It is a pity that the Fallarbor Town Gym cannot be challenged.
However, with Solance behind him, Aoki can track the movements of Team Aqua and Team Magma more accurately, so this detour is worthwhile.
Choosing to leave Fallarbor Town directly, heading east, after traveling a certain distance, Vermillion City can be reached. Southeast of Vermillion City lies Aoki's destination—the location where the Mega Stone was once discovered.
Since the distance is considerable, even flying at full speed on Flygon would not allow them to arrive in a single day, so Aoki is in no rush.
He summons Slowking to hover beside him. Flygon's speed does not need to be extreme—if they encounter wild Pokémon during the flight, Slowking can engage in battle directly.
Now, Slowking has reached level 48, placing it at the peak of elite-tier strength. With just a little more growth, it could break into the pseudo-champion tier.
As potentially the first Pokémon on his team to reach pseudo-champion status, Aoki intends to push Slowking to its limits during this journey.
Though the wild Pokémon on Route 113 are not particularly strong, after crossing it and before reaching Route 119, there lies a dense jungle where the Pokémon are far more formidable. Elite-level Pokémon are common, and even wild pseudo-champions are not impossible to encounter.
...
When Aoki orders Flygon to descend, they land at the foot of a mountain range.
Behind them lies Route 113, while ahead stretches an uncharted forest.
According to the League's designated path, trainers should head north on Route 111 after completing Route 113—a safer route most traveling trainers take.
Venturing recklessly into unknown woods invites unnecessary danger.
However, Aoki, with his extensive wilderness survival experience, has no intention of taking the long way. If any reckless Pokémon attacks, all the better—this is the perfect opportunity to strengthen Slowking's combat prowess and push it closer to pseudo-legendary status.
After checking his gear, he recalls Flygon—its large wingspan makes it ill-suited for dense forests.
Shortly after entering the jungle, Aoki's unfamiliar presence draws aggressive wild Pokémon.
Unlike during his time on Trial Island, Aoki no longer fights with lethal intent. Wearing his League Trainer uniform, he orders Slowking to spare defeated foes—provided they don't provoke him excessively. Whether they survive the forest's harsh conditions afterward is up to them.
This forest borders the sea, on Hoenn's coastal side, and frequent volcanic ash deposits have made the vegetation unusually lush.
Aoki and Slowking advance eastward along the cliffside near the water. The humidity here is high, and the abundant water-type energy helps Slowking recover stamina, extending its endurance.
Additionally, the Floette in Aoki's chest pocket can better sense the grass-type energy in this dense environment.
Lately, Aoki has kept its attribute fixed as grass-type to ensure efficient skill usage when switching from fairy-type.
Floette occasionally uses Grassy Terrain, which doubles as grass-type training.
The afternoon passes in a series of battles. After Slowking defeats the final Beedrill with Psychic, a Teleportation activates beside Aoki.
For some reason, this forest teems with Beedrill swarms—multiple colonies, each nearly a hundred strong. Though the swarms aren't allied, they don't interfere with each other, suggesting separate queens.
For Aoki, this is an annoyance—his presence is seen as an intrusion.
Thankfully, as a poison-type, Beedrill poses little threat to Slowking, but their numbers are overwhelming.
Fighting while retreating, Aoki reaches the cliff's edge.
As night falls, the forest grows more perilous. Aoki searches for a campsite, but the surrounding Beedrill swarms make setting up a tent impossible—unless he summons his full team to eradicate them.
Just as he considers this, flickering lights appear on the sea.
The lights draw closer, revealing a ship flying the League's flag.
Likely a League vessel.
After a moment's thought, Aoki has Slowking mark the spot with a spatial coordinate, then summons Flygon and flies toward the docking ship.
Since it bears the League's insignia, it should be safe—and even if not, Aoki's strength ensures an escape.
Boldness comes with capability.
Before Aoki arrives, the crew spots him.
The ship isn't a modern cruiser like the S.S. Anne but an old-fashioned wooden sailboat—though sizable, with ample deck space.
As Aoki approaches, several sailors hurry belowdecks while others ignore him entirely. Even Flygon, usually a spectacle, goes unnoticed.
Unhindered, Flygon lands on the bow.
The returning sailors emerge with a white-bearded man in a captain's coat—though he wears it open, revealing a scarred, muscular chest. A cigar clamped between his teeth, he strides forward with an imposing air.
A name flashes in Aoki's mind:
Drake?
Drake, the Dragon-type Elite Four member of Hoenn?