Chapter 489 - Systematic Capture
Aoki's main purpose for coming here this time was to find Water-type Pokémon in the lake where he had previously encountered Absol.
With the Water Gym about to open, as its Leader, Aoki only had a few Water-type Pokémon, and none of them were native to Hoenn. That didn't seem quite right.
His goal now was to capture a few strong Water-types from the lake.
He wasn't too concerned about their long-term potential or how much room they had for growth. Right now, all he needed was immediate battle power.
Once caught, these Water-types could be trained just enough to serve as Gym Pokémon.
After all, in a small place like Verdanturf City, the Trainers who came to challenge the Gym weren't likely to be too strong.
Even with Aoki's backing, along with the support of Devon Corporation and the League, it would take at least half a year for Verdanturf City to truly develop. Only then would stronger Trainers start showing up for Gym challenges.
By that time, given Aoki's rate of growth, his own strength would be far beyond what it was now.
Moreover, when Aoki eventually left the Gym, these battle-ready Water-types could be handed over to a trusted person to help defend the Gym.
For now, capturing a few solid Water-types was a necessity.
With a simple command, Slowking used Teleport to bring Aoki straight to the lake.
Slowking was very familiar with this place—it was here that it had completed its evolution and become the ruler of its kind.
Upon arrival, Aoki found a spacious area near the lake and summoned his Pokémon: Honchkrow, Sneasel, Skorupi, and Haunter.
Along with Slowking, these were his five main battlers at the moment.
"Skorupi, Slowking, dig a deep water pit here," Aoki ordered.
He had used a similar tactic back on Trial Island to capture Shellder.
This time, rather than venturing deep into the lake with Slowking—which would be inconvenient for battle and riskier—Aoki opted for a better approach.
He wouldn't be sending Gyarados down to stir up trouble, either.
Instead, he had a more effective method in mind—one that might have a larger impact.
Once his Pokémon were ready, Aoki pulled out another Pokéball.
He tossed it onto the ground, and a Pokémon with a massive flower on its head emerged.
Vileplume!
It was the same Vileplume he had captured during his training in the mountains. It had since been tamed, and Aoki had kept it for one specific reason:
Its move—Sweet Scent.
"Vileplume, use Ingrain, then Photosynthesis, and release Sweet Scent over the lake," Aoki commanded calmly.
As soon as Vileplume emerged, it glanced around nervously, noticing that all of Aoki's Pokémon were staring at it intently.
It shuddered.
There was a time when it could stand its ground against Skorupi. Now, just the sight of Skorupi made it feel like a mouse cornered by a cat.
Not daring to hesitate, it planted its feet firmly, extending tiny roots into the soil. Slowly, energy flowed into its body from the ground.
Its previously damaged petals had already healed, and as sunlight hit them, Photosynthesis activated automatically.
A soothing sensation spread through its body.
After spending so much time inside its Pokéball, feeling the sun again was blissful.
If not for Aoki and his Pokémon watching, it might have let out a pleased sigh.
But it didn't dare relax. As soon as Photosynthesis finished, Vileplume gently shook its petals.
A fine, nearly invisible powder wafted from its central stamen and drifted onto the lake's surface.
After releasing the first burst of Sweet Scent, Vileplume peeked anxiously at Aoki.
Seeing no reaction from him, it grew even more uneasy.
"Keep going," Aoki said, his tone flat.
Vileplume's heart tightened. Without question, it continued dispersing the sweet-smelling powder.
As the scent mixed into the water, ripples began forming on the lake's surface.
"You can stop now," Aoki instructed.
Vileplume let out a quiet sigh of relief and ceased its attack.
It was terrified of Aoki and his Pokémon.
Meanwhile, the ripples on the lake grew more intense—something was about to emerge.
"They're coming. Get ready!"
Honchkrow and the others focused their attention on the lake.
Sneasel had already gathered Ice-type energy in preparation. It had done this before and knew exactly what Aoki wanted.
The other Pokémon also tensed, ready for battle.
The most eager among them was Skorupi. Last time, when they had used this strategy, it could only pick off stragglers. Now, it would finally get to fight properly.
Three or four seconds later, a group of Pokémon burst out of the water.
Most were common Water-types—Magikarp and Goldeen.
But there were also several species native to Hoenn, like Corphish and Barboach.
This lake held a variety of Water-types.
Aoki activated his system, scanning their data to identify the most promising candidates.
At the same time, as soon as the Pokémon surfaced, Sneasel sent massive icicles crashing down, blocking their escape route.
Whether Aoki intended to catch them or not, knocking them all out first was the priority.
The Pokémon launched their own attacks in response, but Aoki's team fought back swiftly.
The first wave of Water-types didn't impress Aoki's Pokémon.
"Vileplume, keep using Sweet Scent. Sneasel, monitor any strong Pokémon preparing an attack—wait for my signal before launching Icicle Crash. Otherwise, join the battle," Aoki instructed.
The first wave had been weak; they couldn't withstand even a single attack.
The unconscious Pokémon were tossed into the pit nearby.
Once the capture was over, Aoki planned to handpick the best ones to take back to the pond in his backyard, increasing the diversity of Water-types there.
At the same time, he had a specific vision—he hoped that through generations of breeding, the quality of Water-types in his backyard pond would improve.
And so, the systematic battle continued, running like a well-oiled machine.
Finally, after some time, the first Water-type that truly caught Aoki's eye appeared.