He received two Mega Stones and two Key Stones from Aoki.
Without hesitation, Steven, attempting Mega Evolution for the first time, boldly used Dual Mega Evolution.
Although Aoki had warned him beforehand, Steven knew that Dual Mega Evolution was essential to defeat Bailin.
As Steven shouted excitedly, a large amount of colorful Mega Evolution energy burst forth from Aggron and Mawile, whom he had recently caught, enveloping them completely.
The two Pokémon seemed to feel an endless stream of mysterious energy pouring into their bodies, activating their entire beings and feeling incredibly exhilarating.
They felt great, but for Steven, it was an intense, piercing pain.
He had underestimated the impact of Dual Mega Evolution on his body and consciousness, as Aoki had described. The thoughts of Aggron and Mawile, both Champion-level Pokémon, surged into his mind, causing a piercing headache that almost made him faint. If he hadn't been prepared, the sudden shock of Dual Mega Evolution would have definitely knocked him unconscious.
But he managed to endure it.
However, he now understood why Aoki had told him not to sustain Dual Mega Evolution for too long.
When Steven recovered, he looked at his two Pokémon. Mega Aggron and the Mega Aggron forcibly Mega Evolved by Bailin through divine power infusion were almost identical.
Steven could clearly feel the increase in strength of his Aggron after Mega Evolving.
The other Mawile also successfully Mega Evolved. After Mega Evolution, Mawile looked more mature, like she had grown from a small loli to a slightly older loli.
However, her biggest change was the giant mouth behind her. Mega Mawile had two such large mouths, looking extremely intimidating.
Mega Aggron! Mega Mawile!
Steven endured the pain, his face filled with pleasant surprise.
Bailin, his opponent, was also visibly stunned. She had never seen true Mega Evolution, and upon seeing Steven's Mega Aggron and Mega Mawile, she couldn't react immediately.
However, as a trainer of her caliber, she realized almost instantly that Steven's Mega Aggron gained a greater boost from Mega Evolution than her Aggron.
For a moment, her heart wavered. Could it be that besides their sect, there were others who also knew this special evolution method? And it seemed to be more authentic than their divine sect's method.
Bailin was momentarily stunned, but Steven had no time to be. The piercing pain in his head constantly reminded him that he needed to act quickly, otherwise, he wouldn't be able to last much longer.
Fortunately, Aoki had told him some characteristics of Mega Aggron and Mega Mawile beforehand, so he wouldn't be at a loss as to how to utilize their advantages after the two Pokémon Mega Evolved.
The pure Steel-type Mega Aggron rushed to the front, replacing Steelix as Steven's strongest shield, while the Huge Power-ability Mega Mawile, after using Swords Dance, became Steven's strongest spear. Coupled with Metagross, whose Clear Body ability suddenly awakened, Steven's counterattack finally managed to suppress Bailin's offensive.
He slowly pushed her out of Tyranitar's Sandstorm, preventing her from interfering with the advantage Aoki had gained.
And as soon as Steven and Bailin withdrew, Tyranitar immediately informed Aoki, allowing him to focus on directing his battle.
Upon receiving Tyranitar's message, a smile appeared on Aoki's face. He had only given the Mega Stones to Steven and hadn't paid attention to his side afterward, because he knew Steven wouldn't disappoint him.
As long as he was given the ability to turn the tide, he would definitely go all out to push the opponent back.
"Steven has accomplished what he needed to do. Now, we also need to redouble our efforts and not fail to live up to our promise to him," Aoki said calmly, a surging aura emanating from him.
After this period of fighting, he had more or less figured out Jokli's fighting style and tactics.
Although the opponent had lived here for twenty-five years and had a lot of time to grow, this period was too long and too monotonous, perhaps without even a suitable opponent. If there wasn't a proper plan, a long part of this time might be wasted.
Aoki himself wouldn't dare to take this step. Although he was very confident in the early stages that he could achieve significant improvement in a short time, over a longer period, the efficiency would not be guaranteed.
Therefore, regarding people like Jokli and Brad, Aoki was very wary at first, but after deeper contact, he found that they were not as difficult to deal with as he had imagined.
Not everyone is like Aoki, who not only possesses strong trainer abilities but is also a senior breeder, capable of formulating correct strategies based on his own situation, then matching them with the most suitable training methods, and having a very clear plan for the future.
Perhaps they also had very clear plans, very clear training directions, and very clear strategies at the beginning.
But twenty-five years is too long. Everything can be slowly eroded by the passage of time.
From the moment Aoki learned that people like Jokli couldn't train a single Pokémon to the highest level and instead turned to training multiple Pokémon, their confidence had already been more or less eroded.
Moreover, they had been separated from the Alliance and the entire society for too long, so their control over battles was not as precise. In terms of battle command ability alone, Jokli hadn't even reached the level of Lorelei.
In a nutshell, due to the excessive time, they had reached a dead end in both Pokémon training and self-improvement. If they wanted to improve again, leaving this continent was essential.
That's why Aoki felt that the first trainer who had the courage to do so might have discovered this drawback and chosen to leave.
Otherwise, why wouldn't he just wait until he had elevated all his Pokémon and his own strength to a level where he could crush the entire Pokémon world before leaving?
Because he knew it couldn't be done.
Humans are social animals. Being separated, while sometimes enhancing certain abilities, is definitely not suitable for people over a long period of time.
As Aoki and Steven discussed, he had already gained the upper hand. Aoki had found and exploited some flaws, inconsistencies, and minor errors in the opponent's battle.
The opponent still seemed to be stuck in a relatively old-fashioned fighting style, which revealed a deficiency in the trainer.
Not everyone can be like Steven, with the support of a powerful family, allowing him to absorb a vast amount of Pokémon knowledge even without leaving his home.
Of course, Steven wasn't without experience; he usually put the knowledge he gained from books into practice.
And people like Lance and Cynthia, their current strength is entirely forged through countless battles from start to finish. Even some people stronger than them might not be able to defeat them; this is a true display of trainer-level dominance.
A Pokémon battle is not just about the Pokémon's strength. Of course, the Pokémon's strength is crucial, but when the Pokémon's strengths are similar, or not significantly different, the trainer's command ability and on-the-spot adaptability become paramount.
Many times, battles where the weaker wins are due to differences in the trainer's level.
The gap between Aoki and Jokli now, in essence, is the gap between Aoki and Jokli as trainers.
Aoki's strength was forged through countless battles, from the Trial Island to joining the Alliance, settling in the Hoenn region, forming Team Sky, and fighting against Team Magma and Team Aqua. Compared to a battle maniac like Cynthia, Aoki might not be as good in regular battles, but in a life-or-death struggle, two Cynthias might not be as cunning and opportunistic as one Aoki.
As Aoki seized each of Jokli's weaknesses and accumulated these small mistakes, it gradually led to Aoki's overall advantage.
Finally, Aoki seized a crucial opportunity, allowing Mega Blaziken to deliver a powerful punch that directly knocked out a Meganium, breaking the deadlock in the battle!
When Jokli saw his Meganium defeated, his face turned ashen.
He wasn't foolish; he had also discovered his shortcomings during the battle, but merely discovering them didn't offer a solution. If he could survive this battle with Aoki, he would certainly look for opportunities to correct them in the future, but that depended on whether Aoki would give him that chance.
Would Aoki?
Mega Tyranitar's long-charged Stone Edge answered him, and the Venusaur, which had failed to break through the first Champion-level barrier, fell under this attack!
Losing another Pokémon made Jokli contemplate retreating.
His tactics and battle habits had been thoroughly understood by Aoki. If he continued fighting, he would truly be left behind here.
But would Aoki let him go?
After that Venusaur fell, Aoki saw Jokli's eyes shift and knew what he was thinking. Aoki had pretty much figured out the minds of people like him.
Knowing that the opponent wanted to retreat, Aoki decisively commanded his Pokémon to intentionally expose a weakness, allowing the opponent to seize this opening to escape.
As expected, Jokli fell for the weakness Aoki deliberately exposed, even showing his elation without much restraint, believing he could escape.
But to seize this opportunity, he had to sacrifice another Venusaur and Meganium.
In the face of life and death, Jokli showed considerable decisiveness. As long as he could survive, there would always be new Pokémon. With enough resources, he might even be able to train stronger Pokémon. All the Pokémon he currently had, except for Leafeon, had more or less reached their limits.
No breaking, no standing!
He decisively abandoned Venusaur and Meganium.
Of course, Aoki was well aware of the trap he had set. He decisively took the abandoned Pokémon and then, like a sticky plaster, clung onto the opponent again.
However, to make the weakness appear more real, Aoki's side also suffered a loss, at the cost of Slowking losing its combat ability.
Slowking was, of course, aware of Aoki's plan; he even suggested himself as bait.
Because he was a Water-type Pokémon, the attraction would be much greater.
Anyway, with Aoki's ability, even if he lost his combat ability, he would eventually recover after some time.
So, this was a profitable exchange!
Because just as Jokli turned to flee, he discovered that Gengar and Darkrai had appeared behind them at some unknown point.
It was then that Jokli realized that Aoki had completely tricked him.
As the saying goes, even a cornered rabbit will bite, let alone a living person.
But if you first remove most of that person's ability to resist, then even if that person turns around and bites you, there's nothing to worry about.
Jokli, with only a Leafeon and a Meganium left, was at the end of his rope. Even if he chose to fight Aoki to the death at this moment, he no longer had the ability to take Aoki down with him.
A sense of defeat forcefully impacted his thoughts, leaving him momentarily unsure of what to do.
By now, he also understood that his previous sense of superiority when facing Aoki, stemming from his longer lifespan, was nothing but a joke.
The superiority of living longer comes from having more experiences due to age and extended life.
However, he had spent twenty-five years here. Except for the first few years, when he diligently trained and nurtured his Pokémon, as time went on, without external constraints, without external pressure, and without sufficient self-discipline, it was understandable and predictable that he would slack off.
As the saying goes, 'born of sorrow, dying of ease.' Without external pressure, there is no motivation for progress.
The reason why Aoki constantly pushes himself to work hard and improve is precisely because he constantly feels pressure from the outside, isn't it?
The pressure of survival on Trial Island, the pressure of operating as a Team Rocket member within the Alliance after leaving Trial Island, and after gaining a certain level of strength, coming into contact with people of different levels and once again feeling the pressure they exert on him. Just like this current training, the mysterious plans of the Divine Cult constantly urge Aoki to improve.
Bang!!!
While Jokli was still in a daze, Aoki's Pokémon had already surrounded him. Without his trainer's command, Leafeon and Meganium were only at six or seven-tenths of their strength, even less able to withstand the combined assault of Aoki's Pokémon.
Finally, Leafeon fell under Mega Tyranitar's massive, sandbag-like fist!
Watching Jokli, who had completely lost the ability to resist, slumped on the ground in despair, Aoki slowly walked up to him and looked down at him.
He felt a sense of unworthiness.
A young man like himself, in his teens, living in such a desolate place for twenty-five years—the prime time for growth and progress that was wasted during this period could never be recovered. Such a person had truly become someone with no upward limit to their potential.
Noticing Aoki approaching, Jokli's dazed eyes regained focus, and his gaze towards Aoki suddenly intensified with unconcealed hatred.
Imagine a person who has persisted for twenty-five years, dreamed for twenty-five years, and always regarded today, twenty-five years later, as their last spiritual comfort and solace.
But now, all of this has been ruined by Aoki. Forget about leaving here to explore the world of Pokémon; he might not even be able to leave this place in his lifetime. How could he not hate Aoki? It was even worse than the hatred of killing his father and stealing his wife.
Therefore, the hatred in his eyes made Aoki feel a chill down his spine.
Originally, he had wanted to see if there was a possibility of subduing such a person, but seeing his eyes at this moment, Aoki gave up on that idea.
Even if this person was stronger than Brad, if he couldn't be controlled, he might backfire on himself, so it was better not to.
However, Aoki still wanted to understand some questions and doubts from him.
"What exactly is the purpose of the cult?! And what is the function of that spatial crack in mid-air?!" Aoki demanded in a low voice.
Hearing Aoki's question, Chocley snorted coldly, pointed to his head, and remained silent.
Aoki's brow furrowed.
He roughly guessed that for people like Chocley, whom the cult had spent such a great deal to cultivate, how could they not have done something to them? Even Aoki knew to plant psychic seeds in the minds of some subordinates he didn't fully trust, restricting them from betraying him. The cult was even more skilled in psychic abilities than Aoki; would they not have a backup plan?
So Chocley pointed to his head, indicating to Aoki that there was something special in his brain.
Presumably, Chocley also knew that he had no chance of surviving, which was why he glared at Aoki with such undisguised hatred.
Because he knew Aoki wouldn't let him go.
Since he couldn't get any useful information from him, Aoki didn't hesitate. When it was time to be decisive, he had to act decisively. At the very least, the Pokémon on Chocley were an enormous fortune.
But just as Aoki was about to order Tyranitar to bury him in sand, his expression suddenly changed, becoming incredibly gloomy. "You're asking for death!"
Because Aoki discovered that while he was talking to the other party, he was secretly unbinding his Poké Balls, which Aoki could not accept.
Reacting, he commanded Gengar to use a Shadow Claw directly on him, chilling him to the bone, but at this point, only two of his Poké Balls remained unbound.
With blood trickling from the corner of his mouth and a triumphant smile, Chocley was using this disgusting method to retaliate against Aoki, making Aoki lose out on this large sum of money, considering it a small revenge.
Aoki took the last two Poké Balls from Chocley's belt. Because Chocley had unbound them in a hurry, he didn't even know which Pokémon he had unbound.
However, Aoki could try them one by one.
Lady Luck was still on Aoki's side this time. When he took out the first Poké Ball, his first attempt to capture Leafeon was successful.
For Aoki, as long as this Leafeon was saved, at least one-third of the fortune was preserved. As for what kind of Pokémon could be in the other Poké Ball, it was actually no longer important.
However, his luck was indeed at its peak this time. The other Poké Ball could contain the Meganium that had been guarding him, a Pokémon that had successfully broken through the first barrier of the Champion level.
These two Pokémon alone represented at least half of the harvest. As for the other few Pokémon, the first to be defeated, Gothitelle and Torterra, were already buried deep in the sand. When Mega Tyranitar controlled the red sand, it was unknown if the magma had roasted them.
The rest of the Pokémon, those he summoned later, were still on the surface of the sand, but Aoki had no way to deal with them.
Abandoned Pokémon, Pokémon whose connection with their Poké Balls had been severed, could indeed be recaptured, but this recapture required a certain buffer time. It wasn't that they could be recaptured immediately after someone unbound their Poké Ball.
Because a Poké Ball is actually a type of spatial tool, and Pokémon captured by a Poké Ball develop a connection with the space within that Poké Ball. However, even after unbinding the Poké Ball, this spatial connection still remains on them, so recapturing them requires a long wait.
That's why Chocley chose this method to retaliate against Aoki, making Aoki watch his Pokémon without being able to capture them, unless he locked them up and waited for a long time. But Aoki didn't have that kind of leisure; they still had to find Flannery and Wallace, and they couldn't travel with a large group of Pokémon.
However, whether Chocley did it intentionally or unconsciously, he was unwilling to give up the Leafeon he had placed high hopes on, keeping its Poké Ball until the very end. If Aoki hadn't discovered it early, it was very likely that it would have been released by him as well.
After all, some people always like to save the best things for last, and Chocley might have acted out of such a subconscious habit.
Putting away the unconscious Leafeon and Meganium, the value of these two Grass-type Pokémon was immense. If the research value of Leafeon was also considered, it might even double. It was just a pity that in the end, they couldn't learn about Leafeon's evolution method from Chocley.
According to Aoki's understanding, Eevee might evolve into Leafeon after leveling up in a forest with dense foliage. This means that when Eevee evolves, it needs to be surrounded by a large amount of Grass-type energy or a large amount of natural vegetation, which influences its polymorphic cells and genes, making evolution possible.
There are three forests on this continent. As for which forest is the key to Leafeon's evolution, that remains unknown for now.
He also collected the rest of the Pokémon. As for Chocley's remaining Pokémon, Aoki didn't have time to bother with them.
After many Pokémon returned to their Poké Balls, the range and power of the Red Sand Purgatory significantly decreased. A large amount of scorching red sand fell onto the desert, instantly raising the temperature of the entire desert by several degrees.
Aoki did not let Tyranitar deactivate its Mega Evolution, nor did he let it release control of the Sandstorm Purgatory. They still had one enemy to deal with.
Moreover, it was only then that Aoki noticed that the spatial rift in mid-air had become incredibly vast, as if something could emerge from it at any moment. For Aoki, this was a countdown.
Temporarily abandoning the search for Steven and Anabel, Aoki led his Pokémon quickly towards the direct underside of the rift, intending to destroy everything.
This time, no one blocked them. Although the instrument was designed to be very sturdy, for a Champion-level Blaziken, it was just a single punch.
Boom!!!
A powerful punch shattered the instrument, which was made of unknown materials and opened space through unknown principles, into dust.
After losing the full control of this instrument, the spatial rift in mid-air trembled inexplicably, then slowly closed.
The black, electric-like energy that had been slowly tearing open the space here dissipated into the air.
Seeing all these energies disappear, Aoki unconsciously frowned.
He always felt that this spatial rift was not that simple. In his sixth sense, it seemed that those dissipated black, unknown energy currents were the most crucial and important.
Watching the spatial rift, which opened very slowly but closed quite quickly, disappear into mid-air.
It wasn't just Aoki who witnessed this scene, but also Steven and Anabel, who were fighting not far away.
Joy appeared on Steven's face. He knew that Aoki had dealt with the opponent and completely sealed the spatial rift, so their worries were gone.
And Anabel, who was usually expressionless, seemed a bit surprised when she saw the spatial rift disappear. However, her reaction was very quick. Since Aoki had already dealt with Chocley, if she stayed, she might face the same fate as Chocley.
Taking advantage of Steven's momentary distraction, Anabel recalled all her Pokémon, then mounted her Skarmory and disappeared directly into mid-air.
By the time Steven reacted, it was too late. He could only watch Anabel leave his sight.
There was nothing he could do. His strength was inherently inferior to Anabel's. It was only by relying on the special trump cards of the Stone family, plus the Mega Stones and Key Stone given by Aoki , that he could barely hold her back and prevent her from interfering with Aoki's battle.
Now, if she was determined to escape, Steven truly had no way to stop her.
The belated Aoki saw Steven standing alone in the desert with his Pokémon, staring blankly at the distant horizon, where a black dot was slowly disappearing.
If Aoki's Salamence had already grown to the Champion level, and Aoki also possessed Salamence's Mega Stone, with the aid of the Sky Plate shard, Aoki might really have been able to catch up to the opponent and forcibly keep her.
But that was only an "if." At this moment, neither Aoki nor Steven could catch up; they could only watch her disappear.
Steven noticed Aoki appearing beside him and showed a hint of embarrassment.
Aoki had dealt with the opponent who was clearly much stronger, but he himself had almost been defeated. If it weren't for Mega Evolution, he might have lost his combat ability before Chocley.
Now, Aoki had finally defeated that person, but he had let Anabel escape. This made him look very awkward no matter how you looked at it.
Aoki patted Steven's shoulder understandingly.
To be honest, Aoki was truly amazed by Steven's growth. He himself was already getting stronger in a cheat-like manner, but Steven still hadn't been left behind.
Aoki could guarantee that Steven's current strength was definitely much stronger than the Steven of the same period in his previous life.
This was the effect of Aoki.
Not just Steven, but people like Flannery, Wallace, Lance, and Cynthia, all became much stronger than Aoki had imagined due to his influence.
This is the role of the pacesetter.
In long-distance running competitions, the results of all participants are often determined by the fastest runner, the pacesetter. The faster he runs, the faster those behind him will run in order to catch up, until the overall results exceed normal performance.
Aoki and Steven were like this at the moment.
It's uncertain who the pacesetter was before, but Aoki, as someone who joined halfway, almost caught up from the very back to the very front, and now he's even leading the race.
"Aoki..." Steven had just opened his mouth when Aoki directly interrupted him.
"It's good that the matter could be resolved. To be honest, we underestimated Anabel's strength. The Johto region probably initially intended for her to serve as the first Elite Four of the Johto League, to hold the fort, but they didn't expect to fall right into the cult's trap," Aoki said.
"Your strength is still a bit short of hers, but being able to withstand her is already quite remarkable. Comparatively, you are at least capable of serving as a region's second Elite Four!"
Aoki still highly recognized Steven, after all, his growth potential was limitless; even Champion wasn't his limit.
With the support of the Stone family, plus Steven's own talent, perhaps the sky was his limit.
Hearing Aoki's praise, Steven's mood improved considerably.
"If it weren't for your help, I might not have been able to withstand her assault," Steven said truthfully.
After speaking, he took out two Key Stones from his pocket, then summoned his Pokémon, intending to remove their Mega Stones and return them to Aoki.
When Steven was about to take it from Mawile, Aoki stopped him.
"No, I only have one Mega Stone for Aggron, so I can't bear to part with it, but I don't have a Mawile, so this Mega Stone is clearly most suitable for you," Aoki said.
He couldn't bear to give the Aggron Mega Stone to Steven, but giving the Mawile Mega Stone to Steven was perfectly fine.
"This... it's too valuable," Steven's face showed some hesitation.
To be honest, only by truly using Mega Evolution can one feel the amplification it provides to a Pokémon; it truly is a qualitative change.
Both Mega Aggron and Mega Mawile had left a deep impression on Steven.
Aoki smiled slightly, "Between us, there's nothing too valuable or not. You gave me a Key Stone before, and I also used that Key Stone to successfully decipher the secret of Mega Evolution. So now, returning a Mega Stone and Key Stone to you, I'm still the one who profited!"