As soon as Seth made his move, he sent out a Salamence at the Elite level, and its assault was brutally overwhelming!
Watching what was essentially a one-vs-six battle, Nathan felt like Seth and Griffin should probably swap names. But then again, this was expected of a nearly fully matured genius.
Just the strength of that Salamence alone made Nathan feel like his Pangoro could no longer hold out.
Maybe its level was slightly lower than Sai's Pidgeot, but not by much.
What was even more alarming was that this Salamence gave off a faint aura of knowing a combination move, extremely similar to those used by the Fire-type Elite Guardian, Li He, and Electric Gym Leader Ethan.
Although Nathan had just begun exploring that path himself, he clearly lagged behind a genius like Seth, who'd probably been working on this for years.
"Looks like my Metagross and Zeraora need to grow quickly!"
Feeling a bit of pressure, Nathan quietly made up his mind.
Once the National Tournament reached the Top 8, it would no longer be simple one-on-one Trainer battles.
The National Tournament's organizers always came up with new twists each year—more so than even the World Championships.
But that couldn't be helped. After all, this country had a huge population and vast land.
If they didn't spice things up, the tournament would end up like the New Year Festival Gala—watched only for the opening ceremony.
After watching Seth's perfect battle, Nathan and Zoe finally left the Sky Rending Arena.
As soon as Nathan sat in Zoe's pink Ferrari, his stomach growled uncontrollably, making him flush with embarrassment.
"Idol, you're hungry, aren't you? Come on, let's eat first! I bought a small restaurant myself using my New Year's money this time!"
Zoe giggled. Ever since Will had been arrested, she'd learned the dirty tricks he'd used.
After being grossed out for a whole night, she decisively bought a small restaurant that offered authentic flavors.
Due to limited funds—even after borrowing a fair amount from her father—she could only afford a modest one.
Its only strengths were its authentic taste and fair prices—nothing too fancy.
…
One hour later.
With full bellies, Nathan and Bella were lounging contentedly when Zoe snapped a photo of him.
"Hey, don't tell me you're planning to make a whole photo album?"
Nathan looked at her helplessly, watching her crazed fangirl expression.
Even though she was technically a fan, Nathan felt like this girl was getting more and more twisted—
a bit like she was heading in the direction of Kuroko Shirai from Railgun.
"But I'm not Misaka Mikoto! What if my Lily comes after me with a knife?!"
"Hehehe~ That's why you're my idol—you saw right through my little plan!"
Zoe giggled shamelessly, showing zero signs of the modesty a girl should have.
After the meal, she dragged Nathan straight to the training room in her club.
Nathan was speechless, but he ultimately gave in to the temptation of the training room.
"Zeraora, try learning Thunderbolt. Aim for wide-range Electric-type moves!"
"Pangoro, don't neglect your Fighting-type basics. Try to control the energy in your Focus Blast!"
"Flygon, don't just blindly use your power. Learn to adapt and control it!"
Releasing his Pokémon, Nathan quickly shifted his focus back to training them.
…
Just then, the club welcomed an unwelcome visitor.
"Aamon! What are you doing here?!"
Seeing a young man walk in, the club manager immediately shouted in anger, while secretly signaling someone to get the owner.
This Aamon was not a good person—just a week ago, he'd caused a huge disturbance, driving away many members and significantly lowering the club's popularity.
Now, this jerk had shown up again!
And the worst part?
Aamon was a Pokémon hunter.
Aside from being hired to challenge gyms and ruin reputations, he often coerced people into gambling battles.
Anyone who lost had to give up one of their Pokémon—winner's choice.
This behavior was basically no different from those dark organizations.
But unfortunately, Pokémon-related laws were still underdeveloped.
Even if someone reported him, it would only cause Aamon to lay low for a few days.
"Hey now, don't be so rude. I'm a guest, aren't I? Isn't the customer always right?"
The ugly-looking Aamon chuckled shamelessly, speaking like a total rogue—
as if daring the manager to lay a hand on him.
But the manager really couldn't.
After all, Aamon was a licensed Trainer. If a fight broke out, he could easily accuse the manager of making the first move.
Meanwhile, Nathan continued quietly training his Pokémon, unfazed by what was going on outside.
As long as trouble didn't come looking for him, he wasn't interested.
He even declined a call from the club owner—who was likely asking for help.
Who knew whether this whole thing was an act?
…
"Idol… are we really not going to help?"
Zoe ran up to Nathan with a pitiful expression.
She was close friends with the club owner, and if possible, she hoped her idol could play the hero just this once.
"I'm too drained. Training is fine, but if I battle right now, I'll probably collapse on the spot."
Nathan shook his head with a bitter smile.
If it were a small matter, of course he'd help.
But this was Aamon they were talking about—a guy even Nathan had heard of.
He had three Pokémon at the Elite level.
Even at full strength, Nathan would have to think twice, let alone now.
"Oh… sorry, Idol. Then I guess we'll just pretend we didn't see anything!"
Zoe tapped her head and stuck out her tongue.
She understood very well—Nathan had no obligation to help. Neither did she.
Since its inconvenient for the idol, let's just turn a blind eye to it!
"Actually, I should be the one apologizing."
Nathan sighed.
He understood the logic—but he was still training in their club.
If possible, he would've liked to help.
But again—what if the club owner was colluding with someone and trying to trap him?
Greed can corrupt anyone—not just the dark organizations.
Now, there were already major voices online accusing Nathan of being selfish.
Of hiding the secrets of Super Evolution and refusing to share them.
Nathan's Viridian Power couldn't discern someone's true intentions over a phone call.
…
Half an hour later…
In the club's main hall, Aamon kicked a Trainer flying, then walked over to pick up a Pokéball from the fallen Trainer.
"Hah! A bet is a bet. If you dare stand up for this club, then be prepared to lose a Pokémon!"
Looking at the Trainer's mix of hatred and fear, Aamon sneered with disdain.
This was the adult world.
If they were in the wild, Aamon wouldn't even care about the guy's life.
If there were evidence, this guy would've already been sentenced to death!
"Oh, right—where's that rising star Trainer, Nathan? Isn't he training here? I don't see him anywhere."
"I came all the way here just to meet him!"
Aamon turned around with a smug, infuriating grin.
The manager's face twitched.
"Guest? My ass!"
If it weren't illegal, he would've smashed Aamon's face in long ago.
"So, it was me he was after all along…"
Hearing the arrogant voice from outside, a flash of realization passed through Nathan's eyes.
He knew it.
How could a cliché like showing up to face-slap someone just randomly happen here?
"Idol, what are you muttering about?"
Zoe asked curiously. Without psychic powers, she couldn't hear what was happening outside.
But Nathan could.
The training room's soundproofing was excellent, but Nathan had enhanced his hearing with Dragon Force, then used his psychic ability to bypass the soundproof walls.
In his hearing, Aamon was getting closer and closer to the training room.
Three.
Two.
One—
"Boom!"
(End of Chapter)