Previously targeted by a Dark Organization, Nathan had always responded defensively, countering their attacks as they came.
But this time, Nathan even wanted to take the initiative.
This time, it had simply gone too far.
That same night after returning to school, Logan called Nathan.
Through the call, Nathan learned about the Dark Organization's plan.
It turned out this Pokémon riot was merely a test run.
Their real goal was to eventually use this method to destabilize human society.
When the time came, they would emerge as so-called saviors.
It was a grand scheme. Fortunately, the authorities had caught wind of it.
In response to the riot and the organization's plot, police forces began patrolling in every city across the nation.
Even the military had been mobilized to bolster urban defenses.
In cities near wild Pokémon habitats, the defense was even more stringent.
The entire internet erupted with speculation.
After all, it was rare to see such a massive response from both the police and the military.
With the riot still fresh in everyone's minds, it was hard not to connect the dots.
One of the most popular posts online even laid it all out clearly:
"Pokémon riot in Grace City triggers nationwide security upgrade—massive Pokémon uprising suspected!"
When Nathan came across this post while browsing the internet, he couldn't help but marvel at how sharp netizens could be with their guesses.
Aside from the most viral post, there were countless other wild theories:
"A human in Grace City stole the offspring of a Legendary Pokémon and was met with divine retribution."
"A Pokémon king has risen, aiming to lead an army to seize human territory."
"A war between humans and Pokémon?!"
These varied speculations sent waves of panic across the nation.
Some people were so frightened they uprooted their families and moved to cities with a stronger military presence.
Faced with such a situation, the authorities couldn't remain silent.
An official statement was released, clarifying that the nationwide mobilization was in response to the Dark Organizations, and not due to any inherent conflict between humans and Pokémon.
It also revealed that the riot in Grace City was orchestrated by that very group.
Even after this clarification, speculation online didn't stop—it only shifted direction.
Nathan put his phone down.
At this point, the only way to resolve the issue was either to destroy the formula used to control Pokémon, or develop a countermeasure.
As for completely eliminating this Dark Organization—that was clearly unrealistic.
If the organization had been operating within the country for so long, it wouldn't be so easy to uproot them.
The day after returning to school, the official awards for the riot were distributed.
Though human technology didn't offer much help during the riot, it was useful for tracking data—such as how many Pokémon each person had defeated.
They even recorded videos of the event, edited them, and uploaded them online.
Given Nathan's outstanding performance in quelling the riot, he received not only school accolades but also an invitation from the mayor of Grace City.
The school had originally planned to award him Pokémon Coins and other resources, but Nathan asked them to convert all resources into cash instead.
As for the mayor's invitation, there was no way Nathan would be arrogant enough to decline.
That day, Nathan went to the municipal bureau as requested.
The security guard, recognizing him, greeted him warmly and escorted him to the mayor's office.
Thanks to the videos circulating online, more and more people had come to know Nathan.
Public opinion of him was soaring.
Even the guard had only realized who Nathan really was after watching the footage.
"This is the mayor's office. Go on in, he's waiting for you," the guard said before leaving.
Nathan lightly knocked on the door.
"Come in."
The calm voice that responded carried a hint of exhaustion.
Inside was Mayor John Holden of Grace City. Ever since the riot, he had barely slept—only twelve hours over the past three days.
"Oh, it's you, Nathan! Please, have a seat," John said enthusiastically the moment he looked up.
His warm welcome left Nathan a bit uncomfortable.
The mayor even poured Nathan a glass of water himself.
"It's a bit simple here, only purified water available."
"Thank you."
Such hospitality stunned Nathan.
This was the mayor of a city with over a million residents, after all.
And he was just a student, albeit one who had won a national championship and carried several accolades.
"I'm guessing you didn't call me here just for a chat?" Nathan asked curiously.
"There's indeed something I'd like to discuss—but before that, let's give you your reward," said John as he picked up the phone.
"Is Nathan's reward ready? Bring it to my office if it is."
Soon, someone entered, carrying a large box.
John had put a lot of thought into this.
He knew Nathan didn't lack money or resources—but there was one thing he did like: stones.
This little tidbit he had learned from a colleague.
So over the past three days, the city had gone to great lengths to collect an entire crate of stones just for Nathan.
"Come take a look. I had these gathered specially for you," John said, pointing to the box.
Nathan was pleasantly surprised. Judging by the weight with which the staff handled it, it was clearly full of hefty materials.
It was a full one-cubic-meter crate, after all.
He walked over and slowly opened it. When he saw that it was filled entirely with stones, he was genuinely overjoyed.
Although not all the stones in the crate were useful, at least 60% of them were—
At minimum, half a cubic meter's worth of Mega Evolution Stones or other evolutionary materials.
These were things money couldn't easily buy.
Where had John managed to get so many of them?
"Mayor, how did you know I liked stones? And where did you get them?" Nathan asked in surprise.
Seeing Nathan so thrilled, John was clearly pleased—especially since what he was about to say next depended on it.
"These are from a mystic realm in Grace City. What do you think? Not enough? Should I have people collect more?"
Nathan hurriedly shook his head.
He had already been given so much—there was no need for the mayor to go out of his way again.
And now that he knew they came from a secret realm, he could just go himself.
"Mayor, where is that mystic realm?"
Nathan was eager to check it out—maybe he could find a Mega Stone for Volcarona or other team members.
Volcarona was already at Champion level. If he found a Mega Evolution Stone for it, then he'd feel even more confident about the upcoming World Tournament.
"I'll have someone compile the secret realm's details for you in a bit," John nodded.
"But before that, let's talk about the real reason I called you here."
Nathan understood—the mayor likely didn't know the true value of those stones.
But if he had gone to such lengths to collect them, it must be for something important.
"What is it you want to talk about, Mayor?" Nathan asked, curious.
"I want to invite you to serve as Grace City's resident guardian," John said, pulling a contract from his drawer and handing it over.
There was a hopeful look in his eyes.
The recent riot had shown him the importance of having a powerful protector in the city.
And Nathan—national champion, strong, humble, from a modest background—was the perfect candidate.
Nathan opened the contract and was stunned.
Twenty million Pokémon Coins per year!
Plus the freedom to choose any location in the city to build a personal villa!
Even setting aside the villa, that annual salary was no joke.
A typical family only earned about 200,000 coins per year.
His own parents earned around 900,000 annually, which already put them in the upper-middle class.
Many poor families didn't even make 100,000—barely enough to eat.
But here they were, offering him 20 million coins a year just to reside in Grace City.
In addition to money and housing, the offer included abundant resources to raise Pokémon.
Even more shocking—Grace City was willing to build a dedicated training ground and cultivation facility just for him.
Such facilities cost tens of millions of coins to build.
The offer was incredibly tempting.
"I truly appreciate your generosity, Mayor... but I must respectfully decline."
Nathan held the contract with both hands and returned it to John.
(End of Chapter)