The streamlined spear of fire cut through the air with minimal resistance, allowing its speed to climb to the very peak.
And this fiery spear, once it made contact with its target, would explode instantly.
Although Volcarona followed close behind the fire spear, the moment it reached the critical point, it quickly pulled away.
Only the blazing spear continued accelerating forward.
As it neared the ground, Volcarona beat its wings with sudden force, lifting its body rapidly into the sky.
The fire lance, however, plummeted downward at even greater speed.
The instant the blazing spear struck the ground—an explosion erupted!
The spear, saturated with immense amounts of energy, detonated at once. The violent explosion created a deafening noise that made anyone nearby instinctively cover their ears.
Nathan covered his ears as he watched this scene unfold.
When the explosion finally subsided, he hurried forward.
Seeing the crater before his eyes, his face broke into a wide grin—an expression overflowing with joy.
Because the pit was enormous. In fact, it was so massive that even a football field was small in comparison. All across the crater's interior were charred and blackened traces left behind by the searing flames.
Just from the sheer size of this devastation, one could clearly see how terrifyingly powerful this move truly was.
[Congratulations, Host, on creating an SSS-grade Pokémon move. Please name this move!]
Right as Nathan was rejoicing, the system's voice rang out, bringing with it another piece of great news.
Even the system had judged this technique to be of SSS-grade—this proved beyond doubt that Nathan's idea of inventing new moves was absolutely correct.
After all, Volcarona already knew quite a large number of techniques, and some of them were highly advanced.
But even among those, the strongest were only ranked SS at best. Yet now, he had successfully created a move evaluated as SSS.
"Since this attack takes the form of a fiery spear, let's call it 'Fire God Spear'."
Nathan thought for a moment before giving it its name.
Although in the past, when he demonstrated moves like Iron Body, others often marveled at his genius—saying that for someone so young to invent moves was simply astonishing—he himself knew those weren't truly his own creations.
Those were simply borrowed techniques he had brought into this world.
But this move, the Fire God Spear, was different. It was the first real technique that he had personally created from nothing.
[Naming successful. The move has been registered as 'Fire God Spear.' Creation reward has been issued!]
The system's voice echoed once again, this time accompanied by a tangible prize.
Looking down, Nathan found a sheet of paper had appeared in his hand, inscribed with the formula for a special Pokémon consumable.
To the current Nathan, such an item wasn't particularly crucial anymore.
But still—it was a token of the system's recognition of his achievement!
Having created a complete new move, Nathan returned Volcarona to its Poké Ball so it could rest.
The process of creating this move had taken him nearly two full days. During that time, he had also gone to check on Mewtwo and the others in training.
Thanks to the gravity regulator he had provided them, the growth of his Pokémon had accelerated greatly.
Mewtwo, in particular, had already mastered the use of Iron Body, which marked a tremendous step forward.
Satisfied, Nathan gathered up Mewtwo and the others back into their Poké Balls. It was time to leave the mystic realm.
He had been gone long enough—it was about time to test the fruits of their progress.
Simple training could only reveal so much. Only in real battles could he truly measure how much Mewtwo and the others had advanced.
…
After leaving the mystic realm, Nathan immediately contacted Grog.
"Grog, I'm back. How's everything going?" he asked as soon as the call connected.
He had been gone for quite a while. By now, there should be plenty of challengers who had come for him.
"Boss, rest assured, I've got it all arranged. You wouldn't believe it—just for this matter, I even hired several translators."
Grog's voice brimmed with confidence.
During Nathan's absence, many trainers seeking to challenge him had gone through Grog.
The only issue was that these challengers weren't from the country—and none of them spoke the local language.
So, in order to communicate smoothly, Grog had gone out of his way to hire interpreters.
"Oh? From the sound of it, that means there are quite a lot of people?"
Nathan chuckled. The fact that Grog had to hire multiple translators spoke volumes.
"Of course! A total of five—each from a different country!"
When Grog mentioned the number, his tone was brimming with excitement.
It was just like a child proudly showing off a perfect score on a test.
"Good. I'll get in touch and head over right now," Nathan replied, then ended the call.
Immediately after, he contacted Kelly.
Once he explained his intentions, Kelly agreed without hesitation.
Riding on his Flygon, Nathan flew straight to the hotel.
By the time he arrived, Grog was already waiting outside.
"Boss, finally! These guys have been getting way too cocky—teach them a proper lesson already!"
The moment Grog laid eyes on Nathan, he couldn't hold back his complaints.
Over the phone earlier, he had restrained himself, thinking it was a waste of time to rant.
But now that Nathan stood before him, he couldn't stop the words from spilling out.
Nathan just laughed.
Arrogant challengers? That was to be expected. Anyone who came to challenge him wasn't likely to be humble.
After all, he had been extremely arrogant online already. For them to arrive and act meek would be impossible.
"Haha. If we're talking arrogance, I might just be even more arrogant than they are."
Nathan grinned broadly.
Following Grog into the hotel, he soon came face-to-face with the challengers.
They wore different styles of clothing, their skin tones varied—each clearly from a different land.
"So, you're Nathan? Hmph, you don't look like much."
"I thought you had four arms or something, with the way you talk online."
Two of the challengers sneered as soon as they saw him, their words dripping with provocation.
"I don't have four arms," Nathan replied calmly, "but I do know one thing you guys beating me will be a pipe dream."
His tone was utterly indifferent, as though he were talking about the most trivial matter in the world.
Yet, to the others, that calmness only came across as supreme arrogance.
They were trainers who had agreements with legendary Pokémon. Bringing such Pokémon here had cost them dearly.
And yet, even faced with them, Nathan still dared to be so arrogant.
"Anyone can spout big words. But let's see if you can actually back them up."
Another challenger stepped forward, his eyes sharp.
Off to the side, Grog and the interpreters looked on in stunned silence.
They all knew Nathan as their boss, as the world champion, as a true genius when it came to Pokémon.
But what they hadn't expected was this—his talent for languages was just as frightening.
The five challengers each spoke different tongues from different countries, and yet Nathan conversed with all of them effortlessly.
His replies flowed so naturally it was as if he were speaking his own mother tongue each time.
The interpreters, who had spent years painstakingly studying their languages, suddenly felt humbled.
Some of the words and phrases Nathan used weren't even familiar to them, yet he answered without hesitation.
It was astonishing.
"Enough talk. Let's bring out our Pokémon and see for ourselves. After all, you seem to believe your Pokémon can triumph even over legends!"
One of the challengers finally urged impatiently.
Nathan smiled and agreed. This was exactly what he wanted.
Just then, Kelly's helicopter arrived overhead.
Spotting the incoming aircraft, Nathan gestured for everyone to board, and together they flew straight toward the desert.
Or rather—it was no longer a true desert.
The battlefield scars left behind from his last battle there still lingered, refusing to fade even now.
That clash between two fire-type Pokémon had scorched the land so thoroughly that it had yet to recover.
The helicopter soon descended into the desolate wasteland.
The challengers gazed at the remnants of destruction still etched across the earth.
At that moment, they felt the weight of Nathan's strength more keenly than ever.
They had seen the recordings of his battles before, of course. But seeing the lingering aftermath with their own eyes was an entirely different matter.
Only now could they truly sense how fierce and devastating that battle must have been.
After disembarking, Nathan turned to the five challengers and asked, "So, who's first?"
He didn't know what Pokémon they would bring, so he simply asked them directly.
The five exchanged glances before one man stepped forward. He was dressed in a long white robe.
"I'll go first. Facing you at your peak state—whether I win or lose—there's no shame in it."
His words took Nathan by surprise.
What kind of excuse was that?
So even if he lost, he could brush it off, claiming it was because Nathan was at his peak. A ready-made escape route, disguised as humility.
Still, Nathan only smiled.
"Very well. Then let's begin."
He walked with the man to a more open area.
Seeing that the battle was about to start, Grog immediately began his own preparations.
After all, he knew there would once again be a clash involving legendary Pokémon.
This time, he had come fully equipped: professional cameras, protective goggles, a safety helmet—anything and everything he might need to safely witness the entire fight.
(End of Chapter)