Each student in the special class has a villa of their own, about 300 square meters, along with a small courtyard where Pokémon can usually roam and stay comfortably.
For those in ordinary classes, students live in shared dormitories with a four-person room arrangement, offering more limited space and privacy.
As the representative of the special class, Julian's villa was a full five times larger than the standard ones. His residence featured a gym, a swimming pool, and a Pokémon training room.
The yard alone was vast, nearly the size of one and a half football fields.
Julian, looking around, felt quite satisfied with his accommodations. While he didn't mind enduring hardships himself, he was adamant that his Pokémon should not suffer unnecessarily.
This belief was central to his approach as a trainer. A good trainer must possess such a noble consciousness, he reminded himself.
There were only four villas like his across the entire Imperial University campus, representing the representatives of each year's special class, from freshman to senior year.
The entire university campus spanned an immense 300 square kilometers—larger than some towns in the Johto Region.
Among its many facilities, the Trainer Academy occupied the largest space, with a whopping 100 square kilometers of land dedicated to it. It featured thousands of large and small battlefields scattered across its grounds.
In fact, for anyone in a relationship within Imperial University, if they weren't in the same college, it was practically a long-distance relationship due to the sheer size of the campus.
After taking a cursory look around his villa, Julian pulled his luggage out from the system space and arranged it inside. Fortunately, the rooms were cleaned regularly, sparing him the trouble of hiring a Pokémon to handle it.
Stepping out into the spacious yard, he admired the surroundings. There was a pool, a rock garden, ancient trees, and even a well-placed barbecue grill. "The school really thought of everything," he mused with a smile.
Without further delay, Julian released all of his Pokémon. Metagross, Lucario, Meltan, Dragonair, Steelix, Slowking, and Aron all emerged, looking around curiously at their new home.
"What do you think of the place?" Julian asked, addressing his team. "If you don't like it, let me know, and I'll talk to the college."
His Pokémon didn't seem too picky. Their primary requirement was having enough space to move around freely, and this place certainly provided that.
As the other Pokémon were busy exploring their new environment, but Aron rushed toward Julian, with Meltan perched playfully on its back.
"Here comes the glutton"
Julian remarked fondly, patting Aron on the head.
Thanks to the Totem soul, Aron had grown to an impressive one meter in height, even well-developed Aron typically maxed out at around 50 or 60 centimeters, so one of this size was quite extraordinary.
With such an unusual size, Aron's appetite had also grown immensely.
Julian had already begun to worry whether the hundreds of tons of raw ore he had acquired would be enough to last Aron until it evolved into Aggron.
"Okay, okay, stop licking"
Julian laughed as he gently picked up Meltan, who was eagerly licking Aron's head. Even though Aron didn't have any fur, the areas Meltan frequently licked had developed an almost mirror-like shine.
The little guy who was being carried by Julian was still unconvinced, and kept Struggling.
'Even if I can't eat the shell, can't you just let me lick it?'
Julian pulled out an Aura stone from his system space and handed it to Meltan, who eagerly started munching on it.
"I wonder if Meltan's personality will stay the same after it evolves" Julian muttered.
For now, though, he wasn't in a rush to evolve Meltan. He already had a strong team, and once a Pokémon evolved, its personality usually matured.
Julian figured it was better to let Meltan enjoy its "infant" phase a little longer.
Besides, there was no reason to push it into the limelight just yet.
"Metagross, come with me. Lucario, you're in charge while I'm gone. And make sure Meltan doesn't eat anything it's not supposed to. Steelix, no digging!"
Lucario nodded dutifully, taking command.
After Julian left, Dragonair splashed into the pool, enjoying a relaxing bath. Steelix, ever mindful of its instructions, reassured everyone, 'I won't dig any holes, don't worry.'
Meanwhile, Meltan was comfortably perched on Aron's head, happily munching on its Aura stone.
Slowking, taking a different approach to relaxation, removed its crown, pulled out a scarf from within its hollow, put the crown back on, and elegantly tied the scarf around its neck before wandering into the villa.
Lucario: So that's what the crown is for.
-
Out on the campus, Julian strolled through the Trainer Academy. Nearly every student he saw had a Pokémon walking alongside them. The caliber of students at Imperial University was high, and even the freshmen had Pokémon that were already at the Advanced level.
Sophomores generally had Pokémon that were at the Advanced peak or pseudo-Elite, and by the third year, if you weren't at least a pseudo-Elite, you were considered an underachiever at the Trainer Academy.
Of course, reaching the true Elite level was a rare achievement, something only those blessed with both luck and talent could attain.
Julian's probing eyes scanned the various Pokémon as he passed by. Most were of green qualification, which was the standard even at Imperial University.
Occasionally, he spotted one or two cyan-grade Pokémon, which stood out amidst the crowd.
The variety of Pokémon on display was remarkable. Almost every species imaginable, including pseudo-legendaries, could be found at the Trainer Academy.
Julian even spotted a student carrying a Gible, which drew some attention from passersby. Although pseudo-legendary Pokémon were not unheard of at the academy, they were still rare enough to turn heads.
But the one who garnered the most attention was Julian himself.
His impressive silver Metagross followed him closely, acting like a beacon for anyone with eyes. Many students stopped to take pictures of the unique Pokémon as it walked by.
"Wow, a silver Metagross! That's amazing," someone whispered.
"Must be a rich kid," another student muttered. "Nothing but family background."
"Hey, what did you say?" his friend asked, barely able to hear him.
"I heard Walker Elite's grandson is attending this year. That must be him," one student guessed.
The silver Metagross was an unmistakable sign, making it easy for some to deduce Julian's identity.
Not far away, a girl named Grace, who was holding her Gible, overheard the conversation. Her friend nudged her. "Do you know him?" she asked curiously.
Grace shook her head. "No, Walker Elite never brought him to any of our parties."
These gatherings were an essential part of the social circles among top trainers, where Pokémon, items, and information were often traded.
Most Elite trainers brought their juniors along to introduce them to these high-level social networks.
"Maybe Walker Elite doesn't like his grandson," her friend speculated. "I heard Walker's aiming for the championship."
"It's not that he doesn't like him," Grace clarified. "Walker Elite just said he doesn't want to waste time at those kinds of parties."
Her friend laughed. "If he showed up, everyone would just fawn over him anyway. I can see why he'd want to avoid that."
Grace just sighed.
*****
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