"Ma... Marcus!?"
The moment the crowd saw the figure standing atop Metagross, their expressions changed.
The man who had arrived was none other than the president of Pokémon Elite Defense Academy.
The Steel Champion, Marcus.
Even without raising his voice, Marcus carried a fierce authority. His eyes swept over the rich heirs below, and when he spoke, every word came down like a hammer.
"Hualis is one nation. Everyone standing here is Hualisian. So tell me, where exactly did this nonsense about noble and low birth come from?"
His gaze turned colder.
"You think being born into powerful families makes you better than everyone else? Who the hell is born noble?"
"Go back a few decades. A few centuries. Didn't your families start as ordinary people too? Or have you already forgotten where you came from?"
The square went dead silent.
Marcus looked down at them with open contempt.
"You think you stand above everyone else because of your fathers? Your family names? The resources handed to you before you ever earned a thing?"
He gave a cold laugh.
"In my eyes, you are nothing but spoiled trash riding on the names of your families."
Standing on Metagross, Marcus tore into the entire group of wealthy heirs without holding back.
Their faces turned red from the scolding, but none of them dared talk back. They could only lower their heads and swallow their anger.
Damn it.
This is all because of those commoners.
If they hadn't talked back, Marcus would never have scolded us like this.
In their hearts, they pushed all the blame onto the ordinary students.
"Champion Marcus..."
The students from ordinary backgrounds looked up at the man in the sky, admiration and gratitude flashing in their eyes.
Blaze and Liora saw the rich heirs getting publicly scolded and could not help looking pleased.
Braveon, however, only watched in silence.
The conflict between wealthy families and ordinary trainers had existed in Hualis for a long time. Strictly speaking, he had once belonged to the ordinary side as well.
He had simply been lucky.
The previous aura guardian had chosen him as his successor, and that was how he became who he was today.
Even so, Braveon cared far more about Pokémon and Pokémon battles than social factions. When it came to the struggle between wealthy families and ordinary students, he had always stayed neutral.
He had never involved himself in their open or hidden conflicts.
...
Marcus leaped down from Metagross's back and landed in front of Braveon and the others.
The pressure around him faded slightly, and a faint smile appeared on his face.
"What are all of you doing here?"
"Champion Marcus."
Braveon, Blaze, and Liora quickly greeted him.
Liora smiled sweetly.
"Uncle Marcus, we came here with Aaron."
"Hahaha... You really know how to make the right connections, don't you, Liora?"
Marcus smiled at her first, but his expression quickly turned anxious.
"Then where is Aaron? Didn't he clear the eighth floor? Where is that kid now?"
Blaze put away his playful look and answered seriously.
"Champion Marcus, Aaron is still on the ninth floor."
Marcus had started as a soldier. His personality was rigid, fierce, and direct. If someone angered him, there was a real chance he would hit first and ask questions later.
So even Blaze did not joke around in front of him.
"What?"
Marcus froze.
"It's already been half an hour, and he's still on the ninth floor?"
He immediately turned toward the Hidden Dragon Stele.
Sure enough, Aaron's name was still there.
On the ninth floor.
Marcus's expression changed. A strange, almost unbelievable thought rose in his mind.
Could that kid really be about to clear it?
Could the Hidden Dragon Tower, which no one in Hualis had conquered for thousands of years, finally be cleared today?
The thought shocked even him.
Marcus knew exactly what that would mean.
Aaron would instantly become the undisputed top prodigy in Hualis. His name would go down in history, remembered by countless people in future generations.
This was not just a school recruitment matter anymore.
This was the kind of event that belonged in history books.
For a moment, Marcus felt both excited and deeply regretful. He clenched his teeth so hard his jaw nearly hurt.
If I had known this earlier, I would have offered a marriage alliance if that was what it took to drag Aaron into my academy.
His eyes locked onto Aaron's name on the stele, nervous and burning with anticipation.
"I still have a chance," he muttered. "This time, I have to seize it."
...
At the same time, inside the tower, Arceus's fragment turned into a streak of light and slipped into the Zap Plate.
A System notification rang in Aaron's ears.
"Ding~ Congratulations! After an intense battle, your Pokémon have gained a massive amount of experience."
"Greninja, Snorlax, Gyarados, Sceptile, Infernape, Charizard, and Beedrill have all leveled up."
The notifications continued one after another.
"Ding~ Congratulations on completing the mission: Reach the Summit of the Hidden Dragon Tower."
"Mission rewards received: Eight Inner Gates (Skill Card) x1."
The System's voice kept ringing in Aaron's ears, and joy surged through his heart.
This mission was finally complete.
He had finally obtained the Eight Inner Gates Skill Card.
More importantly, all of his Pokémon had reached Gym-level.
Among them, Greninja, Charizard, Infernape, and Snorlax had advanced to Gym (Mid Stage).
Sceptile, Gyarados, and Beedrill had advanced to Gym (Early Stage).
The further they went, the more terrifying the experience requirement became. His Pokémon had fought above their level again and again, yet even after all that, most of them had only gone up by one stage.
System-rewarded Rare Candies were still the best.
No matter how he looked at it, this trip had been a massive harvest.
He had obtained the Zap Plate.
Zeraora's Pokémon Egg.
And one chance to call upon the Mythical Pokémon Zeraora.
That made Aaron think of his old buddy.
The Nightmare Pokémon, Darkrai.
He still had a mission to save Darkrai.
But Darkrai had told him that he needed to reach at least Champion-class as a Trainer before going to find him.
Only then would there be even the slightest hope.
...