Pokemon: Reborn Rich Alternate Earth

Chapter 335: Villain With A Brain

Julian stayed in the hotel for three days, never stepping out even once. His meals were delivered to his room by the hotel staff. It wasn't that he didn't want to go out—he just wanted to see if things would play out as he expected.

"So, that guy hasn't checked out?"

Julian asked the hotel manager, who confirmed that Hector was still in the room next door.

Over the past three days, Lucario had occasionally sensed waves of hostility coming from Hector's room.

That confirmed it—his presence here was no coincidence.

The reason Hector hadn't made a move yet was likely because they were in a hotel.

"Young Master, is something wrong with that man?" the hotel manager asked.

"You can go now."

Julian didn't say much. This matter had nothing to do with the hotel, and telling the manager would only put him in unnecessary danger.

"Looks like I need to find a place to lure him out."

Julian stroked his chin in thought. If Hector didn't dare to make a move in the hotel, then he probably wouldn't in the city either. That meant the only option was to go somewhere with fewer people—perhaps even the wilderness.

With that in mind, Julian pulled out his phone and called Dawn.

"Hello, Julian!"

Dawn, who was about to head out for training in the wilds of Rockwell City, was pleasantly surprised but also a little confused by the sudden call.

"You haven't left for the Earth Ridge yet, have you?" Julian asked.

The Earth Ridge was located west of Rockwell City. It was home to many wild Rock- and Ground-type Pokémon and covered a vast area. Deep within the ridge, there were even Pokémon at the Elite level. Because of that, it was known as a minor forbidden zone in Rockwell City.

Yesterday, Dawn had invited Julian to go to the Earth Ridge with her, but he had turned her down.

"I haven't left yet," Dawn replied.

"Wait for me. I'm coming over now."

With that, Julian hung up.

He recalled all his Pokémon except Dragonite, then grabbed Celebi—who was still fast asleep—and stuffed it into his backpack.

This pig-like creature didn't even wake up.

The weight pressing down on his back was substantial. If someone with a weak constitution tried carrying this bag, they probably wouldn't make it very far.

Hopping onto Dragonite, Julian took off in the direction of Dawn's home.

Meanwhile, in the other room, the middle-aged man who had been keeping an eye on Julian immediately noticed his departure.

"He left? Do you think he's onto us?"

Chandelure: "If you weren't so worried about causing a scene, we would have succeeded by now."

Chandelure couldn't understand why its Trainer refused to act inside the hotel. With its strength, eliminating Julian silently would have been effortless.

The man said lightly, "Do you think the Walker family is that easy to deal with? If you fail, I'll be exposed. Then we won't have a place to hide anywhere in country."

"A few days ago, my people informed me that John Walker sent him a Poké Ball."

"Now that he's heading out, there's a high chance he's trying to lure us into following him."

"As expected, no one in the Walker family is easy to deal with."

The middle-aged man sighed softly. He now understood why Julian had stayed in the hotel for three days without leaving—he had been waiting for him to make a move.

But since he hadn't, Julian was now leaving, using himself as bait to lure him out.

Chandelure: "So what do we do? Are we just going to give up on the Soul Crystal?"

The man shook his head. "Forget it. We'll head to East Africa instead. There are plenty of humans and Pokémon there. It'll take longer, but it's much safer."

The East African region was home to many small nations, constantly embroiled in conflict. War and unrest had given rise to countless terrorist organizations, and every day, tens of thousands of humans and Pokémon perished.

Chandelure: "You're such a coward."

The man's face darkened. "I'm a villain with a brain."

With that, he recalled Chandelure into its Poké Ball and walked into the bathroom.

When he emerged, his face and clothes were completely different—he looked like an entirely new person.

"Let's go."

Even his voice had changed.

—

Meanwhile, Julian was soaring through the sky, unaware that his plan had already been seen through and that his enemy had decisively chosen to retreat.

Still, he remained vigilant, keeping a close eye on his surroundings.

Far above him, hidden in the clouds, a Champion-level Metagross—his grandfather's Pokémon—was secretly watching over him, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Just as the middle-aged man had guessed, Julian had indeed borrowed the Champion-level Metagross from his grandfather.

Had his enemy attempted an ambush on the way or in the Earth Ridge, the one who would have died would likely have been him.

Julian had no idea he was dealing with a villain who actually had a brain. Everything he was doing now was ultimately pointless.

—

At the gates of the Dawn family estate, Dawn stood with eight other Trainers, all around twenty years old—five men and three women.

Originally, they had planned to head to the Earth Ridge for training, but when Dawn suddenly announced that Julian would be joining them, they decided to wait.

Upon hearing the news, none of them complained about the delay. Instead, they were thrilled, each thinking about how they could impress Julian when they set out.

Of course, some heirs from noble families were reckless, but most of them, even if they lacked talent or skill, at least had the common sense to know whom they could afford to offend—and whom they absolutely could not.

Julian was one of those people they couldn't afford to offend. In fact, he was someone they needed to befriend at all costs.

"Dawn, check my makeup for me. Did it smudge?"

Dawn's cousin was holding a small mirror, pouting as she complained, "Why didn't you tell me earlier that Young Master Walker was coming? I would've taken more time to dress up properly!"

"It's not smudged, but your foundation is caking."

Dawn glanced at her cousin.

'Even I couldn't catch his eye. You? Unless he has a very... unique taste, you have no chance'

"You—!"

Her cousin immediately became angry, but she quickly focused on fixing her makeup. There was no time to argue—she had to make sure she left a stunning impression on Julian.@@novelbin@@

Another girl, meanwhile, discreetly slipped away to change outfits.

She swapped her thick down jacket for a thinner one, revealing her curves. But in this freezing weather, was she really prepared to endure the cold just for this?

'Bi*ch'

Dawn thought to herself.

She casually took out her phone, pretending to play on it. In reality, she was using the screen's reflection to check if her own makeup was flawless.

In a family like hers, gaining the family's support required one of two things—talent and strength or a powerful father. If you had neither, then you needed cunning.

And if you lacked even that, you were nothing more than a sidelined nobody, a useless person no one respected.

Competition among family members was brutal. The family's resources were limited, and if you wanted more, the best way was to push others down.

It didn't matter how—it only mattered that you didn't get caught.

*****

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