Aaron returned home just as his mom finished making dinner. The family sat down to eat together.
During the meal, Aaron told his mother he had transferred one million PokéCredits into her account. He also sent his younger sister 100,000 credits in pocket money through Trainer Chat.
His parents and sister were stunned.
Before they could even ask, Aaron calmly explained where the money had come from, then took out a gleaming gold Personal Pokémon Trainer Second-Class Merit Medal.
The entire family froze.
His father's eyes lit up as he stared at the medal. It was an extraordinary honor.
His mother was so excited she pulled Aaron into her arms, kissing him over and over while showering him with praise.
His little sister stood there with her mouth hanging open, watching as their father carefully wiped the medal with reverent hands.
Her good-for-nothing older brother had actually received a medal?
Did that make her the sister of someone officially decorated for merit?
Would that mean bonus points on the exam?
First place in the training camp competition.
Then personally recruited at school by two Champions.
And now, a merit medal.
Was this really her lazy brother, Aaron?
She felt completely dazed.
...
After dinner, everyone drifted off in good spirits.
As Aaron headed upstairs, he could hear his mother already on the phone with relatives, unable to hide the laughter in her voice.
...
The night passed without incident.
The next morning, Aaron woke up at nine.
Since it was Saturday, he finished breakfast and stepped out of the house.
A business van was already waiting outside.
Victor hopped out and greeted him enthusiastically.
"Aaron… good morning!!"
"Have you eaten?"
"I can take you out for breakfast—"
Aaron waved him off.
"I already ate. Let's go."
"Business first. I'll help your cousin crush those bastards."
He climbed straight into the van.
"Alright!!"
"Aaron is the best!"
Victor grinned and followed him in.
The van cruised down the road and soon pulled up to a sprawling estate.
It was massive—luxurious to an absurd degree.
Even the front gates towered several meters high.
As the vehicle drove through, rows of flowering trees lined the grounds, blooming on both sides.
A twinge of envy rose in Aaron's chest.
I knew Simon's family was rich… but not this rich.
This place is bigger than a public park.
So this is peak capitalism.
He muttered the last thought to himself.
Victor led Aaron into one of the houses on the estate.
Inside the main hall, Simon was already there with two other people.
One of them bore a striking resemblance to Simon—a man in his forties. If Aaron had to guess, this was the current head of the Wright family.
Simon's father—Richard Wright.
The other was a young man.
A confident smile rested on his face, as if everything were already within his grasp.
Richard smiled warmly at him.
"Sebastian, thank you for accepting my invitation. Your timing couldn't be better."
"I'll be counting on you for this challenge tournament."
Sebastian gave a casual nod, his expression cool and detached.
"Mr. Wright, you're too kind. There's no need to worry."
"The opponent is only ranked ninetieth on the Hidden Dragon List. I challenged the Hidden Dragon Tower two months ago. I didn't make the rankings, but I was close."
"It's been two months since then. My Pokémon have grown much stronger. If I challenged it again now, I'm confident I'd break into the top eighty."
A faint trace of arrogance flickered across Sebastian's face. He spoke as though he already belonged among the ranked elite, barely taking his opponent seriously.
"Good, good…"
"That's excellent!"
"Sebastian, I'll be counting on you this time."
Richard smiled broadly.
"Of course."
"But don't forget the condition you promised me."
Sebastian gave him a casual look, the meaning clear.
A hint of reluctance crossed Richard's face before he replied,
"You have my word."
"Win, and the item is yours."
Sebastian's smile widened.
"Make sure it's ready. I'll be coming to collect it soon."
He let out a confident laugh, as if the outcome were already decided.
At that moment, Simon—who had been standing nearby with a grim expression—noticed Aaron.
His face lit up instantly.
He hurried over.
"Aaron… you're finally here!!"
His voice drew the attention of both Richard and Sebastian.