When Aoki arrived in Fallarbor Town, it was already the second day.
Wandering directly on Route 114 for two days, Larvitar and Aron trained in combat.
By the time they reached Fallarbor Town, Larvitar had reached level 15, gaining three levels, and Aron had reached level 20, leveling up once.
For the Pokémon, this wasn't just an improvement in level—it was also an improvement in combat experience and battle techniques.
No matter how much training they underwent, they still needed to apply it in actual battles. Only then could these combat skills truly become their own strength.
The Pokémon in the second echelon weren't like Honchkrow and the others back on Trial Island, forced to grow stronger every day under the pressure of survival and unseen dangers.
If they weren't strong enough, not only would they perish, but their Trainer, Aoki, would fall alongside them.
The Pokémon in this second echelon had it much easier, able to develop and grow at a steady pace.
Fallarbor Town was a relatively large settlement in the Hoenn region, similar in size to Rustboro City.
The most important building in Fallarbor Town was the Contest Hall, where the Pokémon League often hosted Contests. As for the Gym here, it wasn't particularly famous.
Fallarbor Town was located on the opposite side of Mount Chimney. Compared to the cool air of Rustboro, volcanic ash constantly drifted through Fallarbor Town, giving the entire place a slightly grayish tint.
However, it was precisely because of this ash, rich in minerals, that the plants in Fallarbor Town grew so lush.
This had turned Fallarbor Town into one of the most agriculturally prosperous towns in Hoenn, producing nearly 50% of the region's grain supply.
While Aoki had come to Fallarbor Town partly to challenge the Gym, his more important goal was to visit the town's most famous resident—Dr. Solence!
Aoki had only remembered the man's existence after encountering Team Aqua members in Meteor Falls.
It was this researcher, Dr. Solence, who had accidentally unearthed what Team Aqua and Team Magma needed while excavating meteorites in Meteor Falls, giving them the means to summon Kyogre and Groudon!
In a way, he was the catalyst for the entire event.
Though Dr. Solence hadn't acted intentionally, Aoki still wanted to get ahead of things—either as insurance or as an early precaution.
Fallarbor Town wasn't large, so after asking around, Aoki quickly found Dr. Solence's home.
Fortunately, Solence was still there and hadn't left to search for minerals.
Knock, knock, knock— Aoki rapped on the door.
A moment later, a thin middle-aged man in an excavation suit opened it, looking puzzled at the unfamiliar face.
"Hello, Dr. Solence. I'm Aoki from Verdanturf Town," Aoki introduced himself directly.
"Aoki?" Solence clearly didn't recognize the name.
"Ah—I'm a newcomer. Aoki, the owner of the Verdanturf Town Gym. I wanted to pay you a visit," Aoki said, scratching his head awkwardly.
Nothing was more embarrassing than thinking you were famous, only to realize no one knew who you were.
"Oh! Of course, please come in!" Dr. Solence quickly recovered and invited Aoki inside.
As a researcher specializing in meteorites rather than Pokémon, his standing in the Pokémon world wasn't particularly high.
The size and furnishings of Solence's home made that clear.
But as a Gym Leader, Aoki's status and strength far surpassed that of an ordinary researcher.
For someone like Solence, having a Gym Leader personally visit was flattering.
Solence's full name was Solence Kaohsiung. A man obsessed with meteorites, he could technically be considered a Pokémon Trainer, but his heart wasn't in battling, so his skills were lackluster.
Aoki, with his high social intelligence and status, tailored his words to Solence's interests, making the researcher feel like he was talking to an old friend.
Had Aoki not refused, Solence might've even proposed a sworn brotherhood.
It couldn't be helped—Aoki's system contained vast amounts of knowledge, including obscure research materials. Just dropping a few tidbits was enough to fascinate Solence.
Aoki's ability to manipulate conversations had reached its peak.
By the time Aoki left Solence's home, the two had exchanged contact information, ensuring they could stay in touch.
Aoki had specifically asked Solence to contact him immediately if he ever found anything unusual in Meteor Falls—particularly pure red or pure blue stones—claiming they might belong to him.
Solence didn't question it. Aoki had described the appearance of the Red and Blue Orbs in detail, even providing a convincing backstory: while fleeing from a Solrock and Lunatone, he had dropped them and couldn't find them afterward.
To avoid getting lost, he had left temporarily.
Hearing that Fallarbor Town had a meteorite researcher who frequented Meteor Falls, Aoki had come to ask him to keep an eye out.
The lie was nearly flawless. Any gaps were filled in by Solence's own imagination.
Why was Aoki deep in Meteor Falls?
Solence concluded it must've been for Pokémon training.
Perfect!
Satisfied, Aoki left Solence's home and headed straight for Verdanturf Town's Gym.
But luck wasn't on his side this time. According to the staff, the Gym Leader had been away for a while, and the next challenge day wasn't until next month.
Aoki didn't have time to wait around for some nobody.
If the Gym Leader wasn't even present, there was no backdoor to exploit. Bad review!
Slightly disappointed, Aoki left the Fallarbor Gym.
He would never admit that his reason for challenging Gyms was to boost his ego by crushing weak opponents while also getting more footage of himself online to grow his reputation.
That was definitely not his goal.
Really.
His true purpose was to foster friendly relations between Verdanturf Town and Fallarbor Town, promoting camaraderie between their Gym Leaders for the betterment of Hoenn.
As for how two towns separated by Mount Chimney were supposed to interact—that wasn't Aoki's problem.