Chapter 240: Back to Lake City

Due to the major incident in Haitian City, nearly one-tenth of the city was destroyed, and the death toll reached tens of thousands.

Even a first-class Legendary had appeared.

The next morning, when the citizens of Drakoria woke up, nearly nine out of ten notifications on various apps were about the Haitian City incident.

Only then did they realize the magnitude of what had happened the previous night.

"What on earth happened while I was asleep last night?"

"A moment of silence for the people who lost their lives in Haitian City."

"Even a first-class Legendary, Kyogre, showed up. What could have caused this?"

"I heard there was a mysterious Pokémon that blocked Kyogre's attacks. If not for it, Haitian City would be gone by now."

"That's right, I was in Haitian City at the time, and I saw it with my own eyes!"

Many residents of Haitian City had indeed witnessed Mewtwo blocking Kyogre's Origin Pulse.

However, under the deliberate efforts of the authorities, discussions and images of Mewtwo quickly disappeared from the internet.

What Drakoria's government sought to conceal wasn't Mewtwo itself, but rather the connection between Mewtwo and Julian.

While high-ranking officials from various nations had already witnessed the entire incident in Haitian City through satellite broadcasts, including the emergence of a new first-class Legendary Pokémon and the scenes of Julian commanding it.

Such information had to be kept from the general public.

Drakoria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was now busier than ever. Numerous countries that were previously neutral or even unfriendly toward Drakoria had expressed a desire to visit for diplomatic talks.

Even Celestria was eager to engage in high-level technology exchanges.

The reason behind all this was, of course, Julian and Mewtwo.

If Julian truly had the ability to command Mewtwo, it would mean that Drakoria effectively possessed a first-class Legendary Pokémon.

A first-class Legendary Pokémon willing to follow human commands—what nation could tolerate that?

The immense power of first-class Legendaries was common knowledge. Just look at how even Drakoria's strongest Champion, Duke, couldn't withstand a single attack from Kyogre.

And Mewtwo was even stronger than Kyogre.

Kyogre might be limited by terrain and unable to fully unleash its power on land.

But Mewtwo, being a Psychic-type, could appear anywhere at any time, including the capitals and important cities of other nations.

It was practically a precision strike weapon. The worst part? Even if you knew it was coming, you couldn't stop it.

After this incident, Mewtwo vanished, leaving other nations uncertain whether Julian still had the ability to command it. What if it was just a one-time occurrence?

Should they test it—

Test your mother! They couldn't gamble on something like this! Betting a nation's fate on a chance encounter? No leader with a shred of sanity would dare make such a reckless move.

---

Yale Province, Lake City

Julian was finally back home, as the university had given all team members a two-week break.

"Ah, ow, ow! Mom, let go, let go!"

At home, Julian was grimacing and pleading for mercy.

His mother, Tina, looked both angry and worried, showing no sign of letting him off.

"So, you've grown up and started playing tough? You've even learned to lie to your parents! Do you have any idea how worried I was? If something happened to you, I don't care what your father would do—I wouldn't want to live anymore!"

Sitting on the sofa eating watermelon, Jake, who was enjoying this warm family moment with a look of amusement—until Tina's words dragged him into it.

"Have another kid, then!"

Jake blurted without thinking.

As soon as he said it, he felt something was wrong. Looking up, he noticed Julian giving him a look of admiration, while Tina… he didn't dare look at her.

"Mom, Dad definitely has another woman outside, maybe even kids! He's a scumbag! He's just waiting for something to happen to me and you, so he can bring them into the house!"

(T/N: Wow, just wow)

For his own sake, Julian didn't hesitate to throw father-son loyalty out the window. A dad who just watched him get punished wasn't worth keeping around!

"Julian, stop making things up!"

Jake was stunned. Was his own son trying to kill him with this nonsense?

"Darling, listen to me! I—ow, ow, wait, stop!"

Let's not describe the ensuing domestic violence—it might give some readers a fear of marriage.

"Honey…"

Love, their Indeedee housekeeper, kindly took out some ice from the freezer. Jake was certainly going to need it later.

"Love, could you grab me a c.. cup of tea, please?"

When Julian met Love's gaze, his original request for a coke quickly turned into tea.

One can per day—that was the limit. And today's quota was already used up.

Between Slowking keeping him in check outside and Love taking charge at home, Julian felt fully controlled.

Julian: (⊙x⊙;)

Ten minutes later, Jake sat with a towel-wrapped ice pack on his slightly swollen cheek, glaring at Julian with irritation.

A son like this—should he just get rid of him and start over?

"Did you remember everything your grandfather told you?"

"Yes, I do. I met Mewtwo in the Secret Realm, helped it out, and in return, it helped me."

The relationship between Julian and Mewtwo wasn't just of interest to other nations; Drakoria's higher-ups were even more concerned.

While the Walker family would never betray their country, but it was entirely reasonable for them to leverage their position for appropriate benefits, as long as it didn't compromise national security.

That's why Julian couldn't claim to have a strong bond with Mewtwo, nor could he say they had no connection at all. It had to be ambiguous.

He helped Mewtwo, and Mewtwo helped him. So, if Julian found himself in trouble again, would Mewtwo help him a second time?

It was the kind of uncertainty that kept everyone guessing.

'And how exactly does a Trainer who isn't even an Elite manage to help a Legendary Pokémon?'

This sort of explanation sounded suspicious, but the more one thought about it, the less unbelievable it seemed. It was this ambiguity that made it so hard to decipher.

"It's just one sentence. Do you really think I can't remember it?" Julian rolled his eyes.

"Besides, Grandpa is already a Champion now. The higher-ups aren't likely to bother me too much."

With John becoming Drakoria's sixth Champion, the Walker family's influence in the nation had naturally risen. Out of respect for John, the government wouldn't pressure Julian unnecessarily.

Moreover, Julian himself was an exceptionally gifted Trainer, with the potential to become a Champion one day.

And now that he was also linked to a first-class Legendary Pokémon, the nation's leaders wouldn't risk making foolish decisions based on unwarranted fears.

"Dad, you're joining the Elite Challenge this year, right?"

"Of course. Now that your grandfather is a Champion, the Steel-type Elite position naturally belongs to me"

Jake replied confidently, his smile brimming with certainty.

With John becoming a Champion, it was only fitting for him to step down as the Steel-type Elite. This year happened to coincide with the Elite Challenge that happens every three years.

The challenge was open to all registered Elite Trainers in Drakoria. The top three participants earned the right to challenge any of the 18 current Top Elites. If victorious, they could take the challenged member's place.

However, with John vacating the Steel-type Elite position, there was now an open seat.

Therefore to claim the title of Steel-type Elite, Jake not only had to win first place in the Elite challenge but also participate in an exhibition match with his predecessor John himself. Only then could he officially take the position.