After teaching Mewtwo how to properly use the gravity regulator, Nathan left the mystic realm, bringing with him only Flygon and Volcarona.
All of his other Pokémon were kept inside the mystic realm, left there to continue their own training.
Once outside, Nathan released Flygon and set off directly toward his destination.
This time, his goal in training Volcarona was to venture into a very particular type of mystic realm.
After all, outside of such places, it was rare to find large concentrations of high-level Pokémon gathered in one area. The world outside could not compare to a mystic realm. A mystic realm was an enclosed, limited space, while the outside world was vast and expansive, offering countless areas where Pokémon could freely survive.
Because of that difference, Pokémon were far denser within a mystic realm than they ever were in the wild.
And the mystic realm Nathan planned to visit this time was one especially unique.
This mystic realm had existed for an extremely long time. One could even say that from the very moment Pokémon first appeared in the world, this particular realm had come into being alongside them.
It was widely known and often referred to as the Trial Mystic realm.
If each mystic realm could be said to have a "fixed shape," then this one was a long, narrow rectangle—almost like a strip of land stretched endlessly into the horizon.
The Trial Mystic realm was only five kilometers wide, barely anything in terms of breadth. Yet its length… its length was something no one had ever measured. Not a single person had ever managed to reach the end of this realm.
This was precisely why it had earned the name "Trial Mystic realm."
When first entering, one might encounter nothing more than newly hatched or low-level Pokémon. But the further one traveled, the stronger the Pokémon became. At present, the furthest any trainer within the country had managed to travel was roughly ten kilometers.
Riding on Flygon, Nathan sped forward, and after nearly four hours of nonstop flight, he finally arrived at the entrance of the Trial Mystic realm.
Unlike many other realms, the area outside of this one was bustling with activity.
It was natural, of course. As a mystic realm that had existed for more than fifty years, and one with no end yet discovered, its allure to explorers and trainers was naturally much greater than that of ordinary realms.
"Hey, did you hear? The record in the Trial Mystic realm was broken just two days ago. Someone managed to go nearly fifteen kilometers deep!"
"I heard about that! That guy's seriously strong. The furthest I've ever managed was around seven kilometers, and even then the Pokémon there were already at gym-leader level."
"Exactly. If he really got to fifteen kilometers, wouldn't that mean king-tier Pokémon are practically everywhere down there?"
Hearing the conversations drifting around him, Nathan couldn't help but feel pleased.
From these murmurs, he was able to confirm that the Pokémon within this mystic realm truly reached high levels. That was exactly what he wanted.
As he wandered around the lively outer camp, he noticed not only the sheer number of people, but also the amount of trade taking place.
Merchants were buying and selling everything imaginable. To his mild surprise, Nathan even spotted one of his company's own sales stalls. Compared to the other vendors, his company's stand was clearly doing the best business.
Apart from that, one thing in particular caught his attention: a massive electronic screen erected in the plaza, displaying a ranking board.
The glowing text clearly read Trial Mystic Realm Records.
Nathan didn't bother scanning the full list of names. He simply glanced at the top three.
First place: Mickey Chael – Distance Unknown (furthest reached).
Second place: Shift Conley – 14.7 km.
Third place: Colin Quill – 13.1 km.
"Brother, how exactly do they measure these distances?"
Curious, Nathan tugged at the sleeve of someone standing nearby. This was, after all, his first time coming here.
By all logic, once a person entered the mystic realm, no one outside should know how far they had traveled. So how could their progress be tracked so precisely?
"You mean you don't know? This your first time here?"
The man looked at Nathan with suspicion. Anyone who had entered the Trial Mystic realm even once would know how it worked. For someone not to know—it could only mean they were here for the very first time.
"That's right. It is my first time, so I'm curious," Nathan admitted with a smile.
"Well, when you enter the realm, the guards give you a special tracking wristwatch. At the entry point there's a radar system. The watch records the exact distance you travel within the realm, and once you return, the data is synced back outside. That's how the records are updated."
The man explained patiently. Yet after speaking, he frowned slightly. The person in front of him… looked oddly familiar.
Nathan thanked him and walked directly toward the entrance.
This kind of setup was something he had never encountered before, and he had to admit it was intriguing. Still, it was likely unique to this one realm. After all, every mystic realm had its own traits, and no two realms were ever identical.
When he arrived at the entrance, salesmen were actually hawking "strategy guides" for the Trial Mystic realm.
Amused, Nathan bought one for a hundred Pokécoins—not that the price meant much to him anymore.
Flipping through the booklet, he saw that it mainly listed what kinds of Pokémon appeared at what distances, and suggested which Pokémon types would be effective in countering them.
After glancing over it for a while, Nathan tucked the guide away.
The reason was simple: it was useless to him.
His objective was to train Volcarona, and that meant going much deeper. Yet the guide only covered information up to the thirteen-kilometer mark. Anything beyond was blank.
"I want to enter the mystic realm."
Nathan stepped up to the guards at the entrance.
"Name?"
One guard pulled out a tracking wristwatch and prepared to register his details.
"Nathan Vesper," he replied.
The guard typed in the name absentmindedly, but suddenly froze.
Lifting his head, he saw the calm, smiling face of Nathan—and his eyes went wide with shock.
It was actually him! Nathan, the world champion!
"Y-you… you're…!"
"Yes, I'm that Nathan," he said casually. "Can you give me the wristwatch quickly please? I'd like to get going before I get mobbed."
He had expected this reaction. The moment he gave his name, there was no avoiding it.
The guard took a deep breath, hurriedly finished registering the name, and handed over the device. Nathan was allowed inside without any further fees.
Normally, entering any mystic realm required payment. But at this point, Nathan was one of the very few trainers in the country who had been granted full free access to every known realm.
Once inside, he released Flygon and Volcarona.
Thanks to his earlier recovery efforts, Volcarona was once again in peak condition. Only the two damaged lower wings still had small sections that hadn't fully healed—but this did not affect its battle ability in the slightest.
Mounting Flygon, Nathan flew forward without pause.
The first stretch contained no Pokémon of significant level, and thus was not worth wasting time on.
With Volcarona's intimidating presence beside him, even the lesser wild Pokémon didn't dare approach.
Before long, the wristwatch on his arm displayed that he had traveled nine kilometers.
At this range, the Pokémon—though still only at gym-leader level—were bold enough to attack targets in the sky. Flygon and Volcarona soon found themselves under assault.
"Volcarona, protect Flygon. We keep moving forward."
"Voool~"
Volcarona responded, lowering itself to fly beneath Flygon, shielding both mount and rider from the attacks below.
With this formation, their pace slowed, but they continued to advance steadily.
Finally, when the watch displayed twelve kilometers, the wild Pokémon they encountered were no longer gym-tier, but elite-tier.
At this level, even for Volcarona, blocking their attacks was not easy.
"Looks like from here on, we'll have to fight our way through. Volcarona, it's all up to you now."
Nathan had Flygon land and recalled it into its Pokéball, then stood ready to command his partner.
The first opposing Pokémon appeared, charging at them, and Nathan immediately directed Volcarona into battle.
But after several such encounters, he realized something unusual.
"Why are the Pokémon here so aggressive?"
No matter what species they were, each one attacked them relentlessly.
Pokémon in the outside world came with diverse personalities. Some were docile, others fierce, and many would not even bother outsiders. Yet here, in this Trial mystic realm, it seemed as though all those personality differences had been erased.
What remained was only a single trait: a compulsive, unrelenting desire to battle.
Even Pokémon species normally known for their gentleness would immediately attack the moment they saw him.
"…Xerneas, come out."
Nathan released Xerneas from its Pokéball.
Although most of his Pokémon were left in his own mystic realm for training, Xerneas was not fully captured, and thus he had brought it with him.
"Why did you suddenly let me out?"
Appearing in the realm, Xerneas glanced around, frowning. This environment carried an aura that made it feel distinctly uncomfortable, as though something here was deliberately tugging at its inner urge to fight.
"I want to ask you—why do the Pokémon in this realm all show such an extreme desire to battle?" Nathan explained.
As he spoke, they encountered another wild Pokémon. The moment it spotted them, it unleashed a move in attack.
Xerneas stared at it closely. The creature was a Heliolisk.
(End of Chapter)