At its core, it was a kind of gift!
It was like when someone gives you a present, and you return the favor — over time, your bond naturally deepens.
But if you don't reciprocate and act like a spoiled brat every day, even the most patient person would eventually snap.
The analogy wasn't perfect, but the idea was similar.
To strengthen the power of Viridian Power, you needed the recognition of the forest — or nature itself!
After defeating the Victreebel, thanks to Flygon's speed, it didn't take long before they encountered another Elite-level Pokémon.
Nidoqueen!
Its temper was even worse than that of Tyranitar, like it was going through menopause.
It was at level 53 and was thoroughly beaten by the combined efforts of Volcarona and Nathan.
Time slowly passed.
Nathan found two more Elite-level Pokémon and commanded Volcarona to defeat them as well!
But after that, it was like moving from a beginner's area to a high-level dungeon.
Elite Pokémon became much harder to find, and their levels started getting ridiculous.
For example, Rhydon had only just stepped into Elite rank, but the Pokémon Nathan was encountering now were averaging around level 54 —
and that average was still climbing!
By late afternoon, finding Elite Pokémon wasn't so easy anymore.
Even after flying around for a while, Flygon didn't spot anything.
Nathan had expected this, though, and wasn't in a hurry at all.
In fact, he wasn't just relaxed — he was also training Zeraora, Treecko, and Metagross!
To improve Metagross's punching speed, Nathan even bought a few pairs of gravity wristbands from the system shop — made specially for Metagross!
During Metagross's training, Nathan would also link his psychic power to it.
And every morning, he would train using his spoon.
Nathan's psychic abilities were steadily growing stronger!
If Serene and her disciples knew how fast Nathan was improving, they would probably be shocked speechless.
But sadly for them, it was all thanks to Nathan's own hard work.
Especially with Viridian Power — it even allowed Nathan to feel Metagross's fatigue.
…
Time blazed by as Nathan trained fiercely.
But by the third day —
he finally encountered his first obstacle!
A Pokémon whose territory was vast, and who stood at the peak of Elite rank!
"This is basically one of the overlords of the mystic realm," Nathan said, rubbing his chin as he eyed the slumbering Torterra.
"An Elite peak-level, giant Torterra — a starter Pokémon, huh?"
Giantification and Dynamax were not the same.
To be precise, any Pokémon could Dynamax temporarily if certain conditions were met.
But Giantification was inferior — more like a weakened form, usually caused by exposure to rare natural treasures.
It was kind of like the difference between the Colossal Titan and Ultraman —
well, except the Colossal Titan didn't count.
"Volcarona, wake it up!"
Since Torterra was asleep, Nathan wouldn't stoop to a sneak attack.
It was meaningless — Volcarona wasn't a game character, after all.
To gain a lot of experience, they needed a fair and proper battle!
As for whether Volcarona could win?
Sorry, but with the type advantage, Nathan wasn't intimidated at all!
"Vol!"
Following Nathan's command, Volcarona didn't attack Torterra directly.
Instead, it began gathering intense firepower!
Soon, Volcarona looked like a small sun, radiating endless light and heat!
Torterra was heated awake, drenched in sweat and looking completely bewildered for quite a while.
Seeing this, Nathan's expression turned a bit odd.
If it weren't for Torterra's brute strength, a personality like that would never survive here.
But that didn't concern Nathan.
Seeing Torterra awake, he immediately called out:
"Torterra! How about a battle with my Pokémon?"
"Don't worry about injuries — I'll heal you afterward!"
As he spoke, the light of Viridian Power flared up around Nathan.
Torterra, who had been dazed a moment ago, immediately turned serious and nodded firmly.
It even looked at Nathan with warm, friendly eyes.
As a forest overlord, Torterra naturally understood that Viridian Power was only granted to those who had made great contributions to nature.
Someone harboring evil intentions could never possess this power!
With Torterra's agreement, setting up the battle was much easier.
"Volcarona, keep your distance!"
"Use Hurricane! Try to knock Torterra over!"
"If it doesn't work, don't worry — stay sharp!"
...
Though Torterra had high defense and was a Giant Pokémon —
its endurance would make even Champion-level Pokémon sweat —
after half an hour of intense battling, it finally collapsed.
Volcarona's experience bar visibly jumped up!
It had just reached level 55 not long ago, but now its experience bar was once again nearing the critical point.
"Torterra, do you know where there are other powerful Pokémon?"
While healing Torterra's burns, Nathan asked curiously.
Since entering the mystic realm, Nathan had been heading east through the forest.
Meaning —
the beginner's area wasn't as small as it had seemed.
The reason he had encountered a boss so soon was purely because Nathan had gone looking for trouble!
Torterra nodded.
Its voice was hoarse, probably from an old throat injury.
But thanks to Viridian Power, Nathan could understand it clearly.
[Trainer with Viridian Power, if you seek strong Pokémon, follow the edge of the forest!]
[Unless absolutely necessary, do not approach the center of the realm!]
Torterra's tone was earnest, and its demeanor far gentler than expected.
Nathan, appreciating its sincerity, immediately pulled out some Pokéblocks.
"Thanks for the intel. How about these as a thank you gift?"
He offered quite a few Pokéblocks, and Torterra's eyes instantly lit up!
Living a peaceful life in the forest for so long, it had never smelled anything so sweet and tempting!
[Such generosity and kindness...]
[In return, I shall not hold back.]
[Your Pokémon is attempting Dynamax, correct? If you head south, you should find a special berry tree.]
[If the berries are still there, they might help your Pokémon shorten the process to fully master Dynamax.]
Torterra spoke slowly, as was fitting for its age.
Nathan patiently listened, his eyes lighting up at the end!
Those berries were probably the key to Torterra's Giantification!
But without a Wishing Star, Torterra had only been able to stabilize its giant form instead of Dynamaxing.
Sure enough — only by showing genuine kindness to the right Pokémon could you reap such rich rewards.
Nathan thought his "Pokéblock bribe" tactic was practically a get-rich-quick scheme.
"Thank you very much. I hope we meet again someday!"
After thanking it, Nathan mounted Flygon and flew south.
Once in the sky, Nathan stared ahead in slight shock.
Torterra's words had stuck with him.
The mystic realm had supposedly only been discovered recently,
yet Torterra had acted like it already knew about Nathan —
or at least about Trainers like him!
If the mystic realm was truly a fragment of the world —
then why hadn't any humans been discovered inside until now?
Just thinking about it gave him chills.
But Nathan wasn't the type to overthink.
After a brief moment of reflection, he let it go.
If the sky falls, there are taller people to catch it.
He was just a teenager who hadn't even gone to college yet.
No matter what secrets the world held, they had nothing to do with him!
After all, this world wasn't just filled with Elites and Champions.
Legendary Pokémon appeared one after another too!
"Scyther at level 57? That's rare! Flygon, head toward that Scyther!"
Sensing the presence of another Elite Pokémon, Nathan returned to his usual calmness.
Most of the Elite Pokémon in this forest were Grass and Bug-types.
For Volcarona, there couldn't be a better training ground!
"Fly~"
Letting out a soft, gentle sound, Flygon obediently flew toward the Scyther.