Aaron returned home.
The moment his mother saw him, she rushed over with concern, fussing over him nonstop, her face lit with joy.
Aaron answered her questions with a smile and even told her that his school had taken first place in the competition.
His mother was so happy she almost jumped on the spot.
Even his father showed a rare smile and immediately decided that they would cook a big meal that night to celebrate properly.
As for the terrorist attack, Aaron didn't mention it at all. The principal had already instructed everyone that, to avoid unnecessary panic, the incident would be kept under wraps.
As a result, aside from the military base and Aaron's group, no one else would ever know that the attack had even happened.
That evening, Aaron ate happily with his family, chatting about what had happened at the training camp. The atmosphere at the table was warm and lively—of course, his little sister remained just as cold and aloof as ever.
...
Night fell.
Aaron lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, his thoughts replaying everything that had happened during the day.
Fortunately, he had acted ahead of time.
He had sent Greninja out using Flying Thunder God, then used Multiple Shadow Clone Jutsu to activate Self-Motivation, directly boosting both Attack and Special Attack to +6.
After that, he used Flying Thunder God to teleport back, then activated the Tailed Beast Cloak and Sage Mode.
Aaron had secretly tested these two abilities before.
The Tailed Beast Cloak increased all attributes by +3.
Sage Mode also increased all attributes by +3—and more importantly, it broke through the +6 stat cap.
That meant Greninja's attack power at the time had reached a terrifying +12…
A sixfold increase in both physical and special offense!!
Absolutely terrifying!!
On top of that, Rasenshuriken already had a base power of 180. After becoming Senjutsu, its power doubled again.
Combined with the Protean ability, the final power of Rasenshuriken reached a staggering 450…
An absurd attack.
A horrifying level of skill power!!
That was what made that peak strike possible.
Of course, it was also because that man had underestimated him. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been killed in a single blow.
After all, the opponent had been a Gym Leader-level expert.
In the end, luck had played a part as well.
This terrorist attack had sounded a loud alarm for Aaron.
This world was far more dangerous—and far more terrifying—than Earth.
He had to become stronger as quickly as possible.
A determined glint flashed in Aaron's eyes.
Then, in his mind, he spoke to the system:
"System… still pretending to be dead?"
"Hurry up and give me my rewards."
At once, the system's slightly reluctant voice rang out in his ears:
"Ding~ Congratulations!"
"Mission Completed: Survive!!"
"You have successfully endured the assault and lived to tell the tale."
"Mission Rewards obtained:"
Darkrai's Nightmare Stone ×3, Wood Release Kekkei Genkai (Skill Version) ×1 Pokémon Candy (Advanced) ×1, Energy Cube Canister ×5…
Seeing the pile of items in his system inventory, Aaron's mood instantly improved.
There were also Armament Haki Skill Cards and Observation Haki Skill Cards inside.
Without hesitation, Aaron used the Armament Haki on Gyarados.
After a moment of thought, he gave the Observation Haki to Snorlax.
[Name: Observation Haki]
[Attribute: Normal]
[Type: Status]
[Power: None]
[Description: After use, the Pokémon's five senses become extremely sharp, allowing it to perceive the aura and emotional changes of surrounding creatures, as well as anticipate and evade danger…]
...
There was still one Pokémon Candy left, which Aaron fed to Snorlax, pushing it to the mid Advanced Stage.
His three Pokémon were now at the following levels:
Frog Boss: Advanced Late Stage!!
Snorlax: Advanced Mid Stage…
Gyarados: Advanced Early Stage…
For a third-year high school student, this was already outrageously strong!!
Aside from those born into extreme wealth or powerful families, this was already top-tier strength!!
Aaron's gaze then fell on the Nightmare Stone.
Since it was connected to the Nightmare God, it had to be something extraordinary.
He checked its item panel:
[Name: Darkrai's Nightmare Stone]
[Description: After use, summons and obtains one instance of assistance from the Nightmare God—Darkrai…]
"Hiss…"
Aaron stared at the simple description and sucked in a sharp breath.
A flash of uncontrollable excitement surged through his eyes.
"This is insane…"
The Legendary Pokémon of this world were nothing like the ones in games.
Here, they possessed power capable of devastating entire regions.
Even the so-called Three Legendary Birds—Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno—could easily wipe out an entire city.
In Aaron's memories, there had once been an overseas news report about a massive black bird wreathed in crimson flames that single-handedly destroyed a small country.
Others didn't know the name of that Legendary Pokémon.
But Aaron did.
It was Moltres (Galarian).
That alone was enough to show how terrifying the Legendary Pokémon of this world truly were.
Now that he had three Nightmare Stones—
didn't that mean he effectively had three chances to survive… no—
three chances to save his life!?
Now he was someone protected by a Legendary Pokémon!!
Excitement flickered in Aaron's eyes.
"Let's see who still dares to mess with me."
"I'll make them understand what cruelty really means."
...