Scolipede Swarm

In short, the current Sneasel has enough strength and has also met Aoki's requirements. If he can evolve now, the timing is just right!

As for the Black Sludge, it was actually Aoki's temporary idea.

The effect of the Black Sludge is still very powerful. Poison-type Pokémon will continuously recover after holding it.

However, the more poisoned a Pokemon is, the stronger the recovery effect, but the Black Sludge has a fixed recovery effect. Even so, the value of this item is very high.

And not only that, but it can also strengthen the Poison-type attacks of Poison-type Pokémon.

The main purpose of Aoki's exchange for this item is for Skorupi and Haunter.

These two Pokémon are the only Poison-types in Aoki's team. With the Black Sludge, their combat power can definitely improve again.

These two items are also what Aoki can think of now, and they have the greatest effect on strengthening his Pokémon.

"Then let's exchange for these two items. All the rest will be exchanged for you into Pokecoins, plus three Evolutionary Catalysts. I will send someone to the forest outside Verdanturf Town. He will leave the exclusive mark of our Shadow Team for you. When the time comes, you can just connect with him and retrieve it," Shadow said lightly.

"Yes!" Aoki replied.

"Be careful..."

After Shadow finished speaking, he immediately hung up the communicator.

Be careful?

Beware of what?

Aoki was a little dazed.

Why suddenly warn him to be careful but not specify of what?

This was more of a headache.

But before Aoki had time to think about it, an unexpected incident occurred again.

This is the nature of the forest. Without knowing why, unexpected events can occur that one cannot predict, especially in the deep wilderness where emergencies are more likely.

But while this incident could be called an emergency, its cause was somewhat related to Aoki.

Because rushing toward them was a large group of Scolipede, along with Whirlipede, and even at the end, densely packed Venipede.

"Did we just poke a Scolipede nest?" Aoki's face turned a little grim.

The number of Scolipede that suddenly appeared was simply too many. As expected of Bug-type Pokémon, their reproductive ability was simply outrageous.

The one leading the charge was an even larger Scolipede than the one Aoki and the others had just defeated—obviously, the leader of the Scolipede horde.

The System activated immediately, and Aoki obtained the data of the Scolipede leader.

Pokémon: Scolipede (Light Cyan)

Gender: Male

Level: 49

Type: Bug + Poison

Ability: Swarm

Held Item: Leader's Presence

Egg Moves: Rock Climb, Pin Missile, Toxic Spikes

Base Moves: Baton Pass, Iron Defense, Megahorn, Defense Curl, Rollout, Poison Sting, Screech, Pursuit, Protect, Poison Tail, Bug Bite, Venoshock, Agility, Steamroller, Toxic, Venom Drench

Taught Moves: X-Scissor, Signal Beam, Spikes, Iron Tail, Stomp

TM Moves: None

Looking at the data of this Scolipede, Aoki felt that the situation had become troublesome.

A level 49 Scolipede was not the same as a level 40 one. One had just reached the Elite tier, while the other was already approaching the threshold of a pseudo-Champion.

There was still a massive gap between them.

Moreover, the potential of this Scolipede had reached Light Cyan. Though influenced by an intangible factor like Leader's Presence, Light Cyan was still Cyan, a step above a regular Green-tier Scolipede.

This meant it had the potential to reach the Champion level, not to mention pseudo-Champion.

"A male… so the one I caught just now may have been one of his mates?" Aoki looked at the dense crowd of Scolipede behind and quickly pieced it together.

It really looked like he had stirred up a nest.

And…

It seemed like…

He couldn't win this fight.

The best strategy was to retreat.

If you couldn't win, the smart choice was to withdraw. Getting surrounded by a horde of Poison-type Pokémon was no joke.

Aoki immediately threw out a Pokéball, and Tropius appeared.

Initially, Tropius had a relaxed expression, but when he saw the incoming Scolipede horde, his face changed instantly.

He was no longer the same as before, when Aoki was weaker, and he could look down on enemies who provoked him.

But now, he realized that the aura exuding from the Scolipede leader that Aoki had angered was genuinely terrifying.

Seeing Tropius' frightened look, Aoki smiled and calmly stepped onto his back.

The Scolipede horde was strong, but they couldn't fly, so they couldn't threaten Aoki.

The rest of Aoki's Pokémon also followed him onto Tropius' back.

Honchkrow could fly on his own, and Skorupi was returned to its Pokéball. As for Slowking, he simply found a place to sit on Tropius' back, using his Psychic Powers to reduce his weight to a minimum.

A hurried Tropius flapped his wings and took off.

Logically speaking, seeing Aoki and his team flying away, the Scolipede horde should have given up.

But for some reason—perhaps the captured Scolipede was the leader's favorite mate—the leader stubbornly chased after them on the ground.

Surprisingly, the large size of Tropius made maneuvering through the forest tricky, while the agile Scolipede leader kept pace on the ground, staying close behind.

Aoki patted Tropius' neck, signaling him to slow down and not panic, just maintaining a steady speed.

Tropius, understanding Aoki's intention, was still somewhat nervous but relaxed slightly upon recalling Aoki's current strength.

As the speed slowed, the Scolipede leader and its horde managed to catch up.

"Since you're so determined to chase me, I can't let your efforts be in vain," Aoki said lightly.

A cold glint flashed in his dark eyes.

"Slowking, continuous Psychic attacks!"

"Honchkrow, Dark Pulse!"

"Sneasel, Icicle Claw, Icy Wind! There are plenty of moving targets below—perfect for practicing your accuracy."

"Haunter, keep launching Shadow Balls!"

Following Aoki's command, his Pokémon, without fear of counterattack, unleashed their strongest moves in an indiscriminate barrage below.

Since the ground was filled with nothing but enemies, there was no need to be selective.

However, the Scolipede horde wasn't just standing there taking hits. They retaliated with ranged attacks like Pin Missile, Poison Sting, and Venoshock, sending a wave of venomous projectiles toward Aoki and his airborne team.