Mega Salamence's speed was enough to make most Pokémon flinch.
Aoki quickly approached the area where the psychic imprint on Phoebe had disappeared. From there, he could feel the fluctuations of the surrounding spatial energy.
Having experienced it several times, Aoki was already very familiar with this kind of spatial fluctuation.
The Divine Cult's spatial device!
Just as he expected, among those who entered here, Bailin was not the only Divine Cult spy; there was at least one more person like her!
So, if there were two Champion-level trainers, Bailin and Jokley, in the desert, it was highly likely there would be at least two Champion-level trainers here as well.
Although he didn't know who the spy was, no matter who it was, they posed a great threat to Aoki, who was currently alone.
Therefore, no matter who he encountered later, besides Phoebe, anyone who dared to block him would be rewarded with a Flamethrower from Salamence.
Aoki did not intend to slow down. Slowing down at this point might lead him directly into someone else's trap. As long as he maintained sufficient speed, no one would be able to stop him.
He believed that not only the wild Pokémon here, but even those Divine Cult members, would not expect Aoki's speed to be so fast.
If he didn't know what they were doing here, Aoki might have considered whether to charge in, but now that he knew they were opening a spatial rift, Aoki dared to charge in directly.
At that point, he could either directly rescue Phoebe or pretend to assault the spatial device, using the tactic of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao' to save Phoebe.
Of course, if Phoebe had unfortunately died by the time Aoki arrived, then Aoki would use all his trump cards to keep everyone here. Even if he couldn't keep them, Steven and the others, who would arrive later, certainly wouldn't hold back.
From a distance, he could see the massive spatial rift standing in mid-air, much larger than the one he had destroyed that Bailin and her group had set up. This indicated that the spatial rift set up by the people here had likely been in place for a longer time, and Phoebe was very likely attracted by this spatial rift.
Aoki fully extended his psychic power to its furthest reach, locking onto the area beneath the spatial rift.
The opponents might expect someone to come for rescue, but they would never guess from which direction the rescue would come. This way, Aoki could understand their situation first while ensuring he hadn't been detected, increasing the probability of a successful surprise attack.
Cutting through the sky in a flash, Aoki's psychic power finally sensed the presence of the opponents.
"Two people!" Aoki's eyes narrowed slightly.
He not only knew there were two people, but he also knew who the person who chose to join the Divine Cult with Bailin was.
Kanto Region Psychic-type Elite Four, Will!
One could only say that it was somewhat beyond Aoki's expectations, but upon closer thought, he found it to be within reason, as if he wasn't surprised that Will was a member of the Divine Cult.
Actually, all four newly appointed Elite Four members in the Johto region, including Koga, were objects of Aoki's suspicion.
Aoki genuinely admired the high-ranking officials of the Johto League. Out of a total of four Elite Four members, three were already known to be infiltrators from other organizations.
Koga from Team Rocket, Will and Bailin from the Divine Cult. The last remaining Dark-type Elite Four, Karen, although her hidden identity was unknown for now, even if Karen truly was a League member, she was the weakest one.
One could only say, the Johto League... truly strong!
At that time, Aoki was unaware of the situation within the Johto League, so he was complaining from an outsider's perspective.
However, for Aoki, since he knew the identity of one of the people first, it would be much easier to handle.
He gently patted Mega Salamence's back, signaling it to hold on a little longer.
Flying at such speed from such a distance was a huge burden for Salamence. Even with various enhancements and a breakthrough in its strength, it was struggling to hold on.
However, after receiving Aoki's instruction, Mega Salamence's speed not only did not decrease but increased again slightly. It was ready to expend all the energy in its body at this moment; the upcoming battle would have nothing to do with it.
Will had just finished tying up Phoebe and throwing her aside when he saw the middle-aged man in yellow, who had been leisurely sitting on a rock, immediately jump up from it, two Poké Balls appearing in his hands.
His expression at this moment was very dramatic, but more than that, it was shock. "Such speed!"
Hearing the middle-aged man in yellow's words and seeing his actions, Will knew someone had arrived, but compared to the middle-aged man in yellow's psychic abilities, Will's were still quite inferior.
However, he quickly didn't need to use his psychic powers to investigate, because the rapidly approaching figure had already arrived in the sky not far away.
In the blink of an eye, it went from the size of a grain of rice to the size of a fist, and in another blink, it seemed to be right in front of them.
Initially, Will had no concept of the speed the middle-aged man in yellow spoke of, but when he realized that his naked eye couldn't even catch the opponent, Will understood just how fast this surprise attack was!
Just from the speed alone, it had already exceeded Will's comprehension.
Fortunately, the middle-aged man in yellow reacted quickly enough. He threw out two Poké Balls, and a Ampharos and a Jolteon appeared in front of him.
Strong, shimmering currents shot out from the two Pokémon, and loud "zzzzzt" electric sounds also emanated from their bodies.
Two huge, bright yellow lightning bolts shot out from Ampharos and Jolteon, aimed directly at the rapidly flying Mega Salamence!
The current flight speed of Mega Salamence also exceeded the yellow-clothed middle-aged man's comprehension, so he immediately used his full power, summoning his two strongest Pokémon!
However, he also had a slight idea in his mind: this Pokémon was only fast enough in long-distance straight-line flight. In a real battle, it would be almost impossible to achieve this level, at least not in terms of horizontal movement.
Boom!! Boom!!
Two thunderous roars.
Unsurprisingly, Jolteon and Ampharos's attacks did not hit the opponent.
Because the speed was too fast and the distance was a bit far, it required great precision in predicting the Pokémon's attack. Clearly, the middle-aged man in yellow's Jolteon and Ampharos had not reached that level yet.
Aoki, lying on Mega Salamence's back, clearly heard and saw the two lightning bolts just a short distance from him.
These two lightning bolts, definitely from Champion-level Electric-type Pokémon, if they hit Mega Salamence, would likely result in an instant knockout.
And he, the trainer riding on Mega Salamence's back, would have almost no chance of survival.
Fortunately, Aoki had considerable trust in Mega Salamence's current state.
Not only was its speed fast enough, but its focus was also sharp enough, so Mega Salamence knew the opponent's attack wouldn't hit without even dodging. This was a kind of prediction based on its familiarity with its current speed.
Aoki and Mega Salamence maintained their Mega Evolved form, so the will of both human and Pokémon was connected. Aoki could feel Salamence's thoughts, and Salamence could understand Aoki's intentions.
Aoki was already the kind of person who became calmer the more critical the moment was, and Mega Salamence's personality was no less impressive compared to Aoki's.
So, ignoring the opponent's attack, he charged straight towards the spatial device. Two Poké Balls had already appeared in Aoki's hand.
After just one round of attacks, the middle-aged man in yellow realized that if he launched another attack, the opponent might still be able to dodge, and by the time he tried to launch a third attack, the opponent might have already destroyed the spatial device and fled.
Therefore, he only had one last chance to attack, and he couldn't release it casually.
"Their target is the device, come here quickly and protect the device with me!" the middle-aged man in yellow yelled at Will.
Hearing the other party's low growl, Will couldn't help but frown. The tone of voice really made him feel a bit uncomfortable.
However, the other party was stronger than him, and what he said was very likely true.
Although the spatial lockdown had been mostly destroyed, it was still a bit short of achieving the goal. At this time, it was crucial to protect this device!
Having understood this, Will decisively appeared beside the device, summoning his Pokémon to guard it with psychic power, leaving the counterattack to the middle-aged man in yellow.
The middle-aged man in yellow had a solemn expression, his eyes fixed on Mega Salamence. His psychic power was also locked onto Mega Salamence.
"Now! Jolteon! Ampharos!" The middle-aged man in yellow commanded in his mind, his telepathy already connected to Jolteon and Ampharos's brains.
The two Pokémon had been waiting, poised for action. The electricity that had been building up for a while surged out, sending a lightning bolt even larger than before towards Mega Salamence's flight path!
As long as Mega Salamence didn't turn back, it would definitely fall under this lightning offensive.
Not only was the opponent constantly tracking Mega Salamence's flight path, but Aoki's psychic power was also paying constant attention.
Upon realizing that the opponent's offensive had appeared and that Will had also been drawn over to protect the spatial device, Aoki knew his strategy had succeeded.
"Salamence!" Aoki whispered in his mind.
Understanding Aoki's meaning, Mega Salamence immediately twisted its body in mid-air, its full-speed charge abruptly slowing down. This was a huge burden on Salamence's body at this moment, but there was no time to worry about that now.
He had given the opponent enough time to predict. If he continued to charge, Aoki and Salamence might both perish here.
And his original purpose was to save Phoebe first.
Salamence's crimson blood-wings furiously flapped against the airflow, creating a super-strong current that blew away all the sand and stones beneath Salamence. Even the large, old trees were blown helter-skelter. The intensity of this airflow was estimated to be comparable to a typhoon of over ten grades.
Not only that, the positions that Jolteon and Ampharos had originally predicted were once again rendered ineffective.
Although due to inertia, Mega Salamence still slid a long distance downwards when braking, it eventually managed to turn around in time. The two even stronger currents exploded less than three meters beneath Mega Salamence's feet; the opponent had even used an area attack to be safe!
A distance of three meters, given Salamence's previous flight speed, was literally a blink of an eye.
But fortunately, it stopped in time. Mega Salamence's speed plummeted, but the opponent temporarily had no ability to stop it either. It rushed at a much slower speed than before to Phoebe, who was tied up and lying on the ground. Mega Salamence gently sliced the vines binding Phoebe with its mouth, freeing her. Aoki also dismounted from Salamence's back at the first opportunity.
He jumped to Phoebe's side and slowly helped her, teary-eyed, up from the ground.
From the moment the middle-aged man in yellow's actions changed, Phoebe felt that someone was coming to save her, but her heart was very conflicted, because she knew that these two people were very strong, and if it was just one person, they might not be an opponent.
When she saw Mega Salamence approaching with lightning speed, then targeting the spatial device, and performing an extreme turn and overtake in the face of the opponent's super-strong attack.
At that moment, Phoebe's heart was in her throat, but when Aoki appeared beside her, tears instantly streamed from her eyes. All the grievances and fear in her heart poured out at that moment.
There was nothing more exciting than suddenly having a savior appear beside you when you thought you might die.
Phoebe was in this state of mind at this moment, hugging Aoki's neck and sobbing uncontrollably.
Aoki gently patted Phoebe's back with one hand and threw out two Poké Balls with the other, summoning Tyranitar and Aggron. The two giant Pokémon stood like two mighty guardians in front of Aoki and Phoebe.
At this moment, Aoki's face, while comforting Phoebe, was filled with icy indifference. One could imagine the torment and suffering a girl like Phoebe would endure, being tied up like that, not knowing how she would be dealt with. It was definitely not something an ordinary person could bear.
But before Aoki arrived, Phoebe had silently endured it all, not crying bitterly because of her treatment. It was only when she saw Aoki come to save her that she found an outlet for her grievances.
"It's alright, it's over. I'll get revenge for you!" Aoki gently patted Phoebe's head again, signaling her not to worry anymore, and that she could leave everything to him now.
Phoebe sniffled, her red eyes filled with tears.
However, because of Aoki's words, she immediately stopped crying. After all, she was also a powerful trainer who had experienced hardships, and even when she was first captured, she had prepared herself for death. She never expected to be saved by Aoki in the end.
At this time, Mega Salamence finally reverted from Mega Evolution, slowly lying on the ground, panting heavily. This time, it was truly exhausted, having performed far beyond its usual capabilities. It felt as if its body was somewhat depleted, and even lifting its wings again seemed extraordinarily difficult.
And Phoebe, who had just wiped away her tears, only then noticed that Aoki's Salamence looked different from its usual self. She even saw Mega Salamence revert from Mega Evolution, her face filled with astonishment.
"Aoki, Salamence is..." Phoebe immediately forgot about her recent crying fit.
Aoki ruffled her head again and pulled her behind him. "We can talk about this later. The battle could start at any moment!"
As he spoke, Aoki saw a middle-aged man in yellow clothes with a Jolteon and an Ampharos, and then the Elite Four member from the Johto region, Will, who looked somewhat familiar yet unfamiliar!
Will and the yellow-clad middle-aged man only reacted after seeing Aoki rescue Phoebe. They realized they had been tricked; Aoki's initial target was not the instrument but Phoebe, whom they had captured.
Will had actually suspected this, but the instrument's value was too high for them to risk it.
And Aoki was betting they wouldn't dare to!
"Will!" Aoki narrowed his eyes and said coldly.
Hearing Aoki call his name, Will's expression remained unchanged. From the moment Salamence appeared, Will knew it was Aoki.
Although their current positions were different, Will actually admired Aoki a little, for being able to reach this point step by step and possess such strength!
Phoebe, standing behind Aoki, instinctively trembled when she heard the name, then held Aoki's hand even tighter and said, "Brother Aoki, be careful of them. They are very strong. I had almost no power to resist."
Phoebe had indeed fought them, but they had dealt with her very decisively. Her storage space and all her Poké Balls had been taken by Will and were now in a small blue backpack on his shoulder—that was Phoebe's spatial equipment.
"It's okay, Steven and the others are on their way," Aoki said calmly, his voice not deliberately suppressed, so both Will and the yellow-clad middle-aged man could hear his words.
Steven and the others?
Will's expression changed. He had interacted with both Aoki and Steven and had seen Aoki's battle with Koga. He knew that with his current strength, he was no match for Aoki. Although the person beside him was very strong, that strength ultimately wasn't his own, and it couldn't guarantee his personal safety.
Aoki's current goal was actually very simple: to stall until Steven and the others arrived.
If he were to defeat these two, he might not be able to, but if it was just to stall, Aoki was quite confident.
However, one disadvantage was that all of Phoebe's Pokémon had been taken by Will. These Pokémon were all her partners as she grew up, and losing them like this would be a greater blow to her than being tied up just now.
At this moment, Phoebe, hiding behind Aoki, poked out her small head. Her bloodshot eyes stared intently at the small blue backpack on Will's shoulder.
Phoebe really wanted to get them back, but she didn't ask Aoki, because she knew it would be very difficult, almost impossible. The other party wouldn't give Aoki this chance, and it might even become bait to lure Aoki into danger.
So Phoebe was sensible enough not to say anything.
But Aoki had actually noticed Phoebe's gaze long ago and knew the importance of that backpack to her.
He gently patted Phoebe's hand, signaling her not to worry for now; he had a plan.
"Why?" Aoki spoke again, but it was just a simple "why."
However, those who understood naturally understood, such as Will, who was currently staring back at Aoki. He knew Aoki's question was asking him why he joined the Divine Cult.
"Because I want to become stronger!" Will finally spoke, his voice slightly hoarse, perhaps from not speaking for a long time, but the simplicity in his words was something Aoki could clearly feel.
Because he wanted to become stronger! That's why Will chose to join the Divine Cult, which was the same reason for a large number of people who joined the Divine Cult.
Aoki frowned. "Is there no opportunity to become stronger in the Alliance? You are the prodigy of the Johto region, representing the vast community of trainers in Johto. If even you resort to abnormal methods because of an urgent desire to become stronger, what will those who follow the rules think? What will Karen and the others think?"
Hearing Aoki's words, Will suddenly burst into laughter, a laughter filled with unconcealed desolation, helplessness, and hysteria.
After laughing, Will's eyes became exceptionally sharp. Beneath the mask that barely covered his eye sockets, those extremely cold eyes stared fixedly at Aoki.
"Then why did you choose to join Team Rocket?!" Will's voice was devoid of any emotion.
But these words were like a huge rock smashing heavily into Aoki's heart, causing his inner aura to surge instantly.
!!!
Aoki wasn't the only one shocked by Will's words; Phoebe, standing beside him, also had a look of utter shock, forgetting to even look at her Poké Balls, simply staring at Aoki in astonishment.
Although Aoki's expression didn't change after Will spoke those words, Phoebe, who was holding Aoki's hand tightly, could feel the sudden surge of power in Aoki's palm.
Aoki quickly regained control, but Phoebe still felt it.
"Didn't you reach this point because of Team Rocket's support?
While I admit that as a commoner born into poverty, you were able to stand out in Team Rocket, gain the trust of the Alliance, and eventually become the famous Sandstorm Elite Four member of the Hoenn region, you are very capable and talented! But if not for Team Rocket, do you honestly think you could have reached this point?
Aoki, we are actually the same kind of people! I just followed after you."
Will's questions were like successive accusations.
Aoki knew that his ability to reach his current position and possess his current strength was indeed inseparable from Team Rocket.
However, in Aoki's view, whether it was Team Rocket, Team Sky, or even the Alliance, they were all aids on his path to becoming stronger.
Phoebe stared blankly at the unperturbed Aoki and the resounding Will. Although deep down, she utterly refused to believe Will's words, in that instant, her resolve wavered.
Aoki is Team Rocket?!
Actually, a long time ago, Phoebe had heard such rumors from people who had access to gossip, but in her opinion, it was merely slander against Aoki, and she would simply laugh it off when she heard about it.
But looking at Will's demeanor now, Phoebe felt it was so real.
What if Aoki was Team Rocket?
Phoebe posed this question to herself in her mind, a question directed at the deepest part of her own heart.
If Aoki was Team Rocket, why would he risk his life to save her like this? Weren't Team Rocket and the Alliance enemies?
If Aoki was Team Rocket, why would he fight tirelessly for the Hoenn Alliance, battling Team Magma and Team Aqua, and clashing with the Divine Cult?
If Aoki was Team Rocket, why would he repeatedly help various members of the Alliance? Helping Elite Four Drake with his poison, helping President Adams treat his Latios, helping Steven train his ability to handle matters?
All these questions pointed to the opposite of Will's statement, and Phoebe became even more certain of her thoughts.
Her two small hands tightened again, clutching Aoki's hand firmly.
If Aoki was Team Rocket, then let him be Team Rocket! If all Team Rocket members were like Aoki, then the entire Alliance could develop in peace!
In any case, Phoebe would never stand against Aoki! Not after he risked his life to rush over and save her this time!
Feeling Phoebe's response in his palm, Aoki secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He admitted that he had indeed lost his composure for a moment due to Will's words, as it was so sudden that he didn't control his emotions well, but Phoebe's response told Aoki that she didn't believe Will's words.
"By wanting to become stronger, you have already abandoned your soul!" Aoki said in a deep voice.
He didn't know how the Divine Cult members had managed to get some information about his true identity, but their failure to report this directly to the Alliance indicated that they had only guessed his identity but lacked sufficient evidence, which slightly relieved Aoki.
Upon hearing this, Will gave Aoki a meaningful look and said nothing, but the meaning in his eyes was very clear.
He had seen through Aoki!
But Aoki chuckled, unconcerned.
He was indeed a member of Team Rocket! But this was different from him wanting to join Team Rocket; it was simply because, as a commoner, if he wanted to become a powerful trainer, Team Rocket was the best path.
However, Aoki always had his bottom line: he wouldn't kill people unless they provoked him!
Given a choice, he would never do anything to indiscriminately kill innocent people.
But Will was different. Aoki could see the extreme coldness in the depths of his eyes, that contempt for everything. This was like many members of the Divine Cult, who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
Just as Aoki said, Will had sold his soul to the Divine Cult, solely for the purpose of his so-called 'becoming stronger.'
This was completely contrary to Aoki's philosophy.
The reason Aoki wanted to become stronger was because he wanted his soul to be free, no longer bound by anything, to become a free person, and it was for this very reason that he had worked hard until now.
So when Will said they were the same kind of people, Aoki felt they were two completely opposite types of people, even if their approaches seemed somewhat similar.
"What are you still wasting time talking to him for? Let's finish him quickly. Someone else will be arriving soon, and if we save some time, we might be able to set up some traps to catch them all in one go!" The yellow-clad middle-aged man on the side couldn't stand it anymore.
If Will hadn't been unwilling to listen to him and had just dealt with Phoebe directly, it wouldn't have been so troublesome.
Although, from the current situation, it wasn't very troublesome. If it was just Aoki alone, he was confident he could resolve it quickly, just like he dealt with Phoebe—clean and decisive.
This was a kind of inexplicable superiority and confidence born from his twenty-five years of 'biding his time' here.
Aoki glanced at him, and at the two fierce-looking Jolteon and Ampharos standing beside him.
He didn't know why, but both Divine Cult members he encountered seemed to like using Eevee-type Pokémon so much.
However, judging by the Pokémon this person used, they seemed to be all Electric-types, which didn't concern Aoki much.
Moreover, there was something even more important: after meeting Leblanc and Joker, Aoki wasn't particularly afraid or worried about these people who had stayed here for twenty-five years.
They only appeared very strong, but in a real fight, once their weaknesses were found, all their shortcomings would gradually be exposed.
To put it more simply, this group of people was suitable for dealing with those much weaker than them, which would make them seem very strong. But if they encountered someone of similar strength, they would very likely be directly beaten down.
Aoki took a moment to scan the data of the Jolteon and Ampharos.
Pokémon: Jolteon (Blue)
Gender: Male
Level: 87
Type: Electric
Ability: Volt Absorb
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Charm, Endure, Nature Power, Synchronoise
Basic Moves: Thundershock, Helping Hand, Tackle, Tail Whip, Sand Attack, Play Nice, Quick Attack, Double Kick, Thunder Fang, Pin Missile, Agility, Thunder Wave, Discharge, Last Resort, Thunder
Learnt Moves: Covet, Heal Bell, Hone Claws, Signal Beam, Snore, Electroweb, Magnetic Flux, Hyper Voice, Shock Wave, Iron Tail
TM Moves: Protect, Light Screen, Thunderbolt, Shadow Ball, Double Team, Attract, Charge Beam, Thunder Wave, Wild Charge
Another blue-qualified Eevee evolution Pokémon, and its level was the same as Joker's Leafeon, also 87.
However, compared to Leafeon, this Jolteon, even with the same qualification and level, couldn't compare to Leafeon in terms of rarity and preciousness.
Pokémon: Ampharos (Light Blue)
Gender: Male
Level: 85
Type: Electric
Ability: Static
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Body Slam, Odor Sleuth, Iron Tail, Electric Terrain
Basic Moves: Thunder Punch, Zap Cannon, Magnetic Flux, Plasma Fists, Dragon Pulse, Fire Punch, Tackle, Growl, Thunder Wave, Thundershock, Cotton Spore, Charge, Take Down, Electro Ball, Confuse Ray, Power Gem, Discharge, Cotton Guard, Signal Beam, Light Screen, Thunder, Dragon Pulse
Learnt Moves: Hone Claws, Shock Wave, Outrage, Electroweb, Snore, After You, Focus Punch, Thunder Punch, Magnetic Flux, Heal Bell
TM Moves: Protect, Safeguard, Thunderbolt, Thunder, Charge Beam, Volt Switch, Wild Charge
It was this Ampharos that, in Aoki's opinion, was more suitable as the core of an Electric-type team than the Jolteon, even if Ampharos's qualification wasn't as high as Jolteon's.