The hot pot meal lasted until one in the morning, right up to the restaurant's closing time.
Throughout the whole time Julian kept eating—whenever the dishes were finished, he ordered more—while Hubert and Stan, unable to move, could only watch.
Of course, even if they could move, they definitely wouldn't have had the mood to eat.
Hubert couldn't figure out how Julian had found him. He was certain there had been no problem with his escape route, nor had he left any clues indicating the direction he fled.
Yet Julian still located him—and in only half a day.
He even began to suspect whether the Birmanian spy had betrayed him.
"Excuse me, sir, we need to close now."
The restaurant manager walked over, accompanied by several sturdy employees.
Looking at Julian still eating and drinking, he couldn't understand how this man—who didn't look fat at all—could eat so much.
Could this guy be the legendary "big eater"?
Because Julian kept ordering food nonstop, the manager had long noticed him, and also noticed that the two people sitting at the same table—neither eating, drinking, nor moving.
Such an odd scene made him wary.
So after all the other customers had left and closing time arrived, he discreetly called the authorities, worried that something might happen.
After all, the man even had a Lucario by his side.
"Finally, everyone's gone."
Julian stretched lazily. His words made the already-alert manager instinctively take a few steps back; the burly employees beside him retreated even farther.
Manager: 'I brought you here for support. Why are you backing away more than I am?'
Employees: 'You expect us to risk our life for this meager paycheck?'
There had been too many customers earlier, so Julian didn't act directly, not wanting to frighten them. Besides, the hotpot tasted quite good, so he simply waited until closing time.
With a subtle surge of his psychic powers, Julian's face reverted to its original form.
Pop!Pop!
Celebi and Jirachi's Poké Balls automatically opened at the same time.
Nebby's ball remained shut—it was probably fast asleep.
"Julian, you went too far—you actually ate so much all by yourself!"
Looking at the pile of empty plates on the table, Celebi couldn't be bothered to argue with Julian and simply picked up chopsticks to start eating the leftovers from the hot pot.
Jirachi, on the other hand, acted quite cleverly this time, waving at a stunned waiter to indicate that it wanted to order more food.
"C-Champion Walker!!"
Seeing Julian's face, along with the two iconic Pokémon, Celebi and Jirachi, the manager's expression shifted from initial shock to surprise and excitement.
He never imagined that the person he had considered a potential threat was actually Julian—the national idol.
For a moment, his speech even became a little stammered.
"Mm."
Julian nodded and then said with a smile, "Please take Jirachi's order. The little one is hungry."
He pointed at Jirachi, who was still waving at the waiter.
Then he glanced at Celebi, who was frantically eating the remnants from the hot pot—it was almost finished clearing the pot.
Come to think of it, he hadn't fed them dinner yet.
"Oh, oh, right away!"
The manager quickly nodded.
He immediately arranged dishes for Jirachi.
As for closing—close what? Even if he wanted to shut the doors now, the employees wouldn't agree. They voluntarily chose to work overtime—and without asking for overtime pay.
"Gen~"
Gengar emerged from Hubert's shadow.
Seeing the white Gengar, Hubert finally understood why he and Stan couldn't move—they had been restrained by Gengar all along.
While eating hot pot, Julian had already learned from Hubert the purpose behind his actions. Thanks to the Seven-Aperture Stone, he knew Hubert wasn't lying.
Moreover, although this guy had copied the spatial backpack technology, he hadn't destroyed the original data. At the same time, he harbored immense hatred toward Birmania.
So, regarding Hubert's fate, Julian could afford to delay judgment.
As for Stan—
Julian had already sentenced him to death in his heart. If not for the presence of the staff and the manager, he would have had Gengar carry out the execution immediately.
The sound of footsteps approached—the authorities the manager had called earlier had arrived.
They had received a report that someone with a Lucario might be up to something dangerous, so they rushed over quickly.
"Champion Walker!"
Entering the restaurant, they immediately spotted the only table still steaming with hot pot, and naturally, they saw Celebi and Jirachi eating and drinking beside Julian.
Julian glanced at these people, then instinctively looked toward the manager.
"Misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding," the manager explained sheepishly.
"Perfect timing. I'll leave this spy to you guys," Julian said, pointing at Stan.
Gengar floated over to Stan, swiped a claw across his face, and a Ditto popped out, revealing Stan's true appearance underneath—a middle-aged man in his fifties.
"That's Elite Stan!"
As the sixtieth-ranked Elite, Stan still had some recognition among the public, so someone immediately recognized him.
Shock rippled through the group.
After all, Champion Walker had just called him a spy.
Their gazes toward Stan quickly shifted from surprise to disgust.
"Gengar."
Julian spoke softly.
With a single Hypnosis, Stan instantly fell asleep, and his Poké Balls had already been locked down by Gengar the moment he was restrained.
"He's all yours," Julian said, gesturing toward Stan.
Without the help of his Pokémon, Stan was just an ordinary man, so there was no need to worry about him escaping in Julian's absence.
"Yes, Champion Walker!"
The group immediately tied Stan up. Since they had come prepared for a potential confrontation with a Pokémon trainer, they had brought along equipment capable of subduing even a pseudo-Elite.
The chance to handle business for Champion Walker excited them immensely—and capturing an Elite made the sense of achievement off the charts.
"Champion Walker… can I get your autograph?"
The team leader asked expectantly.
"Sure."
Julian nodded—he was already used to this.
Soon, the rest of the group crowded around, including the restaurant staff. In total, there were about thirty people. Julian finished signing autographs in just a few minutes.
Some even asked for Celebi and Jirachi's autographs. For the two little ones, signing was simple—they just stamped their little paws onto the paper.
As for an ink pad?
Why bother with an ink pad? The red chili oil from the hot pot worked just fine.
And as for it being hot?
A Pseudo-Champion and a First-class Legendary Pokémon getting burned by chili oil? If that happened, Julian might as well just give up on them completely.
*****
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