Not long after, Julian arrived above Dawn's family estate. As Dragonite desded, it stirred up a gust of wind and snow, c many people in snowfkes.

  However, no one dared to show any displeasure. Instead, they greeted Julian with bright smiles.

  "Sorry about that. Dragonite couldn't hold back its strength when nding," Julian said apologetically.

  Dragonite always his way, and he had fotten about the snow on the ground and that there were people nearby. As a result, a few of them ended up looking rather disheveled—especially one woman, whose face was covered in snow.

  Dawn smirked, watg her cousin, who had just finished fixing her makeup. 'Well, that was a waste' Some of the snow even had bits of dirt mixed in.

  "Are all these people ing along?"

  Julian g the group around Dawn. Including her and himself, there were nine in total.

  Dawn hinking Julian didn't like rge groups. She quickly suggested, "If you prefer, we could go just the two of us."

  "No need. I prefer to go alone," Julian replied, shaking his head without hesitation.

  His main goal was to lure out the enemy. If he had people with him, they might get caught in the crossfire.

  Dawn was momentarily stunned and once agaiioned her own attractiveness.

  She was supposed to be the most beautiful girl in Rockwell City, yet in front of Julian, her looks, figure, family background, and eleganone of it mattered.

  'Could it be… he likes men?!'

  vihat no man could resist her charm, she ruled out all other possibilities. The only expnatio, no matter how unlikely, had to be the truth.

  "What are you thinking about?"

  Sensing an odd wave of "malice" through his Aura, Julian looked at Dawn suspiciously. 'Is this woman cursing me in her head?'

  "I'm just w if I'll e across a Water-type Pokémon I like ih Ridge," Dawn replied with a straight face.

  Earth Ridge was dominated by Rock-, Ground-, and Steel-types. While there were some Water-types, no Water-type trainer would go there specifically to cate.

  Rivers, kes, the o—even a pond—would have more Water-types thah Ridge.

  Julian: 'Do you think I'm an idiot?'

  "Julia's get in the car first," Dawn said.

  Julian nodded and took the front passenger seat without a sed thought.

  Dawn: 'Yep, he definitely likes men. +1'

  The other two girls squeezed into the backseat with Dawn.

  During the ride, the two girls kept chatting with Julian, their enthusiasm obvious even to the driver.

  Unfortunately, they had entered the most oblivious man alive. Julian barely responded, only the occasional, "Mm," "Yeah," or "Oh, I see."

  In the end, Julian decided to just close his eyes a. Only then did the two women finally quiet down.

  About an hour ter, he felt the car e to a stop and opened his eyes.

  Before him stretched a vast expanse of white, with occasional bumps—rocks buried under yers of snow.

  "We've arrived," Dawn said.

  The four of them stepped out of the car, followed by the others from the sed vehicle.

  "I'm heading off now."

  Julian released his Metagross and leaped onto its back. As Metagross rose into the sky, he quickly disappeared from sight.

  "A guy like him will never find a woman," Dawn's cousin grumbled, stomping her foot into the snow, grifully in the dire Julian had gone.

  The other woman nodded in agreement. "His eyesight must be bad. He should really see an eye doctor."

  Dawn g the two and sneered inwardly.

  'Ah eyes wouldn't be ied in you two'

  'Julian even ignored me. He definitely likes men'

  Before long, the eight of them split up. Sihey had e here for training, separating was the best way to gain experience.

  —

  Ih Ridge, Metagross had been carrying Julian for over half an hour, c more than 200 kilometers.

  Since he didn't know when the enemy might strike, Julian didn't bother taking out the Dowsing Mae. Instead, he wandered aimlessly.

  Time passed, and by the time Metagross had almost flown across half the Earth Ridge, the other party still hadn't made a move.

  Looking at the gradually darkening sky, Julian muttered to himself, "Maybe they're pnning to attack at night? It would be easier to catch me off guard then."

  He was still pletely unaware of the real issue at hand. In fact, he eve rather clever for thinking of this possibility.

  —

  Night fell, and snowfkes began drifting down from the sky. Inside his tent, Julian was enjoying a hotpot prepared by Slowpoke. In this freeziher, there was nothier than a steaming pot of food.

  "Give those vegetables to this flying pig. I'll just eat the meat."

  Julian said, pushing the greens into Celebi's bowl.

  "Oi! I just put that meat i go! You've already eaten most of it!"

  He watched in frustration as Celebi gobbled up the freshly cooked meat without hesitation.

  Celebi: "First e, first served. That's the rule among Pokémon."

  Julian: "To hell with your rules! You freeloading shameless Pokémon, you're ruining the Celebi family's reputation!"

  Just as he finished speaking, he saw Celebi snatother pieb he had just put i.

  Julian sighed and leaned back. "Someone might try to assassinate me tonight. You better protect me wheime es."

  After finishing the hotpot, Julian looked at Celebi with a serious expression.

  Beside him stood Metagross, Lucario, and Gengar, who remained hidden in the shadows.

  Celebi yawned: "Rex, with me around, there's no problem."

  Julian: m(⊙▽⊙)m

  —

  After a sleepless night, Julian stepped out of the tent in the m, yawning as he g Celebi, who was sleeping like a log.

  To prevent an ambush, he had stayed up all night—but in the end, his enemy never showed up.

  "F**k, is this guy even a professional? Such a perfect opportunity, and he didn't take it?" Julian cursed.

  Metagross: "Maybe he never followed us here in the first pce."

  Hearing that, Julian stiffened as if struck by lightning. Then he shouted, "No way! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

  "I stayed iel for three days, and Lucario could sense his Pokémon's killing ihrough Aura!"

  With that, Julian raised his head and called out, "Metagross!"

  The sed, another Metagross appeared. It was about the same size as Julian's but had a slightly darker color.

  This was, of course, his grandfather's Metagross.

  "Metagross, is there anyone else nearby?" Julian asked.

  Metagross: "No, When you set out, that person already left."

  Julian: …

  'Let me get this straight'

  "So… you knew all along that he never followed me?"

  Metagross nodded.

  'Deep breaths, deep breaths. This is Metagross's father… and I 't beat it'

  F a smile, he asked, "Then why didn't you tell me?"

  Metagross: "You never asked."

  Julian: (;￣??)

  *****

  Upto 30 chapters ahead on patreon :-

  patreon./ReduxMagister