"Slowking, save me! Save me!"
On the couch, Julian was playing Glory with his Slowking. They were part of a five-player team, with Julian playing as the jungler. Unfortunately, the enemy jungler had invaded his territory right from the start, leaving him under-leveled and struggling to develop.
Now, he was being chased by two opponents and was on the verge of death when Slowking, playing in the top lane, finally arrived.
Slowking secured a double kill, but Julian didn't even manage to get assists for either of them.
The teammates applauded, but when Julian checked the scoreboard, their records were all zero kills and multiple deaths.
If not for Slowking's godlike performance carrying the team, they would have lost long ago.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Slowking, still playing the game, went to open the door.
'Who are you looking for?'
Seeing the unfamiliar woman, Slowking gave her a quick glance before returning its focus to the game. Being the only strong player surrounded by weaker ones was a common occurrence—it was used to this.
Hannah hesitated as she looked at Slowking, who was still immersed in the game. She felt like her visit might have been poorly timed.
"Is Julian home?" Hannah asked.
She had already checked; Julian wasn't at the library or the school team's facilities, so his house was the most likely place to find him.
Slowking nodded and led Hannah inside.
"Push the tower! Hurry, push the tower! We've never gotten this far, never won this one!"
On the couch, Julian was shouting excitedly. The game had gone on for nearly 40 minutes, and they were finally about to win. As a fragile jungler, he couldn't even fight the super minions anymore.
As the enemy's crystal exploded and the word "victory" appeared on screen, the game was finally over.
Julian let out a deep sigh of relief.
Hannah couldn't stop herself from laughing. She never expected to see Julian, the high-and-mighty young master known for his extraordinary talent, acting like an ordinary gamer so caught up in a match.
"What brings you here?"
Julian asked as he turned to Hannah. His eyes were immediately drawn to her black stockings and long legs. Paired together, they were stunning. His face, still flushed with excitement from the game, didn't calm down even after it ended.
Noticing Julian's gaze, Hannah's cheeks flushed slightly, though she couldn't help feeling a little smug.
Despite the rumors surrounding her at Imperial University—that she often had men around her and didn't have the best reputation—Hannah had her reasons. She was leveraging her beauty strategically.
A woman's beauty was a double-edged sword. When used well, it could bring countless advantages, especially in a place like Imperial University, where power and privilege were abundant.
For someone like her, without any background but blessed with striking beauty, she was undoubtedly seen as the perfect prey by many of those people.
So, she had no choice but to navigate between various powerful families, using her wit to protect herself.
"If you're here to thank me, it's unnecessary. You should know I didn't do it for you."
Julian reported his three useless teammates one by one, except for Slowking. It was precisely because of such terrible teammates that the game dragged on for so long.
(T/N: Brother have some shame)
As for Hannah's sudden visit, Julian understood her intentions. Gratitude wasn't something he needed.
Hearing Julian's words, Hannah bit her lip lightly. Once again, she found herself rejected.
Lip-biting plus black stockings?
Julian: Is she here to seduce me or something?
Slowking had already picked up a shopping basket. It was about time for groceries, and it was ready to head out.
"Regardless of your reasons, you saved me—and even my entire family. How about I cook a meal for you?"
Julian looked skeptical. This woman could cook?
Was this an act of frustration over being rejected, planning to poison him instead?
Hannah was furious at Julian's reaction. Her beauty never received the respect it deserved from him.
She was starting to suspect Julian might actually be gay.
Determined to prove her cooking skills, she headed out with Slowking.
In the backyard, several Pokémon were either resting, playing, or training.
Julian quickly recalled Melmetal into its Poké Ball to avoid Hannah seeing it later.
Growlithe brought a Frisbee to Julian, wagging its tail and panting, eyes full of anticipation.
Julian threw the Frisbee, and Growlithe turned into a red streak of lightning, effortlessly catching it mid-air.
Growlithe's originally brown-and-yellow fur had completely turned red. If the change persisted after absorbing the Fire Crystal, it would officially become a shiny Pokémon.
Metagross, on the other hand, was lazily sprawled out on a rock, napping.
Ever since consuming the 'Heart of Arceus', Metagross's activity levels had noticeably dropped. It was now asleep for almost 20 hours a day.
If not for the Probing Eyes showing that Metagross was in excellent condition, Julian would have taken it to a hospital for a thorough checkup.
Metagross had Purple potential, and raising it to Gold-tier was incredibly difficult. Even with the system's help, it was ridiculously hard.
Yet now, within its Purple potential, there was a faint trace of Gold. It was so faint that, without careful observation, it could easily be overlooked.
But that trace of Gold was undeniably real.
The 'Heart of Arceus' was actively enhancing Metagross's potential. Whether it could fully ascend to Gold-tier, however, remained uncertain.
However, Julian felt that the chances weren't very high.
Gold-tier potential was the realm of first-level Legendary Pokémon, like Ho-Oh, Rayquaza, and Dialga.
Expecting to achieve that with just a thumb-sized piece of Arceus' Blood was nearly impossible. If he had four or five pieces, maybe it would be within reach.
So in the end, he would have to rely on the system. If he could collect ten Golden Legend Fragments, Metagross's promotion to Gold potential would be guaranteed.
Julian was already looking forward to whether the system would reward him with a Golden Legend Fragment after the upcoming Hundred Schools League.
Half an hour later, Slowking and Hannah returned, carrying a large haul of groceries.
"Slowking, you can rest. I'll handle the cooking."
Hannah tied on an apron. Combined with her black stockings, long legs, and elegant curves, the sight was enough to leave any man helpless.
Slowking nodded and handed her a bag of walnuts.
Hannah awkwardly accepted the walnuts, her expression stiff.
It was no secret at Imperial University that Julian's Slowking liked to gift people walnuts. Every time it went grocery shopping, it would pick up a few extra and hand them out to "fortunate individuals."
The significance of these walnuts had even been explained by some well-meaning bystanders.
Out of nowhere, Gastly appeared in front of Hannah, pulling a spooky face at her.
"Gastly, stop messing around."
Julian scolded the mischievous Pokémon, noticing that Hannah's face had turned pale. Apologetically, he said, "It loves scaring people; I'm sorry about that."
Hannah nodded stiffly, her eyes fixed on the shiny white Gastly that had suddenly appeared.
A new Pokémon? And it's shiny too?
Gastly floated back over to Julian, and before he could react, it greeted him with a lick.
Julian immediately felt a numbing sensation spread through him.
"Ah! Julian, are you okay?" Hannah hurriedly asked.
"I'm... fine, just fine"