After the little episode with the Swellow, there were no further surprises along the way. Around 5 p.m., Julian's private jet successfully landed at Victoria International Airport.
Celebi and Jirachi were pressing their faces tightly against the window, watching as the plane touched down smoothly. Excited, the two little ones flew straight to the cabin door.
Ella, who had already changed her clothes, walked over to Julian's side.
As the cabin door opened and they descended the stairs, a group of seven or eight people approached.
"Champion Walker, hello. I am Patrick, the Chief Executive of Victoria."
A man in his sixties stepped forward to greet Julian, his expression serious and respectful.
Julian lightly shook his hand. "Hello, Chief Patrick."
His gaze then shifted to the other seven people beside him.
"Master Walker, I am George, the head of the Walker Group's Victoria branch, responsible for all of the Walker Group's operations here."
"Hello, Manager George. I've heard my uncle mention you," Julian replied with a smile.
This man held a significant position within the Walker Group; otherwise, he wouldn't have been entrusted with overseeing all of the group's operations in Victoria. Ultimately, however, he was still working for the Walkers.
The other five individuals were from local Victoria families. Three of them represented four major families, while the other two were from families controlling Victoria's maritime transport and construction sectors.
"The Dawson family didn't come?" Julian asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
The others were unclear about his meaning, as they were unaware of the purpose of Julian's visit. In fact, they hadn't even known Julian was coming until Patrick informed them, which led to this welcoming scene at the airport.
"No, they did not," Patrick shook his head.
As the Chief Executive of Victoria, Patrick was well aware of Julian's purpose for coming. He also knew a thing or two about the Dawson family's actions.
The Dawson family was the number one family in Victoria, its power ranking among the top clans even in Drakoria. However, unlike other major families in Drakoria, the Dawson family was notoriously high-profile in Victoria.
In Patrick's view, the Dawson family was nothing but an unruly troublemaker.
"Chief Executive, it's not right for you to say that. How could our Dawson family not come when Champion Walker is visiting Victoria? We must at least show some hospitality as the hosts."
As the voice rang out, a young man about Julian's age strolled over nonchalantly, four men who looked like bodyguards trailing behind him.
"That's Kevin Dawson, the youngest son of Eric. I heard he's quite favored by Eric," Ella whispered into Julian's ear.
Before coming to Victoria, Ella had studied the profiles of several local Victoria families, including their interconnecting power dynamics. The Dawson family, of course, was the top priority.
As for Julian, he had access to all this information but simply couldn't be bothered to read it.
"Act as the host? From the sound of it, are you implying that Victoria belongs to your Dawson family?"
Julian looked at Kevin, who appeared frivolous and clearly up to no good.
"Champion Walker, you must be joking. Victoria certainly doesn't belong to our Dawson family. However, as the leading family in Victoria, I believe we have the right to represent it."
"Was that Swellow sent by you?"
Just as Kevin finished speaking, Julian's sudden question caught him off guard. "What Swellow?"
His reaction didn't seem feigned—it looked like he really didn't know—or at least it wasn't something the Dawson family had done.
But it didn't matter. Even if the Dawson family wasn't directly responsible, they were certainly involved in some way.
"I don't understand—why would Eric send you here?"
Just by looking, Julian could tell Kevin was the arrogant and domineering type of rich heir. Was sending him here meant to provoke Julian? If so, Julian felt he had overestimated Eric.
"My father didn't send me. I'm here because I have business to attend to and need to catch a flight. I just happened to see Chief Executive and some friends of our Dawson family here, so I came to see which important figure warranted such a gathering."
"I didn't expect it to be Champion Walker."
As he spoke, his gaze shifted to Ella standing beside Julian, and his eyes lit up instantly. As a notorious womanizer, he rarely encountered a beauty of Ella's caliber.
Victoria had its fair share of beautiful women, but those of her stature usually held significant status. Even as the direct descendant of the Dawson family, he couldn't act recklessly toward them.
However, Ella seemed to be Julian's secretary.
Ella frowned, disgusted by Kevin's lecherous stare.
"Since I've just arrived, I've prepared a gift for Patriarch Eric."
"Hahaha, Champion Walker, you're too kind."
At those words, Kevin face immediately turned smug with delight. 'See? Even a champion has to show respect to our Dawson family.'
'What "youngest champion," what "future strongest"—none of that matters in front of our Dawson family.'
With that thought, Kevin's expression grew even more arrogant, and his tone became increasingly rude—or perhaps he had never been polite to begin with.
"In that case, Champion, let's set the gift aside for now. Could I get to know the beauty beside you first?"
Ella's face flushed with anger, which only made Kevin like her even more.
"Getting acquainted is fine, but isn't Mr. Dawson curious about the gift I've prepared for Patriarch Eric?" Julian's expression remained unchanged.
"Oh? What gift is it?"
Kevin immediately perked up. Julian was a champion, so surely any gift he offered would match his status. If it was something he could use himself…
His eyes gleamed with greed.
He wanted both the gift and the beauty.
"Do you think your head would please Patriarch Eric?"
Julian's tone was calm, his expression cold as he looked at Kevin and the four bodyguards behind him.
Kevin seemed not to have processed the words, but his bodyguards reacted instantly, releasing their Pokémon.
One Elite, and three pseudo-Elites.
It appeared Kevin was indeed deeply favored by Eric, given that even his bodyguards included an Elite-level trainer.
The bodyguards' sudden actions snapped Kevin back to reality. He stared at Julian in shock and fury. "You want to kill me?!"
"No, no. It's your father who wants you dead," Julian replied with a cold smile.
He then glanced curiously at the four bodyguards. "Do you really think you can stop me? Though, I must admit, your loyalty is commendable."
"Leave their bodies intact."
Julian's voice was indifferent.
A Poké Ball at his waist opened, and a flash of white light darted swiftly past the four bodyguards and their Pokémon.
In the next moment, all four men and their Pokémon lay lifeless on the ground.
Swish—
Kartana materialized in front of Kevin. Under his horrified gaze, its sharp blade-arm swept lightly across his neck, cleanly severing his head from his body.
Kevin had never imagined that a few careless words would cost him his life.
In the past, he had been the one causing trouble for his father, but this time, his father had inadvertently led him to his doom.
Kartana lifted the severed head and brought it before Julian.
Julian turned to the representatives of the other three families. "Could the three of you arrange for someone to deliver this head to Patriarch Eric? Consider it my return gift to him."
*****
Upto 30 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/ReduxMagister