"Slow~"
Julian was lying on the sofa, scrolling through TikTok, with Magearna curiously watching along. He was so absorbed in the videos that he didn't notice anything else.
It wasn't until Magearna gently nudged him that he snapped out of it.
"What's the matter?"
"Slow~"
Slowking was holding the clothes Julian had worn yesterday. It had planned to wash them today but noticed they were torn.
"That was Arcanine who bit the clothes," Julian said casually.
However, the tear on the clothes was actually caused by Julian himself when he accidentally pulled too hard yesterday. But as long as he didn't admit it, it was Arcanine's fault.
As he made this excuse, Julian completely ignored Arcanine, who was lying by the sofa.
He demonstrated to Magearna exactly what it means to lie with your eyes wide open.
Arcanine tilted its head and gave its trainer a look.
'Is it because I didn't wreck the house today that you're getting cocky?'
"Slow~"
Slowking: "You should head to the mall later and buy some new clothes and pants. These are all from last year."
Being somewhat of a homebody, Julian shook his head, unwilling to leave the house, "Why bother buying that stuff? Last year's clothes are just fine."
"Slow~"
Slowking: "I'm heading upstairs to grab some walnuts, you get ready."
Without waiting for his response, Slowking went straight upstairs, not listening to Julian's protest at all.
Watching Slowking leave, Julian turned to Arcanine and asked, "Do you think I'm going to listen to Slowking?"
"Arf~"
Arcanine: "Yeah."
Julian patted Arcanine's head and smiled, "My pup is getting smarter and smarter, you got it right."
Then, turning to the slightly confused Magearna, Julian put on a serious expression and said solemnly, "Magearna, today I'm going to teach you the most important lesson for surviving in this family."
Seeing Julian's serious demeanor, Magearna's face grew serious as well. If it had a notepad, it would've been ready to take notes.
"And that is…" Julian's expression became even more solemn, building suspense.
Magearna: 'Yes?'
Arcanine: 'Yes?'
"Always listen to Slowking. Always listen to Slowking. Always listen to Slowking."
Important things must be said three times.
As the trainer, Julian felt it was his responsibility to teach Magearna who the most fearsome member of the family was.
It wasn't him, the trainer.
It wasn't Metagross, the strongest Pokémon in the house.
It was Slowking—who managed the entire household, kept everything in order, and took care of everyone's daily needs.
If you offended Slowking, you wouldn't be able to survive in this house.
"Magearna, do you understand?"
"Mage!"
Magearna nodded seriously, it turned out that Slowking was the real boss.
Just then, Slowking came downstairs holding some walnuts and caught Magearna gazing at it with eyes full of admiration.
Slowking: 'What's the meaning of this child's pure yet foolishly adoring look?'
"Slow~"
Without saying anything, Slowking handed Magearna a small bag of walnuts.
Since Magearna was an artificial Pokémon, with a core made of Soul-Heart, it didn't actually need food. Food was dispensable for it.
Magearna: "Thank you, boss."
Boss?
Hearing this, Slowking instinctively turned to look at Julian, as if asking, 'What did you tell it while I was upstairs?'
"Magearna is just showing you respect," Julian chuckled awkwardly.
Slowking gave him a look but didn't say anything. With a trainer like this, what else could it do but sigh and carry on?
After recalling Metagross and Lucario into their Poké Balls, Gengar took the initiative to slip into Julian's shadow. The rest of his Pokémon stayed at home, including Celebi.
Once Julian reached the university gate, he hailed a cab and headed straight for the Metagross Shopping Center.
About half an hour later, the car pulled up in front of the massive shopping complex.
Julian glanced at the Metagross logo-the silver-colored Metagross logo-displayed inside. You didn't need to guess that this property belonged to the Walker family.
The Metagross Shopping Center was one of the largest luxury malls in Drakoria. Anyone who stepped through its doors was expected to spend at least tens of thousands.
The entire shopping center spanned thirty floors. The higher the floor, the more expensive the products. The topmost levels sold rare Pokémon items, such as evolution stones, valuable battle gear, and even Pokémon eggs.
Julian remained on the first floor, as it was the only level that sold clothing and cosmetics—the least expensive goods in the entire mall.
The most striking feature of the shopping center was the massive glass column at its core, stretching from the first floor all the way up to the thirtieth.
The transparent column was filled with water, creating an enormous aquatic display that made it feel like an entire ocean had been transported inside.
Various Water-type Pokémon swam through the artificial habitat, but the most eye-catching were the dozen Magikarp—none of which were ordinary. They were all shiny Magikarp.
Magikarp were among the most common Pokémon, so despite their rarity, shiny variants were still relatively more abundant than most other shiny Pokémon.
On the market, a shiny Magikarp was worth around five million.
If researchers ever discovered the secret to guaranteeing Magikarp's evolution into Gyarados, the value of these shiny individuals would easily increase tenfold.
At this moment, within the glass column, Magikarp No. 10 was gazing longingly at Magikarp No. 8—it was love at first sight.
Magikarp No. 8's gleaming white scales, graceful swimming posture, and powerful tail fin deeply captivated Magikarp No. 10.
In contrast, No. 10 was just a scrawny, dull gray Magikarp—the smallest and weakest among the group.
When it first arrived, No. 10 was frequently bullied by the other Magikarp, but No. 8 had always stood up for it.
Now, staring at No. 8, No. 10 didn't want to keep its feelings hidden any longer. Today was the day—it would confess, right here, right now.
Summoning its courage, No. 10 swam up to No. 8.
No. 8 glanced over. "What's wrong?"
No. 10 took several deep breaths, trying to calm itself, and then blurted out, "I… I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"
For a moment, No. 8 simply stared, seemingly stunned by the sudden confession.
Just as No. 10 turned away in disappointment, preparing to leave, it suddenly heard No. 8 say: "Sure."
Stunned, No. 10 spun around, eyes wide with disbelief. "Really? You mean it?"
No. 8 smiled faintly. "Sure. Isn't that what you wanted to hear?"
No. 10 blinked: "What… what do you mean?"
Just then, a golden Magikarp—No. 5—swam up beside No. 8, its tail fin gently brushing against hers.
"She means you're not good enough," the golden Magikarp sneered.
No. 10 watched in disbelief as No. 8's tail playfully intertwined with No. 5's.
"No… it can't be, you two are together?"
No. 8 smirked: "I made a bet with my boyfriend. We wagered that if I helped you, you'd eventually fall for me and confess."
Her eyes glimmered with satisfaction. "Looks like I won."
The golden Magikarp looked at Magikarp No. 10 with disdain. "You should've taken a good look at yourself first. You actually thought you were worthy of love?"
*****
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