The civil strife within the Scolipede clan gave Aoki a perfect opportunity — an opportunity to defeat them one by one.
From what he observed last night, seeing the way the Skorupi's aptitude had improved and sensing its imminent evolution, Aoki realized there was still room to maneuver.
This time, as they entered the Scolipede's territory, Aoki designated the Skorupi as the main attacker.
The rest of the Pokémon were tasked with supporting the Skorupi, helping it harvest the battles efficiently.
Slowking and the others keenly sensed the changes in the Skorupi. Combined with Aoki's instructions, they quickly guessed that the Skorupi's evolution was near.
As the little brother they had cared for and protected the most, the Skorupi's growth was something they were deeply proud of. Naturally, as the big brother figure, Honchkrow took the lead.
Every Pokémon in Aoki's team was filled with energy.
Although the Skorupi's rapid improvement created a sense of urgency among them, at such a critical moment, none showed any jealousy or hostility.
Instead, they chose to fight even harder — a bond formed through countless battles together.
Aoki had Florette monitor the team's physical condition, casting Grassy Terrain immediately when injuries occurred. Along with Heal Bell and other support moves, Florette could provide much-needed healing in battle.
Under Aoki's guidance, Florette's proficiency with Grassy Terrain improved rapidly. With his suggestions, she expanded its range and made it even more effective.
Even though she had just joined the team, Florette advanced one level on her first day, reaching Level 31 — something she had never imagined possible.
Simply supporting her teammates with the skills she excelled at, without directly fighting, she was growing stronger.
Considering how much hardship she had endured just to reach her current level, this progress felt miraculous.
Among so many powerful Pokémon, only during their stay in the Altaria's territory had Florette experienced a peaceful life.
Despite her small size — standing at only 20 centimeters tall — Florette's tiny body contained a massive reserve of energy.
With Florette's help, the Skorupi was able to eliminate Scolipedes faster and faster, and injuries became less of a concern. In fact, once hurt, the Skorupi's attacks would only become more ferocious.
Aoki didn't deliberately explain the changes happening inside the Skorupi's body and mind.
Slowking and the others noticed the Skorupi's crazed fighting style and thought about stopping him, but Aoki intervened, telling them that the best way to help was to clear a path for him to kill more Scolipedes.
That's because, today, after the Skorupi killed its first Scolipede, Aoki instructed it to consume the poisonous sac or venom gland from the defeated foe's body.
Not every Pokémon can form a full poison sac, but any Pokémon capable of using toxins typically has an organ to store them — what Aoki called a "poisonous gall."
It's an undeveloped stage of a poison sac — a key organ.
According to intel from Team Rocket, this was the first step in improving the Skorupi's aptitude.
It was also the beginning of a brutal training method known as "Gu Raising."
In the traditional "Gu Raising" method, poisonous insect Pokémon are sealed in a confined space and forced to fight until only one remains — the survivor would often have improved aptitude.
However, because the Skorupi was his partner, Aoki refused to put him through such cruelty.
Instead, he adapted the method: by letting the Skorupi freely hunt and devour the poisonous essence of enemy Pokémon in the wild.
It wasn't as intense as the original method, but by increasing the number of battles, the results could be just as effective.
The fiercer the resistance, the stronger the toxins in the enemies' bodies — and thus, the better the results for the Skorupi.
So, as the Skorupi carried out this training, his mentality naturally began to shift.
Fight!
Fight!
Devour!
Grow stronger!
His movements grew sharper, simpler, and more lethal, until every part of his body felt like a weapon.
As more Scolipedes fell, the more poison sacs the Skorupi consumed, the greater the changes within him.
Although Slowking and the others were concerned, since Aoki had explained the plan, they decided to trust him and focus on helping the Skorupi defeat enemies faster.
Meanwhile, the Skorupi felt his blood boiling.
A hidden voice seemed to whisper from the darkness:
Just a little more!
Kill more!
Gain more power!
As a natural battle maniac, the Skorupi embraced these instincts fully.
Every time he killed a Scolipede, he could feel his strength surging.
The improvement was slight at first, but it became more and more noticeable with each kill.
Moreover, as he fought, he instinctively understood the Scolipedes' weaknesses — where to strike to cause maximum damage, and where to avoid wasting effort.
This came from hard-earned battle experience.
Aoki had trained the Skorupi with the Sniper ability in mind, always emphasizing precision and exploiting weaknesses.
This habit of seeking out an enemy's soft points had been deeply ingrained — and now, it was finally blooming.