Chapter 30: Aron Hatches

In the blink of an eye, Saturday arrived.

A week had passed since the tournament at the mall, and with it, half of school break was already over.

In just two weeks, the second semester of Ryuu's third year in high school would begin.

But this wasn't an ordinary semester.

It was the most important one—the lead-up to the national Pokémon entrance exams.

Unlike the old world, where exams were about math and English, this world's entrance exams were Pokémon battles.

The City would soon host a citywide Pokémon tournament as part of these exams, with major prizes on the line.

The format?

A 3v3 battle tournament.

But despite being a city-level event, most students had only had their Pokémon for a short time.

The result?

Newbie trainers pecking at each other.

Only the top-tier students—the ones with good luck, strong backgrounds, and heavy resource investment—had a chance of reaching elite level.

But even elite level wasn't enough.

These days, elite trainers were everywhere.

To truly stand out, a trainer needed to reach Gym level or beyond.

And above that?

Quasi-Elite trainers were already rare.

Elite trainers?

The entire nation had less than 20.

And Ryuu?

He planned to dominate this exam.

His strategy?

A Champion-tier Bagon.

Once Aron hatched, he would have one Champion-potential Pokémon and two Elite-potential Pokémon.

That lineup alone was enough to crush the competition.

###

That evening, Ryuu and Aio returned home after a day out.

As they entered the gym, his mother, Fujiwara Sumire, was already waiting for him at the entrance.

"Ryuu, you're just in time!" she said with a warm smile.

"The Pokémon egg you've been waiting for is about to hatch!"

Ryuu's eyes lit up.

He knew exactly which egg she meant.

Aron.

He had just two weeks before the entrance exams. If Aron hatched today, he could train it intensively and push it to at least Common level before the tournament.

And maybe, just maybe—

If he got lucky with Red-tier destiny events, Aron could grow even stronger.

"I'm heading to the incubator now," Ryuu said, rushing inside without even taking off his shoes.

Sumire chuckled, shaking her head as she closed the door behind him.

###

The gym had its own incubation chamber, a dedicated facility for hatching Pokémon eggs.

Sitting down in front of Aron's egg, Ryuu waited patiently.

Click…

A soft sound echoed in the room.

A small crack appeared on the egg's surface.

Ryuu's hands clenched into fists as his heart pounded.

The egg shook violently, cracks spreading across the shell.

He could feel Aron struggling inside, trying to break free.

But Ryuu knew better than to intervene.

A Pokémon's first challenge in life was to break its own shell.

If he helped, he'd only make Aron weaker.

So he watched.

Waited.

Encouraged silently.

And then—

CRACK!

The shell broke apart completely, pieces scattering across the floor.

A tiny silver-and-white Pokémon lay in the remains of its egg, blinking its big, round eyes up at Ryuu.

Aron.

It stood up shakily, then immediately began eating its own eggshell.

Ryuu smiled.

Classic Aron behavior.

Pokémon eggshells were incredibly nutritious, and most Pokémon instinctively ate them after hatching.

Once Aron had finished, Ryuu took out a bottle of milk—Miltank's milk, rich in nutrients and energy.

Aron sniffed the bottle, then eagerly began drinking.

When it was finally full, it waddled over to Ryuu's lap, curled up, and—

Fell asleep instantly.

Ryuu gently picked it up, scanning it with his Data Eye.

[Pokémon Data]

[Name:] Aron

[Type:] Steel/Rock

[Gender:] Female

[Level:] 5 (Novice)

[Ability:] Heavy Metal (Doubles weight)

[Nature:] Adamant (+Attack, -Special Attack)

[Moveset:] Iron Head, Screech, Dragon Rush, Harden

[Potential:] Elite Level

Ryuu's eyes widened in excitement.

This Aron… was amazing.

Its Adamant nature was perfect for maximizing its physical attack power.

Even more shocking—

It had inherited Dragon Rush.

A Dragon-type move, something Aron normally couldn't learn without breeding.

With Dragon Rush, Aron had a powerful, high-damage attack that could give him an edge in battle—even against opponents who would normally counter it.

Aron was officially his trump card.

But he wasn't done yet.

He needed to find an Attribute Secret Treasure as soon as possible.

With one, Aron's growth rate and strength would skyrocket.

That would secure his victory in the tournament.

###

Ryuu stepped out of the incubation room, cradling the sleeping Aron in his arms.

Outside, both his parents—Fujiwara Daiki and Fujiwara Sumire—were already waiting.

As soon as Daiki caught sight of Aron, his eyes widened.

"Wait a damn second—"

"Is that an Aron?!?"

His loud exclamation echoed through the hallway.

Sumire placed a hand on her hip, smirking.

"Now, now, Daiki," she teased. "Try not to break something."

Daiki ignored her, stepping forward to inspect Aron more closely.

"This… this is rare," he muttered.

His eyes flicked to Ryuu.

"Son, we need to check its potential right away."

Sumire nodded.

"If Aron has high potential, we'll ask your grandfather to personally help with its training," she said.

Her voice was calm, but Ryuu could tell—

She was just as excited as Daiki.

And Daiki?

He was grinning like a madman.

"If it's high enough potential, I'll call my old man myself," he declared.

"He still owes me a favor, anyway!"

Ryuu chuckled.

"Alright," he said.

"Let's test it."

He already knew exactly what the results would be—but if this meant his family would invest even more into his training, he wasn't about to say no.

Because the next step?

Finding an Attribute Secret Treasure—one that would push Aron to its true potential.

And once he did that…

His victory in the City Entrance Exam Tournament was guaranteed.

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