Winning the championship—wasn't that a given?
In Julian's eyes, since he was now serving as the team instructor—he had to bring home the championship. Otherwise, wouldn't that be embarrassing for him?
Even if he hadn't wanted the position in the first place, he had already accepted the benefits that came with it. There was no backing out now.
---
"Ding!"
"Temporary Mission: Lead the team to win the World Youth Championship."
"Reward: Words of Truth, 50,000 points."
---
The system really was like a warm, cozy jacket to him. Just yesterday, he had obtained the Light Stone, and today the system issued a mission to give him the "Words of Truth" to resurrect Reshiram.
And the mission requirement? Simply winning the championship.
This gave Julian even more motivation.
"Alright," he said. "Everyone, release your strongest Pokémon. Let me take a look."
The ten nodded and immediately released their ace Pokémon.
Ember: Blaziken, Level 82, early-stage Pseudo-Champion.
Asher: Salamence, Level 81, early-stage Pseudo-Champion.
Rowan: Abomasnow, Level 83, early-stage Pseudo-Champion.
Pierce: Regirock, Level 82, early-stage Pseudo-Champion.
Adrian: Venusaur, Level 81, early-stage Pseudo-Champion.
Marcus: Gardevoir, Level 81, early-stage Pseudo-Champion.
Ian: Tyranitar, Level 80, Peak Elite.
Noah: Gyarados, Level 80, Peak Elite.
Evan: Glalie, Level 80, Peak Elite.
Sky: Zapdos, Level 80, Peak Elite.
---
The ten Pokémon stood in a row. Though they didn't quite understand what was happening, the Moltres standing across from them made every one of them tremble. The oppressive, invincible aura radiating from it made even these aces feel deeply unsettled.
Julian nodded with mild satisfaction. These ten were indeed strong—and among them were even two Legendary Pokémon.
Moltres's gaze, however, locked immediately onto Zapdos. Its eyes flashing with open disdain.
'As fellow Legendary Bird, this one is pathetically weak. A single flame from me could probably burn it down.'
Moltres had gotten a bit arrogant lately. Ever since joining Julian, its strength had skyrocketed, and now it had officially become Julian's second Champion-level Pokémon.
Something it would never have dreamed of in the past.
After taking a moment to evaluate them all, Julian's eyes finally fixed on Marcus's Gardevoir, causing the Pokémon to tense up instinctively.
Beside him, Marcus looked slightly nervous and asked, "Champion Walker, is there something wrong with my Gardevoir?"
"Its wrist—has it been injured before?" Julian asked calmly.
Upon hearing this, Marcus was stunned, then quickly nodded. Though he was curious about how Julian knew, he didn't ask. Instead, he hurriedly explained, "Three years ago, while exploring a secret realm, an accident happened. Gardevoir was badly injured protecting me—its wrist severely damaged. Even after treatment, it was left with a hidden injury."
Fortunately, Gardevoir was a Psychic-type Pokémon. If it had been a Fighting-type with that kind of injury, it wouldn't just be unable to perform at full strength—it might even suffer a sudden relapse in a critical moment.
Even for Gardevoir, however, that old wrist injury was still a ticking time bomb. If it wasn't completely healed, it would definitely hinder its future growth—especially since the schedule for the World Youth Championship was bound to be intense.
Thinking of this, Julian reached into his pocket and took out a small vial of potion, tossing it lightly to Marcus.
"Have it drink this, and it should be fine."
"Thank you, Champion Walker!"
Marcus was overjoyed. He didn't doubt the effectiveness of the potion Julian gave him. Since Julian offered it, it meant the potion could cure Gardevoir.
Moreover, the fact that Julian could identify Gardevoir's hidden injury at a glance made him deeply convinced.
Julian: 'Under the Probing Eyes, nothing remains hidden.'
Oh—and as a side note, Marcus's Gardevoir was male, which made the species' elegant appearance seem even more… ironic.
After drinking the potion, Gardevoir felt a warm current flow through its wrist. It rotated it gently—normally, it would have felt stiffness or pain, but now, that sensation was completely gone.
Its wrist had truly recovered.
Gardevoir turned and smiled softly at its anxious trainer, reassuring him that the injury was gone.
"That's great, Gardevoir!" Marcus exclaimed, hugging it with relief.
Meanwhile, Julian continued, "Do any of your main team Pokémon also have untreated injuries? If so, release them now, and I'll take care of them."
If he wanted to secure the championship, he couldn't let their Pokémon fight while injured.
Surprisingly, seven of the ten trainers had Pokémon with hidden injuries of various kinds. Left untreated, these injuries would eventually limit their future growth.
"Why didn't you ever mention that you could heal hidden injuries?" Ember asked through gritted teeth.
If she had known Julian had this ability, her Volcarona wouldn't have had to suffer so much.
"You never asked," Julian retorted, rolling his eyes.
Then he turned his gaze toward Ember's Volcarona.
---
Pokémon: Volcarona (Bug/Fire)
Level: 78 (81)
Potential: Blue
Ability: Flame Body
Held Item: Silver Powder
Gender: Female
Moves: Fiery Dance, Struggle Bug, Flame Charge, Flare Blitz, Fire Spin, Gust, Ember, Double-Edge, Take Down, Whirlwind, String Shot, Flame Wheel, Bug Bite, Screech, Amnesia, Quiver Dance, Leech Life, Bug Buzz, Rage Powder
TMs: Protect, Pounce, Heat Wave, Hurricane, Facade, Sunny Day, Air Cutter, Flamethrower, U-turn, Air Slash, Lunge, Calm Mind, Will-O-Wisp, Fly, Fire Blast, Hyper Bean, Giga Impact, Solar Beam
Egg Moves: Absorb, Harden, Morning Sun, Overheat
Note: Absorbed Charcoal; Fire-type moves power increased by 10%.
Note: The body contains lingering toxins—long-term internal poisoning causes constant suffering.
---
Volcarona was an incredibly rare Pokémon—according to some ancient stone tablets, it was even revered as the embodiment of the sun.
"Five years ago, Volcarona fell into a poisonous swamp. Since then, it has been plagued by a stubborn toxin. Not only does it suffer from the poison every day, but its level has also dropped from Pseudo-Champion to Elite."
She gently stroked Volcarona's warm body, her expression full of distress. Volcarona, in turn, nuzzled against her, as if to comfort her.
"Alright, alright, enough with the drama," Julian interrupted. "Have it drink this—it'll recover."
He handed Ember a vial of antidote.
"Will it really work?" Ember asked skeptically.
After all, she had spent a fortune on antidotes and rare treasures trying to cure Volcarona, but nothing had ever worked.
"If you don't want to use it, forget it."
Just as Julian was about to take the antidote back, Ember pulled her hand back immediately.
"I believe my dear cousin wouldn't lie to me."
Then without hesitation, she fed the antidote to Volcarona.
Not long after taking the antidote, Volcarona's energy began to fluctuate intensely, and its level rose from 78 to 79.
"With a bit more rest, it should recover to its previous strength," Julian said.
*****
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