Are there not many rich people? There are!
Are there not many people who lack resources? There are!
But among all these people, only a handful have managed to raise a champion-level Pokémon.
Back when Nathan revealed his champion-level Volcarona in the national tournament, it shocked the entire country.
And now, in such a short span of time, Nathan has a second champion-level Pokémon in his possession.
The dreams of countless people—Nathan has already fulfilled them twice.
Is this the difference between ordinary people and true geniuses?
Soon enough, more people began to realize this.
Even Fujiwara Taka noticed that Nathan's Frosmoth was actually champion-level.
But the Frosmoth he had seen before was only at the Elite level.
Could it be that there were two Frosmoths in Mount Futu's mystic realm?
Or… did Nathan somehow raise an Elite-level Pokémon to the champion level in just six days?
Fujiwara Taka chose to believe the first possibility.
…
The chubby man stared at Nathan's Frosmoth with envy and jealousy in his heart.
Why could Nathan capture a champion-level Pokémon in their country?
He had traveled all over his own nation and still hadn't even seen a champion-level Pokémon—let alone captured one.
Could this really be the gap between individuals?
"Nathan, I advise you to hand over that Frosmoth! That's a Pokémon from our country!"
The fat man said with obvious jealousy.
Nathan doubted his ears. Did this guy just say to hand over his Frosmoth?
Was this some kind of joke?
He had gone through all that trouble, climbed the snowy peaks of Mount Futu's mystic realm, and finally captured it.
He had also poured in a mountain of resources to raise it to the champion level.
And now someone was telling him to hand it over?
"That's not a funny joke," Nathan said angrily.
If he didn't get angry over this, then he wouldn't be Nathan.
Seriously? That Frosmoth had waited up there on the snow mountain for ages, and no one had gone to bond with it.
Strictly speaking, you didn't even need to capture it—just reaching the summit was enough to earn its recognition.
You didn't go for it, and now you don't want anyone else to have it either?
The fat man's words didn't just infuriate Nathan—they also set off a storm of criticism from netizens.
"This shameless bastard must've been raised in an orphanage."
"Pokémon don't belong to any country—they belong to themselves!"
In the Murakami Arena, many citizens of Celestia were present and even from other countries joined in the verbal takedown of the fat man.
Of course, the fat man couldn't understand the language.
But Hana, who was spectating, could.
For the first time, she felt deeply ashamed of her own countrymen.
"I'm not joking. I'm warning you," the fat man said firmly.
If he could just force Nathan to hand over the Frosmoth, it wouldn't matter even if he lost the match.
With that Pokémon, he was sure Fujiwara Taka could defeat Nathan.
"Then let me ask you this: are you speaking on behalf of your country, or just for yourself?"
Nathan said coldly.
If this was how their nation truly operated, he wouldn't hesitate to stir things up at the arena.
"I…"
The fat man didn't know how to respond.
If he said he spoke for the nation and the country didn't back him up, wouldn't he be a clown?
But if he said it was just his personal opinion, then the whole matter would fall apart.
Before the match had even started, this whole ridiculous incident had already disgusted a lot of people.
"He is representing our nation!"
Fujiwara Taka shouted from below the stage.
To be honest, he had also taken a liking to that Frosmoth.
If Nathan really handed it over, it would definitely go to him.
So of course, he came forward to support his own teammate.
"Fine. Since you insist, then let's leave this up to the World Tournament officials,"
Nathan said calmly.
The tournament officials then began a discussion on the issue.
Truth be told, this was the first time such a thing had happened.
In the past, people had captured Pokémon in foreign countries,
but no one had ever made such a ludicrous demand.
Now that it had happened on the World Stage, the officials had no choice but to deal with it seriously.
The match was suspended.
Because of one sentence from the fat man, the entire match had to pause.
Nathan recalled his Frosmoth and returned to his hotel to quietly await the verdict.
…
In a government office in Celestia's capital:
"Where's their shame?!"
The Third Elder slammed his teacup down on the table.
"People all over the world catch foreign Pokémon. Now they want to take it back only when Nathan does it?"
The Third Elder was livid.
"Exactly! And the World Tournament officials are even considering it? Are their brains full of water?"
The Second Elder was equally furious.
Catching a wild Pokémon without a trainer obviously means it's the property of whoever caught it.
If they really think it belongs to their country, then let the Pokémon speak for itself!
"Enough. Don't get too worked up. I've already sent word to the embassy to apply pressure."
The First Elder, in contrast, remained calm.
Nathan had faced obstacle after obstacle representing the country in this tournament.
But as long as he was one of their own, he would receive their full support.
"And tell the border forces: wasn't the new aircraft carrier just completed? Take it out for a little cruise."
The First Elder said to the Third Elder.
…
That night, near the maritime border between Celestia and Valar, Celestia's newly developed aircraft carrier began patrolling.
When Valar caught wind of this, apprehension gripped them.
Celestia was no longer the country it used to be.
Now, it was one of the most powerful nations in the world.
Although they could match technologically, they were still a small nation… so they really couldn't afford a direct confrontation.
They hadn't torn the diplomatic mask yet, but if a conflict truly broke out, Celestia's military would flatten them.
The World Tournament officials also received the message.
With Celestia a top global power—furious, they had no choice but to comply.
The next morning, Nathan received the decision.
The Frosmoth belongs to Nathan and is not the property of Valar.
That was the official ruling from the World Tournament.
They caved.
Once the announcement went public, the citizens of Celestia erupted in cheers.
Online, people endlessly mocked the chubby man.
With the Frosmoth issue resolved, the tournament could continue.
The moment the ruling came out in the morning, the matches resumed that afternoon.
When Nathan arrived at Murakami Arena, he happened to bump into Valar's team.
"Oh? Isn't this Valar team? Should I switch to a different Pokémon? I'm so afraid you might steal it mid-match."
His words were thick with sarcasm.
Fujiwara Taka and his teammates looked like they had just eaten mud. Their expressions were grim.
But with the officials' ruling, they didn't dare say another word.
All they could do was quicken their steps into the arena, hoping to at least beat Nathan in battle.
Watching the Valar's team flee in silence, Nathan smirked and followed them into Murakami Arena.
The match started soon after.
The first opponent from the Valar's team was, unsurprisingly, the same chubby man from yesterday.
Looking at him, Nathan chuckled lightly and said,
"What, not going to say Frosmoth belongs to your country today?"
The fat man's face turned dark and he said nothing.
He had no idea how to even respond to that.
After all, he had already lost all credibility the day before.
"Come on out—Quagsire!"
(End of Chapter)