"That's right!"
Nathan nodded without hesitation and said firmly, "Pokémon are pure and kind-hearted creatures. They never betray the expectations of their trainers!"
Although he understood that this was a strategic move by the League—trying to uncover the secret of Mega Evolution without paying the price—Nathan still chose to speak.
He hoped that, within human society, the living conditions of Pokémon could be improved.
Such wonderful beings shouldn't be subjected to humanity's excessive malice.
But even though Nathan had given his answer, many still scoffed in disbelief.
They dismissed his words as nothing more than sentimental nonsense.
There are plenty of people who are extremely devoted to Pokémon, they thought, so why aren't they as talented as you?
'Never betray expectations'? If that were true, genius Trainers would be everywhere.
Nathan could only sigh inwardly at this. When the opening ceremony ended, he left the venue without hesitation.
He still needed to prove himself—only by continuing to achieve glory could he begin to move the massive mountain of prejudice in people's hearts!
…
"Idol! Your performance just now was incredible! Zeraora and Volcarona were so cool!"
"By the way, Idol, your Volcarona looks a lot bigger than before?"
In front of the Ferrari, Zoe didn't notice Nathan's weariness. Her face was full of excitement as she spoke.
Bella lay in Nathan's arms. After the excitement of the opening ceremony, sleepiness had taken over, and she had dozed off deeply.
Even in her sleep, she nuzzled her silver-haired head closer into Nathan's chest, curling up like a little furball.
"Thanks for taking care of Bella today."
Nathan finally smiled after listening quietly to Zoe.
Though she could be a bit lively, naive, and careless, the devotion she had as a hardcore fan was incredibly sincere.
"Oh, it was nothing! It's an honor to help my idol. Besides, I got some amazing shots today!"
Zoe said smugly, taking out her camera, her face proud.
Her camera wasn't just some high-end model—it was a custom-built, long-distance professional camera that cost a fortune.
It was now filled with high-resolution photos of Nathan's performance at the Skyrend Arena.
The fact that she hadn't gone wild with joy showed just how strong her self-control was.
These were her ultimate weapons for harvesting envy, jealousy, and admiration from her friends online!
"..."
Looking at the camera in her hands, Nathan began to seriously question whether being so approachable was a mistake.
Maybe he thought that.
But Zoe clearly didn't.
After dropping Nathan off at the hotel entrance, she left with an outrageously smug "lady-like" smile on her face.
…
"Master... Onii-chan… hehe…"
Back in the hotel, Bella squirmed restlessly in Nathan's arms.
She even started muttering in Valarn (Japanese).
Who knew if she was influenced by Zoe, but her expression, which should've been pure and adorable, now looked ridiculously suggestive in Nathan's eyes.
"Ugh… life is too hard!"
While carrying her into the bathroom, Nathan sighed as he washed her face and feet.
Aside from Evelyn, even his childhood friend Lily seemed dead set on becoming his mother figure.
"Vol~"
Volcarona emerged from its Pokéball, gently comforting its trainer.
Scattered pale-white sparkles shimmered around its wings, making the room temperature feel cozy and pleasant.
Even though turning on the AC in the middle of summer felt great, staying in an air-conditioned room too long wasn't healthy.
"Thank you, Volcarona. I'll cook you something delicious later."
Shaking off the water from his hands, Nathan chuckled.
As expected, the real little angel was still Volcarona—human hearts were far too treacherous.
As a guy, he had to protect himself.
But the moment Nathan spoke, the Pokémon that had been quietly waiting in their Pokéballs began to stir—
They wanted some of that freshly made midnight snack too!
…
In the blazing heat of summer, the early morning was the only time that felt cool and refreshing.
The diligent had already risen, while the little lazybones were still snuggling in bed.
"Bella, time to get up. Come on, get up."
Nathan pinched the little loli's cheek, his tone helpless.
He'd already tried to wake her an hour ago, and though she changed clothes, she immediately crawled back into bed.
"Masterrr... Onii-chan... Just let me sleep a little longer…"
Bella muttered groggily, eyes only half open, her tone full of sleepy charm.
If this were a lolicon, their health bar would probably be emptied on the spot.
But Nathan, unfazed, grabbed the back of her neck and carried her straight to the bathroom.
Thus began another day.
…
By 10 a.m., the sun was already high.
After dropping Bella off with Zoe, Nathan headed to the arena still wearing the same outfit as yesterday.
Due to the tournament draw, he would be the opening match—facing one of the top eight from the Nostia City regional bracket.
The moment he saw his opponent's average-looking face and completely bald head, Nathan instantly felt this guy was no pushover.
…
"Both competitors are now on stage! What kind of exciting battle will they show us? Let's wait and see!"
As the announcer's voice fell, the referee waved the flag to start the match.
"Fight for me—Scyther!"
The bald-headed warrior, Sai Tamel, was the first to send out his Pokémon—his lead was a Scyther.
Since the national tournament used the official 6v6 format, Sai clearly wasn't taking any chances.
His Scyther was Level 49 and in excellent condition.
"Oh! Sai is starting with his signature Pokémon, Scyther ! He's not holding back at all!"
"So what will Nathan send out in response?"
"Zeraora! There it is—Nathan's signature Pokémon! Known as the Blue Lightning Flash, Zeraora is on the field!"
"Wow! Both competitors opened with their strongest ones—this is going to be a clash of titans!"
In the commentary booth, two men and a woman played off each other, quickly hyping up the atmosphere.
Just then, the female commentator, Kat, turned to the veteran beside her and asked:
"Draven, who do you think has the higher chance of winning—Nathan or Sai?"
This wasn't a random question—it was tradition during national tournaments.
With live national broadcasts, a bit of juicy gossip and debate was essential.
This wasn't some carefully edited anime where you could throw in a hot-blooded BGM at the climax.
Catching Kat's signal, the Draven nodded and said knowingly:
"I think Sai has a slightly higher chance of winning."
"Oh? Why? Based on popularity, win record, or Pokémon strength, Nathan seems to have the upper hand, right?"
Kat pressed on with the follow-up.
As expected, the previously indifferent viewers perked up, and online comments exploded:
[Nonsense! Nathan is the strongest—Old Draven, shut it!]
[Actually, I agree. Nathan is still young. Talk big, fail hard.]
[If he had two more years of experience, I'd bet on Nathan too!]
Seeing this, the Draven grew even more spirited.
"Everyone knows that true trainers follow the traditional 6v6 battle format."
"I don't mean to disrespect Nathan, but his pace has been too fast. He went straight from the 1v1 Trial Tournament to the national stage."
"From what I've heard, due to some personal reasons, Nathan hasn't even collected all his gym badges…"
While the commentary dragged on, Nathan's expression remained unchanged.
On the other hand, Sai was visibly excited—as if victory was already within his grasp.
"Scyther, use Swords Dance, then X-Scissor!"
At Sai's command, Scyther swiftly boosted its attack with Swords Dance.
Its already sharp arms now gleamed with a deadly edge.
"Zeraora, use Swords Dance as well. Then activate Lightning Release Mode!"
With one hand casually in his pocket, Nathan issued his command calmly.
If the opponent had sent out an Elite-level Pokémon, Nathan would've initiated the battle with a Bond Evolution.
But against a Scyther whose level didn't even match Zeraora's?
Nathan figured he could conserve some stamina.
He was hoping Zeraora could pull off a 1v3—or maybe even 1v4.
Why not a 1v5 or 1v6?
Well, that was a matter of stamina.
At present, Zeraora's biggest shortcoming was in long, drawn-out battles.
In 3v3 formats, this didn't show—but in 6v6 matches, it became very obvious.
To put it simply, the previous Trial Tournaments and Magic City Qualifiers were Bronze to Platinum tier—
Low-ranked games, basically.
But from Diamond to Challenger rank, the difficulty and pressure ramped up considerably.
Sure, you might carry hard and earn MVP every game…
But pulling off a 1v9?
Even getting four surrender votes is tough.
Ahem, maybe the analogy isn't perfect, but the logic still holds.
"Zoar!"
Responding to Nathan's command, Zeraora executed Swords Dance,
its body crackling with blue lightning—majestic and imposing.
"Scy!"
Seeing Zeraora like that, Scyther hesitated for a second—but still followed through and unleashed its signature move: X-Scissor!
(End of Chapter)
(TN: Its really is Scyther, I searched the raw chinese name. Scissor is probably still an undiscovered evolution.)