The two Champions left—taking no one with them, only an empty promise.
But the news that the presidents of Pokémon Elite Defense Academy and Pokémon Crown University had personally come to Sealine to recruit Aaron spread like wildfire overnight.
It even made the Sealine News.
And unsurprisingly—Aaron became famous.
He instantly became the example every parent held up to their own kids.
"Look at Aaron!"
"Two Champions personally invited him to their universities!"
"And what about you?"
"You little Caterpie—can't even get your grades straight! I should've raised a Magikarp instead!"
For a time, Aaron's name echoed throughout Sealine.
...
Meanwhile, the star of the day was walking home, grinning from ear to ear as he stared at the 2 million PokéDollars that had just hit his account.
In his hands were two Pokémon Move TMs, a Berry, and a pass.
Oddly enough, a familiar figure was clinging to his thigh—Fishball.
"Aaron… remember?"
"When we were kids, you even borrowed my underwear!"
"When your dad got mad at you, I was the one who hid you!"
"And when you got chased by Poochyena, I saved you!"
"Now that you're big-time, you can't forget about me!"
Fishball hugged his leg and rambled on dramatically.
"Get lost!"
"You've got the whole story backwards, haven't you?"
"Have some shame…"
Aaron rolled his eyes.
His attention shifted to the two Pokémon Move TMs in his hand.
Flamethrower and Thunderbolt.
That was seriously generous.
He hadn't expected this. The two moves alone were easily worth at least 1.5 million on the market.
Clearly, the authorities were going all out to thank him for saving everyone.
Aaron felt pretty pleased with himself.
Both moves could be learned by Gyarados. It seemed they had prepared them specifically with Gyarados in mind.
Still, he didn't think they were necessary. Gyarados already possessed Fire-type and Electric-type moves with a base power of 150.
Compared to that, these TMs weren't especially appealing anymore.
For now, he'd keep them in reserve—maybe they'd come in handy after he captured another Pokémon.
As for the Berry, he gave it to Gyarados without hesitation, raising it to Advanced (Mid Stage).
That left the pass.
A pass to the Regional Pokémon Reserve.
Sterling had informed them that tomorrow, Aaron and the other four would be given a day off to enter the Regional Pokémon Reserve and capture one Pokémon. The school would arrange transportation.
Aaron was genuinely looking forward to it.
What Pokémon would he encounter?
As for which one he intended to capture—his gaze drifted to the Wood Release Kekkei Genkai inside his backpack.
He already knew exactly what he was going to do.
...
When Aaron returned home, he nearly jumped out of his skin.
The house was packed.
Aunties, uncles, distant relatives—Neighbor Freckles, Chubby—the entire living room was crammed full.
The craziest part?
There wasn't even standing room left.
Several people were squatting on the table.
Two were practically hanging out the window.
Aaron: "…"
His eyelids twitched.
What the hell was going on?
The crowd, who had been enthusiastically chatting with his parents, spotted him at the door.
In an instant, they swarmed him.
"Aaron's back!"
"Aaron's made it big—two Champions personally recruited him!"
"Don't forget us when you're successful! I used to hold you when you were little!"
"I even changed your diapers! I knew from the start you'd grow up to be somebody!"
"Come, Aaron—take a photo with me! I'm putting it on social media!"
A swarm of aunties rushed him, squeezing his cheeks, hugging him, snapping photos.
In that moment, Aaron felt like his soul had left his body.
He wasn't even sure who had planted the first kiss—
Grandma? One of the aunties? Some random uncle?
By the time the crowd finally left, he was still in a daze.
At dinner, his father—rarely—poured himself some liquor. His face was flushed red, smiling nonstop.
His mother was even more excited, hugging Aaron and kissing him repeatedly.
"As expected of my son!"
His younger sister kept shooting him strange looks throughout the meal.
(Yes, his real sister. Don't overthink it.)
Life suddenly felt bright and beautiful.
After dinner, Aaron lay on his bed.
The laptop screen on the desk glowed softly. A black Pokémon was quietly watching an online show.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Frog Boss… turn off the lights. Time to sleep."
"Tomorrow, we're going to catch a Pokémon…"
"Grenin…"
Click.
The lights went out.
…