Chapter 476 - Receiving the Catalysts
In fact, when Youhun first received Shadow's mission, he didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a simple escort task.
He had done this kind of mission countless times before, even in the Hoenn region, where he had already completed several.
But before he departed, Renda sent someone to find him, offering significant benefits and promising to help him reach the elite level.
Renda had contacted him privately before, but it was always over trivial matters, and he had never paid much attention.
He knew this mission was important, but he couldn't resist the temptation of reaching the elite class.
What he failed to consider was why Renda knew about this mission and the target involved.
Aoki's information had been disclosed to him.
It's fair to say he had been a fool.
Looking at the defeated Youhun, Aoki smirked.
He ordered Sneasel to take all the storage equipment from Youhun's body and then secured the Pokeballs on his waist. The Pokeballs containing Yanmega and Ariados were particularly valuable.
While the remaining Pokémon in his possession were still strong, they couldn't compare to these two.
For now, it would be useful to keep these two Pokémon with quasi-elite strength, or possibly sell them.
As for his subordinates, with their current strength, they wouldn't be able to tame Pokémon of this level. Giving them away could lead to rebellion, and vicious Pokémon like Yanmega could turn on their Trainer.
Aoki decided to store these Pokémon for now. He hadn't yet decided what to do with them.
Then, from Youhun's storage space, he retrieved all the supplies Shadow had given him, stored inside a metal box.
It had a combination lock, a special Team Rocket-secured container for important items. The password had already been sent to Aoki.
Rather than opening it immediately, he stored it in his own inventory.
Most of the other items were insignificant.
Most Team Rocket members didn't carry valuables. Whenever they had resources, they exchanged them to enhance their own strength, deposited them into their identity cards, or converted them into Pokecoins and stored them in bank accounts.
These transactions were coded, meaning Aoki couldn't access them.
However, the two Pokémon he obtained were quite valuable.
As for Youhun, still pinned under Aoki's foot, Aoki had no intention of letting him go.
When he lost to Aoki, he had likely already accepted his fate.
The outdated intel Renda provided him had not only failed him but misled him entirely.
Now, his eyes were vacant, and he no longer resisted.
Aoki gave Sneasel a look.
Sneasel immediately summoned Ice-type energy, encasing Youhun in solid ice.
There was no blood left behind. Aoki was about to enter Verdanturf Town, and he didn't want to meet Professor Birch with the scent of blood on him.
It would leave a bad impression.
He casually buried the frozen body, ensuring no traces remained.
Aoki found a spot to change into fresh clothes and then made his way toward the forest's edge.
Verdanturf Town was now less than half a day away, so Aoki summoned Tropius.
Weak Pokémon roamed the area, but they were of no concern.
Riding on Tropius' back, he soared toward Verdanturf Town.
Aoki retrieved the metal box he had taken earlier and opened it using the password Shadow had provided.
Inside, several smaller boxes were neatly arranged alongside a card.
It was an anonymous League identity card. According to Shadow, it should contain 50 million Pokecoins.
For Aoki, this was a massive sum.
The TM Moves for his Pokémon, as well as Aron's early food supply, were inside.
He placed the bank card into his storage space—this was an important resource.
Then, he took out the two smaller boxes inside.
Judging by their size, they likely contained a Razor Claw and Black Sludge.
Sure enough, after opening one of the boxes, he found a disc-shaped object inside, its material unknown.
Although it was called a claw, it didn't actually resemble one. At first glance, it looked more like a grooved discus.
Item Name: Razor Claw
Description: A sharp claw that makes it easier to land critical hits.
Function: Increases the Pokémon's critical hit ratio by one stage.
Special Function: When held by Sneasel, if it levels up at night, it will evolve into Weavile.
This was what Aoki had been waiting for—a necessary item for Sneasel's evolution.
Then, Aoki opened the other box, revealing a lump of foul-smelling sludge.
Item Name: Black Sludge
Description: When held by a Poison-type Pokémon, it gradually restores HP. When held by a non-Poison-type Pokémon, it drains HP instead.
Function: Restores 1/6 of the Pokémon's max HP per turn if it's Poison-type. Reduces HP by 1/8 per turn for non-Poison-types.
Overall, Black Sludge was an excellent item—Aoki had prepared it specifically for Skorupi.
Right now, Skorupi was Aoki's only frontline battler. The HP recovery from Black Sludge, combined with its defensive capabilities, would allow Skorupi to last much longer in battle.
These two items were extremely valuable, and Aoki had spent a considerable amount of resources to acquire them.
He stored them safely.
Finally, he turned to the most expensive purchase he had made from Shadow.
Three complete Pokémon catalysts.
They were among the last remaining catalysts in Team Rocket's possession.
Aoki had spent half of his final trial reward materials to acquire them.
But now that they were in his hands, it was worth it.
Because these three catalysts were the only way Aoki could hatch the long-stored Larvitar egg.
Larvitar!
A pseudo-legendary Pokémon!
Although, with Aoki's current strength, he might struggle to protect such a Pokémon, he now had the necessary resources to raise one.
Hatching Larvitar needed to become a priority!
But as Aoki thought about Larvitar's appetite, then compared it to Aron's hunger, he felt a headache coming on.
The 50 million Pokecoins from Shadow suddenly felt like nothing.
Even so, Larvitar needed to hatch!
It was crucial for Aoki's future development!
He stored the box containing the catalysts, dismounted Tropius, and gazed ahead—Verdanturf Town was close!