As the date of the World Youth Championship approached, people all over the world were getting excited—especially those from the participating countries.
Held once every ten years, the World Youth Championship spanned quite a long interval, which naturally made it an event of great importance and significance.
In Drakoria, discussions about the Championship began as early as a month ago. And after Julian was appointed as the instructor for the Drakorian team, the public's enthusiasm grew even higher.
---
> "With Champion Walker as the instructor, we are definitely winning the Championship this time!"
> "We got second place last time, this time we must take Celestria down!"
> "Wait, isn't the age limit 30? Couldn't Champion Walker also participate? Why is he playing an instructor?"
> "The World Trainers Association updated the rules recently. They added that Champions under thirty can't participate."
> "Seriously? They might as well have just named Julian directly. Why beat around the bush?"
> "If Champion Walker was competing, the Championship would definitely be ours—especially since the later stages are individual battles."
> "My husband is invincible, so it's normal for him to be targeted like this! 😤"
> "The list of ten participants has been released. Ember looks so stunning—the term "internet enchantress" was practically made for her!"
> "From now on, Ember is my wife!"
> "Draw your swords, then!"
---
With her bewitching and sensual charm Ember finally appeared in the public eye, instantly becoming the dream goddess of men across Drakoria.
Of course, she also became the target of envy for many women, who privately cursed her as a "siren."
Some even created unauthorized fan comics of her online.
[T/N: Rule 34?]
However, under state intervention, those so-called "talented" creators were quickly apprehended and put to work on sewing machines.
The World Youth Championship was being held in two locations.
The preliminary rounds would take place in Maplia.
A total of three hundred and sixty countries would participate in the preliminaries, which would be conducted in a national team format.
The preliminaries would consist of two rounds, after which 90 national teams—totaling 900 participants—would advance.
The semi-finals and finals were then to be held in Babath.
After the semi-finals, the competition would shift from a national team format to individual matches.
That meant that, if luck wasn't on your side, you might end up facing your own teammate.
Whichever country the final Champion belonged to, that country would claim the Championship title.
The Champion would receive three Ultimate treasures and a Blue-grade potential Pokémon egg.
The runner-up would receive one Ultimate treasure and a Cyan-grade potential Pokémon egg.
The third-place winner would receive a Cyan-grade potential Pokémon egg.
Additionally, participants from 4th to 10th place would also be rewarded.
A single Ultimate treasure was enough to excite any trainer—including Champions.
It must be said that the World Trainers Association truly had an abundance of extraordinary resources.
In reality, these treasures were provided by the member countries of the World Trainers Association, including Drakoria, Celestria, and Volkaria, all of which were members.
Many smaller countries didn't even have the qualifications to become a member. To join, there was one strict requirement: the country had to have at least one Champion-level trainer.
If that Champion died and the country did not have a second Champion, they were kicked out of the association immediately.
Julian had already led the team to the capital of Maplia. In three days, the tournament would officially begin, and the participating countries would arrive in Maplia one after another during these two days.
As the top ally of Celestria, Maplia was not weak in terms of strength. It boasted two Champions, both only in their seventies—not too old by trainer standards.
With the use of some life-extending treasures, they could live up to at least 150 years old or more.
Of course, the premise was that they did not get themselves killed.
Because the preliminaries were being held in Maplia, and although they wouldn't be as intense as the semifinals and finals, they still far surpassed ordinary tournaments.
As a result, tourists from all over the world came to watch.
Tickets for the preliminaries were, naturally, extremely hard to come by.
At the capital airport of Maplia, as the plane representing Drakoria landed, a large crowd of reporters swarmed forward. They had already interviewed many national teams, but so far, the only truly heavyweight team was Drakoria's—the teams from Celestria and Volkaria had not yet arrived.
Moreover, the instructor leading Drakoria's team was Julian, which alone made for compelling headlines.
A microphone was quickly pushed toward Julian. With staff maintaining order, the reporters weren't too chaotic.
"Champion Walker, what is your team's goal?"
Julian glanced at the reporter. 'She's quite good-looking, but why is her brain not working well?'
"The Championship, of course."
Was that even something that needed to be asked?
"Champion Walker, what are your thoughts on this year's participants from Celestria?"
This reporter seemed more sensible.
"Just trash. Anyone from my team can take on two of theirs at once."
The reporters were thrilled—'now that's a headline!'
Behind him, Pierce and the other nine nodded in agreement. They were already brimming with confidence, and there was no way they would let their nation down in such a setting.
"Champion Walker, Maplia's top model, Angelina, has publicly expressed her affection for you. Will you accept her advances?"
Julian was already aware of the news, and he had to admit that she was quite attractive—blonde, blue-eyed, a classic Western beauty.
"Her chest is too small. I like them bigger."
The Drakorian official who had accompanied Julian really wanted to cover Julian's mouth upon hearing this. 'Our national image! You're a Champion—mind your words for the country's sake!'
Unfortunately, he didn't dare. He could only stare at Julian with a resentful look.
Meanwhile, Ella lowered her head and glanced down at her own chest—hmm, she couldn't see her feet—so it probably wasn't small, right?
Julian did not know that his casual words caused the price of papayas in Drakoria to rise sharply. The fruit farmers earned a huge fortune, almost wanting to put up a statue of Julian to worship.
"Champion Walker, may I ask if you and your team member Ember have any ambiguous relationship?"
Julian: "She's too old for my taste."
Ember felt the urge to punch Julian in the head. 'Damn it, he makes it sound like I'm ancient!'
'I'm only 29, for heaven's sake!'
Julian felt that at that age, if it were ancient times, she could already be called a "leftover woman."
That's right—in ancient times, a "leftover woman" referred to women around thirty. But in modern times, she'd still be considered a young lady.
Sensing the murderous intent radiating from Ember behind him, Julian waved his hand, signaling the end of the interview. He then led the team onto the bus arranged by Maplia.
Meanwhile, reporters from various countries flexed their creative muscles, spinning sensational stories from the tidbits they had gathered.
Soon, exaggerated headlines began to surface:
- "Drakoria's Julian: 'Not a Single One of Them Can Fight!'"
- "Is Celestria Trash?"
- "Angelina's Confession Rejected!"
- "Julian Actually Prefers Young Girls?!"
An hour later, Julian stared at the news reports, his face darkening. He had only said that Ember was too old—he never said he liked young girls.
"Julian, Julian! When are we going out to play?"
Celebi flew over excitedly. This was only its second time abroad, while Jirachi was on its first trip.
At this moment, both of the little ones were itching to go out and try Maplian-style fried chicken legs.
*****
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