Chapter 282: Ian

"Wonder how many Dragon-type Pokémon the grandson of Champion Walker, will defeat on Dragon Mountain."

At the entrance of the Dragon's Den secret realm, several officers were chatting.

As a special advanced-level secret realm, the Dragon's Den was surrounded by two military corps, with the entire Drake family residing in the vicinity.

These forces not only protected the Dragon's Den from unauthorized intrusions but also served to contain potential outbreaks of Pokémon from within the realm.

Just imagining the Dragon-types from Dragon Mountain—those at the Elite level—was daunting enough.

And these were not limited to Dragon Mountain alone; the entire Dragon's Den secret realm housed around 30 such Elite Dragon-types.

If they were ever to break free, without a strong counterforce, there would be no stopping them. The resulting chaos would bring unimaginable disaster to the outside world.

"He's Marshal Walker now," one officer corrected.

John had recently become the sixth Champion of Drakoria, officially receiving the Champion's cape and taking on the rank of Marshal in the military.

This wasn't a ceremonial position—it was a role with real power.

Each of Drakoria's six Champions also held the title of Marshal in the military.

Once someone became a Champion, the military automatically granted them the rank of Marshal.

"We've been guarding the Dragon's Den secret realm for two years and still haven't earned the privilege to enter. Really envy Julian," said an officer with the rank of colonel.

"With your strength, even if you got in, you wouldn't make it up Dragon Mountain. Wait until you reach Elite level—then, with accumulated military merits, you might earn a chance to go inside."

"Don't be too envious of Julian. He didn't get in because of Champion Walker. You know what he's capable of."

"Out of all the aristocratic kids, there aren't many I genuinely admire. Julian is definitely at the top of that list."

"Captain, what makes Julian so amazing? All those online analysts and data experts are constantly discussing his Metagross."

"That thing is ridiculously strong in every way, like a perfect all-around warrior."

With each victory Julian secured against stronger opponents, his ace Pokémon, Metagross, became the focus of intense public scrutiny.

Everyone knew that level didn't always equate to strength.

Many talented Pokémon could defeat others several levels higher than themselves.

But Metagross? It had taken down eight Dragon-types in one fight—one of them an Elite-level Pokémon—while still being at pseudo-Elite level itself.

Defeating Elite-level Pokémon while still a pseudo-Elite wasn't something it had done just once.

Metagross seemed to radiate an aura of impossibility.

If not for Walker family's immense influence, that Metagross might have been snatched away—or perhaps even seized by Drakoria's government for research.

Still, many attributed Metagross's "impossible" feats to Julian's training and strategy.

Some believed that the Walker family, as Pokémon trainers, must have some secret that allowed Julian to train his Metagross to such incredible levels, far surpassing even the Metagross of John in the same period.

Before their conversation ended, someone had already appeared at the entrance to the Dragon's Den secret realm.

The officers conducted a thorough inspection of Julian, confirming that he had only captured a Gabite inside the Dragon's Den before allowing him to leave.

"A Gabite, huh? Even if he didn't get to soak in the Dragon Pool, catching such a Pokémon makes this trip to the Dragon's Den well worth it," one officer remarked enviously.

For trainers, regardless of their specialty, owning a pseudo-legendary Pokémon was a dream come true.

Once he passed through the gate of the secret realm, Julian soon arrived at the Drake family estate.

The Drake family's guards recognized Julian and, after notifying the family, allowed him inside without delay.

Before long, someone from the Drake family came to greet him—not Dylan, Owen, or Wade, but Julian's classmate, Ian.

"Ian, what are you doing here?"

Seeing Ian, Julian asked what seemed like a foolish question.

Had his head been hit by a Dragon-type Pokémon inside the Dragon's Den, leaving him dazed?

"I mean, why aren't you at school?"

Ian's mischievous look made Julian want to punch him.

"Ahem—just had some business to take care of, so I came home for a few days. I didn't expect you'd come out today," Ian quickly explained.

Dylan and Owen had likely returned to school.

"So, how was it? What did you gain in the Dragon's Den?"

His face was full of curiosity as he asked.

"Not bad. I caught a Gabite, and my Dragonite became an Elite-level Pokémon," Julian said casually.

Ian nodded; catching a Pokémon was expected. After all, anyone who entered the Dragon's Den would typically capture at least one Pokémon.

His face showed an expression of "as expected," but then his expression stiffened, his whole face gradually freezing.

Looking at Julian, he struggled to say, "Just now, did you say your Dragonite—"

"Dragonite became an Elite. You didn't hear wrong."

Seeing Ian take ten seconds to utter just a few words, Julian interrupted and repeated himself.

Ian immediately fell silent. Then, suddenly, he shouted;

"You've become an Elite now? You're amazing, you're superior, and your first thought was to show off in front of me!"

Show off—this was a blatant show-off. Ian's inner thoughts roared in frustration.

Unlike Dylan and Pierce, who became Elite-level trainers in their senior year, Julian was only a freshman and hadn't even been in university for three months.

And worse—he was in the same class as Ian.

How was anyone supposed to handle this kind of blow?

Which student in the Special Recruitment Class didn't want to defeat Julian?

Even though they knew there was a significant gap between their abilities and his, the thought of defeating him still lingered in their minds.

After all, as long as neither of them was an Elite-level trainer, there was still a chance.

But now? Julian had become an Elite trainer.

The gap between an Elite and anyone below that level was like the difference between two worlds.

Otherwise, why else would there only be about 500 Elite-level trainers in all of Drakoria, despite the countless trainers in the country?

Even for Pokémon with Cyan potential, reaching Elite status was no easy feat.

"Congratulations, Julian."

After Ian's frustrated outburst, a gentle voice broke through the buzzing in Julian's ears.

He turned to see Acacia walking toward him.

Looking at Acacia, then back at Ian, Julian suddenly realized, "Wait, you two are on a date!"

Acacia opened her mouth to explain, but Ian immediately interjected, "Are you blind? Why would I ever be interested in someone like her? She's here to show off her Articuno again!"

"Looks like the lesson I gave you earlier wasn't enough"

Acacia replied with a soft laugh. She wasn't angry, but her gaze toward Ian carried a noticeable chill.

The Drake family specialized in Dragon-types, while the Willow family was known for their Ice-types. While the elders of the two families had a decent relationship, the younger generations didn't get along as well.

Adding to the tension, Acacia often visited the Drake family to challenge their younger members.

Among her peers in the Drake family, Ian was the strongest, which meant he had no choice but to accept her challenges.

Unfortunately for Ian, his record against Acacia wasn't great—he had lost more often than he cared to admit.

As for wins? Let's just say Ian was still walking the long road toward victory, and the finish line was nowhere in sight.

*****

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