After the battle, Aoki observed Drake's exceptional skill in training Dragon-type Pokémon.
Not only was Drake able to train a Shelgon to leap to such heights, but his mastery of Outrage alone placed him far above most Dragon-type Trainers.
Following their battle, Drake escorted Aoki onto the deck of his ship.
He acknowledged the strength Aoki had displayed.
Though Shelgon wasn't Drake's strongest Pokémon, it was still one he had trained meticulously. If the battle had continued, Drake couldn't guarantee victory.
He still had other strategies, but they were unnecessary.
Since Aoki wasn't an enemy, there was no need to resort to extreme measures.
Drake then began explaining key traits of Dragon-type Pokémon, as well as lesser-known details about their development.
For instance, after a Bagon evolves into Shelgon, it can still eat—contrary to the common belief that Shelgon merely stockpiles energy from its Bagon stage before evolving into Salamence.
If Shelgon avoids excessive battles and training, this method is technically feasible.
However, the process would take far too long.
How much time would a Shelgon need to evolve into Salamence without eating or battling?
In his past life, Aoki had even resorted to injecting Shelgon with nutritional supplements to speed up its evolution.
Though these supplements had no side effects, their effectiveness was mediocre, and their cost was absurdly high.
But after Drake's explanation, Aoki realized Shelgon could indeed eat—and the more energy it accumulated during this stage, the stronger its evolved Salamence would be.
This was somewhat similar to Beedrill's evolutionary line—the more energy stored in Kakuna, the stronger the resulting Beedrill.
Shelgon was in a similar state of energy accumulation.
Of course, during this period, if Shelgon could eat normally and maintain sufficient energy, it could still train.
Not only would this not waste time, but it would also allow for steady growth. Drake's advice on this matter was invaluable.
He didn't know Aoki actually owned a Bagon, but now Aoki understood that once his Bagon evolved, he could intensify Shelgon's training, as its body would be capable of storing vast amounts of energy.
According to Drake, expending some energy during this stage could actually increase the total capacity for accumulation.
This was why Drake's Shelgon had been able to leap so high during their battle.
Additionally, the most crucial detail was the control of Outrage.
This move had a flaw—it was impossible to unleash its full power without consequence. Currently, Drake could only have his Pokémon release 70% of Outrage's potential.
The remaining 30% of energy had to be reserved to suppress the violent backlash caused by the move.
Minor adjustments could be made during training, but whether Aoki could increase Outrage's effectiveness further depended on his own efforts—Drake himself had only mastered 70% control.
The two conversed at length, with Drake doing most of the talking while Aoki listened intently, recording everything via his system and storing it in his database for later analysis.
Occasionally, Aoki would ask a question that had troubled him, and Drake would answer in detail.
By the end, their discussion had evolved into a full exchange, as Aoki began contributing insights based on Drake's explanations and his own past experience raising Salamence.
Drake was surprised.
Starting with Bagon, then discussing Salamence, followed by Flygon, and finally Altaria, Drake was astonished by Aoki's comprehension—even shocked.
Often, after Drake explained something, Aoki not only grasped it immediately but also raised his own questions, some of which even made Drake pause in thought.
Originally, Drake hadn't planned to delve too deeply, expecting to cover only Bagon or Flygon. But by the end, Aoki had nearly extracted every bit of knowledge Drake possessed.
After receiving Drake's guidance, Aoki felt enlightened, resolving many key doubts and gaining valuable experience in raising Bagon.
At first, Aoki considered summoning his Bagon for Drake to see.
This way, when his Bagon eventually appeared publicly, people would naturally assume Drake had given it to him—strengthening Aoki's perceived connections and providing a plausible origin story for his Bagon.
But in the end, he decided against it.
First, his current strength wasn't sufficient. While Drake himself wouldn't covet the Bagon or expose its existence, they weren't alone on the ship. The sailors, though distant, weren't blind.
There was no guarantee someone among them wouldn't harbor ill intentions.
Second, his Bagon wasn't in peak condition and wasn't ready to be seen by outsiders—even by an expert like Drake.
For now, it wasn't feasible. But Aoki thought that if he met Drake again in the future, he could reveal his Bagon then, further solidifying their relationship and legitimizing its origins.
Their discussion lasted hours, ending only as the sky began to darken.
The entire day had been spent with Drake imparting knowledge about Dragon-types.
In a way, Aoki could now be considered half of Drake's student—though Drake had no habit of taking apprentices, so the title remained unofficial.
He was simply doing his part to nurture the next generation of the League.
This same philosophy applied when he later met Ash and accepted his challenge.
Originally, Aoki had planned to leave, needing to continue his journey, but Drake stopped him.
Upon learning Aoki was heading to the Safari Zone, Drake offered to take him there by ship. With little choice, Aoki abandoned his plan to challenge the Vermillion City Gym and instead boarded Drake's vessel, sailing directly to the coastal area near the Safari Zone.