In order to eliminate this Spiritomb, Nathan and Volcarona had exhausted both their minds and their strength.
But Heaven rewards the diligent. In the end, their mission was finally completed.
This time, however, the mission's reward came in the form of Pokémon experience. Nathan didn't even think twice—he directly chose to allocate all of it to Volcarona.
Right now, Volcarona was on the verge of becoming a Legendary Pokémon, so naturally everything should be prioritized for it.
If, before the battle just now, Volcarona had already reached the Legendary level, then how could the fight have been so exhausting? Most likely, Nathan would have been able to command Volcarona to defeat that Spiritomb in mere minutes.
Volcarona, who had been in an utterly exhausted state, suddenly felt a surge of energy flooding into its body.
As this power poured in, it felt its strength recovering at an astonishing speed.
With the distribution of the system's reward, Volcarona's level rapidly climbed higher and higher.
In almost no time at all, Volcarona had reached Level 86.
Level 85 marked the peak of the Champion tier, while Level 86 signified stepping into the realm of the Legendary!
(TN: Guess the Champion level is know from level 61 to level 85.)
The moment it crossed into the Legendary class, tiny white lights began to appear around Volcarona.
Those motes of light continuously gathered toward its body, and before long, Volcarona was completely enveloped by a radiant glow.
"This… it really reach legendary level?"
Xerneas stared in disbelief at the sight of Volcarona breakthrough, so stunned that it was at a loss for words.
It had always heard Nathan say that Volcarona would soon reach Legendary.
But it never thought that Nathan's so-called "soon" was truly this soon.
Yet here it was happening right before its very eyes—reaching it under its direct gaze. A Champion-level Pokémon advancing into the Legendary tier!
"Of course it's real."
Nathan affirmed confidently.
This wasn't a joke. For Volcarona to advance to Legendary level, how much effort had he invested?
After all the time, all the planning, and all the battles, it had finally broke through. How could this possibly be fake?
Trainer and Pokémon alike both stared intently at Volcarona, wrapped in that cocoon of white light.
The glow persisted for about three to five minutes before finally showing signs of fading.
At that moment, Nathan's eyes were locked on Volcarona, unwilling to miss even the slightest detail.
The light gradually dispersed, bit by bit. After another three to five minutes, the radiance completely vanished.
Volcarona's form after its advancement was finally revealed.
(TN: This was called evolution in the raws but I change it to breaking through or advancing instead because I think its easier to accept in my head? Idk I just change it, you guys can think of it as evolution too I guess.)
At first, its wings were still wrapped protectively around its body, making it hard to see clearly.
Yet from just the wings alone, Nathan could already tell that its appearance had undergone drastic changes.
The patterns on its wings, in particular, were entirely different.
Previously, Volcarona's wings had scattered black spots, with the tips of its wings carrying darker shades.
But now, those black spots were gone, replaced by tiny yellow specks.
What's more, these specks no longer formed soft, rounded patterns, but had become jagged and irregular, resembling clusters of miniature flames.
The gradient of color, too, had shifted—from darker shades to lighter ones.
When Volcarona finally spread its wings, Nathan froze in shock.
Was this truly his Volcarona?
He could hardly believe his own eyes.
If Volcarona before could be compared to a beautiful maiden, then the new Volcarona now was like a celestial fairy.
Both beautiful, yes—but not even on the same level of beauty.
Volcarona's main color scheme had once been black and white. But now, its body gleamed in red and white.
The black parts had transformed into shades of red, some deep and some pale, with the most striking change on its abdomen.
Where once was pure black, now a soft, pinkish-red belly glowed warmly, like a blazing heart of love.
Its head, too, had turned a vivid crimson, giving it an irresistibly charming appearance.
The only thing that remained unchanged was its eyes.
They were still pale blue with vertical pupils, though compared to before, they seemed to shine with even greater intensity and spirit.
"Daddy~"
A crisp, childlike voice rang out, leaving Nathan completely dumbstruck.
Wait… Volcarona had just spoken?!
His Volcarona could speak human language now?
"Volcarona! You finally learned how to talk—come here, let me hold you!"
Nathan couldn't help but say excitedly.
It was like raising a child—struggling through countless hardships, nurturing it step by step, watching it grow into greatness.
That was exactly how he felt right now.
What made him happiest of all was that Volcarona could now speak. Before, if he wanted to truly understand it, he had to rely on the power of Viridian. Otherwise, he could only guess from tone and expression.
But now things were completely different. With Volcarona able to speak, communication between them would no longer face any barriers.
"Daddy~" Volcarona said again in that crisp voice, flapping its wings as it dove into Nathan's arms.
Only then did Nathan realize something else—Volcarona had grown larger.
Ordinarily, Volcarona's height was around 1.6 meters. But now, it towered over him, standing at least 2.2 meters tall.
He had been too focused on its appearance earlier and hadn't noticed.
"Daddy, from now on I can carry you when I fly!"
Hearing Nathan mention its growth, Volcarona immediately turned around and presented its back to him.
It remembered clearly—long ago, Nathan had once said that he dreamed of soaring through the sky on Volcarona's back.
At the time, it had been too small.
But now, things were different. Its body was far larger than Nathan's, more than capable of carrying him aloft.
"Ahem… Volcarona, can you not call me Daddy? I'm not that old. Just call me Nathan instead."
Though deeply shocked by its transformation, Nathan truly couldn't handle being addressed that way.
He was still young, unmarried, and now his Pokémon was calling him Dad?
Even if he knew, in his heart, that he had raised Volcarona like a child, it was still hard to accept.
"Mm~ Nathan, I'll listen to you."
Volcarona replied sweetly, obedient as always, changing its way of address just as he asked.
"Alright, let's get out of this mystic realm. We've been here for so long already—it's time to leave. But this time, I'll be riding on your back."
Nathan nodded, climbing onto Volcarona's back.
As for Xerneas, still in shock, Nathan recalled it back into its Poké Ball.
Volcarona flapped its wings and soared into the air. Even with Nathan's 140-pound weight on its back, it felt as light as ever, flying with ease.
Once they reached the skies, Nathan adjusted his posture, tucking his legs between Volcarona's second and third pairs of wings, while his hands rested naturally around its neck.
As they rose higher, Volcarona's speed skyrocketed. Compared to Flygon, this speed was on an entirely different level.
The speed of a Legendary level Pokémon was terrifying beyond words.
"You're going too—%$#—fast…"
On Volcarona's back, Nathan's composure completely collapsed. Its speed was so great that without protection, he couldn't even string together a full sentence.
In barely ten minutes, Volcarona carried him all the way to the exit.
Sliding down from its back, Nathan felt like his lungs were frozen through.
"Volcarona, next time you fly, can you maybe think a little about us fragile humans?"
He clutched his chest, shivering. Not just his lungs, but even his heart felt chilled.
His partner of so many years had broken through and evolved, but it had been so excited about flying that it had completely forgotten about its trainer.
"Nathan, next time I'll be careful."
Volcarona said in an apologetic tone, looking so adorable that Nathan couldn't bear to scold it.
Seeing that, Nathan gave up on the idea of reproaching it, recalled Volcarona, and walked toward the exit.
Once outside the mystic realm, he was surprised to see how many people had gathered there.
Why were there so many?
With everyone's eyes on him, Nathan handed his watch to the guard.
The guard quickly pulled up the recorded distance traveled.
The data was immediately projected onto the nearby screen.
When the surrounding crowd saw the number displayed, they were collectively stunned.
Thirty-five kilometers!
That figure was more than double the second-place result, utterly dominating the rankings.
The fat man who had run the betting pool earlier hurried over, his face filled with eager anticipation.
"Nathan, my man, tell me—did you make it all the way to the end?"
He asked with great expectation.
Among all the wagers placed earlier, the vast majority had been for specific distances. But no one had bet on thirty-five kilometers.
Only two people had wagered on reaching the very end.
So, Nathan's answer now would directly determine the fat man's profits.
(End of Chapter)