Staring at the intricate and gorgeous black wings on the back of his hand, Nathan felt as if he understood something.
This wasn't something inherently evil. In fact, the world never had clear concepts like light versus dark, or right versus wrong.
And neither did humans.
Now, in Nathan's hands, these wings only represented whatever meaning he chose to assign to them — based purely on his own decisions.
Because from the moment he signed the contract, Nathan had already become Kroxus's Trainer!
One could even say that this bond was far stronger and more unbreakable than blood ties or marriage.
Yet curiously, this strange scene inside the hospital room didn't draw any attention at all.
It wasn't until three minutes later, when Evelyn entered carrying a fragrant breakfast, that someone finally noticed Nathan was awake.
"Miss Evelyn? I didn't expect the first thing I'd see after waking up would be you bringing me food. This really caught me off guard," Nathan said with a smile.
"By the way, do you know how my parents and Lily are doing?"
Facing Evelyn, Nathan smiled warmly as he asked.
In truth, though, he wasn't actually surprised.
After all, the benefits linked to bond evolution and Pokéblocks were enough to make any corporate power bow and scrape, no matter how colossal they were in this world.
Still, Evelyn couldn't help but reveal a beautiful smile as she answered, "Don't worry. Arrangements have already been made for both Lily and your parents."
"I also called the studio to inform them you're safe."
"Right now, you just need to finish your breakfast peacefully, and then get ready for your match."
Hearing this, Nathan truly felt relieved.
Clearly, the Mist Group had shielded him from all outside trouble.
He didn't know what price they had paid to do so, but there was no doubt: without Mist Group's help, his life would have been in utter chaos — at least in the short term.
Without them, reporters and paparazzi probably would have stormed the hospital already.
No — Nathan corrected himself — not probably. Definitely.
"This time, I really owe you. I'm not someone who forgets favors. I'll make sure to repay you someday," Nathan said seriously as he accepted the breakfast Evelyn handed him.
Although Evelyn hadn't said a word about wanting repayment, Nathan knew better than to take kindness for granted.
Evelyn's expression froze briefly, then quickly returned to normal without saying anything.
After that, the only sound left in the room was Nathan eating.
The breakfast was very simple and light — porridge with some plain side dishes.
But Nathan ate heartily, because the food was genuinely delicious.
It was definitely not some takeaway — probably made by a top-class chef personally.
After cleaning up every last bite, Nathan leaned back against the bed, completely satisfied.
Honestly, if not for his good habits over the years, he would've loved to just drift back to sleep.
It was only then that Evelyn couldn't hold back her curiosity anymore and asked:
"Nathan, yesterday on the field… did Zeraora really evolve?"
"And on top of being already in its final form?"
"But why did it revert back to its original form after evolving?"
"Of course, it's okay if you don't want to say. When you're ready, we can always hold a press conference for you."
She rattled off a series of questions.
If it had been anyone else, Nathan might have been more guarded.
But with Evelyn, just one look at her eyes told him that her curiosity was purely innocent.
It wasn't an exaggeration.
After forming the bond evolution with Zeraora, exhausting both physical and mental energy, absorbing Klochius's power, and forging a contract with Klochius —
Nathan was still human, but his Viridian Force and psychic powers had both significantly strengthened.
In fact, the two powers even seemed to be on the verge of merging!
Although there were no obvious physical changes, Nathan's eyes had become astonishingly sharp — almost as if they had loaded Viridian Power's natural sense of good and evil.
Now that he thought about it…
Whether it was the bond evolution with Zeraora, or the first encounter with the pendant, his eyes had always changed noticeably.
Thinking of this, Nathan subconsciously touched his eyes.
Seeing Evelyn tilting her head in confusion — a gesture so cute that Nathan almost melted — he quickly came back to himself and replied:
"That is indeed an evolution above the final evolution."
"I will temporarily name it mega evolution, or super evolution, bond evolution and so on."
"There is more than one way to evolve beyond your limits, so I'm still trying to figure it out."
"But there's one thing for certain — all Super Evolutions have a basic requirement."
As he said this, Nathan raised one finger.
Evelyn's eyes sparkled as she eagerly asked, "What's the requirement?"
At that moment, the cold and aloof heiress completely dropped her usual demeanor, looking just like an adoring little fan.
Meanwhile, outside the room, a middle-aged man quietly turned and left.
"It seems that losing the sub-regional match really hit Evelyn hard," he said regretfully as he walked.
"Among her peers, Evelyn's talent was already considered top-tier."
The man sighed.
The protective shell he had carefully built for his precious daughter had finally been pierced.
Perhaps it was time for his little princess to leave the nest.
Yes — this man was Arthur Mist, Evelyn's father, the head of the Mist family, and the absolute ruler of the Mist Group.
…
Back in the hospital room, after sensing that no one was spying on them, Nathan continued:
"The basic requirement is that the Pokémon and the Trainer must have a truly deep bond!"
"And mind you, a bond isn't simply about treating your Pokémon well and them treating you well in return."
"True bonds can only be formed when both sides are on equal footing — treated as equals, not as pets."
"If a Trainer just sees their Pokémon as a tamed pet, then no real bond can ever form."
The logic was really quite simple.
It was like expecting a domesticated dog to have the same wild unity and strength as a wolf pack — simply impossible.
Fortunately, even though Pokémon were compared to wolves, they remained incredibly pure-hearted.
"I see…"
Evelyn wore a look of sudden understanding.
Then she began thinking about her own Pokémon.
Sadly, despite the excellent care she provided, Evelyn — as the sole heir of the Mist family — could never truly develop a deep emotional connection with her Pokémon.
She had too many responsibilities, too many things to learn.
She simply didn't have enough time to bond with her Pokémon the way Nathan described.
Most importantly, Evelyn had never truly treated her Pokémon as friends.
…
But this wasn't surprising.
In today's society, very few people could be like Nathan.
Maybe there is some hope for a trainer who comes from a poor background, but wealthy family children were almost never taught such ideas.
At best, Lily — Nathan's childhood friend — had absorbed a little of this mindset thanks to being around him.
As always:
When it comes to raising Pokémon, resources are only one part of the equation.
As long as you genuinely care for them, Pokémon will always respond to their Trainer.
It's an absolute instinct that no amount of training or domestication can erase!
After chatting with Evelyn a while longer, Nathan noticed that it was already nine o'clock.
Time for another match to begin.
"I'm sorry, but I'll have to excuse myself for a bit," Nathan said politely as he changed out of his hospital gown and back into his regular clothes.
In truth, Nathan had really enjoyed discussing Pokémon with Evelyn.
Mostly because she was so genuinely interested in what he had to say — insights that the outside world had no access to.
One enjoyed sharing; the other loved listening. Naturally, their conversations were delightful and relaxed.
In fact, there was a special term for relationships like this: confidante.
Arriving at the stadium, Nathan looked energetic — not showing a single trace of yesterday's weakness.
Evelyn had already reserved a seat early on and was now sitting there, her usually cold gaze fixed unwaveringly on Nathan.
No one knew her better than her father.
Arthur's words were spot on:
Evelyn had indeed been shaken by that match.
Her opponent had been only four or five years older than her — yet still able to achieve a clean sweep of three opponents in a row!
Meanwhile, Nathan always seemed to win effortlessly, no matter when or where he fought.
It was either a one-hit knockout or a complete domination.
He completely erased any notion of an "age gap."
Without comparison, there would be no harm.
But after seeing this, Evelyn's curiosity about Nathan had only grown stronger — even more so after footage of the bond evolution went viral online.
She was now desperate to uncover all the secrets behind Nathan's strength.
Meanwhile, on the battlefield —
The young man standing across from Nathan was already looking extremely grim.