The four Pokémon battled fiercely for over half an hour before finally stopping. Though no clear winner had emerged, it was obvious to any keen observer that Metagross held a significant advantage.
Dragonite and the others hadn't gone all out either—if they had, the protective barrier would have shattered instantly, and the resulting shockwaves would have reduced everything around them to ruins.
Even the entire Gardevoir Hotel would have been caught in the devastation, likely causing casualties. The consequences would have been dire.
Of course, Metagross hadn't used its full strength either. If it had, at least one or two of Dragonite, Moltres, or Kartana would have been knocked out within those thirty minutes.
The battlefield itself had been completely reduced to rubble by their clash.
As the four Pokémon returned to Julian's side, the remnants of their battle intent still lingered in the air.
Nate instinctively took a few steps back, but Dean remained beside Julian, standing just half a step behind him.
Metagross gave Dean a brief glance before looking away.
Kartana, however, flew straight to Dean and said:
"Human, care to have a match with me?"
The moment Kartana fixed its gaze on him, Dean's hair stood on end. If he hadn't forcibly suppressed his body's instincts, he would have already stumbled back and thrown out a Poké Ball in panic.
He knew Kartana wouldn't attack him without Julian's command.
He glanced at Julian, silently asking what Kartana had said.
Julian chuckled. "It wants to battle you. Seems you've got some skill—Kartana doesn't take interest in just anyone."
Given Kartana's pride, it had no interest in bullying the weak. Yet it actually wanted to fight Dean? That meant it saw something worthy in him.
"You flatter me, Young Master. I wouldn't dare battle one of your Pokémon."
Dean replied quickly.
Though he came from humble origins, he was now a mid-stage Elite Trainer with sharp instincts.
He knew full well—his own strength was enough to defeat most Trainers of the same level. But against any of Julian's mid-stage Elite Pokémon? He'd get annihilated.
He had just watched those four Pokémon battle with his own eyes—that kind of power? Whoever entered that battlefield would be shredded instantly.
Having witnessed Julian's strength up close, Dean was now completely reassured about their upcoming plans.
If even this kind of power wasn't enough, he'd just retire from the Trainer world.
Julian recalled all his Pokémon into their Poké Balls—except Slowking.
"Slowking, head back to the room first."
He didn't return it to its ball because Celebi was still in the suite. He didn't want the Mythical Pokémon sneaking out while he was gone, so Slowking would keep an eye on it.
Then, from the small backpack on its back, it pulled out two packs of walnuts and handed them to Dean and Nate.
Slowking didn't have any walnuts yesterday, so it didn't get to hand them out. Last night, it'd picked some up on Emberlight Street.
Iconic Moment: Slowking Gifting walnuts.
The two brothers took the walnuts from Slowking, slightly confused but figuring it couldn't be a bad thing. 'Maybe Young Master Walker's Pokémon likes us? Otherwise, why would it give us walnuts?'
After handing out the walnuts, Slowking quietly left.
As soon as it reached the room door, it saw the same delivery guy from yesterday setting food down outside the room.
No need to guess—it must have been Celebi who placed the order again.
Meanwhile, Julian had already gotten into the Thornton brothers' car outside the hotel.
"Give me the full details. My uncle only gave me a rough idea," Julian said.
The Turner family was a major clan, and Julian had several talented cousins. If even they couldn't handle this, it certainly piqued his interest.
"Our Thornton family oversees Intermediate Secret Realm No. 60. This year, our management term ends. According to the rules between the major families of Harborcrest City, the next term must be decided through a Pokémon battle. External help is allowed, but the trainer must be under 30."
"In the past, we've always managed Realm 60 thanks to the Turner family's influence."
"But this year, the Whitmore family has aligned with the Willow family, and the heir of the Willow family is said to be here personally. He has already defeated Young Master Theo in a private match."
Theo Turner was the son of Julian's eldest uncle. It had been a while since they'd met, so Julian wasn't sure about his cousin's current strength.
But when he heard "Willow family heir," his expression turned slightly strange—almost amused.
If it was really Rowan making a move, then none of the Turner family's younger generation stood a chance. Even the older generation might struggle against him.
'No wonder my uncle asked me to step in.'
Realm 60 was an Intermediate-level Secret Realm, known for its abundance of Grass-type Pokémon. As a result, it was also rich in Berries and medicinal herbs.
The Thornton family's Pokémon breeding company owed much of its success to this very secret realm.
Losing control of it would deal a massive blow to their business.
Now that the Whitmore family had sided with the Willow family—one of the top-tier clans—they clearly had no fear of the Turners and were openly challenging the Thorntons for control of Realm 60's management rights.
How they managed to get Rowan involved, though, was anyone's guess.
Julian pulled out his phone and opened his chat with Rowan:
> Julian: "You in Harborcrest City?"
It didn't take long for Rowan to reply:
> Rowan: "Yeah. How'd you know?"
> Julian: "Divination."
> Rowan: "Divination my ass."
Meanwhile, at the Whitmore family estate in Harborcrest City, Rowan sipped his coffee—prepared by the Whitmore family's eldest daughter, who stood beside him like a nervous attendant.
"Young Master Willow, how does it taste?"
"It's alright," Rowan replied absentmindedly, typing a reply to Julian while barely paying attention.
After all, once you've had Slowking's coffee, everything else paled in comparison.
The Whitmore family's daughter didn't seem to notice his disinterest and beamed. "Then I'll make you another cup tomorrow!"
"No need. Too much coffee isn't good for your health."
Rowan shook his head and quietly set down the barely touched cup.
He looked back at his phone, fingers tapping the screen again as he muttered, "This guy… don't tell me he's in Harborcrest City too?"
Just then, the head of the Whitmore family walked in, bowing respectfully. "Young Master Willow, it seems the Thornton family has also called in outside help. We're still investigating who it is, but there's no way they'll be a match for you."
"Hn." Rowan nodded dismissively.
He was already a Pseudo-Champion-level trainer. After leaving the secret realm, his Abomasnow—empowered by the Ice Core, an Ultimate ice-type treasure—had successfully broken through to Pseudo-Champion tier.
That had also cemented his position as heir of the Willow family.
At his age, reaching pseudo-Champion level was incredibly rare. If not for Julian's overwhelming presence, Rowan would easily be hailed as the unrivaled number one among Drakoria's younger generation.
"Young Master, my daughter specializes in ice-types and admires you greatly. Would you have time to… guide her tonight?"
The Whitmore family's daughter blushed, her eyes flickering with expectation.
Rowan smirked. "Sure."
Unlike Julian, he never turned down women who threw themselves at him.
Upto 30 chapters ahead on :-