But the fact remained—Nathan had been disturbed during his meal!
Just that alone was enough for him.
No matter who the other party was, Nathan couldn't be bothered to engage with them anymore.
Seeing Nathan's attitude, Angelo's face turned a bit grim, but he was helpless.
After all, he couldn't exactly attack or detain Nathan. Enduring the consequences in silence was likely his only option.
Brushing past Angelo and the waiter, Nathan walked straight out of the private dining room.
The hotel lobby and entrance were crowded with people, including some reporters holding cameras.
As soon as they saw Nathan come out, a few reporters swarmed forward like sharks that had smelled news.
They had already recognized who he was!
It had nothing to do with current hype—it was simply professional instinct.
"Hello, Mr. Vesper! May we ask you a few questions?"
"Just a quick response is fine—can you tell us what happened in the restaurant?"
"Was it local thugs causing trouble for you, walking freely through a Pokémon Restaurant?"
...
Several young female reporters squeezed to the front, firing off a barrage of questions.
There was no helping it—Nathan still had some residual popularity.
And when you throw in a high-end Pokémon restaurant and some thugs? That's a recipe for a viral headline!
These reporters weren't shoving microphones directly into his mouth only out of respect for his status as a Trainer.
Because he hadn't eaten his fill, Nathan unceremoniously picked a few questions to answer.
"This place? I won't be coming here again."
"Makes me wonder—if I yelled out the name of a dark Pokémon organization, would they barge right in and kidnap me from a private room?"
...
Besides those comments, Nathan also subtly steered the topic toward Pokéblocks—
A little warm-up publicity for his upcoming studio.
Watching Nathan's back as he walked off, Angelo's expression grew gloomier as he made a call.
"Boss, I'm sorry. I mishandled things. I didn't expect this kid to be so hard to deal with."
"Should we consider retaliating in secret? This incident might cost us big time!"
—In a private basement beneath a villa in Eucalm City.
"No need. Swallowing your pride is the smart move. And there's no need to deal with him going forward."
"I'm not sure what happened, but this kid's standing with the Pokémon League has skyrocketed all of a sudden."
A middle-aged man with a scar across his face, his tone full of authority, spoke calmly.
Hearing his words, Angelo finally let out a sigh of relief.
He still didn't know who his boss really was, but as long as he kept his position and the boss hadn't abandoned the restaurant, that was enough for him.
After a few more instructions, the scar-faced man— Gavin Stonewell —turned his attention to a massive screen locked on a static image.
It was as if an art lover were gazing at a masterpiece.
But in reality...
The screen didn't display a piece of artwork.
It showed a photo of a Pokéblock, with various analysis notes written around it.
At the very bottom, in large blood-red letters, a line stood out:
[This block contains extremely high nutritional value! It may significantly increase 'its' potential and birth rate!]
[Due to the inability to reverse-engineer the formula from a mere sample, acquiring the recipe is top priority!]
"Heh... A poor kid from nowhere. So what if he raised a elite level Volcarona?"
"So what if he's highly valued by the League?"
Looking at the last few lines, a sinister smirk appeared on Gavin's serious face.
…
After leaving the restaurant and returning to the Pokémon Hotel, Nathan ordered a set meal right away.
The system shop had refreshed, but there was nothing worth mentioning this time.
After eating, Nathan patted his stomach and made his way to the training room.
"He's in the training room every day unless there's a mission or something urgent—this kind of talent is terrifying!"
"Exactly! I can't find a single flaw in him. No wonder they called him a prodigy just a while ago!"
"I heard he had a Elite-level Pokémon really early on. He could probably place pretty high in the national tournament."
...
As Nathan passed by, many of the hotel staff whispered in awe, their eyes full of admiration and envy.
But not jealousy—because even if they had the same talent, they couldn't see themselves matching his work ethic.
It was just like before Nathan crossed over: very few people could dedicate 80% of their time to studying.
But Nathan wasn't getting cocky—at most, his mood had brightened a little.
In the training room, Nathan released all his Pokémon except for Steelix.
"Volcarona, keep working on your Firestorm training. Also, try using that white flame technique again!"
"Pangoro, no need to compress the energy orb today. Start training your fine control after absorbing the orb!"
"Flygon, even if it's sand, don't just mimic desert properties! Don't neglect your Dragon-type strength!"
"Mimikyu, don't blindly increase the number of Shadow Balls. Work on their quality and launch speed too!"
"And you, Metagross—don't ignore your strengths. Focus on covering your weaknesses!"
"Finally, Zeraora—sure, your theoretical moves are powerful, but don't forget to hone the skills you can actually use!"
...
For a full half hour, Nathan barked commands until his throat ran dry.
Only after all his Pokémon had found their rhythm did he grab a towel and wipe off his sweat.
He had barely sat down when his phone buzzed.
Wendy:"Hey little bro~ You there?"
Nathan:"No little bro here, just a big handsome guy. Want one? (smirk)"
He replied instantly, a sly grin tugging at his lips.
He hadn't even reached out to this girl yet, and Wendy had already contacted him first.
Wendy:"Pfft! Are you even legal yet? Never mind, I'm not here to flirt with you."
Nathan:"Then what's up? A goddess beckons, how could I refuse?"
Wendy:"Didn't you say you wanted to start a studio? I've decided—I'm in!"
(TN: Ok, I stop translating for a week, so I forgot somethings and on this one, I don't know if I call it studio lastime but I'm going to call it studio starting from now on or I found a better one.)
Just from her tone, Nathan could tell she was pissed about something.
Probably got treated unfairly somewhere.
After all, the world isn't fair—no matter which world you're in.
Nathan:"Welcome, welcome! How about this—come to Emerald City in the next couple of days. We'll set up the studio here!"
Wendy:"? I just looked online—didn't you run into some thugs there?"
That made Nathan raise an eyebrow—he didn't expect word to spread so fast.
Or rather, he underestimated his own influence!
Internet users are forgetful, sure.
But they also have excellent memory for certain things.
Like classics—people still remember things like One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach even after ten years.
And while Nathan himself wasn't some iconic character,
He was the only truly rising star from a humble background in recent years.
Give it a year or two of inactivity, and the netizens might forget him.
But right now, even the tiniest bit of drama could throw him right back into the public eye.
Of course, he could never reach the peak buzz from when he won that major tournament—
This was just a minor scandal, after all.
Nathan:"Don't worry. I've got someone I can count on here."
Nathan:"And with her help, the studio's promotion will go really smoothly!"
Wendy:"Her?"
Nathan:"Missy, you're focusing on the wrong thing here, aren't you?!"
Staring speechlessly at his phone, Nathan sighed. Girls really did have the weirdest sense of focus—
Even more bizarre than JoJo's Stands!
As for "her," of course he meant the psychi-type Gym Leader: the elegant and charming Serene Lee.
Unlike Gym Leaders from other cities,
Serene was well-known in Emerald City even outside her position.
She had a huge following of die-hard fans.
And with all her admirers, convincing Serene meant two things:
No need to worry about studio security—
And no need to spend money on ads!
Wendy didn't know all that, but she could sense Nathan's confidence.
Well, mostly because she saw the words "promotion" and "smoothly."
Wendy:"In that case, I'm heading over ASAP! Don't you dare let me sleep on the street!"
Nathan:"Don't worry—even if you sleep with me, you won't be sleeping on the street. (evil grin)"
Wendy:"..."
...
After finishing his chat with Wendy, Nathan fell into thought as he watched his Pokémon training hard.
Their progress had been fast—very fast.
But if he wanted to win the national tournament… he still wasn't quite there yet.
Take the tournament three years ago for example—
The winner had a Champion-level Pokémon as their ace!
Not long after, that Trainer became the Ice-type Elite Guardian.
Even now, they were just a step away from being a full Champion!
Though no one of that caliber had shown up in the past two years,
This year looked very different!
Many talented, well-connected second- and third-generation elites were likely to join the fray.