As the examiner, Scott had already fought five consecutive battles and lost all five. His mental state had collapsed, then recovered, only to collapse again.
One could only say… he had a remarkably strong heart.
Now, it was finally time for the sixth and final battle. In the previous five battles, Julian had sent out his Pokémon first, as he was the one being assessed.
But this time, before Julian could send out his Pokémon, Scott had already released his sixth Pokémon—a fiery monkey with flames atop its head appeared on the field.
---
Pokémon: Infernape (Fire/Fighting)
Level: 80
Potential: Cyan
Ability: Iron Fist
Held Item: Focus Sash
Gender: Male
Moves: Close Combat, Mach Punch, Flare Blitz, Taunt, Nasty Plot, Facade, Flamethrower, Power-Up Punch, Flame Wheel, Torment, Calm Mind, Acrobatics, Fire Spin
TMs: Protect, Focus Punch, Bulk Up, Work Up, Hyper Beam, Iron Tail, Dig, Fire Blast, Rock Tomb, Brick Break, Overheat, Focus Blast
Egg Moves: Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Double Kick, Blaze Kick
---
It turned out to be an Infernape, and judging by its level, it was likely Scott's ace.
It made sense—this was the sixth and final battle, there was no reason not to bring out his strongest Pokémon.
A level 80 Infernape—peak Elite-tier.
'Meh, passable.' Julian wasn't particularly disappointed.
Since his opponent had already revealed his ace, Julian naturally responded with his own: Metagross.
---
Pokémon: Metagross (Steel/Psychic)
Level: 79
Potential: Purple
Ability: Light Metal
Held Item: Metal Coat
Gender: Genderless
Moves: Tackle, Steel Beam, Confusion, Metal Claw, Bullet Punch, Flash Cannon, Magnet Rise, Psychic, Scary Face, Hammer Arm, Meteor Mash, Take Down, Agility, Hyper Beam
TMs: Iron Head, Zen Headbutt, Iron Defense, Reflect, Protect, Light Screen, Psycho Cut, Shadow Ball, Gyro Ball, Psyshock, Trailblaze, Bulldoze, Mud-Slap, Aerial Ace, Icy Wind, Rock Tomb, Brick Break, Thunder Punch, Rest, Teleport, Psychic Fangs, Hard Press, Giga Impact, Future Sight, Focus Punch, Earthquake, Heavy Slam, Body Slam, Ice Beam Rock Slide, Grass Knot, Recover
Egg Moves: None
Note: Enhanced by the Heart of Arceus—all stats boosted, potential increased.
Note: After absorbing the Blacklight Core, the Pokémon continuously absorbs sunlight to restore its stamina (limited to Steel- and Rock-types)
---
Including Metagross, Julian had already sent out six of his Steel-type Pokémon. Of course, his main team wasn't limited to just these six—the others simply weren't Steel-types or were considered his second team.
In this world, Metagross wasn't exclusive to the Walker family—several other families in Drakoria also owned them.
But a silver-white Metagross? That was a Walker family trademark, with no imitations worldwide.
Ever since the Walker family's founding ancestor obtained a silver-white Metagross, the family gradually rose to prominence in Drakoria. Through generations of effort, the Walker family had secured their current status and prestige in the nation.
One could say that the silver-white Metagross shaped the Walker family—John, Jake, Julian, and their ancestors—just as much as the Walker family shaped the silver-white Metagross.
The bond between them was a true two-way journey.
Mention one, and the other inevitably comes to mind.
"Meta~"
Metagross hovered silently three meters above the ground.
At this moment, it stood just one step away from the peak of Elite-level.
Even though Metagross hadn't moved, the Infernape across from it suddenly tensed up, every muscle on edge—and even took a subconscious step back.
Realizing what it had just done, Infernape glared at Metagross furiously, its fur bristling with anger.
It had actually been intimidated.
Metagross observed the monkey-like creature—no, literally a monkey—before proceeding to demonstrate what a perfect all-round warrior looked like.
Speed, power, defense, HP, special attack, special defense—every aspect was flawless.
Rather than calling it a "hexagonal warrior," it was more accurate to describe it as a perfect circle of combat prowess.
Metagross didn't crush Infernape with overwhelming power. Instead, it slowly wore it down and exhausted it, until Infernape finally collapsed.
The match lasted a full half hour.
In that time, Infernape had unleashed over a hundred moves.
The outcome—defeating Infernape—was the same, but the manner in which Metagross achieved it spoke volumes about its true strength.
Watching his Infernape faint from exhaustion, Scott retrieved it with a bitter smile.
With that, his assessment task was over.
And as expected, Julian had claimed a complete victory.
Before long, the battle footage would be uploaded to the Trainer Association's official website… and his humiliation would be broadcasted to the entire nation.
---
"Ah, you brat," Jake sighed theatrically as the protective barrier dissolved, walking over with a mock scowl.
"Couldn't you have given your Uncle Scott at least one win? Spare his dignity a little?"
His words were playful, but the pride in his eyes was unmistakable.
Julian didn't reply, but the meaning was clear: Throwing a match out of pity would've been unfair to his Pokémon.
Of course, he understood that Jake was just teasing Scott on purpose.
A true trainer would never throw a winnable battle without good reason—because every fight involved more than just themselves. They owed their Pokémon their very best.
"My reputation's ruined," Scott grumbled. "His Metagross is already way stronger than yours was at his age."
Jake's expression shifted—he straightened up and replied seriously, "You're not even that old—how's your memory so bad? When I was his age, my Metagross was just as strong as his!"
Julian: 'Dad, even you don't believe that, do you? Unless you were also cheating with a system—and if you had hacks at your age, our Walker family would've already conquered the world by now.'
Scott said flatly, "You really have no shame."
Though he scorned Jake's shameless boasting, deep down, he couldn't help but envy him for having such a monstrously talented son.
For a great clan to thrive and continue for generations, every new generation must produce outstanding successors. Only then could a family maintain its strength and legacy.
If there came a time when no new talents emerged, it would only be a matter of time before the family declined.
Scott's family wasn't as powerful as the Walkers, but they were among the closest in standing.
Though he wasn't the family head—his elder brother held that position—he was one of the key figures within it.
They did have their fair share of promising heirs—however, their "promising" was merely enough to maintain their status, not elevate it.
To truly push the family to greater heights, they'd need descendants on the level of Pierce or Asher.
And if they had someone like Julian? Then that person would basically become the founding ancestor of a new lineage.
"Let's grab drinks tonight—don't sulk over it."
Jake threw an arm around his old classmate's shoulders. After all, wasn't friendship just mutual mockery that somehow brought people closer?
"Yeah, right!"
Scott snorted like it was the biggest joke he'd heard in years.
Jake immediately looked offended. "For your information, my alcohol tolerance has improved over the years. I can drink three of you under the table—easy!"
Julian took a bright red booklet from the hands of a staff member from the Trainers' Association. This wasn't some low-end real estate certificate.
This red booklet was proof of his appointment as the official National Steel-type Gym Leader.
Opening it revealed the Trainers' Association emblem, Julian's photo, and his current position clearly stated: National Steel-type Gym Leader.
He pulled out his phone, snapped a photo, and posted it to his Moments with the caption:
"From now on, please address me as Gym Leader Walker."
In the past, "Elite Walker" referred to his grandfather John, while "Gym Leader Walker" was his father Jake. Now, the titles had shifted:
- Champion Walker = John
- Elite Walker = Jake
- Gym Leader Walker = Julian
The entire Walker family now held official national positions—if this were his past life, countless women would be lining up to marry him.
Actually, even more in this life.
Sent!
Julian didn't have many friends. Only a handful of high school classmates had his contact info, plus some university peers from the Special Recruitment class, a few university team members, and a couple of others.
All combined, his friends list didn't even reach fifty.
The first to see his post was Luis.
Rubbing his eyes, Luis wondered if he was hallucinating. Brother Walker, missing for over half a year, suddenly posted something to his Moments—and the content was explosive.
After vanishing for over half a year… he'd now become the National Steel-type Gym Leader?!
Was this a joke?
But the certificate in the picture… didn't look fake.
Unless counterfeiters had gotten way too skilled.
Alongside the Moments post, Julian also uploaded a short video on TikTok. The clip went like this:
- Julian walked down a street and suddenly saw a big red booklet lying ahead.
- He picked it up and asked: "Whose booklet is this?"
- Then, pretending to be curious, he opened it: "Oh—it's mine!"
- Smirking at the camera: "It's my certificate for becoming the National Steel-type Gym Leader."
"Since everyone on this app is supposedly a millionaire with Elite-level strength, me becoming a National-level Gym Leader at this age shouldn't be a big deal, right? Compared to you all, I'm still far behind—wouldn't you say so, Metagross?"
"Meta~"
---
Meanwhile, on the Trainers' Association's official website, some people—those who had nothing better to do—were browsing the profiles of top trainers.
Things like the Six Champions, the Eighteen Type-Elites, and the top names in the Elite-tier ranking… These were the powerhouses who held significant influence in Drakoria's training world.
And just below that were the eighteen National-level Gym Leaders.
Most of these eighteen Gym Leaders were household names.
Kris, a college freshman, was scrolling through the Gym Leaders' profiles, daydreaming about joining their ranks one day.
When Kris scrolled past the Steel-type Gym Leader section, he almost swiped right by it—until something caught his eye. He quickly scrolled back, then slowly, his face shifted into an expression of growing shock.
---
Name: Julian Walker
Gender: Male
Date of Birth: September 6, 2000
Place of Residence: Lake City, Yale Province
Occupation: Trainer (Pseudo-Champion)
Pokémon Team: Metagross, Lucario, Dragonite, Steelix, Aggron, Melmetal...
Position: National Steel-type Gym Leader
Education: Sophomore at Imperial University
---
And just below the profile was the battle footage of Julian defeating the assessment officer, Scott Wilson.
That footage, being the proof of Julian's qualification as a National-level Gym Leader, had already begun to spread widely.
Kris: "Holy shit, guys, come look at this—someone's straight-up hacking real life!"
At just 20 years old, Julian had become the youngest National-level Gym Leader in history, shattering all previous records.
Many people began to question whether Julian's Champion grandfather had pulled strings.
After all, Julian's strength was only at the early-stage of Elite-tier. Normally, to be a National-level Gym Leader, you'd need to be at least mid-to-late stage Elite in strength.
But very quickly, people started noticing the "Pseudo-Champion" label under his strength rating.
'Pseudo-Champion?!'
Was this for real?
For the past six months, neither Imperial University students nor the general public had seen any sign of Julian.
Rumors spread: some said he was undergoing secret training somewhere; others said he had entered a mysterious secret realm; a few even claimed he had died in the wilderness.
There were all kinds of theories—but no proof for any of them.
Yet now, out of nowhere, he resurfaced with social media updates flaunting his new Gym Leader title.
Gone for six months, and now suddenly he returned as a Pseudo-Champion and a National-level Gym Leader at that?
Alright, if he really was a Pseudo-Champion, then becoming a Gym Leader was definitely justified.
But what people couldn't understand was: 'How the hell did Julian jump from early-stage Elite to Pseudo-Champion in just six months?!'
Then, two so-called "insiders"—Rowan [Redacted] and Asher [Redacted]—claimed Julian had captured a Pseudo-Champion-level Pokémon.
Everyone went silent at that.
Then they checked his profile again—sure enough, under Julian's Pokémon list, there was a Moltres.
They remembered it wasn't there six months ago—but now it was.
And then they noticed he was still just a sophomore in university.
Everyone: (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Naturally, this stirred even more curiosity: 'How did Julian manage to capture a Pseudo-Champion Moltres while only being early-stage Elite? Did his grandpa help him?'
Once again, the "insiders" stepped forward, revealing that Julian had spent the last six months inside a newly-emerged Top-tier secret realm in the Western Ocean.
After entering the secret realm, Julian's Metagross broke through from Pseudo-Elite to late-stage Elite-tier, and it was Metagross itself that defeated Moltres.
As for the appearance of this Top-tier secret realm in the Western Ocean, once Julian and the other young geniuses from various nations had entered it, the countries involved did not keep it a secret. They had publicly released the information.
However, the identities of the participants were never disclosed.
At least in Drakoria, the names were never revealed.
Now that people found out Julian had disappeared for six months because he had been inside a newly emerged Top-tier secret realm, and that he was among the first wave of explorers, everything made more sense.
Such places were full of opportunities, yes—but even more so full of life-threatening danger.
Especially when people learned that not a single genius Trainer from Celestria, Gallia, or Anglia had made it out alive—and those Trainers had all been mid- to late-stage Elite in strength.
That fact alone shocked a massive portion of the public.
This only further reinforced people's understanding of just how terrifying that secret realm truly was.
Given these circumstances, the fact that Julian not only made it out alive but also captured a Pseudo-Champion Moltres could only be described with one word:
Legendary!
Additionally, many had now seen the video of Julian's battle against the examiner Scott—it wasn't even close.
Some veteran Trainers went as far as to analyze the video frame by frame, and eventually came to an absolutely terrifying conclusion:
Every single one of Julian's Pokémon could take down at least three of Scott's.
And if it were Metagross in particular, it could probably sweep all six on its own.
In the final battle, Metagross literally toyed with Infernape, exhausting it until it passed out—without even shedding a flake of metal.
Julian didn't know it yet, but for a long time afterward, Scott would be stuck counseling his traumatized Infernape, trying to help it rebuild its shattered confidence.