Pokémon: Starting with a Volcarona

Nathan didn't mind living next door to or even cohabiting with a beautiful woman. However, most universities for Trainers were closed-campus institutions.

And Mira, no matter how much of a genius she was, to have reached her current level of strength, she was definitely not in the same age bracket as Nathan.

"Uh... Don't worry about that. I'll arrange for her to be officially listed under the campus medical department," Joseph said with a shrug.

"Also, this is something a certain self-proclaimed 'Rascal' of a Gengar asked me to deliver to you."

"He also said he's extremely displeased with how you've been ghosting him lately. So, he's decided to cut ties with you for three years."

Joseph took out a Poké Ball and tossed it to Nathan, speaking with a helpless tone.

Who would've thought—even the national tournament champion could end up ghosting another Pokémon?

Nathan was a little embarrassed at that. He took the Poké Ball and quickly made an excuse to leave.

He randomly picked a training room and released the Pokémon inside.

Sure enough, it was a Gastly.

The moment it saw Nathan, it opened its huge mouth in a wide grin.

Then, it licked Nathan's face with its long tongue.

His face instantly felt cold and damp, but Nathan wasn't angry or scared. Instead, he gently patted Gastly's semi-transparent head.

"Looks like you like me quite a bit. Nice to meet you—I'm Nathan, your new Trainer. I'll be counting on you from now on, alright?"

With a soft smile on his face, Nathan spoke in a warm tone.

And strangely enough, that smile left a deep impression in Gastly's heart.

Because from the moment it was born, none of the Trainers it had met had reacted quite like this!

Gastly nodded and let out a cheerful cry before retreating back into its Poké Ball.

It almost seemed... shy?

Maybe this Gastly was actually a girl.

After getting acquainted with Gastly, Nathan said goodbye to Bella and Zoe.

"Idol, are you really going to Grace City? I heard things are super chaotic there!"

Zoe looked at Nathan with teary eyes, her face full of reluctance.

Although Nathan acted a bit like an emotionally-dense, steel-hearted guy, he always showed his gentle side to his Pokémon.

That was exactly why Zoe had become such a huge fan of his.

"Yes. I gave someone my word, and besides, I'm not some weakling. No need to worry."

Nathan nodded and gave Zoe a bright smile. Then, he suddenly hugged her and said softly,

"Thank you... for always supporting me. I'll always remember having a fan and friend like you."

He only hugged her briefly before letting go, but the straightforward, boisterous girl was already blushing madly.

"N-no need to be so polite... Just promise to visit the capital and see me sometime…"

Zoe stammered through her words before hopping into her Ferrari and speeding off, nearly hitting someone in her flustered escape.

That was to be expected.

No matter how bold she usually acted, Zoe was still a proper, well-bred young lady.

She barely ever spoke to boys, let alone got hugged by one.

Well... Will was a bit of an exception.

"Master, what's wrong with Sister Zoe?"

Little Bella looked puzzled as she watched Zoe flee in embarrassment.

Why would a hug make her act so panicked?

After all, Master's hugs were really warm...

"Ahem. You'll understand when you grow up," Nathan replied, clearing his throat.

"Right— Bella, I should take you home now."

He gently patted the silver-haired girl's head, as if just remembering something.

In truth, he should've taken Bella back to stay with his parents before coming to the capital.

Now that he was heading to Grace City, there was no way he could bring her along.

As Nathan had expected, Bella's big, shiny eyes instantly welled up with tears.

It took a lot of coaxing before she reluctantly agreed to go.

After returning to Poplar City, Nathan spent several days with Bella, his parents, and even Lily.

When summer vacation officially ended, he finally boarded a plane to Grace City.

Compared to Poplar City, Grace City was completely different.

If Poplar City was a beautiful city where humans and Pokémon coexisted peacefully—a rare tourism hotspot in the entire country—

then Grace City was the total opposite.

This was a city of experiments.

The first people who came here were those who were too poor to survive elsewhere.

This had led to the locals developing a tough, even brutal temperament.

So much so, it almost felt like a gathering place for the Dark Organization.

Strangely enough, the Pokémon university here was actually the top choice for the country's elites.

Why?

Because of its unique environment.

Backed by a major river and with a volcanic-type mystic realm on the other side of the city,

Grace City offered an incredibly rare trial experience for students.

It was seen as a chance for the wealthy to let their kids experience the harsh realities of society and avoid detours in life.

Unfortunately, as time went on, both the atmosphere and the system of Grace City University became increasingly twisted.

Here, strength is everything!

Even more extreme than the Classroom of the Elite from Nathan's previous life.

Some people might be thrilled by that, but Joseph knew all too well—

the kind of individuals this environment produced often turned out... wrong.

Like one of Joseph's old friends.

He defected from the Pokémon League and joined the Dark Organization,

all because his values had been warped by this system.

"Whew... So, this is Grace City? It's sure lively."

Stepping off the plane, Nathan couldn't help but sigh.

Not far away, two muscular men were yelling at each other, looking like they were about to throw punches.

Nathan just shrugged and ignored them.

After catching a cab to the university, he was greeted by a stream of students.

What stood out the most?

No one looked poor.

Even the ones dressed most casually were wearing clothes worth thousands.

In that sea of wealth and style, Nathan—usually quite eye-catching—now looked almost plain.

He wore a rolled-sleeve trench coat, jeans, and a white shirt.

Aside from his high-end gloves, wristband, and necklace, nothing stood out.

Dragging his suitcase behind him, he attracted no attention.

Until—

"Are you... Nathan Vesper? The national tournament champion? The freak who beat Griffin in just one summer vacation?!"

The senior assigned to help new students stared at him, eyes wide with disbelief.

Instantly, all eyes turned toward Nathan.

Even just the title of "national champion right out of high school" was enough to drop jaws.

Since the emergence of Pokémon in this world, no one this monstrous had ever existed.

But even under all those stares, Nathan remained completely calm.

He even shrugged and said, "That's me. Excuse me, senior, would you mind showing me around the campus? I'm not too familiar with this place."

"Oh... Sure!"

The stunned senior nodded blankly and instinctively took his suitcase.

Once they walked out of the crowd, she finally snapped out of it and began eyeing him up and down like he was an alien.

"Senior, could you not look at me like that?"

Nathan gave her a deadpan look. While he could ignore it, being stared at like that was still uncomfortable.

"Oh—sorry! I'm Aria Swann. Let me show you to your dorm first."

Aria spoke with a soft, sweet voice, clearly flustered.

It had to be said—this private Pokémon university was no joke.

Even random seniors had the looks of top-tier celebrities.

When they reached the dormitory, Nathan immediately realized how wise it had been to take Joseph's advice.

This wasn't a "dorm."

It was a luxury apartment villa.

Three bedrooms and a living room—

Each student got their own private room, fully furnished with everything one could need.

"This is a benefit for first-year students," Aria explained as she helped Nathan settle in.

"But it's not guaranteed. If your grades fall short, even your housing gets stripped away."

Here, the weak lived in hell.

Students got to stay in these luxury rooms for the first month for free.

But after military training and a placement test, their results determined whether they could stay in a cozy apartment—

or get crammed into tiny, sweaty rooms without even air conditioning.

Those places were so bad, students jokingly called them pigpens.

Aria spoke in a calm tone, clearly used to the cruelty of the system.

Once Nathan had gotten the full rundown of the school, he couldn't help but grin.

Without a doubt, this place was not a proper university.

If students weren't allowed to freely transfer or didn't have strong family backgrounds as backup,

the suicide rate here would probably top the entire nation.

But Nathan wasn't some wise reformer who'd try to change the system from within.

"Well then—might as well stir up some chaos."

"As long as I beat up every last person benefiting from this system... the rest can be figured out later."

Lying on the soft bed, Nathan made up his mind.

He wouldn't use Zeraora or the others—

Because for these students, even Gym–level strength was too overwhelming.

Instead, Nathan planned to use this time to train his Charmander and Treecko.

(End of Chapter)