?" The Undefeated mused, studying a picture. "It is adorable. I want Pikachu too."
Come Be My Son let out a deep laugh. "Honestly, I'm not picky—Rhyhorn or Machoke would be just fine for me."
"What a strange taste you have, meow," Meowth muttered. "Alright, I'll remember that. @Nature's Heir, @Golden Flash, @Uchiha Dance King, @Ordinary Group Leader—what about you?"
Uchiha Dance King posted a single period. "Do you really think I can buy one? I'm dead, you know! Even if I wanted one, it wouldn't survive the trip. Would it be alive when sent over, or dead on arrival?"
Golden Flash laughed, "Growlithe's fine for me. He can help watch over Naruto. After all, there are ninja dogs in our world; having a Growlithe wouldn't seem too out of place. Any other Pokémon might draw too much attention."
"My pick… well…" Ordinary Group Leader started.
"Ralts!" Nature's Heir jumped in.
"???"
"Did you just steal my answer?" Ordinary Group Leader protested.
"Not at all," Nature's Heir replied smoothly. "I'm just stating my own wish. No one can resist a Pokémon, but especially not Ralts."
"Ralts is forever god-tier!" Ordinary Group Leader declared. "But, I want a female one."
"Same here," Nature's Heir agreed.
"Let's be clear, there's no guarantee I can get one, meow. Especially Ralts—it's extremely rare, meow," Meowth warned.
"I know," said Nature's Heir.
"Understood," replied the Ordinary Group Leader.
Unconsciously, a full week had gone by since Brandon moved into his new villa as a member of the Bureau of Spiritual Energy.
A few classmates had reached out to him, hoping to learn how he managed to skip school yet still graduate and even qualify for university.
His answer was blunt: get a special recruitment, or join the government.
Neither was realistic for them. Their abilities just weren't up to snuff.
So, their dreams were grand, but reality was as unforgiving as ever.
They could only stare at Brandon's empty seat in the classroom, wishing they could be that carefree just once in their lives.
As for Brandon, he didn't find his new life particularly easy. He simply swapped his study time for training, and now that he'd discovered the right way to train, it was actually more exhausting than school.
During his demonstration with Firewing last week, he'd used his oxygen control ability. Later, he realized gravity was also a force of nature he could manipulate. By increasing the gravity on his body during workouts, he dramatically boosted the intensity of his training.
The results were impressive.
Training had become physically demanding again, just like in the beginning, and though exhausting, the progress was incredible. His physique and supernatural abilities were improving at a pace that far outstripped his previous growth, and the power he could draw from his [Nature's Authority] was reaching terrifying levels.
It was hard to quantify his actual supernatural strength, thanks to the unique nature of [Nature's Authority]. His physical strength, however, was easy to test.
At that very moment, Brandon was playing with a Type 92 pistol. Without hesitation, he pointed it at his own hand and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The gun roared, and a bullet shot out, wreathed in electricity, aimed to tear through his palm—only for Brandon to catch it effortlessly midair.
He opened his hand. His skin was perfectly unmarked, white as jade, not a scratch to be seen.
It was important to note that he hadn't used any of his supernatural powers—just his raw, physical strength. The implications were clear: his body had grown unbelievably tough.
A Type 92 pistol might not be the most powerful in the world, but it was still a gun—no ordinary human could take a bullet bare-handed. Brandon couldn't help but wonder how he'd fare against a Desert Eagle, an M500 revolver, or a Glock 17—supposedly some of the world's most powerful handguns. But he doubted Firewing would let him try.
"Is it that I only just now became bulletproof? Or could I have survived this even earlier, and just never tried it?"
"Should I try a tank next? Maybe it's possible…"
He muttered about tempting fate, genuinely curious about the limits of his new body. But there weren't many safe ways to test it.
Suddenly, he sensed hostility—a wave of malice fixed directly on him. Brandon turned toward the source, and saw a powerfully built man staring at him with open contempt, not even bothering to hide his animosity when Brandon met his gaze.
"A new member of the Spiritual Energy Bureau? Or maybe someone from another government division?" Brandon wondered, eyebrow raised and a hint of amusement in his eyes.
He'd already met Yue Frost, Carl Stone, and Hazel Yates; this guy was definitely none of them.
Either Firewing had recruited a new team member, or he was some acquaintance from a different branch. But—
"Unprovoked hostility? That's always so annoying," Brandon thought, suppressing a sigh.
On the other side, Lee Fong scowled in Brandon's direction, eyes filled with jealousy.
"Besides his good looks, he's got nothing going for him. I have no idea what Firewing sees in this guy…"
(End of Chapter)