Twenty-two—such a young age. Yet, this very number weighed heavily on the hearts of all senior officials in Celestria like a towering mountain.
Especially on the five Champions of Celestria.
Karl, the strongest Champion of Celestria, who had reached the late-stage Champion level, looked at the other four Champions before settling his gaze on the youngest among them.
"I recall, Ross, you became an Elite at 22 and a Champion at 46," Karl said.
The Champion named Ross nodded faintly.
His achievements were considered exceptional not just in Celestria but across the entire world. Even in Drakoria, no one was more accomplished than him.
But now, his record had been broken by Julian.
Julian became a Champion at 22, while Ross had achieved it at 46—the gap was more than just significant.
"He must have encountered some extraordinary opportunity in Pannar's Top-tier secret realm," Ross remarked, pausing the video on the scene where Mew emerged from the secret realm.
No one present was a fool. Julian hadn’t even been at the peak of Pseudo-Champion before—how could he suddenly become a Champion? It had to be the result of an immense stroke of luck or a miraculous encounter.
Born into a powerful family, incredibly talented, blessed with opportunities, and now connected to two First-class Legendaries—how did all these advantages end up with Julian?
Then the footage shifted to Genesect. Ross continued, "This unfamiliar Pokémon is likely at the early-stage Champion level, but it can unleash the power of a mid- to late-stage Champion."
"Omar's two Champion Pokémon were no match for it, and in the end, he even resorted to a large-scale Self-Destruct attempt."
The video played further, and Ross paused it again, this time on the scene where Metagross defeated Genesect.
"Everyone is familiar with this Metagross. Just after breaking through to the Champion tier, it easily defeated this unfamiliar Pokémon, which possessed mid- to late-stage Champion level strength."
"So, Metagross's true combat power is at least comparable to a late-stage Champion."
After saying this, Ross looked at the other four Champions and continued, "Among the five of us, only Karl and I have reached the late-stage Champion level."
"Karl, you’re almost at the peak of Champion level, aren’t you?" Ross asked.
Karl slowly nodded.
A flicker of relief passed through the hearts of Celestria's senior officials—finally, some good news.
"Mr. President, you intend to have Julian eliminated in Pannar, right?" Ross asked.
The President nodded. Why else would he have called this meeting?
Ross sneered. "If that's the case, then your presidency is as good as finished."
"What do you mean by that?" the President retorted, his expression hardening.
After all, he was the President, the nominal leader of the nation.
"To kill Julian, only Karl and I are capable. But the only one who can truly suppress Julian is Champion Karl."
"But if Champion Karl leaves Celestria, do you think Drakoria’s Champion Duke won't notice? And even if Champion Karl manages to successfully reach Pannar…"
"Whether he can actually kill Julian is another matter entirely. That Metagross of his knows Teleport. Unless we set up a barrier in advance at the battle site, there's no way to prevent Metagross from escaping with Julian."
"Moreover, Pannar won't just stand by and do nothing."
"And most importantly, what if those two mysterious First-class Legendaries appear? If they do, Champion Karl might not return alive."
"So, the likelihood of successfully assassinating Julian is extremely low. If we fail, we will face the wrath of a nation with seven Champions—and possibly two First-class Legendaries as well."
"The cost is something we cannot bear. And when that happens, as President, to appease the anger of both Drakoria and our own citizens, wouldn't you be forced to step down?"
Hearing this, the President paled slightly. Despite being the President and seemingly wielding great power…
He had no real authority over the nation's five Champions. If things went wrong, he would most likely be made the scapegoat.
"Champion Ross, I never intended for our own people to carry out the operation," the President said, taking a deep breath to steady himself.
Ross nodded. "I know. If you lacked even that basic level of intelligence, you'd be a complete fool."
President: 'Damn it, I'm the President. Show me some respect!'
He had almost forgotten—Champion Ross came from the strongest trainer family in Celestria. A single word from his family could force him to step down ahead of time.
So yes, this man was not someone he could afford to offend.
"You're planning to have Malasiar do it, aren't you?" Ross stated.
The President nodded.
Malasiar shared a border with Pannar and had two Champions of their own. With a little persuasion—or rather, the right incentives—they might just take action.
"Most likely, Drakoria has already dispatched their fleet toward Malasiar's waters. And surely the Drakorian Elder Council would have already warned them."
"Do you really think Malasiar is that stupid? Their two Champions stand no chance of killing Julian. In fact, they might end up being killed themselves instead."
"We will support them," the President insisted stubbornly.
"Support them with what? Your idiotic ideas?" Ross retorted with a cold laugh. "Mark my words, the moment Malasiar learns that Julian has become a Champion and that Drakoria now has seven Champions, they will immediately distance themself from us."
Hearing this, the President immediately bristled with defiance. "They wouldn't dare! Without our backing, they stand no chance against Pannar, which is supported by Drakoria."
"And what if Malasiar also sides with Drakoria? Do you think Drakoria would help Pannar fight Malasiar then?"
The President froze—he really hadn’t considered that possibility. Thinking it over carefully, it was indeed very possible that Malasiar might lean toward Drakoria. His face instantly fell.
"Alright, Ross, that’s enough," Champion Karl interjected.
Seeing that the President had been thoroughly humiliated and was beginning to doubt his own judgment, Karl felt it was necessary to step in. After all, he was still the President, and they couldn’t afford to let him resign—otherwise, who would want to take on the role next term?
After all, the next President would be facing a Drakoria with seven Champions—definitely a nightmare job.
Ross held a great deal of respect for Karl, so he fell silent without another word.
Karl turned to the President and continued, "Mr. President, I believe now is not the time to confront Drakoria head-on. If we can produce one more Champion ourselves, we can narrow the gap with them."
"So what we need now is time. We should be willing to sacrifice some of our interests and engage in comprehensive cooperation with Drakoria."
The President nodded. If they couldn’t compete directly with Drakoria, then a more indirect approach was the only way forward.
*****
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