Nathan looked at his Volcarona with a deep pang of sorrow. Since it had begun following him, Volcarona had never once faced a threat to its life—not even during the most intense of battles. And yet today, in this godforsaken place, it had come terrifyingly close to losing its life.
If he had known things would turn out this way, he would never have entered this mystic realm—even if it meant death from another cause. Honestly, staying outside and peacefully taking a nap would've been far better than this.
"We're here!"
Nathan exclaimed with surprise and delight as the exit to the mystic realm appeared before him. A wave of relief swept through his heart. He immediately prepared to recall Volcarona and leave this wretched place.
But at that exact moment, the shadow's second attack arrived.
This time, however, the black figure's target wasn't Volcarona—it was Nathan!
The moment Volcarona sensed that Nathan had become the target of the attack, it didn't hesitate for even a second. It rushed forward with all the speed it could muster, positioning itself between Nathan and the incoming threat.
With a gut-wrenching sound, squelch!, Volcarona was violently knocked aside by a powerful blow. The impact was so forceful that it slammed into Nathan as well, sending both trainer and Pokémon tumbling through the exit of the mystic realm.
A flash of white light.
The human and his two Pokémon left the mystic realm at the same time.
Back in the realm, the shadowy creature stood where it had attacked, staring toward the exit with clear dissatisfaction. Its prey had escaped—just barely. It lingered there, its gaze fixed on the portal, clearly annoyed.
But after a moment, seeing no new prey coming in, the creature gave up its hunt. With no further targets to chase, it slowly retreated back into the realm's darkness.
Outside the realm, Kelly had been anxiously waiting. The moment he saw the portal flash with white light, he eagerly stepped forward to welcome Nathan back.
But what he saw froze him in place.
"Volcarona! Are you alright?!"
Kelly was shocked at the sight of Volcarona lying heavily injured on the ground. Nathan, clearly distressed, rushed to its side. His heart ached as he looked at his injured companion.
He immediately began rummaging through his backpack, pulling out all sorts of medicines to treat Volcarona. As a precaution, Nathan also purchased even more advanced healing items from the system's store and used them all without hesitation.
After applying a massive amount of medicine and recovery items, Volcarona's condition finally stabilized.
"What happened in there, Nathan?"
Kelly asked, his face full of concern as he looked at the injured Pokémon. He knew very well just how important Volcarona was to Nathan. It wasn't just his ace—Volcarona was practically family. It had been raised from a young Larvesta, trained and nurtured alongside Nathan all the way.
To think that such a powerful and precious Pokémon could come out of the mystic realm in such a severely injured state…
And even more shocking was the fact that Nathan had only been inside for less than an hour before returning in this condition.
What on earth was that place?
If someone like Nathan had barely escaped with his life, what chance did anyone else have? If it had been any other trainer who had entered, wouldn't they have been killed within minutes?
"I was too careless. If I had known it would be like this, I would've released the others right away," Nathan said regretfully.
At first, he hadn't taken the situation too seriously. But who could have guessed that, at the final moment, it would be his own carelessness that would lead to Volcarona sustaining such grievous injuries?
If he had just summoned Entei and the others the moment he sensed something was wrong, even if they couldn't defeat that monster, they could have at least safely escaped together.
Soon, the tournament officials arrived to check on the situation. When they saw the horrifying condition Volcarona was in, they collectively gasped, each drawing in a breath of cold air.
This wasn't just any Pokémon—this was Nathan's Volcarona. One of his most powerful partners. It was widely believed to be among his top-tier Pokémon.
And Nathan? He wasn't just any competitor—he was arguably the strongest trainer in the entire World Tournament. Even Samuel, the renowned champion from Liberty Union, had lost to Nathan multiple times.
And yet this was the outcome after less than an hour in the mystic realm?
If they had sent someone else in to investigate when the realm first appeared, wouldn't that person have died almost instantly?
"Nathan, I know this might seem insensitive right now, but… we need to inform the other contestants," one of the staff members said hesitantly after some internal debate. "That includes letting them know about your Volcarona being injured…"
Nathan nodded silently.
This incident had to be made public.
Even if it meant word getting out that his strongest Pokémon was hurt, it was vital that everyone understood how dangerous this mystic realm was.
And it wasn't just dangerous—it was extraordinarily dangerous.
At this point, it was safe to say that no known mystic realm in the entire world came close to matching the level of threat this one posed.
News spread quickly.
Before long, every participating trainer in the World Tournament had heard the story.
Many of them, though outwardly expressing concern, couldn't help but feel a surge of joy in their hearts. Nathan Vesper's ace had taken a serious hit, and that meant one less hurdle in their path to victory. After all, weakening your opponent is one way to strengthen yourself.
Yet at the same time, the collective curiosity they had initially felt toward the mysterious mystic realm was thoroughly extinguished by fear.
If even Nathan Vesper was nearly defeated in there, who else would dare enter?
Did they really think they could go in and pick up some treasures?
Not a chance. That place was practically a death trap.
After Volcarona's injuries were temporarily stabilized, Nathan returned it to its Pokéball—a specially purchased healing ball designed to accelerate recovery.
"Serves him right! Let's see how cocky he acts now!" Samuel sneered smugly from afar.
Someone's misfortune is always someone else's delight. While Nathan was still reeling from what had happened, Samuel was practically ecstatic. He had long hoped for a chance to knock Nathan down a peg, and now, fate had handed him the perfect opportunity.
With Volcarona now critically injured, there was little chance it would recover in time. If it didn't return to full strength before the tournament ended, Nathan would be forced to rely on other Pokémon.
To Samuel, this was better than winning the lottery.
"Exactly! That Nathan totally brought it on himself. Going into a completely unknown realm without knowing anything? Serves him right," one of Samuel's teammates agreed, equally pleased.
The entire Liberty Union team was practically celebrating Nathan's misfortune. But they weren't the only ones—Gurney was also quietly thrilled.
"Now that Volcarona's out of commission… what happens to the World Tournament?" Kelly asked cautiously, sitting beside the visibly gloomy Nathan.
"It doesn't matter," Nathan replied coldly. "Even if Volcarona can't compete, this championship is still mine."
At that moment, Nathan was in no mood to talk.
He couldn't smile.
He couldn't laugh.
He couldn't relax.
Volcarona—his closest partner, a companion he had trained from the very beginning—was hurt. And that pain tore at his heart.
When Evelyn heard about what had happened, she immediately gathered all the healing items she had on hand.
"Nathan, I know you may not need these, but it's all I can do right now," she said softly, placing the large bundle of supplies in front of him.
Looking at the collection, Nathan shook his head. "It's alright. I've already used the best possible treatment. You should keep these for yourself."
Hearing that only made Evelyn even more heartbroken.
As a teammate… as a friend… even as a battle partner, she couldn't do anything for him in his moment of need.
-------------------------
Revenge. It must be avenged.
The thought echoed silently in Nathan's heart.
Whoever or whatever had injured Volcarona—this wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
Even if it meant paying a heavy price, he would hunt that ghostly creature down and kill it.
"There's new tournament news incoming. I'll be back after I deal with something," Nathan said suddenly as he stood up.
Kelly blinked in confusion at first, unsure what Nathan meant. But after a moment of reflection, his heart dropped.
Was Nathan planning to go back into the mystic realm?
"Nathan, don't let your emotions get the better of you! Volcarona's injuries are serious, but after it recovers, we can just stay away from that place. It's not worth throwing your life away over!"
Kelly tried to dissuade him with earnest concern.
Winning the championship was one thing. But Nathan himself—he was the real treasure.
As long as Nathan was alive and well, there would be many more championships to win.
But if something happened to him, no amount of trophies would ever replace that loss.
You only had to look at how the country treated Nathan to know how important he was. Mystic realms that had always been strictly controlled by the state were being sold to him.
That kind of privilege wasn't something anyone else had.
"Relax. I won't let myself get hurt again. And I won't be running this time. I'm going to payback to that thing."
Nathan's voice was icy as he stared in the direction of the mystic realm. He was resolved.
A price had to be paid?
So be it.
He, Nathan, was willing to pay it.
"Alright, just be careful. Don't underestimate it again. Release the others the moment you enter," Kelly advised, knowing there was no use trying to stop him now.
Nathan had made up his mind.
Once again, he stood before the entrance of the mystic realm.
The World Tournament staff watched him approach with confusion. What was he doing back here?
Was he worried others might sneak in?
"I'm going back in."
At those words, the staff were stunned.
What?! His strongest Pokémon was seriously injured, and he still wanted to go back?
Was he trying to die?
"Nathan, I get that you're upset about your Pokémon, but you're still young. You can always wait a few years, get even stronger, and come back," one of the staff said kindly, hoping to persuade him.
They knew Nathan's age—he wasn't even twenty yet. His whole life was just beginning. With his strength, even without Volcarona, he still had a solid chance at the championship.
There was no reason to risk everything for revenge.
"I'll take that monster down. I still have my trump cards," Nathan replied, brushing past them.
The staff quickly tried to stop him.
But they couldn't.
The fury in Nathan's heart drove him forward, unstoppable.
In a flash of white light, Nathan once again entered the mystic realm.
Seeing this, the staff could only sigh in helpless resignation. They had tried. They really had.
But they simply couldn't stop him.
This time, Nathan wasn't taking any chances.
The moment he re-entered the realm, he pulled out three Pokéballs.
With a flick of his wrist, he summoned Entei, Suicune, and Raikou into the battlefield.
(End of Chapter)