Pokemon: Reborn Rich Alternate Earth

Chapter 970: Chapter 1187: Walker’s Curse

The thing Gemma regretted most in her life wasn't meeting Julian—it was going to the Slow House Café that day.

If she hadn't gone, she wouldn't have met Julian in disguise.

And if she hadn't met him, she wouldn't have gone through these ten days of utterly miserable training.

You know how she survived these ten days?

Every single day, she was hypnotized by Gengar and then subjected to Nightmare, plunging her into endless suffering.

In her dreams, she was chased and bitten by countless Arcanine, bound tightly by Arbok, and sent flying by Tauros' horns. Every time she "died," it was extremely brutal.

And while she was trapped in those nightmares, Julian didn't waste any time—he had her soaked in potion water to enhance her physique.

After waking from the nightmares, her mind would be completely exhausted—but that wasn't a problem. Julian had Deoxys, a Psychic-type First-class Legendary, restore her mental strength.

This allowed her to continue training, improving her stamina while also accelerating the absorption of the potion.

This hellish routine continued until the day before the League began.

Of course, the results were remarkable.

Gemma's mental strength had doubled compared to before, and in terms of stamina—she could probably win a marathon now.

As a result, the time she could sustain Mega Evolution increased from three minutes to a full six.

It might only seem like an extra three minutes, but those three minutes were enough for her to use Mega Evolution twice.

But despite such impressive results, Gemma really couldn't bring herself to smile.

As for her Pokémon, their lives wasn't much better.

Under Bisharp's blades, the six Pokémon lived every day on the brink of being cut down—constantly teetering between injury and survival. It was as intense as it gets.

With Magiana's Soul Heart ability assisting them, the numerous treasures they had consumed were continuously converted into energy and absorbed, ultimately boosting their levels and strength.

Now, Steelix had reached mid-stage pseudo-Elite level, while the other five Pokémon had all advanced from late-stage Advanced-level to early-stage pseudo-Elite.

In other words, all six of Gemma's main Pokémon were now pseudo-Elites.

Compared to ten days ago, their strength had undergone a complete transformation.

"Do your best. It's okay even if you don't win the League."

On the evening before the League began, Julian stood in the backyard, smiling as he offered words of encouragement to Gemma and her Pokémon.

"Coach… it's really okay if I don't win?"

Gemma asked in a trembling voice, not even daring to look at Julian. She had been thoroughly traumatized—now whenever she had nightmares, it was always Julian's face.

"It's fine," Julian said.

Gemma and her Pokémon immediately let out a sigh of relief.

"If you don't win, it just means my previous training wasn't enough. After the League ends, we'll continue training."

"We'll train all the way until next year's League starts."

Julian revealed an extremely warm and friendly smile.

But in the eyes of Gemma and her Pokémon, that smile looked like a devil incarnate.

Ten days of training had already felt like an eternity. If it lasted a whole year, they might as well just end it all.

Bisharp also added coldly, "If you lose, I really will cut you down."

All six Pokémon shuddered.

Gemma was also shaking from fear—but that extreme fear also pushed her desire for victory and the Championship to its absolute peak.

Even if it meant death, they had to win the League!

At this moment, both Gemma and her Pokémon shared the exact same thought.

"Alright, you can head back now. Oh, and if you win the Championship, I have a reward for you," Julian said mysteriously.

The pressure had been applied—but motivation was necessary as well.

Although, judging from the aura around Gemma and her Pokémon, it seemed they had already turned pressure (fear) into motivation.

Still, Julian felt it was better to offer some reward—otherwise, it would seem too harsh.

Watching Gemma flee as if escaping for her life, Julian dusted his hands and headed back to his room.

Tina, who had witnessed the entire scene from the doorway, wore a deeply troubled expression.

"Love, do you think my son is really going to stay single forever?"

"Is something wrong with his brain? Gemma is such a pretty girl, and after ten days together, that brat spent the whole time torturing her!"

"She was even unconscious and soaking in the bath, and he never once went in!"

Tina had completely lost hope in Julian.

At this rate, wouldn't their family line end with him?

The Walker family had always been passed down through a single heir. Even when there were two brothers, one either died—or one's child wouldn't survive.

In the end, there was always only one male heir left.

Take James and John, for example. James actually had a son, but he died while exploring a Secret Realm.

As for John, although he had two sons and a daughter, Henry only had one daughter. That meant the only boy of this generation was still Julian alone.

The "curse" of having only a single heir in each generation of the Walker family had persisted since the dawn of the Pokémon era.

That was why Henry had breathed a sigh of relief when he found out that Alice was carrying a baby girl—because he was afraid. Afraid that if the child were a boy, then if this so-called curse was real, only one between his child and Julian would survive.

And after Jade was born, Henry hadn't considered having another child.

Back when Alice was pregnant, the truth was that everyone in the Walker family except Julian himself was worried—afraid that the "curse" might come true.

For hundreds of years, the Walker family had passed down a single heir each generation. If it wasn't a curse, it was hard to explain why this kept happening.

[T/N: For anyone confused, I think the author didn't explain it that well here but it's like in John's generation only his heir survived, and James line ended with his son dying, while in Jake's generation, if not for Julian, Henry might not have even married, which again left Jake in that generation.]

"Could it be that this curse is the reason he has no interest in women?"

Tina suddenly thought of this possibility, and her expression immediately changed.

"Dee~"

Love: "I have a way to break this curse."

Tina was overjoyed and quickly asked, "What way?"

"Dee~"

Love: "Let him take my surname."

Tina: \( ??.? ) ??

Love's cold joke left Tina completely speechless.

But changing the surname… that idea… yeah, no, absolutely not.

Not to mention whether John and Jake would agree—Julian himself would never accept it.

She knew very well how proud her son was of his surname.

The Walkers had been a prestigious clan for centuries, guarding a Special Advanced-level Secret Realm generation after generation, protecting Lake City and even the entire nation since the beginning of the Pokémon era.

That sense of pride—from ancestors, from bloodline—was something nothing could replace.

"Never mind. Why am I in such a rush? The ones who should be more worried are his father and grandfather."

Tina shook her head, deciding not to dwell on this headache-inducing issue.

Although she also wanted to hold a grandchild, she still had a long life ahead of her—so there was no need to rush.

*****

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