"If it's North City, then yeah, you should definitely make a trip over there. It might be beneficial for you," Luan suggested.
Hearing this, Nathan looked puzzled. "North City? Why?"
"A new mystic realm has appeared over there," Luan shook his head with a hint of emotion in his voice. "You should know how it is with newly emerged mystic realms. The Pokémon inside go into a frenzy state, and it takes a while for that state to wear off. You could go and experience it. These kinds of realms are dangerous, but with your strength, you can handle yourself. The main thing is the experience—it'll help you develop ways to handle dangerous environments in the future."
"As your strength grows, the mystic realms you'll enter will only get tougher. Higher-level realms are much more dangerous, so getting some experience early on will do you good."
"Come to think of it," Luan added with a sigh, "Mystic realms have been appearing more and more frequently lately. I'm not even sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing."
Nathan stroked his chin, deep in thought. After a moment, he nodded. "I'll consider it when the time comes."
For Trainers, aside from battling fellow human Trainers, the greatest dangers always lie in the wilds and mystic realms.
Unless you're the type of Trainer who doesn't chase big goals—those folks usually just stick to the safety of cities and avoid dangerous places.
But Nathan was different. He had his own ambitions.
Living a peaceful, quiet life wasn't his dream.
"All right, let's go. Let's grab some lunch and exchange contact info," Luan said with a smile. "We might still need to get in touch with you about the Shen Nong Forest situation."
"Sure."
Nathan nodded and exchanged contact info with Luan. After enjoying a great lunch together, Nathan returned to his hotel.
As for the flight, he booked a ticket for the day after tomorrow. He planned to spend the next two days exploring the city, picking out gifts for his parents—and for Lily's parents too.
This had been a long-standing habit.
Every time Lily traveled, she'd always bring back gifts for Nathan's parents, so of course, Nathan wouldn't make an exception either.
He was familiar with the preferences of both his own and Lily's parents, so picking out gifts was easy, though still time-consuming.
Besides buying gifts, Nathan strolled around Lake City, enjoyed the local cuisine, and even posted some scenic photos to his social media to rake in a few likes.
On the final day, Nathan boarded the plane back home.
First class.
Lying back in his seat, Nathan brought up the system shop with a thought.
Wishing Star Fragment: 1,000,000 PokéCoins!
Blue Ball Apricorn Seeds x5: 500,000 PokéCoins!
Forced Training Harness: 1,000,000 PokéCoins!
"Huh, all good stuff this time," Nathan said in surprise, his eyes lighting up at the refreshed inventory.
The Wishing Star Fragment needed no explanation. He'd already equipped one on Volcarona before, and by now, the moth had started to show some changes—subtle, but noticeable.
Volcarona had grown about five centimeters taller compared to before.
If Nathan hadn't been measuring regularly, he probably wouldn't have even noticed the difference.
As for the Blue Ball Apricorn Seeds, once planted, they would yield Blue Ball Apricorn —used to craft a special kind of Poké Ball. These were incredibly rare on the market and hardly ever seen.
Each year, only a small number were produced, and they'd get snatched up the moment they appeared. With five seeds, he could grow five trees. If he partnered with a top-tier Poké Ball craftsman in the future, the berries they produced could be used both personally and commercially. Most importantly, they could also be traded for other resources—though he'd need a large quantity for that to be worthwhile.
Lastly, the Forced Training Harness was similar to the Strength Bands he'd seen before. When worn, it added extreme weight, drastically reducing the Pokémon's speed.
However, in return, it increased their overall stat growth speed.
Unlike the Strength Band, which only boosted one attribute, the Forced Training Harness promoted balanced growth across all attributes—much more convenient.
Nathan decided he'd make the purchase after returning home. No need to rush right now.
Just then, a voice came from the seat next to him.
"Are you Nathan Vesper?"
"Hm?" Nathan turned to see a girl wearing sunglasses and a face mask. He couldn't see her face clearly. She was dressed in denim shorts and a pink T-shirt, and she carried herself with quite a bit of charm.
"And you are?" Nathan asked curiously.
"I'm Erin Fang," the girl said as she took off her sunglasses and gave him a playful wink. She seemed to be a very lively person.
"Erin Fang?" Nathan thought for a moment, then looked surprised. "Whoa, didn't expect to meet a celebrity!"
Erin Fang—one of the celebrities in this world.
More specifically, she was a Trainer-celebrity. Though she was officially a Trainer, she primarily worked in the entertainment industry, appearing in movies and TV shows.
She was one of the hottest stars at the moment.
But a major celebrity… knowing who he was?
"Hehe, Trainer Nathan, I've been watching your Trial Tournament videos! You're amazing! Mind if we take a selfie together?" Erin asked with a bright smile as she pulled out her phone.
Nathan suddenly understood.
She's clout-chasing, huh.
Right now, Nathan was still trending. A rookie Trainer owning a elite-level Pokémon? That fact alone had reporters and the public watching his every move.
His online popularity hadn't faded yet.
Still, this was the first time he'd been approached like this.
Nathan smiled and didn't hesitate at all. "Sure. Could you send me a copy afterward?"
Clout-chasing, huh?
Well, if she's doing it, I might as well too.
Why not?
Might even boost his own follower count. Once he started selling pokeblocks in the future, all those fans could turn into customers. The more followers he had now, the better—it was all money in the bank.
…
"Ran into the champion of the Trial Tournament today! He's super handsome! 😍 (Attached selfie)"
On Weibo, Erin Fang posted a selfie that instantly attracted tons of attention.
"Whoa, Nathan is really good-looking."
"So jealous—he's my male idol, and she's my female idol!"
"They have total CP vibes!"
"CP shippers, get lost! The goddess is mine!"
The comment section exploded with discussion.
Nathan took the opportunity to launch his own Weibo account too. And sure enough—he immediately gained tens of thousands of followers.
He didn't chat much more with Erin Fang after that. Though she was pretty, the entertainment world was the same no matter the universe—he wasn't interested in getting too involved.
After taking the selfie, Nathan went back to watching the videos he had downloaded in advance.
By around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, the plane landed in Yangcheng.
Getting off the plane, Nathan spotted a familiar figure waiting for him.
Sam Zane—Sam the Chubby Guy.
Sam was waiting outside the airport and started waving wildly when he saw Nathan. "Nate! Over here!"
"Sam, what's with the shouting?" Nathan chuckled, throwing an arm around his friend's shoulder. "With a build like yours, I'd have spotted you even if you stayed silent."
"Nate, didn't you notice I've slimmed down a bit?" Sam grumbled.
"Lost weight?" Nathan gave him a good once-over. "What's your weight now?"
"One-fifty-two. Why?"
"I remember you being around one-forty when you left Poplar City, right?"
"..."
They chatted and then got into a car to head home.
Nathan looked over and asked, "So, why'd you come back?"
"I heard you were coming home, so I figured I'd take a couple of days off too," Sam shrugged. "Mainly, my mom was worried I'd starve myself skinny out there, so she made me come home."
"You? Starve?" Nathan twitched a little at the thought.
He shook his head.
"So why are you home, Nate?" Sam asked.
"My old man got me a Ghost-type Pokémon."
"Ghost-type? Lucky! Though honestly, I don't really like them—being near them gives me the chills. So gloomy."
"Well, that's why they're called Ghost-types."
"Good point."
The two chatted idly as they arrived at Nathan's house.
His mom was there, watching dramas, clearly waiting for his return.
"Auntie, I'm here! Mind if I mooch a meal tonight?" Sam grinned.
"No worries, you think I'd let you starve?" Mama Nathan laughed, taking her son's backpack and giving him a quick once-over. "Not bad. You haven't lost weight."
"Come on, Mom. You think I'd let myself go hungry while traveling?" Nathan said helplessly.
"You never know. Young people nowadays are so careless with themselves. If you ask me, you should be traveling with little Lily. With her around, I'd feel a lot more at ease."
At the mention of this, his mom couldn't help but nag.
"I'm telling you, the kid next door—Mark—had a bunch of girlfriends back in high school. And look at you! Not even a single sign of one!"
"Okay, okay, stop right there," Nathan interrupted with a sigh. "Mom, just tell me what kind of Ghost-type Dad prepared for me."
"You'll have to ask him yourself when he gets home. If I tell you now, he'll complain again," she replied, rolling her eyes.
Nathan grinned cheekily. "What? You're afraid of him now? Has the family power dynamic shifted?"
"Pfft. Just giving your dad a bit of face. Understand?"
After chatting a bit more, Nathan and Sam returned to his room.
He wasn't in a rush to find out what Pokémon his dad had prepared—he'd be home soon anyway.
Instead, he and Sam started talking about the college entrance exams.
"Hey Sam, do you know what the exam theme is this year?" Nathan asked.
It changed every year.
Some years it focused on academic knowledge, while others emphasized Pokémon-related knowledge or even battle performance.
For Nathan, the one he hoped to avoid most was plain academic testing.
"Nate, what are you even worried about?" Sam snorted. "You think you won't get accepted somewhere? Once the exam's over, no matter your score, universities from both Magic City and Imperial City will be lining up to recruit you. Don't forget—you're the Trial Tournament Champion."
"Oh, right," Nathan said, smacking his forehead. "Totally forgot about that."