When the crisis in Yuan County erupted, the county's government quickly reached out to the Trainer Association for assistance.
In response, the Trainer Association alerted all the 20 universities across the imperial capital, summoning third- and fourth-year students for immediate support.
However, the gravity of the situation also drew many eager first- and second-year students who, though less experienced, came along out of curiosity and a desire to help.
Among the schools responding, the Third Military Academy, due to its rigorous military discipline, was one of the quickest to mobilize, right behind Imperial Capital University and just ahead of Shu University.
With this swift student response, trainers regained control over the Pokémon that had broken out from the secret realm in Yuan County.
By sheer luck—or perhaps fate—Will, discovered three Voltorbs that had been planted by members of the Z organization, each prepped to self-destruct within the granary.
The granary, a secure structure chosen as an emergency shelter, held hundreds of thousands of evacuated citizens.
If the Voltorbs had self-destructed, the devastation would have been unimaginable, with no chance of survival for those inside. Will's quick action saved countless lives, for which he would be rewarded.
This attack seemed to be the Z organization's last attempt to turn the incident in their favor.
By detonating Voltorbs and other explosives, they hoped to obliterate the shelter and cause mass casualties, damaging Drakoria's reputation and elevating their own as an organization capable of striking fear even into the heart of a highly secure nation.
Thankfully, the worst had been averted, though the aftermath still held significant loss.
Reports the next day revealed the toll: 5,000 civilians had lost their lives, and over 40,000 had been injured.
Tragically, over 300 trainers had been killed, with another 2,000 sustaining injuries.
The economic impact was staggering, as infrastructure in Yuan County lay in ruins.
The tragedy ignited public outrage across Drakoria. Citizens condemned the Z organization, and online, expressions of grief and fury flooded social platforms.
The Drakorian government acted swiftly, with Foreign Ministry spokesperson delivering a firm response.
That same afternoon, Drakoria deployed six Elite trainers, led by Steel Elite John, to locate and eliminate one of the Z organization's overseas strongholds.
The mission was a success: the stronghold was destroyed, and a high-ranking member of the organization was captured.
This fierce retaliation from Drakoria sent shockwaves through the international community, causing other terror groups to reconsider any actions within Drakorian borders.
The message was clear—Drakoria would not tolerate threats to its people.
--
Meanwhile, at Imperial University, Julian was approached by Slowking, who brought along several government officials.
"Student Walker," one of the officials began, "I'm with the Imperial Capital Trainer Association. We're here to gather an account of what happened in the secret realm."
Julian knew much of the events outside had already been broadcasted live and witnessed by countless trainers, so there was no need to review every detail.
"Um"
Nodding, he proceeded to recount what had happened within the secret realm, explaining his actions in a clear, concise manner.
"Oh, and this," Julian said, producing the Feraligatr's Poké Ball.
"I was going to give this to Teacher Frank, but I nearly forgot."
The staff members were slightly taken aback, knowing the immense value of an Elite-level Pokémon.
They knew from Persian that Julian had taken the Poké Ball of the Elite-level Feraligatr and had not returned it.
One of the main reasons the officials were there was indeed to collect the Feraligatr's Poké Ball, but they had decided not to force Julian if he wanted to keep it.
Given Julian's significant contributions to handling the incident, the Feraligatr could have served as a reward in place of other compensation.
However, Julian had merely forgotten to give it, not out of reluctance to part with an Elite Pokémon.
"Thank you," one staff member said, taking the Feraligatr's Poké Ball.
They knew that, in the right hands, this Elite-level Pokémon would serve as a valuable asset to the Trainer Association.
Although it was technically seized from a terrorist organization, this practice of repurposing captured Pokémon was standard protocol worldwide.
Releasing an Elite Pokémon back into the wild, especially one previously aligned with a dangerous group, that would be too dumb.
"We'll ensure that the appropriate rewards are issued soon. On behalf of Drakoria and the Trainer Association, Julian, we thank you for your support"
Several staff members gave Julian a slight salute.
Julian waved a hand, uncomfortable with the formality.
"No need for thanks, I just did what was necessary."
Though modest, Julian was also slightly curious about the reward he might receive.
"Actually, may I suggest something for the reward?"
"Of course, as long as it's reasonable. I'll submit it for approval," the staff member replied.
"I'd prefer to skip any Pokémon rewards. Instead, if possible, I'd like permission to enter the ruins"
At his level, Julian didn't need Cyan-grade Pokémon, and he knew the Trainer Association would not grant him any high-tier, Blue-grade Pokémon.
A Ruins Entry Ticket, however, would be much more valuable to him.
Ruins and secret realms share some similarities but are distinct in key ways.
(T/N: Treat both as same except that secret realms are like natural areas, whereas ruins are places where humans once resided, so you can find remains of human civilization there)
While secret realms are graded by the strength levels of their Pokémon, ruins are not.
Secret realms have a pyramid-like distribution of Pokémon, with stronger ones being rare.
In ruins, however, most Pokémon begin at the Advanced level, with occasional pseudo-Elites and Elites, and even, pseudo-champions if you were unlucky.
Fortunately, there were very few Pokémon present in the ruins.
The most significant aspect of the ruins is the chance of encountering traces of legendary Pokémon.
Some first-level legends, such as Rayquaza, were initially found within ruins, like the legendary Dragon Ruins, before they emerged into the outside world.
Numerous ruins were even named after the legendary Pokémon associated with them.
Ruins also held a wealth of ancient knowledge, including advanced technologies like Poké Ball manufacturing, Energy Cube crafting, and Poké Ball transmission.
It was precisely because of these technologies that Pokémon were quickly integrated into human life.
In some respects, ruins were even more valuable than secret realms, although they were far fewer in number.
Julian had the clearance to enter advanced secret realms and even he didn't he could have easily asked, John, to make that happen.
But gaining access to ruins was another matter; entry was tightly controlled by the Drakorian Trainer Association and required an exceptional contribution to be granted.
"Understood. I'll relay your request"
The staff member said, impressed by Julian's foresight.
As a young aristocrat, Julian had already demonstrated strength, courage, and wisdom beyond his years. As long as he didn't fall young, his future achievements would be limitless.
*****
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