As soon as Nathan stepped out of the airplane cabin, someone immediately approached him.
"Sir, thank you so much for stepping in to help during the hijacking. We have already prepared a fine lunch for you. May we have the honor of your presence?"
The one who greeted him was a neatly dressed white man in a suit, clearly looking like someone from the airline company.
Nathan did not refuse. After all, they had been sitting on the plane for six or seven hours straight. By now, he was indeed hungry.
"Then I'll trouble you," Nathan replied with a polite nod.
Under the man's guidance, Nathan and his group enjoyed a hearty complimentary lunch.
While eating, the man learned that the four of them were on a sightseeing trip. He immediately offered to help arrange a guide for Nathan.
Nathan thought for a moment, then accepted. Though they had done their homework before coming here and prepared plenty of travel notes, no amount of research could compare to having a true local lead the way.
"This is one of our local Trainers, Page. He is very familiar with everything around here."
Perhaps because Nathan had used his Pokémon to resolve the crisis on the plane, the guide they arranged for him also happened to be a Trainer.
"Hello, my name is Page Heimel. I've heard about what you did on the airplane—you're a hero."
Page's voice carried sincerity. His words didn't sound like hollow flattery, but genuine admiration from the heart.
"You flatter me. A hero, I can't really claim to be. I just didn't want them to ruin my travel plans," Nathan answered modestly.
Seeing the conversation between Nathan and Page flow smoothly, the airline representative excused himself and left.
From that point on, Page enthusiastically introduced all sorts of things about the city: the food, the drinks, the unique Pokémon here, even the local mystic realms.
He seemed to have endless stories.
Nathan and his companions listened with interest, never interrupting him. Whenever something piqued their curiosity, they would ask questions.
"Page, I heard that in one of your mystic realms, there's supposedly a hidden Legendary or Legendary level Pokémon. Do you know if that's true?"
The moment Page mentioned mystic realms, Nathan couldn't help but ask.
This city had been their first destination because Nathan had read from various accounts that within a certain mystic realm here, there was said to be a powerful Legendary Pokémon hiding.
And since this was also a coastal city, with beautiful scenery, it became the perfect starting point for their trip.
"A Legendary or Legendary level Pokémon? I've never seen one myself," Page shook his head. "But I do know which mystic realm you're referring to."
A Legendary level Pokémon… of course he also wanted to see one. To witness firsthand what a true Legendary looked like.
Unfortunately, in his entire life, aside from seeing Legendary or Legendary level Pokémon on TV or through his phone, he had never once encountered a Pokémon stronger than Champion-tier in real life.
The moment Nathan heard Page say he knew the mystic realm, his interest rose immediately.
But before he could feel excitement for long, Page's next words struck him like a splash of cold water.
"To tell the truth, I think the whole rumor about a Legendary Pokémon might have started with my younger brother and his friends."
At those words, Nathan's enthusiasm instantly deflated.
"From the very beginning until now, aside from my brother and his little gang, no one else has ever actually seen that supposed Legendary Pokémon."
Speaking of his brother, Page looked rather troubled.
That guy spent his days running around aimlessly, claiming he was looking for Legendary Pokémon. Filming so-called videos about Legendary Pokémon.
Because of his antics, a lot of outsiders were misled into believing that this city was home to a Legendary Pokémon.
"Do you know where your brother is? Can I meet him?" Nathan asked.
Since even Page himself didn't believe there was a Legendary here, he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
But deep inside, there was still a flicker of hope. Perhaps he could hear something useful about the Legendary from Page's brother directly.
"My brother happens to be resting at home these days, preparing to set out again soon to search the mystic realm for that Legendary."
Though Page said this, he clearly wasn't keen on letting Nathan meet his unreliable brother.
That guy was such a handful. Who knew what kind of reckless mess he might drag this "hero" into?
"Could you perhaps introduce me? I'd really like to meet him."
When it came to most things, Nathan was easygoing. But when it involved Legendary Pokémon, he was persistent.
Seeing how determined Nathan was, Page could only agree.
The group followed Page to his home. Coincidentally, Page's house was quite close to the sea—only a ten-minute walk.
That meant even if he led Nathan to the mystic realm, Lily and Grog could still enjoy themselves at the beach.
Page arranged for them to stay at a seaside hotel. After dropping off their luggage, he then brought Nathan to his home.
Inside, Nathan finally met Page's younger brother.
A tall, well-built white man, but unlike his brother, his skin had been tanned to a bronze shade from spending so much time outdoors.
Combined with his solid muscles, he did look like a striking man—though admittedly a bit scruffy.
When they arrived, he was still sprawled on his bed, snoring, his messy hair sticking out in every direction.
"George, this is Nathan. These people are his friends. Nathan has something he'd like to talk to you about," Page said, sounding exasperated with his lazy brother.
George blinked drowsily at Nathan and the others, his expression showing little enthusiasm.
Page had introduced him to people before, but they were always "serious" types with stable jobs. They had nothing in common with his interests, and conversations never went anywhere.
He assumed this meeting would be the same.
"Hello. So, what do you want to talk about?" George asked casually as he wandered to the refrigerator and pulled out a soda.
Page looked ready to scold him but held his tongue. With guests present, it would have been too embarrassing.
"I wanted to ask you about the Legendary Pokémon," Nathan said calmly, showing no displeasure at George's nonchalant behavior.
After all, he was the one seeking answers.
The moment Legendary Pokémon were mentioned, George's eyes lit up.
It was as if Nathan had asked him about some stunning beauty instead.
"You believe there's a Legendary Pokémon here too?" he asked, setting his soda aside.
For so long, almost no one had ever supported or believed him.
But he remembered clearly what he had seen. That Pokémon's overwhelming presence, the way all the other Pokémon in the area became docile before it.
There was no way he could have mistaken it.
"This… I can't say for sure yet. I'll need to see for myself," Nathan answered honestly.
How could he give a definite answer when he hadn't even seen anything yet?
"Wait right here!" George said excitedly before dashing upstairs.
Moments later, he came back holding a camcorder, his face alight with pride.
"After you watch this, you'll believe me. There really is a Legendary Pokémon here."
He handed the device to Nathan.
Nathan, Lily, and the others crowded around to watch.
The video began with shots of a dense forest. At first, it only captured some ordinary wild Pokémon.
Nothing unusual. No Legendary in sight.
Then suddenly, a dark shadow flashed across the frame.
The camera jolted as the recorder hurriedly swung it to follow.
From that point on, the footage was all about chasing that shadow, trying to capture it on film.
Eventually, a side profile of the shadow came into view.
A face—and on it, a distinct yellow crystal.
Nathan froze. His mind went blank.
Because he knew that Pokémon all too well.
It was none other than the Shadow Mewtwo—the very one that had made a one-year pact with him!
But… wasn't Shadow Mewtwo supposed to be outside? How had it suddenly appeared within this mystic realm?
"Well? What do you think? Isn't that a Legendary Pokémon?" George asked eagerly, noticing Nathan's shocked expression.
Everyone else who had seen the footage had always dismissed it outright.
But Nathan's reaction was completely different.
"This… is indeed a Legendary Pokémon," Nathan said with a heavy sigh.
Truth be told, he never would have imagined that the very first stop on his journey would already lead him to discover Shadow Mewtwo's presence.
(End of Chapter)