Pokemon: Reborn Rich Alternate Earth
Chapter 626: Choco Sweet

It was now half past six in the evening, just half an hour before the show recording begins.

In the audience section, all 300 audience members were already seated, most buzzing with anticipation.

“Mia, we're so lucky! Who knew our first time attending "Rising Star" would coincide with Julian being the guest?” A slightly chubby girl exclaimed, gripping Mia’s arm with excitement.

Mia was the same sophomore college student who had interviewed Julian on Emberlight Street in Haborcrest City.

At that time, because Julian was wearing a mask, she hadn’t recognized him—only realizing it afterward when viewers in her livestream pointed it out. But by then, Julian was already gone.

She’d felt really regretful about that… until now. She just happened to get tickets to "Rising Star", and unbelievably, Julian turned out to be the guest.

Because Julian’s appearance had been a last-minute addition, none of the audience members had known in advance.

Naturally, once the news broke, everyone who didn’t manage to buy a ticket was full of regret.

Most of the audience members, like Mia’s friend, felt incredibly lucky. After all, they’d paid just 1,000 for tickets, and now they were getting to see Julian live—absolutely worth it.

---

As the clock struck 7 PM, upbeat music filled the studio, and the five hosts—each accompanied by their partner Pokémon—walked out onto the stage.

Pokémon had long been integrated into every industry—there were even shows and movies entirely hosted by and starring Pokémon, speaking their own language, without any translation.

Those programs were made for Pokémon, by Pokémon.

“Hello, everyone! Welcome to "Rising Star"!”

Howard announced with enthusiasm, smiling as he stood beside his Pokémon partner, a graceful Delphox.

Raina and the other four hosts all greeted the audience as well.

“Today, we’ve invited a truly special guest—and I think you all already know who it—”

“Julian!!!”

The audience erupted before he could finish the sentence.

Howard didn’t tease them further. Holding up the mic, he shouted:

“Please welcome… a Pseudo-Champion, the nation’s youngest National-level Gym Leader, and a sophomore at Imperial University—Julian Walker!!!”

Amid the deafening cheers, Julian stepped out slowly from backstage, accompanied by his Metagross. Instantly, the spotlight shifted to him.

With subtle makeup enhancing his features, Julian looked even more striking than usual.

At 6'1" (185 cm) tall, impeccably dressed in casual yet refined attire, his posture exuded confidence. Fair skin, sharp facial structure—the kind of build that looked lean in clothes but was clearly toned underneath.

“Good evening, everyone.”

Julian greeted the audience in a calm, composed voice as he accepted the mic from Raina.

“Meta~”

Metagross nodded along with him.

A Walker and a Silver-white Metagross, this was definitely a well-known combination all over the world—especially in Drakoria, where nearly everyone knew of it.

Since Julian’s debut, he had never lost a single public match.

During his freshman year, he competed in the "Hundred Schools League". With only pseudo-Elite strength, he took down Elite-level opponents, and ultimately helped Imperial University win the championship—instantly making him the number one young Trainer in Drakoria.

From that moment on, Julian—the sole heir of the Walker family—officially stepped into the public eye.

And under the watchful gaze of the nation, he only grew more formidable.

Now, he had reached the pseudo-Champion level, a realm that most Trainers could never reach in their entire lives, not even close enough to dream about.

---

After that, Julian casually interacted with the five hosts for a few minutes. Naturally, he spoke most frequently with Raina. Her Pokémon partner was a Roselia, with Cyan-tier potential.

Roughly ten minutes later, Howard was prepared to introduce the second guest. So he turned to Julian and asked with a smile:

“Julian, are you familiar with the super popular new idol group ‘Choco Sweet’?”

'Choco Sweet? What the heck kind of name is that?'

Of course Julian had no idea.

But he still smiled and nodded anyway.

In reality, Raina had briefed him backstage—but he’d been too busy browsing the system shop to listen.

Seeing him nod, Howard naturally assumed Julian knew what he was talking about and continued:

“What do you think of the group?”

Julian thought for a second and said:

“They’re… great. Very popular with young people.”

“And do you like them?” Howard followed up quickly.

“Of course I do. They’re all beautiful girls—of course a guy like me would like them.”

Howard was initially pleased, thinking Julian was being cooperative… but as soon as he heard the second half of the answer, his face froze.

Thankfully, his years of experience saved him from freezing up on air.

Meanwhile, the audience burst into laughter.

“Gym Leader Walker—THEY’RE A BOY GROUP!”

A frantic voice crackled in his earpiece.

'Boy group?! Who names a male group something so misleading?!'

“Let’s welcome Choco Sweet!”

Howard quickly moved on and didn't dare ask Julian anything else—just in case he blew up the segment again.

Then, amid some energetic singing, dancing, and rapping, five flamboyant young men made their entrance.

> “I’m Dark Chocolate—the man who’ll conquer eternity!”

> “I’m White Chocolate! Brace yourselves—my youth and beauty will overwhelm you~”

> “I’m Liquor Chocolate~ Aged to perfection, just like the vintage that’ll intoxicate you.”

> “I’m Stuffed Chocolate! Let me be the treasure in your palms~~”

> “I’m Nutty Chocolate! Burning love for my burning fans—'your king' has arrived!”

Dead silence.

Even the usually stoic Metagross twitched. 'I want to murder them.'

Howard was completely dumbfounded—this wasn’t part of the script! 'What kind of cringeworthy self-introductions were these?!'

The five members of Choco Sweet, on the other hand, looked extremely pleased with themselves.

Seeing the stunned expressions on everyone’s faces, they were convinced they’d left everyone—including the legendary Julian—speechless with their brilliance.

Then—

“Pfft—!”

“HAHAHAHAHA!!”

Julian couldn’t hold it in anymore. He bent over, clutching his stomach, tears nearly coming out from laughing too hard.

“Choco Sweet? More like Choco Salty AF!”

“Meta~” (Agreed.)

“Gheeheehee!”

Even Gengar, who had been hiding in Julian’s shadow, couldn’t take it anymore. It popped out, laughing even harder than him—rolling on the ground, slamming the floor with its ghostly hands.

The five boy group members froze, utterly embarrassed. Furious but helpless, they didn’t dare say a word back.

Howard quickly tried to save the situation with some light-hearted words to move the segment along.

Meanwhile, Julian had already yanked off his earpiece—he was genuinely getting sick of the director buzzing in his ear.

Looking at the five of them—skinny arms, stick legs, dressed up in flashy, flamboyant clothes with full-on femboy energy—Julian turned to Raina, clearly confused.

“They’re seriously popular?”

“They just debuted,” Raina explained quietly.

But she looked equally repulsed.

'If you’re gonna act like that, at least commit! Go get gender reassignment or something. This half-and-half nonsense is just embarrassing.'

Finally, Julian sighed into the mic, addressing the audience with a mix of exasperation and pity:

“I’m honestly starting to regret coming on this show. I didn’t think the standards for 'celebrity' worship among young people had gotten this low.”

“Or is there just no standard left to become a ‘star’ these days?”

*****

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/ReduxMagister