With the rapid development of the times,
Nathan's current strength really was on the edge!
"Sigh... I guess I'd better contact Evelyn! Otherwise, even getting funding in the early stages is going to be a huge problem..."
Nathan let out a long sigh.
The money he had on hand was enough to support himself for now, but starting a studio? That would be a stretch.
To say nothing of—
The raw materials for the Pokéblocks, production equipment, venue, and even the needs of Wendy, a full-fledged Pokémon Breeder...
The moment something involves Pokémon, the amount of money you need starts feeling like you're dealing with currency inflation!
Even a few million doesn't seem like much!
He reopened his phone and scrolled to Evelyn's contact.
Nathan: "Hey, sugar mama, you there?"
Honestly, Nathan figured Evelyn was probably busy at this hour.
After all, she was the heiress of the Mist family—and as far as he knew, their only daughter.
But to his surprise, just after he sent the message, she called him directly!
Hearing his custom ringtone, Nathan hurriedly picked up the call.
Evelyn's sweet and pleasant voice came through immediately:
"Classmate Nathan, what's up?"
After using Nathan's Pokéblocks for a while, Evelyn had become extremely interested in him.
She couldn't help it—the nutritional value was just too high!
Combined with the professional Breeder the Mist family had hired, the improvement in her Pokémon's condition was something you could literally see with your eyes!
…
"Ahem… Miss Evelyn, I was wondering—do you happen to be short on cash right now?"
As soon as he said it, Nathan wanted to slap himself.
She's the daughter of a Poké Ball conglomerate!
How could she be short on money?!
Even if everyone else in the world ran out of money, as long as the Trainer profession still existed, the Ye family would never be poor!
But to Nathan's surprise, Evelyn actually replied quite seriously:
"A little bit, yeah."
Not the Mist family's money—but her own.
It was like how parents paid for your food and education, but your pocket money was still limited.
That's what Miss Mist was short on: personal funds.
Nathan froze for a second, then quickly recovered and said with a grin,
"I'm planning to start a studio. I need some investment—10% equity."
He was blunt, but frankly, Nathan had the confidence to be blunt.
The market potential of Pokéblocks…
In the future, it might—not just might, but definitely would—surpass even the vast wealth of the Mist family!
It was simple math.
A Pokéblock costs only a tenth the price of a Poké Ball.
But while Poké Balls were consumable, trainers might buy hundreds or thousands of Pokéblocks for their Pokémon over time!
That was why Nathan had always been wary of those major Pokémon corporations.
Evelyn didn't mind his directness.
She laughed and said,
"No problem. I'll start with fifty million. It'll take a bit of time to process, but if you're willing to establish a full company, I can wire you three billion—and it'll hit your account in under an hour!"
As the daughter of the Mist family, even if Evelyn didn't fully understand the value of Pokéblocks, there were plenty of experts around her who did.
According to their analysis, the potential value was even greater than Nathan imagined!
Just the market alone—this giant "cake" was valuable enough to buy ten Mist families.
So, to Evelyn, fifty million or even three billion wasn't a big deal. In fact, it seemed too little.
Hearing her voice—so sweet it could melt a teenage boy's heart—Nathan couldn't help swallowing nervously.
He had to admit—he was tempted.
But after thinking it through, he shook his head.
"No... not yet. Right now, I don't have the strength to protect this kind of asset."
His Steelix was powerful—powerful enough to be the ace of a champion.
But Nathan knew that one powerful Pokémon wasn't enough.
Age, credentials, battle records—those were the metrics people used to judge you!
If something went wrong, and he had to scramble to put out fires later, it'd be too late—too messy.
"Alright. I respect your decision."
"You're in Emerald City, right? I'll come over tomorrow to sign the contract—and challenge you to a battle while I'm at it!"
Evelyn respected his choice, smiling as she spoke.
Nathan, on the other hand, sighed.
"So… the battle is the main point, huh?"
If all she wanted was to sign a contract, she didn't need to come in person.
Especially not when Emerald City was under heightened alert due to suspected activity by a dark organization.
"Exactly! I want to see your new Pokémon! I can't beat that Volcarona, you know~"
Evelyn chuckled over the phone.
Talking to Nathan was so easy—one of the few moments in her life that felt genuinely carefree.
After hanging up,
Nathan turned to his Pokémon, still training hard.
Even the shy Mimikyu was doing its best to unlock its potential!
That was why Nathan was so obsessed with Pokémon.
He could have many things in life, but his Pokémon—
they gave everything they had, just for him.
After training, he felt great. He went all out making Pokéblocks for his partners.
And the results were excellent—
Nathan was getting better and better at making them. The quality and flavor had both improved significantly.
Even the normally aloof Metagross was happily munching away.
"Won't be long now... soon we might even be able to try Mega Evolution."
Feeling the invisible bonds between him and his Pokémon grow ever stronger, Nathan couldn't help but smile.
Ever since he awakened the Viridian power, he had been able to vaguely sense those bonds.
Still a bit hazy—but they were there.
Even so, he was filled with anticipation.
If he could let Mega Evolution shine on the stage of the National Tournament—
that would be reaching the pinnacle of his life!
After feeding his team, he watched as they all started yawning in sync.
Then Nathan left the hotel and took a cab straight to Serene's Psychic-type Gym.
"Leader! That kid—he's back again!"
Nathan: …
Seeing the part-time referee at the gym looking like he'd seen a ghost, Nathan was speechless.
Fortunately, Serene soon appeared before him.
Even though her daughter was already participating in the National Tournament, Serene herself showed no signs of aging.
It wasn't just "graceful aging"—it was pure elegance.
Seeing Nathan, Serene gave him a charming smile and said,
"Didn't you already earn the Psychic Badge? What, you want a rematch?"
Her smile was lovely, but Nathan felt a chill run down his spine.
If he dared to nod, she'd absolutely bring out her ace Pokémon!
Being Elite-level wasn't reserved only for officially certified Elites.
In fact, to be recognized by the League as an Elite, all six of your Pokémon had to be at the Elite level—
And your weakest one had to be at the peak of Elite level!
Just like a Champion's weakest Pokémon would still be a Master-class.
As a Gym Leader, Serene's ace—her Gardevoir—was definitely Elite-class, probably one that had been at that level for years.
There were countless Pokémon in this world limited only by their potential and resources.
"Ahem, no no—of course not. I just came to show you something good."
Nathan gave a helpless cough.
His Volcarona was only level 53. Even the power gifted to him by Entei still needed time and training to fully develop.
As for battling a veteran Elite-level Pokémon?
No way.
Especially when Serene and her Gardevoir teamed up with full force—Volcarona wasn't ready for that yet.
Seeing Nathan back off, Serene's smile returned to normal. She looked intrigued.
"If the League's rising star came to personally recommend something, I doubt it's anything ordinary."
"Come on, show me! But if you're trying to trick me, you won't get off easy~"
Hearing that, Nathan couldn't help but complain silently.
Lady, you're a mother already. Can you be a little more grounded?
"Rising star"?
More like overhyped internet praise.
To truly earn that title, he'd have to become National Champion.
Otherwise, accepting that label now would just invite a wave of online backlash.
"Alright, alright—stop teasing. Here, just take it."
Nathan rolled his eyes and handed her an Pokéblocks.
Serene smiled, took it, and began inspecting it closely.
She even activated her psychic powers.
Unfortunately, no matter how she looked at it, the only thing she could tell was that its ingredients were probably some kind of berries.
Other than that—nothing.