Then, it was time to head back to the room and start packing.
He planned to set off the next day.
As for today...
The college entrance exam was over, and there was a class reunion.
Of course, Nathan had to attend.
After all, in the future, these people might end up being his cash cows—no, more accurately, his customers. They might all end up buying energy cubes from him.
Even though they wouldn't make huge purchases like Miss Evelyn, a little from each person would still add up over time.
Once he finished packing and freshening up, Nathan headed out.
He strolled around in the morning, and then wandered some more in the afternoon with Lily.
They had dinner, then went out for some karaoke at night.
Then it was back home to sleep.
…
The next morning.
Nathan, carrying his backpack, left the house under the repeated reminders of his parents and headed to the airport.
It was worth mentioning that he'd sold a few more pokeblocks. Combined with the reward from the entrance exam exhibition match, Nathan's wallet was now significantly fatter.
His total assets had jumped to 14 million.
But after handing 6 million to his mother, he was left with 8 million.
That money he gave to his mom was for safekeeping, because he knew he was a bit of a spender. He figured he should stash some away—who knows, maybe one day he'd use that savings to buy an island!
…
Boarding the plane, Nathan started looking forward to the scenery of Emerald City.
Because of the presence of a Psychic-type gym, most of the Psychic-type trainers in the country had gathered in Emerald City. The city took advantage of this and used Psychic Pokémon to create a variety of attractions.
The scenery there was said to be stunning.
It was one of the most famous tourist cities in the country.
You could even experience all four seasons within one city.
That was because the city was divided into four regions, each of which was turned into a themed Pokémon amusement park. Thanks to the powers of Pokémon, each park exhibited a different climate—spring, summer, autumn, and winter.
Even though the seasonal zones weren't that big, they were definitely worth a visit.
Different flowers, different climates, and different Pokémon.
The breathtaking beauty left people mesmerized.
…
As the plane landed, Nathan stepped out of the airport.
His eyes widened with surprise.
Outside the airport, the roads were lined with cherry blossom trees. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, pink petals dancing in the wind. Flying-type Pokémon played and chased each other through the air, chirping joyfully.
Everything felt relaxed and pleasant.
Of course, the main attraction...
Was the line of beautifully dressed girls taking pictures under the cherry blossom trees.
"Nice view," Nathan grinned, quickly taking out his phone.
To take pictures of the scenery—definitely the scenery.
He snapped away seriously.
Half an hour later, he finally left the airport and headed toward the city center.
The city was filled with Pokémon, scattered throughout, but these weren't wild or trainer-owned Pokémon.
They were official Pokémon, managed by the city.
Most of them were gentle and adorable, adding to the city's Pokémon-themed charm.
…
"Pi~"
A small Pidgey Pokémon curiously landed on Nathan's shoulder, showing no fear of strangers.
Nathan patted its head, shook his shoulder, and laughed. "Go on."
"Pi ~"
With a flutter of its wings, Pidgeys flew away.
This city made people feel calm and refreshed—very comfortable.
The harmony between humans and Pokémon was somewhat like in the Spring City, but still different. In the Spring City, Pokémon and humans both had their own responsibilities and lived as equals, with various services specifically tailored for Pokémon. It was a Pokémon-centric city.
Here, however, humans were still the main focus.
Most Pokémon existed to enhance the city's charm and help develop it into a full-fledged tourist attraction.
It had to be said—the mayor had real vision.
Thanks to that, many trainers visited the city every year.
Shaking his head, Nathan hailed a taxi and headed to his hotel.
Along the way, he also looked up some information about the local Gym.
The Emerald City Gym Leader was a beautiful mature woman. No, really—a stunning MILF. Judging from her online photos, she was very attractive. Her ace Pokémon was a Gardevoir.
Naturally, Nathan wouldn't use his Elite-level Volcarona to challenge her.
After all, the Gym Leader also had Elite-level Pokémon and could even enhance the power of her own Pokémon.
If he wasn't careful, he might actually lose.
He wasn't looking to get crushed.
Even if he used a Gym-level Pokémon, she could still boost its strength.
So he had to seriously consider which Pokémon to use.
"Maybe Mimikyu could work."
Nathan muttered to himself as he pondered.
Before he knew it, he'd arrived at the hotel.
After checking in, Nathan released all his Pokémon, then went to wash up.
He ordered some food and began researching the Wandering Mountains, while also letting his Pokémon learn new moves.
As for Steelix...
Nathan had to head up to the rooftop to feed it energy cubes.
The hotel room simply couldn't fit that giant thing.
Time passed quickly, and another day came and went.
…
The next morning.
Nathan woke up from a deep sleep, washed up, and had breakfast.
Then he left the hotel, hailed a taxi, and headed to the Gym.
Emerald City Gym
Located in the city center.
The building was a folded-pyramid structure with pink as its main color—very flashy.
Its four sides were covered with beautiful graffiti depicting Psychic-type Pokémon, which added a stylish flair.
As Nathan stepped into the Gym, he was greeted by a burly man in a white uniform.
"Hello, welcome to the Emerald City Gym. Are you here to join as a Gym apprentice, or to challenge the Gym?"
"I'm here to challenge the Gym," Nathan replied with a smile.
Hearing that, the man nodded. "Got it. Please follow me. I'll take you to the Gym Leader."
He turned and led the way.
Soon, Nathan reached the top floor of the Gym.
He could see several Gym apprentices sitting cross-legged in the corners, training their psychic abilities.
Their training method involved holding a metal spoon and... staring at it.
They were probably trying to bend the spoon with their gaze. Maybe...
Aside from the apprentices, there was also a woman in a black dress sitting on a sofa, sipping tea and basking in the sunlight.
She had a mature aura, a tall figure, and a graceful charm.
This woman was none other than Serene Lee, the Gym Leader of Emerald City.
She had a massive following in the city, especially since she was a widow, which attracted many admirers.
"Master, a challenger has arrived," the man said softly as he approached.
Hearing the voice, Serene slowly opened her eyes, looked at Nathan, and a flash of surprise appeared in her gaze.
She smiled and said, "Well, aren't you an interesting little guy, Trainer Nathan Vesper? Come on then. I hope this will be a delightful battle."
Nathan wasn't surprised she recognized him.
From everything that had happened before, it was clear that most Gym Leaders probably already knew who he was.
He nodded and smiled, then stepped into the battle arena and stood across from Serene Lee.
"Gym Leader Lee, please go easy on me."
"Hehe, I won't go easy on you," Serene said with a laugh, covering her mouth. "Even if I go all out, I'm still not 100% confident I can beat you—let alone if I held back. I really don't like losing, you know."
"Looks like I'll have to go all out too," Nathan said with a helpless shrug.
At the same time, the man who had led Nathan up stepped into the arena and looked at him, slightly surprised that his master actually knew this challenger.
Recovering from his thoughts, he raised the flag in his hand and announced loudly:
"This match will be one-on-one, standard battlefield. If the challenger wins, they will receive the Mind Badge!"
As his voice fell, Nathan picked a Poké Ball from his belt and tossed it.
A red beam of light flashed, and Mimikyu appeared in front of him.
"Q~"
"A Ghost-type Mimikyu, huh?" Serene Lee raised an eyebrow but wasn't too surprised.
Most challengers who came to face her used Ghost-types.
"A Gym-level Mimikyu... then I'll use this little one."
Murmuring to herself, Serene Lee also pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it.
A beam of light revealed a majestic Pokémon.
It was a white unicorn.
Its mane, tail, and legs had long tufts of lavender and sky-blue hair.
Its body was snow-white, and its eyes were a pale blue.
"A... Rapidash?"
Nathan was visibly surprised.
But not an ordinary Rapidash.
This was the Galarian form of Rapidash—Psychic + Fairy type.