Level forty-one—he'd officially stepped into the Gym-level tier.
With Volcarona, Pangoro, and now Metang all reaching or surpassing Gym-level strength, he had three capable Pokémon ready to undergo the Elite Trainer assessment.
And just then—
Buzz.
A soft, white glow suddenly radiated from Metang's body, slowly enveloping it entirely.
"This is… the light of evolution? It's finally happening!"
Seeing this glow, a joyful smile appeared on Nathan's face.
But right after, he quickly shouted,
"Gengar, Volcarona, keep watch around us. Make sure no wild Pokémon interfere with Metang's evolution."
"Vol."
"Got it."
Two voices responded.
Gengar and Volcarona—who had been assisting with training nearby—stepped forward to keep guard. They scanned the surroundings vigilantly, protecting the evolving Metang from any hostile wild Pokémon.
Such interruptions were known to happen in the wild—especially in high-level mystic realms.
So Nathan wasn't taking any chances.
If a Pokémon's evolution got interrupted, it could leave a lasting psychological scar, making future evolutions extremely difficult—sometimes even impossible to achieve without healing that trauma.
Soon,
the brilliant light faded—
and a brand-new figure stood before Nathan.
Metagross.
Its final evolutionary form, barring Dynamax or Mega Evolution.
With four brains interconnected into a complex neural network, Metagross possessed computational abilities surpassing a supercomputer.
A true pseudo-legendary.
Even though it was only level forty-one, it still had a pseudo-legendary's insane base stats—its overwhelming attack and defense made it more than capable of punching above its weight.
Of course, that advantage only extended within the Gym-level tier—for now.
[Name: Metagross]
[Ability: Clear Body (Prevents stats from being lowered by opponents' moves or abilities.)]
[Type: Steel + Psychic]
[Hidden Power (Electric)]
[Description: Metagross, the Iron Leg Pokémon. With four brains, it possesses intelligence on par with a supercomputer. ]
[Level: 41 (41–50: Gym-tier))]
[Moves: Magnet Rise, Zen Headbutt, Calm Mind, Agility, Metal Claw...]
Looking at Metagross's updated info panel, a pleased smile curled on Nathan's lips.
"To think it actually learned Magnet Rise during evolution—not bad at all."
Magnet Rise, an Electric-type move, was an excellent addition to Metagross's arsFelixl.
Being part Steel-type, Metagross was naturally weak to Ground-type moves—but Magnet Rise generated an electromagnetic field that let it levitate temporarily, rendering Ground-type attacks unable to touch it.
Technically, it wasn't full immunity—but it did make Ground-type attacks miss altogether.
Although Metagross could naturally hover with its magnetic force, it couldn't fly high enough to avoid Ground-type moves completely.
With Magnet Rise, though, that limitation was effectively nullified.
It was a highly practical move for Metagross—especially in future Ground-type matchups, where it could serve as a hidden ace in the hole.
"Nice. Next up is challenging River City Gym and applying for the Elite Trainer assessment." Nathan murmured with a grin.
He turned to Gengar.
"How much longer until Gengar, Volcarona, and Mimikyu can learn Multitasking?"
"You think it's that easy to learn?" Gengar rolled its eyes, clearly annoyed.
"Not every Pokémon is a natural genius like me. At the very least, it'll take another week before they can even grasp the basics. From there, it's just practice to master it."
"A week, huh?" Nathan rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Not a short time—but not too long either.
Still, he didn't plan to stay in the mystic realm. He'd rather head out and secure River City's Gym Badge first, then move forward with the Elite Trainer qualification.
As for Mimikyu, he'd leave it with Gengar for now. With Gengar around, there wouldn't be any danger.
Plus, River City Gym specialized in Grass-types, and the Gym Leader, Felix Zhou, was known for training Grass Pokémon.
Nathan planned to bring Volcarona to the challenge.
There was even an area within this mystic realm that required Volcarona to reach Champion-level strength to access—so River City Gym would be a great place for Volcarona to earn experience.
And that experience would come from battling a Pokémon at the Elite level.
Volcarona already had a natural advantage with its Fire-typing and mastery over firepower—against a Grass-type Gym, Nathan had no doubts about victory.
After a brief pause, Nathan finally spoke.
"I'll leave Mimikyu here with you for a while. I'm heading out of the mystic realm."
"What about Volcarona?" Gengar asked.
"Of course I'm bringing it." Nathan replied without hesitation.
Hearing that, Gengar shrugged.
"Then aren't you just gonna have to come back again later?"
"Pretty much." Nathan nodded.
The plan was to prepare ahead for the next steps—once his Elite Trainer application got approved, he'd have to carry out exploration missions. That would require route planning.
And during that time, Volcarona could return to learn Multitasking.
He could also let his Vibrava do some leveling here.
"Alright, whatever. Just don't forget to bring me what I asked for." Gengar nodded—he had no objections.
Nathan released Mimikyu, gave it a quick explanation, and left it with Gengar—along with some energy cubes—before heading out of the mystic realm.
He'd been inside for several days now.
The moment he exited, his phone started buzzing like crazy—messages from family and friends.
Good thing he brought a power bank—otherwise his phone battery would've died ages ago.
He picked up his phone, skimmed through the messages, and replied to each one.
Finally, he opened a conversation from Lily.
Lily:My dear son, why haven't you replied to your mother's messages?
Lily:Your mother just earned another badge.
Lily:Have you found yourself a sweetheart and forgotten your dear mother?
Reading the three consecutive texts, Nathan twitched his lips and replied irritably.
Nathan:I'm your dad!
After replying, he put away his phone.
Then he checked into a hotel, showered, and got a good night's rest.
After all, the mystic realm wasn't exactly ideal for sleeping.
When he woke up, it was already the next morning.
He ordered breakfast from the hotel, washed up, fed his Pokémon, then browsed the web for information on River City Gym.
About an hour later, he checked out, hailed a taxi, and headed straight there.
The building structure was similar to other Gyms he'd visited—it was quite beautiful.
Though River City Gym was technically just a regular building, its walls were covered with creeping vines and greenery.
Flowers of various colors were blooming among the vines, giving the whole building a vibrant and eye-catching appearance.
Apparently, the vines were wrapped with string lights too—so at night, the entire building lit up gorgeously. It was a popular photo spot for tourists and influencers.
Upon arriving at the Gym's entrance, Nathan walked in directly.
A Gym apprentice quickly approached.
"Hello, sir. Are you here to challenge the Gym?"
"Yes, please take me to the battle area." Nathan nodded politely.
The apprentice returned the smile.
"Of course. Please follow me."
…
Inside River City Gym—
at the very top floor.
Gym Leader Felix Zhou eyed Nathan with a hint of surprise.
"I figured you'd show up sooner or later. I've been looking forward to battling you."
Nathan smiled.
"Same here. I've been looking forward to this match."
Felix chuckled and nodded.
"Well then, no need to waste time with pleasantries. Shall we begin?"
"Let's." Nathan agreed.
Felix was a middle-aged man with a refined and gentle aura—likely a result of spending so much time with Grass-type Pokémon.
They stepped onto the battle platform—
crafted from special materials, sturdy and resistant to destruction.
Felix asked,
"So, which Pokémon will you be using for this challenge?"
Nathan pulled a Pokéball from around his neck, a smile on his face.
"This one, of course."
He tossed the Pokéball.
A flash of red light—
And Volcarona, wreathed in golden flames, appeared on the battlefield.
The open-air arena instantly heated up with its presence, the atmosphere blazing—
the weather itself shifting into harsh sunlight.
"Volcarona, huh…"
Seeing how much stronger Volcarona had become since the Trial Tournament, Felix instantly recognized how different things were now.
Out of all the Pokémon Nathan owned, this was the one Felix least wanted to face.
Too strong of a counter.
But as a Gym Leader, he couldn't refuse a challenge.
With a wry smile, he pulled out a Pokéball and released his own Pokémon.
"Come out—Venusaur!"
A massive Venusaur, over two meters tall, appeared in front of Nathan.
As one of the original starters, Nathan had always considered capturing and training one himself.
Venusaur wasn't just a solid Grass-type—it also had unique abilities.
Just like Volcarona could use its burning scales in combat, Venusaur had mysterious powers tied to nature.
It could make flowers bloom, grow trees, and freely control vines.
Sadly, most Trainers never developed those capabilities to their full potential.
The apprentice who had guided Nathan raised a flag and shouted,
"The match will be one-on-one! Normal battlefield! If the challenger wins, they'll receive a Flower Badge!"
"The battle begins now!"
At the apprentice's signal, Felix Zhou acted first.
"Venusaur—use Razor Leaf!"
Venusaur roared—leaves appeared around it, then launched at high speed toward Volcarona.
"Volcarona, use Flamethrower and burn those leaves to ash!"
Nathan commanded decisively.
"Vool!"