"Boss!"
As soon as Nathan arrived at the entrance of his mystic realm, one of Grog's underlings spotted him and immediately greeted him enthusiastically.
"Boss, can I get your autograph?"
Another excited underling eagerly pulled out a pen and a piece of paper, his face lit up with anticipation as he looked at Nathan.
During the competition, these guys had been glued to the live stream from start to finish. When their boss won the championship, their joy was overwhelming—as if they'd just become fathers to a beautiful baby girl.
Now that their boss had finally returned, they couldn't let the opportunity for an autograph slip by.
After all, people were already starting to collect Nathan's signature. It was rumored that some collectors were offering nearly a million for it.
"You've all worked hard~"
Nathan responded with a warm smile, casually signed his name on the paper, and then proceeded straight into the mystic realm.
The underling who received the signature was so overwhelmed with excitement that his breathing became noticeably rapid.
This was the Nathan's autograph!
A signature so valuable it was practically priceless!
-------------------------
Once inside his mystic realm, Nathan wasted no time.
"System, claim the mission reward," he said quickly in his mind, his voice tinged with anticipation.
[Claiming mission reward…]
[Claiming mission reward…]
[Claiming mission reward…]
"…Is it stuck?"
Hearing the repeated system voice echoing in his head, Nathan couldn't help but frown in confusion.
Was the reward system… lagging?
Could the system be running on some janky knockoff gaming console? This was ridiculous.
Seriously, can you be any more unreliable?
A twinge of anxiety crept into his heart.
What if the system glitched and gave him something useless… like a pokeblock?
[World Championship series quest completion: 100%]
[Reward: Map Fragment ×1]
[Reward: Map Fragment ×1]
[Reward: Map Fragment ×1]
…
"…That's it?"
Nathan was stunned.
He had gone through all that trouble, fought tooth and nail through the entire competition, and this was all he got?
Just six measly map fragments?
Seriously?!
Was this a joke?
What was he supposed to do with just six fragments?
Were they expecting him to dig up two trillion Pokécoins to empty out the system shop?
Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Nathan found himself growing increasingly frustrated.
He had poured his heart and soul into the competition.
He'd held back from even using more than one legendary Pokémon because of system-imposed limitations.
They say the more you give, the more you gain.
He had given so much—but where was his reward?
[Notice: The host now possesses all the necessary map fragments. The full map can now be restored.]
Just as Nathan was about to explode from anger, the system chimed in again, its calm voice breaking through his fury.
The moment he heard that, realization dawned—he remembered having picked up two or three fragments in the past.
So that meant… these fragments were all part of a single, complete map!
"System, I swear—if restoring this map doesn't lead me to something amazing, don't even dream of getting a single Pokécoin from me ever again!"
Nathan grumbled with genuine bitterness.
Unfortunately, the map fragments were currently stored at his house, so he'd need to make a trip back to retrieve them.
Besides, he still hadn't given the gift he'd prepared for Lily.
It was a good opportunity. He'd head home, take a couple of days to rest, and deliver the gift to her personally. Maybe even take her out a little while he was at it.
He couldn't help but think back to something Lily had said to him before the tournament.
Now that he was a world champion, surely, she wouldn't go back on her word… right?
The mere thought of it brought tears of joy to his eyes—although they seemed to be leaking from his mouth rather than his eyes.
He'd been in this world for over a decade now… and finally, he might not be single anymore.
The only question that remained was—
Would he finally be able to graduate?
Nathan pulled out a small, delicate Pokémon egg and looked at it with a hopeful grin.
"Little one… whether or not I can become a real man—it's all up to you now!"
---------------------------
After disembarking from the plane, Nathan stretched comfortably and took in a deep breath of familiar air.
"Home sweet home… I wonder if Mom's busy today."
He mumbled to himself, already picturing a warm, home-cooked meal.
But just as he walked toward the airport exit, he noticed a large crowd gathered outside.
"Tsk tsk… must be another celebrity arriving. That's quite the welcoming committee."
He wasn't too surprised—until he caught sight of one of the fan signs.
That's when his eyes widened.
Wait… could it be…
Taking a deep breath, Nathan straightened out his clothes, tightened his belt, and braced himself.
In the very next moment, he dashed out of the airport entrance like an arrow loosed from a bowstring.
"Ahhhhh! NATHAN!!!"
"My husband! I want to have your babies!"
"It's me! Your beloved!"
--------------
Nathan had naively believed that with his strength, he could break through the sea of fans surrounding the exit.
He had clearly overestimated himself.
He only managed to run a few steps before he was completely surrounded.
But this was Nathan we're talking about—the world champion.
How could he let a mere crowd of fans stop him at the airport gate?
With a flash, Nathan released his Pangoro.
The enormous Pokémon created just enough space for Nathan to move freely through the masses.
And then he summoned his Flygon.
With the help of Pangoro holding back the crowd, Nathan quickly hopped onto Flygon's back.
"Everyone! My mom just called—I need to go home for dinner. We'll chat another time!"
With that, he made a quick getaway from the airport.
For regular celebrities, being swarmed by fans could be considered a sign of popularity—sometimes even flattering.
But for Nathan? He just wanted to go home as soon as possible.
A few enthusiastic fans weren't willing to give up, so they released their own flying Pokémon and gave chase.
When Nathan glanced back and saw a whole flock of flying Pokémon pursuing him, he immediately urged Flygon to accelerate.
He spent nearly an hour flying in evasive maneuvers before finally shaking them off.
Honestly, it was more exhausting than his entire point-ranking tournament.
Eventually, Nathan changed into a new outfit—complete with sunglasses, a mask, and a hat—and walked out of a deserted public restroom.
After scanning the area to make sure no one had spotted him, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He hailed a taxi, got in, and quietly gave the driver his home address—then immediately lowered his head and said nothing else.
If someone recognized him again, even his home address might be compromised.
Once he arrived, Nathan started walking while dialing Lily's number.
Originally, he had planned to go see her directly, but after the airport incident, he decided it was best not to push his luck.
"Hey, I'm home. Come over for dinner tonight,"
he said the moment the call connected.
"Ah! Oh… okay~"
With the brief conversation finished, Nathan walked up to his family's front door and knocked.
His mother answered—but upon seeing a strange man wearing a mask, sunglasses, and a hat, she stared for a moment, then slammed the door shut.
"Honey, who was that?"
Nathan's father called out from the living room.
"I don't know. Probably someone trying to sell insurance."
Standing outside, Nathan couldn't help but laugh bitterly.
He had gone through all the trouble of coming back, and even though he'd disguised himself a little, he was still their biological son!
How could they not recognize him?
"Mom, it's me…"
he said helplessly, knocking again.
Upon hearing his familiar voice, his mother paused.
She opened the door again, and Nathan quickly pulled off his mask, not giving her a chance to close it a second time.
Once she realized it really was her son, she beamed and hurriedly pulled him inside.
"Oh my! Son, you've gotten thinner. Have you been eating properly?"
"And you're so tanned. You must've gone through a lot out there…"
Listening to his mother's endless stream of concern, Nathan suddenly felt his eyes sting a little.
This… this is the feeling of home.
No matter how hard life gets outside, when he comes back, he's still just their son.
"Mom, I won the world championship! How about that? Isn't your son amazing?"
With a grin, Nathan proudly pulled out his trophy and showed it to her.
Both parents leaned in, marveling at the shining trophy in front of them.
They'd seen it on the livestream, of course—but seeing the real thing, in their own home, brought a wave of pride they could barely contain.
"Amazing! What do you want for dinner tonight? I'll cook it myself!"
His mother asked, her eyes filled with motherly affection.
(End of Chapter)