"Thank you. Oh, by the way, Bella doesn't like spicy food,"
Nathan added suddenly after expressing his gratitude.
Back in Magic City, Bella had curiously taken a bite of a sesame pancake with just the tiniest dab of chili and was instantly in tears.
He couldn't help but wonder—do hair colors represent elemental attributes? Ice just can't handle fire?
"No problem! I guarantee there won't be even a hint of spice!"
"Idol, can I get a picture with you and an autograph too? Say cheese!"
Zoe readily agreed, then pulled out a camera faster than lightning.
She struck a pose with a peace sign pointed at her cheek.
Click!
…
When Nathan arrived at the restaurant, he looked helpless.
Because not only did Zoe get his autograph, she also posted the photo on her social media.
Even though a bunch of her girlfriends showered it with likes and envy, Nathan had a bad feeling.
And sure enough, that gut feeling came true—because he spotted Will in the restaurant.
"Well, what a coincidence! You guys came here to eat too?"
Seeing Nathan and Zoe, Will feigned surprise.
But anyone with half a brain could tell how lousy his acting was.
"Will, I'm warning you! If you keep pestering me, I swear I'll make sure you spend the next two months in a hospital!"
Zoe exploded. She pulled out a Poké Ball on the spot.
Nathan understood, of course.
No one wants to be eating and suddenly see a walking pile of garbage—especially when it stinks as much as this one.
But Will wasn't fazed at all. Instead, he got even more brazen.
"Go on, send out your Pinsir and slam it on my head! After all, this is the whip of love from my future wife!"
Nathan realized why Will was acting so shamelessly—because he knew no one could touch him.
In the wild, the disappearance of Trainers wasn't uncommon. Even the League couldn't manage it all.
The Dark Organizations were even worse—completely lawless.
But in broad daylight, in the middle of a city, and in front of everyone, commanding a Pokémon to attack someone was just as serious as pulling out a submachine gun and opening fire in Nathan's past life.
Will was counting on the fact that Zoe wouldn't actually be able to do anything to him, which gave him the audacity.
"Sigh, let's go. Why waste your energy on trash? Not worth ruining your mood."
"Just ignore him. Worst case, I'll give you a few more signed selfies."
With a sigh, Nathan gently pulled Zoe by the arm and chose to walk away.
After all, she had helped him a lot.
As soon as Zoe heard the words "signed selfies," her anger melted away and was replaced by a big grin.
Clinging to Nathan's arm, she beamed with joy.
"Really? That's amazing, thank you so much, idol! Oh, and I want autographs and photos with Zeraora, Metagross, and Pangoro too!"
"Oh! And I haven't seen your Volcarona in so long—please, let me see her again!"
She suddenly became a chatterbox, talking non-stop as they left the restaurant—completely ignoring Will.
Watching them walk away, Will finally couldn't smile anymore.
Just a moment ago he had been disgusting, but now he finally understood what it felt like to be on the receiving end of the disgust.
Still, he didn't dare make a move himself—he wasn't a Trainer. In fact, Pokémon hated him by nature.
Even if he acted out in rage, it would only end in humiliation.
Not to mention, Nathan was currently a hotshot rising star. Even if Will was a Trainer, he wouldn't be able to beat him.
Oh, and by the way—being hated by Pokémon wasn't some inborn trait.
It's something that stems from having malicious and exploitative intent toward Pokémon from a young age.
Because kids don't know how to hide that kind of malice, it eventually grows out of control.
There are people like that among the high-ranking officials on Valar Islands and within the Dark Organizations.
Even the "Holy Angel" cult sees these people as "God's chosen."
But they're nothing more than a downright evil cult.
"Hey, Boss Hammer? Do you know that kid Nathan who's been blowing up online lately? Yeah, that's the one."
"I want you to cripple both his hands and take a few of his Pokémon. Huh? A hundred million? Screw off!"
"I know he's hard to deal with, but don't think I don't understand his value!"
"I'll give you his location and five million. That's it!"
After finishing the call, Will left.
As for the bystanders around him? They remained completely indifferent.
Because this restaurant was actually one of Will's secretly owned businesses.
Too bad it failed before he could rope in Zoe.
Any restaurant that disgusted Zoe was one she would never visit again, no matter the reason.
But that's fine—Will would never dare to do anything serious to her.
The gross harassment earlier was already the limit.
Only people like Nathan—someone with no local connections—were targets he dared to mess with so fearlessly.
"No matter if you're a rising dragon or just a clay Buddha, I'll make you understand—this city isn't as simple as it looks."
Stepping into a sports car, Will muttered with a twisted expression.
The capital wasn't just the place where the League held the most power.
It was also home to a massive force—the Dark Organization "Chiyou"!
Even if the League knew about them, they couldn't do much.
Because without a perfect plan, any confrontation would devastate the city and its people.
In a city this densely populated, even a single rampaging Pokémon at the Elite or Champion level could wreak havoc.
It'd be like Godzilla fighting kaiju in a packed business district.
One stomp and hundreds—maybe thousands—of civilians would die.
And besides, there was hardly any solid evidence.
The League couldn't find proof or locate the group's hideout, so all they could do was carefully monitor people leaving the capital.
So yeah, it wasn't easy for the Chiyou group either.
They were like fish in a barrel—unable to grow and too afraid to make a scene in the capital.
Both sides were suffering.
Nathan, meanwhile, was unaware of this complicated situation and silently waited for a call from the League.
Well, okay… he was actually eating at a restaurant.
Honestly, even if the League never contacted him, he didn't care.
After all, without a Key Stone and a deep enough bond, Mega Evolution was impossible anyway.
And besides, how could anyone even tell which Mega Stone belongs to which Pokémon?
"Hmm… A Pokémon Club. I wonder if there are any strong Trainers inside."
Feeding Bella, Nathan glanced at the flyer someone had handed him and fell into thought.
These kinds of new businesses probably wouldn't have any real top-tier Trainers, right?
According to Zoe, most of them were started by bored rich kids with nothing better to do.
That gave Nathan an idea.
If these rich kids could be roped into helping him collect Z-Crystals and Mega Stones… wouldn't that be amazing?
Even if the League was already secretly collecting them, the combined power of these rich heirs could still make a difference.
Of course, that wasn't the most urgent matter right now.
What mattered most… was tomorrow's National Tournament!
As the champion of the Magic City regional tournament—even if it was a bit of a "soft" win—Nathan was still considered one of the top contenders to win the whole thing.
And he was the youngest seeded champion in history!
So, before the main tournament began, Nathan would join the other top-four winners from each region for the opening ceremony.
The opening performance would be handled by the tournament's official team.
All the crowd-favorite contestants had to do was show up and look cool.
It was kind of like the Indigo League ceremony in the anime, where they carried Moltres's flame to light a giant torch.
Except this wasn't based on a fictional original—this was something that had evolved straight from the Olympic Games.
…
After playing around with Zoe until nighttime, Nathan finally returned to the hotel he'd booked, looking exhausted.
He was carrying a small, equally tired little girl.
After washing up…
Bella had already fallen into a deep sleep, her smooth silver hair scattered across the bed, making her look incredibly adorable.
Nathan sat nearby making Pokéblocks, with the ever-growing Volcarona watching him lovingly from behind.
It was hard to imagine that a Pokémon that controlled fire—and was once considered a fire god—could look at a human with such tenderness.
Maybe that's why Volcarona had the potential to rise from myth… to become a true legend.
Ding-dong!
Just as Nathan was fully focused, a message popped up on his phone.
It was from Tina.
[Boss, you really are a magnet for trouble. You just got to the capital and someone's already targeting you.]
[His name is Hammer. He's ruthless—loves to exploit people's weaknesses, and once he starts, he doesn't stop.]
[Oh, and the one who tipped him off was Will Hammond, the rich kid from Hammond Group!]
Nathan read all three messages calmly—so calm that even his right eye didn't bother glowing red.
Three seconds later, he replied.
[Good attitude. Keep it up. Now I'll tell you one of the core conditions for Mega Evolution.]
[To trigger Mega Evolution, the bond between the Trainer and the Pokémon must be strong. Very strong.]
He didn't mention the word "bond" explicitly, nor did he explain that this bond meant the Trainer and Pokémon had to be equals.
But on the other side of the screen, Tina was practically bouncing with joy and quickly pledged her loyalty.
[Thank you, boss! You're so generous! I'll be absolutely loyal to you from now on!]
(End of Chapter)