The three of them walked into the villa. Julian headed to the kitchen to boil some water, preparing tea for his guests. While waiting for the water to boil, he grabbed a few snacks and placed them on the coffee table—mostly walnuts, accompanied by other stuff.
Watching Slowking enter the kitchen again, Luis said enviously, "Brother Walker, your Slowking really takes care of everything!"
Julian shrugged. "I don't know. My Slowking just likes taking care of the house."
Slowking had only been introduced to the world today, and while there would definitely be more Slowking in the future, not all of them would be like his. Whether they would have the same traits as his Slowking was uncertain.
Luis hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "Brother Walker, can I ask you something?"
Julian glanced at him. "Sure, as long as you're not asking me how to boost your Aura abilities."
"No, no, it's nothing like that!, it's definitely something you can do," Luis shook his head quickly.
"Do you still have any Kings Rock, Brother Walker?"
With the emergence of Slowking, the key item for its evolution, Kings Rock, had become widely known. Though it had been discovered many years ago, no one knew its purpose until now.
The number of Kings Rocks discovered had always been small. In the past, they were sold as decorative items, but recently, all the Kings Rocks on the market were bought up.
With Slowking's sudden emergence, it's easy to figure out who bought them.
For those who didn't already have Kings Rock in their possession, getting one now was nearly impossible.
Currently, the price of Kings Rock had skyrocketed to 50 million, yet it remained priceless due to its scarcity.
Previously, people didn't know its use. Even if some were found in secret realms or ruins, they might have been left behind because they seemed unnecessary or cumbersome.
Julian smirked. "I get why Walter would ask for one since he's a Water-type trainer, but you? You're an Ice-type specialist."
Luis grinned. "Brother Walker, Ice and Water go hand in hand!"
It was true—Many water-type Pokémon used various Ice-type moves, while fewer of the Ice-type used Water-type moves.
Through TMs, Slowking could also learn many Ice-type moves.
"Brother Walker, I'm not asking for it for free. I'll trade this Ice Stone for it."
Luis pulled a small box from his pocket. Inside was a shimmering blue stone, cold to the touch.
Ice Stones were much rarer than Fire, Water, or Thunder Stones, and the one Luis held was pretty good—between high to top-level.
Its value was more or less equal to that of a Kings Rock.
Walter, standing beside him, held out his own offer. "I've got a Mist Gem for you."
The Mist Gem could increase the power of Water-type moves.
(T/N: couldn't find it, should be a AU thing.)
Julian eyed the items for a moment. "Hold on."
He went upstairs and returned with two Kings Rocks in hand.
Meanwhile, Slowking had finished boiling the water and bought out the tea for the three of them.
"Here, take these. You don't need to give me anything in return," Julian said.
Handing the Kings Rock to both of them, Julian declined their offers of exchange. The Ice Stone and Mist Gem were of no use to him, and his family had no shortage of such items.
Seeing Julian's refusal, Walter hesitated for a moment, but Luis, standing nearby, wasted no time, accepting his with a grin. "Thanks, Brother Walker! You're the best!"
"Don't just stand there. Take it," Luis said to Walter. "Do you really think Brother Walker needs your stuff?"
At that, Walter finally accepted the Kings Rock and said, "Thank you."
Julian nodded. While Luis was more familiar and playful, Walter was much more reserved.
Julian had initially bought Kings Rock to manage certain family affairs. Even if he hadn't given it to Luis and Walter today, their family backgrounds meant they would eventually acquire one.
Everyone in the special recruitment class came from well-off families, and Julian wasn't the type to act arrogant because of his own background.
It made sense to stay on good terms with them. Besides, neither Luis nor Walter had bad personalities. Luis's cheeky attitude, calling him "brother this and brother that" so openly, made it hard for Julian not to give it to him.
---
The scorching sun beat down on the special class as they stood in formation, facing a dark-skinned instructor with a serious expression.
Military training was something every university student dreaded, and even after crossing in a world with Pokémon, there was no escaping it.
The instructor for their military training was a senior student from the Third Military Academy. His deeply tanned face made it hard to believe he was still a student.
Thinking about this, Julian couldn't help but recall Will, who was also at the Third Military Academy. When they meet again, Julian imagined he might be just as sunburned.
With his strong physique, though, military training was hardly a challenge for Julian.
It had been more than two hours since they started, and although his body could handle it, he was still feeling the exhaustion.
Finally, the instructor gave them a break.
The training ground was shared by several classes. Nearby, students from the Fighting class were also taking a break.
(T/N: for anyone who forgot cough-me, classes were divided according to types except for the special class)
Suddenly, three boys and one girl from the Fighting class approached the special recruits.
"Hey, you recruits over there! Any of you brave enough to spar with us?"
The one leading the group was a muscular boy named Kong, his military uniform stretched tight over his biceps.
All the members of the special class came from aristocratic families, and that sense of superiority ran deep, though it had been tempered by their elders.
So, when someone dared to shout at them, Luis was the first to step up. "Who dares to act wild in front of me?" he said.
Fatigued from military training and full of pent-up frustration, Luis wasn't going to let this challenge slide. "You, with the scrawny arms and legs—come over and let's see what you've got."
The boy sneered at Luis. "I am afraid you won't even be able to take one hit"
"I've been training in martial arts since I could walk. You're about to regret that" Luis said confidently.
Julian hadn't expected that Luis knew martial arts and felt that he had underestimated him.
Luis who was boasting so confidently leaned over and whispered in Julian's ear, "Brother Walker, stop me."
Julian: (??_?)
"Step aside Luis, I will take him on!"
Before the situation could escalate, kate stood up and let out a sharp shout, full of energy.
"Okay"
Luis sat down obediently.
There were three Fighting-type trainers in special class, two girls and one boy, which included Kate and Shen.
"Kate, Baguazhang."
"Warren, Xingyiquan."
(T/N: Explained at the end of chapter, plus something else I want to say too)
Both reported to each other about their respective martial arts.
The instructor didn't interfere, and soon the surrounding military training classes gathered to watch, forming rows to give the two enough space.
"Shen, which is stronger, Xingyiquan or Baguazhang?"
Luis came to Shen and asked in a low voice.
Shen shook her head. "It's not about which style is stronger. It's about who's the better fighter."
"Come on, Kate! Show him who's boss!"
Luis shouted enthusiastically.
****
T/N: Baguazhang: It is one of the three main Chinese martial arts of the Wudang school, the other two being tai chi and xingyiquan. It is more broadly grouped as an internal practice. Baguazhang literally means "eight trigram palm", referring to the bagua "trigrams" of the I Ching, one of the canons of Taoism. It is a versatile martial art, suitable for self-defense and competition. Its circular movements allow practitioners to adapt to multiple attackers and changing situations, making it an effective system for real-world self-defense scenarios.
Xingyiquan or Xingyi: It is also known as "Form-Intent Fist" or "Mind-Form Boxing," is a traditional Chinese martial art that emphasizes internal energy (qi) cultivation for combat effectiveness. Overall, It is a traditional Chinese martial art that focuses on internal energy cultivation, powerful movements, and coordinated training. Its unique blend of physical technique and mental intent offers practitioners a path to martial excellence, personal growth, and self-discovery.
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Now for the thing I wanted to tell everyone, Just to be clear, I haven't gotten anything negative related to this yet but just in case:
As you guys have noticed I leave some things that are Chinese as it is like food and martial arts or there might be more and I do that as a respect to the author's culture and origin. These things to me are not in the category of nationalism we see in the novels but just a part of one's culture, and to those who might say but this is a Pokémon fanfic, yep absolutely a Pokémon fanfic taking place in China on alternate Earth, so yeah if they don't sit well with some, I can't do anything about that.
Now that we are done with that, I want to say thank you guys for all the love and support you have given to this so far. I really appreciate it.
Thanks a lot to all of you <3.
*****
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patreon.com/ReduxMagister