On the west coast, after watg Julian awo leave, and knowing they had secured two hours, Duke finally felt the crisis in Haitian City might be averted.
He exhaled a sigh of relief and turo John.
"What exactly is the retionship between yrandson and that Mewtwo?"
"Oh, Mewtwo has a deep e with my family's aors, when my dear grandson was born, there were visions in the sky! Mewtwo must have seen it and realized he'd grow into someoraordinary—"
"John, quit the nonsense!"
Duke scowled, cutting him off. He khe history of the Walker family like the back of his hand. Trying to spin some ridiculous story about divine omens was an insult to his intelligence.
Why not just cim yrandson is destio be an emperor while you're at it?
"You do uand that Mewtwo is a first-css Legendary"
He cast a g Kyogre nearby, and wao express that not just any Legendary. It was even strohan Kyogre.
Kyogre: You sure are polite.
"How does Julian knoo? And why is Meilling to follow his ands? Do you realize what that implies?"
Duke said as his expressions became extremely excited.
First-csss Legendaries were beings of immense power, often looking down on humans—or ht despising them because humans had attempted to trol them in the past.
Humanity's boundless ambition had alienated most First-csss Legendaries, especially the stro ones.
It was rare for a first-css Legendary to even sider aiding humans, let aloo openly side with one in defiance of another.
Yet here was Mewtwo, standing firmly by Julian's side. And Julian was a citizen of Drakoria.
In Duke's mind, this was equivalent to Mewtwo aligning itself with Drakoria.
Duke: 'The math checks out'
Some tries had the fortune of being protected by Legendary Pokémon, but even then, it was usually Sed-Tier Legendaries.
Having a First-css Legendary like Mewtwo standing guard? That had never happened before.
The only remotely parable event was wheria enlisted Dialga's help, causing a global sensation.
Many nations assumed Dialga had bee the protector of Celestria.
But iy, it had been a oime deal—a transa that came at a steep cost.
In Drakoria, deploying a First-css Legendary would mean calling upoion's "reserve," which essentially boiled down to iating for the help of a first-css Legendary.
Even then, it would be a single-use opportunity, requiring a hefty price.
Mewtwo, however, was different. It wasn't ag out of obligation or pensation—it was intervening purely for Julian.
If it wasn't for the notion that First-css Legendaries would never bee a human's Pokémon, he might have believed Meas Julian's Pokémon.
After all, Julian was able to issue ands to Meithout any apparent cost—a notion that defied logic.
What made First-css Legendaries so unique wasn't just their overwhelming power, but the price they exacted for their cooperation. Even a reized Trainer anding a First-css Legendary had to pay a steep price—often their lifespan.
Some schors believed that unless oruly captured a First-css Legendary, anding one would always e at the cost of one's life force.
"Duke, don't bother asking anymore, even if I knew, I wouldn't tell you."
Of course, John uood the implications of Mewtwo genuinely standing behind Drakoria. However, he truly didn't know the exaature of the retionship between his grandson awo.
And even if he did know, he wouldn't divulge suformation.
Having his dear grandson closely ected to a First-css Legendary like Mewtwo meant no iial family in Drakoria would dare y a finger on Julian. Eveional authorities would have to tread carefully around him.
Not to mention, this e would bring immense opportuo the Walker family.
"This is my grandson's fortuitous enter. And fortune is not something you expin," John said with a shrug.
"How did you bee Champion? you expin that to me?"
John cast a sidelong g Duke. The man was over a decade older than him, from a less prestigious family, with middling talent to boot. Being ae should have already a stretch given his circumstances.
Yet Duke had bee a Champion, while John himself had only retly cimed the title.
"It's all about opportunities Duke, I don't really have much to say"
Duke fell silent. John wasn't wrong—his own jouro the top couldn't be chalked up to talent or effort alone.
Every Champion or Elite had, at some point, entered a pivotal moment of fortuhat ged the course of their life.
Duke was no exception. If not for a life-ging opportunity he'd stumbled upon in a secret realm, he wouldn't have bee a Champio alone Drakoria's stro one.
Fortune, as John had said, was beyond reasic.
"I recall yrandson is eighteen this year?" Duke asked suddenly, ging the subject.
John nodded instinctively. "In two months, he'll be een."
"I have a granddaughter at Imperial Uy. She's the same age."
John immediately uood Duke's iions. The man was clearly angling for a match between their families.
And why not? Mewtwo's involvement had pletely altered Julian's trajectory. Someone who could and a First-css Legendary represented an unparalleled future.
If Julian had been from an ordinary family, perhaps some methods could be used to force him into submission.
But standing behind Julian was John, who had just bee Drakoria's sixth Champion. Who would dare challenge him?
It was within their circles that John had an almost ical fondness for his grandson. Whether in casual versation or serious discussion, John's favorite topic was his grandson.
'My good grandson this, my champion-worthy grandson that.'
And now, reality had exceeded even John's wildest boasts. Not only did Julian have the makings of a Champion, but he also had ties to a First-css Legendary.
And this wasn't something that could be kept under s. After all, the skies were filled with satellites, and not just Drakoria's.
With Kyogre attag Haitian City, it was iable that satellites from other nations would be trained on the area. Such a major event was bound to attract global attention, with fn tries eager to withe spectacle.
Kyogre's assault on Haitian City had already made waves, but Mewtwo's sudden appearance would be the real headliher nations would soon be scrambling to uand what exactly was happening.
tries closely monitored the crisis in Haitian City, trying to gauge how Drakoria was dealing with the assault by Kyogre.
Some were calg the potential casualties—how many lives Drakoria would have to sacrifice to repel the sea god—and deliberating whether to assist or to follow Celestria in seizing the opportunity to add pressure.
But Mewtwo's sudden appearance, fighting alongside Julian, had turhe tide in more ways than one.
Now, Julian's profile—including every detail of his life, from childhood to the present—was id out on the desks of various try leaders.
Emergency meetings were called in around the globe.
With the biggest rea unsurprisingly ing from Celestria, Drakoria's long-standing rival.
Celestria acted swiftly, recalling their Champion-level trainers who had been patrolling near Drakoria's borders.
This ued move left their two allies Babath and Wyvernia, scratg their heads.
Was Celestria secretly cutting a deal with Drakoria? It made no seherwise—why would Celestria fo such a golden opportunity to put pressure on their rival?
The mere thought of this sent the two tries into a flurry of specution.
Did Drakoria offer some massive cessions to Celestria?
Excited at the prospect, both nations eagerly followed Celestria's lead, even going so far as to ask what bes Drakoria might have provided.
Could they get a slice of the pie, too?
Their logic was simple: if they grew strohrough this, it would only empower Celestria further.
With that strength, they could help Celestria fight whoever the nation asked them to.
However, when their Champions briefed them on what had occurred in Haitian City, both nations' leaderships fell silent.
For the first time, they realized the scope of the situatio far beyond politiere national rivalry.
The leaders of both tries mulled over a bold, albeit desperate, idea.
What if we aowledged Drakoria as our new leader instead?
Would Drakoria even agree? And if they did, how much would it cost?
