Although he didn't obtain a real solution from Agatha, he did learn of someone who might be able to provide one.
Aoki took the opportunity to leave on the grounds that he didn't want to disturb their meeting, not giving Lance a chance to suggest a spar.
Aoki knew that Lance had wanted to battle him ever since he became an Elite Four member, and it was said that Lance had already found his second core.
While Mega Evolution couldn't be used openly yet, Aoki was unwilling to fight this battle-crazed man, at least not for now.
At the very least, he needed to wait until Diancie, Gardevoir, and Salamence had all grown up, plus Florges, and maybe by then Magearna could also participate in battle. If he didn't beat the crap out of him, he'd really think he was the Dragon-type Elite Four Member. He'd field a team of Fairy-type Pokémon to make him realize he was actually a Flying-type Elite.
With such self-consoling thoughts, Aoki ran off as if he were flying.
If he really fought Lance and was caught by the ubiquitous media, tomorrow's headlines would look like this.
"Shocking! Sandstorm Elite Four Member Travels to Kanto to Challenge Dragon-type Junior Elite Lance, Wishing to Prove to Master Lance Who the Real Dragon-type Elite Four Member Is!"
"Explosive! Sandstorm Elite Four Member Suffers a Regrettable Defeat to the Dragon-type Elite Four Member; Is the Kanto Region Already Thirty Years Ahead of the Hoenn Region?"
"Appalling! Sandstorm Elite Four Member Challenges Dragon-type Elite Four Member, Wins Narrowly, Claims to Be the Universe's Number One Elite!"
"..."
Aoki now had a special status; his every move represented the Hoenn Region, and the media wouldn't mind making a big deal out of things.
Moreover, regardless of whether Aoki won or lost, running to someone else's territory to fight Lance meant he would always be the challenger; whether he won or lost, he wouldn't leave behind a good reputation.
After all, these were all Kanto reporters; no matter how they wrote, they would favor the Kanto Region.
Lance was also a popular young idol in the Kanto Region, and many people were always paying attention to matters concerning him.
But because there were no public battle videos, and combined with the obvious suspicion that the old Elite Four members had gone easy on him during the Elite Challenge, Lance's fame had always remained within the Kanto Region. If it weren't for his handsome looks, which many older women were willing to support, he might not even be as famous as Lorelei.
Look at Lorelei's various titles: Goddess of Ice and Snow! Otaku Killer! She even had the title of being in the top four of the Sinnoh Tournament, just like Aoki.
As for Aoki, he was now the true internet sensation, the kind that covered the entire Pokémon World.
The public battle with Steven made the two of them famous overnight, and the results of the battle with the Black Emissary made many ordinary people reassess the combat power of the Elite Four.
In short, the conclusion was that Aoki could not agree to a battle with Lance.
Because... he couldn't win!
Knowing he couldn't win but still insisting on going—wouldn't he be afraid of the other Elite Four members in the Hoenn Region calling him a feeder teammate?
Actually, it wasn't that he truly couldn't win, but rather that it would be extremely difficult without using Mega Evolution, and the probability of winning wasn't high.
If it were a life-and-death battle, Aoki guaranteed he could beat the crap out of Lance!
Just like that, after consoling himself, Aoki fled into the Breeders Guild.
It was definitely because he missed his teacher Matsuda too much, not because he was afraid of Lance coming to find him again.
As the youngest High-Level Breeder in the history of the Breeders Guild, although Aoki didn't come to the Breeders Guild often, everyone here knew him. Additionally, his teacher Matsuda was also working here at the moment and always had "my disciple Aoki this" and "my disciple Aoki that" on his lips; even if they didn't know him before, they knew him now.
So Aoki found his long-unseen teacher, Matsuda, without any obstruction.
When Aoki found him, he discovered that he wasn't actually immersed in the lab, but was leisurely watering flowers with a watering can, humming a little tune, looking quite a bit younger.
This was a typical case of a "second spring" rejuvenation.
"Teacher." Aoki walked up behind Matsuda, who didn't even notice him.
Hiss—
The water from the watering can went off-target. Matsuda looked at Aoki with a face full of surprise, "Why are you here?"
Aoki had once thought his teacher Matsuda would blame him for not visiting after becoming an Elite Four member, but now it seemed that his teacher simply didn't want him to appear and affect his current beautiful life.
Feeling that Aoki's gaze was a bit off, Matsuda immediately coughed to break the awkwardness, "Ahem, you've finally come. I thought you'd forgotten your teacher after becoming an Elite Four member."
Aoki didn't speak, just gave Matsuda a look for him to interpret.
Knowing he was in the wrong, Matsuda immediately changed the subject, "Ahem, you must have come here looking for me because you need help with something, right?"
Aoki didn't dare tease his teacher any further and stated frankly, "Yes, but I mainly need to find the President. I wonder if she's here."
"Xiao Gang..." Just as Aoki finished speaking, he heard someone outside calling his teacher's name, and a figure appeared at the door.
Wasn't it exactly the President Aoki was looking for?
"Granny Kui," Aoki called out immediately.
Hearing this, Granny Kui didn't show the slightest bit of embarrassment; a smile appeared on her face, "It's Xiao Aoki. Are you here to ask your teacher for help?"
Matsuda kept signaling Aoki and Granny Kui with his eyes, hoping not to expose their affair, but in the eyes of an observant person, there wasn't much difference.
"No, I came to ask for Granny Kui's help," Aoki said with a smile, completely ignoring his teacher.
"Oh? Is there a problem that can trouble our Xiao Aoki? Let's hear it." Granny Kui was very satisfied with Aoki's current state.
Aoki was Matsuda's disciple, and Matsuda even treated Aoki as his own half-grandson. He wasn't married and had no descendants; Aoki was his only junior.
Granny Kui's situation was almost the same as Matsuda's, but Granny Kui had a few other disciples who had already reached the level of High-Level Breeder and had strong potential, but they were quite a bit behind compared to Aoki.
Granny Kui also knew how much Matsuda valued Aoki. As the saying goes, "love me, love my dog," so Granny Kui found Aoki more and more pleasing to the eye.
So Aoki recounted the matter of Darkrai once again. Hearing Aoki's words, the expressions of Matsuda and Granny Kui turned slightly grave.
As senior Breeders, they had never seen such a situation before.
"Indeed, according to Elite Four Member Agatha's mention of the theory that 'extremes meet,' if we can identify plants or things that survive there that are not of that attribute, combined with special catalytic methods and potions, there is a high probability of being able to solve this problem. Even if it can't be fully solved, it can be partially alleviated," Granny Kui said.
"Why don't you let Aoki look at your private records? Those things of yours will just be taken into the grave if you keep them hidden. Current Aoki is arguably the most qualified among all the Breeders in the Breeders Guild to inherit your precious materials," Matsuda said.
Hearing this, Granny Kui fell into deep thought.