Among the ten students who came from Shu University to participate in the exchange match, more than half had initially wanted to join Imperial University—largely because of Julian.
But the Special Recruitment Class at Imperial University only had twenty slots, which had already been filled, so they naturally didn't recruit any of them.
These students were among the most outstanding talents. If they couldn't get into the Special Recruitment Class, their only option was to enter the regular class.
And even if you entered the regular class at Imperial University, you wouldn't receive any material benefits—only the Special Recruitment Class students received those.
So, when Imperial University didn't extend them offers and Shu did, they weighed the pros and cons and chose Shu instead.
Julian might've been their idol, but they weren't about to throw away their futures over star chasing.
"Let's go. We'll head to Battle Arena No. 1 first," said the instructor leading the Shu University team.
The stands around Imperial University's primary battle arena were already packed, with even the aisles crowded.
The annual inter-university exchange match was one of the liveliest events of the year.
Meanwhile, Julian, having been roped into this by Frank, stood before Imperial's University Special Recruitment Class freshmen.
Glancing at the ten students selected for the match, he said flatly, "Figure out your own battle order and take the stage when it's your turn."
With that, he dropped into a chair.
He had Shu's participant list in hand—complete with their strengths and specialties—but he didn't bother reading it.
At his level, this "exchange match" was little more than children playing pretend.
The ten freshmen—Imperial's special class recruits—nodded eagerly, their eyes shining as they looked at Julian.
He was only two years their senior, yet his power and achievements were realms beyond what they might ever reach.
Still, just making it into the Special Recruitment Class of institutions like Imperial, Shu, or the First Military Academy meant they had the potential to become an Elite-level trainer.
The very best among them might even hit that level by graduation.
But Julian?
He had long since outgrown Imperial University. Even the Trainer Academy's dean was no match for him now.
Below the Champion-tier, he was really invincible.
Among the ten students, nine were male, and only one was female. They quickly settled on their battle order.
The first one to step forward smirked.
"Just sit back and watch me sweep all ten of them—just like Senior Julian did back in the day."
With that boast, he confidently strode onto the stage.
"Arrogant fool. Does he really think he can compare to Senior Julian?" One of the students muttered disdainfully.
"How many do you think Ben can take down? I'm betting on two."
"Just one, probably."
"What if he's the one who loses?"
The group debated among themselves.
Ben was the grandson of Brad, the Poison-type Elite, and this year's national Poison-type champion for high school seniors.
In addition to provincial high school tournaments, Drakoria also held eighteen separate Type-specific championships exclusively for senior high school students. Competitors could only enter the tournament matching their primary Pokémon's type.
Out of the twenty students in Imperial University's Special Recruitment Class this year, ten had won their respective Type championships, while the other ten had claimed victory in their provincial individual tournaments.
Julian himself had entered Imperial University's Special Recruitment Class as the individual champion of the Silver Province League.
This year's Special Recruitment Class was arguably the most stacked in Imperial University's history—all twenty were champions, and the prestige of their wins was undeniable.
The rest of the national champions had been recruited by the other four top institutions.
Three hours later, the exchange match concluded with Imperial University securing seven wins and three losses, claiming victory over Shu.
This marked Imperial University's third consecutive year of dominance in the event.
It wasn't that Shu's Special Recruitment Class had weakened—it was that Imperial's had grown even stronger.
"Senior Julian, how did we do?" Ben asked excitedly.
Though he hadn't replicated Julian's legendary 1v10 sweep, he had taken down three opponents single-handedly, showcasing his masterful control over Poison-type tactics.
His strategy, however, was… a bit shady.
Once an opponent's Pokémon was poisoned, he'd stall relentlessly if they lacked a cure, dragging the match until toxicity whittled them down. All three of his wins came from opponents collapsing mid-battle, their Pokémon drained by poison.
"Not bad," Julian nodded.
He actually approved of Ben's approach. Dirty? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely. And in the wild, such pragmatism could mean the difference between life and death.
With the exchange match over, Julian's temporary role as supervisor ended. Truthfully, he'd done little beyond showing up.
---
Back at the villa, Slowking was already preparing dinner. Julian also spotted Nicole on the couch, engrossed in a book titled:
"Caterpie & Rayquaza."
She was so absorbed in the book that she didn't even notice his return.
Bathed in the soft glow of the evening light, Nicole radiated a kind of serene, intellectual elegance—her long hair loosely flowing down down her back, a cup of Slowking-brewed coffee resting on the table beside her.
When she picked up her coffee cup and realized it was empty, Nicole was about to ask Slowking for a refill—only to look up and see Julian standing right in front of her.
He was just… quietly watching her.
"…What are you looking at?"
Nicole tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear—a casual, natural motion.
For the record, most men found this gesture irresistibly charming—provided, of course, the woman in question was beautiful.
"You," Julian grinned, settling onto the couch.
With one smooth motion, he pulled Nicole onto his lap.
Though it wasn't the first time something like this had happened, Nicole still blushed and instinctively struggled a bit to get away. But her soft waist was firmly held by Julian, making escape impossible.
She didn't realize that her gentle squirming only seemed to deepen Julian's breathing—his gaze becoming increasingly intense, predatory even.
Seeing that look in his eyes, Nicole's heart began to race.
"Slow~"
Slowking: "Dinner's ready."
At that moment, Slowking emerged from the kitchen carrying the final dish.
The table was already set with five dishes and a soup. Celebi, seated impatiently in its chair, zoomed into the kitchen to grab rice the second Slowking announced the meal.
Julian finally released Nicole, who bolted to the dining table like a startled Stantler.
Julian: "Slowking… next time, maybe delay dinner a little longer."
Nicole: ( *︾▽︾) [nervous smile].
*****
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