Pokemon: Rising From The Dark

The comfortable rhythm of daily battles with a large number of wild Pokémon became Aoki's new normal. After rigorous training came intense fighting, with no need to queue for opponents as he could engage them all at once. For an entire month, Aoki was neither hurried nor slow, patiently honing his spirit and simultaneously refining his own skills. He temporarily put the Team Rocket mission to the back of his mind.

Having spent nearly a month on the periphery of this unique space, he had finally come to a full understanding of it. Aoki successfully defeated the Tropius leader with his Blaziken. Although it was a pyrrhic victory, it was a victory nonetheless. His Tyranitar also challenged the Vigoroth many times, forming a strong comradery with it. There's a saying that goes, "No fight, no acquaintance." From the Vigoroth, Tyranitar learned numerous clever little tricks for combat.

During this month, Tyranitar successfully broke through to the Champion level, taking another step forward to reach level 61. It became the first Pokémon in Aoki's second tier to break through to the Champion level, officially announcing that the Pokémon in the second echelon had begun to catch up with those in the first. This was inevitable; the higher the level, the more difficult it becomes to improve strength. Additionally, the levels of Blaziken, Aggron, and Swampert had all reached level 59 and could break through to the Champion level at any time. Only the Politoed was a little slower, remaining at level 57.

Moreover, all the Pokémon in the second tier, except for Politoed, were capable of Mega Evolution. After Mega Evolving, Tyranitar was actually not much weaker than Slowking, although Slowking's level had also increased by one to level 67 during the month. But Tyranitar is a Dark-type Pokémon after all and possesses a type advantage. After Mega Evolution, they had almost reached the official Champion level, so the gap was not as large as one might imagine.

The strongest Pokémon at this time was the Gengar capable of Mega Evolution. Gengar's level had reached 66, and after Mega Evolution, it had attained the level of a senior Champion. Madame Florges's level had also reached 66. The levels of these three Pokémon were all raised through training, and as they did not participate in many battles, the improvement was slow but stable.

During this period, Honchkrow, Drapion, and Weavile were fighting frantically, but they all went out to find their opponents independently. Aoki provided them with Pokeblocks and potions before they left to ensure their safety. Whether they ventured beyond the 20-kilometer radius was unknown to Aoki. Consequently, the levels of Honchkrow, Weavile, and Drapion all reached level 65, slowly catching up to Madame Florges and the others. Aoki's overall strength had once again been greatly improved.

This area had been almost fully developed, and staying longer would not be of much help to him or his Pokémon. Furthermore, due to subsequent developments, the wild Pokémon had nearly collected all the local resources, which ended up in Aoki's pocket. After a month of rest and recuperation, Aoki's body had also recovered significantly. At this point, except for his feet, which could not move freely, his upper body had completely returned to normal. Sitting on the specially made sofa chair carried by Tyranitar, he could sit for long periods without any discomfort.

Aoki's control over his psychic powers also increased from 50% to 55%. The rate of improvement was very slow, but any enhancement brought about significant changes for Aoki. However, Instant Teleportation still had some flaws and could not be used normally. Nevertheless, Aoki had mastered the skills of telekinetically moving objects from a distance, even through space. Aoki's sofa chair was suspended in the air.

The three Skuntank were driven away by Aoki, who saw a very reluctant look in their eyes. They were of no more use. Besides, following Aoki had brought them many benefits and allowed them to eat a lot of good food; for them, it was not a loss. Now that he was leaving, there was no point in taking them with him.

The sofa chair floated over to the Kommo-o sleeping on the ground. During this month, the Armor Pokémon had taught all of Aoki's Pokémon, finally focusing its instruction on the Kommo-o. The Kommo-o's understanding of the Dragon type and its mastery of Dragon-type skills increased at a linear rate. These were implicit improvements that could not be reflected by obvious things such as levels and data.

"Kommo-o, what do you think? A month has passed. Have you made up your mind?" Aoki said to the Kommo-o.

The Kommo-o slowly opened its eyes and looked at Aoki.

Roar--

A month? How long is that? I had just rested for a while and I wasn't fully awake yet.

By now, Aoki was able to use his Telepathy to communicate with the Kommo-o. After understanding what it meant, Aoki felt a little ashamed. Considering the long life span of Dragon-type Pokémon, a month really wasn't a long time. This guy truly hadn't thought about it much.

"Ahem, you don't have much time to think about it, because we are leaving," Aoki continued.

Upon hearing this, the Kommo-o showed a look of distress. The question Aoki had asked it to consider was the same one from a month ago: whether the Kommo-o was willing to follow him out of this space. Aoki could help it find its fellow tribesmen, but in return, the Kommo-o needed to help Aoki fight five times.

The battle count was originally planned to be ten times, but the Kommo-o had almost jumped up at that. Aoki's strength was still too weak in its eyes, and they couldn't truly have an equal dialogue during their communication. The fact that it was conducted in a trading mode at all was only due to Shelgon and its knowledge of other Kommo-o. In the end, Aoki reduced the number of battles to five.

Actually, it didn't matter how many times it fought; even if it didn't help even once, its presence was a powerful deterrent. This was a trump card stronger than the Regice. Even when facing the Elite Four, as long as it wasn't someone as powerful as Drake, this Kommo-o could hold back at least two of the opponent's Pokémon. A Champion-level Trainer would be completely crushed.

"Then you can't lock me in your little ball," the Kommo-o finally compromised. Although it was comfortable to stay in this space, this was no way to spend its long dragon life. If it went out with this human named Aoki, perhaps it could find others of its tribe. The Kommo-o had actually already made the decision in its heart, but as a powerful pseudo-legendary Pokémon, it was still difficult to accept being temporarily contained by a weak human, even if only stored in a Pokéball. It made him feel uncomfortable.

Aoki couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth. Even with his temperament, he couldn't suppress the inner joy from showing on his face. How could he not be happy? This was a super-Champion-level pseudo-legendary! An ultimate ace card. To actually secure its agreement for five battles was beyond his hopes; he had started by asking for ten, a high opening offer made casually. He hadn't expected the Kommo-o to accept after he reduced it to only five times.

"No problem," Aoki agreed without hesitation. Such a quick answer made the Kommo-o feel like it had been tricked. Aoki cunningly took out a Luxury Ball. After signaling to Kommo-o, he successfully contained it. As it didn't resist, he captured it directly. After the capture, he could no longer contain his excitement. Aoki laughed heartily with joy. After being in this world for so long, he had finally acquired a significant ability to protect himself! Simultaneously, it proved that Aoki's skill of bluffing with a straight face had been successfully mastered.