Sealine Academy—and even the area around Aaron's home—was already packed with people.
Countless reporters were trying to track him down for an interview, but Aaron had seemingly vanished without a trace. With no leads, they swarmed his house instead and turned their attention to his parents.
"Hello, sir, ma'am… you're Aaron's parents, correct?"
"I'm a reporter from Hualis News. Could you tell us how you raised such an outstanding young man?"
The reporter smiled warmly as she spoke.
At that moment, Aaron's parents were still overwhelmed with excitement. Their son had actually become the top scorer in the exam. The shock alone was almost too much to process. It felt unreal—like fate had finally turned in their favor.
Aaron's mother's eyes grew moist as she tried to compose herself.
"To be honest, we didn't help Aaron much with his studies. Everything he's achieved today comes from his own hard work."
She paused briefly, then continued more softly,
"But ever since he was little, his father and I always told him… it's fine to live an ordinary life—but you must be upright and honorable. Be a good person. Someone who contributes to others."
Once she finished, attention shifted to Aaron's father.
His eyes were slightly red, his expression filled with pride.
"I'm very happy… truly happy… to see what Aaron has achieved today."
He took a breath before continuing,
"But I still want to say this—don't get complacent. Keep working hard and keep moving forward. Your mother and I will always support you."
...
The broadcast then cut to one of the neighbors.
A plump auntie with a shiny face spoke up enthusiastically, clearly eager to be on camera. "Aaron? That kid's been smart since he was little. Back then, my own child even helped change his diapers!"
Right after that, an elderly woman in her eighties shuffled into view. With only a few teeth left, she squinted at the camera in confusion. "Aaron… hmm? Aaron is… who again?"
...
Next up was Yuri.
He puffed up with pride the moment the camera turned to him, looking like he'd been waiting for this exact moment.
"I'm Aaron's closest friend—the kind who's been through everything with him!" he declared loudly. "Let me tell you, back when we were kids, Aaron used to—"
"Beep beep beep—" the audio cut out abruptly.
...
Finally, the camera shifted to Aaron's Growlithe.
The little Pokémon tilted its head curiously at the lens, then let out a series of bright, energetic barks.
"Woof! Woof woof!"
...
Meanwhile, the man at the center of it all, Aaron himself, was nowhere to be found. He had already slipped away to the back hill.
He lay stretched out on the grass with his Pokémon, quietly enjoying the scenery. Snorlax served as his cushion, its soft, bouncy belly ridiculously comfortable beneath him.
To his left, Frog Boss rested lazily on the ground. Sceptile lounged on a nearby tree branch, a twig hanging from its mouth. Beedrill buzzed freely through the air, while Gyarados drifted through the river below, its massive body cutting smoothly across the water.
A gentle breeze passed through, calm and soothing.
Aaron closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the peace.
"Alright, everyone… keep it up," he said lazily. "Once we reach the top together, we can take it easy every day after that."
"Snorlax…"
"Nin…"
"Sceptile…"
"Bzzzz…"
"ROAR—"
The Pokémon responded one after another, clearly fired up by the idea. They were completely on board.
Just then, a familiar notification rang out in Aaron's ear.
"Ding~ Congratulations. Mission complete: Top Scorer in the exam."
"Ding~ Rewards received: Fire Dragon Slayer Magic (Skill Card) x1, Lightning Flame Dragon Mode (Skill Card) x1, Pokémon Potential Capsule x1…"
Aaron blinked in surprise, then let out a small laugh. He had almost forgotten about this mission—it had been that long.
In a much better mood now, he immediately opened his system inventory to check the rewards.
[Name: Fire Dragon Slayer Magic]
[Category: Special]
[Effect: Transformation]
[Type: Fire]
[Description: Can only be used by Fire-type Pokémon. Grants the user the ability to wield the immensely powerful Fire Dragon Slayer Magic.]
[Skill 1: Fire Dragon Slayer (Passive): Boosts the power of Fire-type moves by 50%, ignores Dragon-type resistance, and deals super-effective damage to Dragon-type Pokémon. Also allows the user to absorb Fire-type attacks to rapidly restore HP and recover from injuries.]
[Skill 2: Dragon Physiology (Passive): Raises HP, Defense, Special Defense, Attack, Special Attack, and Speed by two stages.]
[Skill 3: Fire Dragon's Roar (Active) (Fire) (Special) (Power 130): Concentrates Fire Dragon flames within the body before unleashing a powerful blast from the lungs to incinerate the target. Has a 50% chance to inflict Burn.]
[Skill 4: Fire Dragon's Iron Fist (Active) (Fire) (Physical) (Power 120): Cloaks the user's fists in Fire Dragon flames and strikes the target, dealing heavy damage.]
[Skill 5: Secret Art: Crimson Lotus Exploding Flame Blade (Active) (Fire) (Physical/Special) (Power 180): Envelops both arms in Fire Dragon flames to form twin blazing blades. The user spins and delivers a devastating flaming slash, tearing the target apart in a raging firestorm.]
…
The moment Aaron saw the first skill panel, he almost shouted.
Five skills.
Two powerful passives, and three offensive moves.
The first passive, Fire Dragon Slayer, was completely broken.
A 50% boost to Fire-type moves, stacked with STAB, practically doubled their damage output. On top of that, it ignored Dragon-type resistance and even hit Dragon-types for super-effective damage.
It more than lived up to its name.
Just how much did it hate Dragon-types?
The thought immediately brought a meme from his previous world to mind—Charizard grabbing a Sliggoo by the neck and sneering:
"How are you even a Dragon-type looking like that?"
"Pfft—"
Aaron couldn't help but laugh out loud.