Only through Fire Dance could Volcarona's true power be fully unleashed!
Water? Instantly evaporated!
Try to dodge? The flames seemed almost alive!
Even when Arbok used Take Down, it still ended up badly burned and fell unconscious.
The air was thick with the smell of cooked meat.
"H-How is this possible?!"
"Your Volcarona just broke through to the Elite level, right? How can it be this overwhelming?"
Watching his Pokémon get instantly defeated, Raymond stood there in shock.
It was one thing for their plan to be seen through, but how could a prodigy be this unreasonable?
His Arbok was also Elite-level!
So why did it get one-shot?!
But Nathan didn't have the time or patience to answer. His gaze was cold as he stared at everyone and said,
"Throw away your Poké Balls right now — or I'll kill you."
Even though Nathan still had the youthful face of a teenager and didn't seem all that intimidating,
the cold glint in his eyes made it crystal clear to Raymond's group:
If they disobeyed, he really would kill them.
Facing death, they didn't hesitate and obediently tossed aside all their Poké Balls.
Feian even turned out all his pockets and hidden compartments, just in case.
Don't be biased:
Feian's clothes were loose enough that it would've been nearly impossible to hide anything anyway.
But just to be safe, Nathan still kept a cautious distance.
These guys weren't real Trainers — they didn't care about any so-called Trainer's honor.
"Now," Nathan said, sitting on a half-intact chair and crossing his legs,
"Tell me why you want the recipe for the Pokéblocks."
His cold tone matched how he acted during battle — a far cry from the harmless smile he usually wore.
"We… we don't know,"
Raymond muttered, gritting his teeth and lowering his head.
The others shifted their eyes away but kept silent too.
Seeing how stubborn they were, Nathan didn't bother playing nice.
He gave a cold chuckle and said,
"Fine. Then don't say anything. I've had a few experiments I've been meaning to try out anyway…"
"Like… roasting the skin off first and then salting the flesh, see how that feels?"
"Or maybe…"
As Nathan calmly listed off the torture methods he had read about online,
Raymond and the others turned absolutely pale.
They didn't even see him as human anymore — more like a literal demon.
Were kids these days this terrifying?!
They didn't want to believe it, but just like earlier,
once you give in once, giving in again is even easier.
As Nathan's expression grew colder and he uncrossed his legs,
Lira finally broke down first:
"I'll talk! I'll tell you everything! Just don't do that to me!"
She confessed,
"Our boss said the organization needed something extremely nutritious — or maybe high in energy — for some experiments."
"But none of the berries or Pokémon food on the market could meet the requirements."
"That's why… they set their sights on your Pokéblocks."
She didn't dare look at Raymond or the others,
her face full of flattering smiles as she pleaded,
"I've told you everything I know! Please let me go! I'll do anything! I don't even mind becoming your servant!"
"I'll do whatever you want!"
Honestly, Lira completely threw away any sense of dignity to save her own skin.
But then Lucy sneered:
"You're over thirty, still trying to act young?"
"Little brother, forget this washed-up old hag — wouldn't you rather have a real big sister like me? In every way~?"
"Shut up."
Nathan cut them off coldly before the two women could start fighting again.
Seeing Nathan's merciless expression,
the two women immediately shut their mouths, realizing seduction was completely useless here.
Meanwhile, Feian and Raymond exchanged a look and smirked mockingly at their pathetic teammates.
Watching this ugly scene, Nathan couldn't help but feel speechless.
Some people really were just irredeemable trash.
This wasn't some inspiring novel with ambitious, charismatic villains.
No, this was reality — and reality was often way more disappointing.
Losing hope, rotting away, giving up their own morals step by step…
"Metagross," Nathan called out, releasing his Pokémon,
"put them to sleep — and make sure they never wake up."
Raymond and the others struggled in panic, realizing they had underestimated how ruthless Nathan could be.
But it was too late.
Honestly, the Dark Spirit Organization's plan had been pretty solid.
At least Nathan thought so —
if it weren't for him being unusually cautious,
if it were an ordinary naive teen instead,
then yeah, the plan would have worked.
After all, two fists can't beat four hands.
And if Volcarona had used up its strength earlier, Nathan might not have even been able to summon it before getting captured by surprise attacks!
But reality doesn't deal in "what-ifs."
They ran into Nathan — who was way too careful.
And their meticulous setup ended up collapsing like a joke.
"This world,"
Nathan said quietly, looking at the ruined restaurant,
"only the power you truly control in your own hands is real."
"Everything else is just an illusion."
The feeling didn't last long.
Soon, Nathan pulled out his phone and called Vice President Cloud.
The Dark Spirit Organization reaching this level of infiltration?
There was no way it happened without someone pulling strings from behind the scenes.
But Nathan wasn't stupid enough to just charge into their base like some hot-blooded idiot.
It would be meaningless — and only cause himself endless trouble.
The safest, smartest move was to let the Pokémon League deal with it.
No way the League would choose some shady puppet master over someone like him,
especially considering his potential and the bright future of Pokéblocks.
The call quickly connected.
"Huh? Shouldn't you be in Spring City by now?" Vice President Cloud sounded surprised.
"Be careful there, it's a complicated place because of its Pokémon focus."
Nathan rolled his eyes.
No kidding.
If it wasn't complicated, how could the Black Pokémon scum have gotten this far?
In a slightly aggrieved tone, Nathan said,
"Your warning's a little late. The Dark Spirit Organization already tried to assassinate me when I left Emerald City!"
He immediately started explaining the entire situation,
playing up a mix of "lucky to survive," "unfair treatment," and "rightful anger."
Maybe his acting wouldn't win an Oscar,
but it was more than enough to convince the Vice President.
"WHAT?!"
Vice President Cloud exploded in rage.
"The Dark Spirit Organization dared go this far?!"
"There's definitely someone backing them — maybe even an inside traitor!"
"Don't worry, Nathan! I promise you: the League will absolutely give you a proper explanation!"
…
After giving Nathan his word, Vice President Cloud hung up the call, clearly in a rush.
Before long, a full team of uniformed officers showed up and completely sealed off the restaurant.
Nathan wasn't in any hurry.
While training his Pokémon, he also wandered around Spring City, searching for suitable Grass-types.
First, he ruled out Pokémon like Serperior and Vileplume.
Also, some local urban legends got debunked —
meaning Nathan had no chance of encountering an Ultra Beast after all.
Honestly, he would've been happy even with a Kartana if not a Pheromosa!
In the end, he narrowed it down to just three Pokémon — or rather, three he thought were worth it.
Two were Treeckos:
one was calm and collected,
the other incredibly hardworking.
The last was a lively Bulbasaur who loved picking fights with random Pokémon.
All three could Mega Evolve, and all were Starter Pokémon species.
Nathan agonized over the choice for ages,
looking exactly like a broke guy struggling to pick his dinner during his poor student days.
Meanwhile, the League didn't keep him waiting long.
On the third day, just as Nathan was training,
Vice President Cloud personally called him.
"Everyone connected to this case has been arrested," he said.
"Those directly involved are getting life sentences, no parole.
The others are starting at a minimum of ten years!"
The exhaustion in Shane's voice was obvious —
he had clearly gone all out for Nathan's sake.
After all, pulling off such a thorough cleanup in just three days —
and handing out such heavy punishments —
was no small feat.
…
(TN: I don't really know if theres more than one dark organization or just the dark spirit organization.)