Pokemon: Rising From The Dark

Two days later.

In the forest north of Verdanturf Town.

After two days of continuous travel, Aoki finally made it through the vast forest and towering mountains.

He encountered countless Pokémon along the way.

Some of Aoki's Pokémon could easily handle them, but for others, he had no choice but to avoid them.

Many powerful Pokémon roamed the forest, including some at elite level, and Aoki knew better than to provoke them. It would be wiser to challenge them once his Pokémon grew stronger. Their lairs might also contain valuable items.

However, Aoki did manage to defeat several Pokémon on par with his own, using them as stepping stones to strengthen his team.

He also discovered many interesting and useful items in their nests. Along the way, he captured some wild Pokémon with good potential, which he planned to exchange for points at the Hunter's Guild.

Had his Pokémon been weaker at the start, Aoki might have needed several more days to cross the forest.

But as he neared Verdanturf Town, the wild Pokémon became weaker. Fewer and fewer dared to challenge him upon seeing Honchkrow.

For the last half-day, Aoki focused entirely on traveling.

Fortunately, the main objective had been achieved.

Slowking successfully broke through to level 40. While Honchkrow did not reach the elite level, it advanced to level 39—just one step away from the next threshold.

This training session was highly productive, though future progress would be more difficult. The higher a Pokémon's level, the harder it becomes to improve.

As the first of Aoki's Pokémon to reach the elite level, Slowking had been successfully raised.

With dark teal potential and strong abilities, Slowking had a real chance of advancing to the elite level, provided Aoki continued training diligently.

Pokémon: Shiny Slowking (Dark Teal)

Gender: Male

Level: 40

Type: Water/Psychic

Ability: Own Tempo

Held Item: Leader's Aura

Egg Moves: Sleep Talk, Rain Dance, Teleport

Basic Moves: Curse, Yawn, Tackle, Screech, Water Gun, Psychic, Protect, Zen Headbutt, Water Pulse, Amnesia, Heal Pulse, Power Gem, Trick

Learnt Moves: Calm Mind, Psyshock, Miracle Eye, Extrasensory

TM Moves: Protect, Hidden Power (Fire), Stomp, Flamethrower, Earthquake, Surf, Ice Punch (taught by Sneasel)

During this training session, Slowking proactively sought out Sneasel to learn Ice Punch, ensuring it had a reliable option for close combat.

Additionally, Sneasel reached level 38, Skorupi reached level 34, and Haunter reached level 36.

Aoki's next step was preparing for Sneasel's evolution and Haunter's evolution.

Once they evolved, their strength would increase significantly.

While their current levels and potential were good, they were still inferior to fully evolved Honchkrow and Slowking.

Their combat abilities were solid, but they lacked the final impact needed for decisive battles.

Even though they weren't meant to be Aoki's final trump cards, they still needed to meet a certain standard of strength.

The biggest improvement during this training session came from Skorupi. It had started at level 26 but had now reached level 34.

Additionally, its exclusive poison sac had fully formed, making its venom the deadliest among Aoki's Pokémon.

As its level rose, Skorupi's strength had increased dramatically. Now, it could be considered one of the strongest members of Aoki's team.

Skorupi had become a frontline fighter, with strong offensive capabilities. Its pincers allowed for diverse attack patterns, and its Sniper ability made its critical hits devastating.

This rapid improvement was largely due to its exposure to Poison-type energy.

Early on, Aoki gave Skorupi special toxic items to stimulate the toxins in its body. These items not only enhanced its venom but also helped it absorb Poison-type energy, accelerating its growth.

Later, Aoki obtained a damaged Poison Orb from Mahogany Town, which significantly boosted Skorupi's level.

By absorbing the remaining Poison-type energy from the broken Poison Orb, Skorupi experienced a major breakthrough in power.

However, its progress would slow down now that the Poison Orb's energy was nearly depleted.

Had the orb been intact, Skorupi wouldn't have been able to absorb its full energy in its current state.

In short, the primary goal of this training session had been achieved. Aoki could now confidently say he had reached the level of an entry-level elite Trainer, officially stepping into the ranks of a standard Team Rocket captain.

His strength was finally aligning with his position.

However, there was still room for improvement in his Pokémon's skillsets.

Now that Slowking and the others had leveled up, Aoki needed to acquire more TM Moves to cover their weaknesses.

Once he received supplies from Team Rocket, he planned to purchase additional moves to optimize his Pokémon's abilities.

Higher levels demanded appropriate skills to maximize combat effectiveness.

Aoki didn't leave the forest immediately. As planned, he was supposed to meet a Shadow Unit member who was waiting for him.

They were responsible for delivering Team Rocket's supplies to him.

Aoki was curious about the individual entrusted with this important task. If Shadow had personally assigned them, their strength was likely formidable.

The Shadow Unit's internal dynamics were complex, and Aoki hadn't looked too deeply into them.

However, Shadow—one of the faction's high-ranking members—had chosen Aoki, a relatively unknown figure at the time, rather than relying on seasoned Shadow Unit fighters.

This suggested something deeper was at play.

It also hinted at the possibility that the League had infiltrated Team Rocket. Not everyone in the League was incompetent; otherwise, they wouldn't have remained the dominant organization.

Had the Shadow Unit thoroughly vetted their members?

Or was Shadow placing trust in a direct subordinate?