After releasing the scale powder, Nathan continued speaking.
As he talked, he swiftly recalled his Pokémon—leaving only Volcarona and Frosmoth out.
Flamethrower and Aurora Beam collided mid-air, the intense clash of high and low temperatures resulting in a massive explosion.
BOOM!
With a thunderous roar, the ice layer over the sea shattered into pieces from the blast.
Chunks of broken ice now floated on the ocean surface.
Most of the Pokémon from Chiyou, except for a few that could fly, ended up plunging into the sea.
Even those that didn't fall into the water were stranded on floating ice, helpless.
The explosion was so powerful that it formed a mushroom cloud above the blast site.
"Bye now! Hope you guys can catch up!"
Nathan waved at the members of the Dark Organization and turned to leave, riding his Flygon.
Only an idiot would stay and keep fighting at this point.
Who knew how many more reinforcements Chiyou might send? If dozens more showed up, wouldn't he be stuck here for real?
After flying for nearly half an hour and confirming that no one was chasing him anymore, Nathan finally felt relieved. He took out his phone and called Kelly.
Kelly was overjoyed to receive the call—he had just received news that a massive explosion had occurred within Valar's territory.
He had been incredibly worried that Nathan might've been caught up in it.
"As long as you're okay. When I first heard about the explosion, my heart nearly stopped."
Right now, Kelly was Nathan's exclusive contact. If anything happened to Nathan, Kelly's future prospects would be in serious jeopardy.
Nathan was basically his lucky star now. As long as Nathan returned safely and participated in the World Tournament, Kelly's career trajectory would be much smoother.
"Oh? How did you know there was a huge explosion?" Nathan asked, surprised that Kelly was already aware.
"Nathan, the explosion was so big it was clearly visible from a satellite. What do you think?" Kelly replied, exasperated.
Visible from a satellite?
To be honest, Nathan hadn't expected the combined power of Volcarona and Frosmoth to be so terrifying.
They never fought together, and even during competitions, he usually only used one of them.
"Well, fine… So, can you come pick me up?"
Nathan glanced helplessly at the endless sea around him.
It was vast and boundless—he was honestly afraid of getting lost and drifting off who knows where.
"Hang up for now. I'll guide you. Follow the direction I give you, and someone will meet you at the rendezvous point," Kelly said.
With the help of satellite guidance, Nathan kept flying in the designated direction.
Along the way, he fed his Flygon plenty of pokeblocks. Although Flygon was fast, its energy consumption was massive.
After nearly six hours of flight, Nathan finally reached the edge of Celestia
After waiting for almost an hour, he saw a speedboat racing toward him.
Flying the nation's flag, the boat approached fast.
"Nathan! I'm here to take you to the aircraft carrier," said a soldier on board.
Another half-hour later, Nathan arrived on the carrier.
He had originally thought he'd return to the country on the ship—but what happened next caught him completely off guard.
"Nathan, I'm the captain of this aircraft carrier. Please put on this protective suit. You're boarding a fighter jet."
The captain handed him a protective suit and pointed at a fighter jet nearby.
…
Amid the roar of its engines, a fighter jet smoothly landed at the Grace City Airport.
Mayor John and his secretary had been waiting on the tarmac well in advance.
Nathan stepped off the jet, removing his helmet with one hand as he descended.
The moment John saw Nathan, he hurried over. But Nathan's next move stunned everyone around.
He bent over and—
"Ugh…"
He vomited.
"Uhh… Nathan, are you okay?" Mayor John quickly took a tissue from his secretary and handed it over.
He honestly didn't expect Nathan—the prodigy in every aspect—to get motion sickness, even if it was in a fighter jet.
Cough cough. "I'm fine. The jet may look cool, but it's nowhere near as comfortable as riding a Pokémon," Nathan said, wiping his mouth.
Under Mayor John's care, Nathan rested in a hotel for two hours before finally recovering from his motion sickness.
"Nathan, come on. Tonight, I'm treating you to a feast—my treat of course, in your honor," Mayor John said with a grin once Nathan looked better.
At dinner, it wasn't just the two of them. A few well-known drinkers from the military also joined.
The meal dragged on until quite late.
As the Pacific Regional Champion, Nathan was naturally the star of the evening—and the target of many drinking games.
By the end, he was so drunk he had to be carried back to the hotel.
The next morning, after checking in with friends and family to let them know he was safe, Nathan wasted no time.
He immediately set out for the Wandering Mountains.
This trip had already cost him over half a month, and by now, the bloodline issue with his Charmander should be resolved.
More importantly, he needed to retrieve the 10 billion Pokémon dollars promised to him.
That reward had been on his mind constantly. If he could get his hands on it before his next trip to Valar, then no matter what challenges lay ahead, nothing would be too hard.
Thankfully, he had returned safely.
Riding his Flygon into the Wandering Mountains, Nathan headed straight for the place where he had met the three Legendary Pokémon.
Upon arriving, he used the same method as before—having Volcarona fly into the sky to act as a second sun.
Within ten minutes of Volcarona rising into the sky, all three Legendary Pokémon appeared.
"Nathan, you came back at the perfect time," Entei said cheerfully upon seeing him.
"Oh? Does that mean the bloodline issue with my Charmander has been resolved?"
Nathan's heart skipped a beat with joy—what timing!
On his way here, he had been dying to see what changes his Charmander had undergone. Would it look the same? Or had it become even cooler?
"Of course! Just watch!" Entei replied.
A beam of white light appeared before Nathan.
As it faded, Nathan saw his Charmander—but it no longer looked like a typical one.
Ordinary Charmanders had orange or yellow-orange bodies, smooth bald heads, and a small flame at the tip of their tail.
But Nathan's Charmander now had two short whiskers growing on the sides of its mouth.
Two small protrusions had appeared on its head, and the usual tail flame was gone.
Instead, a line of fire ran down its spine from neck to tail, disappearing only at the tip.
Though the changes seemed minor, they added up to a completely new species.
Despite being taken by Entei for a month due to its bloodline issues, the Charmander recognized Nathan instantly and ran over, affectionately rubbing its head against his leg.
Nathan fed it two pokeblocks, and the little guy became even more cheerful.
"It's really changed a lot," Nathan said, looking down.
"This is just the beginning," Entei said with a warm smile. "Once it evolves again, the transformation will be even more dramatic."
Despite only spending a month together, Entei had clearly grown very fond of the little Charmander.
He stared at it for a moment before his expression suddenly changed.
"Take it and go. Don't let me see you again," he said, scowling.
The thought of this little one leaving with Nathan made Entei feel like a father marrying off his beloved daughter.
"You sure you want me to leave? I really will go, y'know," Nathan replied, grinning mischievously.
Entei's expression darkened even further—Nathan looked just like the kind of rogue his daughter might fall for.
"You going or not?" Entei growled, summoning a fireball in front of him.
"Alright, alright. I'm going. After I find Ho-Oh's feather, I'll give it to Charmander, okay?"
Nathan scooped up Charmander and climbed onto Flygon's back, preparing to leave.
But just as he finished speaking, the three Legendary Pokémon suddenly surrounded him.
(End of Chapter)