She had only casually complained, yet somehow Nathan had already discovered something big?
Nathan chuckled softly and then shared his guess aloud.
After listening to Nathan's speculation, Evelyn immediately became somewhat excited.
But her excitement wasn't because they might have stumbled upon a powerful Pokémon.
Rather, it was because in every mystic realm, good treasures were always guarded by Pokémon.
If a Pokémon was capable of creating the illusion of an oasis across this desert, then without a doubt, its strength had to be extremely formidable.
Which also meant—around such a Pokémon, there were bound to be many valuable resources and treasures!
"Come on, come on, let's keep looking, let's see if we can track that guy down!"
Evelyn, who had just been complaining moments ago, now had no thought of cooling off anymore. All she wanted was to hurry and find that Pokémon.
Watching Evelyn, who looked as though she had been injected with adrenaline, Nathan couldn't help feeling a little speechless.
Truly, women were remarkable—when it came to something they were interested in, their energy seemed endless.
"Big sis, aren't you hungry? We've been wandering inside here for five or six hours already."
Nathan tapped the watch on his wrist as he spoke.
As he did so, he glanced around the surroundings and then walked toward a withered old tree.
He opened his backpack in the shade behind the trunk, preparing to take a short rest.
Reminded by Nathan's words, Evelyn finally realized she was indeed a little hungry too.
The two of them sat down and took a break. Meanwhile, back at the entrance of the mystic realm, the guards had finally begun letting people in.
Because of his earlier display, Draco was someone everyone nearby tried to avoid—people stayed as far away from him as they could, not wanting to be anywhere close.
But that actually made things more convenient for him. As soon as entry was permitted, Draco paid the fee immediately and rushed inside without hesitation.
As for Elite Guardian Gray, although he had been defeated by Draco, he still had no intention of missing this opportunity.
After all, to increase a Pokémon's strength, exploring mystic realms and searching for resources was absolutely essential.
…
Once Draco stepped into the realm, gazing at the barren wasteland stretching endlessly before him, a murderous intent surged violently within his heart.
Though he and Nathan bore no personal grudge or resentment, just recalling how so many people outside had cheered for Nathan filled him with seething fury.
Originally, Draco's personality leaned toward inferiority and self-doubt. Before he had acquired this particular Pokémon, he had always envied Nathan deeply.
But ever since obtaining it, that inferiority had completely vanished.
In its place arose arrogance, cruelty, and brutality.
Even Draco himself failed to realize how much his own personality had been twisted ever since that Pokémon came into his possession.
"Outside, with all those eyes watching, I couldn't act too ruthlessly. But in here… in this mystic realm, I don't have to hold back at all."
Muttering to himself, Draco began searching carefully for Nathan's whereabouts.
Because this was the first time the realm had been opened to the public, the number of people entering was massive.
After coming inside, some chose to travel alone, setting off in random directions.
Others formed groups of three to five, exploring together for safety.
Draco was naturally one of the solitary ones. With his temper, and considering what he had just done outside, even if he wanted to team up, no one would be willing to join him.
…
Meanwhile, Nathan and Evelyn were still riding their Pokémon as they searched for the mysterious one responsible for the mirage-like illusions.
But searching was extremely difficult—the mystic realm was simply too vast.
Since that first time they had seen the mirage, they hadn't encountered another.
"Nathan… could it be that you guessed wrong?"
After searching for so long, Evelyn was beginning to grow impatient.
Her patience was limited. With the time they had already wasted, she felt that by now they could have found plenty of useful treasures.
Yet here they were, chasing after a Pokémon whose trail had completely vanished.
"Maybe I could be wrong about other things," Nathan answered, "but then how do you explain that mirage?"
Faced with the question, Evelyn was left speechless.
He was right. Mirages required the refraction of sunlight to appear.
But in this mystic realm, there was no sun at all—how could there be sunlight to form a mirage?
"How about this," Evelyn suggested tentatively. "Why don't we first look for training resources? If we come across the illusion again, we can chase it then?"
But it was obvious Nathan wasn't keen on the idea.
Resources to train Pokémon weren't something he lacked. Given the time, he would much rather track down a powerful Pokémon.
Only by letting his own Pokémon defeat more legendaries could they qualify for advancement into legendary rank.
"How about this," Nathan said after a moment's thought. "We'll keep searching. If in the end we still don't find it, tell me what you're short of, and I'll sell it to you cheaper."
Nathan considered Evelyn his partner in this exploration, and besides, they were already good friends.
If his insistence caused her to miss out on resources, then compensating her a little was only fair.
And though he said "cheap," all he needed to do was sell at the system's base price—still far below market value.
"You said it yourself!"
Evelyn instantly perked up. Compared to whatever resources this realm might hold, she trusted Nathan far more.
Back during the World Tournament, the treasures Nathan had pulled from his backpack had left her drooling with envy for a long time.
So many rare and priceless items—any one of them would have tempted even the world's wealthiest families.
After all, some of those resources weren't things money alone could buy.
With Nathan's assurance, Evelyn's mood lightened immediately. From then on, wherever Nathan said to go, she was happy to follow.
Clinging to a big shot's thigh—such freedom!
But unlike the cheerful pair, others in the realm weren't nearly so relaxed.
Centered around the entrance area, many trainers had already begun battling.
Most were fighting wild Pokémon.
But not a few were clashing with fellow trainers.
The reason was simple—fighting over resources.
On the road, Nathan and Evelyn had passed by resources too.
But neither of them had even given them a second glance.
Those kinds of resources could be bought outside. To people like them, items that could be purchased with money weren't worth their time.
But to many others, their livelihoods depended on such resources.
Which meant battles over them were inevitable.
…
Draco encountered a similar situation.
"Hey, are you guys seriously going to fight me over these berries?"
He pointed toward a small cluster of berries on a tree, his eyes flashing with killing intent as he spoke.
All along, he had been searching for Nathan, but since Nathan had entered the realm much earlier, it was far too difficult to find him in a short time.
On the way, he had spotted these berries—just as a group of six also noticed them.
That six-man team wanted to fight him for them.
Though Draco's display outside had been shocking, they reminded themselves that now they were inside the realm.
These berries, if taken out and sold, would fetch at least several million Poké-coins.
It's said that merchants faced with a 100% profit might take risks; but with 300% profit, they'd do anything.
These six were just the same. For several million coins, all they needed to do was defeat this one guy.
"Don't waste words on him. Even if his Pokémon are strong, what of it? There's six of us."
One of the six released his Pokémon and boldly strode toward the berries.
The others considered it—he was right. Six against one, even if it came to a battle of attrition, they could wear him down.
And in here, ganging up on someone was fair game—no one could complain.
Draco's eyes grew colder, killing intent gleaming even sharper.
"I gave you a chance. You chose not to take it."
With that, he pulled out a Pokéball and tossed it casually.
Immediately, an aura like something crawling out of the abyss swept forth, making all six of them shudder involuntarily.
"Hmph. Draco, maybe in a one-on-one we'd lose to you. But open your eyes—we're six people!"
One of them sneered and reached to pick the berries.
"Heh… six? A mere six people dare act so brazen in front of me? Do you really think the six of you are Nathan?"
Draco's lip curled in scorn.
Six pieces of trash. Their Pokémon were only at Champion or Elite Four level.
With such measly strength, how could they speak so arrogantly before him?
"Damn it, I can't take it anymore! This brat is truly arrogant! Attack! Let's show him what real strength looks like!"
One hot-tempered member roared.
They had tried to negotiate, but Draco was so blind, he actually dared to call them trash and still wanted to snatch the berries?
Did he really think their Pokémon were pushovers?
With someone taking the lead, the six trainers immediately ordered their Pokémon to surround Draco and his partner.
"Hahaha… ha… hahahaha! I'll tell you now—I am the true protagonist of this world!"
Draco shouted, pointing straight at the six of them.
His Pokémon instantly moved.
The six trainers saw only a flash of black light before their eyes.
The next moment, their Pokémon froze in place, unable to move at all.
Witnessing the scene, all six of them panicked.
(End of Chapter)