The Imperial Capital National Stadium was the largest sports venue in all of Drakoria, with its main arena capable of seating 500,000 spectators.
July 2nd.
An ordinary day, yet also an extraordinary one.
At 3:00 PM this afternoon, inside this very arena, a special exhibition match would take place between the newly crowned Champion Julian Walker and the veteran Champion—also known as the world’s strongest—Champion Duke Aldridge.
When the news was announced, all 500,000 tickets sold out instantly. The prices weren’t even that high—the most expensive inner-ring tickets cost just 8,000.
But now, scalpers outside were reselling those same tickets for more than 100,000 each—and still, people were desperate to get their hands on one.
After all, compared to the chance of witnessing the new Champion’s exhibition match, 100,000 seemed almost trivial.
The exhibition match would be live-streamed online and broadcasted to the entire world.
Conservative estimates suggested that nearly five to six billion people would tune in to watch Julian face off against Duke.
Just Drakoria alone had a population of 2 billion, and the majority were expected to watch.
Now, at 2:30 PM, the stadium was already packed. The giant broadcast screens were flooded with a dense barrage of comments:
> @HotheadedNewbie: "Why didn’t they invite John Walker? A grandfather-grandson showdown would’ve been even more exciting."
> @FamilyCombo: "Champion Walker is famously a doting grandfather."
> @Charmander_Lover: "I wonder if King Julian can actually win against Champion Duke in this exhibition match."
> @CertifiedSimp: "Dream on, upstairs. It’s called an exhibition match for a reason. Even if they were serious, Julian definitely wouldn’t be a match for Duke."
The internet was buzzing with discussions, everyone eagerly awaiting the start of the exhibition match.
The stadium also had ten VIP boxes offering the best views and the most comfort—complete with sofas and air conditioning.
In VIP Box No. 1, Julian’s parents, grandparents, uncle, aunts, and Love (Indeedee) were all gathered.
With so many people, the box—normally meant for just four people—felt a bit crowded.
But nobody wanted to move to another box. After all, this was a moment of pure joy—and there was nothing better than sharing it with family.
"Big brother, sister-in-law, when your child is born, if you have any questions, just ask me. I have experience in this area—just look at Julian and you’ll know how excellent my parenting skills are!"
Jake wore a face full of pride. His son had really outdone himself—going straight to the Champion tier.
He had originally hoped to become a Champion before Julian—after all, as the father, he couldn’t let his son surpass him so quickly, especially since he was already at the peak of Pseudo-Champion level.
But who could have expected Julian to shoot up like a rocket—from mid-stage Pseudo-Champion to early-stage Champion in one leap.
Now, Jake had completely given up and decided to just take it easy.
'With a Champion father above and a Champion son below, what’s the point of me striving so hard? Isn’t lazing around and fishing way better?'
Alice gently stroked her stomach. Though it still looked flat, a new life was already growing inside.
Hearing Jake’s words, Alice smiled and said, "Then I’ll leave your little niece’s education to you."
With the current level of technology, the baby’s gender could be determined even before fully forming.
Henry quickly interjected, "Don’t listen to this kid’s nonsense. Julian’s achievements today are entirely due to his own hard work. This guy hasn’t contributed even half as much as I have to Julian’s success."
"Big brother, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Jake wasn’t having it. His son had become a Champion—how could he have no credit at all?
"Then tell me, what exactly have you contributed?" Henry challenged.
"I—"
Jake’s words got stuck in his throat. After thinking carefully, he really didn’t seem to have contributed much.
After all, with John being such a doting-grandfather, all of Julian’s early resources were arranged by him—even the Metagross was evolved from a Beldum split from John’s own Metagross.
Finally, after thinking hard for a long while, Jake found at least one thing:
"That Aggron of his—I was the one who found it for him!"
Then, feeling proud of himself, he threw an arm around Tina’s shoulders and added smugly, "And besides—if it weren’t for me and my wife, there wouldn’t even be a Julian! We’re the ones who contributed the most!"
"Dee~"
Love looked at Jake with a gentle smile: "So I didn’t contribute to anything?"
Jake shuddered and quickly added, "Of course, and Love! If it hadn’t taken care of Julian since he was little, even giving him a glass of Moomoo Milk every day, Julian wouldn’t have such a strong physique!"
In the end, it all came down to his own excellent genes, which produced a prodigy like Julian.
"I really gave birth to a great son," Jake sighed with emotion.
John suddenly smacked Jake on the head, glaring at him: "You came from me, your father! As for my dear grandson’s achievements today—"
"I take ten percent of the credit. The rest is all due to my dear grandson’s own hard work. You, as his father, contributed nothing. You might even have to rely on your son to become a Champion someday."
"Whether I become a Champion or not doesn’t matter anymore. I’ll just rely on this brat to take care of me in my old age," Jake waved his hand, having completely embraced a laid-back lifestyle.
After all, his peak Pseudo-Champion strength was more than enough for anything he needed.
Plus, he currently held the title of the Steel-type Elite.
He had originally thought about letting Julian compete in the Elite Challenge in a couple of years so he could pass the Steel Elite title to him.
But Julian skipped straight to the top and became a Champion.
"You take ten percent? Then what about me?"
Evelyn shot a dissatisfied glare at John.
John replied bluntly, "What credit do you even have? You divorced me not long after our dear grandson was born. If you remarry me, I’ll give you that ten percent credit."
At first, Evelyn was ready to slap John for the first part of his remark, but the second half made her realize this old rascal was deliberately provoking her.
"Mom, why don’t you just remarry Dad?" Henry chimed in. "Look, Alice is already pregnant, and I’m usually so busy. If you come back, you can help take care of your little granddaughter."
Alice added beside him, "Yes, Mom. Once the baby is born, I’m afraid I won’t be able to handle it all alone. Hiring someone to help just doesn’t feel right."
Love gestured that it could help—its own cub had grown up, and it had nothing much to do at home now. Besides, it had experience; it had practically raised Julian by itself.
But before it could say anything out loud, Tina quickly covered its mouth.
"Julian is going to have children too someday. You can take care of his kids then," Tina whispered.
Love’s eyes instantly lit up.
That’s right—its own cub was all grown up now. It was time for him to marry and have children. It would much prefer raising its own grandchild.
Evelyn, meanwhile, was swayed by Henry and Alice’s words.
She had always felt guilty for not raising Julian herself after the divorce. But now, she still had the chance to look after her eldest son’s child.
Knock, knock.
Just then, there was a knock and the door opened.
A staff member entered and addressed John: "Champion Walker, Elite Catherine would like to request your presence."
The entire Walker family: (⊙ˍ⊙)
*****
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