After the coaching match, Julian took the opportunity to ask Wade for advice on training his Dragonite.
The Drake family was a renowned lineage of Dragon-type trainers, unrivaled in Drakoria and highly respected worldwide for their expertise in nurturing Dragon-type Pokémon.
Although Julian hailed from the Walker family, Wade's position as the school team's coach now placed them in a teacher-student relationship.
With this connection, Wade was willing to share his knowledge with Julian as long as it didn't involve the core secrets of the Drake family.
Julian already knew a fair bit about training Dragonite, but it couldn't compare to the expertise of the Drake family. Wade even remarked on how surprising it was that someone from a Steel-specialist lineage could train a Dragon-type so effectively.
Of course, only Julian himself knew the true reason behind it.
The greatest factor was the system he possessed, which allowed him to spend points to acquire treasures, energy cubes, and stat-enhancing elixirs to boost Dragonite's power and base stats.
Though he lacked the specialized knowledge of the Drakes, Julian relied on his ability of "pay to win," purchasing whatever was necessary to enhance his Pokémon's growth.
This approach extended to his other Pokémon as well.
"Have you decided on your second attribute? I suggest you go with Dragon types," Wade said.
He believed Julian's talent for training Dragon-types was on par with his Steel expertise. If Julian hadn't been born into the Walker family, Wade would have wanted to take him on as an apprentice.
While formal mentorship wasn't an option, Wade couldn't stand the thought of such potential going to waste, so he encouraged Julian to focus on Dragons for his secondary specialization.
The synergy between Steel-type's superior defense and Dragon-type's overwhelming offense was nearly perfect, combining durability and damage in a formidable way.
"I've been considering it," Julian nodded.
He had initially planned to specialize in Dragons as his secondary type. However, this plan had been delayed after he caught Pokémon like Slowking, Growlithe, and Gastly.
Even so, Julian hadn't abandoned the idea.
For now, he prioritized training his Lairon, Growlithe, and Gastly, all of which had exceptional potential. Only after nurturing them would he revisit the idea of his secondary attribute.
As for Slowking, she had already told Julian that she didn't like fighting much and preferred to support Julian and caring for his Pokémon.
Julian respected Slowking's wishes. With Metagross, Dragonite, and others ready for combat, there was no problem Slowking being the logistics specialist.
In fact, Slowking had almost reached the level of Love, the family's Indeedee in this regard. She even ensured Julian drank a glass of Moomoo Milk every day.
"That's good to hear. If you decide to pursue Dragons, come find me. I can arrange for you to access the Dragon Den once," Wade said, patting Julian's shoulder.
The Walker and Drake families had no conflicts, so nurturing a prodigious talent like Julian was in everyone's best interest.
The Dragon Den was as renowned as the Oreburgh Great Wall—both special high-tier zones. The Drakes had been in charge of the Dragon Den for as long as the Walkers had overseen the Oreburgh Great Wall.
"Thank you, Teacher Wade," Julian said respectfully.
Whether it was the guidance on training Dragonite or the promise he had just made, Julian knew he now owed Wade a favor.
'If someone respects you an inch, you respect them a foot in return.'
This exchange had established a connection between Julian and the Drake family, and he was already classmates with Ian.
The school team's morning training session had ended, leaving the afternoon free for personal pursuits.
At Imperial University, students were given significant freedom. Whether they chose to attend lectures or rest was up to them.
The university didn't enforce attendance, but students were still expected to pass their final exams and earn the necessary credits. Even if someone skipped classes for an entire semester, as long as they met the academic requirements, no one would interfere.
This freedom, however, came with high stakes.
Each year, many students failed to earn enough credits and were expelled.
There were no extensions for graduation; falling short on credits simply meant being dismissed.
Julian planned to head to the library to organize the Dragon-type training techniques Wade had shared with him. He also intended to browse other books on Dragon-type Pokémon training.
On the way, he noticed Hannah being pulled forcefully by a man. Her expression was one of restrained anger, looking helpless and pitiful as she glanced at the surrounding students, hoping someone would come to her aid.
If the man pulling her weren't who he was, someone in the crowd would have already stepped in.
Damien Dean, a notorious figure from the Dean family of the Imperial Capital, was infamous at Imperial University. Nicknamed "Dean's scourge" he exploited his family's power to harass female students, especially the pretty ones.
Rumors circulated about him driving a girl to suicide during high school.
Since coming to university, his behavior had only worsened.
Some brave souls had tried to intervene in the past but were beaten so badly by him that they ended up crippled.
While his character was despicable, his strength was still acceptable, and few could stand up to him.
Hannah, one of the top ten campus beauties, was unfortunately the least connected among them. Her family, though wealthy, lacked any significant influence.
From the moment she enrolled, she had been targeted by Damien.
However, Hannah was resourceful and knew how to maneuver social situations. She used her charm to gain admiration from various influential students, including heirs of noble families and talented commoners, creating a delicate balance of mutual deterrence that kept Damien at bay.
Today, though, Damien seemed unusually forceful.
"Young Master Dean, I'm really not feeling well today. How about make up for it another time?"
Hannah pleaded, her arm aching from his grip, but she endured the pain.
She wasn't afraid of what Damien might do to her, but she was deeply worried about her parents.
This was why many commoners resented and despised the aristocratic families.
If you offended someone like Damien, they wouldn't just come after you; they'd target your family and friends instead. They would use underhanded methods to humiliate and crush you until you had no choice but to kneel before them in despair.
"No, you're coming with me today, no matter what, Let me tell you, no one can help you today. And forget about that loser Zed—I've already had my people block him."
Hannah's pleading expression only fueled Damien's wicked desires. A surge of heat coursed through him as he stared at her helpless face.
Among Hannah's admirers, Zed was undoubtedly the most devoted.
Despite being humiliated by Julian last time because of her, Zed continued to follow her around, earning himself the infamous title of "King of Simps."
"As for the others, I've taken care of them too. Otherwise, why do you think no one's stepped forward? Now be a good girl and come with me. Think of your family. Oh, and your little sister in the Water-Type Academy."
His voice dropped to a whisper, loud enough only for Hannah to hear.
Then, he pulled out his phone and began swiping through photos. Each image displayed her younger sister—at school, in the cafeteria, in her dorm, walking along the streets.
"Your sister may not be as pretty as you, but she's still quite the cutie, If you really don't want to come with me, maybe I'll ask her to take your place instead. Sisters, after all, are meant to share everything, aren't they?"
At his words, Hannah's eyes visibly dimmed, the light in them fading at a speed visible to the naked eye.
(T/N: I would have very much liked to remove such cliches but the author is trying to make people hate the Dean family more before their annihilation, so yeah and she is not the FL or any other important character for that matter)
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