Victor's expression darkened, his eyes blazing with rage. He pulled out his phone, transferred 100,000 to Aaron, then slunk away in humiliation. Staying any longer would only embarrass him even further.
Aaron glanced at the balance displayed on his phone, a pleased smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Watching Victor flee so miserably, he even found it a little cute.
So this is the power of money, huh?
"Ding~ Congratulations on completing the mission: Teach Victor a Lesson!!"
"Rewards obtained: Self-Motivation Learning Device, Pokémon Candy…"
The system notification rang in his ears. Another free haul of rewards—truly satisfying.
...
"Aaron… you're incredible!!"
"Who would've thought that besides Snorlax, you had another Pokémon this strong? Victor really lost everything this time, hahaha…"
At that moment, Grace and Ethan walked over. Ethan looked practically bursting with excitement as he spoke.
"No, no… it was just luck, haha."
Aaron replied modestly, then glanced at Grace and asked, "Grace, did you need something from me?"
Grace's clear, pleasant voice rang out.
"Are you free tomorrow? I want to battle you."
Her expression was serious as she looked at Aaron.
"Oh?"
"Why?"
Aaron froze for a moment, clearly puzzled.
"I want to see how far apart we really are…"
Grace answered calmly.
She knew her strength was no match for Aaron, but she still wanted to fight him once.
Even if Aaron was like a towering mountain, she wanted to face him head-on and overcome the weakness deep in her heart.
A firm resolve flashed through Grace's eyes.
Aaron met her gaze. Then he turned and walked away, his voice drifting back calmly.
"Tomorrow morning at nine. Don't be late."
Grace stood alone on the training field as a gentle breeze swept past, tousling her long hair.
Yet it couldn't hide the breathtaking smile at the corner of her lips.
...
Aaron returned to the dormitory and found it empty. Max and the others had already been sent back to school.
Now, only Aaron remained.
He felt a surge of emotion.
Fate really was a strange thing.
He noticed a sheet of white paper on the desk, held down by a pen. Picking it up, he read:
"Aaron… we headed back first. We'll be waiting for you at school when you return victorious.
You have to take first place in the training camp Pokémon competition and make our dorm proud!"
"We'll be cheering for you from home. The dorm's future is in your hands—go, go, go!!"
"You're the strongest!!"
"Oh, right… if you run into any cute girls during the competition, remember to get their PokéGear contact info for me.
I'll treat you to skewers when you get back!!"
"—Your most adorable roommates: Hugo, Adrian, and Max."
Aaron looked at the words on the page, a warm smile forming on his face.
"Just wait for me," he murmured softly.
...
Back in the dorm, Aaron summoned Frog Boss. He reached out and gently rubbed Frog Boss's head.
"Frog Boss… I've got something good for you."
Frogadier croaked twice in response.
"Ribbit…"
His big eyes stared straight at Aaron, clearly asking: what good stuff?
Aaron smiled faintly, took out a Pokémon Candy, and handed it over.
Frog Boss's eyes lit up. He swallowed it whole without hesitation.
He knew this stuff.
Eat it, and you get stronger.
And it tasted great…
The moment Frogadier finished the candy, dazzling light erupted from his entire body.
Aaron knew instantly—this was the light of evolution.
Frog Boss was about to evolve into Greninja.
His heart surged with excitement. He knew Frog Boss was about to reach a historic moment of his own.
The birth of a legendary ninja frog.
Within the brilliant glow, Frogadier's silhouette steadily grew taller.
A low hum echoed as a sleek, jet-black ninja Pokémon appeared before Aaron. Standing nearly 1.8 meters tall, with a vivid red tongue wrapped around its neck, it cut a striking figure.
It was Frogadier's evolved form—
Greninja.
Ordinarily, Greninja stood only about 1.5 meters tall.
Yet Aaron's Greninja reached a full 1.8 meters. Could it be because he was shiny?
Whatever the reason, taller just meant cooler.
Aaron was immensely satisfied.
"Congratulations… Frog Boss."
He smiled as he spoke to Greninja.
"Grenin…"
Greninja responded softly, extending a clenched fist toward him.
Aaron immediately understood. Smiling, he raised his own fist.
Their fists met.
In that instant, time itself seemed to freeze.
Only Aaron and Greninja remained, locked in each other's gaze.
Thump. Thump. Thump…
Aaron felt his heartbeat suddenly accelerate. A powerful force seemed ready to burst forth, his entire body boiling, surging with energy.
"Woosh—"
The sensation came as suddenly as it vanished.
In the blink of an eye, everything around them seemed to return to normal.
"Ribbit?"
Greninja made a confused sound, clearly having experienced the same strange sensation.
Still unsettled, Aaron looked at the equally confused Greninja and muttered to himself,
"What was that just now…?"
"What exactly happened…?"
A sudden realization struck him, and he blurted out,
"Could that have been Greninja's Bond Evolution?"
Excitement flared in his eyes.
In the anime, Ash and Greninja could trigger a unique Bond Evolution—cool beyond description, and incredibly powerful. It was also Aaron's favorite Pokémon form.
But just now, it had clearly failed.
Was it because the bond between him and Greninja still wasn't strong enough?
Aaron fell into thought.
"I'll be counting on you, Greninja."
He said seriously.
"Grenin…"
Next, Aaron took out the Sage Mode Skill Card and Flying Thunder God Technique Skill Card that had been sealed away in his system inventory for a long time, along with the Self-Motivation skill he had obtained today, and let Frog Boss use them all.
He even fed Greninja another Pokémon Candy, pushing his strength straight to Advanced (Mid Stage).
With mounting excitement, Aaron opened Greninja's attribute panel.
The changes were nothing short of earth-shaking.
...