"Start over, start over! I really can't accept this loss. Jirachi, give me party leader spot. The people you queued with were all too trash." Celebi's little face was extremely sullen.
"And where did Slowking go?"
Without that god-tier carry, the three of them were really struggling.
"The Lake City Chefs' Association has an event today, and Slowking was invited to attend," Julian said.
"Wait before starting the next game. I need to make a call."
Remembering that James had called three times in a row earlier, and he had hung up on all of them, Julian wondered if something was really going on.
He dialed the number back.
"Hello?"
The voice on the other end of the phone carried a hint of irritation.
"Granduncle, it wasn't convenient to answer just now. What's the matter?"
Julian's voice was calm, trying not to let James pick up on any unusual undertones.
Since the matter was urgent, James let go of his annoyance over the earlier missed calls and proceeded to tell Julian about the situation in Kampuchea.
"Regigigas has awakened?!"
Julian's voice rose slightly in surprise.
Regigigas had always been slumbering in the temple of Kampuchea—this was common knowledge worldwide, and Julian, of course, knew about it.
He had even thought about visiting before, just to take a look, snap some photos, and things like that.
But later, after encountering several First-class Legendaries and even capturing Reshiram and Zekrom, his curiosity about Regigigas had faded significantly.
"What do you suggest now?" James asked.
Julian was the trainer who had faced the most First-class Legendaries—bar none—so his opinion held considerable weight.
"First, observe what it intends to do after waking up. Tell the people of Kampuchea not to attack it. Such a foolish move must be avoided," Julian warned.
"I've already told them that."
"You can watch the live broadcast. The satellite is already focused on Kampuchea. I have other matters to attend to here, so I'll hang up now."
"Remember, you are not to go to Kampuchea without my permission."
James added, sounding uneasy.
He understood Julian quite well—while the guy was cautious and avoided risks, he also had a strong sense of curiosity. Especially now that he had Reshiram and Zekrom, he had the means to take more risks.
If Julian went to Kampuchea, Regigigas might sense the presence of Reshiram and Zekrom, and there was a real possibility that a battle could break out.
If that happened, Kampuchea would become a battlefield, and the casualties would undoubtedly be devastating.
"Drakoria has finally secured its position as the top global power; we can't let this incident lead to criticism from our allies."
Unless Kampuchea specifically requested Julian's intervention, Drakoria would not send him.
"Got it, got it," Julian replied impatiently before hanging up the phone.
He then opened TikTok, where the first thing to appear was a live broadcast from Kampuchea, showing the temple in question.
"What's going on?" Celebi asked curiously.
"Regigigas has awakened. Do you know about Regigigas?"
Celebi shook its head. "Sounds like a foreigner's name."
'Foreigner? This guy is starting to talk more and more like a human.'
No wonder it often made opponents in games rage-quit—and they ended up reporting it for inappropriate language, and the report success rate was insanely high.
"I know! That's a First-class Legendary," Jirachi chimed in, raising a hand. "I did sense the aura of a First-class Legendary earlier, but it's very far from here."
Kampuchea was indeed very far from Drakoria—it would take about six or seven days by plane to get there. The integration of the Pokémon world had greatly expanded the planet's size, increasing both the land area of countries and the distances between them.
"Regigigas, the Colossus Pokémon... Why has it awakened?"
Julian stroked his chin in thought. First-class Legendaries had near-infinite lifespan, so to pass the time and reduce their energy consumption, they typically chose to hibernate.
When a hibernating First-class Legendary awakens without any apparent reason, it usually meant that it was about to do something.
Whether it was for good or bad was hard to say, but if the awakening was caused by human intervention, then things were likely to take a turn for the worse.
Julian watched the live stream, the news of Regigigas's awakening had already spread worldwide, and many people in Drakoria were following the broadcast.
The viewer count had already approached one billion.
---
> "Why are First-class Legendaries appearing so often this year? This is already the third or fourth time. In the past, a decade might pass without even one showing up."
> "Maybe it's because this is the 'Julian Era.'"
> "What's the 'Julian Era'?"
> "It refers to the period since Champion Walker unlocked the Victorian Groudon dungeon. First-class Legendaries have become much more active since then."
> "Now that you mention it, that does make sense…"
> "It's a good thing Regigigas isn't in our country, and it's so far away. Even if it causes trouble, it probably won't affect us."
> "You're being too naive. The power of a First-class Legendary isn't limited to one region; it can affect the entire planet."
> "Remember fifty years ago in the Western Ocean when Lugia appeared? No one knows why, but with just one flap of its wings, the resulting storm swept through dozens of countries in Eastern Europe."
---
Reading these comments from netizens, especially the new term "Julian Era," made Julian feel a headache coming on.
But he really didn't know how to respond.
This year, First-class Legendaries had appeared more frequently than in the past few decades combined.
While Julian insisted he wasn't the one summoning them, deep down, he couldn't help but feel that their appearances were connected to him.
'Could it be that I've awakened some kind of "protagonist aura," where things happen around me even if I don't do anything, forcing me into action?'
Boom!
In the live stream, the entire temple suddenly shook violently. The next moment, the ancient, majestic temple, which had stood for centuries, began to slowly collapse.
This temple had come into existence alongside Regigigas. In a way, its collapse signified the awakening of the slumbering Colossus Pokémon.
As the temple completely crumbled, heavy, thudding footsteps echoed from the broadcast. From the ruins emerged the 3.7-meter-tall Regigigas, slowly making its way out.
Its steps were deliberate and slow, with several seconds passing between each one.
By its side stood the three Regis—Regirock, Regice, and Registeel—like loyal guards.
Thus, the Colossus Pokémon Regigigas reappeared before humanity in its awakened form.
The two rows of indicator lights on its chest flashed in alternating patterns—this was Regigigas's form of communication. The Regis' lights functioned similarly.
However, to this day, no scholar had managed to decipher the meaning behind the alternating flashes of the Regis' indicator lights. Anyone who cracked that code would undoubtedly receive an Arceus award.
After emerging, Regigigas suddenly stopped and stood completely still.
One minute passed, then five, then an hour—and it still didn't move.
If not for the flickering lights on its chest, one might have thought that the First-class Legendary had fallen back into slumber.
But the longer it remained motionless, the more anxious the higher-ups in Kampuchea became.
*****
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