Julian’s words truly gave Ian a moment of clarity. Seeing Ian’s thoughtful expression, Julian patted him on the shoulder.


    “Think about it, and if there’s anything you don’t understand, just come and ask me.”


    On the surface, that sounded perfectly reasonable. But if you gave it some thought, it was full of flaws.


    After all, Julian was still single himself—how was he qualified to give Ian advice on pursuing a woman?


    And yet, Ian, probably having been thoroughly bamboozled by Julian’s nonsense, actually nodded in agreement.


    Since he couldn’t defeat Acacia, he might as well join her.


    And the way to join her? Marry her and have kids with her.


    That way, even though he had been losing to her for over a decade, he would still be the ultimate winner in the end.


    Acacia might have a fiery temper, but with her family background, beauty, and figure—all top-tier—it would be an absolute steal if he could marry her.


    Nearby, Hannah, who had been listening to their absurd conversation, stared at the two of them as if they were out of their minds.


    One of them had the audacity to suggest it, and the other actually had the gall to agree.


    Once most of the people had left, Julian also exited the hall, leaving Ian sitting there alone, lost in thought.


    Hannah immediately followed after Julian.


    As he walked, Julian eventually noticed that Hannah was still trailing behind him, so he turned his head and asked, “Are you planning on following me home?”


    Hannah nodded, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, “I’m craving Slowking’s coffee.”


    Slowking’s coffee was simply divine. Julian was convinced that anyone who had tasted it once would never be able to forget it.


    Julian fell silent, saying no more, while Hannah quietly trailed behind him. It was unclear what was on her mind, but her thoughts seemed to drift farther and farther away.


    At this moment, two Machamp were moving heavy cargo a few steps ahead. Julian slowed down, preparing to give them space. However, Hannah, walking behind him, wasn’t paying attention and ended up bumping right into his back.


    “Hey! What are you doing?”


    “You’re a grown adult—how are you still not watching where you’re going?”


    Hannah had just been about to snap back at him, but hearing his annoyed tone, she puffed out her cheeks angrily and glared at him.


    “What? Can’t handle a little scolding?” Julian teased, raising an eyebrow.


    Just then, the two Machamp carrying the cargo walked right past them. However, perhaps due to the weight of the load, one of the Machamp lost its grip.


    The massive cargo tilted dangerously toward Julian and Hannah.


    Cargo that required two Machamp to carry was definitely no joke when it came to weight.


    As it toppled toward them, the heavy creaking sound made Hannah’s mind go blank. For a moment, she was certain she was about to be flattened into a pancake alongside Julian.


    Julian had no idea that, even in such a situation, Hannah’s mind was filled with such ridiculous thoughts.


    Just catch the falling cargo—what’s the big deal?


    Julian caught the massive load with one hand, steadying it just before it toppled over.


    He raised an eyebrow.


    It was indeed quite heavy, probably about two tons.


    If it wasn’t for his Mega Pallet Town physique, this accident might have actually killed him.


    Still holding the cargo with a single hand, he barely seemed fazed.


    Hannah, witnessing this scene, was momentarily stunned. Her first thought was that the cargo must be relatively light—otherwise, how could Julian hold it up so easily?


    However, in the very next second, she caught something in her peripheral vision: the Machamp, the one that had lost its grip due to the weight, was suddenly swinging a fist straight at Julian’s head.


    The sheer force of the  roared through the air, creating a deafening boom that made Hannah’s ears ring.


    In a panic, she screamed, “Watch out!” sea??h thё Novel?ire(.)ne*t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Without thinking—driven by either a burst of courage or pure instinct—she shoved both hands against Julian’s back, hoping to push him out of harm’s way.


    But if she managed to push him aside, she would be the one taking the full brunt of the .


    However, despite her full-force shove, Julian didn’t budge an inch. Instead, she was the one who stumbled backward and fell to the ground.


    Machamp’s face twisted into a cruel grin, as if it could already picture Julian’s head shattering like a watermelon beneath its fist.


    But just when the  was less than ten centimeters from Julian’s face, everything suddenly froze.


    For a brief, eerie moment—no longer than the blink of an eye—time seemed to stutter.


    And that was all the time Julian needed.


    Two Poké Balls burst open, releasing Alakazam and Metagross. In an instant, their immense psychic power immobilized the Machamp, locking it in place mid-punch. Its fist remained suspended in the air, unable to move forward.


    Even though the threat was neutralized, the sense of crisis that made Julian''s scalp tingle still existed.


    Suddenly his eyes darted to the cargo beside him. Since it was packed in wooden crates, he hadn’t been able to see what was inside...


    “Metagross!”


    Before he even finished, Metagross had already thrown the cargo into the air.


    With its supercomputer-level brain, Metagross instantly deduced that the cargo must also be dangerous.


    As the crate soared upward, it suddenly exploded with a deafening blast.


    Flames and jagged shards of debris rained down like fireworks. However, Metagross swiftly formed a protective barrier, shielding Julian and Hannah from the deadly shrapnel.


    From the moment the cargo began to slip, to Machamp’s punch, and finally to the explosion—the entire sequence had taken less than three seconds.


    Julian’s legs gave out, but Metagross caught him before he could collapse.


    His face was extremely pale, and his head throbbed with a sharp, stabbing pain, as if needles were piercing into his skull.


    To block Machamp’s , Julian had unleashed his full Advanced-level psychic power, draining his mental energy completely. His mind was utterly exhausted, leaving him weak and barely able to stand.


    The scene was so terrifying that it took several seconds before the surrounding students finally snapped out of their daze.


    Hannah scrambled to her feet and rushed to Julian’s side, “Are you okay? You’re not gonna die, right?”


    Seeing Julian’s face as pale as a corpse, Hannah panicked and tears began to stream uncontrollably down her face.


    Julian wanted to speak, but the searing pain in his head made even opening his mouth difficult.


    “Luca!”


    Most of Julian''s Pokémon were in the backyard. Sensing Julian’s chaotic Aura from the backyard, Lucario immediately realized something was wrong, and rushed over.


    Close behind was Arcanine, while Dragonite hovered overhead, scanning the area.


    Every Pokémon with high speed had arrived instantly, while the slower ones were undoubtedly on their way.


    The Pokémon surrounded Julian protectively, their eyes filled with worry. They remained on high alert, vigilantly scanning the area for any lingering threats.


    Several students considered stepping forward to help, but Julian’s Pokémon blocked them, unwilling to let anyone approach.


    There were always bad people trying to harm their Trainer.


    After a while, Julian regained his composure. Looking at Hannah, who was crying uncontrollably, her face streaked with tears and snot, he said with a forced smile, “Stop crying, I won''t die.”


    Just moments ago, when he had been in danger, Hannah had tried to throw herself in harm’s way to save him, this act genuinely touched him.


    At the same time, he couldn’t quite understand it. After all, from his perspective, their relationship hadn’t reached the point where she would risk her life for him.