Aaron paused, caught off guard. For a second, he thought Brutus had actually killed Fishball. When he saw he was only knocked out, he let out a quiet breath.
Still confused, he asked, "Brutus… what's going on? Why all the secrecy?"
Brutus's expression turned serious. He took out a finely crafted golden box and held it out.
"Aaron. At Tidecrest, you took down the leader of the invading group on your own, saving tens of thousands of trainers and millions of examinees."
"The Regional League Council of Hualis has decided to award you the Highest National Honor."
"You're also being placed in the Hidden Dragon Rank… at Number 1."
Brutus stood straight, holding the glowing box out with one hand.
Aaron swallowed. For a second, he didn't know what to say.
He reached out, took the box, and opened it.
Inside was a brilliant golden medal.
Three bold words were engraved on it:
"Pokémon National Honor."
Below that were the date—and the name.
Aaron.
He stared at it, quiet.
"Aaron… you don't really know what that medal means yet, do you?"
Brutus chuckled. "Man… people would kill for something like that."
He went on to explain what the medal represented—and what it meant to be ranked Number 1 in the Hidden Dragon.
This time, Aaron was genuinely shaken.
He hadn't expected Hualis to value him this highly.
Thinking it through, it made sense.
He could command a Legendary Pokémon. In all of Hualis, only the Protector stood at that level.
Aaron got it.
This was Hualis showing goodwill—and making its position clear.
He didn't care much about power or status. But the protection arranged for his family… that mattered.
His goal had always been simple.
Travel the world with his Pokémon.
And one day, find a way back to where he came from. See his parents again. Make sure they were safe.
Aaron looked at Brutus. "Thank you."
Brutus said he had other things to handle and left soon after.
That left Aaron with an unconscious Fishball.
With a sigh, he hoisted him up and carried him back.
After recalling his Pokémon, he had Frog Boss use Flying Thunder God to return home.
He dropped Fishball off at his place, then headed back.
In his room, Aaron set the new medal on his desk, right beside the one he'd received before.
...
Time passed.
Soon enough, it was the day the exam results were released.
Simon had everyone over at his family's villa to check their scores together.
It was bound to be a tense day—one that had millions of students and families on edge.
At exactly noon, the results would go live on the official website.
And right on the homepage, a headline would appear:
"Exam Score Rankings."
Everyone was waiting for; The one that would reveal this year's top scorer.
...
Inside Simon's villa, Aaron, Yuri, Ethan, Victor, and Grace were all gathered.
Everyone sat in front of the computer, tense, waiting for noon.
Everyone except Aaron.
He lounged on the sofa, casually eating the expensive fruit Simon had laid out. And yeah—it was worth the price. It tasted amazing. He couldn't stop.
"Aaron… how are you so calm? I'm freaking out here."
"My mom said if I don't get into college, I'm stuck selling fishballs with her at the market."
"I'm not doing that…"
Yuri groaned.
"Hahaha… honestly, that fits you perfectly," Ethan shot back.
"Yeah, don't worry. I'll make sure my family buys all their fishballs from you," Victor added with a grin.
"You idiots… you're asking for it!"
"I might not get into a top school—or even second-tier—but there's no way I don't make it into a third-tier!"
Yuri snapped, face red.
Aaron just watched them argue, popping grapes into his mouth.
Not bad.
Free entertainment.
"The results are out!"
Simon suddenly shouted.
"What!?"
"No way—!"
"Check mine first!"
The three rushed over instantly, their argument forgotten.
"Relax, relax. One at a time."
"Let's start with Victor…"
"Written exam: 120 out of 200."
"Combat exam: 220 out of 300."
"Total: 340."
Simon read it out.
340.
The cutoff for second-tier universities was 300. He was in, no problem.
"Ah… only 340? I thought I'd hit at least 350…"
Victor muttered, a bit conflicted.
"340 or 350, what's the difference? Same tier either way," Yuri shot back, then quickly added, "Simon—mine next!"
"Alright, alright…"
Simon keyed in Yuri's student ID.
"Yuri: 100 written, 200 combat. Total: 300."
"Holy shit!"
Yuri lit up instantly.