This time, Nathan focused on carefully sensing every aspect of Zeraora.
As before, Zeraora's greatest weakness was still its physical durability.
Simply put, it had low HP.
But in terms of explosive power, electric charge capacity, magnetic field control, and adaptability to electricity...
There was no doubt — aside from physical toughness, Zeraora's improvements were practically flawless.
What surprised Nathan the most were Zeraora's brand-new claws and the unique trait it developed through the bond evolution!
First of all, the new claws clearly looked much sturdier and tougher, no longer as prone to cracking as the original ones.
In addition, the shell on the back of Zeraora's hands had excellent conductivity.
Combined with the black lightning patterns on its forearms, which stored electricity, Zeraora could easily unleash moves like Chidori and other Electric-type attacks.
Moreover, compared to other Pokémon, the intensity of its electric currents had increased to an astonishing degree!
The Garchomp, shrouded in black smoke and suffering from status effects, could barely put up any resistance against Zeraora in its bond form!
Then there was the new Ability gained after bond evolution:
Thunder God's Body (???):
An unknown trait born from the fusion of legendary power and the power of bonds.
It could easily store massive amounts of electricity to enhance itself and dramatically boost its control over electricity!
This information came from the system store, causing Nathan's eyes to shine brightly.
Sensing Nathan's emotional shift, Zeraora immediately raised its arm —
Azure lightning compressed and condensed around its claws like a tamed beast!
"Hell Stab: Five-Blade Claws!"
With a low shout, the entire training room was filled with the roaring sound of thunder!
…
In the afternoon, after eating and feeling a little drowsy, Nathan made his way to the competition arena.
This time, his opponent was surprisingly ordinary.
With the combined power of his Flygon and Mimikyu, Nathan achieved an effortless and decisive victory.
However, at the end of the match, the girl named Zoe Xue gazed at Nathan like she was looking at her idol.
She even leaned close and asked excitedly:
"Idol, is it true your Zeraora can evolve again? Are the effects of those Pokéblocks real? I heard you were already venturing into the wild to search for resources and battle Pokémon at the age of five…"
Her nonstop chatter gave Nathan a headache, and it took quite some effort to finally get rid of her.
"Hehe, what do you think? Pretty hard to endure Zoe's chatterbox skills, huh?"
Evelyn, covering her mouth with a soft laugh, teased as she saw Nathan's helpless expression.
Somewhat surprised, Nathan asked,
"You know this Miss Xue?"
Though not remarkable in battle, Zoe's background was actually quite notable.
She didn't come from a family of wealthy merchants, but rather from a clan specialized in raising powerful Pokémon —
similar to the dragon clans seen in anime and games.
The Xue family specialized in raising Feebas and Milotic.
Although they didn't know the exact method to evolve Feebas into Milotic,
they were able to breed large numbers of Feebas and use certain secret techniques to significantly increase the odds of obtaining a Milotic.
Because of this, even within the Xue family, Milotic remained extremely rare.
Moreover, very few people could earn the acknowledgment of a Milotic.
Thus, the Xue family was renowned and highly sought after — but still not considered a true aristocratic house.
After all, they couldn't sell Milotic, nor did they possess a definite method to mass-produce them.
In short, the Xue family existed in an awkward, in-between status.
"Of course I know her," Evelyn said casually, walking naturally beside Nathan.
"When I was little, I really wanted a Milotic too, but unfortunately, no Milotic ever acknowledged me."
"I remember back then, Zoe still went by the name Fish!"
Hearing this, Nathan first showed a look of realization, then almost chuckled.
Milotic that evolved naturally were extremely proud — or rather, extremely tsundere.
Trainers who treated their Pokémon merely as tools or pets could never earn a Milotic's favor.
In fact, some members of the Xue family had already shifted into business.
For instance, Zoe's father was the CEO of a Pokémon-related corporation —
though it didn't have anything to do with Poké Balls.
That was why Nathan was a bit surprised.
After chatting idly with Evelyn for a while, Nathan returned alone to his hotel.
As for Evelyn?
She had countless apartments in Magic City — definitely not something Nathan needed to worry about.
Just as he was about to experiment with some Pokéblocks, his phone rang.
"Vice President Cloud? Looks like this is about that Moose incident,"
Nathan said, rubbing his chin as he glanced at the caller ID.
He wasn't surprised at all by the call — in fact, he thought it had come a little late.
No matter how powerful the Mist family's influence was,
they couldn't possibly keep the existence of Super Evolution a secret for long.
(Note: Both Mega Evolution and Bond Evolution are collectively referred to as "Super Evolution.")
There was no helping it —
Super Evolution's significance to the Pokémon world was no less groundbreaking than the invention of hybrid rice!
Answering the call, Nathan curled his lips into a grin and said:
"Vice President, what's the matter calling me at this hour?"
"You should know, I'm a very busy person right now!"
As he spoke, he glanced at the pile of ruined materials on his desk.
Yep — truly busy.
He had almost succeeded in making a finished product!
"Cough cough, cut it out. Like I don't know you? You just finished a match; no way you're seriously training your Pokémon right now,"
Shane Cloud rolled his eyes on the other end, like he could even guess the color of Nathan's underwear.
He had no choice.
Nathan represented too many important things now — if Shane didn't keep a close eye on him,
he feared the kid might soar up into the sky and shoulder up against the sun!
"Let's get straight to the point," Shane Hongyun said, his tone becoming extremely serious.
"I'm calling mainly to notify you of something."
"Kid, you know about the Black Spirit Organization — that they've been conducting experiments on both Pokémon and humans, tormenting them endlessly?"
"Of course. How could I not know?"
Nathan nodded gravely.
As long as he still considered himself a Trainer,
as long as he shared bonds with Pokémon —
then the Black Spirit Organization would always be his mortal enemy!
"Good. Then listen carefully — the Garchomp you fought yesterday, and its Trainer — both of them were experimental subjects."
"And they were failures!"
Even through the phone, Shane's face remained extremely serious:
"Their goal isn't anything small.
They want to surpass the League itself!"
"In simple terms, they're trying to achieve their own form of evolution —
to create a force capable of opposing the League!"
"Which also means — from now on, you'll become the Black Spirit Organization's number one target!"
Hearing Shane's words, Nathan's eyes instantly narrowed into dangerous slits.
He had vaguely suspected something like this,
but hearing it confirmed aloud still sent a chill down his spine.
After all, this was no longer a small matter like Pokéblocks!
If the Black Spirit Organization was willing to throw manpower, resources, and countless assets just for Pokéblocks —
then for Super Evolution, their mobilization would increase by several — no, dozens of times!
And unless Nathan died, these vultures would keep hunting him relentlessly —
until they got what they wanted!
"Hoo..."
After a long silence, Nathan slowly let out a deep breath.
His expression remained calm —
only the bulging veins on the back of his hand betrayed the intense emotion boiling inside him.
Because the timing... was a little too soon!
There were still many things he hadn't prepared yet!
But whether he was ready or not didn't matter —
even if he had to do it all over again, Nathan would not regret a thing.
Touching the Poké Ball pendant hanging around his neck, Nathan spoke with icy calm:
"Listen, Vice President Cloud — the evolution beyond final evolution — I call it Super Evolution."
"To be honest, my understanding of this evolution far exceeds what anyone could imagine!"
"And after the National Tournament ends —
I will publicly reveal the key to Super Evolution."
"But before then..."
"I don't want anyone around me getting dragged into this, not even the slightest bit!"
Thinking of his friends fighting in other regions,
Lily battling hard in the qualifiers,
and his parents supporting him back home in Poplar City...
One of Nathan's eyes turned crimson, a bewitching, beautiful red.
Beautiful enough to terrify.
Beautiful enough to suffocate.
…
"Son, even though you're rich now, we still want to live like this. You need roots, after all. If someday you ever fall, we can still be your shelter."
"Little Nathan, we pinky-swore! If you dare fool around with girls, don't blame your mother for cleaning house!"
"Boss, I swear I'll become strong! Then I'll come back and truly be your brother!"
...
Memories —
the most precious treasures humans possess.
But more important than memories are the people within them.
Rubbing his slightly aching right eye back to its original color,
Nathan still wore an expressionless face.
He was waiting for Shane's answer.
Originally, he could have had more leverage — greater certainty.
But unfortunately, time waits for no one.
"Little Nathan, it's not that I don't want to help you,"
Shane scratched his head in frustration at his desk,
"It's just... you have no solid proof. No persuasive evidence!"
He truly wanted to help Nathan —
but after all, Shane was only the Vice President of a branch League office.