As the referee's voice echoed in the arena,
Julian simultaneously heard a notification in his mind from the system, confirming that his reward had been added to his system space.
With his current points totaling 25,078, and the bonus from the recent mission, he finally surpassed the 25,000 mark.
His attention was drawn to a particular item in the system mall.
Golden Legend Fragments: Collect ten pieces to obtain a complete golden legend that can upgrade Purple aptitude to Golden aptitude.
Pokémon Trainers with Purple aptitude can achieve Champion status, while those with Golden aptitude can become Battle Legends.
Currently, the pinnacle of Trainers is the Champion; there are no Battle Legends in existence, though all nations acknowledge that Champions embody the essence of Battle Legends.
This revelation was uncovered in a certain ruin, located on the high seas.
Upon its discovery, several powerful nations dispatched teams to investigate.
This information subsequently became public knowledge, though it remains confidential among most Trainers.
According to Pokémon scholars from Drakoria, a Pokémon with Golden aptitude, if nurtured properly, could rival first-level legendaries.
Presently, the first-level legendaries that have emerged from ruins or confidential realms possess extraordinary powers that even Champions cannot contend with;
if faced directly, it is certain that Champions would not survive.
Fortunately, the known first-level legendaries are mainly elusive and not inclined to destruction.
Otherwise, a powerful legendary could easily obliterate an entire nation.
In countries like Babath Kingdom, a single Draco Meteor from Rayquaza could reduce it to rubble.
Currently, ordinary legendaries, including legendaries like Moltres and Latias, are considered to have at most Purple aptitude.
There's no existing method to elevate a Pokémon with Purple aptitude to Golden;
such an upgrade seems limited to first-level legendaries, which is a consensus among nations.
Thus, a country possessing a Golden-qualified Pokémon that successfully matures could potentially become the strongest nation in the world.
All nations are constantly researching ways to enhance Purple aptitude to Golden aptitude, but only they are privy to their progress.
However, rumors occasionally surface about a nation developing a potion to enhance aptitude.
Such news is met with great excitement.
If a Champion-level Trainer is likened to a nuclear weapon, forming the backbone of national strength, then possessing a legendary-level Trainer marks the moment when a nation no longer fears first-level legendaries and asserts its dominance on the planet.
The prospect of the Golden Legend gives Julian the opportunity to elevate Metagross's aptitude to Golden.
At 25,000 points for one fragment, and 250,000 for ten, it represents a remarkable deal for acquiring a Golden-qualified Pokémon.
After purchasing, the points were deducted, and he held the Golden Legend fragment in his possession.
However, upon viewing the cost of the second fragment, he couldn't help but curse: "F***!"
This caused Wren, who was about to apologize to Julian, to freeze momentarily, her face draining of color, unsure if she was the target of his ire.
If she offended Julian, the sole heir of the Walker family, even as a pseudo-Elite, she feared she would find it difficult to navigate life in Drakoria.
"I'm not upset with you; just recalling some unpleasant experiences," Julian clarified, noticing her expression.
The price tag of the second Golden Legend fragment wasn't 25,000, but 100,000 points—four times that of the first.
With additional fragments beyond that, the accumulating costs were projected to exceed even the price of a Mewtwo.
As expected, things were not as favorable as they had seemed.
"Ah well, it's still a beautiful day. Let's just wash up and sleep. Everything else can wait until the dream," he mused.
"The system return the item," Julian grumbled.
He wasn't keen on leaving the fragment in the system's inventory; they were useful only when ten were collected, leaving the remaining fragment effectively worthless.
In response to his frustration, the system displayed:
"Once sold, non-refundable."
"F**ker" Julian swore again, feeling he had learned a valuable lesson from the system.
Despite months of diligent point accumulation, he regretted wasting them on what felt like an unworthy investment.
He seriously suspected that the system had lured him into acquiring the Golden Legend fragment just to strip him of his precious points.
Wren, meanwhile, had a nagging suspicion that Julian was venting frustration at her but lacked proof.
Even if she did, she wouldn't dare confront him.
Regardless of her status as a pseudo-Elite, Julian's advanced capabilities made any competition futile, especially with his pseudo-legendary Metagross.
"What else do you want?" Julian prompted, noticing her hesitation.
"Master Walker, how is your Metagross so strong? Even as a pseudo-legendary, it shouldn't have been able to defeat my Steelix so easily," she asked.
Looking at Metagross, still nursing some injuries from the battle, she observed that they had nearly healed at an astonishing rate.
"Do you have a 1 billion?" Julian replied suddenly.
"What?" Wren was taken aback, confused by the abrupt change in topic.
"You could invest one billion into Steelix, and it would become incredibly powerful," he explained.
Wren: (⊙_⊙)
Staff: (⊙_⊙)
What is unseen is not part of human nature.
Julian's Metagross, despite being only at level 49, possesses an inherent advantage due to its classification as a pseudo-legendary Pokémon,
but this makes the leveling process significantly slower than that of ordinary Pokémon.
Even at this level, Metagross is formidable enough to contend with pseudo-Elite Pokémon, including Wren's, who stands at the pinnacle of that category.
Julian has invested more resources and energy into Metagross than into his other Pokémon—Lucario, Meltan, and Dragonair—because he envisions Metagross as his ultimate Trump Card.
In the realm of trainers, having six main Pokémon means that a superior Contest Condition is not solely based on uniform strength, but rather a balance of diversity.
An absolute Trump Card can take on multiple Pokémon of equal strength.
This is evident in examples such as Ash's Pikachu, Red's Charizard, Steven's Metagross, and Cynthia's Garchomp, all recognized as their respective trainers' Trump Card Pokémon.
Metagross is Julian's starter Pokémon, reflecting the tradition of the Walker family, who have always relied on Metagross as their Trump Card—Julian is no exception.
In return, Metagross has risen to meet Julian's expectations through its own hard work.
Gently, Julian pressed his hand against the cross on Metagross's forehead, channeling Aura energy.
The Pokémon appeared relaxed.
Julian then advised, "Since Steelix is your primary Trump Card, it's best to allocate more than half of your resources to it. That's how you can truly make progress."
*****
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