Aaron stood on the training ground alongside the other four.
The way Aaron looked at Zane was like a jilted lover glaring at a heartless ex—bitter and full of resentment.
Zane, standing on the platform, completely ignored Aaron's stare and spoke evenly:
"Tomorrow, you'll have a full day to rest and recover. Make sure you're in peak condition."
"The day after that, you'll depart."
"You will represent Training Camp No. 1 in the Sealine City Training Camp Pokémon Competition."
"I expect you to give it everything you have and make your mark."
"Fight for yourselves, for this training camp, and for your schools."
"Understood?"
Zane's voice was deep and commanding, carrying an invisible pressure that swept over them.
The five of them stiffened slightly, then answered in unison:
"Understood!"
Aaron shot Zane a look full of disdain, cursing inwardly.
Damn it… that damn dog.
Zane continued to ignore him, then left with the other instructors, leaving only the five students behind.
"Aaron, I heard you defeated Instructor Zane. That's incredible!"
A bespectacled boy walked over, eyes shining as he spoke.
Aaron turned and recognized him immediately.
His name was Ethan, a student from Class 2—the only one who had made it through.
The others—Grace, Simon the Simp, and Victor—were all from Class 1.
Aaron waved his hand modestly and smiled.
"Not at all, not at all… Damn do—cough, cough—Instructor Zane was just going easy on me."
"Hmph… at least someone here has a bit of self-awareness."
"Don't get carried away just because you got lucky and caught a stronger Pokémon. Remember—there's always someone better out there."
A curly-haired boy nearby spoke with clear sarcasm.
Aaron glanced over and immediately recognized him.
Victor.
He'd heard this guy was Simon's cousin—and just as wealthy.
What Aaron couldn't quite understand was this: weren't rich kids supposed to attend private schools?
Why come to a public one instead?
Just to flex?
Aaron shot him a flat look and replied casually:
"Hm?"
"Why does it suddenly smell sour around here?"
"And… is that a dog barking?"
"It's really loud."
"Pfft—"
Grace couldn't help laughing, rolling her eyes at Aaron.
This guy's mouth was as sharp as ever.
Ethan struggled to hold back his laughter and secretly gave Aaron a thumbs-up, full of admiration.
"You—!"
"What's the point of being so sharp-tongued?"
"If you're really a man, then let's settle this with a Pokémon battle!"
"If you lose, you shout it twice right here: 'I'm a dog!"
"Do you dare!?"
Victor was furious, his anger boiling over as he yelled.
Aaron looked at him with a strange expression.
Hadn't this idiot watched his battle with Zane?
Where did he even get the nerve to challenge him?
Did he seriously think he stood a chance?
...
"Ding~ Triggered mission: Teach Victor how to behave!!"
"This brat still dares to question the strength of your other Pokémon—how can you tolerate that!?"
"Crush his pride and teach him a proper lesson!"
"Mission rewards: Self-Motivation Learning Device ×1, Pokémon Candy (Advanced) ×1…"
At the same time, the system's cold voice echoed in Aaron's ears, making his eyes light up.
He loved these mission-delivering little darlings the most.
"And what if you lose?"
Aaron asked casually, pretending to be uninterested.
"If I lose, I'll give you 100,000!"
Victor shouted angrily.
"Huh?"
"Deal!"
"For that kind of sincerity, I'm in."
The light in Aaron's eyes grew brighter, and his earlier frustration vanished instantly.
"But I have one condition—you're not allowed to use that Snorlax of yours!"
Victor suddenly added.
"Fine."
Aaron agreed without even thinking.
So that was his plan—ban Snorlax.
Poor Snorlax.
It only got to show off once before being benched.
Snorlax: "What did I do wrong!?"
Aaron gave Victor a strange look.
This guy had some brains—but not much.
Did he really think Aaron only had one Pokémon that could fight?
Kid…
You're still far too young.
...
At the Pokémon battle arena,
Aaron and Victor stood facing each other.
This battle would be fought in a 2v2 format.
Once one side's Pokémon all lost their ability to fight, the match would end.
A smug look flashed through Victor's eyes as he sneered inwardly.
My cousin even warned me to watch out for this guy… and he still took the bait.
With brains like that, he really thinks he can take me on?
Without that Snorlax, what do you even have left to fight me with?
He shot Aaron a contemptuous glance, then threw his Poké Ball.
"Come out… Scyther!!"
A flash of light burst forth.
A green Pokémon with razor-sharp scythe-like arms appeared on the field.
"Scyther—!"
Scyther crossed its twin blades and let out a fierce cry, its sharp eyes locking tightly onto Aaron.
Aaron immediately activated the system's scan.
[Name: Scyther]
[Gender: Male]
[Nature: Docile]
[Type: Bug, Flying]
[Ability: Technician]
[Base Stats Total: 500]
[Level: Intermediate (Mid Stage)]
[Pokémon Potential: Gym Leader level]
[Moves Known: Leer (Proficiency), Quick Attack (Proficiency), Fury Cutter (Proficiency), Wing Attack (Basic), Double Team (Basic), Focus Energy (Basic), Double Hit (Basic), Slash (Basic)…]
[Description: Scyther, the Mantis Pokémon. Wields razor-sharp scythes capable of cutting through steel. A born warrior…]
...
Scyther, huh.
That caught Aaron a little off guard—especially with the Technician ability.
Scyther was a relatively rare Pokémon. With its cool appearance, plenty of boys liked to use it for showing off and attracting attention from cute girls.
What this world didn't know, however, was that Scyther could evolve into the even cooler Scizor—
And the somewhat ugly Kleavor.
Not only that, Scizor could even Mega Evolve later on, becoming absurdly powerful.
But those evolutionary paths hadn't yet been discovered in this world.
Aaron quietly noted it down in his mental notebook.
That could become his future research paper.
Feeling pleased, Aaron also took out a Poké Ball.
"Come out!"
"Frog Boss—you're up…"
...