"I lost this battle, but next time, at the Ever Grande Conference, I will never lose to you again."
Tetsuya's eyes were full of determination.
"You're heading to the Ever Grande Conference too? That's great. Let's have our rematch there."
Aoki did not refuse. One more strong opponent was always a good thing. He remembered that in the future, Tetsuya would have a Metagross—a Pokémon Aoki had always coveted.
Or perhaps he could intercept Tetsuya's Beldum before it evolved. Of course, when he said "snatch," he meant cutting in before Tetsuya could obtain it—not actually stealing someone else's Pokémon.
Journey to Lavaridge Town
Half a day later, Aoki and Tetsuya left Lake Island together before parting ways in Mauville City. Aoki resumed his journey toward Lavaridge Town, where he planned to challenge the Gym Leader Flannery.
Flannery was an Elite-level trainer, and defeating her would reward him with a Diamond Chest—a rare reward that could potentially contain something valuable.
After leaving Mauville, Aoki once again ventured into the forest, aiming to challenge the wild Pokémon there. His Bagon had reached the edge of evolution, and a few more intense battles would likely push it to evolve into Shelgon.
Training by the River
Next to a river in the forest, Aoki sat down to fish after finishing breakfast.
Nearby, Jirachi and Happiny played together, while Blaziken and Greninja continued their specialized training. Grovyle was sparring with Bagon, helping it toughen up before its evolution.
On the other side, Boss Lairon remained focused on comprehending its Profound Meaning, hoping to break past the Elite level and step into the Champion threshold. Ever since Aoki used the Gold Bottle Cap to enhance its potential, its comprehension speed had increased dramatically.
Standing beside Aoki was his Electabuzz, a recent capture. It had been a hot-tempered Pokémon at first, but eventually, it surrendered to Aoki after being fed high-quality Energy Cubes.
The reason? Aoki's Energy Cubes were simply too delicious to resist.
"Electabuzz, go do some special training. Once you're ready, I'll get you an Electirizer so you can evolve."
"Buzz!"
Electabuzz enthusiastically pounded its chest before rushing off to train.
An Unexpected Encounter
As Aoki continued fishing, a Magikarp suddenly flopped out of the water in front of him, struggling in mid-air.
"Jirachi, didn't I tell you not to use Teleport randomly?"
Aoki didn't need to ask to know that Jirachi was responsible.
"It's fun!" Jirachi floated in front of Aoki, giggling mischievously.
Over time, Jirachi had grown out of its childlike phase and become much smarter. It no longer called Aoki "Papa," which was a relief—Aoki found it too embarrassing.
"Alright, Jirachi, come sit with me."
Jirachi and Happiny immediately jumped to his side, settling on either side of Aoki.
During his time fishing, Aoki caught several common Water-type Pokémon. The most notable among them was a Froakie.
The second-best catch was a Magikarp with Elite-tier potential, but Aoki wasn't interested in training it. Instead, he decided to send it to Professor Birch for safekeeping. Once it evolved into Gyarados, he planned to give it to Shelly, a key member of Team Sky.
Despite her loyalty to Team Sky, Shelly had shown remarkable intelligence, regularly reporting back to Aoki and sharing valuable information. Aoki took her seriously—after all, she was destined to become one of Team Sky's future executives.
A Sudden Thunderstorm
BOOM!
Suddenly, a massive thunderclap echoed in the distance, accompanied by a blinding flash of lightning striking from the dark clouds above.
"Thunder? Is there an Electric-type Pokémon causing this?"
Aoki immediately stood up, pulling his cloak tighter around him before picking up Happiny for protection.
"Boss Lairon, Bagon, Grovyle, Electabuzz—you all stay here for now. Blaziken, Greninja, you're coming with me!"
Both Pokémon nodded and followed Aoki as they sprinted toward the source of the thunderstorm.
While running, Aoki channeled his Viridian Power, using it to restore Blaziken and Greninja, who had been exhausted from training.
A battle was likely imminent, and Aoki needed them at full strength.
A Familiar Face
When Aoki arrived at the scene, he saw a group of trainers locked in battle.
Most of them were familiar faces—Team Aqua members.
Their Pokémon included Crawdaunt and Walrein, signature Water-types used by Team Aqua operatives.
Opposing them were Emolga, Zebstrika, and Eelektross—all Electric-types.
Aoki quickly understood the situation. These Electric-types were rare in this region, which meant Team Aqua was likely attempting to capture them.
Of all the Pokémon present, Eelektross stood out the most.
It possessed the Levitate Ability, which negated its usual Ground-type weakness, effectively eliminating its only natural counter. Combined with its solid stats, Eelektross was a formidable opponent.
Aoki then shifted his gaze toward the Electric-type trainer.
She was tall, blonde, and wore headphones—with long legs that could even rival Cynthia's.
Elesa.
Aoki suddenly recognized her—Nimbasa City's Gym Leader and one of Unova's top models.
As expected of a professional model, her figure was truly stunning.
However, now wasn't the time to admire her beauty.
Elesa's Emolga and Zebstrika had already been defeated.
Her Eelektross was the only Pokémon still standing, but it was struggling against Team Aqua's numbers.
Although their individual strength wasn't impressive, their Ground-type attacks were causing a problem for Elesa's team.
Eelektross was holding on, but it was clear that it wouldn't last much longer.
Assessing Eelektross
Aoki narrowed his eyes and focused on Eelektross's data.
Name: Eelektross
Strength: Superior Tier
Potential: Quasi-Elite
"…Superior-tier?"
Aoki was slightly surprised. There was a huge disparity between this Eelektross and his own team.
His Pokémon, even those in their middle evolution stages, had already reached the Superior level.
Then again, his Pokémon had Elite-tier potential and stronger base stats compared to Eelektross.
Still, Eelektross's Levitate Ability made it a unique asset. If it were properly trained, it could become an invaluable Electric-type.
Aoki's gaze sharpened.
"Should I get involved?"
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