Chapter 499 - Summary and Departure

Before going to bed, Aoki habitually recalled what had been done today and reviewed what had been gained.

This morning, the Pokemon were given systematic exercise tasks that could last for a period of time.

In the afternoon, two high-quality Water-type Pokemon were tamed, which could be used as resident Pokemon in Water-type gyms. If the Lanturn that was tamed later was counted, there were three.

Then, in the deepest Kabuto cave at the bottom of the mysterious lake, a precious Mega Evolution stone was snatched from the head of the quasi-champion-level Kabutops leader. This was one of today's important gains.

Finally, in the depths of the forest, Sneasel, who had been preparing for a long time, completed evolution and became a level thirty-nine Weavile with dark blue aptitude.

That was the payoff for the day, leaving Aoki very satisfied.

No more sleeping in the backyard tonight. All the Pokemon followed Aoki back to the room.

Even Larvitar returned to the room. Although he still couldn't fully control his strength, he wouldn't crush the floor anymore—he just needed to be careful when walking.

Larvitar's ability to control Ground-type energy exceeded Aoki's imagination, but it was uncertain how much he could control Rock-type energy.

A night passed in this quiet atmosphere.

...

The next day.

Verdanturf Town became lively again because the League's construction team had returned.

This time, they weren't working on the gym but the Pokemon Center!

Aoki went to receive the captain of the construction team again. This time, Aoki didn't need to pay for it himself. The League and the Joy family would take full responsibility.

Once the Pokemon Center was completed, there would be a resident Nurse Joy in Verdanturf Town.

Although the Pokemon Center mainly served Pokemon, there was also a department for humans.

However, compared to the Pokemon facilities, the medical instruments for humans weren't as advanced.

But for the residents of Verdanturf Town, this was still good news.

There had never been a decent hospital in Verdanturf Town. If someone had a serious illness, they would still have to travel to Goldenrod City.

Now, Verdanturf Town would have medical services, another major benefit for its residents.

And the one who brought this to the town was Aoki, who was about to become the gym leader.

Aoki's presence was met with enthusiastic admiration from the residents of Verdanturf Town.

If no one had stopped them, Aoki would have been swarmed.

Although the new mayor didn't have much ability, his judgment was sharp.

Seeing Aoki appear, he quickly arranged for town staff to help maintain order.

The League Police Station in Verdanturf Town had recently been accepted by the Jenny family.

In a few days, the Jenny family would send someone to take over.

These matters were beyond Aoki's control. With the construction of the gym, the League would inevitably pay more attention to him. Coupled with Aoki's reputation, it was expected that members of the Jenny and Joy families would be stationed here.

However, this wouldn't affect Aoki's control over Verdanturf Town.

Judging by the enthusiasm of the residents, they already regarded Aoki as their savior.

No matter who arrived, the mayor could only listen to Aoki's suggestions.

Once the gym officially opened and Aoki invited major corporations and families to invest in the town's development, his influence would increase again.

This was something Sabrina, Koga, and Lt. Surge in Team Rocket could never accomplish.

Perhaps only Sakagi, when he was still a top talent in the League, had achieved such prestige in Viridian City.

However, after Sakagi's identity was exposed, the League placed him under strict supervision. Although he remained the Viridian City gym leader, his influence had diminished.

And the person who overshadowed his reputation was none other than the one the League was now promoting—Lance!

Thinking too far ahead, Aoki refocused.

The development of Verdanturf Town was gradually on the right track.

Aoki was also preparing to call Alec and the others back.

After a period of training, with the help of the Kaitou, both Alec and the newcomers should have grown significantly.

Hopefully, they wouldn't disappoint Aoki's expectations and efforts in training them.

Otherwise, they would be left behind and eventually lose sight of Aoki's progress.

Today, the hunting group was still out on missions, but Aoki had already sent a message to Miyamoto, instructing them to return to Verdanturf Town after completing their current mission, as he had important matters to discuss.

Miyamoto wouldn't dare disobey Aoki's orders.

After discussing with Kaitou, Skye, and Alec, they decided to speed up their mission's progress to avoid making Aoki wait.

Of course, Aoki didn't know this.

He was only responsible for assigning tasks and didn't micromanage how they were carried out.

After appeasing the residents of Verdanturf Town and communicating with the League's construction team, Aoki left.

Without returning to the gym or his residence, Aoki left Verdanturf Town entirely.

Sitting on the back of Tropius, he enjoyed the warm wind.

Ever since becoming Steven's consultant, he had been given a car, but it had remained parked in the garage since the last time he drove it back.

Compared to riding on a Pokemon's back, driving required effort, and no matter how expensive the car was, it was still uncomfortable.

This time, Aoki was heading to Rustboro City for two reasons.

The first was to meet Steven, who was on his way back.

Earlier that morning, Steven had messaged Aoki, saying that he hadn't found the stone he was searching for. After a long period of fruitless searching, he decided to give up and return. After all, he wasn't just interested in one type of stone. The wild Pokemon in that area had also proven to be quite strong—more than he initially expected.

So Aoki went directly to Rustboro City to wait.

The second reason was that, during his previous training, Aoki had accumulated a large number of well-qualified wild Pokemon. Some of the Pokemon he had captured, such as the Pokemon from the Void trio, could be sold for money. Aoki planned to sell them in Rustboro City.

Additionally, he had acquired a significant amount of Pokecoins from Team Rocket. He intended to use this opportunity to purchase some TMs suitable for his Pokemon, broadening their move sets.

That was the main reason for Aoki's trip to Rustboro City.

The weather today was average, with many dark clouds in the sky, limiting the sunlight. As a result, Tropius was flying at a slower speed.

Aoki even considered taking out the Yanmega he had obtained from Youhun.

Capturing Yanmega had been a complex process, but the result was worth it.

However, since he wasn't in a rush, and the back of Tropius was more comfortable, he decided against it.

Yanmega would primarily be used as a flying transport. In the future, when Aoki's subordinates became stronger, it might even become a core team member.