Hearing those words, Nathan almost wanted to laugh.
A dignified legendary Pokémon, reduced to fighting in such a noisy, crowded place just for the sake of a little food—if this were spread around, countless people would definitely want to try it themselves, to see if they could also tempt a legendary Pokémon into following them into battle.
However, the kind of carrot that Spectrier liked to eat was exceptionally difficult to cultivate.
Shaderoot carrot only grew in places devoid of light, in environments where sunlight could not reach. Such places were indeed not too difficult to find.
But precisely because of that, Shaderoot carrots grew at an extremely slow pace.
Ordinary carrots could mature in just a few months, half a year at most, before being ready for harvest.
Shaderoot carrots, on the other hand, required two full years before they could reach true maturity.
After all, Shaderoot carrots were plants that did not rely on photosynthesis to stimulate growth.
For this person to go through so much painstaking effort just to cultivate an entire patch of shaderoot carrots… it showed he did indeed have some ability.
Because Pokémon were creatures of pure instincts—if one day there were no more shaderoot carrots, Spectrier would simply turn its head and leave without hesitation.
"Enough nonsense—let's start the battle already! Your Mewtwo may be powerful, but my Spectrier has its own means as well!"
The man's voice carried endless fighting spirit.
Nathan nodded, though before the match officially began, there was still something he wanted to announce.
"Alright. But before we start, let me say something. It's a matter that will also benefit you."
Nathan grinned mischievously.
After all, many people had already come forward to challenge him. Just this time alone, five challengers had appeared.
But for Nathan, that was still far from enough.
What he wanted was for all of his Pokémon to obtain the qualifications to advance to the legendary tier.
If the number of challengers continued to be this small, when would all of his many Pokémon ever be able to earn that qualification?
So before coming here, he had already decided to bring out something that would stir people's hearts—something so tempting that no one could refuse.
Something like… Rayquaza's shed scales!
Yes, what Nathan planned to use to attract challengers was none other than Rayquaza's shed scales.
"From now on, at the end of every month, I will hold a unified day of challenges. Among all those who dare to face me, everyone will have the chance to receive a scale molted from Rayquaza."
Nathan said this lightly, almost casually.
He possessed a total of seventy-six Rayquaza scales.
To forge Mewtwo's new battle armor, only six scales had been used.
Even if he were to craft sets of armor for every single one of his Pokémon, there would still be nearly half the scales remaining.
These scales had no particular mystical properties—they were simply incredibly durable and carried unmatched defensive strength.
Rather than letting them sit idly in his warehouse, it was better to bring them out and put them to use.
The moment Nathan finished speaking, many of the spectators began whispering in curiosity.
After all, what exactly was Rayquaza? Many people had never even heard the name.
This was, after all, a world-class level Pokémon—one that almost never appeared before human eyes.
Compared to Ho-Oh, far fewer people had any knowledge of Rayquaza at all.
"You mean to say, Rayquaza's scales? That world-class Pokémon that lives year-round in the upper atmosphere?"
The challenger across from him grew visibly excited, his voice trembling.
Others might not know what Rayquaza was, but he did.
A world-class Pokémon! In the past, he had only ever come across scraps of information in ancient texts, vague descriptions of Rayquaza's existence.
And now, Nathan was offering up its scales as rewards—merely for the act of challenging him.
This was practically no different from handing them away for free!
Granted, there was still the requirement that challengers needed at least one legendary-level Pokémon to participate.
But in this world, the number of people capable of commanding a legendary level Pokémon in battle was still far from few.
"I'm absolutely certain. The battle armor Mewtwo is wearing right now? Its material was forged directly from Rayquaza's scales."
Nathan admitted it without hesitation.
"Hiss—You…"
The man looked toward Mewtwo, floating steadily in the sky, and felt as if he were staring at the account of some high-spending player who had poured endless resources into it.
Battle armor forged from Rayquaza's scales? The defensive power must be monstrous.
He had already witnessed Nathan's terrifying ability to raise Pokémon.
But now, for the first time, he truly realized—Nathan's ability to "pay to win" was something ordinary trainers could never even dream of competing with.
Every year, they themselves might spend millions—sometimes even tens of millions of PokéDollars—on their Pokémon.
But compared with Nathan, they were like children playing at the game.
Because a single Rayquaza scale, if sold, would be worth more than its weight in gold.
Even diamonds could not compare in value.
"This information's already out there now. So, if you're late, don't come crying when there aren't any Rayquaza scales left to claim~"
Nathan spoke with a relaxed smile, completely unconcerned.
Though to the audience it looked as if he were giving away the scales for free, what he would be gaining in return was far more valuable—battle experience against genuine legendary-level Pokémon.
As long as enough challengers came forward, it would only be a matter of time before all of his Pokémon gained the qualifications to ascend to the legendary tier.
At that point, what would a few Rayquaza scales amount to?
Nathan could certainly have taken things slowly. But time waited for no one.
Shadow Mewtwo was like a towering mountain pressing upon his shoulders—one that could collapse at any moment.
With such pressure looming over him, the only thing Nathan could do was to constantly strengthen his own power.
So that when that mountain finally did fall, he would have the strength to shove it aside, instead of being crushed beneath it.
"In that case—then I won't hold back! Spectrier, attack!"
The challenger's face was flushed with excitement.
Spectrier let out a piercing whinny, its ghostly hooves striking the air as it charged toward Mewtwo.
In the man's eyes, he could already see Rayquaza's scales waving to him from afar.
"Mewtwo, can you withstand this attack? If you can, then show them what true defense means!"
Nathan called out.
Mewtwo inclined its head in acknowledgment. It did not dodge, nor did it attempt to evade. It simply hovered calmly where it was.
Spectrier's speed was terrifying. In the blink of an eye, it was right in front of Mewtwo.
With its hardened skull, it lowered its head and drove forward like a living battering ram.
A deafening crash rang out as Spectrier slammed into Mewtwo.
Mewtwo staggered back less than a single step before steadying itself.
Meanwhile, Spectrier reeled in dizziness, as though it had just smashed into a wall of solid iron rather than striking another Pokémon.
"This level of attack… can't possibly damage Mewtwo clad in Rayquaza's scales."
Nathan chuckled lightly.
The challenger stared at the unharmed Mewtwo, his desire for Rayquaza's scales burning hotter than ever.
Defense of such magnitude—it truly lived up to being forged from Rayquaza's remains.
But this also made his battle infinitely more difficult.
The guests attending the wedding, too, were left in stunned silence.
They had all seen it clearly—Spectrier, a legendary level Pokémon, had launched a full-force attack.
And all it managed to do was push Mewtwo back a single half-step.
What level of defense could possibly reach such a height?
"Is this still just a Champion-level Pokémon…?"
One of the onlookers muttered blankly.
"I just want to know—can these scales be bought? If possible, I'd like to order a few myself and make them into bulletproof vests."
Another spectator spoke with half-serious enthusiasm.
"Forget it. Even if they were sold, the price wouldn't be something you could afford."
…
After their initial shock, the crowd quickly began to chatter excitedly about the defensive strength of Mewtwo's armor.
But they were overlooking a crucial point—Mewtwo's sheer strength.
For in truth, such an attack—even if aimed at a human clad in Rayquaza's armor—would still leave that person unquestionably dead.
Because legendary Pokémon did not attack lightly.
Even if the scales reduced ninety percent of the impact, the remaining ten percent would still be more than enough to kill an ordinary human instantly.
Realizing that ordinary strikes were useless against Mewtwo, the challenger's brows furrowed.
He would need to change tactics, or else defeating Mewtwo would be completely impossible—let alone winning a Rayquaza scale.
"Spectrier—use Haze!"
Since brute force didn't work, he would have to rely on other techniques.
Spectrier's body began to exude streams of inky black mist, which rolled outward like a living tide.
The fog spread rapidly across the ocean's surface, until a thick blanket of darkness covered the waters.
Within moments, the field of vision had shrunk to less than five meters.
Centered around Spectrier, the black mist stretched outward in all directions, enveloping a radius of three to four hundred meters in impenetrable gloom.
Mewtwo's line of sight was completely cut off. In this murky haze, it was impossible to see its surroundings clearly.
Spectrier, however, moved through the fog as though it were swimming in its natural element.
Its eyesight might not have been exceptional, but its five other senses were absurdly sharp.
Even blindfolded, even in pitch-black mist, it could still pinpoint Mewtwo's presence and strike without fail.
"Nathan's command rang out—Mewtwo, use Iron Body!"
(End of Chapter)