A few days later, Julian returned safely to Drakoria's waters aboard the warship, which left him slightly disappointed. Why had Celestria been so sensible this time?
It was understandable that they didn’t send their own Champion, but why hadn’t they instigated other countries to come after him, like Babath or Malasiar?
This really wasn’t like the usual style of Celestria.
"Slow~"
While enjoying the sea breeze on the deck, Julian suddenly heard Slowking’s voice. His body stiffened instantly, and his neck turned mechanically toward the sound.
"Slowking, how come three hours have passed so quickly?"
His eyes fell on the green, juice-like liquid in Slowking's hands.
In reality, this drink was a blend of several types of berries, fruits, and vegetables, all chosen for their shared benefit of cleansing the digestive system.
Who told Julian to indulge in all the local "delicacies" everywhere he went in Pannar? To make matters worse, he had foolishly locked Slowking's Poké Ball to prevent any interference.
Each ingredient in this juice was fairly tasty on its own, but when mixed together, the flavor became something even more "exquisite" than Pannar's "delicacies." A single sip felt like a one-way ticket to the heavens.
And now he had to drink a whole cup of it every three hours.
"Slow~"
Slowking smiled at Julian, but the smile was downright terrifying. Julian could almost see a demonic shadow looming behind Slowking.
The more arrogant he had been earlier, the more pathetic he looked now.
"It's not fair! Why doesn't Celebi have to drink it?" Julian complained.
After all, that guy had eaten even more than he had.
Slowking: "Did it get diarrhea?"
Julian’s face stiffened. Celebi was truly something else—it had eaten so much yet didn’t get diarrhea. In fact, it had even gained a little weight.
"I had diarrhea, so I’ve already cleansed myself. Celebi didn’t, which means its stomach is still full of toxins," Julian argued.
Just then, Celebi flew onto the deck from the kitchen, holding a roasted chicken, and overheard Julian’s words.
It gave Julian a disdainful look and sneered: "Noob!!"
After Julian returned to Drakoria’s waters, the Drakorian Trainers Association officially updated his trainer profile from Pseudo-Champion to Champion.
And at 7 p.m. that evening, all television stations in Drakoria would simultaneously broadcast the announcement by the Grand Elder, proclaiming Julian as the nation’s seventh Champion.
The early update of Julian’s trainer profile on the official website served as a warm-up for the announcement.
People who frequently followed Julian quickly noticed that his trainer rank had suddenly changed to Champion.
> @Gardevoir’s_Stockings: "Julian's a Champion? They must have made a mistake—how could the staff be so careless?"
> @Can'tSeeMyFeetWhenLookingDown: "The system must've been hacked."
> @Hubby_King_Julian: "What's wrong with my husband becoming a Champion? Isn’t it totally normal?"
> @Bulbasaur: Gym Leader Walker just posted on his TikTok—turns out he’s in Pannar, happily devouring their "delicacies."
> @Bone-Loving_Mightyena: "Shouldn’t we be focusing on Julian’s trainer rank? But wow, Celebi sure eats a lot."
On the Trainers Association's official website, although Julian’s trainer rank had been updated to Champion and many people had seen it—but no one actually believed it.
They all thought it must have been a system error or a mistake by the staff.
Even those who claimed to believe in Julian didn’t actually mean it—they were just being sarcastic.
Everyone’s perception of Julian was still stuck at Pseudo-Champion. Besides, they knew he had only become a Pseudo-Champion just a year ago.
In such a short time, jumping directly from Pseudo-Champion to Champion? Not even fictional novels would dare write something like that.
Julian wasn’t the protagonist of some fantasy novel. Besides, with his privileged young-master background, he was more like a villain character.
So basically, no one believed that Julian had become a Champion.
People preferred to believe what they could rationalize or see with their own eyes.
However, the Walker family group chat was blowing up. John had just shared the news about Julian becoming a Champion. He had assumed Julian would announce it himself in the family group, but Julian hadn’t said a word.
Julian had been too busy enjoying himself eating and drinking in Pannar to bother messaging in the family group. Plus, he figured that with his grandfather’s personality, the news of his grandson becoming a Champion—which was a huge deal—he would have already told everyone.
Turns out, neither of them said anything.
[Fishing Enthusiast: Checked the date—today isn’t April Fool’s Day. Dad, are you getting senile?]
[Happy CEO: Dad, although our Julian is indeed outstanding and is bound to become a Champion sooner or later, isn’t it a bit too early?]
[Female Saint: Julian became a Champion? Dad, it’s not even dark yet.]
[Loving Mother: My son has became a Champion? My son really is amazing!]
[Love: Are you doubting that my cub can become a Champion?]
Once the big shot spoke, the tone in the group chat immediately changed.
[Female Saint: I think you fake family members don’t have enough faith in Julian.]
[Happy CEO’s Wife: On the Trainers Association's website, Julian’s trainer rank has been updated to Champion. What Dad said might actually be true.]
[Family’s Favorite Julian: From now on, call me Champion Walker.]
---
At 7 p.m., all television stations in Drakoria, along with TikTok and other streaming apps, interrupted their regular programming. Those watching short videos, TV shows, movies—basically anyone looking at a screen.
At exactly seven o’clock, the content on every screen switched to show a familiar face: the Grand Elder of Drakoria, seated in a familiar chair with a rosewood desk in front of him.
At this moment, everyone staring at a screen was utterly bewildered. No one understood why the Grand Elder had suddenly appeared. Even when they changed channels, it was still the Grand Elder on every single one—the same image, without any variation.
Seeing the serious expression on the Grand Elder’s face, many began to speculate: Was Drakoria about to go to war with Celestria? Or was the end of the world approaching?
However, those with sharper memories began to recall something. Hadn’t a similar situation occurred a few years ago—back when John became a Champion?
'Could it be…?'
Some people thought of how Julian’s trainer rank had been updated to Champion on the official website, and their eyes widened in disbelief.
'This… couldn’t actually be true, could it?'
"Fellow citizens of Drakoria," the Grand Elder began, his stern face breaking into a smile. "Just ten days ago, Drakoria welcomed its seventh Champion."
"This Champion is someone you are all very familiar with. Since becoming a trainer, he has lived much of his life in the public eye. You could say you have watched him grow step by step."
By this point, most people had a single name flashing through their minds:
'Julian!!'
But he was only 22 years old! Was this for real? Or were they just misunderstanding?
"The newly crowned Champion of Drakoria," the Grand Elder announced, "is Julian Walker from Lake City, Yale Province!"
BOOM!!
In that moment, the entire nation of Drakoria erupted.
*****
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