Chapter 760 - Promise of Growth

Three days later, at the shore of Lake Valor, a spatial rift opened in the air as if an invisible zipper had been pulled apart across the sky. From within this shimmering portal emerged a man dressed in tattered clothing, his feet supported by a thin layer of psychic energy that allowed him to walk effortlessly across the water's surface before stepping onto solid ground. Though his clothes were torn and weathered, his confident smile and bright eyes revealed an unbroken spirit. Accompanying him was a two-meter-tall, pink-colored Pokemon that floated loyally by his side - this was none other than Aoki, emerging from his three-day ordeal on the mysterious island alongside his trusted Slowking.

After spending three days stranded in this strange dimension where his storage system couldn't be accessed, Aoki had been forced to live like a wildman. The constant battles against the island's powerful Pokemon had left his clothing in tatters from repeated dodges and defensive maneuvers. Yet despite the dangers, the experience had proven immensely valuable. As Aoki departed through the spatial rift, the Unown markings on his wrist communicated that he could reopen the portal to this training ground whenever he wished, provided he returned to Lake Valor. This meant the unexplored island with its high-level wild Pokemon would serve as Aoki's personal training arena - though the Pokemon couldn't be caught, they provided perfect sparring partners for his team.

Upon reaching shore, Slowking immediately teleported them away from Lake Valor. Not wanting to linger, Aoki summoned his Flygon for the first time in days and flew straight toward Jubilife City. During his previous visit, he hadn't left enough psychic coordinates for easy return trips, so this time Aoki made sure Slowking marked their path thoroughly to enable quick access to the island in future.

When Aoki finally arrived at his Jubilife City manor, he found Steven and the others absent. Relieved that no one saw his disheveled state, he immediately headed to wash up and change clothes. Just as he finished freshening up, Steven's group returned, their expressions shifting to surprise at seeing Aoki's transformed appearance.

Through their conversation, Aoki learned that during his absence, Steven and the other seeded competitors had grown bored with the tournament's slow pace and sought out exhibition matches against other regional champions. While these impromptu battles provided valuable intelligence about their future opponents, they also highlighted the Sinnoh League's inefficient scheduling. The group had submitted feedback through official channels, but the bureaucratic process took nearly a week before tournament organizers finally addressed their concerns.

The League officials, recognizing the validity of the champions' complaints, held emergency meetings and decided to accelerate the tournament schedule. The third round's 500+ matches would now be completed within two days across multiple simultaneous arenas, with the fourth and fifth rounds following in rapid three-day intervals to quickly narrow down the top 128 competitors. While most trainers welcomed this change, Aoki found it problematic - the compressed schedule cut into his valuable training time on the mysterious island before his Pokemon could fully adapt to their new power levels. Yet as a competitor, he had no choice but to accept the League's decision.

That evening, Aoki released all his Pokemon to assess their progress. His team had developed at varying rates, creating distinct tiers of strength:

At the peak stood Slowking, now level 56 after three days of intense battles in the mysterious island - an impressive gain of nearly one level per day. Close behind were Drapion and Gengar, both recently broken through to level 51 and the pseudo-champion tier after being deliberately given more combat opportunities during their island training. As key participants in the Sinnoh competition, they'd benefited greatly from battling the island's psychic-type Pokemon.

The next tier included Honchkrow, Weavile, and Florges. Though the two dark-types couldn't compete in the official tournament, they'd proven invaluable against the island's psychic opponents. Both now sat at level 49, poised to breakthrough to pseudo-champion status with one more good battle. Florges, serving as the team's primary support, had leveled equally quickly through her crucial role in keeping the team healthy during their grueling island stay.

Further down were Swampert and Politoed. Compared to the island's native Pokemon, these two remained relatively weak, but they'd still gained levels by being strategically deployed against type-advantaged opponents. Swampert had jumped from level 38 to 42, while Politoed - recovering from aptitude potion side effects - had reached level 41 after only one full day of proper training.

The team's youngest members - Combusken, Aron, Larvitar, Bagon, and the newly caught Horsea - showed uneven development. Though their current levels didn't differ dramatically, Aoki noted their jealous reactions to Swampert and Politoed's rapid growth. Larvitar and Aron in particular had nearly rushed into battles they couldn't handle, requiring Aoki's intervention. He promised them intensive training would commence after the tournament concluded.