Julian did not immediately drag Haley out of the dance floor. Instead, he found an empty seat and sat down. This was only the second time he had ever been to a bar.
The first time was with a senior from his university days.
Since he had just finished dinner, Julian didn't have much of an appetite, so he casually ordered a few bottles of beer and some snacks.
The riotous music, gyrating bodies, and shrill screams—amplified by the effects of alcohol—heightened every sensation.
Sipping his beer slowly, he watched the young men and women twisting and turning on the dance floor.
Around Haley, besides the few delinquents, several other young men had now gathered.
After all, a young girl like Haley, who was also exceptionally pretty, naturally became a target for many predators.
"Hey handsome, drinking alone?"
A woman suddenly sat down beside Julian, leaning in close, but he immediately pushed her away.
"You're too ugly."
The woman was about to retort that Julian was no fun, when she abruptly heard those words and was instantly rendered speechless with anger.
She had spent effort on her delicate makeup—how could she be considered ugly?
In truth, the woman wasn't actually ugly, but Julian was accustomed to women who were all top beauties. Compared to them, she did come off as somewhat "plain."
Due to the dim lighting and the influence of alcohol, the woman didn't recognize Julian.
She had approached him simply because he looked handsome and carried an air of distinction, clearly resembling a young master from a wealthy family.
She had intended to get close to him, but Julian's blunt remark about her looks infuriated her. Shooting him a glare, she stormed off in a huff.
After leisurely finishing a bottle of beer, Julian noticed that the delinquents surrounding Haley were growing impatient and had started getting physical with her.
"I’m leaving. You guys have fun."
Haley frowned, dodging the groping hand of a guy with dyed blond hair, and prepared to leave.
But the delinquents weren't having it. They had managed to get her out, and if nothing happened, they wouldn't be satisfied.
"Come on, Haley, we were having such a good time, weren't we?" The blond-haired guy grinned, his eyes gleaming with a look that made Haley sick to her stomach.
"Don't disgust me. Having a good time? Do you think I don't know what you're after? Get lost!"
Haley was not one to be bullied. She shoved the blond-haired guy away.
"Enough with the shouting. Girls should speak more gently."
A hand pressed down on the blond-haired guy's back, followed by a swift kick that sent him tumbling to the ground.
Haley, annoyed at being lectured, was about to retort angrily when she saw it was Julian. Her expression instantly brightened with delight. "Brother Julian!"
Although it had been eight years since she had last seen Julian, he was far too famous, so Haley recognized him at a glance.
When the delinquents saw Julian attack the blond guy, they initially wanted to retaliate, but the moment they met Julian’s calm gaze, they suddenly lost their nerve.
"Let’s go."
Julian glanced at the people around them.
"Mm."
Haley nodded and obediently followed behind Julian.
A few of those who had designs on Haley thought about pursuing them, but one look from Julian froze them in their tracks.
Some sharp-eyed individuals even recognized Julian, their mouths hanging open in disbelief.
"Why didn’t you come to my house today? It can’t be that Aunt Sarah didn’t tell you we were having dinner at our place, right?"
"I had a fight with them, so I didn’t want to hang around with them."
Haley pouted, clearly dissatisfied with her parents—a classic picture of a rebellious phase.
"Even so, you didn’t have to come to a bar. Just look at the kind of people around you—even a dog would turn up its nose at them." Julian snorted coldly.
Arcanine was waiting for him right outside the bar.
A small crowd had gathered around Arcanine—after all, it was a rare Pokémon, and Julian’s Arcanine was exceptionally majestic in appearance.
But no one dared get too close. Earlier, someone bold had tried to pet it, only to be scared stiff by a single glare from Arcanine.
'Even a dog would turn up its nose?'
Arcanine happened to overhear Julian’s remark.
"Arf!"
Arcanine: "What am I turning up my nose at?"
"At those punks," Julian said, then motioned for Arcanine to crouch down.
"Let’s go home first."
Haley nodded, excitedly climbing onto Arcanine’s back.
Just then, an angry shout came from behind: "Haley! You two, stop right there!"
The blond guy emerged from the bar entrance with his gang of delinquents, all brandishing beer bottles.
"Was it you who kicked me earlier?"
The blond guy pointed his bottle at Julian, his face twisted with anger.
But in the next second, Julian snatched the bottle from his hand and—smash—brought it down on the blond guy’s head.
'That actually felt pretty good.'
No wonder so many people liked smashing bottles on heads.
The blond guy writhed on the ground, howling in pain.
The other delinquents were momentarily stunned by Julian’s ruthlessness.
"Here, hand over your bottles. Otherwise, I’ll set the dog on you," Julian said to the remaining delinquents.
"Grrr—"
Arcanine bared its teeth at them, playing along.
Terrified of the Pokémon, the delinquents didn’t dare refuse. Trembling, they handed their bottles over to Julian one by one.
With each bottle he received, Julian smashed it against the blond guy lying on the ground.
Smash!
"You were pretty cocky just now, huh?"
Smash!
"Of all the colors you could dye your hair, you just had to pick yellow."
Smash!
"Did your parents not teach you that kids your age shouldn't be in places like this?"
Smash!
"And you still dare act tough with me?"
With each bottle shattered, Julian spat a cold remark.
But when he reached out again, he realized no more bottles were being handed to him. He turned to look at the delinquents.
By now, they were utterly terrified. Meeting Julian's gaze, they stammered hastily, "Boss, we're out of bottles… Should we go get you a whole crate?"
Hearing this, Julian smacked the speaker across the face: "Where the f**k is your loyalty?"
'Bring a whole crate? Damn, this guy really had talent.'
The guy clutched his cheek, looking wronged. 'I want to be loyal, but you’re just too scary—like a demon in human form.'
As for the blond on the ground, he was already wailing miserably. Several of his bones had been broken, but he wasn’t going to die—just facing at least six months of recovery.
The commotion Julian caused had drawn a crowd.
And it didn’t take long for someone to recognize him.
"Hey, isn’t that Champion Walker?"
"No way— Wait, holy crap, it really is him!"
"No wonder that Arcanine looks so majestic—it’s Champion Walker’s!"
Some had initially thought Julian was being too harsh on the blond guy, but the moment they realized who he was, their attitude flipped. Now they felt he’d been too lenient—should’ve just finished the guy off.
"Arcanine, let’s go."
Seeing that he’d been recognized, Julian mounted Arcanine and vanished from sight in an instant.
*****
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