Early the next morning, Julian went to report to the school team. With just over a month left before the 100-Schools League, the team was required to meet at Battle Arena #01 every day at 8 a.m., unless there were special circumstances.
However, only five members showed up, including Julian's cousin, Thea.
"Julian, you're finally back!"
Thea ran up to him and playfully pulling his face. She knew Julian had gone to an Advanced-level secret realm, so her face was full of curiosity as she asked.
"What did you gain from the secret realm?"
Exploring secret realms was like a treasure hunt. With enough luck, the treasures found might not make you worry-free for life, but they could significantly accelerate your growth.
On the flip side, bad luck might mean not finding anything—or worse, dying in the process.
Julian replied, deciding to annoy her after she pulled his face as soon as they met.
"Why is it just only a few of us here?"
Seeing Thea about to pull his face again with a slightly annoyed look, Julian quickly stepped back.
"Hmph. Some are on missions, and others are busy training," Thea explained.
The school team had ten members, with eight having spots to compete. The remaining two were official members but essentially served as substitutes.
Although the school team's coach, Wade, was an Elite, he was a Dragon-type Trainer so his expertise was naturally focused on Dragon-types. His understanding of other types wasn't as deep.
His primary role was to teach battle experience and help Trainers improve their adaptability and commanding skills in combat.
As for improving their Pokémon's strength, that was up to the team members themselves. Because of this, it was rare for all team members to gather at once.
Many of them spent their time taking on missions to train their Pokémon, using intensive training routines, or, like Julian, entering secret realms to grow stronger.
There were many ways to strengthen Pokémon, and it was all about choosing the method that suited you best.
"Oh? Why didn't you go?"
Julian blurted out, and immediately realized that sounded wrong.
"Julian, are you saying you don't want to see me?"
At that moment, a dangerous aura emanated from Thea. Even her psychic energy started to ripple, making her long hair float in the air.
Thea was one of the rare Trainers with psychic powers. While her ability was still at the intermediate level, she was on the verge of advancing to the next stage.
Psychic users often had a common flaw: if their abilities became too strong without proper control, it could lead to a berserk state.
Of course, Thea wasn't actually berserk. She was just putting on a show to scare Julian.
"Sis, I was wrong!" Julian quickly admitted.
He had psychic powers himself, so he knew full well Thea was fine. His apology was more out of the philosophy that 'a wise man doesn't argue with a woman.'
He absolutely wasn't backing down out of fear.
When the meeting time arrived, Coach Wade showed up right on time. He glanced around the gathered team members and frowned slightly.
"Where's Alex? Why isn't he here?"
Julian: He won't be coming anymore
If a school team member couldn't attend, they were required to inform Coach Wade in advance.
Even though Alex had been defeated by Julian and lost his spot among the eight competing members, his strength was still second only to the team captain and Julian.
When the time came for the 100-Schools League, Wade, as the coach, wouldn't leave Alex on the sidelines.
Winning first place for Imperial University was of paramount importance. Whatever personal issues existed between Julian and Alex were irrelevant to Wade.
The rest of the team members shook their heads in response to Wade's question. None of them knew where Alex had gone.
Wade pulled out his phone and tried calling Alex, but the call went to voicemail.
"Let's start training. Today, we'll pair up for practice matches. Julian, you're with me."
After hanging up, Wade decided not to dwell on Alex's absence, assuming he might've had an emergency.
As Julian and Wade headed toward another battle arena, the other team members watched them with envy.
Wade was one of the strongest Elite Trainers, a Dragon-Type specialist. Though he called it a sparring match, it was more of a coaching session. Such opportunities were rare, and those who had trained with Wade before had gained a lot from it.
"Come on, send out your Dragonite"
At the battlefield, Wade had already released his Pokémon, a Druddigon.
Druddigon was infamous among Dragon-Types, often referred to as the "Disgrace of Dragons." The title originally belonged to Flygon, but with Druddigon's appearance, it surpassed Flygon to claim this dubious honor.
Its unappealing appearance lowered the Dragon-Type's overall aesthetic, and its base stat total was only 485. The only redeeming factor was its impressive 120 base attack.
Still, the "Disgrace of Dragons" nickname depended largely on the Trainer.
There was a saying among Trainers: 'There are no weak Pokémon, only weak Trainers.'
With enough skill, even a Beedrill could become a champion.
Wade was the second-best Dragon-Type Elite Trainer after the reigning Top Dragon-Type Elite. In his hands, Druddigon was a force to be reckoned with. Even Julian's father would have to take it seriously in battle.
Julian sent out his Dragonite.
Same-Type Pokémon often shared many similarities, which was why Wade specifically asked Julian to use Dragonite.
Although Wade didn't have the ability to appraise Pokémon stats directly, his extensive experience made it clear that Julian's Dragonite was exceptionally well-trained.
If level weren't a factor, Julian's Dragonite might even surpass Wade's own.
Julian's Dragonite was currently at level 61, just stepping into the pseudo-Elite tier. Being a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, its leveling slowed significantly as it grew stronger. Julian wasn't in a rush, though—he was confident in its development.
Level doesn't always define combat power.
Even though Dragonite had only just entered the pseudo-Elite tier, if it fought with everything it had, it could at least hold its own against an early stage Elite Pokémon.
If Julian were using his Metagross instead, it could outright overpower an Elite-tier Pokémon in its early stages.
In a coaching match, winning or losing wasn't the focus. The guiding party intentionally left openings to steer their opponent's decisions and help them improve.
While the coach needed to have a high level of skill, the one being guided couldn't be too weak either.
This coaching match lasted nearly an hour. Julian gave it everything he had, yet he could barely trouble Wade's Druddigon.
Who said it was the "Disgrace of Dragons"? Under Wade's command, it was nothing short of the "Pride of Dragons."
In Wade's hands, Druddigon became a true artillery platform, with its single highest attribute—attack—pushed to the absolute limit.
Of Druddigon's five base stats, attack was the strongest, while the other four were mediocre at best, or outright terrible.
Since its weaknesses couldn't be fixed, Wade focused on amplifying its sole strength to the maximum.
The result was devastating firepower.
Moves like Dragon Pulse, Dragon Claw, Dragon Rush, Hyper Beam, and Focus Blast were unleashed with incredible force.
Even with its power intentionally restrained during the battle, Druddigon left Dragonite no room to capitalize on any advantages.