"Your Pidgey is so cute! Can I pet it…?"
"Wow… a Sandshrew! It's so hard! You can tell its defense is incredible!! That's amazing…"
"Look! Such a cute Jigglypuff! Can it Sing…?"
"Why is this Oddish drooling!? It looks so dumb, hahaha…"
"Hey, look— the class monitor's Charmander! I'm so jealous. That thing can evolve into a Charizard! Cool and powerful…"
"The class monitor's family runs a company. They're loaded—buying a Charmander is nothing to them."
"Being rich is so nice. A Charmander costs 1.5 million outside…"
"Maybe this Charmander has Gym-Leader level Pokémon Potential! If so, our class monitor could become a Gym-Leader level Trainer someday!"
"Class Monitor, don't forget your classmates when that happens…"
(High-energy ahead—time to farm some aura. I'm just flexing a bit here. I won't do this kind of thing much later, so don't blame me, alright? Let me enjoy this moment.)
...
As soon as Aaron walked in, he heard the classroom buzzing with discussion.
What drew the most attention was the red, little dinosaur-like Pokémon.
Charmander.
Its owner was the class monitor of Aaron's class, Magnus. Rumor had it his family ran a company. A rich kid through and through.
Magnus was the monitor and an excellent student, while Aaron had always been the opposite—often late, sleeping in class, a poor performer who dragged down the class average during exams.
As monitor, Magnus had reprimanded Aaron more than once, but Aaron always did things his own way and ignored him completely.
How could someone as proud as Magnus tolerate that?
So he targeted Aaron at every turn, and that was how the grudge between them formed.
At the moment, Magnus was smiling brightly, clearly enjoying the praise from his classmates.
"Easy, easy. Don't worry—when I become a Gym-Leader level Trainer, I definitely won't forget my old classmates!"
He spoke with grand ambition, as if he were already a powerful Trainer.
Magnus soon noticed Aaron's arrival. His eyes shifted, and a faint smirk curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Aaron, what a rare sight. You actually didn't come late today."
"By the way, have you captured your first Pokémon yet? Or… couldn't afford to buy one?"
Hearing the sarcasm, Aaron didn't even respond. He walked straight to his seat.
That made Magnus furious. This underachiever actually dared to ignore him!?
Unable to swallow his pride, Magnus spoke up again.
"No way!?"
"Don't tell me you still don't have a Pokémon?"
"Hahahaha… Well, makes sense. Even the cheapest Pokémon outside costs 100,000. With just two working parents, how could your family afford that?"
His tone was thick with mockery.
Beside him, his lackeys eagerly fanned the flames.
"Hey, Aaron, we're all one class, one collective. Just be honest—how much are you short? We'll chip in 200 for you, hahaha…"
"Exactly! We're all classmates. Just call the class monitor 'My Daddy.' Maybe he'll be in a good mood and give you a Magikarp, hahaha…"
They laughed arrogantly as they spoke.
"Watch your mouths! Who said Aaron doesn't have a Pokémon!?"
"Aaron's first Pokémon is a Shiny Froakie!"
Yuri finally couldn't take it anymore. He stood up angrily and shouted at the sneering lackeys.
"Huh!? A Shiny Froakie!?"
"Hahahahaha…"
"You're killing me, hahaha!"
"Saying it's a Froakie is already ridiculous, and you're claiming it's Shiny? Do you think we're idiots!?"
"Do you think Shiny Pokémon grow on trees!?"
"You can't even lie properly, Yuri!"
...
Yuri's words convinced no one. If anything, the laughter only grew louder.
Aaron came from an ordinary family—how could he possibly afford a Froakie worth over a million, let alone a Shiny one?
That would cost at least two million.
How were they supposed to believe that?
"You guys… you…"
Yuri's face flushed red with anger, clearly furious.
"What if I do have it?"
Aaron's calm voice suddenly rang out, and the classroom fell silent.
"If you really have it, I'll call you Daddy…"
One of Magnus's lackeys stepped forward arrogantly.
"Dream on! You think you're worthy of being my son!?"
Aaron rejected him coldly.
"…"
The lackey's face turned red with rage, nearly choking on it.
"Magnus," Aaron said indifferently, "keep your dog on a leash. It wouldn't be good if it bit someone."
Magnus's expression darkened.
"If you don't believe me, then let's make a bet," Aaron continued. "If I have a Shiny Froakie, you give me 100,000. Dare you?"
A trace of mockery appeared on Aaron's face as he looked at Magnus.
"Huh?"
Doubt flickered across Magnus's expression.
That much confidence… Could this kid really have a Shiny Froakie?
Impossible. A Shiny Froakie costs at least two millions. Aaron's family could never afford it. He must be bluffing…
Magnus thought this through, then lifted his chin arrogantly.
"Fine. If you don't have a Shiny Froakie, then every time you see me, you'll respectfully call me Boss."
"Deal."
A faint smile appeared on Aaron's face.
Originally, he hadn't wanted to stoop to the level of these kids. He was a low-key person, not someone who liked showing off or humiliating others.
But just then, the system's voice rang in his ear.
"Ding~ Triggered Mission: Slap Them in the Face!!"
"As the system's host, how can you tolerate such humiliation!? Release your Pokémon, slap Magnus in the face, and say to him: 'I'm your daddy!!'"
"Mission Reward: Pokémon Candy (Newbie) *1, Energy Cube 1."
The sudden mission filled Aaron with excitement.
Ahem—truth be told, I really do enjoy showing off and slapping people in the face.
Without hesitation, Aaron took out his Poké Ball and released his Pokémon.
"Ribbit…"
Froakie croaked twice as it appeared, announcing its presence.
...
In an instant, the entire classroom fell deathly silent.
Shock filled the faces of all the students nearby.
It really was a Shiny Froakie.
"—!"
Someone sharply sucked in a breath, breaking the silence.
...