Five more days have passed.
Aoki takes Brad to the next region, and the two spend five days together.
During those five days, Brad experienced for the first time just how comfortable it was to survive out with someone who was powerful and possessed the abilities of a High-Level Breeder.
He almost never had to fight; Aoki's Pokémon handled the battles entirely. This was part of Aoki's plan to improve the strength of all the Pokémon.
Whether in battle or in life, Aoki lives a very planned and orderly life.
Moreover, Aoki is an extremely self-disciplined person. He has certain requirements for both Pokémon and himself every day. Every morning when he wakes up, he spends half an hour planning all these things.
It was then that Brad understood why Aoki was so outstanding.
With extraordinary talent, a high degree of self-discipline, and clear requirements and direction for oneself, it's hard for someone not to succeed.
However, five days later, Aoki and his group were about to arrive at another marked location. Aoki and Brad would also need to part ways here because Aoki had a task for Brad to complete.
" Brad, there's still a long time before they leave, but I doubt they'll hold out until the very end. You've lived here for so long, you know this place pretty well."
"I know there are a few others like you who are forced to stay here and are looking for a chance to go back. Now go find them and tell them I can promise to take them back and give them a fresh start, but I need their loyalty. If they don't agree, don't force them," Aoki said to Brad.
Although there are only three to five people forced to stay here, and their strength may not be as strong as Brad's, they are indeed rare talents. If they can be recruited, it will be a great help to Team Sky, a force that is severely lacking in high-end combat power but controls a large area and has not been established for a long time.
Aoki had this plan from the very beginning when she recruited Brad.
Brad became his stepping stone, or rather, the "horse bone" in his expensive investment, helping him attract talented people to join him.
"Yes!" Brad replied respectfully.
During those five days, Aoki had mentioned this idea to him, and Brad did indeed know the location of one or two people. However, they were like oil and water before, and neither of them trusted the other. But now that Aoki needed it, he didn't mind helping Aoki "persuade" them.
As Brad, riding on the back of the Hydreigon, sped away and gradually disappeared from sight, Aoki looked down at the special symbol carved under the tree at her feet.
These are symbols that Aoki, Steven, and the others designed before entering this place. Steven and the other two left these symbols discreetly as they walked, making it easier for Aoki to find them.
Now that Aoki has seen this symbol under this tree, it means that the marked location he is heading to is very likely to include one of Steven, Hibiscus, or Wallace.
With so many markers left, finding one of them on the second one is quite lucky.
Aoki used Psychic to destroy the mark on the tree, then jumped back onto Salamence's back and flew towards the second marked location.
This marker is a very large lake, which looks like a huge place on the map.
In fifteen minutes, Salamence, flying at full speed, was still traveling quite quickly.
Ripples spread across the shimmering lake surface, where water-type Pokémon frolic.
Aoki flew towards the lake atop Salamence's back. Knowing the dangers on this continent, Aoki dared not be too conspicuous, especially since the wild Pokémon here were indeed quite formidable.
However, when someone is lucky, there's nothing that can stop them.
As soon as Aoki arrived, she vaguely heard the sounds of battle not far away and immediately rushed towards the source of the sound.
Aoki saw a land monster clad in metal armor battling a Pokémon. This Pokémon, which Aoki likened to a land monster, was actually an Aggron, which Aoki also owned!
Standing not far from Aggron, a man dressed in a black tuxedo even in the jungle, with flowing light blue hair, was none other than Steven Stone, one of Aoki's best friends!
"Who?!" Steven sensed the commotion around him. A cute Pokémon following closely behind him, with a strange black, very large mouth and sharp, spike-like teeth, attacked the place where Aoki was hiding.
Aoki had never seen a new Pokémon before, Steven's, Mawile!
Moreover, this Mawile is very strong!
Aoki could tell from its simple sense of aura that this Mawile was actually a Pokémon with Champion Level strength.
Fortunately, Salamence reacted quickly enough and retreated so fast that he successfully dodged Mawile's strange metallic maw attack.
Seeing Mawile about to launch another attack, Aoki immediately shouted, " Steven, it's me!"
Upon hearing the familiar voice, Steven's previously serious expression instantly brightened. He knew that voice all too well: " Aoki!! Mawile, stop! We're on the same side!"
Steven gave the order, and Mawile's steel teeth stopped pursuing Aoki and Salamence. Even though Mawile hadn't seen what the enemy looked like or where they were, she had determined their location through her keen combat awareness and sense of danger.
After Mawile stopped, Aoki and Salamence emerged from the jungle. Aoki glanced at the still wary Mawile and showed a surprised expression.
The Mawl's attack power exceeded his expectations. In that instant, Aoki, standing on Salamence's back, clearly felt that all of Salamence's scales had stood up due to tension, which showed just how much pressure the Mawl was putting on him.
However, as a Fairy-type Pokémon, Aoki could understand the immense pressure it placed on him, given that it was far stronger than Salamence.
But what happened next surprised him even more.
Mawile, who had been so fierce, with her yellow hair and puffed-out cheeks looking like she was angry, suddenly turned into a lovesick girl when she saw Aoki.
If you don't count the mouth on Mawile's back, this Pokémon is actually quite cute, especially now that you see Aoki's face. She went from looking fierce to becoming a lovesick fangirl, just like the female fans Aoki has encountered.
Before Aoki could figure out what was going on, Steven walked up to her with a helpless smile, along with his Aggron.
Aggron has defeated his opponent in record time.
" Aoki, you're pretty fast. I'm probably the first person you found, right?" Steven said.
Aoki nodded, then looked at Mawile, who was now even more smitten seeing Aoki and Steven standing together, and her eye twitched involuntarily. "What... is going on?"
When Mawile was mentioned, Steven's expression turned somewhat helpless.
"This child, just as you can see, is a… uh… little flower-obsessed girl. I found her in a pile of ore. She's the strongest Pokémon in that area. I was originally planning to have Aggron and the others have a good battle with her, but…" Steven trailed off.
But Aoki roughly guessed what he was going to say next.
As a result, no battle took place. After seeing Steven's appearance, the infatuated Mawile immediately transformed from a fierce regional overlord Pokémon into the little fangirl she is now, and has been following Steven around ever since.
That's why Mawile showed such a fangirl expression when she saw a handsome guy like Aoki.
However, Aoki was speechless at the fact that someone could capture a Pokémon with Champion-level strength just by looking at it.
Could this be the legendary privilege of handsome men?
Aoki glanced again at Mawile, who seemed to have realized her earlier infatuated expression and was now shyly lowering her head, but couldn't help but glance at Aoki and Steven every now and then. Her eyes twitched again.
Pokémon: Mawile (blue)
Gender: Female
Level: 82
Type: Steel+ Fairy
Ability: hyper cutter
Held Items: None
Egg Moves: Ice Fang, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Misty Terrain
Basic Moves: Play Rough, Iron Head, Taunt, Growl, Fairy Wind, Astonish, Fake Cry, Bite, Sweet Scent, Clamp, Foul Play, Baton Pass, Crunch, Iron Defense, Sucker Punch, Charge, Swallow, Spray.
Learnt Moves: Icy Wind, Stealth Rock, Snatch, Snore, Knock Off, Angry Fangs, Magnet Rise, Hone Claws, Thunder Punch, Last Resort, Sharing Pain, Deception
TM Moves: None
Aoki's eyes lit up when he saw the data for this Mawile.
This Mawile is truly an excellent Pokémon. It has the Force ability, the Misty Terrain inherited move, and various attack moves with additional effects, such as Farmer's Fang. In addition, Mawile can learn the Baton Pass move by default. If you add the Swords Dance move, then the tactics you can use will be even more numerous.
Whether you build your damage output around the Forced trait combined with Swords Dance, or you create a strategy around Swords Dance, Baton Pass, and Misty Terrain, both are excellent options.
Aside from its inherently lower base stats, Mawile is otherwise quite good in terms of both moves and abilities.
The key point is that Mawile is also a Pokémon with Mega Evolution. After Mega Evolution, her base stats will no longer be her weaknesses, and Mega Mawile's ability will become fixed: Huge Power!
Pokémon with this characteristic will have their moves doubled in power when using physical attacks, which is terrifying.
Adding Swords Dance would make it an absolute game-changer, a nemesis to Dragon-type Pokémon.
Misty Terrain + Hercules ability + Play Rough move – this simplest combination is something that most Dragon-type Pokémon can't handle. Plus, the Play Rough move has a chance to reduce the opponent's attack power.
When Aoki stared at Mawile with wide eyes, Mawile also stole a glance, and after a mere fraction of a second of eye contact with Aoki, she immediately lowered her head even more shyly.
My heart was pounding like a deer.
Wow, so handsome! Another guy this good-looking has appeared, what am I supposed to do?!
He's looking at me! He's looking at me! He's looking at me, right? He's even smiling, and his eyes are shining, it's so embarrassing...
I feel like I'm about to fall in love, and suddenly two handsome guys have appeared... How am I supposed to choose...?
I'm in love!!
At this moment, Mawile's heart was like a stormy sea, surging with waves.
Meanwhile, Gardevoir, standing on Aoki's other side, had been secretly watching Mawile. She understood Mawile's infatuation with Aoki, but her infatuated behavior was a disgrace to female Pokémon.
"You haven't subdued it yet?" Aoki asked with surprise.
Steven looked a little embarrassed. Although Mawile had been by his side for some time and had protected his life many times, Steven had not yet tamed her.
This gave Aoki the illusion that she was getting something for free. She never expected Steven to be this kind of person!
They take advantage of others but refuse to give them a proper "recognition," and even claim to be wild Pokémon.
Although she might be a bit of a fangirl, Pokémon is indeed an excellent Pokémon, and Aoki admits that she is somewhat tempted.
With such a Mawile, Aoki suspects she could completely crush Lance, the "legendary" Dragon-type Elite Four member!
"What? Is she not good enough for you? You know, this is a Champion Level Steel -type and Fairy-type Pokémon. Haven't you been complaining about not having a way to deal with Dragon-type Pokémon? This Mawile is forcibly delivered to you, and you still don't like it?"
" I can tell you with absolute certainty that this Mawile's potential has not yet been fully realized. Her growth upper limit is very high, in no way inferior to your Aggron!" Aoki said to Steven with a look of disappointment.
He was indeed attracted to Mawile, but after all, she was Steven's Pokémon, and Aoki wasn't that kind of person.
Moreover, Aoki has many ways to deal with Dragon-type Pokémon. Florges, the gradually growing Diancie and Magearna, and even the entire Togekiss population that he recently subdued all have great potential. In addition, there is Gardevoir, who has been by his side during this time. After Mega Evolution, Gardevoir is even more effective at controlling Dragon-type Pokémon than this Mawiel.
"No." Steven waved his hand awkwardly.
Aoki looked at Steven, waiting for his explanation.
"Ahem, firstly because her level is too high, and secondly because... she's a bit too clingy."
"Ahem." Aoki was speechless at Steven's two reasons and couldn't help but provoke him, "Such a powerful Pokémon that can accept a Trainer so easily, if you don't want it, then I'll take it?"
Aoki's expression, as if saying "If you really don't want it, I'll take it," actually worked.
Steven actually felt that this Mawile was too high-level; it wasn't a Pokémon he had raised from scratch, and he felt it was somewhat difficult to control.
After all, Steven has trained almost all of his Pokémon from scratch, so the synergy between the Pokémon and the Trainer is quite high.
But he forgot that the rapport between Pokémon and Trainer is built up little by little through intimacy. This Mawile had already maxed out the intimacy level when they first met. As long as Steven sincerely accepts her, the rapport between them can be established quickly.
"Okay!" Steven's eyes hardened instantly. Once he made up his mind, he wouldn't change it easily.
Moreover, Steven has a lot of experience dealing with female fans. Unlike Aoki, who has only been handsome for a short time and is already struggling to handle a few enthusiastic fans, Steven has been handsome since he was a child.
He wanders freely in a sea of flowers, yet remains untouched by a single petal; that's the person being described.
He took a Cherish Ball out of his pocket. With Steven's wealth, ordinary Poké Balls wouldn't be in his pocket.
Unbeknownst to Mawile, while she was indulging in her crush, Aoki and Steven made the decision for her, deciding who would ultimately be her owner.
Mawile was still in shock when she saw Steven walking towards her with Cherish Ball.
But she finally understood when the Cherish Ball took her back.
She's going to be Steven's Pokémon!!
Unfortunately, I met a handsome guy today who even flirted with me.
Goodbye, new handsome guy, I'm already taken!
Aoki watched as Steven added the Mawile to his Cherish Ball, along with his ace Pokémon. Metagross, that's just two Champion Level Pokémon. Maybe Steven has some other trump cards up his sleeve.
Coming to such a high-risk wilderness training, as the successor of the Zinnia Family, Steven might possess some trump card that the Zinnia Family has given him to protect his life.
"Congratulations!" Aoki said with a smile.
Steven looked at Aoki's smile and felt that it contained a deeper meaning, but he just couldn't quite grasp it.
"It seems you've had quite a few gains these past few days." Steven looked at the radiant Aoki, sensing little trouble from him.
They understood this, as Aoki was different from the others and had far superior survival skills in the wild. Although the wild Pokémon on this continent were of an excessively high level, overall, it wasn't a big problem.
"It's alright, the harvest is so-so, but I've learned some things that are quite serious. If possible, I suggest we gather our people together as soon as possible." Aoki's expression turned serious as she said this.
Aoki then briefly recounted his encounter with Brad, the information he gleaned from Brad, and his speculations about the cult.
Of course, there are also many things that Aoki didn't say, such as how he successfully recruited Brad into his service and sent him to recruit more of the remaining talent.
This is not only to expand Team Sky, but also to ensure that it can maintain a certain degree of autonomy when the cult brings an impact to the Pokémon World.
After hearing Aoki's words, Steven's expression became extremely serious. "So, it seems we are in real danger here. Hibiscus and Wallace could be attacked at any time."
If things really develop as you predict, the cultists might actually descend upon this place. At that point, not only will we be in great danger, but the entire Pokémon League and the entire Pokémon World will be thrown into chaos!
"Therefore, in order to avoid being attacked without cause, and in order to avoid possible attacks from the cult, it would be best for us to gather people together for training. This will make it much easier to deal with both unexpected situations and possible attacks from the cult!" Aoki said.
After a pause, he continued, "And it's not just Hibiscus and Wallace; if possible, it would be best to gather Cynthia and Watari as well."
However, we didn't communicate with them before entering this area, so finding them will be quite difficult. Our priority now is to find Hibiscus and Wallace.
Steven nodded. Aoki's words made a lot of sense, and he agreed.
If the cultists are truly so well-prepared, frankly, they are not capable of facing such a challenge with their current strength.
Although they are now at the peak of Elite and the beginning of Champion level, they are already at the top level in the entire Pokémon World.
But compared to those who had planned ahead and had been preparing to survive here for twenty-five years, they might actually be no match for them.
"Then let's hurry up and set off. If we delay any longer, Fleur and the others might be in danger." Steven said, throwing out a Poké Ball to summon his Aerodactyl, then putting away his Aggron and preparing to leave.
Fortunately, Aoki stopped her, saying, "Don't be in such a hurry. If you rush over like this, and the people from the cult are really here, they'll definitely find you. Then it won't be them who's in danger, it will be us!"
Upon hearing Aoki's words, Steven realized that he was indeed somewhat anxious.
"Then what should we...?"
"Fight our way through! With the combined strength of you and me, there shouldn't be any wild Pokémon here that can stand a chance against us."
"Besides, the resources here are so abundant, it would feel like a waste of this trip if we didn't gather as much as possible," Aoki said.
"Let's go!" Steven said, flying close to the ground in his Aerodactyl.
This place is indeed rich in resources, not only in terms of supplies but also in Pokémon. He just successfully caught a Champion Level Mawile. While searching for Fleur and Wallace, he can take the opportunity to bond with Mawile, which might come in handy in later battles against the Cult or other players.
Aoki's main task remains training Salamence, Gardevoir, Lucario, and Venusaur. When the opponent becomes stronger, he summons Aggron and Drapion. In short, he can always send out the most suitable Pokémon to fight against different opponents.
As a High-Level Breeder, you don't need to worry about your Pokémon getting hurt in battle.
Steven successfully replaced Brad, enjoying the experience of training alongside the High-Level Breeder without worrying about Pokémon's condition or diet.
The area is rich in resources, and Steven's Pokémon are all at a critical juncture. He wants Aoki to customize some special energy cubes for them, hoping to help the Pokémon reach the Champion Level.
It was through this opportunity that Aoki was able to learn more about Steven. Data from Pokémon.
Steven and Aoki are finally going through trials together again after so long.
Last time, Steven and Aoki were still working hard to break through Quasi-Elite Four Level, but now they both have Champion Level strength, their progress is so rapid.
Aoki has successfully overtaken Steven in terms of strength and can now be considered the leader of the younger generation not only in the Hoenn Region but also in the entire Pokémon League.
Aoki's success is largely due to the cheat codes she used, but it's also largely due to her learning from her past life's lessons and dedicating herself wholeheartedly to improving her strength.
Current Champion Level Pokémon includes Darkrai, who has passed the first level of Champion, and Gengar, Tyranitar, Blaziken, and Slowking, who are considered to be just entering the Champion Level.
Quasi-Champion level Pokémon include Honchkrow, Drapion, Weavile, Florges, Swampert, Aggron, Politoed, Mismagius, Slaking, and Magearna.
The Pokémon available in Senior Elite Four Level are Salamence, Kingdra, Gardevoir, and Diancie.
The Pokémon available at Elite Four Level are currently Lucario, Venusaur, and two Altaria.
Of course, besides these Pokémon, there's also Kommo-o, as well as Togekiss and Clawitzer, which were recently acquired, and the diligent Ursaring.
Overall, Aoki's Pokémon strength is at a very high level. Although there are definitely differences in strength and comparison, with Aoki's current Pokémon level and strength, he is fully capable of tailoring his battle strategy and the Pokémon he chooses to counter based on the opponent's Pokémon composition.
However, there is still room for improvement, so Aoki has been focusing his training on Lucario, Venusaur, Salamence, and Gardevoir.
Their existence is crucial to Aoki's entire system. As long as they possess sufficient strength, Aoki's fighting style will become more diverse.
Champion Level like Gengar and Tyranitar It will be quite difficult for Pokémon to make significant improvements or breakthroughs in a short period of time.
Without any special opportunities, the rest is about steady development and growth, but Salamence and his team still have considerable room for growth and a fast pace of improvement.
Actually, it's not just Aoki; Steven is in a similar situation.
Steven's Metagross has also successfully reached the Champion Level. Steven has been summoning it less often while traveling because without a suitable opponent, its leveling speed won't be fast. It's better to give more opportunities to Pokémon that are about to break through or that are leveling up faster.
Of course, it's not impossible for a wild Pokémon of Champion Level to occasionally pop out here; Aoki and Steven have both encountered them.
Therefore, when facing these Pokémon, Aoki and Steven will give themselves the opportunity to battle with their top Pokémon.
In essence, it boils down to this: send the most suitable Pokémon to battle based on the opponent's strength, so as not to waste any opponent.
Aoki has always fought in this way. Even if a Pokémon is injured, as long as the injury is not particularly serious, Aoki can quickly restore the Pokémon. So even if there are occasional challenges that are too difficult for the Pokémon, they will not be afraid. However, Steven has never experienced this kind of training.
Before he entered this place, everyone warned him not to engage in pointless battles. If he could win easily, he should not engage in prolonged fighting. His primary goal should be to preserve his own combat strength in order to prevent any unexpected events from occurring.
But when he met up with Aoki, he discovered that the correct way to use the High-Level Breeder was actually like this!
The battle was fierce, and you were injured?!
No problem, we have High-Level Breeder!
Pokémon's training objectives are unclear, and its combat methods are numerous but lack depth?!
No problem, we have High-Level Breeder!
Does Pokémon have some kind of physical or developmental defect?
No problem, we have High-Level Breeder!
No matter what situation Pokémon encounters, as long as Aoki is there, Steven doesn't have to worry at all; Aoki can solve almost all the difficulties.
This was an experience Steven had never had before.
Now he finally understood why Breeder, who loved to travel, was so popular among trainers; he was practically a walking treasure trove.
Moreover, the stronger the Breeder's capabilities, the greater the Helping Hand for the Trainer.
Steven also understood why Aoki was so good at wilderness survival.
Because he discovered that the wilderness survival he saw as fraught with danger was like strolling through his own backyard in front of Aoki. As long as he remained vigilant enough and didn't get instantly killed, no Pokémon could escape the fate of becoming his battle opponent.
In short, Steven summed it up in one point: Aoki is fucking awesome!
Aoki and Steven embark on a journey to find Hibiscus and Wallace, but they don't mind bringing trustworthy people along the way into their camp.
As for what constitutes a trustworthy person, that depends on Aoki's judgment. On this point, Steven trusts Aoki's ability to judge people.
For example, on the third day after Aoki and Steven embarked on their journey, they finally met someone they knew.
Moreover, they were people I had known for a long time.
While Aoki was in charge of Salamence, Steven was in charge of Scizor, whom he had recently trained on Aoki's advice!
Steven trusted Aoki so much because all of Aoki's advice and suggestions proved to be very helpful to him after he tried them.
Both Steelix and Scizor were Pokémon that Aoki had suggested to him before, and now he has caught them all. There are only two words to describe his feelings: "So good!"
However, while the two were fighting methodically, someone who was not far away heard the commotion and quietly came over.
But before she could even get close to Aoki and Steven, and before she knew who was fighting, Aoki noticed her approach.
Fortunately, Aoki discovered her presence and confirmed her identity, which is why he did not launch an attack immediately.
The new Elite from the city area, Dark-Type Elite Four! Karen!
Karen was startled when Aoki and Steven suddenly appeared in front of her after quickly finishing their fight.
To be honest, although Karen became one of the Dark-Type Elite Four in the Johto region, among those who entered this time, her strength was at most in the middle, or even in the lower middle. Aoki and Steven, on the other hand, belonged to the top group.
" Elite Four Qing Mu! Steven!" When Karen saw that the person in front of her was someone she knew, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Just as Aoki had expected, she had been there for less than two weeks, but things hadn't gone very smoothly.