After purchasing Thunder Punch, Nathan didn't immediately let Pancham learn it—there simply wasn't enough time.
The move-learning device wasn't something a Pokémon could just glance at and instantly master. Instead, it offered enlightenment—an introduction—after which the Pokémon would still need constant training to fully grasp and unleash the move.
Gifted Pokémon could get the hang of it within a day.
Others, not so talented, might need several days.
Sitting in a corner, Nathan watched the live broadcast of the tournament while waiting for training to resume.
Whether onsite or online, the event was being streamed in real time. All six major arenas could be viewed freely.
Nathan would occasionally check in on Arena 1, then switch to his own Arena 2, or others—but in the end, he always came back to Arena 2.
That's because someone there caught his attention.
Dylan James, from Magic City No. 2 High School.
His family owned a company, so he was considered a wealthy heir. His starter Pokémon was a Serperior, which had drawn gasps of awe from the crowd. Serperior is the final evolution of Snivy, one of the Unova region's starter Pokémon. It's classified as a Royal Pokémon, and is Grass-type. As a starter Pokémon, Serperior naturally had high potential and aptitude.
Though Nathan hadn't fought him personally, from the live broadcasts, he could roughly estimate its strength—about Commander-level.
In level terms, that meant between Lv. 31 to 40, and this particular Serperior seemed to have just broken into that tier, with only a faint aura of dominance—likely around Lv. 31 or 32.
Of course, that wasn't what mattered most.
Even if it were a Champion-tier Serperior, Nathan wouldn't be worried—it was hard-countered by his Volcarona. And though Dylan had three Pokéballs at his waist, Nathan didn't think too much of it.
He cared about Dylan for a different reason: as a window into a broader reality.
Dylan's family ran a company. He started with a Snivy. And in this country, there were plenty of rich kids like that.
So just imagine how many more participants like Dylan were in this year's trial tournament.
If just Dylan already had a Commander-level Pokémon, then according to intel Nathan had read earlier, the girl descended from a Champion must have at least Gym Leader-level Pokémon, even if not Champion-level herself.
"In an environment like this, it's really tough for kids from humble backgrounds to rise," Nathan murmured.
If he didn't have his system, he wouldn't stand a chance against these wealthy elites at this stage.
The gap was simply too wide.
Rich kids could start catching Pokémon from a young age. Kids from modest backgrounds had to wait until high school—senior year—to get their first Pokémon.
It's not that they couldn't catch one earlier—it's that they couldn't afford to.
What they could afford would be weak Pokémon like Caterpie or Metapod.
And even those—often of poor quality—cost tens of thousands. As for the rare or high-quality ones? Don't even ask.
Yes, there were success stories of rising from poverty. One of the current Ghost-type Champions, Hazel Celeste, came from a humble background.
But cases like hers were very rare.
Let's not stray too far off-topic.
Despite the many powerful opponents, Nathan felt more excited than intimidated.
The stronger the rivals, the more thrilling the battle.
Maybe this tournament could even level up Volcarona—or help Pancham evolve!
…
All six arenas were buzzing with excitement.
As Nathan watched the stream, a few hours slipped by.
Then the loudspeaker boomed again.
[Attention: Nathan Vesper and Oliver Paxton, please proceed to Arena 2 through the contestant tunnel. Your match is about to begin!]
The announcement repeated three times.
Hearing it, Nathan put away his phone and stood up. After stretching slightly, the corners of his mouth curved into a smile.
"Finally, the second match. Oliver, huh… if I remember right, his starter Pokémon was a Mareep."
He'd just watched Oliver's earlier battle. Not bad at all.
Not one of the rich elite—just an average middle-class kid like Nathan. He'd gotten Mareep from the school-distributed Pokéballs.
Gotta admit—his luck was good.
Mareep, an Electric-type Pokémon, evolves into Ampharos. Not only is Ampharos decently powerful, it's also got a great design—and more importantly, it can Mega Evolve into Mega Ampharos.
And that form? Absolutely stunning. Nathan himself was a big fan.
Shaking his head, he headed toward the contestant tunnel.
As he stepped through the dim passage, a beam of light greeted him at the other end, bringing him back to the arena floor.
The crowd roared from the stands.
Every match was given massive attention and support.
"Wow! Today's matchup is between Oliver and Nathan. We've already seen Nathan's power in previous battles—clean, efficient fighting, with rapid takedowns through simple but effective combos. But don't underestimate Oliver—his starter Pokémon is the Electric-type Mareep!"
"Electric versus Fighting—there's no inherent type advantage. So, who will win? Let's wait and see!"
Indeed, Electric and Fighting-types had no direct type interaction.
So, it was anyone's game.
"I watched your last match. You're really strong—but I won't lose," Oliver said seriously as he looked at Nathan.
"Then let's both give it our best," Nathan replied with a calm smile.
Oliver nodded, then drew a Poké Ball and threw it.
"Mareep!"
A Mareep appeared in Nathan's view.
Covered in pale yellow fluff over blue skin, Mareep was a mild-tempered Pokémon—more cuddly than combative. Its wool could store static electricity, and was also used to make warm clothes.
Even though it wasn't naturally aggressive, when following a trainer's orders, Mareep would still fight with determination.
"Come on out—Pancham!" Nathan said softly, throwing his own Poké Ball.
A red light flashed, and Pancham appeared.
The battle—began!
…
"Mareep, use Charge!"
Right at the start, Oliver gave his command.
"Maaareep~!"
Yellow electricity sparked over Mareep's wool. The Charge move would empower its next Electric-type attack, doubling its damage, and also boosting its Special Defense.
But Special Defense didn't really matter against Pancham.
Currently, Pancham had no special attack moves—all of its attacks were physical.
"Pancham, use Taunt!"
Nathan stayed calm—his usual style during battle.
"Panchaaa~"
Pancham's face curled into a taunting grin. With a bamboo leaf in its mouth, it pointed at Mareep and gestured mockingly as if to say, "Come on, coward—hit me if you dare!"
Even a gentle Pokémon like Mareep couldn't help feeling provoked.
"Mareep, don't fall for it. Stay calm—use Thunder Shock!" Oliver reminded it.
"Maaareep!"
Snapping back to its senses, Mareep narrowed its eyes and let out a cry. Lightning sparked across its fluffy yellow wool, then fired a powerful Thunder Shock at Pancham. With Charge's boost, the bolt was much thicker and more ferocious than usual.
"The Taunt didn't work? Oh well—not unexpected. Pancham, show them your speed—dodge it!"
Nathan's voice rang out.
In the preliminaries, unless the opponent had overwhelming strength or a type advantage, no one could match his Pancham.
That was Nathan's confidence.
And that confidence came from half a month of intense, specialized training.
Unique training methods existed in this world—but targeted, unconventional training like Nathan's? Nobody else had that.
He was truly one-of-a-kind.
"Panchaa!"
Pancham didn't just show no fear—it actually looked excited.
Compared to the heavy resistance training it had endured, this was nothing. Without its weighted leg bands, Pancham felt light as a feather.
Whoosh!
A burst of air rang out.
Pancham exploded forward at an incredible speed, easily dodging the Thunder Shock.
The burst was so fast, it created a sonic boom.
"That was... Soru?" Nathan's eyes widened.
He recognized the move Pancham had just used—it was identical to Soru (Shave), one of the Rokushiki techniques from naval combat in his memories.
He hadn't expected Pancham to master it mid-battle—especially when it hadn't during training.
"Panchaaa!"
Pancham clearly felt the difference in its speed too, and cried out in delight.
"Pancham, did you catch that feeling just now?" Nathan asked excitedly.
"Panchaaa!" Pancham didn't even look back—but its cry said it all: Absolutely.
"Perfect." Nathan smiled. "Then show them what you've got—use Soru to close the gap, then Push!"
"Panchaa!!"
With a spirited cry, Pancham vanished from sight—its speed exploding once again.
The sudden movement was so fast it was almost invisible.
Even Quick Attack paled in comparison.
In mere seconds, Pancham was right in front of Mareep.
"What kind of speed is this!?"
Oliver was stunned. He had never seen anything like it—it wasn't Quick Attack at all. Still, he reacted quickly and shouted:
"Mareep, another Thunder Shock—now!"
"Maaareep!"
Electric sparks flared across its wool again.
But just then—
"Pancham, change tactics—use Low Kick!"
Though the move had already been initiated, Nathan made a last-second call.
Mareep's attack hadn't landed yet, but its wool was still charged with electricity. If Pancham used Push, it would make direct contact with Mareep's fur—and that could paralyze it.
Not serious damage—but paralysis could shift the entire battle.