After the meeting, Aoki and Steven left together. All the Trainers who had made appointments this time ate together in the cafeteria of the League Building, getting to know one another. After all, everyone would meet again soon at the Sinnoh competition, and those called to participate in this meeting were considered among the most promising young Trainers from the Hoenn region. Sharing a meal meant they could at least greet each other as acquaintances when they met again, avoiding awkwardness later. When everything concluded, they all went their separate ways.
Phoebe was the one who followed Aoki and Steven. "Aoki, why are you always holding that computer? You never put it down," Phoebe asked curiously. Even during the meal, Aoki had kept the device close. Steven had already asked the same question earlier.
"It's just to develop a habit. With the Sinnoh competition approaching, I want to gather information about potential opponents. That way I won't be caught off guard when we meet in battle," Aoki explained with a smile. Steven rolled his eyes beside him. He'd heard that excuse before, yet never actually saw Aoki using the computer for research. But it didn't matter - Phoebe believed it completely.
With admiring eyes, she looked at Aoki and said, "You're really amazing, Aoki." After leaving Mt. Pyre, Phoebe had learned much about the world with Adams' help. Gaining this basic understanding hadn't been easy for her.
"Anyway, what are your plans? The Sinnoh competition starts in twenty days. If you need to prepare anything, you should start now," Aoki changed the subject. "True," Steven agreed. "I'll likely return home to recuperate. My Pokemon have several issues I need to consult family elders about. More pressingly..." He grimaced slightly. "I don't yet have six main battle Pokemon. I urgently need to complete my team before competing."
Steven's Metagross was incredibly powerful, but the strength distribution among his other Pokemon varied greatly. These twenty days would be his final preparation period. "Same for me," Phoebe added, counting on her fingers. "But Grandpa Adams will handle preparations. I'll probably focus on training battles to strengthen my Pokemon." Having lived deep within Mt. Pyre since childhood without formal Pokemon training, Adams had arranged several expert tutors to systematically teach her proper battling knowledge. She'd learned much since leaving the mountain, but still had room for improvement.
Aoki nodded. Like them, he needed to make final adjustments - though his preparations would be more extensive. Currently, only his Slowking, Gengar, Drapion, and Floette were competition-ready. Assembling a full team of six battle-ready Pokemon was proving challenging. Ideally, he'd train his Marshtomp and Poliwhirl during these twenty days, as they were the strongest in his secondary roster. However, bringing them to Slowking's level in just twenty days seemed unrealistic - such rapid growth might destabilize their foundations, hindering future development.
Moreover, evolving Marshtomp into Swampert and Poliwhirl into Politoed would require another set of specialized enhancement supplements. Preparing these wouldn't be as simple as the first time, and gathering the necessary resources quickly would be difficult.
Most critically - Aoki was broke. His savings had been exhausted creating the first set of supplements. Without funding, all his plans stalled. While money wasn't everything, its absence made progress nearly impossible. Every strategy Aoki considered relied on having adequate funds.
Additionally, Floette needed to evolve, but a high-quality Shiny Stone required substantial money - and even with funds, finding one wouldn't be guaranteed. The only consolation was that after the Sinnoh competition began, preliminary rounds would provide some buffer time before the final battles.
In desperation, Aoki considered relying solely on his Altaria and Mismagius to bulldoze through the competition - but this was just a passing thought. While Altaria's pseudo-champion strength might be acceptable, using Mismagius would seem like he'd borrowed a powerful Pokemon from some elder, causing discontent among other regional competitors. Even the Hoenn League wouldn't support such tactics - winning first place that way would bring no honor. Ultimately, this was meant to be a fair competition among the League's own Trainers.
Thus, Aoki formulated a temporary plan: If he could quickly earn enough for Marshtomp and Poliwhirl's supplements and acquire all necessary resources, he'd enter them in the competition. If time proved insufficient, he'd have to use Flygon and Altaria instead - though this might feel unfair to opponents. Before the competition, securing a top-quality Shiny Stone for Floette's evolution was also critical to ensure his team's endurance in extended battles. Therefore, Aoki's immediate priority became earning money quickly.
As for the fastest way to accomplish this? Aoki already had several ideas.
"Then we'll meet at the Sinnoh competition. Steven, please keep an eye out for a top-quality Shiny Stone - contact me immediately if you find one," Aoki said finally, tossing a Pokeball to summon his Flygon and mounting it. "A top-quality Shiny Stone? Understood. But you know how rare high-grade evolutionary stones are - I can't make promises," Steven acknowledged with a nod. "No problem. Just keep watch - it's fine if nothing turns up. Take care, Steven, Phoebe!" With that, Flygon's wings beat powerfully as it carried Aoki skyward.
Steven would depart later via private jet with his father, who remained in a smaller meeting with Adams. Phoebe stayed at League headquarters where Adams would provide full support for her training.