Seeing their trainer getting beaten by Julian, Hugo's Pokémon immediately grew anxious. They turned around, intending to rush back to protect him.
Unfortunately for them, Dragonite, Lucario, and Metagross were waiting, blocking their path.
Metagross: If you want to pass, pay the toll.
The message was clear. Dragonite and Lucario, following Metagross's lead, dashed toward Gengar, Mismagius, and Dusknoir, ready to battle.
Hugo, barely conscious, felt the world spinning. Everything sounded muffled, like he was underwater. Even the pain in his body had dulled. In his mind, for a brief moment, he thought he saw Arceus smiling down at him from above.
Frank called out, his voice cutting through the haze. The head teacher could see the fight had gone far enough. If Julian continued, there was a real chance Hugo would either be disfigured or dead.
"Alright, Teacher Frank"
Julian replied casually. But before he stopped, he threw one more punch at Hugo's face, sending a spray of blood into the air. He shook his fist, flicking off the blood like it was nothing.
By now, Hugo had completely blacked out. His face was almost unrecognizable, swollen beyond recognition, and his teeth were all but shattered.
Julian had made sure to send a clear message. When it came to someone like Hugo, who thrived on wild, no-rules fighting, showing mercy would only invite more problems. Being ruthless was the only way to earn respect from someone like him.
Meanwhile, Hugo's remaining Pokémon were lying on the battlefield, defeated by Dragonite and Lucario, unable to move.
Frank called for the school medic. Knowing how intense the battle might become, he had already summoned medical staff just in case things got out of hand.
The school doctor rushed over, dispatching a Chansey to heal Hugo.
"Chansey, Heal Pulse!"
Chansey's soft pink glow spread across Hugo's battered body. After a few minutes, his face started to heal, and even his broken teeth began to regrow.
With the help of Pokémon like Chansey, modern medicine had advanced to the point where even severe injuries could be healed in a short time. Humans had not only gained new partners in their everyday lives, but they had also seen their lifespans improve.
Groggy and dazed, Hugo slowly woke up. The first thing he saw was Julian's face, grinning down at him.
"Yo, welcome back," Julian said, still wiping the last bit of blood from his knuckles.
Hugo's eyes widened in terror as the memory of the brutal punches came flooding back. He scrambled back, a look of pure fear etched on his face.
He touched his face and stared in shock at the blood on his hands.
"Alright, Julian, that's enough," Frank said as he approached. "The match is over."
Frank looked at Julian with a mix of admiration and surprise. He hadn't expected Julian to beat Hugo, the national champion of field fighting.
Wild fighting was a completely different style from regular competitions, and being able to defeat someone like Hugo was no small feat.
Of course, he could also see that Julian was not as good as Hugo in terms of wild fighting experience. The main reason Julian could win was due to his incredible reaction speed and the power of Advanced Aura.
If it weren't for Julian's ability to smash Sableye with an aura-powered punch in the beginning and his quick use of Aura Sphere, Hugo's sneak attack would have succeeded.
Thinking of Julian able to use Aura Sphere, Frank felt surprised and envious, After all which trainer didn't dream of having special abilities.
The battle, though it felt long, had taken just over a minute from start to finish.
For Hugo, this defeat was likely to leave a lasting scar—not physically but mentally. Julian might become his psychological shadow.
"Who else?" Julian called out, his voice echoing across the battlefield.
As Hugo staggered off the stage, the remaining six challengers who had faced Julian were already defeated. Except for Tyler and Yanis who faced Julian's strongest Pokémon Metagross.
The other four had tried to go head-to-head in their areas of expertise, but they still failed.
Now, as the group of twenty-three students watching the match exchanged nervous glances, no one seemed eager to step up.
The six challengers gave them a collective look of disdain.
Twenty-three: Hey, we're just following our hearts…
With this final battle, the entire class had come to realize that Julian, their representative, was undefeated.
Especially in the last match, if it was any of them, Sableye would have already taken them out, how could they be like Julian being able to beat up a Sableye.
Kate, watching the whole scene, clasped her hands together and sighed. "He's just so cool. That Aura Sphere—it really touched my heart."
Shen, standing next to her, rolled his eyes and muttered, "I advise you not to catch feelings for him."
Kate turned to Shen, raising an eyebrow. "Why? You like him or something?"
Shen smirked. "You ever heard of Iron-hearted guys of Oreburgh?"
"Yeah, sure… wait, is Julian one of them? Makes sense, given his Steel-type preferences."
"Nope," Shen corrected. "Julian's not an Iron. He's even better—he's Titanium."
Kate blinked. "Titanium? Wow… that sounds hardcore."
Shen: I'm afraid this child is suffering from a brain injury...
Julian, meanwhile, seeing that no one was coming forward recalled his Pokémon back into their Poké Balls and turned to walk back toward the class.
But as he took a step forward, the rest of the 21 students took a step back, Only Shen and Kate stayed in place, Shen looking amused, and Kate still gazing at Julian with hearts in her eyes.
Luis walked over with a grin. "Don't mind them, Walker. They're just still scared from watching you beat up Hugo."
Julian didn't respond but glanced down at his right hand, still crusted with Hugo's blood. He could understand why they might feel a little nervous.
"Walker, can I ask you something?" Luis continued, a little too eager.
"What is it?" Julian asked, raising an eyebrow.
The other party had a mouthful of Walker this and Walker that, which reminded him of Will's cheekiness, So he decided to entertain him.
"I saw you use that Aura Sphere with your hands earlier… To be honest, I've also awakened aura powers," Luis said excitedly, clearly hoping to be able to do the same.
Julian's interest piqued. Aura users were rare, and to meet another one in the special class was unexpected.
He looked at him, curious. "Show me."
Without hesitation, Luis concentrated, and a faint glow of aura appeared in his palm. It flickered for a moment before vanishing, leaving him looking a bit pale.
"Well? What do you think?" he asked, his eyes full of hope. "Can I make an Aura Sphere like you?"
Julian gave him a pat on the shoulder and said, "Go to bed early."
He had not even awakened Aura to the primary level yet.
Luis blinked. "Wait… what does that mean? Are you saying if I get enough rest, I'll be able to use an Aura Sphere too?"
Julian smirked. "Go to bed early, and you can dream about it."