After the ordeal with Alex, Julian had no desire to remain in the secret realm any longer, especially since he had already been planning to leave.
He packed his belongings, placing Alex's Poké Balls and the treasures he carried into his bag.
Among Alex's Pokémon, three of them possessed Cyan qualifications and were all at the pseudo-Elite level.
Having killed Alex, Julian knew these Pokémon—raised and bonded deeply with their original trainer—would never willingly follow him.
Even if one did show loyalty, Julian wouldn't trust it. Who knew if the Pokémon truly wanted to join him or was waiting for the perfect chance to snap his neck?
Thus, he decided not to keep the Pokémon, but the treasures on Alex's body were another story entirely.
Alex's collection was impressive. For a commoner to have risen to such heights, it was no surprise he possessed numerous rare items.
Among them was one particular treasure that even Julian couldn't immediately identify.
The object wasn't very large, roughly the size of a thumb, shaped like a water droplet, and had a pale golden hue.
Julian mentally reviewed all known and documented tear drop shape treasures but couldn't place this one. It was either undiscovered or simply an ordinary trinket.
Too lazy to keep guessing, Julian activated his Probing Eyes to identify the treasure.
Heart of Arceus: The primal blood of Arceus, containing its divine power. Usable by Pokémon of all eighteen types until its energy is depleted.
Note: When used by a single Pokémon, it can achieve miraculous, fate-defying effects.
Julian's usually calm demeanor finally cracked as he read the information.
"Are you kidding me? This thing is the primal blood of Arceus?"
He couldn't help but wonder which Pokémon had the audacity to injure Arceus and spill its primal blood. Eternatus, maybe?
No wonder Alex, a commoner trainer, was pursuing a multi-type strategy—it all made sense now with such a treasure in his possession.
The Heart of Arceus wasn't just a rare elemental treasure; it was a world-class artifact.
'Damn it, if I had some kind of villain system, you, Alex, might have really been the 'Chosen One.' But now, everything you had belongs to me.'
"Metagross, get over here!"
Julian called, frowning when he noticed Metagross still tormenting the corpses. Does this guy have some kind of sadistic hobby?
Having vented enough, Metagross quickly flew over.
"Eat this"
Julian said, tossing the Heart of Arceus toward it.
Metagross opened its mouth wide and swallowed the treasure in one gulp.
The Heart of Arceus could be distributed among all Pokémon or given to a single Pokémon for maximum effect. Julian, not one to settle for mediocrity, had no hesitation in choosing the latter.
Metagross had always been Julian's ace. He had poured the majority of his resources into nurturing it, knowing that the stronger Metagross became, the more formidable he would be as a trainer.
In turn, Metagross had continuously proven itself, repaying Julian's trust. Just now, it had managed to hold its ground against a peak Elite Pokémon while only being at the early stage of pseudo-Elite, even if it was with the aid of Mega Evolution.
Afterward, Julian had used a Peak Elite Experience Card, temporarily boosting his strength to the level of a pseudo-Champion.
With the Heart of Arceus now devoured, Julian eagerly anticipated what heights his Metagross might reach in the future.
The Heart of Arceus, similar to the Fire Crystal, would be absorbed gradually by the Pokémon over time. There was no need to worry about adverse effects on Metagross—it would only grow stronger.
"Well?" Julian asked, curious. "Do you feel any different?"
"Meta!~"
Metagross: I'm hungry
Julian: (;￣д￣)
---
At the advanced-level secret realm's entrance, Julian stepped out, his demeanor calm. Military personnel stationed there quickly approached to perform their routine inspection.
They meticulously checked Julian's items and compared them to what he had brought in, paying particular attention to his Pokémon.
Seeing that Julian had only captured one Pokémon, and it wasn't an Elite from within the secret realm, they soon allowed him to pass.
Alex's belongings, including his Poké Balls, were safely stored in Julian's system space, making them undetectable.
Once outside, Julian pulled out his phone, which was now showing numerous unread messages. There was no signal inside the secret realm, so communication had been impossible.
Skimming through the notifications, Julian saw nothing of particular urgency and didn't bother replying to each one. Instead, he dialed his grandfather, John.
"Ah, my dear grandson, you're out of the secret realm?"
Although Julian hadn't told anyone about his venture into the secret realm, John had somehow found out.
"Yeah, Grandpa. I was ambushed in there"
There was silence on the other end of the phone.
After a few seconds;
"You're unharmed, right?"
"I'm fine."
"Do you know who was behind it?"
"All I know is that it involved the Dean family and possibly others. They bribed Alex, a third-year student from the Imperial University, to do the dirty work. Alex's dead now—I killed him. They even supplied him with three peak Elite Pokémon."
Another pause, this time heavier.
"I see, Grandpa will take care of it."
"Alright, I'll send over the Pokémon shortly."
With that, Julian ended the call.
---
For a family to send people to assassinate a rising star of the younger generation, it was a blatant violation of unwritten rules.
Rivalries and clashes between aristocratic families were common, but there were boundaries everyone respected.
If one family sent assassins after another's prodigy, what would stop others from doing the same? If such behavior became the norm, how many gifted youths would even survive to adulthood?
Of the over 500 Elite trainers in Drakoria, more than 400 came from big or small noble families. The rest were Elites born from ordinary backgrounds.
So, if you kill the prodigies of other families, you're not just severing the fate of an opposing family—you're also weakening the overall strength of Drakoria as a nation.
Conflicts between families were inevitable, but they must adhere to the rules. Targeting and assassinating the younger generation of rival families, however, was a clear violation of those rules.
This crosses the bottom line for all the noble families. No family wants to see their own heirs fall victim to such schemes.
If you choose not to play by the rules and I find out about it, then don't blame me for what comes next.
---
Julian wasn't entirely sure how many families had been involved in this plot against him. The only one he was certain about was the Dean family. With his grandfather's temper, it was safe to say the Dean family wouldn't last much longer.
He had Dragonite fly him to the outskirts of the city, where taxis were readily available.
For the sake of public safety and order, no flying Pokémon were allowed to be ridden over major cities unless in emergencies.
The only exceptions were licensed couriers, like food delivery and postal workers.
Trainers could also apply for a flying license, but the process was stringent. Advanced Trainers didn't even qualify to apply, and pseudo-Elites had only a slim chance of being approved.
Since Julian hadn't obtained a flying license yet, he couldn't ride Dragonite directly into the capital. Instead, he took a cab.
"Driver, take me to the Gardevoir Hotel"
Although he had washed up daily while in the secret realm, the conditions there were far from ideal. Julian decided he'd treat himself to a nice dinner at the hotel and stay the night before heading back to school the following day.
*****
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