While Julian was bickering with Celebi, Ella had already finished reading the document. She turned her head to see Celebi tugging at Julian's hair, Julian grimacing in response, and Jirachi laughing heartily on the side.
Often, Ella saw none of the so-called dignity of a Champion in Julian. Yet, the more she saw this side of him, the more she respected him in her heart.
"Commander."
Ella's voice sounded beside Julian's ear. He yanked Celebi off his head, noticing a few strands of his hair still clutched in its hand. Enraged, he pulled Celebi's cheeks and said, "Ella, if you have any suggestions, just say it directly."
Compared to the important document at hand, getting revenge was more important to Julian at that moment.
"Commander, I believe it's best to assign this matter to someone like Elite Victor or Elite Jake, or other peak Pseudo-Champion trainers."
"The Dawson family is the top family in Victoria, and their influence far surpasses the other three major families. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they hold overwhelming power there. If they are truly as described in the document, the danger level of this mission will be extremely high."
"So, the best approach is to dispatch at least two peak Pseudo-Champion trainers and have the navy provide support. If necessary, uproot this Dawson family completely."
There was a decisive, almost ruthless tone in Ella's words, which surprised Julian. He had initially thought she was a gentle, soft-spoken girl, but now he sensed a regal aura about her.
"Send peak Pseudo-Champions, huh?" Julian muttered.
"Yes. Although the Dawson family isn't a Champion clan, successive family heads have all been Pseudo-Champions. The clan possesses at least ten or more Pseudo-Champion level Pokémon."
"Furthermore, they have connections with the foreign mercenary organization, Arbok. It's said that the leader of the Arbok mercenaries is a Champion-level trainer."
"Elite Jake and Elite Victor are the First and Second on the Elite rankings respectively. With them handling it, this mission shouldn't encounter any unexpected issues."
Julian, however, shook his head. "Teacher Victor recently went to the Dragon's Den secret realm and is unreachable. As for my dad, there's an 80% chance he's fishing. If I, as his son, order him on a mission, he'd scold me to death."
As the Commander of the Elites, he indeed had the authority to mobilize all of Drakoria's Elites, but it depended on their availability. If someone was in a secret realm, he couldn't exactly drag them out.
"Then we can send others. Any of the top twenty Elites would do," Ella suggested.
Julian thought for a moment, then slammed his fist decisively. "I've decided. I'll handle this mission personally."
"Commander, this mission isn't worth your personal involvement," Ella said, somewhat surprised.
Julian waved his hand: "Things aren't as simple as you think."
Of course, he wasn't about to admit that he just wanted to go have fun in Victoria, where horse racing was very popular. Julian had been wanting to check it out for a long time.
Too bad there was no betting on dogs; otherwise, he'd have let Arcanine run a few laps and win himself a few hundred thousand, maybe even a million.
As soon as Celebi heard that Julian was going to Victoria, it didn't matter what kind of place it was—as long as it was somewhere it hadn't been before, that meant there was definitely food it hadn't tried yet.
Like during their last trip to Pannar, the street "delicacies" there had left a lasting impression on Celebi.
It flew right up to Julian's face, buzzing with excitement. "We're going to Victoria? What kind of place is it? Any good food there?"
"Not sure about the food, but your idol, the competitive eater Snorlax, is in Victoria," Julian said.
If you asked which Pokémon Celebi admired the most, it was absolutely that competitive eater Snorlax from Victoria, rumored to be capable of eating three tons a day.
"I'm going too!" Celebi grew even more excited as soon as it heard that.
Julian shot it a sidelong glance. "Who said I was taking you?"
He held grudges, after all—pulling out his hair wasn't something to just let slide.
"Handsome brother, please take me! I can even help you pick up girls!"
Celebi believed in being adaptable. Sucking up to Julian was something it was quite skilled at.
"Call me 'Tall, Rich, and Handsome'."
"Tall, Rich, and Handsome!"
"Call me 'Dad'."
"Dad!"
Alright… Julian finally nodded in agreement.
Celebi's shamelessness was on a level he could never match, and besides, it wasn't like he could really leave it behind.
Since Julian had already decided to go himself, Ella, seeing that persuasion was useless, no longer tried to stop him.
"Commander, should I have the military coordinate with your operation?"
"No need. If I'm going myself, what's the point of involving the military? You don't actually think I can't handle the Dawson family alone, do you?"
Ella quickly shook her head, explaining, "Of course you'll succeed if you're handling it personally, Commander. But your safety is tied to the nation's future; we can't afford any mistakes."
"Alright then, just have the military on standby," Julian nodded.
If he didn't agree, Ella would probably report it to the Elder Council anyway.
"I've taken care of all these documents. If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving now," Julian said.
But seeing Ella's hesitant look, Julian asked curiously, "What? Is there another document that needs my attention?"
Ella shook her head, paused for a moment, and then said quietly, "Commander, may I invite you to dinner? To thank you for taking care of Dylan."
She was referring to Julian giving Dylan the Duraludon egg with Cyan potential.
"Dylan has great talent. Given the current relationship between our families, it's only natural for me to do this," Julian said plainly.
By nurturing Dylan, wasn't he also cultivating a powerful ally and enforcer for the Walker family?
"However, I accept your dinner invitation."
Seeing the disappointment on Ella's face, Julian smiled. "Consider it my thanks for handling my usual pile of documents."
"You pick the time and place, just send me the details later."
With that, Julian called Celebi and Jirachi and left the office.
Jirachi, sitting on Julian's left shoulder, asked curiously, "Julian, was she trying to hit on you?"
Julian: ('⊙ω⊙`)
"Jirachi, do you even know what 'hit on' means?" Julian asked, exasperated.
"Of course I do. It means pursuing someone."
Alright then, it actually knew.
"So, by agreeing to have dinner with her, are you agreeing to be pursued? But Celebi said you have a girlfriend. Although Celebi also said you're a player."
"I didn't understand what a 'player' was at first, but now I think I get it. It means you love every new person you see. You say 'I love you,' but you don't want to take responsibility. Draw your gun without mercy, so to speak."
"But that seems contradictory, bacause I've also seen many people online say you don't even like women."
Julian's face darkened. He scooped Jirachi off his shoulder, held it in front of him, looked directly into its eyes, and said with utmost seriousness, "Jirachi, you must remember this: I am not a player."
"And another thing—stop listening to Celebi and random people online. What they say is nothing but nonsense."
"You're a good kid. Don't let them corrupt you."
*****
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