"Ahem…"
Aaron coughed lightly and forced a smile.
"This Magikarp is really impressive. Make sure you train it well!"
Hearing that, Victor's smug grin widened.
"See? See?!"
"Just wait until my Magikarp evolves into a Gyarados and smacks you right in the face…"
He shot Ethan a triumphant look.
Smack!
At that exact moment, Magikarp used Splash, flipping into the air and whipping its tail straight across Victor's face with a sharp, ringing crack.
"Ow—!"
"You stupid fish! You dare hit my face?!"
"I swear I'm having grilled fish tonight!"
Magikarp wasn't weak at all—Victor's head nearly snapped to the side. Clutching his cheek, he roared at the fish in fury.
Magikarp, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed, flopping on the ground as if it feared nothing at all.
Humiliated and furious, Victor raised his foot to kick it.
Aaron saw it and immediately dashed forward.
"Don't kick it!!!"
"Huh?"
"What's wrong, Aaron?"
Victor froze mid-motion, looking confused.
Aaron wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said firmly,
"As a Trainer, how can you hit or scold your own Pokémon?!"
But inside, he was panicking.
An evolution-triggering kick is no joke. If Magikarp actually evolves here, this bus won't survive…
Victor's face flushed with shame.
Yeah.
He had actually been about to hit his own Pokémon.
What kind of Trainer does that?
Thankfully, Aaron had stopped him.
Otherwise, he might really have gone down the wrong path.
The admiration in Victor's eyes as he looked at Aaron deepened even further…
Smack!
The moment Victor let his guard down, Magikarp sprang up again with Splash, its tail whipping across the other side of his face.
"AAAH—!"
"That hurts like hell!"
"If I don't beat you senseless today, then my name isn't Victor!"
And just like that, an "intense" Pokémon battle officially broke out on the bus.
Magikarp VS. Victor!!
Amid laughter, shouting, and Victor's miserable howls, the bus rolled off into the distance.
...
By the time Aaron got home, it was already eight in the evening.
Luckily, his mom had saved him some food. She reheated the dishes, and he dug in.
Greninja, Snorlax, Gyarados, and Grovyle naturally ate Energy Cubes.
Frog Boss only needed a few cubes per meal.
Snorlax and Gyarados, on the other hand, now required ten cubes a day each.
Good thing he had plenty of Energy Cubes. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to keep up with those two bottomless pits.
After eating his fill, Aaron took a shower and flopped onto his bed.
Staring at the ceiling, he thought to himself:
There's only a little over a month left until the exam.
Soon, I'll be a college student.
In the room, Frog Boss sat beside his new friend Grovyle, both watching the Nin-ninja TV series with intense focus.
Grovyle didn't even blink, looking even more absorbed than Greninja.
After all, having lived in the forest before, it had never even heard of something like a TV series.
Under Frog Boss's persistent "guidance," it was slowly being led astray.
...
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Aaron and Fishball arrived at school.
Aaron was now practically the brightest star at Sealine Trainer Academy. Wherever he went, he drew envious and jealous looks.
Even the teachers and administrators greeted him with warm smiles and nods.
That alone showed how intimidating his "fearsome reputation" had become.
Whenever he had the chance, Sterling would invite Aaron over for tea, chatting casually while not-so-subtly promoting his own daughter.
According to Sterling, his daughter was only "a little" older than Aaron—twenty-eight.
She was absolutely beautiful and exceptionally strong.
She also taught at Pokémon Crown University.
He kept trying to convince Aaron to list Crown University as his first choice for the exam, even hinting at the possibility of a teacher-student romance.
Aaron nearly stumbled when he heard that.
Twenty-eight is only a little older than me?!
That's basically a whole generation!
And he's talking about a teacher-student romance?!
Aaron stared at Sterling, speechless.
Seriously.
I just want to be your student.
Why are you so determined to make me your future son-in-law?!
Sterling even shoved his daughter's Trainer Chat ID into Aaron's hands and insisted he add her on the spot.
Only after watching him send the friend request did he finally let Aaron go.
Aaron walked away with a dark expression already cursing Sterling over and over in his head.
...