This was Growlithe's first public appearance, known previously only to students in the special class.
"Jolteon, Pin Missile!" called Zed.
Although Julian had sent out one of his non-main team Pokémon just like he wanted, but one look at Growlithe's appearnce told him this little fire type wasn't one to take lightly.
Countless beams of light turned into sharp arrows, launching from Jolteon, covering the distance of more than 100 meters in a flash.
"Flare Blitz," Julian said calmly.
"Grow!"
With a loud bark, Growlithe's body was engulfed in scorching flames as it charged forward, leaving a trail of fire in its wake.
Jolteon's Pin Missile collided with Flare Blitz but didn't slow Growlithe down.
In an instant, the searing heat from Growlithe was upon Jolteon.
"Protect!" Zed shouted, hoping the green barrier could stop Growlithe's assault after the Pin Missile had weakened it.
But the next moment, cracks appeared on the barrier, shattering almost instantly.
Growlithe, now a blazing fireball, slammed into Jolteon, sending it flying out of the battle area.
The battlefield lacked protective barriers or fences, with students watching close by. Jolteon hurtled toward the crowd, causing panicked gasps.
Zed's expression flickered with a smirk; if this turned into an accident, Julian, the cause of it all, would be in trouble.
Among the onlookers, Jane and her friend turned pale. Neither was a trainer, and with Jolteon barreling toward them, Jane could only close her eyes and scream, frozen in place.
Julian was momentarily speechless. He'd always thought those horror movie scenes where women just screamed and closed their eyes were exaggerated. But now, seeing it firsthand, he realized there might be some truth in it.
"Grow!"
Growlithe barked, dashing forward to catch Jolteon mid-air, absorbing the impact and landing gracefully.
Once Jolteon was safely on the ground, unconscious, Jane and the others noticed that they hadn't been hit. They opened their eyes to see Growlithe standing protectively in front of them.
Growlithe's fluffy coat and strong build were a sight to behold, and now, the hero of the moment, the crowd was smitten.
Jane and her friends couldn't help but pet Growlithe in admiration.
"Wow, this fur is so soft and smooth!"
"Growlithe, do you use a special shampoo?"
"Grow!"
Growlithe gave a confirming nod, causing Jane to blink in surprise, realizing she and Growlithe shared the same shampoo brand.
Growlithe looked at Jane and felt that the smell of this woman was exactly the same as his own. Could it be that she was also a dog.
"I never thought I'd be jealous of a dog"
Luis sighed, watching as the group of students, including one girl with a slender waist, doted on Growlithe.
"Growlithe, come back!"
Julian called out, seeing Growlithe basking in the attention and reluctant to leave.
At Julian's voice, Growlithe abandoned the students instantly, trotting back with a wagging tail, eyes sparkling expectantly.
"Well done"
Julian praised, scratching Growlithe behind the ears. Although Growlithe was at level 20 when Julian first got it, it had only been born half a year ago and was still a puppy at heart.
That Jolteon had barely been able to test Growlithe's true strength.
Julian walked over to the defeated Zed.
"So, when should I expect that ten million?"
Zed, who thought Julian had come to mock him, was taken aback by the blunt demand.
He came from a modest background, achieving what he had with hard work and some luck. He had the money, but paying it would make things tight.
"I'll cover it," said a voice as someone stepped up next to Zed.
"President?"
Zed looked at the newcomer in surprise.
"And who might you be?" Julian asked, narrowing his eyes.
"Alex"
The mention of the name gave Julian pause. "Ah, Alex," he muttered, recognizing one of those common protagonist names in fantasy novels. In this world, though, those tropes were nonexistent thanks to the popularity of Pokémon instead.
(T/N: it was one of those cultivation genre protagonist names)
"Brother Walker!"
Luis and Dalton approached, meeting each other's gaze with a fierce intensity that sparked between them.
"Transfer it"
Julian said, taking out his mobile phone and pulling up his payment code.
Without hesitation, Alex also took out his phone, scanning Julian's payment code to complete the transfer before turning to leave with Zed.
"Julian, consider our club, the Civilian Society, officially at odds with you," he said with a final, parting look.
"Such a show-off," Dalton sneered as they left.
"Civilian Society? What's that."
Julian asked Luis, knowing he was the most well-informed about school gossip.
"It's a club of talented trainers with humble backgrounds. Alex is the president," Luis explained.
"And their strength?"
"He's around the pseudo-Elite peak level."
"Trash"
Julian remarked indifferently.
'By junior year, all of my Pokémon will be at the peak of Elite level.'
Luis wanted to say something but stayed quiet.
Reaching pseudo-Elite peak as a junior was impressive, surpassing even some aristocratic family trainers.
After the pseudo-Elite level, experience required increased exponentially, slowing down progress significantly.
After reaching Elite-level even advancing one level per year would feel like a rapid ascent.
"Brother Walker," Luis asked with a grin, "did you really fight Zed over a girl?"
Just then, Hannah, who had been standing nearby, approached them. The grin on Luis's face became even wider.
"I'm sorry for causing trouble, Julian. I didn't expect Zed to react this way. He kept pursuing me even after I refused."
Hannah said giving Julian an apologetic look.
"Maybe I can make it up to you with a meal sometime?" Hannah offered.
Luis gave her a subtle thumbs-up, looking at her emotional intelligence and she clearly had a way with people.
"Why don't we exchange contacts?"
She added, taking out her phone, which had a silver-white Metagross as her screen saver.
Seeing Julian remain unresponsive, she added softly, "Are you upset? I really didn't mean for any of this to happen…"
Her soft, apologetic tone was endearing. Luis was almost tempted to accept on Julian's behalf.
But Julian, wanting to end this quickly, took out his phone and scanned hers, exchanging their contacts.
*****
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