"You little brat, it's really not easy to find you!"
The vice president said while slurping up noodles, his words muffled.
He even gave Nathan a glare after speaking.
But Nathan wasn't upset at all; instead, he smiled cheerfully.
After all, he was indeed in the wrong.
After a good round of grumbling, the vice president finally started explaining about the mystic realm.
He said, "You're heading to a newly discovered, unknown mystic realm. The League has temporarily classified it as Grade A, but the danger level might be on par with Grade S."
"Of course, there are benefits too. For starters, you still need one more exploration mission to qualify as an elite trainer—this will directly complete it."
"And anything you bring back from the mystic realm, the League won't claim, even if you transplant a few berry trees out of it!"
Listening to the vice president, Nathan didn't say anything. He just rolled his eyes at him.
Sure, the League said that—but could Nathan really do whatever he wanted?
It's always wise to leave some room when dealing with others if you want to gain more benefits from the League in the future.
Fortunately, the vice president didn't notice Nathan's subtle reaction. After sipping some water, he continued, "No one's officially explored this mystic realm yet, mainly because all the Elite Guardians are busy."
"If you're concerned about the danger level, honestly, I think you should find another mystic realm instead."
After listening carefully to Vice Chairman Cloud's explanation, Nathan fell into deep thought.
'Exploring,' a term both familiar and unfamiliar to him.
Familiar, because he had read countless stories of martyrs who died while exploring mystic realms in textbooks.
Unfamiliar, because this would be his first actual experience.
Dangerous?
Of course it was. Otherwise, the vice president wouldn't have said those final words.
But it's not like the mystic realm was a dragon's den or tiger's lair where no one returns.
After all, it was only an A-grade mystic realm. In theory, it shouldn't have Pokémon stronger than the Champion level.
So after the vice president finished explaining everything and handed over the League's investigation reports,
Nathan began packing up and preparing to enter the mystic realm.
Honestly, he originally planned to visit that mischievous Gengar first.
But right now, Treecko, Zeraora, Metagross, and Volcarona all needed training.
Nathan figured it would be better to visit Gengar either before or after the National Tournament.
It would also give him time to think about which university he wanted to attend.
After packing,
Nathan moved swiftly and entered the newly discovered A-grade mystic realm.
"This... Now I get why Old Shane said this place might have S-grade danger levels!"
The moment he stepped into the mystic realm, Nathan couldn't help but feel amazed.
He found himself standing atop a cliff.
An endless expanse of forests, mountains, and plains stretched before him—so vast that compared to this place, the Wandering Mountains didn't even deserve to be called mountains!
But since it was classified as an A-grade mystic realm, no matter how big it was, it probably wouldn't have Champion-level Pokémon.
Even if unexpected dangers appeared, Nathan still had his Steelix as a trump card.
Thinking of that, Nathan eagerly pulled out Flygon's Pokéball!
"Flyy~"
As soon as Flygon appeared, it affectionately rubbed its soft cheek against Nathan's face.
Its voice was also exceptionally gentle compared to other Pokémon.
If Nathan hadn't originally assigned Flygon the role of a ride Pokémon,
Its overly gentle personality might have been a big problem if it had been used for battle,
Especially at higher levels!
"I'll be relying on you for a while, Flygon!"
Nathan said with a soft smile, patting Flygon's head.
If it were before, Nathan might not even have finished exploring this place before the National Tournament started,
Let alone find Elite-level Pokémon to spar against Volcarona!
But with Flygon's help, it was the perfect setup.
"Old Shane, you're too thoughtful. I'm touched!"
Sitting atop Flygon, Nathan couldn't help but feel grateful.
Even now, Vice Chairman Cloud hadn't asked for anything in return.
As long as Nathan remained part of Poplar City, Vice Chairman Cloud would continue to reap massive benefits.
But did that mean the vice president had to be good to him?
Not at all—he had worked his way up to vice president purely by his own merit!
Nathan kept Vice Chairman Cloud's kindness firmly in mind.
Their relationship might not look particularly noble from the outside,
And some universities had even started planning to poach him by collaborating with the local League branches.
But they were destined to fail.
Cough cough, a bit of a tangent.
"Flygon, head that way!"
Sensing a powerful presence, Nathan smirked and gave Flygon the command.
Actually, you didn't need to meticulously search for Pokémon above the Elite level.
Their overwhelming auras shone like bright moons in the sky—
Even among countless stars, they were impossible to miss!
"That's... a Rhydon?"
Nathan narrowed his eyes at the sight of the massive, muscular Pokémon.
…
"Its level is... 52. A bit lower than Volcarona's..."
Looking at the aggressive Rhydon, Nathan hesitated slightly.
After all, Rock-type moves counter Bug-types, and even though Rhydon had 'dragon' in its name,
Its actual typing was Rock and Ground!
"Vol!"
Sensing Nathan's uncertainty, Volcarona suddenly popped out of its Pokéball on its own.
It's usually affectionate voice now carried a hint of anger and grievance.
It seemed to be complaining that Nathan was underestimating it!
Seeing Volcarona's reaction, Nathan couldn't help but laugh and say,
"My bad. If you want to fight, then go for it!"
Just a few days ago, he had scorned a blonde guy for battling against type disadvantage—
And here he was, eating his words not long after.
Even if it was because Volcarona asked for it!
The desire to become stronger wasn't just Nathan's alone; Volcarona itself was fiercely competitive.
Especially after receiving Entei's blessing and combined with its superior level and aptitude...
If it couldn't even muster the courage to face Rhydon, Volcarona would feel ashamed of itself!
"Roar!"
At that moment, Rhydon also noticed Volcarona and let out a furious roar.
It didn't bother asking questions—
Any powerful Pokémon that entered its territory was an enemy to be attacked!
After roaring, Rhydon smashed its thick tail into the ground.
Chunks of rock erupted into the air and hurtled toward Volcarona!
The individual rocks might not have been too powerful,
But there were a lot of them!
"It's Rock Blast. I'm also within the attack range."
Watching Rhydon's reckless attack, Nathan remained calm and composed,
Saying with a serious tone,
"Volcarona, burn all these rocks to ashes!"
Fire wasn't normally effective against Rock-types,
But Nathan had complete confidence in his Volcarona.
After receiving Entei's gift, the flames Volcarona produced—already extraordinary thanks to the Rainbow Feather—
Had grown even stronger!
It might not be on the level of mythical white flames,
But burning through these relatively weak rocks was more than enough!
"Vol!"
Almost the instant Nathan gave the command, Volcarona responded.
Blazing, crimson fire swept out with devastating force,
Reducing the shower of rocks into blackened charcoal, which then rained harmlessly to the ground!
"Volcarona, it's our turn. Surround it with flames!"
Nathan didn't recklessly order an all-out attack; instead, he carefully instructed Volcarona.
This was a Rhydon at the Elite level—
And even though Nathan knew all about its moves from his past life,
He didn't dare lower his guard.
This wariness had been hammered into him through blood and tears while training Volcarona in the wild!
However, it turned out Nathan had overestimated his opponent.
It wasn't a case of four-times type advantage.
As Volcarona soared overhead and used flames to surround on Rhydon,
The enemy could only thrash wildly under the intense heat!
Even as Rhydon shook the ground,
It couldn't land a single hit on Volcarona!
In the end, after Nathan's "kiting" strategy and relentless probing, Rhydon...
Simply collapsed unconscious.
"That's it? It's down already?"
Nathan froze for a moment, then realized he had overthought things.
His Volcarona wasn't the same as before.
Ordinary Pokémon of the same level were no longer its match!
Especially not a Rhydon whose Rock typing hadn't been fully developed or honed.
It hadn't even gotten a chance to touch Volcarona!
"Vol!"
….
(TN: Not really sure if it's a Rhydon, raws says Iron-Armored Tyrannosaurus so chatgpt translated it to Tyrantrum but it said it was not a dragon type pokemon and it can't be a Rhyperior because if it is, the author would have glazed it or something.)