He opened Greninja's skill panel.
At the top, two golden skill names gleamed like twin stars—Quick Attack and Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu, both already at the Apotheosis level.
With a hint of anticipation, he selected Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu.
The updated panel displayed:
[Skill Name: Multi Shadow Clone Jutsu]
[Type: Normal]
[Power: None]
[Level: Apotheosis]
[Cast Speed: Instant (Priority +1)]
[Description: Generates a set number of physical clones, each inheriting 30% of the user's stats. When a clone dissipates, all accumulated combat data is fed back to the original.]
[Special Effect: Positive status effects gained by clones are immediately shared with the user, even without dissipation. Negative status conditions can be redirected from the user to a clone, while any debuffs affecting clones do not transfer back.]
[Description: "I am you—but you are not me." The ultimate evolution of the Clone Technique.]
...
After reading through it, Aaron paused for a moment, processing what he had just seen.
Then his eyes widened.
"Hiss…"
He drew in a sharp breath.
"...That's insane."
A grin spread across his face, his excitement impossible to hide.
The priority boost alone—instant activation—was already a massive upgrade.
But the real strength lay in the special effect.
At its core, the original remained the anchor, while the clones acted as extensions.
Any beneficial effects gained by the clones were instantly shared back.
Debuffs affecting the clones could be ignored entirely.
And if the original was afflicted, the status could simply be offloaded onto a clone.
For example—
If Greninja were poisoned, it could create a clone and transfer the poison to it, immediately cleansing itself.
That alone would have been impressive.
But it went even further.
Aaron's thoughts immediately turned to Rest.
A common move—fully restores HP, but forces the user into sleep, making it risky in battle.
Now, though…
That drawback no longer mattered.
Greninja could use Rest, then shift the sleep onto a clone.
Which meant—
Full recovery, no penalty.
Instantly back to peak condition.
"...That's completely broken."
With this upgrade, Greninja had been pushed to an entirely different tier.
Its speed was already top-tier, and its damage output was high—and now, as long as it wasn't taken down in a single hit, it could recover instantly from any injury.
How was anyone supposed to deal with that?
"That's insane…"
"I love it."
Aaron let out a quiet, satisfied laugh, already picturing it in battle.
Apotheosis-level skills truly existed on a completely different tier.
Next up—Snorlax.
The two options he considered were Rest and Belly Drum.
One fully restores HP.
The other massively boosts Attack.
Snorlax was already incredibly durable, and its Fifth Form—Drums of Liberation—granted two full recoveries on its own.
That made Rest somewhat redundant.
So the decision was obvious.
"System… Snorlax will upgrade Belly Drum."
"Ding~ Belly Drum upgrading…"
"Ding~ Upgrade complete. Current Level: Apotheosis…"
Without hesitation, Aaron opened the updated skill panel.
[Skill Name: Belly Drum]
[Type: Normal]
[Power: None]
[Level: Apotheosis]
[Cast Speed: Instant (Priority +1)]
[Description: Maximizes Attack, normally at the cost of HP. Attack can reach +6 stages.]
[Special Effect: No HP is consumed. Additionally, Defense and Special Defense increase by 2 stages.]
[Description: A full belly fuels overwhelming strength—and an unbreakable body.]
...
Aaron fell silent.
Even expecting something strong, this still went beyond what he had imagined.
Instant activation. No HP cost. +2 to both defenses.
It completely removed Belly Drum's only drawback and turned it into a flawless boosting move.
Snorlax's combat power had skyrocketed.
Aaron nodded, clearly satisfied.
This reward was insane.
Next—Gyarados.
Among his team, Gyarados was the only one that had practically joined him on its own.
Back during wilderness survival training, he and his three roommates had been grilling fish when this glutton charged over, trying to steal some—only to end up getting both the meal… and itself taken in.
Under Aaron's pressure, it had no choice but to submit.
Thinking back, he couldn't help but smile faintly.
He wondered how those three were doing now.
Were they taking the combat exam here as well?
Shaking off the thought, Aaron refocused.
This time, there was no hesitation.
Dragon Dance.
Gyarados needed a fast way to ramp up its combat power—and this was the perfect choice.
"System… Gyarados will upgrade Dragon Dance."
"Ding~ Dragon Dance upgrading…"
"Ding~ Upgrade complete. Current Level: Apotheosis…"
With anticipation building, Aaron immediately opened the updated skill panel.
...