Like a golden blazing sun, the attack struck the middle-aged man directly.
The continuous assault and coordination between several Pokémon left the man no time to even think. Nathan had already cut off all his escape routes.
Facing the incoming Volcarona, that sun-like figure sent his mind into a brief moment of blankness.
Then, he was swallowed by flames.
Boom!
Another loud explosion rang out.
...
Half an hour later, deep within the forest.
The flames had died down, leaving only a campfire burning quietly, casting light in the dark surroundings.
However, all around, there were still many scorched marks and deep craters from the battle.
"Phew..."
Nathan took a deep breath, then plopped down on the ground, gasping for air. To be honest, he was exhausted.
That middle-aged man was pretty much killed on the spot by Volcarona's direct hit—there was no chance he could have survived.
The moment he died, his Pokémon went berserk, attacking Nathan madly in a desperate attempt at revenge, forcing Nathan to fight back.
Fortunately, he managed to knock them all unconscious and seriously injure them. After administering some basic treatment, he stored them in Poké Balls.
Nathan didn't plan on killing those Pokémon. If nothing unexpected happened, he would hand them over to the Pokémon Center. For Pokémon like this, there were usually only two outcomes:
First, they forget their former trainer and are adopted by the League.
Second, humane euthanasia.
Normally, the latter only happens when a Pokémon has caused serious harm to humans and refuses to obey commands, even after being captured.
"Q~"
As Nathan rested, Mimikyu's voice sounded out.
The small Pokémon flew over, carrying a bundle in its arms, and offered it to Nathan.
"This guy's backpack?" Nathan asked in surprise. The pack still bore scorch marks from Volcarona's flames.
Taking it from Mimikyu, Nathan, now feeling somewhat rested, immediately opened it to take a look.
There might be something unexpected inside.
After all, at this point, its contents were basically his spoils of war.
"Huh? This guy kept a journal?"
As he flipped through the contents, Nathan found a notebook and murmured curiously.
These days, it was rare to find someone who still wrote in a diary.
Driven by curiosity about the hunter, Nathan picked up the notebook and set the backpack down, preparing to read.
However, while setting down the backpack, the notebook slipped open, and a photograph suddenly fell out.
Nathan instinctively looked down.
When he saw what was captured in the photo, his eyes widened in shock.
"Solgaleo?!"
The photo's background appeared to be taken in a remote mountain range, seemingly at night.
Despite the dark surroundings, the image appeared bright as day—all because of a single Pokémon.
A giant, white lion-like Pokémon emitting dazzling light, looking even more like the sun than Volcarona.
There was no mistaking it—this Pokémon was Solgaleo.
A legendary Pokémon, known as the Beast That Devours the Sun.
It was also the very Pokémon Metagross had asked Nathan to look for.
Who would've thought this notebook actually contained a photo of Solgaleo?
Nathan was definitely interested in this Pokémon. Strength aside, it just looked cool—and could even be used as a mount!
But realistically, that was just a dream for now. Riding a Solgaleo? Not happening anytime soon.
Shaking his head, Nathan stared at the photo in his hands and murmured,
"How did this guy get a picture of Solgaleo? Did he run into it somewhere?"
With that thought, Nathan quickly flipped open the notebook and began reading through the pages carefully.
Since the photo had been tucked inside the notebook, it was likely the notebook contained more information about Solgaleo.
Opening to the first page of the journal, he found a few lines of text.
There weren't many words—just a brief entry describing how the middle-aged man felt the first time he became a hunter. He had been nervous, and writing helped him calm down.
Apparently, this was how he developed the habit of keeping a diary.
Page after page followed, chronicling his life as a hunter and the interesting things he encountered—like elite explorers fighting over resources, or how Pokémon tribes competed for leadership.
Everything was detailed in the notebook.
Before long, Nathan found the page about Solgaleo.
…
[That must have been a divine beast, right? It had to be.]
[I never imagined I'd one day see a legendary Pokémon with my own eyes. It was incredibly powerful—even from far away, I could feel its overwhelming pressure.]
[As much as I wanted to capture it, I knew that if I got any closer, it would kill me. My Pokémon wouldn't stand a chance.]
[That night, the Pokémon glowed like a sun. Even though this place was near a restricted zone, not a single wild Pokémon dared to roar at it.]
[Such immense power... A wild champion-level Pokémon tried to challenge it but was crushed instantly.]
[And then it left—suddenly, without a trace.]
[Maybe it'll return one day. I want to record the location, the time, and the environment. Maybe when I become strong enough, I'll challenge and capture it.]
[Jade Mountains. 3:11 a.m. Nearly autumn. No rain.]
…
Reading this part, a thoughtful expression appeared on Nathan's face.
That guy had some serious ambition—he actually wanted to capture Solgaleo. But thanks to him, Nathan now knew where it had once appeared.
The Jade Mountains.
That was basically a restricted area. Extremely dangerous.
Frankly, it wasn't a place Nathan could visit now. Maybe someday, when he was stronger. For now, perhaps he could just hand this journal over to that Metagross, and let that Metagross go investigate the Jade Mountains instead.
Interestingly, Solgaleo wasn't the only rare Pokémon mentioned.
That hunter had explored many uncharted, remote places—places humans rarely went—and had discovered some amazing Pokémon along the way.
A few pages later, there was another striking entry.
..
[Maybe I'm the chosen one? Not long after discovering that sun-like Pokémon, I came across another I'd never seen before.]
[Same location—Jade Mountains. This place might be special.]
[It was a pure-white Pokémon, shaped like a human, elegant like a princess, draped in what looked like a veil. Some parts of its body resembled a cockroach, but its charm was undeniable. And...]
[It was incredibly powerful. I saw it defeat a wild Elite-level Pokémon with ease, then eat it.]
[I left—I didn't dare stick around. Still, compared to the sun-like one, it wasn't quite as powerful. It was still strong, but I thought maybe I could capture it, given enough time.]
…
Reading that entry, Nathan's brow furrowed again.
There was no photo this time, but he could guess which Pokémon it was—Pheromosa, one of the Ultra Beasts.
Pheromosa was a Bug/Fighting-type Ultra Beast. Very powerful—its base stats alone surpassed Volcarona's.
Nathan knew a good bit about Ultra Beasts, and he definitely knew about Pheromosa. To be honest, it was one of the Pokémon he really wanted to capture—strong, and absolutely gorgeous.
Its beauty was said to mesmerize almost any Pokémon that laid eyes on it—regardless of gender.
Its speed was also fast enough to dodge lightning.
But as with all Ultra Beasts, it was extremely aggressive.
"Jade Mountains..."
Nathan whispered, now firmly remembering that location. That hunter had found both Solgaleo and Pheromosa there.
This made Nathan wonder—was there perhaps a rift to Ultra Space hidden in the Jade Mountains?
If so, the danger level of the mountains would have to be raised even further.
After all, Ultra Beasts truly counted as legendary Pokémon. Even though there were many of them, each one had a very high base stat and immense potential—not to mention their frightening aggression.
There could even be Champion-level Ultra Beasts roaming around—or stronger.
That thought made Nathan completely abandon the idea of going there himself.
If the mountains had really merged with an Ultra Space rift, going there now would be suicide.
"Tch. I really want to go, though."
He muttered, eyes burning with desire. But he soon shook his head, and the fire faded.
The Jade Mountains were simply too dangerous. But if there truly was a rift there, it would mean a treasure trove of Ultra Beasts—each one with terrifying potential.
Even catching one could provide a top-tier partner.
"Phew..."
Taking another deep breath, Nathan decided to stop daydreaming and kept flipping through the journal, page by page.
But after that, there wasn't much else of interest.
The remaining entries mostly recorded amusing stories from the man's travels, or the spoils from his life as a hunter.
Nothing too noteworthy.
Of course, besides the diary, Nathan found another notebook in the backpack—this one contained detailed information about the archipelago they were on.
Exactly what was needed for the exploration mission.
Apparently, the man had planned to stay here hunting for a while before taking on the exploration task and claiming the reward.
Gotta admit, that guy had it all planned out.
Too bad he ended up dying at Nathan's hands.
This hunter had probably planned to camp here for a while, hunting prey, and then explore the island thoroughly—complete the mission, and move on to the next place.
But now, it was all to Nathan's benefit.
With this notebook, he didn't even need to do any exploring—he could just upload it to the Exploration app, wait for it to be approved, and collect the reward.
Aside from that, he didn't find much else. Most likely, everything the man had earned as a hunter had been converted into Pokécoins and deposited into his account—something Nathan couldn't access.
Under the dark night sky, Nathan shook his head, then crawled into his tent and quickly fell into a deep sleep.