Crane, full of excitement, quickly walked to Nathan's side and released his own Pokémon.
His partner was a Champion-level Charizard.
But when compared to Mewtwo, the difference in strength was far too great.
"Next, I'll have Mewtwo demonstrate for everyone the effects after mastering Iron Body."
Nathan's calm voice echoed toward the members of the Pokémon squad.
"Alright, have your Charizard attack Mewtwo."
He gestured for Crane to command his Charizard to strike.
Crane nodded eagerly. Yesterday, after poring over the training materials, he had been burning with anticipation, dying to see the Iron Body technique in action.
Now that the chance had finally come, how could he not feel excited?
"Charizard, use Mega Punch!"
Crane didn't hold back in the slightest.
Since Instructor Nathan had specifically told him to attack, it clearly meant that Mewtwo could withstand the blow.
And if Mewtwo could definitely endure it, then why not use a high-powered move from the very start?
But the members of the squad, hearing that Crane was immediately commanding his Champion-level Charizard to unleash Mega Punch, suddenly felt uneasy.
A Champion-tier Charizard's Mega Punch—if that landed on a Pokémon, it would be enough to cause serious injury in an instant.
Even if Mewtwo was using Iron Body, would it really be able to take such a direct hit?
Yet Mewtwo didn't move at all. It simply stood there calmly, as if Charizard's strike was not aimed at it, but at some other irrelevant target.
And then, in the very next second, something occurred that completely defied everyone's expectations.
Charizard's fist slammed directly into Mewtwo's head.
Everyone in the squad knew about the armor Mewtwo wore. They had all seen the videos circulating online.
That suit of armor was forged from Rayquaza's scales, giving it near-indestructible resilience.
But Mewtwo's head? Its head wasn't covered by any armor at all.
And yet, after Charizard's fist smashed against its skull, the only reaction was that Mewtwo's head tilted slightly to the side—
As though this wasn't a violent, explosive blow, but merely someone gently nudging its face with their hand.
"…That's enough. You can stop now."
Seeing the stunned expressions on the squad members below, Nathan waved his hand casually, signaling that the demonstration was over.
The effect of this single demonstration was undeniable. For the squad, this wasn't just a lesson—it was an enormous source of motivation.
"What you just witnessed was the result of mastering Iron Body to its peak. And keep in mind, this is only the defensive aspect."
As Nathan spoke, several soldiers carried in large iron blocks.
These were cubes, each measuring a full meter on every side.
They had been specially forged overnight at Nathan's request, with hardness equivalent to ordinary iron.
"Now, I'll have Mewtwo demonstrate for you the role of Iron Body when used offensively."
With that, Nathan instructed Mewtwo to move beside one of the cubes.
Seeing that Mewtwo was about to strike the solid block, the squad members immediately stood up, craning their necks in fear of missing even a single detail.
In their minds, however, they could already picture the likely result: at most, Mewtwo's punch would leave behind a deep fist-shaped dent.
"Mewtwo, first punch the block without using Iron Body. Then, punch again after activating it."
Nathan's lips curled in a faint smile.
Mewtwo had yet to act, but Nathan could already envision how astonished these soldiers would be once they saw the results.
First, Mewtwo threw a punch without invoking Iron Body. Using about seventy percent of its strength, it drove its fist forward.
With a thunderous crack, its arm plunged straight into the iron block. Its hand sank all the way in—only Mewtwo's forearm remained visible.
"—Hisss!"
The squad members collectively sucked in sharp breaths.
Such raw power!
If that punch had landed on a Pokémon instead of a block, even a sturdy one would likely be crippled from a single blow.
Next, Mewtwo pulled its fist free and walked to the second iron block.
This time, it activated Iron Body before attacking.
The same level of strength was used, but when its fist slammed down, the outcome was completely different.
Its hand did not sink into the cube at all.
Instead, with a deafening boom, the entire block shattered into countless fragments!
The soldiers were utterly dumbfounded.
That massive cube of solid iron had been demolished with a single punch!
"What you just witnessed is the offensive application of Iron Body. It can…"
Nathan then patiently explained in detail how the technique could be utilized in battle, both in attack and defense.
After the lecture, the Pokémon squad resumed sparring and self-training.
By evening, as training came to a close, many squad members gathered around Nathan with questions.
"Instructor, why can't my Pokémon defend against attacks the way your Mewtwo does?"
"Instructor, how can we make our Pokémon train Iron Body faster?"
…
For each question, Nathan provided clear and thoughtful answers.
However, after observing an entire day of practice, he also noticed some issues.
Certain Pokémon were simply unsuitable—or outright incapable—of learning Iron Body.
The technique relied on muscles and blood circulation to harden the body.
But what about Pokémon that had no muscles at all?
For example, some Rock-type Pokémon.
Their bodies were composed entirely of stone. How could they possibly cultivate muscle-based hardening techniques?
That very night, Nathan once again busied himself.
He went through every squad member's roster of Pokémon and marked which techniques each one would be more suitable to learn.
For example, flying Pokémon didn't need to waste time learning Moonwalk.
On and on he went, until he had categorized everything. By the time he was finished, the clock had already passed midnight.
The moment his body hit the bed, Nathan drifted into a deep, exhausted sleep.
The next morning, Nathan released several of his own Pokémon and had them continue practicing the Six Styles.
And so, over the next half-month, Nathan lived a dual routine—training his own team while also instructing others.
In the blink of an eye, two weeks passed, and it was time for Nathan to leave.
During this half-month, Mewtwo's mastery of Finger Pistol had advanced yet again.
Zeraora and several other Pokémon had also begun practicing the Six Styles, and some had even managed to touch the threshold of mastery.
When the day of parting finally came, every member of the squad came to see him off.
They were all deeply reluctant to part ways—Nathan included.
After all, he too was reluctant to part with such an abundant supply of sparring partners.
For the past two weeks, his Pokémon had thoroughly thrashed theirs in countless battles.
"Alright, everyone, this is far enough. It's time I take my leave. Don't worry—when I get the chance, I'll come back to visit you all again."
With a smile, Nathan boarded the waiting helicopter.
As it lifted into the sky, Crane's emotions burst forth.
"Finally! He's gone! At last, my Pokémon can actually train properly again…"
"Wahhh, me too! Over these two weeks, my poor partners were beaten by Instructor Nathan's Pokémon so many times, I thought my heart would break…"
"Please, whatever you do, Instructor… don't ever come back…"
Of course, none of these complaints could ever reach Nathan's ears.
And whether he returned or not didn't depend on them—it would always come down to whether Nathan wanted to or not.
Back at the Ancheng estate, Nathan rested for a single day. On the very next morning, he began searching for a mystic realm that would suit his team's growth.
After spending so long inside the military camp, it was finally time to test his Pokémon against wild opponents in real combat.
"…Hm? A new S-rank mystic realm has appeared in Fellin City?"
Nathan's eyes lit up as he read the news on his phone.
An S-rank mystic realm!
Such places were filled with Elite-level trainers at every corner, and Champions were commonplace.
There was even a slim chance of encountering a Legendary Pokémon—though the probability was so low it was almost negligible.
Still, the mere possibility made it worth the risk.
"Perfect. That settles it! Tonight, I'll go check out this new mystic realm."
Nathan studied the report carefully, his heart filling with excitement.
He had barely returned home, and already fate had dropped such a tailor-made opportunity in his lap.
That same evening, he boarded a flight headed for Fellin City.
But upon arriving, Nathan's enthusiasm was dampened.
There wasn't a single vacant hotel in the entire city!
The allure of a newly discovered mystic realm was simply too great. Trainers from across the entire country had flocked here.
Every hotel was fully booked.
With no other choice, Nathan reluctantly checked into a shabby roadside inn.
The room smelled faintly of mold, but gritting his teeth and suppressing the urge to walk out, he forced himself to stay for the night.
The next morning, after wrestling with a clogged bathroom sink, Nathan wasted no time checking out and storming away.
"Damn it! If I ever stay here again, I'll consider it my loss!"
He cursed under his breath, glancing back at the wretched inn behind him.
Last night had been a complete ordeal.
Even before falling asleep, he had heard rats squeaking in the walls.
Worse yet, at one point, he had even found a bug crawling across his skin.
Compared to this dump, even camping inside a mystic realm with only his tent would have been more comfortable.
Dragging his weary, sleep-deprived body, Nathan arrived at the entrance of the new mystic realm.
At this time, the gate had yet to open. Security personnel stood guard, waiting for orders from higher up.
Naturally, a massive crowd of trainers had already gathered at the site.
"Nathan!? You actually still have the nerve to show up here at a mystic realm?!"
As Nathan pondered whether to use his privileges to skip the line, a voice suddenly barked out behind him, sharp and laced with fury.
Turning his head, Nathan was met by a pair of eyes blazing with anger.
(End of Chapter)