Three months had passed since the last meeting between Team Rocket and the Pokémon League.
During these three months, the long-dormant Team Rocket and various underground forces across different regions simultaneously launched attacks on the League.
When the Cult was active, just sending a portion of their members to harass various regions was already a major headache for the League in those areas.
But now, their worst fears had come true: multiple cities in several regions were being harassed simultaneously.
Although the League had made some preparations, they had never faced such a situation in all these years. Even with a high estimate of these underground forces' offensive power, they were still unprepared. For a time, they couldn't fend off the attacks, leading to immense damage in these towns.
The very first attack caught the League off guard.
This was not only true for other regions, but also for the Hoenn region.
However, all of this was personally orchestrated by Aoki himself.
Although the Sky Team's attacks were equally fierce, under Aoki's supervision, they did not target ordinary people.
The Sky Team's targets were small and medium-sized family factions.
Wasn't sweeping and plundering these family factions much more profitable than plundering ordinary people?
Furthermore, as these parasitic families were significantly weakened in these towns, the opportunities and paths for ordinary people to advance became much clearer.
Perhaps most people didn't realize this at first, panicking only because of the Sky Team's attacks, but as time went on, they would discover that most of the Sky Team's actions were beneficial to them.
Short-term losses were merely for a better future.
However, since the Sky Team had launched an attack, Aoki, as the head of Hoenn's military forces, naturally had to retaliate.
At this time, the Sky Team and the Hoenn League were like two sharp scalpels, and the Hoenn region was a critically ill patient.
This illness, while not immediately fatal, slowly drained the Hoenn region's vital resources like a tumor.
Aoki, transforming into the one wielding the scalpel, struck decisively. Though it was painful in the short term, from a long-term perspective, it could only benefit the Hoenn region.
The Sky Team targeted various families, big and small. So, what about the Hoenn League?
Naturally, it would strike hard at the corrupt elements within the Sky Team.
Where there are people, there is conflict. Even under Giovanni's leadership, Team Rocket had many internal conflicts and many who wished him ill. The Sky Team was now a vast power encompassing an entire region; how could it be without internal strife?
As power and authority grow, so does desire.
Aoki used the Sky Team to eliminate useless families, and he also used the League's power to remove dissenting voices within the Sky Team.
Only Aoki himself could fully grasp and understand all of this.
Compared to other regions, the Hoenn region at this time was practically a paradise. Everything was under Aoki's control, which essentially meant one person was fighting against themselves with their left and right hands. No matter how powerful or how hard the blows, there was always a limit to what could be endured.
After finishing the documents he needed to handle each day, Aoki left his office.
He instantly teleported, vanishing from the office.
When he reappeared, he was in a metallic room. The walls of this room were covered with rotating gears, and the sound of them turning, a "clack-clack," filled the air.
Sky Fortress!
Hidden thousands of meters high in the sky, no one could detect its presence.
As Aoki appeared, the machinery in the room began to transform. A black steel throne slowly rose from the ground, appearing beneath Aoki's feet.
"Lord!"
As Aoki sat down, respectful voices echoed in the room.
These were the highest-ranking executives of the entire Sky Team, including Brad and Catherine, who had recently taken command of the Sky Team's combat forces under Aoki's orders, as well as Rose, who had always served as the Sky Team's majordomo, and Skye, who had followed Aoki from the very beginning, emerging from the Trial Island, and also Thief, who had joined as the head of the Pokémon Hunter division.
Of course, there was also Shelly, who now managed the Sky Team's marine division for Aoki. Her authority within the Sky Team was second only to Brad and Catherine.
These individuals were absolutely loyal to Aoki and formed the true power core of the Sky Team.
Currently, only they knew the location of Sky Fortress, and only they knew how to get there.
"For this period, have everyone below settle down for a while. We've already given the necessary explanations. Next, we need to digest what we've taken in and convert it into our true strength," Aoki said to them.
"Yes!" everyone responded.
Part of the Sky Team's actions was to provide an explanation to the League, led by Team Rocket.
After all, other regions had acted fiercely, and it wouldn't look good if the Hoenn region didn't provide some sort of explanation.
However, these three months were enough for Aoki to use the Cult's hand to eliminate all unstable factors within the Sky Team.
At the same time, the Sky Team had plundered an untold amount of family wealth during this period. It was time to convert it into their own strength.
Having spoken, Aoki turned and vanished from his spot once more.
The Sky Team would be quite peaceful during this time, and there wouldn't be any major issues for the Hoenn League, so Aoki also needed to resolve some matters, which also pertained to some of Aoki's own doubts.
Continuous Teleportation was not a difficult feat for Aoki now.
Aoki's current destination was a small island outside the Hoenn region.
Aoki had visited this island before, and at that time, the Hunter Association, Team Magma, and Team Aqua were also involved.
The cave beneath the island was where the Hunter Association had found this place in their pursuit of the legendary Pokémon, Celebi.
Aoki and the others, along with Steven, had entered that space to rescue Wallace and others who had been forced to take refuge there.
At the time, to prevent the Hunter Association from returning, the Hoenn League had dispatched numerous troops to guard the area.
However, after Aoki and the others left, Celebi sealed off the entire space. After guarding it for a period with no further activity, and confirming that the Celebi space would not reopen, the League withdrew its defensive forces.
So, when Aoki entered the cave again, he encountered no obstruction.
He walked to the deepest part of the cave and placed his hand on the rock wall, but he didn't feel any spatial fluctuations.
However, Aoki had already guessed this, but he didn't give up.
The reason the spatial passage to Celebi's space appeared here was because it was the closest location in the entire Pokémon world to Celebi's space, and thus the most prone to spatial distortions. Even if the spatial passage was closed now, this was still the most likely place to access Celebi's space.
If it were anyone else, they might truly be helpless, at a loss.
But Aoki was different. He extended his right hand, placed it on the rock wall, and closed his eyes, silently sensing the energy fluctuations of space.
"Celebi..." Aoki murmured softly.
Immediately after, a dazzling white light burst from Aoki's right hand. The rock, which had been like a solid wall, became soft once more.
With a push, it transformed into a soft water wall, and Aoki's right hand directly entered it.
A slight smile played on his lips, and his entire body directly merged into the wall.
When he opened his eyes again, he had arrived in the Celebi space he had visited before.
He looked at the vibrant green forest around him, and the towering ancient tree in the very center, the Tree of Life.
This tree, to a certain extent, was one of the sources of Celebi's power. However, Celebi could traverse time and space, so the Tree of Life in one location could not completely restrict Celebi.
"It really is a wonderful place." Aoki took a deep breath, feeling the extremely rich life energy around him, and the air filled with the scent of vegetation, which made his whole being feel open and expansive.
As if sensing Aoki's arrival, the surrounding trees swayed without a breeze, welcoming him.
"Indeed, some questions can only be answered here." Saying this, Aoki threw out a Poké Ball, summoning Salamence, and flew at the fastest speed towards the giant Tree of Life.
It was the familiar entrance, the long, winding passage. Aoki knew where to find Celebi.
After entering the passage for a long distance, he once again entered the mini-space of the Celebi space, which seemed to be covered everywhere with emerald green jade, and on it were numerous fine, intricate patterns, which were the energy flow distribution map of the entire Celebi space.
Just like when he first summoned Celebi, Aoki once again touched the jade-like Tree of Life, calling out to Celebi with his psychic powers.
"Celebi——"
A small, emerald-green Pokémon appeared before Aoki's eyes.
Seeing Aoki, Celebi seemed very happy, circling him continuously, chirping "Celebi—— Celebi——."
"Aoki, Aoki, you're finally here, I've been waiting for so long!" Celebi's voice appeared in Aoki's mind.
Aoki was startled, "Celebi, did you know I would come again?"
Celebi nodded its tiny head frantically, its big eyes wide and sparkling as it looked at Aoki, "Yes! Yes! Celebi can see many things, the past, the present, and the future!"
As it spoke, Celebi counted on its fingers.
Cute as it was, Celebi only had three fingers in total, representing the past, present, and future respectively!
Aoki looked at Celebi's innocent expression and, unable to resist, gently placed his hand on Celebi's head.
When he realized what he had done, he found that he seemed to have done something out of line.
But he didn't see any anger or displeasure from Celebi. Instead, it squinted its eyes, looking as if it was enjoying it.
Seeing Celebi's expression, Aoki's courage grew. He gently rubbed it a couple of times, feeling the tiny, soft fur that couldn't be seen but could be clearly felt.
"So, do you know why I'm here this time, little Celebi?" Aoki asked with a smile.
This time, Celebi didn't answer directly. It showed a thoughtful expression.
Then its eyes lit up, "Celebi remembers! Aoki wants to go there, right! Celebi will send you there right away!"
Having said that, Celebi extended its small hand and circled it twice above its head. A hole, leading to an unknown destination, appeared above Aoki and the others.
This was Celebi's special ability: it could go to any space, any location it wished!
"Celebi, I'm not...."
"Celebi wishes Aoki a good time!"
Aoki hadn't even finished speaking when Celebi, with a raise of its hand, directly sent him into the spatial hole.
Clearly, Celebi didn't quite understand what Aoki wanted, but in its understanding, Aoki coming to find it at this time meant he wanted to do this particular thing.
Celebi's special ability was very strong; even if Aoki tried his best to resist, it had little effect.
A dizzying inversion.
When he recovered, Aoki found himself in a town.
He stood blankly on the town street, looking at the people coming and going, feeling more or less out of place.
Of course, the surrounding people were also slightly surprised when they saw Aoki's clothing.
After all, Aoki's clothes were very different from theirs.
It was as if... they were people from two different eras.
Aoki's clothing was more modern. After all, it was the Hoenn Champion's attire, so it was naturally different from ordinary people's clothes, but it shouldn't have given off a sense of being from a different era.
It wasn't just the clothing; even the buildings in the town looked quite old-fashioned.
Because directly opposite Aoki was the Pokémon Center!
It was just an older type of Pokémon Center, probably what Aoki remembered from decades ago.
Having a Pokémon Center also meant the existence of the Alliance.
Looking at the people coming and going, and the Pokémon accompanying them, Aoki realized that this was still the Pokémon world, but decades in the past.
After figuring it out, a wry smile appeared on Aoki's face, "Celebi, I haven't even said what I want to learn from you, and you've already sent me back to the world decades ago. Why is that?"
Aoki couldn't understand what Celebi wanted to do, but he seemed to have no choice but to passively accept it.
Of course, if he wanted to go back, it seemed only Celebi could do it.
This was so baffling...
"It really caught me off guard, without even a hint," Aoki shook his head helplessly.
What needed to be done now was to first figure out where this was and what time period it was.
These were relatively simple tasks, as Aoki was already good at them, it had just been a long time since he'd done them.
Of course, his current abrupt clothing wouldn't do; he needed to at least blend into this society.
After all this was done, when Aoki reappeared, no one looked at him with surprise anymore.
Now he looked like a person from this era.
He casually stopped an uncle walking by, "Uncle, excuse me, where is this?"
The uncle Aoki stopped was startled and instinctively blurted out, "This is Mahogany Town, why?"
"Mahogany Town..." Aoki let go, allowing the uncle to look at him with a strange expression.
That look was like he was seeing... an alien?
But before the uncle left, Aoki asked again, "Then, Uncle, the current Gym Leader of Mahogany Town is..."
The uncle's expression grew even stranger, but he thought for a moment and said, "The Gym Leader of Mahogany Gym is, of course, from the Dragon Clan. However, not long ago, the previous Gym Leader passed the position to the next heir of the Dragon Clan, his eldest legitimate son, Lance."
Hearing this, Aoki's eyes trembled, and his voice was slightly shaky, "One last question, Uncle, how many years has it been since the Pokémon Alliance was founded?"
As soon as the uncle finished speaking, Aoki instantly vanished from his spot, startling the uncle, who thought he had seen a ghost.
Few Pokémon could teleport, let alone humans.
Aoki left the street and, after several teleports, arrived at the foot of the mountain next to Mahogany Town, where the Mahogany Gym was located.
Behind the gym was a deep, dark cave, the entrance to the Dragon's Den, the foundation of the Dragon Clan.
However, it was almost impossible to enter quietly without being detected by the Dragon Clan if one tried to bypass the Mahogany Gym in Mahogany Town.
In fact, Aoki had always been very interested in the situation of the Dragon Clan's Dragon's Den.
Or rather, in the entire Pokémon world, not many people were truly uninterested in the Dragon Clan's Dragon's Den.
Especially after Aoki learned from Lance that he had found information about the Renegade Pokémon Giratina in the Dragon's Den, he became even more curious.
Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon, was not only hated by Aoki himself, but also by his Pokémon, Darkrai.
Therefore, this was an existence they would inevitably encounter.
But currently, Giratina's strength was too great. Even if Aoki's strength improved further, unless multiple Pokémon reached the Champion level, there was no possibility of victory.
Although in Aoki's original timeline, Giratina was severely injured and its strength was significantly weakened, Aoki still wasn't 100% confident.
If he could learn more about Giratina here, or find more of its weaknesses, it would be a good thing for Aoki.
Furthermore, Aoki was also curious about what exactly allowed the Dragon's Den to consistently produce pseudo-legendary Pokémon like Dragonair.
If anyone could master such information, with decades of effort, they might be able to create another Dragon's Den.
Celebi sending him to this time and place must have had her intentions, and in Mahogany Town, the only things that interested Aoki were the Dragon Clan and the Dragon's Den.
"Hello, are you here to challenge the gym? This place is quite dangerous, not just anyone can approach it, you know." A person dressed in a dark red robe, looking somewhat like a monk, appeared beside Aoki and asked.
Aoki was startled, but still smiled and shook his head, "No, I'm just curious about what's in this lake."
The person smiled when they heard Aoki's words, "This is our Dragon Clan's Dragon Pool. It is said to contain very rare Dragon-type Pokémon, but they only appear when a truly destined person arrives, which is an extremely rare occurrence, almost once in a century."
"Dragon Pool... huh?" Aoki nodded, said nothing more, and left, heading straight up the mountain.
The person watched Aoki's departing back thoughtfully, standing there until Aoki completely disappeared before slowly leaving themselves.
Mahogany Town's Mahogany Gym is a Dragon-type Pokémon Gym, arguably one of the most challenging gyms in the entire Kanto region.
Although countless people come every year because of the Dragon-type Pokémon, and many self-important trainers want to challenge the Gym Leader and take pride in winning the Mahogany Gym Badge, very few can actually do so, with only a handful appearing each year.
It is rumored that when the Gym Leader of Mahogany Gym deems a challenger worthy of recognition, they are granted the opportunity to enter the Dragon's Den, and if they are lucky enough inside, they might truly be able to catch a rare Dragon-type Pokémon.
Several trainers have achieved this feat in the past.
And the most recent one has now become a renowned Pokémon Professor in the entire Pokémon Alliance, Professor Oak!
It is said that when Professor Oak was young, during his travels in the Pokémon world, after defeating the Mahogany Gym Leader, he was specially allowed to enter the Dragon's Den and was very fortunate to catch a remarkably talented Dratini.
Although Aoki was curious about the Dragon's Den, he couldn't force his way in. After all, it was the foundation of the Dragon Clan, and who knew what kind of masters were hidden within the Dragon Clan.
Aoki walked into the mountain forest and found a relatively secluded spot to temporarily settle down.
He wasn't in a hurry.
Because Aoki felt that once he completed what Celebi believed he came here to do, he would return to his original time and space. If that were the case, wouldn't Aoki be able to use this place even more effectively than the Time-Space Continent?
No matter how fast time flowed on the Time-Space Continent, it couldn't be as effective as Celebi directly controlling time, right?
So Aoki wasn't in a hurry at all. He felt it was better to spend more effort on training his Pokémon during this time.
However, Aoki wanted to train his Pokémon quietly by himself, but some people wouldn't let him have that peace.
This was Mahogany Town after all, and there were quite a few trainers who came here for tourism or challenges.
So, this high mountain in Mahogany Town was naturally a popular spot for those trainers. They might even be lucky enough to catch some good Pokémon.
Quite a few people had such thoughts.
Therefore, Aoki's residence was visited from time to time, and most of these visitors, upon seeing Aoki, chose to initiate a challenge.
As a trainer who could choose to live directly in the deep mountains, he must be a master!
After defeating several challengers who didn't know any better, Aoki's reputation suddenly grew.
Besides the Mahogany Gym Leader, another powerful trainer had appeared in Mahogany Town, hidden in the deep mountains.
Isn't this just the feeling of a reclusive master?
For such a person, most people's curiosity about him even surpassed that of the Mahogany Gym.
And most importantly, no one who challenged this trainer had ever been able to force him to use a second Pokémon. It was always a single Pokémon fighting, all six-on-one battles.
Slowly, Aoki even had his own legend, and the strength of challengers who came specifically to challenge him grew stronger and stronger.
With the mindset that training himself was exercise, and battling other Pokémon was also exercise, Aoki basically accepted all challengers.
...
The Pokémon Center in Mahogany Town.
Nurse Joy and her Chansey were busy treating the Pokémon of a direct descendant of the Alliance.
This trainer clearly trusted the Pokémon Center and Nurse Joy very much. After handing his Pokémon to her, he let out a long sigh and sat down in the waiting area.
At this moment, he wasn't the only trainer waiting in this area.
"Did you all go to challenge that master on the mountain too?" The person had just sat down when he asked the few people who were talking in low voices.
Because he vaguely heard the names of a few Pokémon being mentioned by them: Gardevoir, Lucario, and Venusaur.
Weren't these the Pokémon used by that mysterious person?
Hearing his words, the few people who were originally discussing in low voices looked at him, "It seems, brother, you also failed the challenge and sent your Pokémon here for treatment, right?"
The person nodded, a hint of admiration on his face, "Indeed. The opponent's strength is truly too great. He only commanded one Gardevoir from beginning to end and defeated all six of my Pokémon.
But he is indeed a person with the demeanor of a master. Although my Pokémon were all defeated, their injuries were not very serious."
The others also nodded; they felt pretty much the same.
"You faced Gardevoir, but I encountered a Shiny Venusaur."
"I encountered Lucario."
"I also encountered a Shiny Venusaur..."
"..."
For a moment, the people in the waiting area began to state which Pokémon had defeated them.
There were seven or eight people in total, all of whom had been defeated by the mysterious master on the mountain.
"I heard from a friend that a terrifyingly strong trainer appeared in the mountains behind Mahogany Town, so I came specifically to challenge him.
I originally thought it was an exaggeration, but I didn't expect him to truly be such a powerful trainer!"
"So, sometimes rumors are quite accurate. I learned a lot from losing to this master."
"Yes—to be honest, I also challenged the Mahogany Gym Leader, but I feel that the mysterious master's strength might be even greater than the Mahogany Gym Leader's. Perhaps... perhaps he has the strength of an Elite Four member!" The speaker was one of the stronger individuals among the group, and he was somewhat well-known in the trainer travel circles.
So, his words had a relatively high degree of acceptance.
The people in the waiting area nodded in agreement.
But they didn't notice that while they were discussing without lowering their voices, in the special personnel waiting area not far from them, one person had heard every word of their conversation.
Dressed in a light blue outfit with a dark red cape draped over his back, he was quite handsome. The key was that with his attire, he looked like a heroic youth, exuding an imposing aura.
After hearing this, the person flicked his cape and left the Pokémon Center without hesitation.
It was then that the people who were discussing noticed that such a person had been present not far from them.
Immediately, their expressions froze, "The one who just walked out, could it be... could it be the Mahogany Gym Leader?"
As the only person who had ever challenged the Blackthorn Gym, the one who had just compared the Blackthorn Gym Leader to the mysterious master on the mountain, and the one who had confidently declared that the mysterious master on the mountain was stronger than the Blackthorn Gym Leader, his forehead was now covered in tiny beads of sweat.
Gulp—
"Probably… yes."
After such a stimulating experience, although everyone present still looked like they hadn't had enough, they didn't dare to say much more.
At least not in this public setting.
The person who had just walked out of the Pokémon Center was none other than the current Blackthorn Gym Leader, the next designated clan head of the Dragon Clan, the eldest legitimate son of the current clan head, the famous Lance.
Lance was now well-known throughout the entire Pokémon League, hailed as one of the two rising stars of the League, alongside Giovanni from Saffron City.
Typically, such rising stars harbored a considerable amount of arrogance, and the next clan head of the Dragon Clan was no exception.
Originally, as the Gym Leader of Blackthorn City, people who came to Blackthorn City either came to visit for tourism or to challenge him.
However, at some point, a remarkably skilled trainer suddenly appeared in the mountains behind their Blackthorn City.
Initially, only a few people with a strong desire for challenges went to try, but gradually, more and more people challenged him, and his reputation grew.
To some extent, he even overshadowed Lance, the Gym Leader of the Blackthorn Gym.
People are like that; when a legitimate master appears, they respect them but aren't overly curious, as their growth has been witnessed by all.
But when an unknown master suddenly appears like this, more people become interested.
Lance hadn't really wanted to interfere, given his unique status, and there were no explicit rules against settling in the mountains outside the city or being challenged by others.
However, at that moment, when he was openly compared to someone else right in front of him, and they confidently claimed the other person was better, Lance finally became interested.
It wasn't about seeking retribution; he was genuinely intrigued and wanted to see what kind of strength this person possessed, someone who had never used a second Pokémon to defeat a trainer.
After leaving the Pokémon Center, he immediately summoned his Dragonite and flew directly towards the mountain behind the city.
He was somewhat impatient to meet that master, to see if that person's strength was truly as formidable as people claimed.
Meanwhile, in a secluded corner of the mountain behind Blackthorn City, a young man who appeared to be under twenty was enjoying lunch with his Pokémon.
In truth, this stress-free life, living a monotonous day-to-day existence with his Pokémon, didn't feel so bad; in fact, the young man was quite content.
This was the first time he had lived for such a long period without any pressure whatsoever.
Every day, he trained with his Pokémon, and occasionally, a few skilled trainers would come to challenge him.
The young man would then test the results of his Pokémon's training during this period against these trainers, and if he was in a good mood, he might even offer a little guidance.
However, recently, more and more challengers had been coming, and their skill levels varied widely, making the young man gradually feel that he might need to move.
"Let's wait another month. If they still don't take the bait, then we'll move and see if there are any other options," the young man said with a smile, stroking Lucario's smooth fur beside him.
"Luca—" Lucario let out a soft cry, its eyes half-closed, clearly enjoying the young man's petting.
This period had truly been Lucario's most comfortable and happiest time.
Although training was still tough every day, being able to enjoy his trainer's daily petting and relaxing massages after each training session made him incredibly happy.
"Sana—"
But seeing Lucario so happy, Gardevoir, who was sitting on the young man's other side, was not pleased.
The young man smiled even more broadly, "Okay—okay—you too!"
With that, he placed his other hand on Gardevoir's head and gently patted it.
Feeling the warmth of the young man's palm, Gardevoir's lips curved upwards, and her eyes, like Lucario's, narrowed.
If one were to observe from a distance, they would notice that the young man, Lucario, and Gardevoir were currently sitting beside a uniquely colored Venusaur, leaning against it, enjoying the comfortable, cool sensation on their backs, and basking in the sunlight filtering through the trees.
The Venusaur lay on the ground, sunbathing, looking utterly content.
It was a rare afternoon of rest.
At such times, it was when the young trainer and his Pokémon felt most connected.
What the young man was most grateful for was that seeing Ralts, who had called him "Papa" from the very beginning, evolve into the current Gardevoir, she finally stopped using the word "Papa."
Although she couldn't change it at first, with his repeated emphasis, Gardevoir gradually got used to it.
She had finally completed her evolution, but in terms of actual age, she was still just a little girl who had been born only a few years ago.
These three Pokémon were the primary ones the young man had been training during this period.
It was supposed to be a beautiful afternoon, and the young man, who had just been about to close his eyes for a nap, suddenly opened them.
With a faint smile playing on his lips, he said, "The fish have taken the bait. It seems our sunny afternoon must end here."
Slowly standing up, the young man stretched lazily, a "crack, crack" sound emanating from his body, and a wave of psychic energy swept over him from head to toe, removing all dust.
Upon hearing the young man's words, the three Pokémon also opened their eyes immediately.
However, their gazes at this moment were not very friendly.
The person their trainer had been waiting for had finally arrived, which meant that their life here might be coming to an end.
It was not easy to live such a carefree life with their trainer, and they had to admit that all three Pokémon were quite fond of this lifestyle.
But now that someone was about to interrupt the beautiful life they yearned for, how could their attitude be good?
This young man was Aoki, who had been transported here by Celebi a long time ago!
He had settled in the mountains behind the city, initially just wanting to use the time advantage to train his Pokémon more, but from the moment the first person challenged him, a plan began to form in Aoki's mind.
The fishing plan!
Now, the fish had finally taken the bait!
Less than a minute after Aoki stood up, a young man riding a Dragonite appeared before him.
From their appearance, their ages seemed similar.
Looking at the spirited young man who appeared before him, Aoki recognized him at once.
Lance!
He looked almost identical to the Lance he had encountered on Silver Mountain, only with a slight difference in age.
The current Lance appeared full of integrity, unlike the shadowy, ominous look of the cult bishop from before, clearly filled with various ill intentions.
At the same time, Aoki also noticed that the current Lance did not have any psychic fluctuations, indicating that his psychic abilities had not yet awakened.
As Aoki observed Lance, Lance was also observing Aoki.
He frowned and said, "I didn't expect you to be so young. To possess such strength at such a young age, why have I never heard any information about you from the League?"
While Lance was observing Aoki, he also learned from his good partner, Dragonite, that the opponent's three Pokémon were extremely powerful. Not to mention all three, even if it were just one of them, he wasn't confident he could win.
Lance was even more surprised upon receiving this news.
In his opinion, among the younger generation of the entire League, only Giovanni could contend with him.
But now, another one had suddenly appeared, and it seemed their strength might even surpass his own.
Aoki smiled and said, "Isn't the young clan head of the Dragon Clan also remarkably strong at a young age? I am not from this area, so it's natural that the young clan head hasn't heard of me."
Lance nodded thoughtfully.
Indeed, there were always people outside of people, and heavens beyond heavens. There were always things he didn't know, so it was quite normal for there to be people he didn't know.
"How did you know I am the young clan head of the Dragon Clan?" Lance immediately seized on the most crucial part of Aoki's words.
Aoki's expression remained unchanged. "Having come to Blackthorn City out of admiration, one naturally needs a sufficient understanding of Blackthorn City. And as Lance, the Gym Leader of Blackthorn City and the young clan head of the Dragon Clan, you naturally require special attention. Many people recognize the young clan head, so what's surprising about me recognizing you at a glance?
Besides, in all of Blackthorn City, there's probably only one person of your age who possesses such a powerful Dragonite."
"Oh? You came out of admiration, then may I ask why, after arriving in Blackthorn City, you neither challenged the Gym nor went sightseeing, and didn't even make yourselves known to our Dragon Clan? It seems your intentions are certainly not just for a simple badge, are they? Although our Dragon Clan may not be very strong, we are not weak either, yet we only learned of your presence through hearsay from others." Lance raised an eyebrow.
"Haha—the young clan head has indeed hit the nail on the head. My intentions are indeed significant. In all of Blackthorn City, the only thing that interests me is probably your Dragon Clan's most famous and mysterious Dragon's Den!
But I also know that not just anyone can enter the Dragon's Den. However, if the young clan head personally invites me, I believe I should be able to enter." Aoki made no attempt to conceal his purpose and stated it directly.
There was nothing to hide. Blackthorn City only had so much to offer. Even if Aoki didn't say it, wouldn't others be able to guess?
It was better to be straightforward; it might even increase his chances.
As expected, upon hearing Aoki's words, although Lance still frowned, the wariness in his heart lessened considerably.
"You certainly don't hide anything, but what makes you think I would take you into the Dragon's Den? You should know that each Blackthorn Gym Leader has a limited number of times they can bring someone into the Dragon's Den.
And my father, in his entire life, only brought two people into the Dragon's Den."
Aoki nodded. "I naturally know that one of them is the now-famous Professor Oak! But I can give the young clan head information that the entire Dragon Clan might not even be able to provide."
Lance stared directly at Aoki, and Aoki met his gaze without flinching.
After a moment of silence, Lance said, "Tell me."
Aoki's lips parted slightly, and he uttered a name.
But upon hearing that name, Lance's expression suddenly changed, his pupils contracting sharply.
What Aoki said, of course, was...
"Giratina!"