"Speak. When exactly did this happen?"
Nathan sat on a chair, his posture calm yet firm, and quietly looked at Grog, who stood in front of him. His voice carried no anger, only a weight of expectation that made the older man's heart tremble.
"It was when you went into the mystic realm last time… That was when I first realized it. At the time, I was planning to find the right moment to tell you, but…"
Grog, who was already nearly forty years old, stood before Nathan, a man barely in his twenties, yet in this moment he looked just like a child—specifically, a child who had done something wrong and been caught.
Faced with Nathan's question, he did not dare conceal anything. Not a single word was hidden; everything was confessed in full detail.
"If this matter hadn't come up now," Nathan's voice grew sharper, carrying the tone of a reprimand, "were you planning to wait until the child was actually born before you finally told me, hmm?"
The weight of that questioning tone made Grog so nervous that his palms began to sweat profusely.
"N-no… it wasn't like that. I really was planning to tell you, it's just that—"
His voice came out weak, almost pitiful.
At that moment, Nathan could not help but feel a deep sense of guilt toward his old teacher. Back then, the mayor had trusted him so much, handing over Meisha to his care with complete confidence. And now? Meisha had been taken by this pig-headed subordinate of his, and Grog even had the audacity to be standing here with such a cowardly expression.
For the first time, Nathan truly doubted whether his decision to support Grog and Meisha's relationship had been the right one at all.
Finally, after a moment of silence, Nathan let out a long breath. "I will allow you to marry Meisha. And I will also fulfill the promise I once made to you."
There was a trace of helplessness in his tone. Things had already developed to this point—what else could he say? He was not the head of some great aristocratic family, nor was Meisha his daughter. True, she was very much like a daughter to him, but in the end, she was not truly his child.
"R-really? I… I understand. Boss, are you saying you agree to me and Meisha marrying?"
Grog had originally thought Nathan was about to scold him harshly. But then, all of a sudden, he realized—his boss had just given his consent!
Tears immediately welled up in Grog's eyes.
At this moment, he realized that meeting Nathan had been the greatest blessing of his entire life.
If not for Nathan, he would still be wasting away in that underground death arena.
If not for Nathan, he would still be living each day in fear, constantly hiding and running.
Most importantly, if not for Nathan, he would never in his life have met Meisha.
"Boss, I—"
"Enough, enough! Look at yourself—do you even resemble a man right now?"
Grog wanted to speak further, but Nathan cut him off mid-sentence.
He really could not bear Grog's current behavior anymore—he was practically sobbing like a child. There wasn't a shred of a man's demeanor to be found in him.
"These next two days, prepare yourself properly. As for the wedding—do I need to tell you how to arrange it?"
Since matters had already reached this stage, Nathan decided to simply allow Grog to get married. And while doing so, he could also use the wedding as an opportunity to orchestrate certain things—such as public battles that could serve as both entertainment and training.
His own Pokémon had long needed opportunities to grow stronger, and Grog's wedding could be the perfect stage for that.
Of course, part of it was also for Grog himself—to give him a grand wedding worthy of the role he had played. After all, his company's growth to this point owed quite a lot to Grog's efforts.
But at the same time, Nathan had another purpose. His Pokémon desperately needed actual combat experience. With Volcarona advancing to the Legendary tier, and Mewtwo and the others constantly growing stronger, a huge gap had appeared between his most powerful Pokémon and the rest.
On the surface it might not seem like a problem, but Nathan knew better than anyone else that this world was filled with constant challenges. It was impossible to rely on only Volcarona, Mewtwo, and perhaps one or two other elites to face everything.
And just helping Volcarona advance to the Legendary tier had already taken so much time—first challenging Legendaries, then grinding experience. Relying solely on himself to push his Pokémon forward was far too slow.
That was why this wedding held great significance. For Grog, it would mark the start of a new chapter in his life. For Nathan, it would be a stage where his Pokémon could sharpen their strength and leap forward.
Although planning hadn't even begun, Nathan could already picture the scene—the wedding beginning, the world watching, and his Pokémon growing stronger battle by battle in front of everyone's eyes.
When Grog left to begin preparing for his wedding, Nathan turned his mind toward fulfilling the promise he had once made.
Back when Grog had gifted him this manor, Nathan had vowed that one day he would arrange a Pokémon-themed wedding for him.
A promise made was a promise to be kept.
Of course, planning such a wedding was far from simple. Ever since Pokémon had appeared in this world, many had dreamed of hosting such a wedding. But no one had ever truly succeeded.
It wasn't a matter of willingness, but of difficulty. Not every Pokémon had a gentle disposition, and even if they did, why should they help humans in such a frivolous ceremony?
But for Nathan, such obstacles weren't real problems at all.
He only needed to go out into the wild, find the right groups of Pokémon, and negotiate with them properly. In the worst case, it was nothing more than a matter of offering them plenty of pokeblocks.
"Ahh… I wonder, when the day comes for me to marry Lily, what kind of scene it will be like?"
For a moment, Nathan allowed himself to dream.
But he quickly pulled himself back to reality. He knew his own path well—marriage was still far, far away. He still had too many things he needed to accomplish. If he were to get married now, it would only serve as a hindrance.
Lily understood this as well. That was why she had never once brought up marriage herself.
As for searching for Pokémon to help with the wedding, Nathan did not head toward the Wandering Mountain Range. The reason was simple: the Pokémon there were far too strong and difficult to control.
Instead, his destination was Dream Valley.
Dream Valley was one of the most famous tourist attractions in the entire country—a place known specifically for interacting with Pokémon.
Unlike the wilderness, Dream Valley contained no vicious Pokémon. Every single one was of a kind and gentle nature.
When Dream Valley had first been discovered, many people were astonished. For so many harmless Pokémon to coexist together without hostility was something nearly impossible anywhere else.
Nathan boarded a plane and traveled to Weatherdrop City.
As soon as he disembarked, he immediately set off for Dream Valley.
It was springtime now—the season when Dream Valley was at its most lively. Along the way, he saw many other people heading to the same destination.
"You're… Nathan?"
At the hotel front desk, the receptionist glanced at the ID card in her hand, and her eyes widened with surprise. This was Nathan Vesper—the World Champion, the man who had brought glory to the nation in international competitions!
"Yes. I'm Nathan."
Nathan nodded politely.
The moment he confirmed his identity, the receptionist let out a sharp squeal and ran off in excitement, leaving Nathan utterly baffled.
…Had his good looks scared her away?
Not long after, the receptionist returned, this time bringing along a well-dressed man in a suit, who looked every bit the part of the hotel manager.
"Welcome, Mr. Vesper! I'm the manager of this hotel. It's an honor that you've chosen to stay with us!"
When he had first heard the receptionist claim that Nathan was here, the manager hadn't dared believe it. But now, seeing the champion in person, he could hardly contain his excitement.
Nathan offered him a polite handshake.
"I wonder—are you here in Dream Valley for leisure, or… for that other matter?" the manager asked carefully.
"That other matter? What do you mean by that?"
Nathan raised an eyebrow in confusion. Surely most people came here simply for enjoyment. Could something else have happened in Dream Valley?
But that didn't make sense either. Dream Valley was filled with gentle, low-level Pokémon. What trouble could possibly occur here?
"Ah, so you don't know. Recently, there's been… a disappearance in Dream Valley. And not just anyone—a child."
The manager sighed and began to explain.
Three days ago, a family of three had come to Dream Valley for a holiday. But somehow, their child had gone missing.
The police had immediately dispatched a search team, but despite their efforts, no trace of the child had been found. The hotel had sent people as well, yet the result was the same—nothing.
Word of the incident soon spread online, and discussions about Dream Valley began to heat up. Some people even claimed that Pokémon in Dream Valley had attacked humans.
For a place built entirely on its reputation for harmless and adorable Pokémon, this was devastating. Who would dare visit if even one such rumor were true?
The tourists still coming now were mostly people with powerful Pokémon of their own, confident they could handle any threat.
"Could it be that the child just got lost inside the valley?" Nathan suggested thoughtfully.
He was familiar with Dream Valley's history. It had been discovered nearly seven years ago, and in all that time there had never been a single similar incident.
For something like this to suddenly happen now—it was most likely just an accident.
"Of course, that's what we all want to believe," the manager replied bitterly. "Seven years without a single problem, and then this one incident threatens to shut the entire place down."
He had worked as the manager here ever since the hotel had first opened. Seven years of his life had been invested in this place, and naturally, he had developed a deep attachment to it. To see it possibly forced to close down now—it left him heartsick.
"In that case," Nathan said with a small nod, "while I'm here in Dream Valley, I'll help search as well. Perhaps I might discover something others have overlooked."
After all, he was going to spend several days here anyway. Helping search for a lost child was no trouble at all. And with the strength of his Pokémon, he would certainly be more effective at investigating than most.
(End of Chapter)