[Ding!]
[Hidden quest completed: Defeat a First-class Legendary.]
[Quest rewards: Blue Orb, Rare Candies x2 (usable by Pseudo-Champions), 'Words of Ideals' (revives the Ideal Dragon Zekrom. After revival, Zekrom will follow you)]
---
Julian, who was in the middle of apologizing to Slowking, suddenly felt a surge of joy upon hearing the system's prompt in his mind.
"Slow~"
Slowking: "Show some sincerity."
Seeing Julian smiling while apologizing, Slowking immediately thought that although Julian was saying sorry, he was definitely thinking, 'I'll dare to do it again next time.'
Julian quickly put on a serious expression and continued apologizing to Slowking, acting like a well-behaved child.
But his mind was already on the rewards given by the system.
The Blue Orb wasn't of much use for now, but if he ever had to confront other First-class Legendaries in the future, he could use this Orb to make Kyogre undergo Primal Reversion.
Rare Candies were truly good stuff. Moltres was already at the peak of the Pseudo-Champion level. With just one Rare Candy, it could become a Champion-level Pokémon.
As for the Words of Ideals, it could be used to revive the Ideal Dragon, Zekrom. At first it seemed similar to the Blue Orb, but the following line made Julian's eyes nearly pop out.
After using the Words of Ideals to revive Zekrom, the latter would follow him. Could this be interpreted as Zekrom becoming his Pokémon?
If that was the case, even if he provoked a First-class Legendary in the future, he could send out Zekrom and summon Kyogre for a two-on-one fight. At that point, he could probably even take on the giant green caterpie.
First-class Legendaries could be ranked too. Pokémon like Mewtwo, Rayquaza, and Ho-Oh were undoubtedly among the top-tier First-class Legendaries.
---
Home, Lake City, Drakoria;
Julian had been holding his hand in a knocking position for almost two minutes but hesitated to actually knock, his face filled with indecision.
'Sigh… I forgot my keys.'
But that was secondary.
"Maybe I should go back to university and hide for a few days. By then, Love and Mom's anger should have subsided," Julian muttered quietly.
Celebi and Jirachi nodded in unison, expressing their agreement.
After all, if Julian got punished, the two of them, as his companions, wouldn't fare much better.
"Alright, it's decided then!"
Julian nodded, but as he turned around, he saw Love standing quietly behind him, holding a vegetable basket.
Bam!
Startled, Julian stumbled backward, hitting the back of his head hard against the door.
"Ahh!"
He let out a cry of pain.
"Dee!"
Love immediately grew anxious, put down the vegetable basket, and rushed to Julian's side. Standing on tiptoe, it reached out to check the back of his head.
Click!
The door was opened by Tina, who had heard Julian bump into it. She had thought it was Love who had forgotten the keys and was knocking, but instead, she saw her own son.
Her face lit up with joy, but the next second, the joy vanished as she stiffened her expression and said, "Well, if it isn't the great Champion Walker, the hero who saved Victoria. So you finally remembered to come home? Did you just recall that you still have an old mother here?"
The sarcastic tone made Julian inwardly sigh, 'Just as I expected.'
"Love, my head really hurts…"
Julian blinked hard, trying to squeeze out some tears.
"Dee~"
Love grew even more distressed, gently blowing on the back of Julian's head.
"Love, this kid is faking it. How can you believe him?" Tina was both angry and amused. Wasn't this acting just too exaggerated?
"Dee!"
Love: "You be quiet! My baby really hit his head. Didn't you hear the sound just now?"
"Yeah, didn't you hear it?"
Julian echoed, sounding smug under her protection—a clear case of a fox relying on the tiger's might.
In this house, Love was the real authority. Champion or not, commander of a First-class Legendary or not—inside these walls, you had to listen to Love.
"Love, didn't we agree to teach this kid a proper lesson? Did you forget that already?" Tina stomped her foot in frustration.
They were supposed to be allies, but as soon as this kid cried out in pain, Love immediately softened. What kind of alliance was this?
Love: 'As his mother, all you did was give birth to him. I'm the one who raised him!'
"Love, you really are the best one to me in this family," Julian held Love's hand affectionately—just like when she used to hold his hand and walk him home from school.
Sure enough, once Julian used his "ultimate move," Love's remaining anger immediately dissipated.
"Dee~"
Her expression softened as Love gently said, "As long as you understand. Just remember, don't mess around like this next time."
Love's tone grew a bit stern at the end.
Julian quickly nodded, indicating that there would be no next time.
Seeing him so obedient, Love smiled happily and led him inside.
Tina could only shake her head helplessly. Though Love ruled this household and took care of everyone well, the one she doted on the most was undoubtedly Julian.
If she herself scolded him even a little, Love would immediately take Julian's side—and Tina probably wouldn't even get dinner that night.
"Dad, you're home too?"
As soon as Julian stepped inside, he saw his father leisurely lying on the couch scrolling through his phone.
"As the music plays, our Bill starts another exciting day. Today, he's hauling a truckload of bananas—"
It was one of those classic "manly motivational" channels.
"Hmph, you unfilial brat!"
Jake shot Julian a glare.
"I asked around for you—Kyogre likes sweet fish bait. If you're using lures, get a Groudon-style one that sinks."
Did he really ask?
Of course not. It was all made up by Julian. Since there was no way Jake would actually manage to catch Kyogre, it was fine to just string him along.
"...Really?"
"Really."
Julian nodded solemnly.
"Good son."
Julian rolled his eyes. 'His mood changes faster than the weather.'
BANG!
With a loud noise, the door was violently pushed open.
"Julian!"
His aunt, Quinn, came running excitedly into the house.
"Here."
Before she could even speak, Julian handed her a transparent bottle containing Groudon's blood.
"Have your Pokémon carry it—it weighs about a thousand kilograms."
To avoid raising suspicions about his superhuman physique, Julian used his psychic powers to handle it.
Hearing that, Quinn immediately released her assistant Pokémon, a Machamp.
She gazed at the bottle with gleaming eyes, watching the molten, lava-like liquid swirl inside.
Even though it had been separated from Groudon's body, the blood still pulsed with astonishing vitality, writhing faintly within the container.
"Return it to me after your research. Also, the blood's temperature is extremely high—you'll need to isolate it before opening. Otherwise, you might just turn to ash on the spot," Julian warned.
He had originally planned to feed the blood to Moltres directly, but his aunt kept calling him nonstop, so he had no choice but to let her study it first.
"Mmhmm! What about Kyogre's scale?"
"You can't have the scale. It carries Kyogre's will. If I give it to you, it'll get angry. You don't want its Origin Pulse blowing up your lab, do you?" Julian waved his hand.
Hearing this, Quinn had no choice but to drop the idea.
"Second Brother, Sister-in-Law, Love—I'm off!"
With that, she hurried away excitedly, having stayed for less than three minutes.
For Pokémon researchers, this drop of Groudon's blood was undoubtedly the most valuable research subject of the century—bar none.
Back at Quinn's laboratory, the most brilliant Pokémon scholars from all over Drakoria had already gathered.
They wanted to unravel the mysteries of a First-class Legendary.
*****
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