Pokemon: Reborn Rich Alternate Earth

Chapter 998: Chapter 1215: Hundred Years

"Don't be afraid, we mean no harm."

Julian stopped about five to six meters away from the Ambipom, and by now Metagross had already withdrawn its intimidating aura.

As Julian spoke, a soothing wave of Aura power emanated from him.

But the Ambipom, whose body was practically shaking like a sieve, didn't believe Julian's words at all.

You say you mean no harm? If you mean no harm, then why did you have Metagross scare me? That guy was just about ready to finish me off with one claw!

Even though Julian was trying to calm it with Aura, the effect wasn't very significant.

The Ambipom had genuinely been terrified by Metagross.

Julian glanced at Metagross, as if to say, 'Look how badly you scared it.'

Metagross: 'Who knew something at the Champion-level could still be this timid.'

That was true—this Ambipom was indeed a bit too timid. It had just been a little scare, nothing truly malicious, and Julian had even used Aura to soothe it. Yet it still looked utterly shaken.

It seemed like if he had brought out the Twin Dragons, this guy would have fainted on the spot.

"Lucario."

Left with no other choice, Julian sent out Lucario.

"Luca~"

Lucario placed its left paw on the Ambipom, channeling a wave of Aura many times stronger than Julian's into it.

Finally, the Ambipom's emotions settled down.

Looking at Metagross, then at Lucario, and recalling that Moltres from earlier...

'Just who is this human?'

Now calm, the Ambipom stayed silent, unsure of what to say.

And besides, all its countless underlings below were watching.

It was certain that they had seen it trembling in fear earlier—its dignity was completely gone.

Though in reality, it was overthinking. The Aipom and Ambipom below were all still so frightened by Moltres's earlier presence that they were too busy keeping their heads down to dare look up.

"Are you here… for my wine?"

After a long moment, once it was absolutely certain that Julian and his Pokémon truly meant it no harm, it finally spoke.

It had thought it over and over, and the only thing it possessed that could warrant the attention of three Champion-level Pokémon was most likely the Monkey Wine it brewed.

"Mm."

Julian felt this Ambipom was quite perceptive—it had figured out his intention before he even had to say anything

"I heard from the Aipom and Ambipom around here that their great leader's brewing skills are unmatched. They say if a Pokémon drinks it, it'll instantly become a Champion, and if a human drinks it, they'll gain eternal life."

Metagross turned to look at Julian: "Flattering a guy like this... isn't that a bit unnecessary? Let's just knock it flat and take all its wine."

Julian: "We're going for sustainable development here. If we just take it by force, what happens if this Ambipom refuses to brew any more in the future?"

As for the blatant flattery, Julian had just said it offhandedly—he was happy saying it, and the Ambipom was happy hearing it.

Just look—the Ambipom's mouth was practically stretched from ear to ear.

At this moment, the Ambipom felt extremely pleased. Even though it knew Julian's words were exaggerated, being praised by such a powerful figure, and for the very skill it took the most pride in... well, of course it was going to feel smug about it.

"You flatter me, you flatter me—it's really not that exaggerated."

"That said, Champion-level Pokémon who drink it over a long period can indeed increase their strength, and humans who drink it can enjoy extended life span and improved health and appearance."

Ambipom waved its hand dismissively, putting on an air of false modesty that screamed 'Oh, my wine is just average, really.'

"Then hurry up and let us try some!"

Celebi, perched on Julian's head, spoke up impatiently.

The night before, it had tasted the Monkey Wine brewed by that Elite-level Ambipom and found the flavor absolutely amazing. Now here was a Champion-level brewer—wouldn't its wine taste even better?

As for its supposed effects, Celebi couldn't care less—as long as it tasted good enough, even if it were full of questionable ingredients, it would still gladly drink it.

But the moment Celebi finished speaking, a troubled expression crossed the Ambipom's face.

Julian: 'I've already made this much of a show of force—don't tell me this guy is actually going to be stingy?'

Metagross's eyes slowly narrowed, already considering whether to just crush it after all.

Sensing the change in Metagross's gaze, Ambipom was startled and quickly explained: "It still needs seven more days! I've aged this batch of wine in storage for a hundred years. Just seven more days, and its flavor and potency will reach their absolute peak."

'Seven days, huh?'

"It's not that you can't drink it now... it's just that the taste and effects won't be at their peak yet."

Ambipom looked at Julian and the others with a somewhat dejected expression. If they really wanted to drink it now, then even if it was utterly unwilling, it would still have to agree.

Since the Dowsing Machine had already shown the big red dot, it meant the "Ultimate treasure" was technically usable—but what Ambipom said also made sense.

Seven days, after all—Julian could afford to wait.

"Then we'll wait," Julian said.

Hearing that, Ambipom immediately let out a sigh of relief. It had aged this batch for a full hundred years. If the seal was broken just days short of completion, while it wouldn't render all the prior effort completely wasted, it would still leave a lingering sense of regret.

Especially for a Pokémon with such perfectionist tendencies, breaking the seal a few days early was practically akin to a death sentence.

"So what are you planning to do now?" Julian asked.

Ambipom pointed toward the countless Aipom and Ambipom before them and said, "I'm going to gather the wine they've brewed, blend and refine it, and then bestow it back upon them."

"Of course, I'll keep a portion of the refined wine to age in storage according to different vintage years."

"As for that hundred-year wine... I sealed that away right after I became a Champion-level Pokémon a century ago."

'A century ago… and you're still only level 92?'

'So in a hundred years, you only gained one level?'

That pace…

Julian's gaze toward the Ambipom suddenly carried a hint of disdain.

For a Pokémon at the early-stage Champion-level, leveling up was relatively easier. But once one reached the mid-stage, the time and resources required to gain even a single level multiplied exponentially.

"I spend most of my time brewing wine, so my strength improved a bit… slowly."

Ambipom's face reddened slightly—it had clearly noticed Julian's judgmental look.

Fair enough—if it had trained a bit more, it could've at least gained two levels in a hundred years.

Others had "century-old brands" and "hundred-year legacies," but here it was—one level in a hundred years.

Julian felt that if he had a hundred years, he'd probably be soaring into the sky, standing shoulder to shoulder with the sun.

"Mm, I understand."

Julian nodded calmly.

Whether its strength was lacking or not didn't matter much to him. As long as the wine after seven days satisfied him, that was enough.

But Julian's reaction still struck a blow to Ambipom's pride.

It silently resolved that once this batch of wine was finished, it would start training seriously.

*****

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