"Oh, come on... don't rush. If you hatch now, it'll be too early."
Aaron hurriedly comforted Zeraora's Pokémon Egg, a bead of cold sweat sliding down his forehead.
"Just hold on a little longer. Once we get out, I'll buy you the best nutrient incubator money can buy."
If the Egg hatched too soon, ended up malnourished, and lost potential because of it, Aaron would want to cry himself to death. Worse, Zeraora might somehow claw its way out of the tower and kill him personally.
Fortunately, the Egg only swayed a little before settling down again.
Aaron let out a long sigh of relief.
Only then did he continue checking the final Skill Card.
Fivefold Lightning Strike.
[Name: Fivefold Lightning Strike]
[Category: Physical Move]
[Type: Electric]
[Power: 60 per strike]
[Effect: Condenses lightning into a whip and lashes the target five times in rapid succession. Each strike has a chance to paralyze the target.]
...
This move was extremely powerful too.
Each strike had 60 power. If all five hits landed, that was 300 total power.
It was definitely a high-output move, though the condition was obvious: every hit had to connect.
These were all the gains from his trip through the Hidden Dragon Tower, and that was not even counting Zeraora's Calling Stone.
He had made an absolute killing.
Most importantly, he had found a way back to Earth.
For Aaron, that was without question the greatest motivation of all.
Just then, a mechanical voice sounded from the void.
"Congratulations. You have cleared the top floor of the Hidden Dragon Tower and successfully completed the challenge."
"You will now be teleported out of the Hidden Dragon Tower."
Aaron's vision went black.
In the next instant, he vanished.
...
Outside the Hidden Dragon Tower, the atmosphere in Hidden Dragon Square had become tense because of Marcus's arrival.
No one dared so much as breathe too loudly. Even the rich heirs who had been jeering earlier had lowered their voices and could only whisper among themselves.
The young man everyone had been calling Mr. Lin was named Ronald.
His family was connected to one of the Ten Champion Families. More precisely, the current Ground Champion was his uncle.
At that moment, Ronald muttered quietly to the people around him.
"Another ten minutes have passed, and Aaron still hasn't come out. At this point, maybe he really did fall asleep on the ninth floor."
The people around him were all from wealthy families. Hearing that, they nodded and whispered back.
"That kid really knows how to put on a show. He's making the whole square wait for him."
"Exactly. He doesn't have what it takes, but he still wants everyone to think he does."
"Relax. So what if he's first on the Hidden Dragon Rankings? It's not like wealthy families have never taken first place before."
"Wasn't last year's number one from Mr. Lin's family?"
When Ronald heard that, pride flickered in his eyes.
"That's right," he said, trying to sound casual. "He was from the Lin family. My cousin, Shawn."
Then he lifted his chin slightly.
"He's a true genius. Even the head of the family said my cousin's future strength will surpass his own, and that he has a very real chance of becoming a Champion-level Trainer."
His tone was calm, but the smugness in his eyes was almost impossible to hide.
The rich heirs around him immediately began congratulating him.
"Then congratulations, Mr. Lin. Looks like the Lin family's next rise is just around the corner."
"Maybe in the future, your family will even enter the very top ranks of Hualis."
Ronald's pride grew even stronger. He glanced at the Hidden Dragon Stele, and a look of contempt appeared on his face.
"How ridiculous. Don't think being first on the Hidden Dragon Rankings means you've suddenly become someone important."
He gave a quiet laugh.
"Not unless you can clear the ninth floor."
His eyes narrowed.
"But can he?"
The rich heirs around him laughed under their breath.
DONG!
Just then, a tremendous bell toll rang out from the Hidden Dragon Tower.
The sound struck like thunder on a clear day, shocking everyone in the square until their minds went numb.
One by one, people turned toward the tower, completely confused.
"What was that? Why is there a bell? And why is it so damn loud? I swear it shook the earwax out of my ear."
"It sounded like it came from the Hidden Dragon Tower..."
"That's impossible, isn't it? Since when does the tower ring like a bell? I've never heard of that before."
Confusion spread through the crowd.
Only Marcus stood frozen, staring at the Hidden Dragon Tower in disbelief. His eyes widened, and for a moment even he seemed unable to speak.
Then he blurted out the old saying.
"The ancient bell of the Hidden Dragon Tower rings only when a true dragon reaches the summit."
His voice trembled.
"Aaron... he really cleared the ninth floor."
The moment those words left his mouth, the entire square fell silent.
Everyone turned toward the Hidden Dragon Stele in disbelief.
At that moment, behind Aaron's name on the ninth floor, several large words had appeared.
[Hidden Dragon Tower Challenge Successfully Cleared]
BOOOOM!
Those words exploded in everyone's minds like a bomb.
For a moment, their thoughts seemed to short-circuit. They clearly had mouths, but not a single person could speak.
It was as if every voice in the square had been swallowed at once.
"Gulp..."
Blaze swallowed hard.
"Braveon... Aaron really cleared the ninth floor?"
He stared at the Hidden Dragon Stele, still unable to believe what he was seeing.
Braveon's pupils trembled slightly. He was clearly shaken too.
After a long moment, he finally spoke.
"Yes."
His voice was quiet.
"He really did it."
Then he looked at Aaron's name on the stele, and a faint trace of loneliness appeared in his eyes.
"I'm not as good as him."
But beneath that loneliness, there was also a spark of fighting spirit.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
Just then, the sound of footsteps came from the tower entrance.
A figure slowly walked out of the Hidden Dragon Tower, holding a yellow Pokémon Egg carefully in his arms.
...