Seven days later, at the seaside of Slateport City, Aoki stood on the shore looking at the boundless sea, ready to set sail.
The journey from Eterna City to Slateport City had taken seven days, with a detour to Saffron City along the way. However, the gym challenge there was unsuccessful because the gym leader, Sabrina, was absent. Unwilling to wait, Aoki decided to move on, knowing he could return to challenge her later.
Sabrina, one of the oldest gym leaders in the Hoenn region, was known for her formidable strength. While it was unfortunate to miss the opportunity to battle her, Saffron City wasn't far from Verdanturf Town, so Aoki could challenge her at any time.
As for Slateport City, the largest port in Hoenn, it was most famous for its Pokémon Contests. The reputation of its gym wasn't particularly outstanding, and after a straightforward battle with the gym leader, Aoki secured his badge and departed swiftly.
The journey shouldn't have taken seven days, but Aoki had deliberately taken his time to ensure his Pokémon received proper training.
With his second-tier Pokémon now steadily progressing, Aoki didn't want to delay their development any further.
Slowking, having recently reached the pseudo-champion level, was still adjusting to its newfound power. Meanwhile, the rest of Aoki's first-tier Pokémon were also making steady progress. Taking advantage of the relatively peaceful travel period, where wild Pokémon weren't too strong, Aoki focused on training his second-tier team.
By sticking to the smaller forests near the main roads, Aoki ensured his Pokémon faced manageable opponents.
Over the past few days, Marshtomp and Combusken, which had evolved while using aptitude improvement potions, had finally recovered from their weakened state. Eager for battle, they had been itching to prove themselves.
In these wild environments, certain Pokémon had natural advantages—Combusken's Fire-type moves and Aron's Steel-type resilience made them frequent combatants.
Marshtomp and Poliwag, being key members of Aoki's future Rain Team, had also seen increased training. Poliwag's evolution into Politoed was crucial, as Aoki had already prepared a King's Rock for its final evolution. Once Poliwag met Aoki's standards, it would evolve into Politoed, solidifying the Rain Team's core.
Currently, Aoki's first-tier Pokémon lacked a defined tactical core, aside from Slowking's Telepathy network, which allowed seamless coordination under Aoki's commands.
His initial Pokémon had been caught primarily for survival and raw strength, without much strategic planning. But now, Aoki was building his second team with purpose, carefully selecting Pokémon that fit his long-term goals.
As the gym leader of Verdanturf Town, a water type gym, forming a Rain Team would be essential. A well-structured team would not only enhance Aoki's standing in the Pokémon League but also solidify Verdanturf Gym's reputation.
In higher-level battles, team synergy became crucial. Aoki had witnessed this firsthand during the battle between Lance and Athena at the Team Rocket base. Despite Athena's numerical advantage, Lance's well-coordinated team overwhelmed her.
Aoki's Rain Team would revolve around Politoed's Drizzle ability, maintaining constant rain to empower Water-type moves.
Swampert, with its Water/Ground typing, would serve as a defensive anchor, nullifying Electric-type threats. Its potential Mega Evolution, granting the Swift Swim ability, would further enhance its role.
Slowking, serving as a special attacker, would also contribute with its Telepathy network, ensuring flawless execution of Aoki's strategies.
If Floette could master type-shifting between Water and Grass, it would provide crucial support, countering opposing Grass-types.
The remaining slots were flexible—Combusken could handle Grass-types with Fighting moves, while Tyranitar, Lairon, Drapion, or even Gengar could be rotated based on the opponent's lineup.
The Rain Team was a dynamic concept, not a rigid formation. If Aoki could acquire a Kabutops or Ludicolo with Swift Swim, they would be excellent additions. Even a Pelipper with Drizzle could serve as a backup weather controller.
In an ideal scenario, a Swift Swim Kingdra would be a formidable choice.
This vision for the Rain Team was one of Aoki's primary motivations for training his second-tier Pokémon.
Another long-term plan was a Sandstorm Team centered around Tyranitar, though that remained a distant goal for now.
Among his second-tier Pokémon, Lairon had reached level 22 through relentless battles. Poliwag, being groomed for evolution, had hit level 20. Combusken, starting at a lower level, had climbed to 19.
Marshtomp and Larvitar had each gained two levels, reaching 18 and 17 respectively.
Nearly every second-tier Pokémon had leveled up at least twice—a testament to Aoki's rigorous training.
As for his first-tier team, Slowking was still acclimating to its fusion with Mew's DNA. The others, though not as dramatically improved, had also broken through their previous limits, ready for further growth after some consolidation.
Now, standing on Slateport City's beach, Aoki prepared to set sail in search of Regice.