You have to understand—Hana was from Valar, and this time, her country had also gotten involved in the operation against Nathan.
If Valar wanted to target one of their own citizens, it would be very easy for them.
"Luckily, I'm currently the exclusive distributor for Dynamax Candy in Valar. With that, there shouldn't be any problem," Hana said with a playful smile.
Nathan was stunned for a moment before realizing what she meant.
He hadn't expected that his decision to appoint Hana as the distributor of Dynamax Candy in Valar would, at this very moment, end up helping Lily.
The three of them rode in Hana's car and returned directly to the hotel.
Right now, Nathan didn't dare let Lily go out freely.
But keeping her cooped up in the hotel indefinitely wasn't a solution either.
"What do we do now?" Hana asked, slightly troubled.
Although she could lend Nathan a bit of help, that was the extent of it.
"How about… you go negotiate a business deal, and I leave on my own?" Nathan offered tentatively.
Hana's eyes lit up at the suggestion.
It was actually a brilliant idea.
As long as they claimed that Lily was her business partner, anyone trying to stop Lily would essentially be sabotaging their own country's interests.
Even though Valar only came in second in the Pacific regionals, any country placing in the top three could participate in the World Tournament.
Valar was originally very strong. But if they lost just because of the Dynamax Candy supply chain getting disrupted, it was something they definitely didn't want to see happen.
"Alright! I'll go post about it online now. I'm sure everyone here is eager for Dynamax Candy to go on sale," Hana said confidently.
After she posted the announcement, within just a few minutes, the comment count surpassed 2,000.
Most of the replies were asking the same thing: "When will it be available for purchase?"
Because Dynamax Candy was involved, the topic quickly went viral online in Valar.
Ninety-nine percent of those who saw the post urged Hana to finalize the deal quickly—they were eager to get their hands on the product.
In the meantime, Hana also booked two tickets for the same flight that Lily would be taking.
Time passed quickly, and the flight's departure time drew near.
Before that, Hana and Lily drove to the airport together.
As for Nathan, he packed his things and headed straight for the coast.
Those who had been monitoring Nathan saw that he and Lily had split up and decisively chose to continue following Nathan.
After all, their target was Nathan, not Lily. They only intended to capture her earlier to use her as leverage.
Just as expected, Hana and Lily encountered interference when trying to board the flight.
"If you keep obstructing us, I believe many people back home will start protesting!" Hana warned.
"You may go, Miss Nozomi. But she cannot," one of the airport security personnel said, pointing at Lily.
They had received strict orders to stop Lily at all costs. Even if she was with Hana, she wasn't allowed to leave the country.
"In that case, I'll just go public with this. Lily has all the proper documents—why is she being denied exit from the country?" Hana said as she pulled out her phone, ready to post the incident online.
Seeing that she was actually going to expose the situation, the airport staff were caught off guard.
They knew they wouldn't be able to contain the public backlash if people really got upset.
"Please wait just a moment. Let me check with my superiors," the security officer said hastily before rushing off to report the situation.
Upon learning that Hana had used the Dynamax Candy distribution as leverage at the airport, the authorities had no choice but to back off.
As long as the person beside Hana wasn't Nathan, they could let it slide.
In the end, thanks to Hana's pressure, Lily was finally allowed to board the plane as a business partner.
Meanwhile, Nathan led his trackers all the way to the coastline.
Throughout the trip, Nathan moved leisurely—walking, stopping occasionally to sample some local snacks.
His main goal was just to draw their attention away.
Checking the time on his phone, he noted that the flight Lily and Hana were on should have already departed.
And since neither of them had called, it meant they successfully boarded the plane.
Before parting ways, the three had agreed that if anything went wrong with boarding, they would contact each other immediately.
"Alright, they're gone. That means it's time for my performance," Nathan muttered with a grin.
Finishing the last fish ball from his snack box, he pulled out Flygon's Poké Ball.
Releasing Flygon, Nathan climbed onto its back and took off.
The people tailing him saw him suddenly take flight on a Pokémon and quickly released their own Pokémon to give chase.
And so, along Valar's coastline, a rather dramatic scene unfolded—Nathan flying in front on Flygon, with a dozen or more people pursuing from behind.
Those tracking him quickly reported his movements.
Upon receiving the update, the Dark Organization immediately dispatched reinforcements.
At the same time, Valar's military sent out naval forces under the pretense of responding to an unknown individual flying a Pokémon along the coast.
After flying for a while, Nathan spotted several naval warships ahead.
"Attention: land immediately and submit to inspection, or we will open fire!" came the warning from the ships.
At first, the naval officers only shouted—no shots were fired.
They knew that if they did open fire, things could escalate quickly.
But if Nathan actually complied and landed, he'd be a fool. He was being chased by so many—if he landed, he'd be surrounded instantly.
Still, he had to prepare in case they actually did shoot.
He released both Volcarona and Frosmoth, the two brightly colored Pokémon flanking him like celestial guardians.
Seeing that Nathan had no intention of stopping—and even summoned two more powerful Pokémon—the navy finally opened fire.
Boom!
The sound of cannon fire echoed through the air as several shells hurtled toward Nathan.
Frosmoth instantly activated Aurora Veil, shielding both herself and Nathan.
Volcarona responded with Flamethrower, launching a scorching stream of fire at one of the warships.
…
The cannon shells exploded upon impact with the Aurora Veil, but the barrier only trembled slightly and didn't break.
Meanwhile, Volcarona's Flamethrower landed squarely on the ship, and the crew scrambled to extinguish the flames.
That brief moment of distraction allowed Nathan's pursuers to catch up and surround him.
Volcarona and Frosmoth stood beside Nathan like twin war gods, unwavering.
The pursuers also released their own Pokémon.
Unfortunately, there were no cameras or spectators around—because if there had been, this battle would undoubtedly have gone viral worldwide.
A fire-type and an ice-type Pokémon protecting their Trainer—and both were champion-tier.
This wasn't something you saw every day.
"Heh, heard you guys want to stop me from going home?" Nathan said with a smirk.
"Frosmoth, Icy Wind! Freeze the entire sea surface!"
Frosmoth flapped her wings, and the freezing wind instantly turned the ocean's surface to ice.
With the ice forming solid ground, Nathan brought out the rest of his Pokémon.
Now that the battlefield had stable footing, his ground-bound Pokémon could join the fight as well.
Of course, this also benefited his pursuers, who summoned their ground-type Pokémon in response.
A massive battle broke out!
Nathan commanded his team to engage.
The nearby warships, having received orders not to interfere, simply watched the battle unfold.
As the fighting escalated, the battlefield descended into chaos.
One by one, the pursuers' Pokémon began to fall.
There was no helping it—Nathan's team was simply too powerful.
His opponents' Pokémon, while strong by ordinary standards, were nowhere near his level.
It was a completely one-sided fight.
With two champion-tier Pokémon backing him, Nathan was practically invincible here.
"You guys are seriously annoying," Nathan said coldly.
"Nathan, stop trying to escape. Our reinforcements will be here soon!" shouted one of the Dark Organization members.
Nathan laughed at that. "You really think I'll give you the chance to hold me back?"
"Volcarona, Frosmoth—Powder Dance! Drop it all in one spot!"
Volcarona and Frosmoth soared into the sky, scattering shimmering powder as they beat their wings.
The falling powder inflicted massive damage to enemy Pokémon.
Frosmoth's scales carried arctic chill—unless the opponent was fire- or ice-type, the powder would instantly start forming frost over their bodies.
Volcarona's scales, on the other hand, radiated intense heat. Any non-fire Pokémon that came into contact with them suffered burns.
"Volcarona, Frosmoth—use Flamethrower and Aurora Beam! Focus fire on a single point!" Nathan commanded.
The battle was far from over—but the outcome was already certain.
(End of Chapter)