Julian didn't have to wait long at the entrance of the secret realm. After about ten minutes, a Pidgeot appeared in the sky and quickly swooped down, landing firmly on the ground.
Pidgeot is one of the most popular Pokémon for Trainers to rent or raise because it's ideal for travel, escape, and pursuit.
It's affordable, and there are plenty of Pidgey available as a starting point.
Many Trainers who don't specialize in Flying or Normal-types usually choose to rent Pokémon long-term. The rented Pokémon don't count toward a Trainer's official roster slot and aren't meant for battles.
"Teacher Frank?"
Julian was surprised to see that the visitor was his head teacher, Frank.
Frank looked disheveled, with his clothes torn from battle.
As an Elite Trainer, he'd clearly faced an equally skilled opponent.
It made sense for Frank, as an Elite-level Trainer, to be among the first to reach Yuan County, he was likely fighting the Elite trainer of Z organization.
Frank glanced at the sleeping Pokémon and the restrained members of Team Z, all subdued by Alakazam.
He hadn't realized that Julian was the one who'd stopped everything.
Feeling proud, he said, "Julian, you did well. The Trainer Association will recognize your efforts and reward you accordingly. Thanks to you, Yuan County and its two million residents are safe."
Julian was taken aback, unused to hearing his usually strict teacher sound so expressive.
"Teacher Frank, I'll leave them in your hands."
Julian intended to hand over the criminals and depart, as Lucario and Slowking were still waiting for him in Yuan County.
Despite their strength, the chaos in the county made the situation unpredictable.
"Solrock, restrain these people"
Frank commanded, releasing his own Pokémon.
Julian looked at it with his Probing eyes.
Level 76—a mid-Elite Pokémon, though it wasn't clear if this was his teacher's trump card.
Solrock, a rare Rock/Psychic-type Pokémon, only found in some specific high-level secret realms.
Solrock used its Psychic abilities to control the captives. Alakazam then released its psychic hold and returned to Julian's Poké Ball in a flash of red light.
Frank, aware that Alakazam was Julian's bodyguard, didn't question it.
"Teacher, I'll head back now"
Julian said, recalling Metagross and Steelix.
"Yes, return to school. If anyone questions you, just tell the truth," Frank replied.
"Got it"
Julian nodded and mounted his Dragonite, taking off toward Yuan County.
"Ding!"
"Temporary Mission Released: Rescue Yuan County. "
"Mission rewards: Depend on the final results."
"Ding!"
"Temporary Mission Completed."
"Rewards: Rare Candies X3 (usable below level 60), one Elite Experience Card (level 80), Mewtwo Fragments X2, plus 1,000 points."
In mid-air, Julian almost slipped off Dragonite, startled by the system's announcement.
"Did you just lose connection?"
Julian was quite speechless. He had wondered why the system hadn't assigned him a mission during such a critical event, as it usually did.
Only after he'd completed his support did the system release the mission and immediately delivered the rewards too.
System: "-yes."
Julian: (A ;)/
Julian had always assumed the system was just a program, nothing more—certainly not intelligent.
Now, though, it seemed the system could actually respond on its own.
"System, are you male or female?"
"System, why did I come to this world?"
"System, why didn't you speak before?"
"System—"
He fired off a series of questions, but the system remained silent. If not for its earlier response, Julian would've thought he'd imagined it.
"Fine, an arrogant system, it is than," he muttered, letting it go.
Julian was thrilled with the mission rewards. Rare Candy was nice, but the Elite experience card was the real prize, and this one was at the Elite peak.
Previously, when he used an Elite initial experience card on Metagross, it managed to hold off nearly 20,000 Pokémon with Light Screen.
And Alakazam, as a peak Elite, had directly hypnotized the entire horde of 20,000 in just over a minute.
That demonstrated the true strength of the Elite class.
If Metagross used this Elite peak experience card, it would rival Alakazam's strength.
Julian had still been a little distressed about using the Elite experience card before, but now that he had been rewarded with an Elite peak experience card, he was quite happy.
As for the Mewtwo fragments and points, he'd think about them later.
As he flew over Yuan County, Julian used his Aura powers to locate Lucario.
There were still plenty of Flying Pokémon in the area. Even though he'd destroyed the machine, the residual effects hadn't worn off yet.
However, the root cause had been solved, and the Flying-type Pokémon here had no follow-up support, and he believed that without further interference, they'd be brought under control soon.
When he finally found Lucario, he noticed Luis, Hugo, Ian, and several other special class students gathered nearby, including Dalton from the Fighting class.
"Boss Walker!" Dalton was the first to spot Julian and eagerly waved.
"You're here too?"
Julian jumped off Dragonite and checked on Lucario and Slowking. Both were a bit scratched up, but nothing serious.
However, what really caught his attention was Lucario holding a little girl's hand.
"Brother Walker, you're amazing, really amazing!"
Luis came over, pushing past Dalton to look at Julian with admiration.
"Brother Walker, Metagross dropping from the sky and setting up Light Screen to block nearly 20,000 rioting Pokémon—it was incredible! That's got to be in this year's top ten Pokémon moments," he gushed.
Clearly, Luis had watched the live broadcast by Pidgeot.
The other special class student, were equally impressed, also having seen it.
"Boss Walker, let's take a selfie!"
Dalton stood beside Julian, snapping a picture before he could even respond.
"Julian, Did Metagross broke through to Elite?"
Ian asked curiously.
The people around were also looking at Julian curiously. They were not novices. A pseudo-Elite Metagross wouldn't have been able to shield against such a massive horde.
But Metagross had only recently reached pseudo-Elite.
As for Alakazam, they didn't ask.
Coming from noble families, they, too, had protective Pokémon around.
"No, it just used some special methods," Julian explained.
Hearing Julian say he used special means to temporarily boost Metagross from a pseudo-Elite to an Elite level, the group was stunned.
Everyone here was from an aristocratic family and knew a few ways to temporarily boost a Pokémon's strength.
But to increase a Pokémon's power by an entire tier was unheard of. Most methods could only bump strength up by two or three levels and often came with serious side effects.
Some methods left Pokémon weak for days, while others could reduce a Pokémon's lifespan or even harm its potential.
"Brother Walker, is Metagross really okay?"
Luis asked anxiously, Julian was the thigh he was holding, and nothing should go wrong with this thigh.
"Don't worry. He's fine."
Julian patted Luis on the shoulder.
Dalton gave Luis a smirk. "How could you doubt Brother Walker? There's no way he'd risk Metagross. If you don't get it, don't try to compete as Brother Walker's number one brother."
Luis shot Dalton a glare. This guy really wanted to take his spot as Julian's closest ally.
"Alright, let's focus on rounding up the remaining Pokémon in Yuan County," Julian said, bringing them back to the task at hand.
The main threat of the riot was over, and the lingering issue was rounding up the scattered Flying-type Pokémon.
But Julian couldn't shake a nagging feeling that something was off.
Everything had resolved a bit too quickly—this was the Z Organization they were dealing with. Could it be they had no backup plan?
"Boom!!"
Suddenly, a loud explosion tore through the air, jolting him from his thoughts.
Thick smoke rose just a few hundred meters away, and Julian's unease grew stronger.
"Jiggly..." his phone started buzzing.
"Teacher Frank!"
Seeing that the head teacher was calling, and the explosion just now, Julian hurriedly pressed the answer button.
"Julian, it's bad. I just used Gengar to interrogate a member of the Z Organization. They've hidden a large number of Voltorb and Electrode all over Yuan County."
"If the plan fails, they're set to Self-Destruct."
"Boom!! Boom!!"
Explosions rang out continuously in the background.
"It's too late…"
Frank's voice held a tone of regret.
Julian didn't waste time responding. He hung up and turned to the other special class recruits. "Rescue as many as you can, but watch out for your own safety."
As he looked out at the spreading black smoke, flames, and the cries of people caught in the chaos, his expression remained calm, but his hands clenched tightly.
"Z Organization…" he muttered under his breath.
From above, he could see that more than a dozen explosions had rocked Yuan County, each one targeting critical areas—residential districts, shopping centers, even government buildings.
'Fortunately, most people in the residential areas had already been evacuated.'
'Evacuated!!?'
Luis, who was just about to rush into the action, was grabbed by Julian.
"Luis, where were the residents moved to?"
Julian asked suddenly, his tone urgent.
"They were taken to the granary in the south of Yuan County..."
Realizing what this could mean, he asked, panicked, "Brother Walker, you don't think they hid Voltorb and Electrode there too, do you? There are hundreds of thousands of people there!"
One of the national-level granaries in Yuan County had been emptied out for the evacuation. Its thick, reinforced walls made it an ideal shelter.
That's where the county officials had initially directed most of the residents, while others had been moved to the neighboring county.
"Dragonite!"
Without answering to Luis's question, Julian leaped onto Dragonite's back.
Sensing the gravity of the situation, Dragonite immediately surged forward, accelerating in an instant as they sped toward the southern granary.
Watching Julian soaring ahead on his Dragonite, Dalton couldn't help but marvel.
"Boss Walker's body must be insanely strong to handle that speed," he muttered enviously.
For most people, the sheer wind pressure and the sudden, intense acceleration would be unbearable. Ordinary humans would either be crushed under the force or risk snapping their necks from the inertia alone.
Luis crossed his arms and huffed proudly. "Of course, my Brother Walker's body is strong! How else do you think he can beat your Fighting class so badly that time?"
His intent to rile Dalton up fell flat as he simply nodded, grinning.
"I'd bet Boss Walker could go toe-to-toe with Elite Bruce himself, who competes with a Machamp"
Elite Bruce, the current Fighting-type Elite, was renowned for his monstrous physique and mastery of various martial arts.
While he could indeed match a Machamp in power, that was only effective against Pokémon below the pseudo-Elite level.
As Julian approached the southern granary, he felt a wave of relief wash over him—no explosion had occurred here.
But that relief was tinged with confusion.
The explosions had already started elsewhere, so why was the granary untouched? Could the Z Organization have overlooked such a prime evacuation point? It seemed unlikely.
Julian's questions found their answers soon enough.
In front of the open granary doors, a group of students in the Third Military Academy uniforms stood guard, holding three restrained individuals to the ground.
"I knew there was something off about you three. Lucky the young master noticed."
"Do you even know who I am? You saw that Metagross right?, the one that single-handedly stopped the Pokémon riot? That's my Brother Julian's Pokémon!"
"Julian's my brother, you know?"
Will bragged as he kicked one of them.
"Alright, alright, enough bragging"
Said Han, who was also a student of the Third Military Academy, looking at Will speechlessly.
Since Metagross's impressive victory against Articuno, Will had made a habit of telling everyone that Julian was his "brother". By now, everyone at the Third Military Academy had heard it multiple times over.
"Han, I know you're just jealous that I have a brother like Julian." Will grinned, undeterred.
"On the Imperial University forum, there's a guy named Luis who said Julian was his 'brother'"
"And recently, there's another guy Dalton who started calling him 'Boss.'"
Han sighed, shaking his head. He couldn't fathom how students from the top-tier Imperial University could rival Will in his shamelessness.
"Both of them may be younger siblings to Julian, but I'm his brother," Will continued, proudly. "So, by extension, they're all my juniors too!"
Just then, one of the students spotted something in the sky.
"There's a Dragonite coming down!"
As Dragonite landed nearby, Julian dismounted and approached Will and Han, clearly surprised to see them here.
Will practically leaped over, grinning ear-to-ear.
"Brother Julian!" he shouted, pulling Julian into a fierce hug.
Julian was obviously not used to such intimacy, and immediately broke free.
"Julian, what brings you here?" Will asked, he was aware of Julian's character and didn't mind.
"Came here to apprehend a few people, though it looks like you all handled it already." Julian pointed toward the three captives.
"Hahaha, Of course! With you leading the charge, I can't be left behind. The moment I saw these three sneaking around in the crowd, I knew they were up to no good!" Will boasted.
"Yeah, sure. More like a blind cat stumbling onto a dead mouse." Han scoffed.
"Admit it, Han. You're just jealous of me"
When the crisis in Yuan County erupted, the county's government quickly reached out to the Trainer Association for assistance.
In response, the Trainer Association alerted all the 20 universities across the imperial capital, summoning third- and fourth-year students for immediate support.
However, the gravity of the situation also drew many eager first- and second-year students who, though less experienced, came along out of curiosity and a desire to help.
Among the schools responding, the Third Military Academy, due to its rigorous military discipline, was one of the quickest to mobilize, right behind Imperial Capital University and just ahead of Shu University.
With this swift student response, trainers regained control over the Pokémon that had broken out from the secret realm in Yuan County.
By sheer luck—or perhaps fate—Will, discovered three Voltorbs that had been planted by members of the Z organization, each prepped to self-destruct within the granary.
The granary, a secure structure chosen as an emergency shelter, held hundreds of thousands of evacuated citizens.
If the Voltorbs had self-destructed, the devastation would have been unimaginable, with no chance of survival for those inside. Will's quick action saved countless lives, for which he would be rewarded.
This attack seemed to be the Z organization's last attempt to turn the incident in their favor.
By detonating Voltorbs and other explosives, they hoped to obliterate the shelter and cause mass casualties, damaging Drakoria's reputation and elevating their own as an organization capable of striking fear even into the heart of a highly secure nation.
Thankfully, the worst had been averted, though the aftermath still held significant loss.
Reports the next day revealed the toll: 5,000 civilians had lost their lives, and over 40,000 had been injured.
Tragically, over 300 trainers had been killed, with another 2,000 sustaining injuries.
The economic impact was staggering, as infrastructure in Yuan County lay in ruins.
The tragedy ignited public outrage across Drakoria. Citizens condemned the Z organization, and online, expressions of grief and fury flooded social platforms.
The Drakorian government acted swiftly, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson delivering a firm response.
That same afternoon, Drakoria deployed six Elite trainers, led by Steel Elite John, to locate and eliminate one of the Z organization's overseas strongholds.
The mission was a success: the stronghold was destroyed, and a high-ranking member of the organization was captured.
This fierce retaliation from Drakoria sent shockwaves through the international community, causing other terror groups to reconsider any actions within Drakorian borders.
The message was clear—Drakoria would not tolerate threats to its people.
--
Meanwhile, at Imperial University, Julian was approached by Slowking, who brought along several government officials.
"Student Walker," one of the officials began, "I'm with the Imperial Capital Trainer Association. We're here to gather an account of what happened in the secret realm."
Julian knew much of the events outside had already been broadcasted live and witnessed by countless trainers, so there was no need to review every detail.
"Um"
Nodding, he proceeded to recount what had happened within the secret realm, explaining his actions in a clear, concise manner.
"Oh, and this," Julian said, producing the Feraligatr's Poké Ball.
"I was going to give this to Teacher Frank, but I nearly forgot."
The staff members were slightly taken aback, knowing the immense value of an Elite-level Pokémon.
They knew from Persian that Julian had taken the Poké Ball of the Elite-level Feraligatr and had not returned it.
One of the main reasons the officials were there was indeed to collect the Feraligatr's Poké Ball, but they had decided not to force Julian if he wanted to keep it.
Given Julian's significant contributions to handling the incident, the Feraligatr could have served as a reward in place of other compensation.
However, Julian had merely forgotten to give it, not out of reluctance to part with an Elite Pokémon.
"Thank you," one staff member said, taking the Feraligatr's Poké Ball.
They knew that, in the right hands, this Elite-level Pokémon would serve as a valuable asset to the Trainer Association.
Although it was technically seized from a terrorist organization, this practice of repurposing captured Pokémon was standard protocol worldwide.
Releasing an Elite Pokémon back into the wild, especially one previously aligned with a dangerous group, that would be too dumb.
"We'll ensure that the appropriate rewards are issued soon. On behalf of Drakoria and the Trainer Association, Julian, we thank you for your support"
Several staff members gave Julian a slight salute.
Julian waved a hand, uncomfortable with the formality.
"No need for thanks, I just did what was necessary."
Though modest, Julian was also slightly curious about the reward he might receive.
"Actually, may I suggest something for the reward?"
"Of course, as long as it's reasonable. I'll submit it for approval," the staff member replied.
"I'd prefer to skip any Pokémon rewards. Instead, if possible, I'd like permission to enter the ruins"
At his level, Julian didn't need Cyan-grade Pokémon, and he knew the Trainer Association would not grant him any high-tier, Blue-grade Pokémon.
A Ruins Entry Ticket, however, would be much more valuable to him.
Ruins and secret realms share some similarities but are distinct in key ways.
(T/N: Treat both as same except that secret realms are like natural areas, whereas ruins are places where humans once resided, so you can find remains of human civilization there)
While secret realms are graded by the strength levels of their Pokémon, ruins are not.
Secret realms have a pyramid-like distribution of Pokémon, with stronger ones being rare.
In ruins, however, most Pokémon begin at the Advanced level, with occasional pseudo-Elites and Elites, and even, pseudo-champions if you were unlucky.
Fortunately, there were very few Pokémon present in the ruins.
The most significant aspect of the ruins is the chance of encountering traces of legendary Pokémon.
Some first-level legends, such as Rayquaza, were initially found within ruins, like the legendary Dragon Ruins, before they emerged into the outside world.
Numerous ruins were even named after the legendary Pokémon associated with them.
Ruins also held a wealth of ancient knowledge, including advanced technologies like Poké Ball manufacturing, Energy Cube crafting, and Poké Ball transmission.
It was precisely because of these technologies that Pokémon were quickly integrated into human life.
In some respects, ruins were even more valuable than secret realms, although they were far fewer in number.
Julian had the clearance to enter advanced secret realms and even he didn't he could have easily asked, John, to make that happen.
But gaining access to ruins was another matter; entry was tightly controlled by the Drakorian Trainer Association and required an exceptional contribution to be granted.
"Understood. I'll relay your request"
The staff member said, impressed by Julian's foresight.
As a young aristocrat, Julian had already demonstrated strength, courage, and wisdom beyond his years. As long as he didn't fall young, his future achievements would be limitless.
"Julian, here's the application form for the school team. Please fill it out"
Said Frank, the head teacher, as he placed a form in front of Julian.
"Teacher, why don't I have one?"
Luis protested, noticing that only Julian received the form.
"You're not even at the pseudo-Elite level yet, Luis," Frank replied with a sigh.
"You're not qualified to join the school team—or even to be an alternate at this point."
Confidence is one thing, Frank thought, but Luis's kind of overconfidence wasn't always helpful.
The school team had eight primary spots and two alternate positions, mostly occupied by upperclassmen with strong, high-level Pokémon near the pseudo-Elite rank.
Currently, Imperial University's school team had eight members, but two alternate slots remained open. These would go to promising freshmen or sophomores.
Julian's recent performance, especially with his Metagross and his handling of the mid-level secret realm chaos, had caught enough attention to earn him one of those spots.
The main role of the school team was to compete in the Drakoria Hundred Schools League three months from now.
Whichever university won the championship would gain management rights over the No. 97 advanced secret realm for a year.
A privilege the Imperial University currently held.
"I'll reach pseudo-Elite soon enough"
Luis muttered unwillingly.
Just then, Julian's system chimed.
"Ding!"
"Main Quest Released: Enter the School Team and Compete in the Hundred Schools League."
"Reward: Based on task completion."
This time, the system hadn't lagged behind. The moment Julian received the application form, the main task was activated.
Main tasks were special—they appeared infrequently, but they offered some of the longest challenges. However, they also came with the most valuable rewards once completed.
Last time, completing a main task had granted him the powerful Mega Pallet Town physique, solving a lot of his training concerns.
Julian promptly filled out the form and handed it back to Frank.
"Good. Tomorrow at eight, report to Battlefield No. 1," Frank instructed.
Julian nodded.
It seemed that his plans to explore the 25th Advanced Rift would have to wait a bit longer.
--
The next day;
Arriving at Battlefield No. 1 just before 8:00, Julian noticed Luis tagging along.
Luis seemed eager to observe the strength of the school team, possibly planning to challenge a weaker member and claim their spot.
There were two ways onto the school team: either receive a direct recommendation, as Julian had, or challenge a team member and earn a place through victory and replace them.
Even though it was still early, the entire team had already gathered. Julian glanced at the other sophomore candidate, who was also studying him with equal curiosity.
The eight primary team members sized up the newcomers with interest, and Julian recognized two familiar faces among them.
One was Alex, the Civilian Society president who pretended to be some kind of hero in front of him before, the other party was looking at him in a not so friendly manner.
The other familiar face was a striking young woman, tall and graceful, with long, straight legs that were hard to miss.
"Hey, Brother Walker, check her out! She's got those long, straight legs—white as snow," Luis whispered with a grin.
"Sister Thea!"
Julian waited for Luis to finish before calling out.
Luis looked at Julian in disbelief.
"Brother Walker, that's your sister?"
"Cousin," Julian corrected with a nod.
Thea approached with a playful glint in her eyes, reached out as if to pinch Julian's cheek. Julian sidestepped, dodging her grasp.
"Sister, I'm not a child anymore"
Julian sighed, feeling a bit embarrassed under so many watchful eyes.
"Little Julia isn't as cute as he used to be"
Thea teased, looking at him with disappointment, "You've been here at Imperial University for two months, and you haven't even come to see your big sister once."
"If you didn't join the school team, would you have just forgotten you had a sister at this University?"
Julian scratched his nose, feeling a bit embarrassed. It wasn't that he didn't want to see Thea, but between training, classes, and all that had happened recently, he'd honestly just forgotten that his cousin was here too—and already a 3rd-year.
Julian's maternal grandfather, Hector, was well-known as a trainer and a top breeder.
Julian had three uncles on his mother's side and his mother, Tina, was Hector's only youngest daughter, and Thea was the daughter of Julian's eldest uncle, who had two children a boy and a girl.
When Alex saw that Thea was Julian's sister, his expression changed involuntarily. He walked over and asked with a kind smile, "Thea, I didn't know Julian was your cousin."
"Why would you need to know?" Thea asked with a frown.
"Oh, I just mean… I didn't expect Imperial University's famous Julian to be your brother. It's a bit surprising, that's all," Alex replied.
"That's right, my cousin's a genius"
Hearing the other party complimenting Julian, Thea's expression improved a lot.
"Though geniuses often have… unusual personalities," Alex added, nodding in a way that made it sound less like praise.
Catching the underlying jab, Thea narrowed her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Julian glanced over at Alex and said indifferently, "Sister, don't bother with this guy. I don't like him, and you should ignore him in the future."
"Oh? Well, if Little Julia says so, that's good enough for me"
Thea wasn't fond of Alex herself, who seemed to appear around her way too often, and she certainly wasn't clueless. From the way Alex and Julian spoke to each other just now, it was clear they'd had some issues in the past.
Between Alex, whom she thought of as an annoying fly, and her cousin, there was no contest—she'd back Julian any day.
Alex's expression shifted when he heard Julian and Thea's words. He hadn't expected Julian to be so blunt.
Julian had openly admitted he didn't like him, and Thea had backed him up without hesitation.
It felt irritatingly effortless for them to brush him off like that.
Luis, who had been quietly watching, couldn't help but chuckle at Alex's frustrated look.
"Sister, maybe just call me Julian"
Julian suggested, his family had a habit of giving him all kinds of cutesy nicknames.
His uncle called him "Little Lia", his aunt called him "Little Juli," and Thea had somehow landed on "Little Julia."
So John calling him "good grandson" sounded a lot more better.
He could already imagine the teasing if these names got around campus.
Julian looked at Luis: 'If this spreads, you're dead.'
Luis, who had been smirking at Alex's misfortune, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. When he turned, he saw Julian looking at him menacingly.
For a while, he was a little confused, as he didn't understand how he had provoked Brother Walker.
"Julian just doesn't have the same ring to it as 'Little Julia.' And anyway, that's what I call you. You're not going to tell me to stop, are you?"
Thea said, crossing her arms with a challenging look.
Julian knew better than to argue with her about it, deciding he'd rather battle a prospective Elite than try to reason with his cousin over a nickname.
"Little Julia…"
Luis muttered under his breath, amused.
Immediately, he felt Julian's intense glare and clapped a hand over his mouth, giving Julian a helpless, wide-eyed look.
"Is everyone here?"
The voice rang out before the speaker even appeared. Moments later, a middle-aged man strode into view, his presence commanding immediate respect.
Thea and the other eight members of the school team immediately straightened up, adopting serious expressions. One of the shorter boys in the group spoke up, "Teacher Wade, the two rookies, Julian and Lucas, have arrived."
Lucas, a sophomore and the top student in last year's special recruit class, had earned his position as representative of the sophomore class.
Among the ten team members gathered, only Julian and Lucas were freshmen and sophomores; the other eight were juniors(3rd-years) or seniors(4th-years).
All from each grade's special recruit class.
Recognizing the man, Julian recalled hearing about him.
This was Wade, a member of the Drake family—known as one of Drakoria's powerful Dragon-type families. He was also related to Ian, who had mentioned before that Wade was his third uncle.
Wade was highly respected in Drakoria, known for his formidable power at the peak of the Elite level.
Though he hadn't attained the position of Dragon Elite, it was widely understood that his skills rivaled or even surpassed half of Drakoria's eighteen type Elites.
The only reason he wasn't the official Dragon Elite was due to the current Dragon Elite's extraordinary strength.
Julian couldn't help but be surprised at Wade's presence. He knew Wade wasn't one of Imperial College's five elites, so it was remarkable to see him here.
It really was an overkill for such an Trainer to train them.
As if sensing Julian's question, Thea leaned over and whispered.
"Teacher Wade was specially invited by the dean."
Julian nodded, understanding now.
The dean, a respected figure among Trainers, was known to have mentored many top trainers in Drakoria, and it seemed Wade was one of his former students.
Wade, who had already met the older students, focused his attention on the two new recruits, Julian and Lucas.
"Although we have ten people in the Hundred Schools League team, only eight will actually participate in the competition"
Although the team contained ten trainers but that was only in name, only eight could actually compete in the tournament, that's why the University allowed freshmen and sophomores to participate.
Their role wasn't to compete but to gain valuable experience alongside more seasoned trainers. By the time they reached their third and fourth years, they would be primed to take on key roles in the competition.
Now, the main team members were the eight juniors and seniors standing before Julian and Lucas.
"But if either of you wants to earn a spot, it's possible," Wade added, pausing for a moment before pointing to the eight.
"Defeat one of them, and you can take their place."
The opportunity was clear—now it depended on whether Julian or Lucas had the strength to claim it.
"I'm giving you both a day to gather information on the eight of them," Wade continued. "Tomorrow, at this same time, you can decide if you want to challenge anyone."
This approach was surprisingly considerate, giving them time to prepare and study their potential opponents.
Of course, there was no way they could gather complete information on all eight in one night, so they would need to focus on the key points.
Lucas's gaze drifted toward the two female members, sizing up his options.
It wasn't that he underestimated them, but statistically, male trainers often outnumbered female trainers in top-level competitive circles. He figured challenging one of the girls might give him a better chance.
Just as Lucas seemed to settle on a plan, Julian's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"No need to wait. I'll challenge now"
Lucas: (?_??)
Suddenly, Julian heard a faint chime.
"Ding!"
"Daily Task: Obtain a spot."
"Reward: 800 points."
Even without this task, Julian would have challenged anyway. Without securing a spot, how else could he complete the Main task?
Wade raised an eyebrow. "Fine. Who do you want to challenge?"
Without any hesitation, Julian pointed at Alex and said;
"Him."
Wade nodded, "Alex, a 3-vs-3 match with him. If you lose, you're out of the competition team, and this will be your only chance, Julian. Win, and you're in. Lose, and that's it."
Alex nodded with a twisted face. He wasn't surprised that Julian had challenged him, but even if he knew, he was still irked at being chosen.
It felt like, he was being underestimated by Julian.
With a restrained smirk, he thought about how he could use this match to teach Julian a lesson justifiably.
"Julian, listen," Thea murmured as she stepped closer. "Alex may be annoying, but he's strong—a General-type trainer."
"Generalist?, Jack of all trades but master of none," Julian said indifferently.
He found it curious that Alex, despite his commoner background, had taken on such a costly and resource-intensive training style. But then again, maybe that was just how things were meant to play out. After all, he mused, Alex was quite the protagonist-sounding name.
Of course, if you wanted to stand out, you needed to forge a unique path, not just follow the beaten track. That's how you could grow faster and get stronger.
In Drakoria, there were General-type trainers, but most only took on additional types after reaching Elite level.
For those below Elite—especially without family resources—choosing multiple types was like digging their own grave.
"Do you want to activate the protective barrier?" Wade asked, glancing between the two.
"No need"
Julian shook his head.
Alex shook his head as well.
Soon, both trainers stood ready at opposite ends of the field.
A girl standing next to Thea leaned over and asked curiously, "Thea, is it wise for Julian to pick Alex? Alex's strength is second only to the captain's—your cousin might have chosen the wrong Rival."
She had heard of Julian, and his recent rise to fame in Imperial University.
But his strength was mostly recognized among freshmen and sophomores. In the school team, known for its high concentration of pseudo-Elite and near-Elite trainers, he was facing an uphill battle.
Of the eight main team members, all had their six Pokémon at the pseudo-Elite level, and their captain had five of his Pokémon at pseudo-Elite peak.
Alex, currently also had two Pokémon at the pseudo-Elite peak.
The difference in combat strength between each level of pseudo-Elite wasn't massive, but it was enough to matter.
Julian had only just reached pseudo-Elite level, while Alex was a seasoned. There was still a significant gap between them.
"How about a little bet? I'm putting my money on little Julia for the win"
Thea didn't know how strong Julian was, but she knew Julian well, if he didn't have absolute certainty, he wouldn't have challenged Alex.
"What are you betting?"
As soon as she heard the word bet, the girl's eyes lit up.
"I remember you have a Pokémon Ocarina, If you lose, hand it over. If I lose, I'll give you my Shiny Charm."
For a true gambler, hesitation at this point wasn't an option.
"Deal!"
She nodded excitedly.
After all, the Ocarina was a treasured item, especially for trainers who valued harmony with their Pokémon.