But this particular swindler had his eyes set on Nathan.
For no other reason than the fact that Nathan had a child with him.
Their scam was something they had actually learned from a certain country's television dramas. Except in those dramas, it was always "selling one's body to save one's father." This, however, was "selling a Pokémon to save a daughter."
And people carrying children were generally more soft-hearted—that was their core tactic.
"Oh, young man~ please, for the sake of us both being fathers, could you help me out?"
"I'm only selling this Pokémon for 20,000 Pokécoins. Please, I'm begging you…"
Seeing that Nathan was about to walk away, the scammer lunged forward and clung to Nathan's leg, refusing to let go.
At first, Nathan had no intention of bothering with them. After all, this wasn't even his own country—it wasn't his concern.
But the moment he heard those words, he could no longer hold back.
"What do you mean, 'we're both fathers'? I'm only twenty years old!"
"How could I possibly have a six or seven-year-old child already?"
"Are your eyes broken?"
"And even if I did have a child, how could they be this black-hearted?"
"My kid would definitely be cute!"
"You trying to scam me—do you have a death wish?"
With a furious yell, Nathan shook his leg and kicked the man aside.
They were speaking in Dunmari, the language of Dunmar, so Lily couldn't understand what they were saying. But she could clearly see the anger burning on Nathan's face.
She knew he was pissed.
------------
"You… even if you don't want to help, how can you just accuse me of being a swindler?"
The scammer's eyes briefly flickered with murderous intent, but he quickly masked it, continuing to act pitiful.
The surrounding onlookers who could understand their exchange also began speaking up in defense of the scammer.
After all, no matter where you went, there would always be people willing to stand up for the seemingly weak.
Unfortunately for them, they were dealing with Nathan.
Sure, he might be a bit meek in front of Lily—his girlfriend—but when it came to strangers, especially scammers trying to exploit public sympathy? Not a chance.
"Hah. I wasn't going to go this far, but since you're so eager to save your daughter, then fine—how about we go get a paternity test?"
Nathan narrowed his eyes and smiled.
Lily, standing beside him, instantly felt a pang of dread. She had known Nathan for over a decade—almost twenty years.
She knew his expressions better than even his parents did.
Normally, when Nathan smiled, his eyes never narrowed.
Only when he was truly, truly furious did he squint his eyes while smiling.
"Nathan, try not to use force…"
Lily tugged on Nathan's arm, quietly warning him.
They were, after all, not in their home country. Causing a scene could lead to all kinds of complications.
Nathan gently patted her hand, signaling her not to worry.
The scammer, however, was now caught in a dilemma.
This girl really wasn't his daughter. She was a kidnapped child, now being used as his moneymaking prop.
If they actually did a paternity test, his lies would be exposed instantly.
"What's the matter? Scared? Don't worry—if this girl is your daughter, I'll give you 20 million Pokécoins."
Nathan smirked, adding fuel to the fire.
Originally, the scammer had been planning to run. But upon hearing Nathan's offer, his thoughts shifted. He glanced toward the crowd, locking eyes with a man lurking on the edge of the bystanders.
The man gave him a small nod.
The scammer immediately understood.
"Fine. Let's go do the test right now!"
Grabbing the girl, he started leading the way.
Nathan chuckled softly and followed behind him.
The surrounding crowd didn't follow—they had watched the drama unfold, and that was enough. None of them really wanted to waste time.
As they walked, Nathan noticed that a group of seven or eight people had started trailing behind them.
These men spread out, surrounding Nathan and his companions on all sides.
"Oh? So, you're planning to lead me to your little hideout and kill me?"
Nathan's tone was light, almost amused.
"Kill you? Of course not," the scammer replied with a fake grin. "I'm taking you to the most reputable testing center in the city!"
Hearing that, Nathan snorted in amusement.
If he hadn't realized they were heading toward the outskirts of town, or noticed these goons tailing him, he might've actually believed that.
But in this world, not just anyone could steal from him.
Eventually, they reached a rundown courtyard on the city's edge.
Looking at the dilapidated surroundings, Nathan's suspicions were fully confirmed.
As expected—this was all a scam.
Too bad the scammer had no idea who he was trying to rob.
"All right, we're here. No more pretending, yeah?"
Nathan stopped and calmly spoke.
The scammer turned around and let out a hearty laugh.
The seven or eight men following them stepped into the yard, forming a ring.
"Kid, you've got guts. You knew I was a swindler and still followed me? What should I say—do you have a death wish, or are you just too bold?"
The scammer thought this would scare Nathan and his companion.
But when he saw the calm, even mocking expressions on Nathan and Lily's faces, his grin faltered.
They weren't scared. Not even a little.
Were they looking down on him?
"Hey, ever heard of something called powerful Pokémon in this world?"
Nathan asked, sarcasm dripping from his words.
You want to fight me? Did you get my Pokémon's permission first?
With just this ragtag group, you think you have what it takes?
"Is that so? You really think we don't have powerful Pokémon?"
The scammer sneered and threw out his Pokéball.
A Elite-tier Pokémon appeared.
To be fair, among average people, owning even one Elite-tier Pokémon was already very impressive.
His accomplices also released their Pokémon—but none of theirs were quite as strong.
The most powerful among them had just evolved into the Elite-tier.
For ordinary people, this kind of formation might have been terrifying.
But their opponent was Nathan.
"Oh no~ I'm so scared! Darling, are you scared too?"
Nathan said dramatically, looking over at Lily.
She giggled and replied just as theatrically, "Yes, darling! I'm so scared too!"
Beside them, Mickey—who had been silent until now—felt genuine pity for these scammers.
They didn't know who they were dealing with.
But he did.
This was the world champion Nathan.
At minimum, he had two champion-tier Pokémon on him at all times.
And these morons thought they could mug him with a couple of Elite-tier Pokémon and some gym-level ones?
Heh… good luck.
"Darling, quick! Release our Pokémon—we have to escape!"
Nathan and Lily continued their exaggerated play.
"Enough!"
The scammer finally snapped. "Listen up, brat. Hand over your money, and maybe we'll let you live. Otherwise…"
He glared at Nathan, voice trembling with rage.
Nathan calmly reached into his backpack.
The scammer's expression brightened for a moment, thinking he was about to hand over his cash.
But then he saw the Pokéballs in Nathan's hand—and froze.
And what followed shocked everyone.
With flash after flash of white light, seven or eight Pokémon appeared.
A Champion-tier Volcarona.
A Champion-tier Frosmoth.
And—completely by accident, since Nathan wasn't paying much attention while grabbing Pokéballs—Xerneas, the legendary life Pokémon, was also released.
"…What was it you just said?"
Nathan tilted his head, pretending to listen.
The scammer gulped. Loudly.
In the dead silence of the courtyard, it echoed like thunder.
The little girl beside the scammer saw Nathan's Pokémon and immediately broke free from the man's grasp.
She ran straight to Nathan, tears in her eyes.
"Mister, please help me! They kidnapped me and forced me to trick people for money… If I don't do what they say, they hit me…"
Sobbing, she wrapped her arms around Nathan's leg.
Nathan let out a sigh and gently patted her head.
In this world, perhaps the only thing more despicable than child traffickers… were people who used children as tools for deception.
"Take them down. Arrest them all."
Nathan gave the order with the same tone one might use to ask for a glass of water.
His Pokémon sprang into action.
In under two minutes, every one of the scammers' Pokémon had been defeated.
The scammers themselves were also quickly apprehended.
Nathan calmly picked up his phone, called the authorities, and stood there quietly, waiting.
(End of Chapter)