Chapter 1368: The Strongest?
Hearing the rough voice, Julian turns around to see an old man with long, white hair and a long beard. It's not just his hair and beard, even his eyebrows are long and bushy.
Julian also notices the Pikachu standing on his shoulder, reminding him of Ash.
Julian "Who are you?"
Julian asks back. He didn't expect to encounter anyone after entering a hidden dimension, and from the looks of it, this old man was aware of its existence as he came from the same route as Julian.
"I am Eagun, village chief of Agate village. You are not supposed to be here."
Eugan says with a frown. This dimension is supposed to be a secret that only a couple of people should be aware of and this man in front of him is not one of them.
Julian looks at the old man and can tell that he is an experienced trainer. Though Julian doesn't care how strong the old man is, he doesn't want a confrontation with someone he doesn't know yet.
Julian "I wandered in following my Pokemon,"
Julian says and points at Crystal, who is still flying around the platform, looking at it curiously.
Eugan is astonished when his eyes fall on Crystal.
Eugan "A Mew?"
He questions. He has heard and read legends about this Pokemon and has seen some illustrations of it in ancient texts and stela.
According to legends, every Pokemon is a descendant of this Pokemon, making it the most mysterious Pokemon in history.
He can't believe he is actually seeing one in real life.
Eugan 'Is it really a Mew?'
He questions himself as he notices some irregularities.
Eugan 'This Mew has two tails! And what is that red crystal on its forehead?'
His old curious eyes can't move away from the fascinating creature that is Crystal.
Julian "What is that platform?"
Julian's question instantly snaps Eugan back to sense.
Eugan "It's nothing,"
He answers quickly.
Julian "If it were nothing, my Pokemon wouldn't have dragged me all the way here into a different dimension,"
Julian says.
Eugan doesn't know how to answer. He didn't expect this person to actually identify this hidden dimension. Most people would think they just came out from the other side of the cave.
Eugan "You still didn't answer my question. Who are you?"
Eugan tries deflecting the conversation. Julian is, of course, not dumb not to notice this, but he decides to not make this difficult for this old man since he has nowhere to run.
Julian "I am a traveller. I came to Orre to handle some business."
Eugan "Business? What kind?"
He asks as he is still very suspicious of Julian.
Julian too wonders who this Eugan really is. Should he trust a person who appeared out of nowhere, especially inside a hidden dimension?
Julian 'There is only one way to figure it out.'
He thinks and speaks up.
Julian "I am here to handle Cipher business,"
Julian reveals without bothering to hide it. Being who he is, he is really not worried about retaliation from this old man.
His other reason for revealing his intention is to see how the old man reacts. If he is hostile towards Cipher, then he is someone Julian can trust. But if he sees Cipher favorably, then Julian has no problem dealing with him.
Eugan "You work for Cipher?"
Eugan's voice rises and it is laced with anger. His emotion is very animated on his face. With such a vivid expression, how could Julian not notice it?
Julian 'Looks like I found an ally'
Julian thinks looking at the old man.
Julian "No, I do not work for Cipher. I am here to get rid of them."
Julian clears the suspicion immediately. He doesn't want Eugan to run wild with his imagination and misunderstand the situation.
Eugan "Get rid of them?"
Eugan asks.
Julian then begins telling Eugan how he encountered Cipher in the Alolan islands and how they went around causing trouble.
Eugan "I see... But aren't you overestimating yourself? You alone can't take down Cipher. Someone tried before and they almost succeeded, but Cipher has resurfaced again."
Julian "I know what I signed up for, but I do want to know about this person you mentioned. Do you know who and where they are?"
Eugan stared at Julian and then back at his weird-looking Mew.
Eugan 'He should be capable if he has such a unique Pokemon under him,'
Eugan thought. Taking down Cipher single-handedly is not impossible, as it has been done before, but the person who did that was exceptionally strong. Maybe the strongest Pokemon trainer he ever met in his life.
He couldn't see anyone compare to him, no matter how unique a Pokemon they have in their possession.
Eugan "He is an exceptional Pokemon trainer. The strongest I ever met in my entire life. His name is Wes. As for where he is right now? I don't know"
Eugan says.
Julian "Wes, huh."
Julian ponders on this name, trying to remember if he has ever come across it, but he hits blank. He has never come across or heard of anyone named Wes.
Now Julian is very eager to meet this Wes. Eugan is a very old man and for him to say that Wes is the strongest Pokemon trainer he ever met made Julian a little excited.
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