"So much?!" Kaminari's mother covered her mouth in surprise. It was only now that she realized her son's earning power was just as remarkable as his talent.
"Nearly 50 million…"
Kaminari was also stunned, but after thinking about how popular the songs had become recently, he started to understand. Then he smiled and said, "Looks like Dad doesn't need to buy me a car. I can afford it myself."
That much money was enough to buy a high-end luxury sports car. In his previous life, he never had the chance to even think about owning one—so now, he was genuinely excited and full of anticipation.
Although he wasn't old enough to sit behind the wheel yet, as for whether it would be too flashy… well… could he even keep a low profile at this point?
"Honestly, that amount is nearly the same as the company's current cash reserves." His father nodded and looked proudly at his son.
To be frank, he couldn't think of a single kid out there who was more well-rounded and capable than his son!
But neither he nor Kaminari's mother had any intention of taking control over the money.
Unlike traditional parents who tended to micromanage, they believed their son should manage the money he earned by himself.
"It's settled—I want a 'Nabonir' sports car, and I'd like to design the appearance myself!" Kaminari said excitedly.
'Nabonir' was a car company with more than 300 years of history and ranked among the world's top sports car manufacturers—basically the equivalent of Lamborghini or Ferrari from his previous life.
"Haha." His dad chuckled. Seeing his son so happy made him feel proud. As a father, he wanted to give his family the very best.
"No point in waiting. I'll ask my secretary to get in touch with them right away, see if they can send someone over to chat. It'd be best to get it all done before school starts!"
If they were going to buy a luxury vehicle that expensive, there was no reason not to request door-to-door service from Nabonir.
In Dad's opinion, it was perfectly reasonable. And if Nabonir refused? Then they'd find another company. It wasn't like they were the only ones in the world who made sports cars.
Just then, the familiar sound of Blue Bird started playing, interrupting the cheerful conversation and drawing the attention of 'Pikachu' and 'Leib,' who had been playing in the living room.
"Who's coming at this hour?"
Kaminari walked curiously over to the doorbell display screen—the music was coming from there.
His mother loved the song Blue Bird, so she'd asked him to create a custom piano version for their doorbell.
It was worth noting that Momo had personally performed the song on piano at their house and recorded it. She'd played it beautifully!
"Yo, it's Tetsutetsu!"
Sure enough, the person who appeared on the monitor was none other than Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, who had just returned from the trip with his own family.
"What's this guy doing here? Is he trying to spar again?" Kaminari muttered, then unlocked the door and stepped outside.
"Who is it?" Mom asked, walking in from the living room, the two adorable pets following behind her.
"It's Tetsutetsu. He's probably here to see me."
"Perfect. Let him stay for dinner. That kid was badly injured before—I'll make some chicken soup to help him recover."
Kaminari naturally had no objection. "I'll ask him. Unless it's something urgent, he won't refuse."
Soon, the door opened, and Tetsutetsu—sweating heavily—walked in, grumbling, "Kaminari, there are reporters everywhere outside your house! They asked me a ton of questions!"
But before Kaminari could respond, Tetsutetsu noticed his mother and quickly straightened up, bowing respectfully. "Sorry to intrude, ma'am."
"Come on in. Stay for dinner tonight—I'll make some chicken soup for you," she said warmly, looking kindly at her son's good friend.
"Thank you, ma'am!" Tetsutetsu replied with a wide grin. He'd eaten Kaminari's mom's cooking before, and it was genuinely delicious.
As they talked, Kaminari's attention shifted to the Pokémon next to Tetsutetsu—clearly a Steel-type.
It had to be a gift from I-Island, but he hadn't expected Tetsutetsu to go for a Pokémon.
Even though he knew every student in Class 1-A had received one, back then all the Poké Balls looked the same—just standard red-and-white.
"Cocodora, huh? Definitely suits you. But didn't you say before that you liked Steelix?" Kaminari teased.
Tetsutetsu scratched his silver hair sheepishly. "Steelix is way too big. Coco's final evolution—Aggron—is just as badass and manly!"
"But this isn't a real Pokémon, it can't evolve. So where's Aggron coming from?" Kaminari said with a deadpan look.
"Ugh, never mind that. I didn't come here to talk about Cocodora!" Tetsutetsu waved it off.
"Then why'd you bring it?" Kaminari asked, confused.
"Well..."
Tetsutetsu froze for a second, then smiled awkwardly. "Figured I'd bring it along anyway."
"Hahaha!" Kaminari burst out laughing. This guy really was something else.
"Alright, alright, let's go to the rooftop!"
"You wanna spar again?"
Tetsutetsu nodded, then shook his head. "Yeah—and no. I want to show you something new. It's super cool, and it's my biggest gain from the I-Island battle!"
"Alright, but what do you mean by 'yeah and no'?" Kaminari asked as they stepped outside and headed for the top-floor training hall via elevator.
"Yeah, but I don't really wanna say." Tetsutetsu shrugged and smiled.
Even though he had a straightforward, bold personality, he couldn't exactly say, My biggest gain was the emotional impact you had on me. That'd be way too embarrassing.
Back on I-Island, Kaminari had carried him on his back and fought desperately against hundreds of security bots. That moment was burned into his memory. From that day on, he truly saw Kaminari as his brother—no doubt about it.
"Alright, if you don't wanna say it, that's fine." Kaminari nodded. He understood Tetsutetsu's character. If he didn't want to talk about it, then that was that—no need to push.
Soon, the two of them arrived at the rooftop training facility, Cocodora following along. Despite not being used for a few days, the space was still clean thanks to regular maintenance staff.
"Okay, show me! Let's see this so-called 'biggest gain' of yours!" Kaminari said as he turned to face Tetsutetsu.
"Alright, brace yourself—this is gonna shock you!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Tetsutetsu took off his shirt, revealing a solid eight-pack.
Seeing this, Kaminari instinctively tensed up and raised an eyebrow, thinking for a second that Tetsutetsu was about to try something weird.
But then, right before his eyes, Tetsutetsu's body began transforming—his skin taking on a black-gray metallic sheen, spreading rapidly across his torso.
Kaminari didn't speak. He just stood there, watching intently, knowing there was more to come.
Then, a change came over his expression as he stared in disbelief at Tetsutetsu—now entirely silver-white from head to toe.
"What the heck? What did you do?!"
Tetsutetsu raised his gleaming silver fist, clenched it tightly, and shouted with excitement, "I'm calling this transformation… Super Steel!"
"Super Steel?!"
(To be continued.)
***
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