"You… these Pokéblocks… they’re—they’re—"
Nicole refused to believe that Julian was a top-tier breeder. There were only three in all of Drakoria, and the youngest among them was seventy years old.
That was even fewer than the number of Champion-level trainers.
And now Julian was telling her he was a top-tier breeder—at not even twenty years old.
That was as ridiculous as if he had told her he could give birth himself.
"Th-they’re… they’re what?"
Julian mimicked her stammering, and for a moment, she actually looked kind of cute.
"Anyway, I don’t believe your nonsense."
Nicole’s face flushed slightly. As a scholar, she had a scholar’s rigor—she wouldn’t be fooled by mere words. Even if she had no idea how Julian had gotten these Pokéblocks, that still wasn’t proof that he made them himself.
"Alright then, how about this? I’ll make some Pokéblocks right in front of you. That should be proof enough, right?" Julian smiled.
Nicole nodded immediately.
Julian then led her upstairs to a certain room on the second floor.
When he opened the door, Nicole saw that the room was filled with machines for making Pokéblocks. Inside a transparent refrigerated cabinet, there was a large supply of Berries and other ingredients.
Seeing this, Nicole's confidence wavered.
Especially when she saw Julian skillfully operating the machines, weighing and mixing various Berries and some unknown materials—
Julian: 'Good thing I practiced beforehand. Let’s see if you can still doubt me now.'
"I’m about to make Pokéblocks for Metagross, you can watch the first part, but for the later steps, you’ll have to leave," Julian said casually while working.
"Why do I have to leave?" Nicole asked immediately.
"I don’t want you stealing my recipes," Julian said flatly.
For breeders, the real skill gap began after the intermediate level.
Beginner and intermediate breeders simply followed public formulas, making Pokéblocks exactly as instructed.
However, advanced breeders not only became more adept at crafting them but also modified formulas, improving their effectiveness.
The most talented breeders could even develop entirely new formulas.
And the top-tier breeders—their unique formulas could enhance even Champion-level Pokémon.
The three top-tier breeders of Drakoria were responsible for supplying Pokéblocks to the six Champion trainers.
Julian was implying that, in the later steps, he would be using his own custom formula, so she wasn’t allowed to watch.
Once Nicole reluctantly left and closed the door, Julian immediately bought Pokéblocks for Metagross from the system shop. Then, he tossed all the half-finished Pokéblocks he had just made into his system space.
About an hour later, Julian finally stepped out of the room.
He handed a box of Pokéblocks to Nicole. When she opened it, she noticed they were still warm, clearly freshly made.
Julian: 'Details determine success or failure.'
"Alright, take them and analyze them. See if what I gave you matches the ones you’ve been studying."
Even now, Nicole still wasn’t fully convinced. Only the research results would decide the truth.
Seeing the skepticism still lingering on her face, Julian chuckled to himself.
Once the news spread that he was a top-tier breeder, it would explain why his Pokémon’s strength was so unscientific.
As for how someone his age could be a top-tier breeder? Simple.
His mother was an advanced breeder, and his maternal grandfather was one as well—just a step away from top-tier.
So, of course, he had the talent for it. And not just any talent—the best kind.
Just as Nicole was about to leave with the Pokéblocks, her phone suddenly rang.
Julian had already gone downstairs, but before he could even sit down, he heard hurried footsteps coming from above.
In her rush, Nicole missed a step and tumbled forward.
Luckily, Slowking caught her with Psychic just in time—otherwise, she would have taken a nasty fall.
"What’s got you so worked up?" Julian asked with a frown.
Nicole’s eyes were red, her face filled with panic. Through his Aura, Julian could feel her emotions—fear, anxiety, confusion, all tangled together.
"My grandpa—my grandpa—"
She was so overcome that she couldn’t even get the words out, but tears kept falling from the corners of her eyes.
Now Julian started to panic a little.
"H-Hey, don’t cry! Don’t cry!"
But that was all he could manage to say. He had no idea how to comfort her, just repeating 'don’t cry, don’t cry' over and over.
Lucario, watching from the side, shook its head. It stepped forward, placed its left palm on her chest, and gently released a soft blue Aura, calming her emotions.
About a minute later, Nicole finally started to regain control.
Julian shot Lucario a grateful look.
Then, noticing where Lucario had placed its hand, he wondered why he hadn't thought of it just now. After all, he could use Aura too.
"Now tell me what happened," Julian asked.
"My mom called… She said my grandpa was poisoned… He’s in critical condition…"
The moment she said it out loud, her just-calmed emotions surged back into turmoil.
Julian’s voice rose sharply, his face filled with shock.
Nicole’s grandfather wasn’t just anyone—he was the strongest Champion in Drakoria and also the President of Drakoria's Trainer Association.
For someone like him to be fatally poisoned?
Was it an assassination attempt? Or had he ventured into a highly dangerous area, like the forbidden Zones?
As Drakoria’s strongest Champion, Duke had long been a target for many nations that wished to eliminate him in secret. But until now, no one had ever succeeded.
Not only was Duke himself a force to be reckoned with, but his security personals were also exceptionally strong.
If he was to really die from poisoning, it would be a devastating blow to Drakoria, and the nation’s influence on the global stage would take a serious hit.
"I need to get to Orient right away!"
Nicole quickly pulled out her phone, but when she checked the flight schedule, she realized the earliest flight to Orient City wouldn’t leave until the next morning.
Despair immediately washed over her.
Then, as she turned to see Julian frowning beside her, an idea suddenly flashed through her mind. She grabbed his sleeve, her voice urgent—
"Julian! Can you take me to Orient? With your Dragonite’s speed, it could get us there in an hour!"
Julian nodded without hesitation: "Wait here for a moment."
As he said that, he quickly headed to the backyard, recalled all his Pokémon into their Poké Balls, and moments later, they took off—soaring toward Orient City on Dragonite’s back.
However, Dragonite’s flying speed was far too much for Nicole and her body simply couldn't handle it.
At this rate, she’d probably end up dying before her grandfather did.
Luckily, Julian had Metagross use Psychic to create a protective barrier around them.
The protective barrier blocked the rushing air, and Nicole—whose face had gone completely pale—finally started to recover some color.
Upto 30 chapters ahead on :-