At least until the official rounds of the National Tournament, the two wouldn't have to face each other.
"When are you leaving?"
After a bit of playful bickering, Nathan suddenly asked Lily.
"This afternoon, probably. It's not easy to book a ticket to South City."
Lily tapped her smooth chin and said with a half-smile.
Nathan nodded and silently booked a ticket to Magic City for the afternoon.
…
Time flew by.
It was already late at night when Nathan stepped off the plane.
As expected of one of the country's top cities, even at such a late hour, the streets were still bustling with vehicles, streetlights, neon signs, pedestrians, and Pokémon.
All of this together made up the world-famous City That Never Sleeps.
Indeed.
In this world, the nightlife of Magic City truly began after 10 PM.
Because of this habit, Magic City had even been nicknamed "Ghost City" by outsiders, who believed the people there lived like nocturnal spirits.
"What a fascinating city."
Nathan sighed softly but had no intention of disrupting his own biological clock to adapt to local customs.
Keeping a low profile, he arrived at the high-end hotel he had reserved in advance.
After taking a long bath, Nathan prepared a late-night meal for his Pokémon.
Once everything was done, a deep sense of comfort and sleepiness washed over him.
He lay on the bed and soon drifted into steady breathing.
What Nathan didn't know was that every night after he fell asleep, Volcarona would quietly break free from its Poké Ball and guard him by his bedside.
Of course, the Poké Ball's settings allowed for this—if a trainer didn't trust their Pokémon, then the Pokémon wouldn't be able to exit on their own.
With Nathan, there were no restrictions.
"Vol~"
Looking at Nathan warmly, Volcarona adjusted the room's temperature to the most comfortable level.
Before long, Nathan's sleep became deeper and more restorative.
At the same time, Volcarona was training itself—refining its control over temperature while condensing and storing purple and white flames.
When Nathan needed it, Volcarona would respond with its full strength!
However, Volcarona didn't realize that as it condensed its purple flames, the black pendant hanging on Nathan's neck flickered slightly, tinting the flames with an almost unnoticeable shade of black.
["Too weak... not enough to protect... must become stronger..."]
Caught between curiosity and confusion, the pendant did not follow its original instinct to corrupt Volcarona.
On the contrary, it was helping Volcarona grow stronger, almost selflessly.
If a leading researcher of Mega Evolution were present, they would have been astonished—because the inherent flaw that prevents Pokémon from sustaining Mega Evolution indefinitely was being subtly repaired.
Once this flaw disappeared, Volcarona would be able to Mega Evolve and revert at will—without even needing a Mega Stone, thanks to the blessing from Entei.
If the world had a measurable concept of luck or protagonist aura, then without a doubt, Volcarona would be the true protagonist.
Compared to that, Nathan, its trainer, was a bit tragic.
Not only had he gained nothing from the pendant, but he was also stuck with it clinging to him like a leech.
Perhaps when he looked back on this in the future, Nathan would gnash his teeth in frustration.
Though, to be fair, the stronger the starter Pokémon, the further a trainer could go.
Still, this kind of unfair treatment really made it feel like Nathan was just a tool...
…
Upon arriving in Magic City, Nathan didn't do anything flashy; he simply focused on adjusting his Pokémon's condition.
Meanwhile, on the internet, thanks to the help of Evelyn, within just three days, Nathan had been completely blackened online.
After all, people are creatures who dislike thinking for themselves—it's easy to stir them into a frenzy.
Over time, a deep bias formed:
Nathan wasn't a real genius.
He was a puppet propped up by the rich.
Everything he achieved was thanks to some powerful group pulling strings behind the scenes.
Even without any concrete evidence, seeing a once-admired genius fall... somehow made people feel good.
Nathan's parents, as well as Gym Leader Lee and Wendy, had called him out of concern.
Nathan brushed them off with a few casual remarks.
"Huff... so next is the glorious face-slapping stage, huh?"
Standing before the arena on the day of the preliminary rounds, Nathan took a deep breath, glancing at the newly refreshed items in the system shop.
Confirming it with one look—
Still unaffordable!
Shaking his head to clear the distractions, Nathan donned a hat and mask and headed for the arena.
Despite being a preliminary elimination round, the venue was massive.
"Please present your entry credentials."
At the entrance, the receptionist asked politely with a practiced smile.
Nathan took out a box containing six badges and a certificate.
Without any drama or conflict, he passed through security smoothly.
However, watching Nathan's departing figure, the receptionist couldn't help but mutter,
"He didn't even collect all eight badges. Looks like the rumors are true…"
While speaking, she posted a photo she had secretly taken to her social media.
Another huge wave of online gossip was brewing.
Most people wouldn't question the judgment of an Elite Guardian member.
They preferred to latch onto small flaws and hammer them hard.
Unbeknownst to them, neither Nathan nor the Mist Group managing the smear campaign ever cared about these people.
After all, everyone could marvel at the beauty and vastness of the ocean, but no one would lose sleep over a single drop of water.
["Contestant Nathan Vesper, please proceed to the battlefield within three minutes, or it will be considered a forfeit!"]
["Nathan Vesper..."]
The announcement echoed three times.
With a calm face, Nathan took off his hat and mask.
He only wore them to avoid unnecessary trouble—
But on the battlefield, he would never hide his identity.
Because to him, this was honor.
This was faith.
Soon, Nathan stood at his designated spot.
What you see is the huge battlefield, an even larger viewing area, and packed with spectators.
"A water venue?"
Looking at the venue which had almost only one landing spot and was basically no different from a swimming pool, Natsume curled the corners of his mouth.
It was pretty cool.
Unfortunately, few people appreciated it.
Or rather, rational voices were simply drowned out.
"Wow, it's really Nathan. He still dares to show up?"
"Who cares, as long as we get a good show!"
"Exactly! I heard he's been abandoned, even his Volcarona got taken away!"
...
Perhaps even Nathan didn't realize—
The massive malice from the crowd was quietly being absorbed by the pendant.
"Should I... be grateful?"
The pendant silently pondered.
In its view, it was Nathan orchestrating everything, allowing it to absorb nourishment.
But before the pendant could think more, Nathan stepped onto the battlefield, facing his opponent—a scruffy, vagabond-looking man.
"In the National Tournament—even if it's just a regional qualifier—it's still a 3v3.
Is your Volcarona still around, Rising Star of the League?"
The middle-aged man sneered, full of malice and mockery.
He seemed to be eagerly anticipating the sight of a once-envied genius falling into despair.
After all, Nathan's previous fame, youth, and strength were things far beyond his reach.
But this man was doomed to disappointment.
Nathan merely smiled faintly, his expression calm and cold as he enlarged a Poké Ball and threw it forward.
"Zeraora, time for your debut. Don't let me down!"
A flash of blue and gold burst onto the water arena.
Zeraora stood tall, back to Nathan, flashing him a confident thumbs-up.
Having been cared for so much by its trainer,
Zeraora would never let him down!
Meanwhile, in the audience:
"What kind of Pokémon is that?! It's so cool!"
"My God, I didn't know something this badass even existed! I'm a fan now—Nathan is the best!"
"Pfft, maybe he just got lucky. Who knows if it's just flashy on the outside?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's just a Pokémon. Not even a legendary one!"
...
As for the spectators—
Let's not even mention them for now.