When Julian walked out of the breeding house, Teacher Ella couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why didn't you choose Bagon?"
Out of the five Pokémon available, Bagon clearly had the greatest potential. As a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, Bagon's final form, Salamence, was incredibly strong and even had a Mega Evolution.
The same could be said for Treecko, which also had a Mega Evolution. Pokémon with these forms often had a distinct advantage, assuming their Trainers had the corresponding Mega Evolution stones.
Given Julian's background, Teacher Ella had no doubts he could easily get his hands on Salamence's Mega Evolution stone through the Walker family.
Julian, however, shrugged lightly. "I just think Growlithe suits me better."
If he hadn't recently acquired the fire crystal from the secret realm, he might have gone with Bagon.
But with this rare fire-type treasure in his possession, choosing Growlithe felt like the right move.
As much as blue-qualified Bagon was valuable, he figured there'd be other chances to capture one down the line if he ever felt the need, especially with the system resources at his disposal, he could just raise one to blue qualification if needed.
Hearing Julian's words, Growlithe wagged his tail in joy.
Julian, inwardly pleased with his choice, also couldn't help but smirk.
"Choosing based on intuition and bond — that's an essential quality of an excellent Trainer," Teacher Ella said approvingly.
Most Trainers, when given the option, would always go for the most powerful or prestigious Pokémon, like a Charmander over a Caterpie.
Even if their heart leaned toward the less popular choice, logic usually dictated otherwise for long-term success.
Of course, choosing from the heart only worked when it didn't interfere with one's future goals or cause any regret later on.
Julian simply nodded at Teacher Ella's words, choosing to keep his thoughts about the fire crystal to himself.
"Growlithe is an excellent choice," Teacher Ella continued, "and in Drakoria, it carries special significance."
"Yeah," Julian agreed, "it's known as the 'legendary' Pokémon here, isn't it?"
Drakoria's history was marked by both pride and struggle. During a tumultuous era, one great leader had used an Arcanine to defend the nation from its enemies, becoming a symbol of hope.
Arcanine's noble appearance, paired with its fiery strength, earned it the title of the 'legendary Pokémon' in the region. Despite its rarity, Growlithe and Arcanine had become symbols of national pride.
Additionally, Arcanine had impressive Species Strength, standing at base stat 555, surpassing all fire-type Pokémon from the three royal starters.
Its loyalty, speed, and elegance made it a top-tier Pokémon in both form and function.
Including Growlithe, Julian now had eight Pokémon, but Meltan had never been registered on the Trainer Association Network, so Julian can only use the seven registered Pokémon if he plays the Open Tournament.
As Julian returned to his villa, his Pokémon were lounging around the yard. Steelix was basking contently in the evening sun, and the rest were scattered about, each doing their own thing.
"Alright, everyone! Come meet your new teammate"
Julian called, releasing Growlithe from its Poké Ball.
Metagross, Dragonair, Steelix, Aron, Meltan, and Lucario all turned their attention to Growlithe.
Slowking, busy in the kitchen, didn't come out, but the rest of Julian's team watched curiously as the small fire-type greeted them with enthusiasm.
Growlithe, unfazed by the unfamiliar faces, barked happily, wagging his tail.
'Hello seniors, I am the new intern, you can call me Growlithe'
Pokémon: Growlithe (Fire)
Moves: Leer, Ember, Howl, Bite, Flame Wheel, Helping Hand, Agility
Genetic Moves: Flare Blitz, Overheat, Double-Edge, Outrage
Despite its relatively low level, Growlithe's genetic moves stood out as particularly powerful, especially for a Pokémon of blue qualification. Julian knew there was plenty of potential here.
Growlithe, looking at each of the older Pokémon, eventually locked eyes with Metagross and offered a respectful bark.
Growlithe: Hello boss.
Metagross grunted in acknowledgment, nodding in approval of the enthusiastic newcomer.
Julian watched the interaction, amused. "We're not a gang," he chuckled to himself, watching Growlithe fall right in line with Metagross's leadership.
Metagross, pleased with Growlithe's loyalty, quickly adopted him as a favored junior.
Unlike the others, who had grown more independent after evolving, Growlithe's eagerness to be part of the team felt refreshing.
It also helped that Growlithe wasn't the serious or aloof type, like Lucario, who only had eyes for Julian, or Dragonair, who always seemed to think it was second in command.
Meltan and Aron, of course, were simply too young and a little scatterbrained.
Then there was Steelix, who was simply too massive and lazy to care about group dynamics, and Slowking, who was so smart that even Metagross felt a bit outwitted when interacting with him.
Metagross: This little one might become my favorite.
Julian, meanwhile, retrieved the fire crystal from his bag.
It was encased in special crystals, which blocked its energy from being detected by most fire-type Pokémon, preventing it from being snatched by more powerful fire-types like the Magmar species from whom he'd narrowly obtained it.
Yet, as soon as Julian pulled it out, Growlithe's attention snapped toward it.
Growlithe padded over to Julian, staring at the tennis ball-sized fire crystal in his hand.
"Impressive. You can sense it already?" Julian marveled at Growlithe's sensitivity.
"Go ahead, it'll help you grow stronger."
Julian held out the crystal, and Growlithe, rather than greedily snatching it, licked Julian's palm before carefully swallowing it whole.
The fire crystal wouldn't immediately transform Growlithe; instead, it would gradually enhance his flame origin, significantly improving the power of his fire-type moves.
In time, Julian hoped, it would even allow Growlithe to surpass its current blue qualification.
While the fire crystal alone couldn't elevate Growlithe to purple qualification, a combination of system resources and training might make it possible.
Julian already had three purple-qualified Pokémon: Metagross, Dragonair, and Meltan.
With Growlithe now on the team, he could add it to his growing roster of blue-qualified Pokémon alongside Lucario and Aron.
Even his Slowking and Steelix had cyan-qualification.
Despite the rarity of cyan-qualified Pokémon in the outside world, Julian's standards placed them at the bottom of his team in terms of potential.
Suddenly, Slowking called out from the kitchen, wearing an apron.
Slowking: It's time for dinner.
Don't know what Slowking did in the Laboratory, but she had awakened an interest for cooking.
Julian smiled. "Perfect timing."
Slowking's unexpected talent for cooking had become a huge convenience for Julian, saving him from having to prepare meals or rely on cafeteria food.
The taste, of course, was also surprisingly good.