Chapter 241: Battle Club

At the largest outdoor battlefield of the private battle club in Lake City, a towering Aggron, with a height of six meters, stood proudly. Its metallic armor gleamed with a chilling light.

In front of the Aggron lay an Electivire, defeated. Its Trainer quickly recalled it back into its Poké Ball in panic.

"That's already the tenth one," someone murmured.

"Yeah, it's unbelievably strong," another replied.

"If I had a Pokémon like that, I'd be unstoppable," someone else chimed in.

The onlookers whispered among themselves, their eyes filled with astonishment and envy as they gazed at the enormous Aggron.

This massive Aggron, far larger than normal, was undoubtedly Julian's.

After being granted a two-week break by his university, Julian didn't stay home for long. On the third day of his vacation, he headed to the battle club.

A place he had frequented during his school days.

In the past, his Metagross, Dragonite, and Lucario had all participated in countless battles here. However, their current strength far surpassed that of most Pokémon in this club. Only Elite-level Pokémon could now serve as worthy opponents.

Julian's goal for coming here was to train his future main team members—Aggron, Growlithe, and Gastly.

With Aggron defeating its tenth opponent, its level rose from 42 to 43.

"Good work. Come back"

Julian said, recalling Aggron into its Poké Ball. The progress he sought had been achieved.

"Gastly"

He called out next, releasing his Level 25 Gastly onto the battlefield.

As the shiny white Gastly appeared, the crowd couldn't help but gasp in surprise once again.

First, there was the Totem Aggron, and now a shiny Gastly? It felt like Julian had monopolized all the rare things.

Though the spectators were deeply envious, no one dared harbor malicious intent.

Why?-

Because with John recently becoming Drakoria's sixth Champion, the Walker family's influence had grown even stronger.

In Yale Province, the Walker family had an unshakable authority.

"Any Trainers with Pokémon between Level 40 and 50 can step up," Julian announced.

Level 40 represented the peak of Ordinary-tier, while Level 50 indicated a mid-tier Advanced Pokémon.

Although Gastly was only Level 25, its high potential and the significant resources Julian had invested in it made its battle strength far beyond what its level suggested.

Shortly after his challenge, a Trainer stepped forward, sending out a Level 45 Poliwrath.

"Poliwrath, Bubble Beam!"

Dense bubbles, each the size of a fist, shot out from the spiral pattern on Poliwrath's chest, heading straight for Gastly.

Gastly darted around the battlefield with remarkable speed, narrowly avoiding the Bubble Beam. Each time, it seemed like the attack would hit, but it always missed by just a hair.

"Poliwrath, Water Gun!"

Noticing Gastly's exceptional agility, the opposing Trainer quickly switched tactics.

Compared to Bubble Beam, Water Gun was undeniably faster.

"Shadow Ball," Julian commanded calmly.

While Gastly's speed was impressive, the chance of dodging Water Gun was far less likely.

Julian's goal wasn't to let Gastly take hits aimlessly—training meant ensuring it gained something from the battle, even if it got hurt.

Shadow Ball collided with the Water Gun mid-air.

For a moment, the two attacks held in a stalemate before exploding, scattering droplets of water across the battlefield.

The resulting explosion created a light mist that hung over the arena.

Amid the mist, Gastly's form began to fade, disappearing from sight.

The most troublesome aspect of Ghost-type Pokémon was their ability to vanish. Without the right moves to locate an invisible Ghost-type, Trainers often found themselves in a highly disadvantageous position.

Poliwrath immediately became alert, scanning its surroundings for any sign of Gastly's sudden reappearance.

"Poliwrath, use Rain Dance!"

"Hypnosis"

As Poliwrath began preparing to summon rain, its movements suddenly froze. Gastly had appeared right in front of it, its glowing eyes radiating an eerie, sleep-inducing light.

Thud!

Poliwrath: zZZZ-

It couldn't resist Gastly's Hypnosis and had fallen into a deep sleep.

Julian glanced at the opposing Trainer, who reluctantly recalled Poliwrath.

There was no point in continuing; a sleeping Poliwrath's fate was already sealed.

Julian went on to use Gastly in nine more battles, winning every single one.

However, unlike Aggron, who won each of its matches effortlessly, Gastly struggled in its last three battles. Though it still emerged victorious, the wins were much harder fought.

The main issue lay in Gastly's stamina, which was its greatest weakness at this stage.

Fortunately, since joining Julian, its six base stats had been significantly improved through system-enhanced medicines. Otherwise, with its original stamina, it would have collapsed by the fifth battle.

After ten battles, Gastly's level rose from 25 to 28, and it was almost time for it to evolve it into Haunter.

"Growlithe"

Julian called, sending out his third Pokémon.

Due to the Fire Crystal embedded within its body, Growlithe's fur, originally yellow, had turned entirely red, giving it the appearance of a shiny Pokémon.

The Fire Crystal within it had almost been fully absorbed. In a short while, Julian planned to help Growlithe achieve the evolution it had been eagerly awaiting.

Naturally, seeing a Growlithe with an unusual coloration, the spectators assumed it was a shiny Pokémon.

After the earlier display of a Totem Aggron and a white Gastly, the appearance of a red Growlithe didn't come as much of a shock to the crowd. They quickly accepted it.

"Grow!~"

Growlithe's energy was always boundless, so much so that it had nearly demolished Julian's house in its enthusiasm.

"Advanced peak or early stage pseudo-Elite," Julian announced.

Soon, a Trainer stepped forward, and Julian found the person oddly familiar.

"Julian, it's been a while," the Trainer said with a friendly smile.

The comment made it clear that they knew each other, but Julian felt a little awkward. While the person recognized him, he couldn't remember who they were, though they did look familiar.

"I'm a teacher at Lake City No. 1 Middle School"

The Trainer added, noticing Julian's confusion.

"Teacher Ben, don't worry, I remember you"

With that little reminder, Julian finally recalled who it was. Without hesitation or shame, he confidently claimed to remember him.

Back in his time at Lake City No. 1 Middle School, Julian had been in the elite class, while Ben had taught the regular classes. However, Ben had occasionally covered lessons in the elite class, which explained why his face seemed familiar.

"Then go easy on me, will you?"

Ben joked with a chuckle.

He couldn't help but notice how the spectators' gazes shifted after Julian acknowledged knowing him.

Given the current prestige of the Walker family, a single word from its heir, could drastically alter the fate of an ordinary person.

"Blastoise!"

Ben sent out his early stage pseudo-Elite Blastoise.

"Grow!~"

Growlithe barked with excitement, it was full of fighting spirit. Whether it faced a Water-type or a pseudo-Elite opponent, it didn't matter. Growlithe was determined to bring them down.