More than half an hour later, the train arrived at South Lake City's high-speed railway station. Several ambulances were already parked outside due to the train's emergency braking earlier, which had caused injuries to many passengers.
Outside, a significant number of reporters had also gathered. These well-informed journalists knew that the recently popular Julian was on this train.
And the train's safe arrival at the station was thanks to Julian's efforts.
Their target wasn't the accident itself but Julian.
Since his debut, Julian hadn't given any media interviews. If they could snag an exclusive with him, the rewards—whether in bonuses or even promotions—would be substantial.
As all the passengers exited the station, the reporters waited expectantly. But Julian never appeared, leaving them looking at each other in confusion.
"Could he have disguised himself and blended in with the passengers?" one journalist asked, puzzled.
"Are you stupid? We're reporters. Unless he's had plastic surgery, I could recognize him even if he covered his head," a nearby colleague retorted.
To be a good reporter, you needed sharp eyes—especially as a paparazzi. How else could you spot a disguised actress sneaking into a hotel with a male celebrity or wealthy businessman?
In a car parked outside the South Lake high-speed railway station, Taylor and Chase were seated in the back, with a young man between them.
The young man wasn't Julian, but everything about him—from his clothes to his height and hairstyle—was identical to Julian.
said Taylor from the left.
The young man's face suddenly started twitching strangely. His facial muscles shifted and rippled, and soon, he transformed into a small, purple Pokémon.
In an instant, the unfamiliar young man became Julian.
The purple Pokémon, naturally a Ditto, then leapt into Taylor's arms.
"I didn't expect you to have a Ditto"
Julian remarked with curiosity, his gaze fixed on Taylor. Anyone with a Ditto clearly came from a remarkable background.
Ditto wasn't particularly strong in battle. Its only move was Transform, and even when it copied a Pokémon, its abilities depended on its own level.
However, Ditto was one of the few Pokémon strictly regulated by the World Trainers' Association, requiring owners to undergo assessments and register the Pokémon.
The reason lay in its transformation ability—not limited to Pokémon but extending to stones, knives, trees, tables, and any similarly-sized objects.
It could even transform into a human-skin mask that adhered to someone's face, completely altering their appearance.
This was the real issue.
A Ditto that could change someone's appearance was a criminal's dream Pokémon.
You could commit crimes with one face and then switch to another afterward;
'I've taken a liking to your wife. While you're not at home, I'll transform into you and take care of her. The best part? She's very cooperative.'
'I look ugly? No problem. I'll have Ditto transform into a drop-dead handsome face. I'll stroll down the street, and with just a flick of my fingers, women will flock to me.'
With a Ditto, you're the ultimate 'Master of Disguise'.
That's why, for the sake of societal peace, all nations impose strict regulations on Ditto owners.
In Drakoria, Ditto is under strict government control. Unless sanctioned by officials, there's no way to legally obtain one.
Even with these measures, however, a fair number of smuggled Ditto make their way into the country each year.
Officially registered Ditto in Drakoria are implanted with tracking chips, and obtaining one is an extremely challenging process.
Normal-Type Trainers and people in special professions are more likely to have their applications approved.
For an ordinary person, approval is almost impossible unless under exceptional circumstances.
Ditto's actual combat ability is weak; what makes it dangerous is its unparalleled transformation skill.
"This Ditto took my grandfather three years of persistent applications to the Trainers' Association before they finally approved it"
Taylor said as she hugged Ditto in her arms, poking its jelly-like body with one finger.
Taylor's family is a prominent local family in South Lake City, known as a Normal-Type Trainer clan with a strong reputation in the area.
"Take me to the hotel first," Julian said.
It was nearly dark, not the best time to visit South Lake University.
"What hotel? You can stay at my house for the night," Taylor suggested casually.
Julian froze for a moment, giving her a peculiar look, resisting the urge to quip, 'I don't hook up with fans.'
"What do you mean, stay at your house? Julian is obviously going to a hotel!"
Finally, Chase, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. She was convinced her best friend was trying to steal Julian from her—and coming on strong at that.
Inviting him to stay at her house on the first day they met? She couldn't imagine saying something like that herself.
'If Julian went to a hotel and called Taylor over, she'd definitely rush over to his room. And once she went in, there'd be no way out,' Chase thought.
In the end, Julian chose to stay at a hotel. After all, staying at Taylor's house on the very first day they met could easily lead to misunderstandings.
However, Taylor and Chase also booked a hotel room—and shared one right next to Julian's.
Taylor wanted to keep an eye on Julian to prevent him from calling Chase to his room during the night.
On the other hand, Chase wanted to prevent Taylor from sneaking into Julian's room.
Taylor's thoughtful intentions were completely lost on Chase, who instead misunderstood her actions.
In Chase's eyes, Taylor had transformed from her best friend into a conniving snake girl trying to steal her man.
When it came to the art of "subtle manipulation and scheming", Chase was no match for Taylor.
Meanwhile, Julian was in his hotel room, sending a message to his homeroom teacher, Mr. Frank, requesting leave.
Originally, he had planned to arrive at university that day, but due to unforeseen events, he couldn't make it. Plus, he still wanted to visit South Lake University.
So, he decided to take a five-day leave.
Mr. Frank quickly approved his request.
With Julian's current status at Imperial University, as long as he didn't break any major school rules, no one at the school would give him trouble.
After sending the message, he opened the class group chat. The number of unread messages was a daunting '999+'.
Skimming through the conversation, he noticed a lot of people tagging him—none more frequently than Luis.
Wasn't Luis kicked out of the group chat last time? How did he manage to get back in?
Most of the messages in the group were people asking when Julian would return.
Technically, Julian was the class representative of the Special Admission Class, though he had never really performed the duties of one. Most class affairs were handled by Luis, Ian, and a few others on his behalf.
Julian typed and sent a message in the group chat.
Luis: Brother Julian, you're alive!
Dalton: Boss, while you were gone, Luis said he's the next class representative.
Luis: Dalton, stop spreading nonsense! Didn't you also say your powers have grown and you're ready to take Julian down?
Reading their banter, Julian's face darkened slightly. 'What were they even talking about?'
It seemed that in his absence, these two had gotten a little too comfortable.