Trader In The World Of Pirates!!!

While Tsuna and his guardians were all diligently training, Lambo, another guardian of the Vongola family, wasn't spared from the intense regimen either.

Compared to the others' training methods, Lambo's training was even more brutal and terrifying!

In a very peculiar room...

Lambo lay silently on the ground, his enormous, charred afro standing out. If it weren't for the steady trickle of tears running down his cheeks, one might think he had already perished.

At that moment, a bolt of lightning shot down from the ceiling, striking his small body directly.

Zap!

Suddenly, a powerful electric current surged through Lambo's body—enough to electrocute a regular person—but passed through him and into the ground without delay.

Lambo, hit by the lightning, leaped up, his body covered in black smoke, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Endure it..." he whimpered.

Since Ace had confiscated his Ten-Year Bazooka, Lambo had no way to escape the agony of the lightning. He had no choice but to bear it.

The next second, the lightning subsided, and Lambo skillfully dropped back to the ground, lying still.

Despite his appearance...

Although Lambo seemed utterly miserable...

Although he was just a child enduring what looked like inhumane torture...

The only Rotom in the entire training facility, which was integrated with the base's main control system, detected no abnormal signs in Lambo's vitals through the life monitor on his wrist.

In other words...

Even though Lambo appeared to be in severe distress, after being struck by lightning dozens of times, his body remained unharmed!

This was the very reason why Reborn had recruited Lambo from the Bovino family, a Vongola-affiliated group, to serve as Tsuna's Thunder Guardian.

Don't be fooled by Lambo's usual carefree attitude, always absorbed in play.

He had been exposed to electric shocks from birth.

Because of this...

Lambo, who already possessed an incredible natural talent, had developed an enviable ability—a skin that could withstand electric shocks!

Thanks to this ability, when struck by lightning, Lambo could quickly channel the current through his body. Other than causing some heat on the surface, it did no further harm.

In short, as long as his skin was tough enough to endure the power of lightning...

Or his will strong enough to withstand the pain...

Then lightning attacks would become useless against him.

In the future, when Lambo matures, he will be able to harness the power of lightning from nature itself, turning it into his own weapon, capable of unleashing god-like attacks on his enemies!

Right now, in this shock-training room, it was this very ability that Lambo was honing.

Though he was still a crybaby, in terms of raw physical strength, Lambo was at least level 10!

He surpassed both Hayato and Takeshi by a significant margin.

This was all due to the defensive boost provided by his electric shock-resistant skin.

Otherwise, he would never have survived the countless explosions unscathed.

Boom!!!

Under Rotom's control, an even stronger bolt of lightning struck Lambo again.

Though it seemed overly cruel for a five-year-old crybaby...

To make Lambo worthy of the title of Vongola's Thunder Guardian and to ensure he had the strength to protect himself in moments of crisis...

This was a trial he had to endure!

——

Similar to Lambo's intense shock training, Kyouya's training room also reverberated with the sounds of thunder and lightning.

However, amidst the thunderclaps, there were also bursts of flames, hurricanes, and missiles flying around.

Sizzle...

Four bizarre robots surrounded Kyouya in the center of the training ground.

As electric currents surged through them, the robots activated, unleashing a barrage of attacks from various weapons, all aimed at Kyouya.

These robots had been crafted by dark forces from the Pokémon world.

Each had a combat level of up to 30.

Of course...

Level 30 might sound impressive in the world of everyday training.

But in reality, based on systematic evaluations, these mass-produced robots weren't all that remarkable.

For today's training, the robots had suppressed their power levels to accompany Kyouya through this exercise.

"Damn it!"

Seeing the incoming missiles, feeling the scorching flames behind him, and the high-voltage electricity sparking on either side...

Kyouya suddenly closed his eyes before snapping them open!

In an instant, his gaze turned as sharp as a predator's.

In the next second...

He kicked off the ground, his body flying backward to avoid the flames.

Simultaneously, his tonfa whipped through the air, the flames licking the metal as they struck the robot behind him, right where it was spewing fire!

Clang!

The sharp sound of metal clashing echoed in the training room.

Although the robot's body wasn't damaged, the force of Kyouya's attack exceeded its limits. The robot immediately stopped its offensive and began to retreat, pretending to be incapacitated.

Feeling insulted, Kyouya curled his lips.

But knowing he couldn't completely destroy the robots at his current level, he didn't dwell on it.

After all, the missiles and lightning were already closing in on him.

Boom!!!

Zap!!!

Clang, clang, clang...

The training room was filled with the sounds of explosions, crackling lightning, and metal clashing.

Two minutes later...

The room suddenly fell silent.

A camera in the corner swiveled, focusing on Kyouya.

It scanned him from top to bottom, as if assessing his injuries and calculating the next stage of his training.

Immediately, an electronic voice echoed from the speakers in the training room:

"Take a 15-minute break before proceeding to the next stage."

"The next stage is Training Level: Level 15."

"Bah! Just Level 15!" 

The scarred Kyouya glanced at his wounded body and spat in dissatisfaction.

Before entering the training room, he had made an agreement with Ace. 

As long as he could pass Level 25, he'd earn the chance to challenge Ace to a fight!

Back at Kokuyo Junior High Tsuna, he was defeated by Ace Charizard in an instant. 

Even though he had been seriously injured at the time, the difference in their strength was undeniable. 

For someone as prideful as Kyouya, this was a bitter pill to swallow.

He wasn't an arrogant person. Kyouya could accept that there were stronger people in the world. But accepting it didn't mean he had to like it!

Whenever Kyouya discovered someone stronger, he dedicated himself completely to surpassing them. Now, Ace—the one who had effortlessly defeated him—had become his next target!

...

With ample resources and manpower, the entire training center functioned smoothly.

Upon his return, Reborn took the time to teach Tsuna how to use the Dying Will Flame during breaks in physical training. This included converting Dying Will Flame into flames through Vongola's gloves and learning the powerful Zero Point Breakthrough, a technique from the first Vongola boss.

In this way, everyone went through their challenging but rewarding training at the center.

During this period, Reborn even enlisted Colonnello, another of the Arcobaleno, to help them awaken the powers within them.

By the 20th day of training, everyone's Pokémon, having completed Charizard's graduation test, returned to their respective trainers.

With the help of the Pokémon, the group's growth accelerated significantly.

...

Before anyone realized it, the 40-day training camp had come to an end.

The evening sun painted the sky with a fiery hue. A gentle breeze stirred the trees, making them rustle, as if bidding farewell.

Whoosh—!

A cloud of dust rose as the doors to the training center slowly opened.

"Goodbye, everyone!"

Rotom, the control system of the facility, used its cameras and speakers to bid everyone a reluctant farewell.

"You worked hard, Rotom," Tsuna replied with a polite wave towards the camera. 

However... 

If he had paused just a bit longer while saying goodbye, it might have seemed more genuine.

There was no helping it. 

Despite spending over a month in the training center and enjoying three meals a day made by Kyoko, Tsuna still couldn't get used to life in that "hell."

Without hesitation, he hurried out of the training center.

Today marked the last day of summer vacation, and Kyoko and Haru, who were part of the logistics team, had already left earlier under Reborn's escort to prepare for the start of school tomorrow.

Only Tsuna and the others remained, training until the very last moment.

As they walked through the forest, breathing in the fresh air of nature, Tsuna didn't feel any joy about returning home—just a deep sense of relief at having survived.

Especially when he stepped out of the jungle and onto the asphalt road.

His eyes welled up with tears.

"Finally... finally..."

"We're free! Waaaaaah…"

Overwhelmed with emotion, Tsuna clutched his head and sobbed.

Hayato, Tsuna's loyal right-hand man, followed suit, tears welling up in his own eyes. Covering his face with his sleeve, he supported Tsuna with one hand, crying out, "It's... it's over, Jūdaime."

Even Takeshi, usually so optimistic and lighthearted, and Ryohei, always full of energy, fell into silence as they witnessed Tsuna and Hayato break down.

Their quiet was the perfect reflection of how intense the training camp had been.

Only Kyouya, wrapped in bandages with his arm in a cast, looked at the group with disdain. "Pathetic," he muttered softly before walking away, alone as usual.

Forty days. 

Forty full days of training.

No one could truly understand what they had endured.

But the scars on their bodies told a story of blood, sweat, and tears.

"Hibari-senpai..." 

As Kyouya disappeared down the road, Tsuna stopped his emotional outburst.

He wanted to say something to the man who had fought beside them, but with Lambo unconscious in his arms, he didn't get the chance.

Still... 

At least, it was all over.

...

"It looks like everyone's happy," Ace mused with a smile as he watched Tsuna and the others from the back of his Charizard.

Then, turning to Reborn at his side, he asked, "With Tsuna and the others' current strength, do you think you'll be able to report back to Vongola Headquarters successfully? When does Vongola plan to proceed with the next phase of the transaction?"

"As for the next phase..." Reborn paused in thought.

During the 40 days of training, Reborn had brought Ace some good news: Vongola's Ninth Generation was interested in Ace's so-called dimensional transaction.

However, because Vongola wasn't an independent family...

Thus, they needed to complete the initial transaction and observe significant changes in Tsuna and the others before the Vongola family would convene to discuss the next steps in the transaction plan.

Now, the strength of Tsuna and his companions had improved dramatically. 

He was also surrounded by powerful Pokémon for protection.

In Ace's view, as long as the Ninth Vongola Boss wasn't an old fool, he would undoubtedly continue with the dimensional trade plan.

However…

When Ace inquired about it, Reborn shook his head gravely and replied, "I'm sorry."

"Just a few days ago, my communication with the Ninth Generation was abruptly cut off."

"So, I can't give you a definite answer at the moment."

"Oh?" 

Hearing this, Ace wasn't upset as one might expect. Instead, he asked with keen interest, "What happened? Is there trouble at Vongola headquarters?"

Since the beginning of the training, the Ninth Generation had been in frequent contact with Reborn, exchanging messages often through him. 

Even though Ace hadn't spoken to the Ninth Generation directly, his gut feeling told him that the Ninth was not someone who would break a promise.

But now, at this critical juncture, communication had suddenly stopped.

This indicated that something unexpected had likely occurred in recent days. 

At the very least, the Ninth was in a situation where they were unable to relay information to the outside world.

As expected, Reborn didn't provide any concrete answers to Ace's question, but his expression darkened even further.

While no definitive conclusion was drawn, Ace and Reborn seemed to be on the same page. 

Reborn muttered quietly, "It's possible."

Though Reborn had confidence in the power of the Ninth Generation and the strength of the Vongola Guardians, this extended period of silence made him uneasy.

After a brief silence, Reborn turned to Ace and said, "Ace, I may need you to look after these kids for a while."

"I have to investigate Vongola headquarters and verify what's going on."

"No problem," Ace replied with a serious expression, sensing the gravity of the situation.

"I'll handle things here."

Reborn nodded solemnly.

This matter had weighed on him for days, but since he was constantly interacting with Tsuna and the others during training, he had kept his worries hidden.

Now that the camp was over, he could finally look into the issue.

The small creature known as Leon suddenly transformed into a glider, attaching itself to Reborn's back.

Without hesitation, Reborn spread his arms, leaped into the air, and soared off into the distance like a large bird.

Ace watched Reborn disappear into the horizon for a long moment.

Eventually, he sighed and said, "This tutor job is truly full of twists and turns."

"I hope nothing bad has happened at Vongola. I also hope Tsuna will lead Vongola successfully... and help me raise this world ranking!"