The exterior of Lake City Gym looked like an ordinary building, nothing particularly eye-catching.
There weren't many apprentices inside the gym either.
Most were engaged in Pokémon battles or physical training.
As soon as Nathan entered, a tall, muscular man approached and asked,
"Hello, are you here to challenge the gym?"
"Yes, could you take me to the gym leader?" Nathan nodded.
"Of course, please follow me," the man replied and began leading the way.
However, before they could go any further, a tall figure hurriedly walked out from within the gym. He looked like he was in a rush, as if something urgent had come up.
"Leader, this is a trainer who just arrived to challenge the gym," the man quickly said to him.
This person was, of course, the Gym Leader—Luan Royce.
Having grown up in the wild, Royce's physique was incredibly strong, his skin bronze and weathered. At first glance, one might even mistake him for a Fighting-type specialist.
"Huh?"
Luan looked at Nathan with surprise, then said, "You're the winner of the Trial Tournament, Trainer Nathan Vesper, right?"
"That's right, Gym Leader Royce," Nathan confirmed with a nod.
"My apologies, Trainer Nathan," Luan said apologetically. "As the gym leader, I should gladly accept your challenge. However, something urgent has come up, and I need to take care of it right away. I'm afraid your gym challenge will have to be postponed for a few days."
Nathan had already noticed the gym leader's urgency earlier, so he wasn't surprised by the response. Still, he couldn't help but ask curiously,
"Does it have something to do with the Vibrant Forest?"
After all, gym leaders were partially responsible for city safety. The League allocated resources to them every year, and those weren't given for free.
Luan nodded with a bitter smile.
"Something's happening in that forest. A powerful presence has suddenly appeared there. I just got word and need to head there now to see if I can talk to whoever—or whatever—is in the forest. But honestly, I'm not too confident.
You might not know this, but even Elite Guardian member Grey visited Lake City yesterday while traveling in nearby cities. He went to Vibrant Forest, but even he couldn't get a clear idea of what kind of Pokémon is there. He only said, 'The Pokémon in that forest doesn't welcome humans,' and left."
"We can't rest easy until we know what that Pokémon wants."
Hearing this, Nathan understood.
And he was quite shocked.
Even someone like Gray, a top-tier powerhouse in the entire country, couldn't figure it out?
That gave Nathan a rough idea of just how terrifying the strength of the Pokémon in that forest might be.
As for Lake City's concern—he could understand.
Even though Vibrant Forest was quite far away, it still fell within Lake City's jurisdiction. Not knowing what kind of personality or intentions the Pokémon had would leave the officials constantly on edge. That was completely reasonable.
Nathan then asked,
"Gym Leader Royce, could you take me with you?"
"Are you serious, Trainer Nathan?" Luan Royce asked, surprised.
"Of course I'm serious," Nathan nodded. "You're not able to accept gym challenges right now anyway. Since that's the case, I might as well come along and take a look. Don't worry, I won't hold you back. If we run into danger, I can protect myself."
Luan glanced at the Pokéball around Nathan's waist, hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright, but if we encounter danger, you must leave immediately. Otherwise, I'm afraid the League President of Poplar City might actually kill me."
He had no intention of refusing.
After all, trainers don't grow without seeing the world or facing tough situations.
As one of the most promising rising stars in the country, Luan genuinely hoped Nathan could continue to grow and eventually become one of the nation's strongest trainers.
"By the way, Gym Leader Royce, isn't it unnecessary for you to go personally?" Nathan asked in confusion.
It was already clear that even Elite Guardian Gray couldn't handle the situation. How could a gym leader possibly manage?
Luan Royce chuckled. "Let's talk on the way.
Do you have a Flying-type Pokémon?"
"No."
"Then we'll ride mine. It'll be faster that way."
The two of them headed outside the gym, where Luan threw out a Pokéball, releasing a massive Pidgeot in front of them. Judging from its aura alone, this Pidgeot was likely Elite-level.
Luan Royce climbed onto Pidgeot's back and pulled Nathan up with him, then commanded,
"Pidgeot, take off! Head to Vibrant Forest!"
"Pidgeot!"
Pidgeot let out a cry, flapped its wings, and soared into the sky.
Nathan quickly put on his goggles to avoid being blinded by the wind.
While flying, Luan finally explained,
"The reason they want me to go is because of my personal background. Even though I live in the city, I still maintain a connection with the Zarude tribe.
Also, you may or may not know this—there's an elder among the Zarude who's incredibly strong, capable of going toe-to-toe with legendary Pokémon like Zapdos."
"I see. So, the Lake City officials are hoping you'll ask that elder for help?" Nathan nodded in understanding.
Zarude was technically a Mythical Pokémon.
But not all Zarude were considered Mythical—only one of them (the scarf design just doesn't feel high class enough).
That elder Luan mentioned was undoubtedly the Mythical Zarude.
In general, Mythical Pokémon possessed some form of extraordinary power.
Nathan was now curious about what kind of abilities this one might have.
"Exactly," Luan replied with a smile. "But I'd rather not bother that elder unless it's absolutely necessary. So, I want to go to Vibrant Forest first and at least find out what kind of Pokémon we're dealing with."
"That makes sense."
Nathan nodded in agreement, though he couldn't help but be impressed.
He hadn't expected this gym leader to be connected to the Zarude tribe.
That alone was terrifying.
If Luan was on his own, he could easily build a powerful legacy with that kind of backing.
Not to mention—there was even a Mythical Zarude in that tribe.
In terms of status alone, Luan probably held a significant position in the national Pokémon League.
After all, a single Mythical Pokémon was more valuable than even the strongest ordinary trainers.
No wonder the officials wanted the gym leader to make the trip.
This was his unique advantage—one that others could only envy.
It made Nathan wonder if there were others like Luan in the country.
..
Pidgeot flew swiftly, and before they knew it, they arrived at the edge of Vibrant Forest. A few more steps forward and they'd be inside.
"Return, Pidgeot," Luan said, recalling it into the Pokéball.
Then he pulled out two more Pokéballs.
"Come on out, Dad, Mom."
With a flash of light, two Pokémon appeared before Nathan.
They were nearly two meters tall, resembling ancient apes, with vine-like bands around their wrists. Covered in black fur, they had fierce, intimidating faces.
The difference between the two Zarude was that one wore a pink scarf around its neck, while the other did not.
As for how Luan Royce addressed them, Nathan didn't think much of it.
Without these two, Luan would've died in the wild long ago. Calling them "Dad" and "Mom" made perfect sense.
Both Zarude radiated an intense aura—one that felt downright terrifying to Nathan.
The moment they appeared, they gazed at Luan with gentle eyes, then curiously looked over at Nathan.
Luan gave them a brief introduction, then said to Nathan,
"Release your Volcarona too. That way, it can protect you if anything happens."
"Alright," Nathan nodded, then softly said,
"Come out, Volcarona."
Light flashed from the Pokéball around his neck.
A golden figure appeared—Volcarona.
Seeing it, Luan Royce and the two Zarude were immediately shocked.
"Your Volcarona… it looks different from the one in the Trial Tournament," Luan Royce said in surprise.
"Yeah, had a little stroke of luck," Nathan replied with a smile, not explaining further.
Luan didn't pry either. He simply turned and walked toward the forest.
Nathan followed closely behind.
But the moment the two of them stepped into Vibrant Forest—
Buzz.
A wave of psychic energy suddenly surged toward them.
Luan and the two Zarude were instantly thrown out of the forest boundary.
Only Nathan and his Volcarona, who had just taken that first step into the forest, remained untouched.
"What… just happened?" Nathan blinked in confusion.
He was completely baffled.
Why had the mysterious Pokémon in the forest expelled the gym leader and his Pokémon, but left him alone?
Had it taken a liking to him?
If it was a Gardevoir…
Nathan wouldn't mind.
Luan looked just as confused.
What surprised him even more was that his two Zarude had been flung out with no resistance whatsoever.
That clearly demonstrated just how terrifying the Pokémon inside really was.
But when he saw Nathan still standing within the forest, Luan fell silent.
Then he gave a bitter laugh.
"It's obvious now—that Pokémon doesn't welcome me.
But you… you might be the only person it's willing to let in these days."
Nathan's mouth twitched.
"You're not seriously thinking of sending me in alone, are you?"
"What else can I do?" Luan said helplessly.
"I'm guessing that right now, no one else besides you can even take a single step into the forest."
"Tch…"
Hearing that, Nathan hesitated.
He wasn't sure whether he should go deeper.
Originally, he'd come along because he had a powerful gym leader with him, which meant there wouldn't be much danger.
But if he went in now, he'd be on his own.
Whether he lived or died would depend entirely on himself.
Still, he was very curious about the mysterious Pokémon in the forest.
Just as Nathan was hesitating—
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind:
"You… may enter."
"I will not harm you."
…
Hearing the voice in his mind, Nathan froze.
He looked back toward the depths of the forest in shock.
...
TN: If you guys found any errors or mistranslations leave a message on it so I can edit it out. Due to reading mtl a lot of times my brain sometimes just autocorrect it, that I'll miss my chance to edit it out. So, seriously just leave a message on it.