How interested was Aoki in the Dragon-type Pokémon in the Dragon's Den?
To be honest, he wasn't very interested. If he wanted to capture a Dragon-type Pokémon, there were plenty in the Dragon Space, and Aoki still clearly remembered the path to the Dragon Space.
Now, unless an exceptionally high-quality Pokémon appeared that he couldn't resist capturing, Aoki was unlikely to try and catch one.
For him, whether or not it was a Dragon-type Pokémon didn't hold much significance anymore.
To other trainers, Dragon-type Pokémon were treasures. Even Pokémon with the word 'Dragon' in their name, to varying degrees, received significant attention and importance.
Even after the emergence of Fairy-type Pokémon, this phenomenon only slightly diminished but did not disappear.
The reason is simple: Dragon-type Pokémon, at the same level, possess the most outstanding physical strength and constitution. While some Pokémon might rival them, it's rare. This is an innate advantage of Dragon-type Pokémon and the main reason trainers pursue them.
However, for the current Aoki, these advantages were negligible.
These advantages were far less important than him seeing the Pokémon's inherent advantages, or some specific merit in the Pokémon itself.
Currently, Aoki's Pokémon training generally didn't take up his time, and the resource consumption involved was negligible.
But this didn't mean Aoki could recklessly capture Pokémon, because for every Pokémon he captured, Aoki had to bear a significant responsibility!
Unless a Pokémon was captured out of necessity, Aoki would invariably take on the appropriate responsibility!
Lance was now sitting cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed, diligently absorbing the important knowledge Aoki had given him, while Aoki, with Gardevoir, walked deeper into the Dragon's Den.
The entire Dragon's Den could be considered a relatively large cave system within a mountain, with most areas covered by water, though there were also some areas where one could walk directly.
Within the mountain, many wild Pokémon could be encountered.
Of course, it wasn't just Dragon-type Pokémon; there were quite a few other types of Pokémon, with Water-types being the most numerous.
Among these Water-type Pokémon, the most common and abundant were Magikarp.
Evolving into Gyarados, they are considered very powerful aquatic Pokémon, with 'Dragon' in their name, and their ferocious nature and appearance also make many people passionate about their power.
Many people, when unable to find Dragon-type Pokémon, treat these Pokémon with 'Dragon' in their name as if they were Dragon-type Pokémon.
For example, a certain individual known to Aoki, who claimed to be a Dragon-type Elite Four member.
It wasn't just him; many others did the same.
Of course, Gyarados are indeed very powerful, and they also have Mega Evolution, so their potential is indeed much higher than some Dragon-type Pokémon.
However, in natural environments, those that can self-evolve from Magikarp to Gyarados are very few, and even if a trainer raises a Magikarp and it evolves into a Gyarados, its violent nature will not change, making it difficult for trainers without sufficient strength to control.
Aoki wasn't very interested in this Pokémon either.
Although Gyarados's strength and potential caught his eye, and he happened to possess a Gyaradosite, what Aoki desired more was to train a Pokémon from its initial stage to its final form, as this would deepen the understanding and bond between the Pokémon and the trainer.
But for Aoki to train a Magikarp... let's not go there.
Yet, directly catching a Gyarados wouldn't satisfy Aoki's cursed perfectionism, that cursed pursuit of the highest quality in Pokémon!
Aside from Magikarp, there were also many other Water-type Pokémon.
Furthermore, Aoki discovered that these Water-type Pokémon here were far superior to wild Water-type Pokémon in the open sea, and even to those meticulously bred in Pokémon nurseries.
They were quite similar to the Steel-type Pokémon found in the mines of Steven's family.
"It seems these are all Pokémon carefully screened by the Dragon Clan. Even if the remaining ones aren't exceptionally outstanding, they are still far superior to what ordinary people can access." Aoki and Gardevoir, using their psychic abilities, were effectively walking on water, observing the Water-type Pokémon swimming beneath their feet, silently scanning their data.
Gradually, they noticed some strange phenomena.
"The Water-type Pokémon here are not only superior in aptitude and talent, but their bodies are also much stronger, and their inherited moves are also much better.
If it were just a few or a dozen, it wouldn't be noticeable, but here, over ninety percent of the Water-type Pokémon are like this!" Aoki felt a silent surprise in his heart.
This was probably the main reason for the existence of the Dragon's Den, and even its ability to regularly produce so many Dragon-type Pokémon.
Whoosh—
Just as Aoki was leisurely observing his surroundings, the water in the Dragon's Den rippled, and a Pokémon appeared before Aoki, its gaze carrying a hint of unfriendliness.
It was also a Pokémon Aoki was familiar with.
Kingdra!
However, Aoki looked closely and saw that beside this Kingdra, there were also several smaller Horsea.
These Horsea hid behind the Kingdra, showing no fear or worry, and looked at Aoki and Gardevoir with curious expressions.
Aoki smiled slightly, spread his hands to indicate he had no ill intentions, and then retreated with Gardevoir.
He must have accidentally entered this Kingdra's territory, and combined with her having just hatched her children, Aoki understood the hostility Kingdra displayed to protect her young.
It was only when Aoki subconsciously scanned the data of this Kingdra and her Horsea children that his expression finally changed.
Kingdra is a Dragon-type Pokémon. For Seadra to evolve into Kingdra, it needs to use a Dragon Scale to awaken the hidden Dragon-type attribute within its body. Only then will its advantages as a Dragon-type Pokémon truly manifest.
And as Kingdra's children, Horsea are bound to possess Dragon-type bloodline!
However, a whole litter having such a strong Dragon-type bloodline, and even identical inherited moves, must be extremely rare.
Basically, the inherited moves of these Horsea all included Dragon Rage, Dragon Breath, and even Outrage, three extremely rare Dragon-type moves.
Leaving Dragon Rage and Dragon Breath aside for a moment, the main point is Outrage, a Dragon-type move that not all Horsea can inherit. Only those Horsea with a very strong Dragon-type bloodline can inherit it.
But these Horsea had all inherited Outrage, a ultimate move of Dragon-type Pokémon.
This was simply impossible!
Even if their parents were excellent and both possessed extremely strong Dragon-type bloodlines, it was rare for all their children to perfectly inherit the Outrage move.
This clearly indicated something significant.
Everywhere there were strong and robust Water-type Pokémon. Although Aoki hadn't thoroughly checked and scanned them, he more or less guessed that these Water-type Pokémon likely possessed some Dragon-type bloodline.
Now, coupled with these Horsea that had inherited top-tier Dragon-type bloodlines.
"It seems this Dragon's Den is even more miraculous than I imagined, and much more mysterious than my teacher imagined. It cannot be fully explained by merely being a branch of the Dragon Space." Divine light flickered in Aoki's eyes.
Noticing that Aoki, who was originally about to leave, was now looking at her and her newborn children with strange eyes, Kingdra's gaze once again turned unfriendly.
Aoki noticed the change in Kingdra's expression, smiled again, and instantly teleported away with Gardevoir.
He was still in the outer reaches of the Dragon's Den, and he had already discovered the Den's transformative effect on so many Pokémon here. What would the true depths of the Dragon's Den be like?
No longer wasting time lingering outside, he directly used Teleport to travel.
According to Lance, at the deepest part of the Dragon's Den was an ancient temple, which was also the foundation of the entire Dragon's Den.
At the same time, this temple also contained many records about the origin of the Dragon Clan, and even the origin of Dragon-type Pokémon, which was one of the Dragon Clan's secrets.
However, the Dragon Clan did not forbid their own members, or others who entered the Dragon's Den, from entering the temple.
Of course, there were prerequisites. To enter the temple, one had to undergo some trials, for example, there were special Dragon-type Pokémon guarding outside the temple, and only by defeating them could one enter the temple.
According to what Lance had occasionally told Aoki, the history of the Dragon Clan's temple in the Dragon's Den was no less than that of the temples in the Sinnoh region, belonging to Cynthia's family.
Aoki directly teleported towards that temple.
A magnificent and imposing temple appeared before Aoki and Gardevoir!
This temple was built entirely on the water.
Just by getting close, one could feel a mysterious and ancient aura wash over them. This feeling was very similar to the temples Aoki had visited in the Sinnoh region, except one was built on water and the other within a mountain.
Looking at this ancient temple, Aoki remained silent for a long time.
This was probably one of the few ancient ruins in the entire Pokémon world that could truly awe Aoki.
Whoosh— Whoosh—
As Aoki approached, Pokémon emerged from the water, and some flying Pokémon descended from the ceiling of the Dragon's Den.
These Pokémon were all there to watch the show; they knew what it meant for someone to approach the temple—another challenger had arrived!
And once such a person appeared, it meant there would be a grand battle for them to witness.
In this dull and boring Dragon's Den, opportunities to see battles of this caliber were rare.
Therefore, the wild Pokémon here paid extreme attention to the situation, and many even brought their children to watch, hoping to teach their young the combat styles of these powerful Dragon-type Pokémon.
A circle of Pokémon gathered around Aoki from a distance, surrounding him.
Then, once all the spectators had arrived, the main guardians responsible for protecting the temple finally "made their belated appearance"!
Leading them was a Dragonite that appeared very amiable but exuded an imposing aura.
Beside this Dragonite were a Kingdra, a Aerodactyl, and two fierce Gyarados, making a total of five Pokémon.
They looked like the Five Great Generals, looking down at Aoki and Gardevoir beside him.
Aoki's gaze swept over these Pokémon, their data appearing as images on his retina.
These Pokémon were all high-leveled. For most people, they would likely be an insurmountable barrier, impossible to overcome.
But for Aoki, while their levels were high and their strength powerful, they weren't entirely unacceptable.
Among these guardian Pokémon, the strongest was still that Dragonite, at Level 84, teetering on the edge of the first Champion-level threshold, just one step away from breaking through.
The rest of the Pokémon had also reached Champion-level, but compared to this Dragonite, they were slightly weaker.
At the same time, Aoki also understood why the Dragon Clan had these few Pokémon guarding this place.
In the entire Pokémon world, there aren't many people who can defeat these few Pokémon simultaneously, but if someone truly can, it means they indeed possess the strength and qualification to enter the temple. They would be capable of handling what they see and the responsibilities they must bear after entering.
If one cannot defeat these Pokémon, it signifies that they do not yet possess the necessary ability.
Their strength is not overly strong, but also not weak; it's just right!
Aoki glanced at Gardevoir, then at the surrounding Pokémon spectators, and smiled faintly, two Poké Balls appearing in his hand.
To use full power just to deal with these few Pokémon seemed a bit like bullying.
So, it would be better to let Gardevoir, Lucario, and Venusaur, who are considered juniors among Aoki's Pokémon, battle.
After all, they haven't broken through the first hurdle of the Champion-level. For Lucario and the others, while there would be pressure, it wasn't impossible to win, especially with Aoki, their trainer, directing them.
Seeing Aoki summon two more Pokémon, the Dragonite and its companions across from them also reined in their undisguised confidence.
From Aoki's Pokémon, they still felt considerable pressure.
Aoki looked at Gardevoir again, unable to help but spread his lips, revealing his pristine white teeth underneath.
"Leaving aside other Pokémon, but in front of Gardevoir, I'm afraid your proud Dragon-type moves won't be very effective," Aoki said to them faintly, not caring if they understood or not.
Slowly, they adopted their stances.
The spectating Pokémon, seeing the situation, knew the battle was about to begin and slowly distanced themselves, trying to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
"Since the opponent has a numerical advantage, let's go all out," Aoki said, taking out the wristband in his hand, revealing the Key Stone embedded within it.
"Mega Evolve, Lucario! Gardevoir! Venusaur!"
He immediately unleashed a triple Mega Evolution!
The three Pokémon almost simultaneously erupted with Mega Evolution energy waves!
Mega Lucario!
Mega Lucario's surface has more black stripes, its skin color becomes darker, its feet and the parts below its wrists turn red, its creamy white fur becomes longer, its thighs become slenderer, and more spikes grow on the back of its hands and soles of its feet!
Mega Gardevoir!
Its originally slender white gown billows out like a noble's formal dress. The red rhomboid on its chest splits into two pieces. After Mega Evolution, except for its green hair, almost no green can be seen. The protruding spikes beside its cheeks appear more pronounced.
A strand of blue hair is mixed in with Gardevoir's entirely green hair. At the same time, a trace of black ribbon is mixed in with the white gown, appearing extraordinarily mystical.
It is said that the two red plates on Mega Gardevoir's chest are her materialized heart. After liberating her heart, she can unleash powerful psychic abilities.
Mega Shiny Venusaur!
Mega Venusaur's back flower grows even larger. The increased weight of the flower makes its supporting waist and legs stronger. The flower stem becomes like a short, stout brown palm tree, and a circle of green leaves grows in the middle of the "trunk."
A white triangular mark appears in the center of the petals, with its apex pointing to the flower heart. Two six-petaled pink small flowers bloom on its forehead and back. Three dark green marks, one rhomboid and two triangles, also appear on its forehead.
The Mega Evolution of the three Pokémon left the opposing Dragonite and the other Pokémon stunned.
Since when could Pokémon evolve further?
Is this even possible?
But Aoki didn't give them time to think. "Gardevoir, Misty Terrain!"
The best counter to Dragon-type Pokémon, of course, is the Fairy-type Misty Terrain!
Within it, Dragon-type Pokémon and Dragon-type moves will be greatly weakened!
However, among the five opposing Pokémon, only two were truly Dragon-type Pokémon; the others were merely related.
As a Grass-type Pokémon, Mega Venusaur also had a significant advantage against Water and Rock types.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Aoki. "After such a long period of experimentation, perhaps now is a good opportunity."
Several more Poké Balls appeared in Aoki's hand, all thrown out.
He summoned three Pokémon: a Togekiss and two Clawitzer!
These were all Pokémon he had caught on the Space-Time Continent, and all were capable of using Aura.
Although these Pokémon followed Aoki not as his primary team, Aoki had made it clear when he first took them in and offered them shelter that he would need their help when necessary.
Of course, it wasn't forced.
Regardless, they were all Pokémon skilled in using Aura, and they were willing to cooperate with Lucario, let alone the current Mega Lucario!
Mega Lucario spread his hands, and the two Clawitzer appeared in his palms at just the right moment, like two giant cannons held in his hands!
Fortunately, Clawitzer's body is relatively small, with most of its size concentrated in its steel cannon claw, which is also the strongest cannon barrel in Mega Lucario's hands. Its small feet tightly gripped Mega Lucario's arms, and Aura flowed at their points of contact.
Togekiss also appeared behind Mega Lucario, its feet tightly gripping his back. Aura flowed over it as well, completely merging with the Aura on Mega Lucario's body.
This was Aoki's ideal ultimate battle state for Lucario: the Future Warrior form!
Mega Lucario, two Clawitzer, and a Togekiss—these four Pokémon are all skilled in using Aura. In fact, Aoki's Lucario was only able to fully develop its Aura through Togekiss's guidance.
One could say they came from the same source.
Coupled with Aoki's deliberate training during this period, their Aura could communicate with each other, allowing them to assist each other to a certain extent.
Moreover, Pokémon skilled in using Aura inherently understand the inner workings of other Pokémon better, not to mention that even their Aura was connected at this moment!
The Clawitzer on his hands were the strongest Aura-based weapons. Through the Mega Launcher's amplification, the Aura utilization rate of Mega Lucario and Clawitzer was higher.
Combined with the amplification of Aura-based moves like Dark Pulse, Dragon Pulse, and Heal Pulse, they also had a strong counter-effect against Pokémon of some other types.
And Togekiss, clinging to Mega Lucario's back, looked as if it had given Mega Lucario a pair of wings, making him less passive when facing Flying-type Pokémon, and more agile with wings!
Future Warrior Mega Lucario!
Aoki's Future Warrior plan was revealed for the first time today!
The battle officially began as Mega Lucario and the other Pokémon merged!
...
On the other side, Lance, sitting at the entrance of the Dragon's Den, slowly opened his eyes. His originally firm and wise gaze now contained a hint of confusion and doubt.
Sitting on the ground, he had finished reading everything Aoki had transmitted into his mind.
It must be said that many things within it almost completely overturned his understanding of certain concepts.
For example, Giratina, the Renegade Pokémon, using antimatter power to control the Distortion World, with the goal of transforming the entire Pokémon world into a place like the Distortion World to enhance its own power!
Another example: if a person, relying on psychic abilities, and if these psychic abilities were strong enough, could actually traverse space like a Pokémon, creating a small space that only they could control, becoming a temporary master of space.
These were all things Lance had never thought of or encountered before. It felt as if a door to a new world had opened before him.
He awoke from his contemplation partly because he had finished reading, and partly because he sensed activity within the Dragon's Den.
Someone was challenging for the right to enter the temple!
Lance's heart trembled. At this time, the only people in the Dragon's Den were himself and the mysterious person who had followed him in, claiming to be from a different time period.
So, without a doubt, the person challenging the temple could only be that person!
But Lance was very clear about the strength of the temple's guardian Pokémon. He had tried many times but was unable to defeat those five powerful Pokémon!
He only had his Dragonite, which could somewhat contend with them; his other Pokémon were still somewhat weaker, and his overall strength was insufficient to counter them.
Although he had seen that Aoki's three Pokémon were all very strong, similar to his Dragonite, they still shouldn't have been enough to defeat those five Pokémon.
Lance now realized that his battle with Aoki's Lucario wasn't due to Dragonite's lack of strength, but rather a lack of understanding of each other's Pokémon, and although Lance was unwilling to admit it, his battle command ability was inferior to the opponent's.
Summoning his Dragonite, which had mostly recovered, Lance immediately flew towards the temple.
His heart was filled with mixed emotions. He didn't know why, but deep down, he vaguely hoped Aoki could defeat those five guardian Pokémon, yet as the young master of the Dragon Clan, his pride found it hard to accept this.
With such complex emotions, Lance appeared at the temple's location at the fastest speed.
He witnessed an even more shocking scene!
The three Pokémon of Aoki he had seen before—Gardevoir, Lucario, and Venusaur—had all changed forms, and their strength had increased to varying degrees, completely suppressing the five Pokémon guarding the temple.
Not only were they being suppressed, but those five guardian Pokémon, which had been unstoppable in front of Lance, had almost no resistance under the attacks of those three Pokémon. Defeat was certain.
But this still exceeded Lance's definition of this mysterious person.
When this person fought him, he hadn't even used his full power, and what was this special battle form, this completely new appearance?
Could this form be the reason why his Pokémon became stronger?
Especially that Lucario, holding two gun-like objects that could continuously fire Aura Spheres, and with a pair of wings unfurled on its back, it could actually battle Dragonite in mid-air! This was a complete miracle!
It once again overturned Lance's understanding of Pokémon.
However, at this moment, he became even more certain of one thing.
Dragonite, this Pseudo-legendary Dragon-type Pokémon from the Kanto region, while its potential is very high and it has almost infinite possibilities as a Dragon-type Pokémon, it's still not enough. The advantage is still not big enough; the deterrent power of Dragon-type Pokémon is still not strong enough!
When Lance arrived, Aoki also noticed him, but he didn't stop him, nor did he make Lucario and the others stop fighting or end their Mega Evolution.
Before this, Aoki had somewhat understood. His purpose in traveling back in time with Celebi was not for battle or to gain anything. It was to change Lance, to make him influence the future of the Pokémon world. All of this was the main reason he traveled through time to get here.
Everything was attributed to Aoki.
This is also why, before Aoki's rebirth, and even including what he knew about the Pokémon world on Earth, there was no information about the Super God Cult organization.
Everything began to change after his rebirth. He was the little butterfly that truly influenced the entire direction of the Pokémon world.
One time-travel trip allowed him to influence an important person, leading to the birth of the special organization, the God Cult.
This was the main reason Celebi sent him here.
It was to make him create the God Cult's leader, Lance, a person with a special identity and status!
However, even Aoki himself had not thought that the true reason for the God Cult's birth was because of him!
He was the unknown variable.
But upon closer inspection, one could actually discover that this was a time paradox.
He was reborn, possessed his current strength, and could only return to the past with Celebi to create and change Lance, teaching him some special ways to use psychic powers, allowing the God Cult to exist and survive. But didn't Aoki learn these special ways of using psychic powers from the people of the God Cult?
Therefore, this is like the chicken or the egg paradox!
It is a time loop, with no beginning and no end.
Whether Lance created the God Cult first, or Aoki learned techniques from the God Cult first and then returned to teach Lance, is a topic without a conclusion.
However, from this, Aoki also roughly understood why Celebi seemed so familiar with him the first time he saw her. It turned out they had already met in the past.
His future self had already met Celebi in the past. It sounds like a tongue twister.
But that was the truth.
Aoki understood these things and also realized why, even though he hadn't mentioned anything about Mega Evolution, Lance's Latios and Latias had corresponding Mega Stones when he first appeared.
It also explained why Lance didn't directly kill Aoki when he first saw him, even though Aoki had repeatedly disrupted the God Cult's plans and was absolutely number one on the God Cult's kill list.
At the top of Mt. Silver, facing Aoki's obstruction, Lance, who had an absolute overwhelming advantage, only sent a Mega Latios to battle Aoki, instead of immediately eliminating Aoki!
Furthermore, after confirming his defeat, Lance directly cut off his own hands.
At the time, it seemed like a form of self-redemption, and Aoki even thought so, although he felt somewhat strange about Lance's actions.
But now he understood that all of this was also related to the psychic seed he planted in Lance's mind during this time period.
Although it wasn't a psychic ability that forced control, it could subtly influence Lance.
After more than twenty years of accumulation, even Aoki, the "culprit," was not entirely sure what its effect would be.
So now, it must be the time when Aoki made Lance aware of Mega Evolution information in advance!
Mega Lucario's Aura Sphere, Mega Gardevoir's Moonblast, and Mega Venusaur's Frenzy Plant—undoubtedly, all five opposing Pokémon were defeated.
Aoki gained the qualification to enter the temple!
The surrounding Pokémon watching had a look of awe in their eyes when they looked at Aoki.
Being able to defeat the five Pokémon guarding the temple earned their respect.
"Come out!" Aoki said to Lance, who was hidden at the top of the temple.
At the same time, Lucario and the others all canceled their Mega Evolutions, and the two Clawitzer and one Togekiss were also recalled by Aoki into their Poké Balls.
Lance appeared before Aoki with the help of Dragonite, looking at the three Pokémon beside him with a hesitant expression.
Pokémon that had evolved could actually revert to their original forms, once again overturning his understanding.
Today, his understanding of the past ten or twenty years had been overturned countless times.
However, he also saw that the dissipated Mega Evolution energy eventually returned to the special stones on these Pokémon.
Several stones shimmering with colorful light!
Aoki smiled at Lance, a smile filled with many unspeakable meanings.
Lance ultimately couldn't ask about these Pokémon, as it was very likely the core secret of the other party's Pokémon training!
Under Lance's gaze, Aoki pushed open the door and strode into this ancient temple, while Lance could only watch Aoki walk in with a mysterious smile.
Lance failed to personally defeat the guardian Pokémon, so the rules prevented him from entering the temple.
Aoki didn't pay him any mind.
Upon entering the temple, just as Aoki had expected, there were sculptures of Pokémon inside.
More precisely, they were sculptures of Dragon-type Pokémon. Aoki recognized all of them and even found them somewhat familiar.
After thinking carefully, he realized that these sculptures here were remarkably similar to those in the Dragon's Den.
The only difference was that at the end of the Dragon's Den sculptures, there was a statue depicting the Sky High Pokémon, Rayquaza, while in this temple, the final sculpture was... Giratina!
No wonder the Dragon Clan would have records of the Renegade Pokémon, and some information about Giratina.
This was probably one of the main reasons why this branch of Dragon-type Pokémon in the Dragon's Den wanted to separate from the Dragon's Den.
The Dragon-type Pokémon in the Dragon's Den served the Sky High Pokémon, Rayquaza, while the Dragon Clan in the Dragon's Den served the Renegade Pokémon, Giratina. It must be said that this was a significant point of conflict.
A conflict of faith!
Aoki walked to the mural depicting Giratina and gently sensed it with his hand.
It was just ordinary stone, with nothing special about it.
"Perhaps the Dragon Clan no longer serves the so-called Renegade Pokémon, but since the Dragon's Den originated here, they preserved this," Aoki thought silently.
In front of this statue, there was a stone table, and on the stone table, countless Dragon Scales were neatly arranged!
They were stacked one by one, covering the entire tabletop!
From the number of these Dragon Scales, it was clear that this was an important treasure accumulated by the entire Dragon Clan over countless years!
Because after Aoki scanned these Dragon Scales, he found that none of them were ordinary. Any single one circulating on the market would cause a huge sensation!
Not a single one was a Dragon Scale left by a non-Champion-level Dragon-type Pokémon!!!
These Dragon Scales alone represented an enormous and immeasurable fortune!
This was one of the Dragon Clan's foundations!
At the same time, while Aoki was scanning these Dragon Scales, he discovered the secret of this stone platform!
If he wasn't mistaken, the reason why this Dragon's Den was filled with such rich Dragon-type energy was likely due to the accumulation of so many Champion-level Dragon Scales here, and this platform simultaneously diffused the energy from the Dragon Scales into the pool of the Dragon's Den, which resulted in such abundant Dragon-type energy in the Dragon's Den.
While marveling at the Dragon Clan's foundation, Aoki made a new discovery.
Psychic power surged, and he carefully levitated all the Dragon Scales on the stone platform.
"This way, no one should be able to find them!" Aoki said calmly.
The levitated Dragon Scales still looked the same as before, but beneath them, Aoki saw his unexpected gain!
Two fist-sized stone fragments!
They were the kind of stone fragments Aoki was familiar with; he had obtained identical ones in the Dragon's Den previously.
Azure Flute fragments!
Fragments!
Aoki carefully picked up these two Azure Flute fragments from the platform.
These two stone fragments had no effect on the entire platform; they could even be considered mere decorations.
"Tsk, such good things just left here like this, isn't that a bit wasteful?" Aoki subconsciously complained.
Since the people of the Dragon Clan didn't know how to use these two Azure Flute fragments, Aoki didn't mind helping them.
After all, wouldn't it be a bit pitiful for these two lovely stone fragments to stay here for another few decades or centuries?
So, Aoki quietly put these two Azure Flute fragments into his pocket.
As for the Dragon Scales, although they were also very valuable, Aoki wasn't interested in them.
He put them back in their original place and walked back to the mural of Giratina.
With a thought, he used his psychic power to leave a special mark on the mural, and within this mark, he left the way to the Distortion World!
He believed that after some time, stimulated by him, Lance would be able to defeat the five guardian Pokémon. By then, Lance's psychic powers, after a period of accumulation, would no longer be so weak that he couldn't even use his abilities.
Lance's talent in psychic abilities was quite good.
After doing all this, Aoki walked out of the temple without looking back.
Seeing Lance still waiting outside, he once again meaningfully patted his shoulder, leaving him stunned.
"Let's go!" After saying that, he directly used Teleport to bring him to the entrance of the Dragon's Den.
Lance hadn't even reacted before Aoki inexplicably brought him out.
"Celebi——"
Just as Aoki walked out of the Dragon's Den, a faint sound appeared in his ear, and this sound grew louder and louder.
Aoki narrowed his eyes, knowing that it was almost time for him to return.
"I'm almost leaving. Thank you for bringing me into the Dragon's Den!" Aoki said to Lance.
Upon hearing this, Lance was stunned, watching Aoki's figure slowly disappear before him. It wasn't the kind of disappearance from Teleport, but a gradual fading like an afterimage.
"What's your name?!" Lance asked before Aoki completely vanished.
Although they had only met today, Lance felt that this person might have a significant impact on his future.
"Aoki——"
Aoki left his name before completely disappearing.
"Aoki... huh?" Lance heard the name and firmly etched it into his mind!