"I can give you anything"—this line was just like a playboy telling you, "You're the only one I love." Ridiculous, yet undeniably tempting.
Of course, Selina wasn’t fooled by Julian’s words, because what she truly wanted was something he simply couldn’t provide.
If all she wanted were powerful Pokémon or some precious treasures, then yes, she believed Julian might actually be able to deliver.
Even though they were in the sewers, the tremors coming from the surface were incredibly clear, and every now and then, explosions could even be heard.
"You’ve really gone all out to capture me," Julian said.
From the sounds alone, he could tell what was happening above—the entire Verdance city was in chaos.
There was no way the woman could have taken him away so easily without causing a diversion. Stirring up chaos and drawing forces elsewhere—that’s how she managed to get him out.
He had no idea how many people might die tonight because of him. Thinking about that made Julian regret following the clues the way he did.
Maybe if he had just subdued this woman outright, he might have been able to extract a few big names from her.
But now, he was already enacting the plan he had set in motion—it was too late for regrets. All he could do was keep going forward.
He could only hope that the fish behind the scenes was big enough to make this all worth it.
The woman said nothing. After resting for a bit, she moved forward again, with Julian carried by Machamp behind her.
The sewer, with all its branching paths, was indeed a great route for escape.
Plenty of prison-break movies featured fugitives fleeing through the sewers.
Julian figured that if the authorities weren’t complete idiots, they’d probably have people scouring the tunnels by now.
Still, he didn’t actually want to be found—that would ruin everything he’d planned.
After another half-hour of walking, a faint light appeared ahead, accompanied by the sound of waves crashing.
The northern part of Verdance City bordered the sea, and many people in the area made their living as fishermen.
At the end of the tunnel, wastewater flowed into the ocean, the exit about five or six meters above the water’s surface.
"Where are your people?" Julian asked, looking toward the sea. Under the moonlight, he didn’t see any boats or support waiting.
Selina gave him a look. "You seem really eager to be taken away."
Julian kept his expression neutral. "You’re overthinking it. I’m just saying your people might’ve already been caught. Let me go now, and I’ll drop the matter."
Selina let out a cold snort, then pulled out a flashlight and flicked it on and off three times—two long, one short. It was clearly some kind of signal.
About two or three minutes later, the water’s surface suddenly churned, and in the next moment, a massive Wailord emerged from the water.
It swam over to the tunnel's outlet and opened its enormous mouth.
As Selina leapt into Wailord’s mouth, Machamp followed right after, carrying Julian.
"Sir, I’ve brought Julian," Selina announced.
Inside Wailord’s mouth was another person—a middle-aged man. Julian didn’t recognize him, but the man was wearing the uniform of the Trainers Association.
"Wailord, move out!" the man ordered, wasting no time on unnecessary words.
This wasn’t the moment for idle talk—the entire Verdance City was crawling with people looking for Julian.
As Wailord’s mouth closed, everything was instantly plunged into darkness—but soon, a faint light flickered to life.
The middle-aged man held a portable light source.
Wailord was the largest known Pokémon to date, measuring around fourteen meters in length—about the height of a five-story building. With a body that massive, it could easily fit over a hundred people and dozens of Pokémon inside its mouth without any issues.
Julian couldn’t help but wonder: 'If Wailord accidentally swallowed, would we all end up in its stomach?'
Hidden inside Wailord’s mouth as it swam toward the shores of Wyvernia, they were, for now, safe.
Which meant the middle-aged man finally had time to talk.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Hank Voss, Vice President of the Verdance City Trainers Association."
With Julian kidnapped, the Trainers Association had naturally joined the search. But with the president absent and the other vice president hospitalized, Hank had become the sole authority in charge—giving him plenty of room to maneuver.
He almost felt it was fate—just when the president was away and the other vice president fell ill, Julian had fallen right into their hands.
Under his direction, Verdance City’s coastal search had been divided into sectors, and the area he "oversaw" just so happened to include the sewer exit they’d emerged from.
Every city had a Trainers Association, and its president was required to be, at minimum, an Elite-level Trainer. Though in smaller cities, a peak pseudo-Elite veteran could suffice.
A city’s association president and vice presidents were undoubtedly among its highest-ranking officials. If one turned out to be a spy, the fallout would be catastrophic—not to mention the chaos of the ensuing investigation.
And now, right in front of him, stood one such vice president.
"So you’re a traitor?" Julian’s gaze was icy.
There was nothing more despicable than betraying one’s country.
"I am no traitor," Hank said smugly. "I was always a proud citizen of Wyvernia."
The sheer pride on his face when he mentioned Wyvernia almost made Julian think this guy was talking about the "center of the universe".
"Where are his Poké Balls?" Hank asked.
"Sir, they're all here."
Selina hurriedly handed over the backpack.
Hank snatched it eagerly and opened it. Inside were more than a dozen Poké Balls, all locked.
Of course, he knew exactly what Pokémon Julian possessed.
A shiny Metagross, the mythical Melmetal, the legendary Moltres, a Totem-class Aggron, and even a pseudo-legendary Dragonite—though even the Dragonite paled in comparison to the others.
Hank desperately wanted to claim these Pokémon for himself—but he didn’t dare.
This matter had already been reported to his superiors, and their orders were clear: bring back both Julian and his Pokémon—intact.
Julian, meanwhile, was a little nervous that the man might try opening one of the Poké Balls. That would blow the whole act wide open.
Fortunately, Hank didn’t open any of them—probably because they were still inside Wailord’s mouth.
And besides, he wouldn’t dare. If he did, and Julian gave one of his Pokémon the command to Self-destruct and take everyone down with it, they’d all be done for.
With great reluctance, Hank tore his eyes away from the Poké Balls and closed the backpack.
Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if the higher-ups might reward him with one of them.
After this mission, there was no way he could return to Verdance City. But perhaps he’d be given a high-ranking position in Wyvernia instead.
Nearby, Selina—clearly anxious—spoke up:
"Sir, when can I see my parents and daughter?"
Hank replied indifferently, "You’ll see them as soon as we reach Wyvernia."
At his words, her face lit up with a look of hope and longing.
Upto 30 chapters ahead on :-