Pokemon: Rising From The Dark

Aoki led the Pokémon into the vast grassland.

The area they had just left was merely a small corner of the expansive plains.

After such an intense battle, Tyranitar and the others were covered in wounds.

They were no longer able to participate in fierce combat.

Under these circumstances, few wild Pokémon on the grassland would take the initiative to provoke trouble or rush into battle recklessly.

Across the wide-open plains, only Madame Florges walked gracefully, leaving a trail of blooming flowers in her wake.

After traveling for some time, they arrived at a lake that was relatively rare on the grassland.

At a glance, there was green grass everywhere, and a large expanse of blue was visible—not the color of the lake, but the sky reflected upon its surface.

It was just that the grass here wasn't particularly tall.

Otherwise, it would have truly evoked the feeling of seeing herds of cattle and sheep when the wind blew the grass low.

Upon seeing this lake, they decided to set up camp there.

They would rest for the night and depart the next day.

Aoki summoned all his Pokémon.

Under the control of powerful psychic powers, the camp was quickly established.

Tyranitar and the others obediently carried out Aoki's punishment task: if they didn't finish their push-ups, they wouldn't get dinner.

It was the first time for the Vigoroth to leave its own tribe. Watching the behavior of Aoki's Pokémon, it always felt a little uneasy.

And the grassland was something it had never seen before.

Fortunately, it wasn't idle.

Teaching Aoki's Pokémon was its favorite thing to do now. This made it feel less awkward and helped build closer relationships with them.

Among all the Pokémon Aoki had captured, Vigoroth had the strongest self-awareness and was quite intelligent.

It watched as it instructed Tyranitar and the others on proper push-up form, even doing them alongside the group.

It was able to get along with them quickly.

And its speed in doing push-ups was acknowledged by Tyranitar and the others.

It was actually faster and more precise than the Fighting-type Blaziken.

A Vigoroth that had pushed itself to the limit had very little room for improvement without evolving.

However, unbeknownst to Tyranitar and the others, a pair of eyes suddenly appeared in the middle of the lake, staring intently at the group as they exercised.

An unknown light flickered within them.

Because its color was blue, it did not attract anyone's attention in the lake.

Neither Aoki nor Slowking could detect its presence through their psychic scans.

It was a Pokémon extremely skilled at concealing itself.

Soon, Aoki began preparing dinner.

Now he felt it was a good thing that he had hair on his head; otherwise, he would truly look like a doctor who could spy on people's thoughts at will.

The long-unfamiliar scent of barbecue once again appeared around Aoki.

Tyranitar and the others, smelling the aroma, did their push-ups even faster.

However, the fastest was still the Vigoroth.

Then came the Blaziken.

Fortunately, just before Aoki finished cooking, Tyranitar and the others finally completed their task.

They held the barbecue with slightly trembling hands.

They enjoyed the meal immensely.

But as they were eating, the eyes in the lake appeared again and watched them.

This time, Aoki did sense something, but when he looked toward the lake, he could see nothing out of the ordinary. Aside from some slight ripples on the water's surface, there was nothing unusual.

Aoki didn't think much of it. After all, there were bound to be wild Pokémon in a lake like this.

...

The next morning.

The sky was growing light.

Aoki awakened his Pokémon.

After completing their morning training, they could set off again.

For the third time.

Those eyes appeared again.

This time, they were spotted by Aoki.

The feeling of being secretly observed was something Aoki was most sensitive to.

This time, he deployed his psychic powers in advance and pinpointed the source of that sensation.

A pair of eyes on the surface of the lake.

Aoki met its gaze.

A hint of surprise appeared.

So it was this Pokémon.

After realizing it had been noticed, the Pokémon in the lake no longer hid. It rolled over and leaped out of the water.

It landed steadily on the ground in a very handsome posture.

Both feet and one front foot were on the ground, and its other arm was placed horizontally behind its back.

A young eagle taking flight!

Its body and legs were dark blue, its chest was yellow, and it had large white bubbles on each of its limbs. It also had a four-pointed star-shaped mark on each leg that resembled a shuriken.

Its forelimbs had three fingers, its hind limbs had two, its feet were webbed, the lower part of its face and its pointed ears were light yellow, there were white spots above its eyes, and its eyes had white sclera, red irises, and white pupils.

The pink "scarf" around its neck was actually its tongue.

Greninja!

It was because he recognized this Pokémon that Aoki showed a hint of surprise.

This species had held a special place in Aoki's heart back when he was still on Earth.

This was mainly due to Ash's Greninja, its unique Bond Evolution method, and Greninja's handsome appearance, which had attracted many fans.

It was undeniable that Aoki had once been among them.

In his previous life, just after being reborn, Aoki had also been obsessed with this kind of Pokémon. However, as he grew up and realized the difficulties of life, he gradually let go.

In this life, Aoki no longer held any special pursuit for Greninja.

He was only somewhat interested in the Bond Evolution method between Ash and his Greninja.

Especially after noticing some changes occurring in Steven's Aerodactyl, Aoki had grown more interested in Bond Evolution.

However, this Greninja had been secretly observing his Pokémon for so long, likely for a reason.

No wonder Aoki and Slowking's psychic perception couldn't detect it; Greninja was a Water and Dark-type Pokémon.

Pokémon: Greninja (Cyan)

Gender: Male

Level: 65

Attributes: Water + Dark

Ability: Torrent

Held Item: None

Inherited Moves: Mind Reader, Mud Sport, Water Sport, Power-Up Punch

Basic Moves: Water Shuriken, Feint Attack, Haze, Role Play, Mat Block, Pound, Growl, Bubble, Quick Attack, Lick, Water Pulse, Smokescreen, Shadow Sneak, Extrasensory, Spikes, Substitute, Aerial Ace, Double Team

Taught Moves: Hydro Pump, Low Kick, Ice Punch, Icy Wind, Bounce, Snore

TM Moves: None

As one of the three starter Water-type Pokémon of the Kalos region, Greninja's growth potential was beyond doubt.

It was quite rare to find a wild Greninja at the Champion level.

Any Pokémon that reached the Champion level in the wild was impressive, but by the time they reached that level, their plasticity was somewhat diminished.

For some Trainers, the difference wasn't that significant, and it could even save a lot of resources.

But for Aoki, a fully-formed Champion-level Pokémon might not seem lacking under normal circumstances. However, when facing a master of the same level, the difference could become very apparent.

Greninja slowly stood up and gently crooked a finger toward the Blaziken standing beside Aoki.

A provocation!