Soon, Julian walked into the house with his grandmother and eldest uncle. Along the way, his grandmother held his hand the entire time, whispering words of how much she had missed him.
His grandmother was a Pokémon scholar, specializing in the study of Pokémon language. In this field, she wasn't just renowned in Drakoria but considered a top expert worldwide.
Whenever ancient tablets or murals were unearthed from Ruins, Drakorian government would often invite her to assist with translation.
"Grandma, where’s Grandpa?"
He had already been inside for a while, yet he had not seen his grandfather.
"Your grandpa is in the orchard. I’ve already sent someone to call him," she replied.
As a Top-tier Pokémon breeder, his grandfather treated the berry orchard as his lifeline. He had unique personal insights into the research and cultivation of berries.
Just as they were speaking, a hearty laugh echoed from the doorway: "The pride of our Turner family has returned!"
Julian saw his grandfather, Harold Turner, striding toward him.
Though in his eighties, Harold stood nearly 2.1 meters tall with a burly frame. His hair was white but stood stiffly upright, and his skin showed signs of age, yet his energy and spirit were remarkably vigorous.
With such height and physique, it was hard to believe Harold was a Top breeder rather than a martial artist or some other combat expert.
His three sons had all inherited this genetic trait—each of them was large and intimidating, looking as though they were walking military merits.
Fortunately, Julian’s mother, Tina, had taken entirely after her mother, who was famously known as a great beauty in her youth in Luminara City.
Seeing his grandfather, Julian walked over.
Then his grandfather’s palm, as big as a fan, smacked down directly on Julian’s shoulder. The force was so strong that someone with a weaker frame might have been knocked to the ground.
Noticing that Julian didn’t even flinch, Harold’s eyes flickered with surprise, and his expression grew even more satisfied. "You’ve grown up. Your body is really sturdy."
Just as he raised his hand to pat Julian’s shoulder again, Margaret interjected disapprovingly, swatting Harold’s arm. "You old fool, you have no sense of restraint. What if you hurt Julian?"
"Nonsense! With a body like his now, even if I wasn’t careful, it’d be fine," Harold muttered.
Under normal circumstances, an ordinary person probably wouldn’t be able to withstand a single punch from a strong old man like him.
It seemed his grandfather had never quite grasped the extent of his own strength.
"Logan, later notify your third brother and all the children to come over for dinner tonight. Tell them Julian is back."
"And don't give me any excuses about being busy. Our Champion is back—if any of them dare not show up, I'll break their legs," Harold said with a fierce tone.
Julian didn’t actually have many cousins.
His eldest uncle, Logan, had a son and a daughter—the latter being Julian’s cousin Thea, who attended Imperial University.
His second uncle, Daniel, had one daughter.
And his third uncle, Miles, had one son.
The children of the second and third uncles had all chosen to develop their careers in Luminara City.
"What about cousin Theo and cousin Thea?" Julian asked.
If he had to name which of his cousins he was closest to, it would undoubtedly be the son and daughter of his eldest uncle.
Before coming to the Turner family home, he had specifically messaged both of them. They had said they were in Luminara City, but now that he was here, they still hadn’t returned.
"There was an issue at the southern berry orchard, so I sent them both to handle it. They should be back soon," Logan explained.
Around six o’clock, everyone except Daniel—who was away serving as the dean of the Trainer Academy at Imperial University—had gathered at the main table of the Turner household. Julian’s eldest uncle, along with his cousins, were all present.
No, wait—there still seemed to be one person missing, and that was his second uncle’s daughter.
"Let’s eat," Harold announced.
The Turner family was a large clan, with both direct and branch lineages, so family rules were strict. No one could begin eating until he gave the word.
Even though Julian was a Champion, as a junior member of the family, he naturally had to respect his grandfather’s household rules.
"Is Cousin Paige busy with something?"
Julian took a bite of the food. He had to admit, the Turner family’s chef was quite skilled—the dishes were nearly half as good as those made by Slowking.
As he ate, he turned to his eldest cousin, Thea, seated beside him.
If he remembered correctly, Paige had no talent for being either a Trainer or a Breeder, but she excelled in business. She managed one of the Turner family’s large breeding companies.
"She’s probably working overtime—the company has been quite busy lately," Thea replied.
Julian didn’t press further, though he sensed his cousin wasn’t being entirely truthful.
With the Seven-Aperture Stone granting him the ability to communicate with all things, Julian could, if he wished, delve into the deepest thoughts of those around him. But since these were his family members, he chose not to use this power.
Still, he couldn’t help but notice a slight shift in his cousin’s emotions when Paige was mentioned—a mix of frustration and helplessness.
Even with one person missing, the atmosphere remained warm and lively. Adding to that the fact that Julian had not visited the Turner family in years, and had now become a Champion, naturally there was much to talk about.
Especially with his eldest cousin, Theo—a mid-stage Elite Trainer in his thirties—who was earnestly asking Julian if there was any shortcut to reaching the Pseudo-Champion level sooner. Check latest chapters at 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩
"Cousin, why don't you try spending some time in a Top-tier secret realm?"
Theo rolled his eyes at the suggestion. "That's way too dangerous. I was wondering if there's a method that's both safe and fast."
"Nope, stop dreaming."
Julian rolled his eyes as well. If such a convenient method really existed, he would have used it himself.
While his own rise from mid-stage Pseudo-Champion to early-stage champion seemed rapid, it was largely thanks to Mew's assistance.
And his journey from Elite tier to mid-stage Pseudo-Champion involved long stretches of time either in Top-tier secret realms or Ancient Ruins, facing no shortage of dangers along the way.
Theo still stared at Julian unwilling to give up.
Julian nodded earnestly. "Yep. But if you ever find such a method, you must tell me."
"Fine then, guess I'll just have to grind it out the old-fashioned way," Theo sighed, somewhat dejectedly.
His talent as a Trainer was quite good, and coupled with the Turner family's background as a breeding linage, his Pokémon's leveling speed before reaching Pseudo-Champion tier would be significantly faster than most outsiders'.
If Theo continued steadily on his current path, he should reach peak of the Elite-level within five years. And without being limited by his Pokémon's potential, becoming a Pseudo-Champion Trainer would only be a matter of time.
In fact, besides being a Top-tier Breeder, Harold was also a Pseudo-Champion level Trainer himself, though he rarely battled these days.
Among the older generation, his strength was still quite formidable.
Upto 30 chapters ahead on :-