In addition to the Pokémon of the first echelon, the growth of the Pokémon in the second echelon has been relatively fast.
Because their levels were relatively low at the beginning, their growth rate should naturally be quicker.
Among them, the fastest-growing was not Torchic, nor Aron, nor Larvitar, but Poliwag and Mudkip.
The reason was simple—Aoki was the owner of the Water-type gym in Verdanturf Town.
He usually stayed in Verdanturf Town and occasionally participated in gym challenges as the gym leader.
After all, everyone knew Aoki was in Verdanturf Town, and it wouldn't reflect well on him if he never accepted challenges.
It was fine if he wasn't present all the time, but if he stayed in Verdanturf Town constantly yet refused to take on challengers, what kind of impression would that leave?
Would people think Aoki was too arrogant? That he looked down on ordinary Trainers?
Even if that wasn't the case, maintaining appearances was still important.
Aoki's presence did excite the spectators, but for the challengers themselves, it was more intimidating.
After all, everyone had seen Aoki's battle against Cynthia last time, and though the video's popularity had faded after a month, the memory of his Slowking's overwhelming strength remained.
Facing such power, ordinary challengers were naturally hesitant.
What surprised them, however, was that Aoki didn't use Slowking again. Instead, he relied on Poliwag and Mudkip as his frontline fighters.
In one-on-one battles, each Trainer could use two Pokémon. For a long time, Aoki had sent out Mudkip and Poliwag.
As a result, these two Pokémon leveled up the fastest.
At first, Poliwag and Mudkip weren't fully in sync with Aoki's commands, and their responses to challengers' attacks were sometimes delayed.
But as they fought more battles, they grew more accustomed to combat, and their coordination with Aoki improved drastically. Their battle capabilities soon matched their current levels.
Of course, Aoki didn't recklessly pit them against unbeatable opponents. He carefully selected challengers based on their strength. If an opponent was too powerful, he would send out Slowking instead.
If the challenger's team was stronger than Mudkip and Poliwag but not at an elite level, Aoki would use one of the three resident Water-type Pokémon temporarily managed by Skye.
His teamwork with those three was still developing, but their raw strength compensated for any missteps.
In short, Aoki ensured Mudkip and Poliwag never faced impossible odds.
The advantage of his system was evident—he could always choose the most suitable opponents for his Pokémon.
This way, their confidence remained intact while they still gained valuable experience.
Since most challengers had Pokémon above level 20, Mudkip and Poliwag weren't always able to participate.
Even so, Poliwag had now reached level 18, and Mudkip had reached level 15.
At this moment, in the courtyard, a training battle was underway.
The two Pokémon fighting were Mudkip and Torchic.
Torchic was now level 14.
Its level hadn't increased much recently because Aoki had been focusing on refining its physical condition, ensuring it reached its peak potential before evolution.
Aoki had prepared aptitude-enhancing medicine for when his Pokémon evolved. To maximize its effects, they needed to be at their absolute best beforehand.
Thus, their levels had stagnated slightly as Aoki worked to unlock their full capabilities in their current forms.
Now, watching the Fire-type Torchic and the Water-type Mudkip clash, it was clear how far they had come.
They countered each other's moves smoothly, demonstrating their training's results.
Impressive!
Torchic's Speed Boost ability gave it an edge in prolonged battles.
But Mudkip understood its own advantage—Water's natural superiority over Fire.
After exchanging another round of attacks, Aoki called for a halt.
Despite their type disadvantage, the two Pokémon got along well, so they stopped immediately at his command.
The energetic Torchic even tried to play with Mudkip afterward, since their training was done for the day.
But just as it reached out, a bright white light suddenly enveloped Mudkip.
Torchic froze, confused.
Aoki, however, smiled in surprise. Among the second-echelon Pokémon, Mudkip was the first to evolve.
Slowking, experienced in such matters, quickly pulled Torchic back to avoid disrupting the evolution.
Then, using Telepathy, it explained to the others that this was what they had all been waiting for—evolution!
As the glow surrounded Mudkip, the two Swablu that often hovered overhead landed on Aoki's shoulders, one on each side.
The brother perched on the left, the sister on the right.
After settling into their nests near Altaria's roost, the two Swablu visited daily, only returning to sleep at night.
Altaria itself occasionally stopped by, trusting Aoki to look after the young ones.
Another small, delicate Pokémon appeared beside Aoki—Carbink!
Its tiny hands gripped his pants, its blue eyes fixed on the glowing Mudkip.
Nearby, Larvitar bounced excitedly while the calm but swift Aron watched closely.
Poliwag, manipulating Water-type energy, floated inside a self-made bubble, observing Mudkip's transformation.
All the Pokémon gathered around, the unevolved ones gazing with unmistakable envy.
As the first among them to evolve, Mudkip had officially secured its place on Aoki's main team.
Aoki immediately retrieved a carefully prepared potion from his storage—labeled "Mudkip."
This was the aptitude medicine he had brewed specifically for Mudkip.
All their recent efforts would culminate in this moment.
Channeling his psychic powers, Aoki sent the vial through the light to Mudkip.
Recognizing it, Mudkip uncorked the bottle and drank without hesitation.
Then, evolution and transformation began simultaneously!