After the Volkarian Elite stepped forward to mock Babath, other countries that were friendly with Drakoria, as well as those who were at odds with Babath, took the opportunity to kick Babath while it was down.
Noda stared in disbelief at the dozen or so Poké Balls floating in front of Julian. If there had only been three Poké Balls at first, he might have still held onto some hope.
But now, with more than a dozen Poké Balls, that sliver of hope was completely shattered.
The three most talented trainers representing their nation were dead, and they had died at the hands of a Drakorian.
Noda's expression turned from pale at first to a furious red in an instant. His eyes were bloodshot as he growled in a low voice, "You killed them?"
"Yeah, it was easy. Barely even had to try—they went down with a little force." Julian shrugged.
Julian's words were like a knife, stabbing repeatedly into Noda's heart.
Noda's body trembled violently, and the killing intent in his heart exploded like a volcano.
"Don't tell me one of them was your kid? If they were that weak, good thing they went off early," Julian said with a smirk.
The other party's reaction was a bit abnormal—too agitated.
Sure, they were Babath's geniuses, and he was their Elite, but did he forget where they were? 'Did he really think his "godfather" would risk total fall out with Drakoria just for him?'
As the saying goes, 'killing a man and destroying his spirit', and shockingly, Julian had hit the mark.
Because Eguchi was his illegitimate child. Of course, he had no ties to Eguchi's family.
His legitimate son had already died, leaving only Eguchi as his remaining bloodline—and now that illegitimate son was dead too.
His only son was dead. How could he not be furious?
Fortunately, despite his rage, he still had some rationality left and didn't immediately lash out at Julian.
If he attacked openly, he would be the one to die.
"Julian! Do you dare face me one-on-one?!"
Noda's eyes locked onto Julian. He couldn't attack Julian publicly, but if Julian agreed to his challenge, then even if he couldn't kill him, he could at least slaughter his Pokémon.
"Noda, you shameless old bastard!"
Before Julian could even respond, General Sam had already spoken up.
Noda was nearly sixty years old, while Julian was only twenty.
"You want a fight? Fine, I'll fight you. If I don't take you down in ten minutes, I'll take your damn name!"
General Sam sneered at Noda with disdain.
However, Noda was dead set on fighting Julian.
"I didn't expect that Julian, who killed the three geniuses of my Babath, turned out to be such a coward."
The taunt was clumsy, and Julian could have easily ignored it.
"General Sam, I can handle this myself," Julian said calmly.
"Are you sure?"
General Sam looked at Julian.
Noda was, after all, a peak Elite-level trainer. Even if he spoke lightly, if a real fight broke out, he would still have to go all out.
"General, Julian can handle this."
Pierce spoke up, his tone brimming with absolute confidence.
His expression almost made it look like he was the one about to step into battle.
"Alright."
General Sam agreed.
Julian turned to Noda. "Let's go, find a more open space."
"Hmph!!"
Noda let out a cold snort.
The two of them then moved to a relatively empty area.
Several nations, eager to watch the spectacle, followed closely behind.
Most onlookers weren't optimistic about Julian's chances, mainly because he was simply too young.
A genius, yes, but geniuses still needed time to grow.
Noda stared at Julian with a sinister gaze, a Poké Ball already in his hand.
Bang!
As the Poké Ball opened, a creature with a curved horn on its head, pale gray bone-like structures around its neck and back, and a slender tail ending in a triangular tip appeared.
A Houndoom stood before Julian.
Pokémon: Houndoom (Dark/Fire)
Level: 80
Potential: Cyan
Ability: Early Bird
Held Item: Charcoal
Gender: Female
Moves: Leer, Roar, Ember, Howl, Thunder Fang, Fire Fang, Flamethrower, Bite, Crunch, Incinerate, Nasty Plot, Smog, Torment, Inferno
TMs: Protect, Take Down, Fire Spin, Snarl, Flame Charge, Dark Pulse, Foul Play, Endure, Psychic Fangs, Overheat
Egg Moves: Counter, Spite, Feint, Sucker Punch
---
A peak Elite-level Houndoom—its appearance was undeniably striking, earning it the nickname "Hellhound" in some regions.
'Dark and Fire-type… Who should I send out?'
This opponent was decent—good training for his own Pokémon. But he was still debating which one to choose.
Several Poké Balls on his belt trembled eagerly, and even Gengar lurking in his shadow pulsed with restless energy.
Seeing Julian hesitate, Noda thought he had been intimidated by his Pokémon.
"If you're scared, just kneel. I might let you off easy—HAHAHA!"
He burst out laughing after he said that.
"Asking for death…" Rowan muttered under his breath.
Beside him, Edward asked, "How strong is Julian, now?"
Before entering the secret realm, Julian only had a Dragonite at the early-stage of Elite-level.
Although half a year had passed and he surely had grown stronger, his opponent was Noda, a peak Elite. Edward wasn't entirely confident.
"Don't worry, Great-grandfather. Julian will finish the battle in three minutes," Rowan declared with absolute certainty.
'Three minutes?!'
If not for the seriousness of the situation, Edward would've definitely smacked Rowan. Was he being treated like a fool? Three minutes to take down a peak Elite?
Even he, a pseudo-Champion, wasn't sure he could pull that off.
'Kneel?'
Those words made Julian's hand, which had been hovering over Arcanine's Poké Ball, pause—then shift to another.
If you're in such a hurry to die… I'll grant your wish.'
Bang
As the Poké Ball opened, the first thing everyone saw was a crimson figure soaring into the sky, followed by a piercing, majestic cry.
"SKREEE—!"
The fiery avian Pokémon hovered about ten meters above Julian, its wings beating steadily, scattering embers like falling stars.
"Moltres!!"
A Legendary Fire-type Pokémon—Moltres!
The crowd erupted in shock. No one had expected Julian to possess such a Pokémon.
'He must have captured it inside the secret realm!'
Many people knew what Pokémon Julian had before he entered the secret realm. Now, upon returning, he suddenly had a Moltres, which was clearly caught in the secret realm.
"Wait… that aura…"
A Elite from a smaller nation, initially envious, suddenly noticed something off about Moltres's aura.
It wasn't that it was weak—but rather, it was too strong.
"Pseudo-Champion! That Moltres is a pseudo-Champion!"
A Elite from another nation suddenly roared in realization.
In an instant, everyone froze, staring straight at the Moltres above Julian's head.
And then—it unleashed its full power.
A crushing, mid-stage pseudo-Champion aura erupted, pressing down on the battlefield like a storm.
'It really is a pseudo-Champion!!'
The crowd's disbelief was palpable.
At this moment, Edward finally believed Rowan's words.
A mid-stage pseudo-Champion Moltres—even he wasn't entirely confident he could defeat it.
Julian had casually captured a Moltres, and judging by the way Moltres seemed so obedient to him, it proved one thing: Julian had subdued Moltres through his own strength.
This was what truly amazed Edward.
*****
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