On August 25th, at Lake International Airport, Julian, Shen, and Will boarded a plane bound for the imperial capital.
Will, despite not being directly invited, tagged along for a good reason. He had caught wind of Julian's plan to head to the imperial capital, and it just so happened that his own University, the Third Military Academy, was there as well.
He figured it would be the perfect opportunity to start early.
Though Will didn't place too highly in the Yale Provincial High School League, his performance was still notable.
As a result, the Third Military Academy, a well-respected institution even if it wasn't in the top tier, extended an invitation to him. Naturally, he accepted right away—it was the only invitation he received, after all.
"The academy's pretty strict, though," Julian remarked as they settled into their first-class seats. "You might find their system hard to adjust to."
Will waved the comment away with a carefree grin. "I can handle it. What's the worst they can do?"
The three-hour flight from Lake City to the imperial capital passed quickly. Shen was busy cradling her newly captured Pokémon, a Mienfoo, which looked young and curious.
"He's a nice partner," Julian said, eyeing the Mienfoo. The Pokémon had cyan qualification despite its youthful appearance.
Shen beamed with pride. "Grandpa went through a lot of trouble to get this little guy for me," she said, holding the Mienfoo a little tighter.
Julian nodded, understanding the weight behind the gesture. Shen had only recently gained her family's full recognition due to awakening of Heart's eye and this was a hard-earned achievement that had brought her this rare gift.
Shen's sense of gratitude toward Julian deepened, knowing he had played a role in her journey.
"Train him well," Julian continued, "Mienfoo's fighting style matches your abilities perfectly."
Both Mienfoo and its evolution, Mienshao, excelled in physical and mental combat, making them ideal companions for Shen's unique skills.
Julian glanced out the window, his mind wandering. There was another Pokémon that would suit Shen even better—the legendary Urshifu, known for its mastery in the way of martial arts.
With either its Single Strike or Rapid Strike forms, Urshifu brought both mind and body into perfect harmony.
Unfortunately, Urshifu was incredibly rare, recently discovered in some country's secret realm but still uncaptured.
Will, on the other hand, wasn't one to miss an opportunity for attention. "Hey, Julian, check out my Vulpix! Isn't she something?"
Julian smirked as Will held up a small Vulpix he had captured during a recent trip to the intermediate-level secret realm. Following Julian's advice, Will had explored the volcanic area and managed to not only find fire-type treasures but also subdue the Vulpix.
"Good luck, as usual," Julian said.
This Vulpix had cyan qualification, Julian himself found a cyan Slowpoke in there so considering Will's usual luck it wasn't that far-fetched.
"Call it what you want, but this cyan-qualified Vulpix is my ticket to becoming a Fire Elite!" Will declared with a proud grin.
Cyan qualifications were rare, and Will's Vulpix had the potential to evolve into a Ninetales and eventually reach Elite status.
After testing its qualifications, Will had even received an offer of one billion from a collector, which he immediately turned down.
Shen looked at Will in surprise, comparing her family's effort to secure her a cyan-qualified Mienfoo with Will's seemingly effortless capture of a cyan-qualified Vulpix.
"If this were a novel, Will, you'd definitely be the protagonist," Shen mused. "Julian would be the rich second-generation villain, rich, cold, and aloof—always giving opportunities to the underdog."
Will laughed, "Yeah, right! I really am the protagonist and Julian also has that cold, calculating exterior. You never know what he's hiding underneath, he might be a beast inside."
Julian raised an eyebrow.
"I have a top tier Fire Stone here"
"Dad, I was wrong"
Shen: ?_??
With Will's easygoing nature, the three-hour flight passed quickly. His sociable personality and knack for conversation even led him to chat with other passengers.
By the end of the flight, he had struck up a friendly conversation with a striking woman seated nearby and had even exchanged contacts.
Shen watched in disgust.
"Then brother Will, come to me when you have time in the future"
After getting off the plane, the woman said with a smile.
"Okay, I will definitely come, just don't pretend not to know me then," Will said with a grin.
The answer Will received was a shy laughter from the other party.
"Shen, I and Will are going first"
Once the plane landed, Julian spotted his aunt waiting at the gate.
Will had followed Julian and came early, so he naturally had time before University started and decided to follow Julian.
"Okay, see you at Imperial University"
"Yeah, see you at the University"
The three of them parted ways. Julian took Will and headed toward his aunt, who was waiting to pick them up.
As they walked out of the terminal, Julian spotted her standing by the exit, scanning the crowd.
Julian's aunt, a well-known Pokémon scholar, was often incredibly busy with her work. She rarely had time to return home, sometimes visiting only once a year.
Julian hadn't seen her in three years.
"Aunt Quinn," Julian greeted her warmly.
"Hi, sister," Will chimed in.
Julian shot Will a look.
"Aww, Little Juli, your friend is so funny! And sweet-talking too. Is this your boyfriend?" his aunt teased. "You haven't seen me in three years, and you're still as cold as ever. But you've really grown."
"Well, I've been waiting for 'Little Juli' to introduce me to his family," Will joked, jumping in to lighten the mood.
Julian narrowed his eyes. "Do you want to die?" he muttered, his voice cool but laced with a threat.
Will quickly realized he'd pushed it too far. He had almost forgotten what a petty person Julian can be, He cleared his throat.
"Ahem, Julian is really popular with the girls at school, but he's way too picky. The ones who like him, don't get noticed by him. As for me, I'm not as picky, but the girls still won't give me a second look!"
"Aunty, let's go," Julian said, eager to escape the conversation.
He wasn't in the mood to listen to more of Will's chatter with his aunt. The way they got along seemed like they were really aunt and nephew.
"Hahaha, jealous, Little Juli?" his aunt chuckled, reaching out to pinch Julian's cheeks just like she used to when he was a child. "Still so cute!"
"Click."
Julian glanced over at Will, who was casually turning his phone to snap some pictures of the airport, acting as though nothing had happened.
"Imperial Capital Airport sure is big," Will said, not meeting Julian's eyes. "I should take a few more pictures, to show my parents later."
*****
Upto 30 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/ReduxMagister