After chatting a little longer with his granduncle James, Julian hung up the phone. The new incubation fluid would take at least a few years before it could be officially promoted, so there was no need to worry about it for now. Besides, in business matters his uncle Henry was in charge—Julian’s main task was just to serve as a mascot. After the mission ended, Julian didn’t return to Imperial University to find Nicole, but instead went back to his aunt’s laboratory in Lake City. The meteorite that Jirachi had transformed into was still there. When he had obtained that meteorite, the system had indicated that there were 623 days until Jirachi’s awakening. Now, more than enough time had passed, and there were only seven days left until Jirachi would awaken. The place where the meteorite was stored was the most secured area in the laboratory. As Julian entered, he saw a pitch-black meteorite resting in the center of the room. Suddenly, a delicate voice echoed in Julian’s mind. Julian immediately looked at the meteorite that Jirachi had turned into and tentatively asked, "Jirachi, is that you speaking?" The voice echoed again in his mind. "Hello, my name is Julian," Julian introduced himself. The Probing Eyes showed that Jirachi still had seven days before fully awakening. In reality, though, it was already conscious, just unable to break free from its stony shell before the time came. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚑𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚⚑𝙣𝙚𝙩 "Julian, since you can hear my voice, you must be a good person." 'What kind of logic is that? Just because I can hear your voice, I’m a good person? Why is everyone always giving me a "good guy" card.' Julian had initially thought it was telepathy, but based on what Jirachi said, that clearly wasn’t the case. As for why he could hear Jirachi’s voice, it was likely related to the Seven-Aperture Stone inside him, as it had the ability to hear the voices of all things. So, being able to hear Jirachi’s voice was entirely reasonable. "Good man, can you take me away from this place?" "I really don’t like the environment here. When I was sleeping before, I always felt someone looking at me with ill intentions." Julian: 'Probably my aunt. She wanted to cut open the meteorite on your surface to see what’s inside, but she just couldn’t open it.' "Just call me Julian." Being called a "good man" felt quite strange, as if he was not far from some unfortunate fate. "Julian, can you take me away from here?" Jirachi’s tone carried a hint of pleading. Originally, he had planned to stay here for the next seven days, guarding Jirachi until it emerged from the meteorite. But since it was already awake and wanted to leave, of course he would fulfill its wish. That way, the other party would later fulfill one of his wishes in return. His aunt wasn’t in the lab today, which was a rare occurrence. 'Don’t tell me she went on a blind date?' Julian thought with a hint of mischief. Having Metagross carry the meteorite, Julian left the lab. He originally planned to go straight home, but Jirachi wanted to see the outside world. Although it was still inside the meteorite, it could already "see" what was happening outside. Having slept for a thousand years, only to wake up for seven days before sleeping for another thousand—this little guy was really quite pitiful. So Julian took Jirachi for a stroll down the busiest streets of Lake City, which, of course, attracted a lot of attention. Jirachi: "What’s that?" Julian: "That’s a car." Jirachi: "What about that?" Julian: "That’s a smartphone." Jirachi: "And this one? And that?" Julian: "Ice cream, and that… uh, is an adult shop." Jirachi: "Adult shop? I want to go in and take a look." Julian’s face darkened: "No." So many people were watching. Was this little guy trying to ruin his reputation? If he really walked into an adult shop, Julian would instantly trend online—not just in Drakoria, but worldwide. [The youngest champion enters an adult shop]—could there be a more explosive headline? Well, maybe there could—but still. Watching Julian talk to himself the whole way, and to a large rock no less, people couldn’t help but wonder if he had some mental issues. As the youngest champion, the pressure on Julian must be immense, leading to some psychological problems. So quite a few people looked at Julian with pity in their eyes. Julian: 'You guys are too much, actually mistaking me for a nutjob.' With the Seven-Aperture Stone, Julian was well aware of what everyone around him was thinking. Of course, some people genuinely held ill intentions toward him. But he was long used to it. Even as a Champion, it was impossible for everyone to like him. If people held ill intentions, so be it. As long as they didn’t act on them, Julian wouldn’t mind. But if they did—he wouldn’t be polite. Jirachi, meanwhile, had turned into the ultimate curious child. Everything on the street felt fresh and new to it—even the tattoo on a girl’s chest. Jirachi: "What’s that?" Julian took a glance: "That’s a Pikachu tattoo." Since Julian was standing quite close to the girl and hadn’t lowered his voice, and because he was clearly looking at a rather sensitive area, she immediately noticed him. Her face flushed slightly, and though embarrassed, she straightened her chest proudly. The girl: 'My charm is unmatched—even the champion can’t take his eyes off me.' Julian: '…This is a misunderstanding.' Just then, Celebi flew over, holding an ice cream in each hand. Julian hadn’t even noticed when Celebi had flown off from his head. Seeing it now coming back with two ice cream cones, and feeling quite hot himself, Julian reached out to take one from Celebi. But the little thing actually avoided his hand. Julian narrowed his eyes. "What’s the meaning of this?" Celebi: "This isn’t for you." "You mean you want to eat both?" Julian asked, annoyed. Celebi shook its head: "This one is for my new friend." The so-called "new friend" was, of course, Jirachi inside the meteorite. Julian poked Celebi’s head. "Can’t you see that this new friend can’t eat right now?" Still, he felt a bit gratified that Celebi was thoughtful enough to make a new friend. Jirachi: "Thank you, Celebi. But unfortunately, I can’t eat anything right now." Celebi acted as if it had a sudden realization: "That’s okay! In that case, I’ll just have to eat both myself. Can’t let them go to waste, after all. Julian here has a weak stomach; he shouldn’t eat cold things." Julian took a deep breath. Seizing the moment when Celebi was distracted, he leaned forward and took a big bite out of the ice cream in its left hand. 'Mm, vanilla flavor.' Looking more closely, Julian realized both ice creams Celebi had bought were his favorite flavors. Celebi: "Hmph, I already licked both of these before I bought them." It wore a smug, triumphant look. But before Celebi could finish basking in pride, Julian leaned in and bit into the other ice cream as well. "Now I’ve bitten both. Still want them?" Celebi: "Aaaah! You’re shameless!!" Upto 30 chapters ahead on :-