However, Aoki did not immediately issue commands to his Pokémon. Instead, he stared intently at the three Alolan Pokémon for a long while.
Currently, the Pokémon League had likely not yet officially discovered the Alola region, or perhaps they had but had not established a significant presence there.
This was evidenced by the fact that during the last Sinnoh Grand Festival, the final reward received by Lorelei was an Alolan Sandshrew.
This indicated that the League had probably discovered the Alola region but had not yet fully established stable relations or was still in the process of doing so, which was why it had not been publicly announced and was likely known to very few people.
Yet the opponent had immediately sent out three Alolan Pokémon, and their team composition appeared to be very deliberate and well-prepared.
"Have you been to the Alola region?" Aoki suddenly asked.
"Oh? I didn't expect you to know about Alola. It seems you are not an ordinary person after all. You should be aware that the League is currently attempting to establish diplomatic relations with the Alola region," the man said with a smile.
"Not many people are privy to this information. So... are you from the Alola region?" Aoki pressed further.
Aoki felt this speculation was highly plausible.
Silver-gray outerwear...
Suddenly, Aoki's eyes narrowed. "Are you people from the Aether Foundation?!"
Aether Foundation!
Hearing that name, the man froze for a moment, a look of surprise flashing across his face.
Although he neither admitted nor denied it, seeing that expression, Aoki knew his guess was most likely correct.
Aether Foundation, the cult...
This relationship was becoming increasingly complex.
Pokémon: Gardevoir (Dark Green)
Gender: Female
Level: 74
Type: Psychic / Fairy
Ability: Synchronize
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Disable, Destiny Bond, Skill Swap, Ally Switch
Base Moves: Moonblast, Misty Terrain, Healing Wish, Growl, Confusion, Double Team, Teleport, Disarming Voice, Wish, Magical Leaf, Heal Pulse, Draining Kiss, Calm Mind, Psychic, Imprison, Future Sight, Attract, Hypnosis, Dream Eater, Stored Power
Tutor Moves: Pain Split, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Magic Coat, Telekinesis
TM Moves: Protect, Psychic, Psyshock, Double Team, Grass Knot, Substitute
This Gardevoir's ability was Synchronize. While not as versatile as Trace, it was the optimal choice for the opponent's team composition.
The Synchronize ability could transfer status conditions such as burn, poison, severe poison, and paralysis inflicted upon the user back to the opponent.
Looking at the Alolan Muk and Alolan Marowak, it was clear the strategy was to inflict various status conditions on Gardevoir and then forcibly transfer them to the opponent's Pokémon. This battle plan, which harmed the user to damage the foe, could be executed perfectly through this Gardevoir.
Combined with moves like Disable, Destiny Bond, Ally Switch, and Pain Split, this self-sacrificing battle style became even more potent.
Looking into this Gardevoir's lifeless eyes, capable only of following orders, it was evident the opponent was treating her as a mere tool.
Aoki did not press further. After taking another long look at Gardevoir, he threw his own Poké Balls.
Slowking, Drapion, Florges, Tyranitar, Aggron, Blaziken, Gengar, and... Diancie!
The man sneered upon seeing Aoki's Pokémon.
"Gardevoir, begin!"
Overwhelming psychic power surged forth. From the moment Gardevoir and the other three Psychic-type Pokémon appeared, they had been subtly spreading their psychic energy. Now, it had already permeated the entire alternate dimension.
As the man's command fell, Gardevoir's eyes flashed, and her white, dress-like outer garment slowly floated upward. Along with it, Gardevoir herself also levitated, and strands of psychic threads, fine as spider silk, wove into a large net that enveloped the entire space.
Gardevoir's eyes flashed again, and psychic threads connected to the other five Pokémon.
A psychic flicker also appeared in the man's eyes.
An inexplicable anger welled up in Aoki's heart.
Perhaps it was anger at the man for so coldly and callously treating Gardevoir as a tool, or perhaps it was anger at himself for having once employed similar tactics as such a person.
Only by having used the same strategies could Aoki understand the opponent's plan the moment he saw Gardevoir's data.
"Tyranitar, Sandstorm!" Aoki commanded, his voice cold and stern.
The opponent had touched the wound in Aoki's heart that he was most unwilling to confront.
A massive amount of glittering golden sand materialized within the space. Under Tyranitar's control, the sand filled the entire alternate dimension from the ground up, and it continued to expand.
Gardevoir's psychic threads were all displaced to varying degrees by the interference of the raging sandstorm.
Seeing the emergence of such a powerful sandstorm, the man's expression also grew slightly serious.
During the long stalemate against Team Magma and Team Aqua, if there was one area where Tyranitar's control had improved the most, it was over the sandstorm generated by its Sand Stream ability.
However, Tyranitar's sandstorm had only just begun.
Aggron took a large stride forward, positioning itself beside Tyranitar. Rock-type energy surged around its body, and the ground trembled slightly. Chunks of rubble materialized from nowhere and merged into the swirling sandstorm.
Diancie stood beside Aoki. Seeing Tyranitar and Aggron take action, she nodded to Aoki.
Then, she held her hands out forward, and pink crystalline diamonds appeared, multiplying rapidly, swirling and rotating! A dense swarm of pink crystal diamonds materialized all at once.
Diancie's signature move, Diamond Storm!
All the pink diamonds also merged into the sandstorm. In an instant, the entire sandstorm's color underwent a subtle change.
"Ban!!!"
Tyranitar roared, and simultaneously, Aggron and Diancie severed their control over their respective moves. The rocks and crystals fully integrated into the sandstorm, now under Tyranitar's sole command.
But it was not over yet!
Gengar emerged from the shadow behind Tyranitar, its pupils flashing as it mimicked Tyranitar's Sand Stream ability using its own power.
A large amount of sand also swirled around Gengar's body, gradually merging with Tyranitar's sandstorm!
After all, Gengar's strength and level were slightly higher than Tyranitar's. Although its control over the Sand Stream ability was not as refined as Tyranitar's, it was only marginally inferior.
Once Gengar's Sand Stream was fully activated, it, like Aggron and Diancie, severed its control, handing all the sand over to Tyranitar.
In an instant, the volume of sand under Tyranitar's control multiplied several times over!
It was not just an increase in quantity, but also in quality.
The power of the sandstorm at this moment could truly be called the Sandstorm Domain!!