In some public battle arenas, many trainers were engaged in Pokémon battles.
Aside from that, there were all kinds of food, supplies, and entertainment available.
Even if you weren't a trainer, you could treat this place like a café.
"Miss Xue, welcome, welcome!"
When Zoe appeared, a middle-aged man in a suit immediately came up to greet her with a big smile.
Nathan noticed the badge on his chest—he was a manager.
"Cut the nonsense. This is my idol. I'm booking the Dragon-themed arena for the whole day!"
Zoe didn't waste time with pleasantries and got straight to the point.
After all, the opening ceremony was still a while away.
Rather than wearing herself out again like yesterday, she preferred watching Nathan train his Pokémon.
No, to be precise, her main goal today was to closely observe how Nathan trained his Pokémon.
And if she could snap a few photos for her collection, even better!
"Of course, Miss Xue. This way, please!"
…
"Please, this way."
The manager beamed like the Buddha himself, clearly pleased to welcome them.
Although Zoe wasn't a regular here, a high-quality customer like her coming in—whatever the reason—was a clear win for his performance metrics.
"Hey, is that guy Nathan Vesper?"
"Nathan-who?"
"The one with Mega Evolution! The trainer of that 'Blue Flash' Zeraora!"
"Oh, that guy!"
Many people had noticed Nathan, and the club was instantly buzzing with chatter.
Nathan ignored the attention entirely and even considered whether he should wrap his face in gauze to cosplay as one of those mysterious, blindfolded boss-level characters.
Upon entering the training room, Nathan realized just how massive the place was.
There were specialized zones for every type—Grass, Electric, Ground, Fire—you name it.
"Charmander, come on out!"
They headed to the Fire-type area first, and Nathan released his Charmander.
Seeing the sleek metallic surroundings, Charmander's face immediately filled with question marks.
Cough cough "All of this metal is made from special high-melting-point alloys. Pokémon can use it to train and strengthen their flames."
Zoe coughed lightly and eagerly offered an explanation.
Her eyes sparkled as she stared at Charmander, clearly wanting to scoop it up and cuddle it all day.
"By the way, idol, aren't you going to summon your Volcarona?"
Seeing Charmander scurry to hide behind Nathan's leg, Zoe asked in disappointment.
Sure enough, compared to Charmander, her true obsession was Volcarona!
Noticing her interest shift toward him, Nathan shrugged and said, "Can't be helped. While this place is good, it's not really useful for Volcarona anymore."
If a Pokémon was at the Elite level, grinding was already slow—encountering a decent opponent might take months.
But for a Champion-level Pokémon, far more had to be considered:
Gigantamax, combo move training, efficient leveling, etc.
Even after all that, leveling at the Champion tier was unimaginably hard.
It's no wonder Pokémon at this level were called "National Guardians."
Only the strongest Champions typically had one as their ace Pokémon.
Zoe didn't think that deeply. She just figured Nathan's Volcarona must be amazing,
and she couldn't wait to see it perform in the national tournament.
After all, even though Volcarona had been a "one-hit wonder" during the Trial Tournament, it had captured countless hearts.
Everyone was wondering—if his other Pokémon were already that strong, how much stronger had Volcarona become?
"Charmander, no need to use any moves—just try your best to release your flames!"
Patting Charmander's nervous little head, Nathan spoke seriously.
He wasn't the kind of trainer who spoiled his Pokémon. That would be irresponsible—not only to himself but to all his Pokémon.
"Char!"
Charmander didn't disappoint. After that head pat, he became fired up with determination.
He walked up to a piece of metal and opened his mouth to exhale.
At first, he could only open his mouth without producing anything.
But before long, with growing effort, a small flame burst out from his mouth!
It wasn't big or hot, but for a Pokémon that hadn't even reached one month old, it was a major breakthrough.
Even Zoe took a picture, surprised.
"Such talent? I heard most Pokémon can't even use elemental powers until after their hatching period!"
Nathan, who had already released his other Pokémon, simply smiled without replying.
Top-tier Miltank milk, his own specially formulated milk-candy-flavored pokeblocks,
plus Charmander's unique nature—if it couldn't even do that, then it would be surprising.
"Flygon, don't hold back. Your Dragon-type energy has become much stronger—fully unleash that advantage!"
Catching sight of Flygon hesitating, Nathan immediately commanded it.
After Kroxius removed some kind of internal "limiter" on Flygon's Dragon-type abilities, its power had grown day by day.
And after syncing with Nathan, they discovered the real change wasn't in its bloodline—it was in its energy.
Vast amounts of pure, easily controlled Dragon energy now surged through it.
The most direct result? A dramatic power boost!
Now Flygon's main task was learning to control it—to master that power flawlessly.
Meanwhile, Mimikyu, Pangoro, and Metagross had started training their combo moves.
Especially Pangoro, Metagross, and Zeraora!
No need to mention Pangoro—it was already Elite-tier but lacked combo skills.
Against other Elites, even with support from Tina, it would still be at a disadvantage.
As for Zeraora and Metagross, both were just a step away from Elite level.
Training combo moves was essential.
Otherwise, the edge from Bond or Mega Evolutions would vanish at this stage.
"ROAR!!"
Pangoro roared, darting through a complex terrain while spamming Shave.
Though a high-attack, high-HP bruiser, it now moved like an assassin!
Metagross was training by hammering away at a small mountain.
Through this grueling regimen, it was gradually learning to channel its full strength into its four iron fists.
Now, it could just barely infuse its punches with psychic energy.
Nathan believed that before evolving to Elite-tier, it might even develop the legendary Demon Emperor's Phantom Fist!
As for Zeraora—
Being second only to Volcarona in potential, Zeraora had entered its Bond Evolution Form.
Blue-and-white lightning danced around it, growing denser under Zeraora's training.
Eventually, it coiled behind Zeraora's back.
Would it become an all-purpose energy sphere like the Truth-Seeking Orbs?
Or would it manifest as thunderous wings of the Lightning God?
That remained to be seen!
Compared to those three, the usually low-profile Mimikyu—who loved playing with Charmander—was no slouch either.
It had quietly reached the critical level 46.
Right now, it was multitasking—using Shadow Sneak with one hand and Shadow Ball with the other.
If it could fire Shadow Balls from its shadow, that would be a massive boost in combat!
It had even learned Shadow Claw and Swords Dance.
Though Pangoro, Metagross, and Zeraora were the main aces, anyone who underestimated Mimikyu would be in for a nasty surprise.
Let's not forget—Mimikyu had the Disguise ability.
In gym-level battles, it might not be invincible, but it was nearly untouchable.
"With this, our 6v6 national tournament team is complete."
…
Time passed. The sun always sets, and day always turns to night.
At the Skyrend Arena, the lights were already blazing.
National TV stations had started broadcasting early.
Nathan had been called in that afternoon and was currently getting light makeup from a stylist.
"Come on, miss, look at how handsome I am—do I really need makeup?"
With a pout, Nathan looked at her with a helpless expression.
His slightly youthful face now had a touch of playful charm.
"You are handsome!"
Staring into the mirror, the stylist earnestly confirmed his claim.
Then, with a teasing smile, she added, "Which is exactly why we must give you a nice touch-up—to make you even more handsome!"
Giggling, she applied a layer of light makeup to his face.
It was very subtle.
To the naked eye, the only changes were that his skin looked smoother and more mature,
with a hint of shadow at the corners of his eyes.
After makeup, as an invited guest, Nathan had to change into formal wear:
A white short-sleeved shirt, black slacks, and a stylish trench coat.
(End of Chapter)