Julian and Zed had a conflict in the library that escalated to a Pokémon battle. The cause of their rivalry was Hannah, one of the top ten school beauties.
A child from an aristocratic family, a student from an ordinary background, and a school beauty—these three combined together, prompted some imaginative minds to fantasize about a million-word novel.
There was a battlefield behind the library.
News of the impending fight between the two spread quickly as other students in the library shared updates on their mobile phones.
A few minutes later, crowds gathered at the battlefield, with students coming from the dormitory, study rooms, and playground.
The allure of gossip was simply too strong to resist.
"I heard that Julian stole Zed's girl! Zed is going to fight him!"
"Wow, that sounds exciting!"
"Don't just spread rumors. It's clear that Julian and Zed like each other. This battle is just a way to determine who attacks and who defends in the future."
"F**k bro, your gossip skill is even better"
"Aristocrat vs. Civilian!"
"Shocking! The secret between Julian and Zed had been revealed!"
Even among the special class, many people caught wind of the news.
Luis, who was usually in the Ice-type training class, saw Hugo's message and hurriedly left the room, right in front of the teacher.
There were already quite a few people gathered around the battlefield, most of them looking for some gossip.
Everyone has a bit of a gossip streak, and no one, man or woman, could resist it.
Hannah, the cause of this mess, walked up to Julian.
"Julian, maybe you could call off this match. Zed didn't mean it."
Julian glanced at her.
"Don't you actually hope I defeat Zed thoroughly?"
The more beautiful a woman was, the more deceitful she was. His mother was right, but it's a pity that, when he grew up, he seemed to forget every f*****g word. Now, Hannah in front of him was exactly that kind of person.
"Julian, what are you talking about? How could I have such an idea?"
Hannah gave a charming smile and lightly patted Julian's arm. To those watching, it looked like she was wishing him luck.
"It's over, it's over. Another one of my goddess is gone."
"Brother, how many goddesses do you have?"
"Including her, there are currently over 300."
"Hannah's already in 3rd-year, Going after Julian? That's an old cow eating tender grass—shameless!"
Luis finally arrived just before the battle began, joining Hugo and looking toward Julian and Zed, who were already positioned on opposite sides of the battlefield.
"I'm afraid this guy has a hole in his head. Does he really think of himself as the protagonist of a novel?"
"With Julian's background, he would definitely be the villainous male lead in a story," Hugo added.
Don't be fooled by Hugo's cold demeanor; once you get to know him, you'll realize this guy's actually quite humorous.
Zed sent out his Pokémon first.
Pokémon: Jolteon (Electric)
Moves: Thunder Shock, Tackle, Swift, Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Double Edge, Thunder Fang, Pin Missile
Disc Moves: Protect, Thunder, Electro Ball, Iron Tail
Genetic Moves: Thunder Wave, Double Kick
Having a level 30 Jolteon, but with only four TMs learned, this was the situation of most people. The cheapest TMs/Move Discs in the outside world costs around 100,000.
However, the lower the price, the harder it was for a Pokémon to learn the Move successfully. Additionally, a Pokémon's own qualifications played a significant role in its ability to learn from TMs.
Most Trainers had limited funds, so they focused on teaching their Pokémon only a few essential Moves.
However, children from aristocratic families like Julian and Luis faced no such restrictions, allowing them to let their Pokémon learn a wide range of Moves.
Useful Moves were practiced more, while less useful ones were practiced sparingly or not at all.
Anyway once a Move was learned, it meant the basics were in place; even with minimal practice afterward, it could still show decent power.
"You can send out Metagross, it doesn't matter," Zed said indifferently.
Julian sneered, seeing through Zed's tactics. He knew Zed was aware that his strongest Pokémon was Metagross, and that none of his Pokémon would stand a chance against it.
So in order to prevent Julian from sending out Metagross, he sent a level 30 Jolteon first.
Sending in Metagross, or even Dragonite or Lucario, would make winning feel like overkill and disgraceful.
"This trick seems a bit familiar"
Luis muttered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Brother Walker, teach this ignorant guy a lesson!"
A loud voice sounded, directly overshadowing the noisy discussions around.
"Why is this guy Dalton here?"
Luis looked at the tall figure not far from him, showing a dignified expression.
'This guy will be the enemy of my life.'
It was infuriating. 'He' had recognized Brother Walker as his boss first, so who did this shameless fool think he was, trying to take his place?
'All because Brother Walker's kind enough to not mind him'
Luis grumbled internally, casting a sidelong glance at Julian with a flicker of resentment.
Julian said calmly, tossing a Poké Ball.
With a flash, a spirited Growlithe emerged onto the battlefield.
Pokémon: Growlithe (Fire)
Moves: Leer, Ember, Howl, Bite, Flame Wheel, Helping Hand, Agility
Genetic Moves: Flare Blitz, Overheat, Double-Edge, Outrage
Julian's Growlithe was still in training, so he hadn't focused on teaching it TMs/disc Moves yet. Even so, its current Move set was more than enough to handle Zed's Jolteon.
Surprisingly, Julian chose to send out Growlithe rather than his Steel-type Pokémon, which drew several intrigued looks.
Growlithe was a rare sight, and everyone knew that its evolution, Arcanine, was revered as a legendary Pokémon in Drakoria—essentially the "Rolls-Royce" of land-based mounts.
"Why does Julian's Growlithe look a bit different? It seems... more reddish," someone observed.
"Yeah, it could be a shiny Growlithe," another replied with a hint of envy.
Typically, Growlithe's coat is orange-yellow with cream-colored fur on its belly, tail, and mane, along with black stripes on its back and limbs.
But Julian's Growlithe had a deeper, orange-red base, signaling something unique.
The change wasn't due to it being a shiny variant. Rather, this color shift was because of its absorption of the fire crystal, causing intense fire energy to alter its fur's color. Gradually, its coat was becoming darker, though it was uncertain if it would ever revert.
Upon closer inspection, faint sparkles could be seen nestled within Growlithe's fur—mostly hidden in daylight, but at night, it gleamed faintly, resembling Tail Glow.
This fiery nature had come with some side effects; certain furniture in Julian's house had ended up scorched.
Growlithe looked at his Rival, full of fighting spirit, showing his sharp teeth.