"Why did you stop me?"
Although Rayquaza had stopped attacking Deoxys after hearing Aoki's words, it still didn't understand why.
With a flash, Primal Rayquaza reverted from its Primal form and hovered in space.
Aoki looked at Deoxys, noticing that most of its external injuries had disappeared, with only some internal injuries remaining.
"Don't worry, he won't usurp your divine authority, nor will he pose any further threat to you. I will keep him in check," Aoki told Rayquaza.
Rayquaza paused, then seemed to realize something, frowning. "Were you using me from the very beginning?"
Aoki spread his hands, indicating he wasn't. "Haven't we been using each other from the start? But don't worry, I keep my word. I said he wouldn't affect your divine authority, and he won't. You can choose to trust me."
Rayquaza stared intently into Aoki's eyes for a long time, eventually conceding.
This was because it no longer sensed any threatening aura from Deoxys, and its divine authority hadn't fluctuated, indicating it was truly unaffected.
In truth, from the very beginning, Aoki had exploited Rayquaza's lack of understanding about Deoxys, not knowing its characteristics.
Deoxys could indeed be called a Legendary Pokémon, but strictly speaking, from the essence of a Pokémon, it was a Mythical Pokémon!
That is, a Mythical Pokémon, an existence similar to Mew and Celebi.
Therefore, although Deoxys' divine authority conflicted with Rayquaza's, they wouldn't affect each other due to their different energy sources and fundamental differences in existence.
This was why Aoki dared to believe that it would not affect Rayquaza.
Looking at Deoxys' somewhat dazed and foolish appearance, Rayquaza couldn't understand why this Pokémon had been able to unleash such powerful might just now.
Whether it was injured or not, or if its attacks hit or not, none of it affected its emotions.
Or, to put it more simply, the other party had no emotions at all.
After confirming that Deoxys was fine, Aoki recalled it to his Master Ball.
Then, he gestured to Rayquaza and flew towards the ground.
This time, Rayquaza showed no signs of repulsion towards Aoki standing on its head.
In everyone's eyes, the mysterious person in the spacesuit and Rayquaza had shattered the giant meteorite and defeated a very strange-looking Pokémon.
All crises ended at that moment.
Although many meteorite fragments would still fall from space to the ground, their scale was clearly not enough to significantly impact the entire planet.
There were so many Alliance experts waiting below; they needed something to do so they wouldn't feel too relaxed.
"Huh—"
Just as Aoki was about to return, he suddenly spotted a glowing, crystalline fragment among the shattered meteorites.
A thought sparked in his mind. Aoki patted Rayquaza's head, and despite its resigned expression, flew towards the glowing fragment.
He grabbed it, feeling a warmth in his hand.
He opened his palm and saw.
"A Mega Stone?!" Aoki exclaimed in surprise.
He possessed over a hundred Mega Stones, almost covering all of them in the entire Pokémon world.
While he couldn't claim to have every single one, he had most of them, excluding only a few extremely rare ones or those that were unique in the entire Pokémon world.
And coincidentally, the one Aoki had just discovered and was holding was precisely one he didn't possess.
He just didn't know which Pokémon's Mega Stone it was at the moment.
But the moment Aoki grasped this Mega Stone, there was a vague sense, as if it had a strong connection to him.
As if sensing something, he suddenly turned his head, and a Pokémon entered Aoki's vision.
Mewtwo!
And Mewtwo also seemed to sense something, its eyes staring blankly at Aoki's right hand, or rather, at the Mega Stone in Aoki's right hand!
"Could it be Mewtwo's Mega Stone? Am I that lucky?" Aoki murmured.
However, now was clearly not the time to test this.
First, back to land!
Aoki and Rayquaza re-entered the atmosphere and returned to the planet.
Although Rayquaza had defeated Deoxys, it had sustained some injuries, albeit minor, from fully shattering the giant meteorite and breaking through Deoxys's defensive form.
So, after passing through the atmosphere, it directly dropped Aoki off.
However, Rayquaza had no intention of breaking its promise. Before leaving, it gave Aoki another emerald-green orb, identical to the previous one.
It was a Dragon Orb that could summon it one more time!
Allowing Aoki to summon it when he needed it.
After giving its instructions, it left directly.
Aoki then summoned Salamence and flew towards Mt. Chimney. Today, all matters that needed to be resolved had to be resolved!
When Aoki appeared in the sky, the images broadcast on the internet and television also returned to the planet's state.
Especially when Aoki, riding on Salamence, slowly took off his special spacesuit, the entire Pokémon world was stirred into an uproar.
They had been speculating for so long, wanting to know who this person was who carried the entire Pokémon world on his shoulders, only to find out the answer had been revealed.
It was none other than the familiar former Champion of the Hoenn region, Aoki!
The person who had once caused a massive sensation across the entire internet.
Even after disappearing for a year, remaining silent for a year, and even having his Champion title replaced by his friend Steven Stone, there were still many Aoki fans online!
At this moment, seeing that this person was indeed Aoki, the entire internet and television audience erupted in another frenzy!
Those who were once Aoki's die-hard fans reappeared, and countless casual followers transformed into staunch supporters at this moment.
From then on, haters turned into passersby, and passersby turned into fans!
The Alliance's policy of blacklisting Aoki across the entire Pokémon world, attempting to erase his presence and diminish his influence, all became futile at this moment!
It was even possible that, because the suppression had lasted too long, the storm that erupted on the internet and throughout the Pokémon world this time exceeded everyone's imagination!
Aoki's name and his actions this time instantly became the most impactful event on the current internet.
Furthermore, the Alliance's official website was bombarded by countless residents of the Pokémon world, demanding an explanation for why Aoki had disappeared for an entire year, and why, during that year, his Champion title was even stripped. In the face of this world-ending crisis, the only person they saw was Aoki.
It wasn't that Steven Stone becoming Champion was not recognized by others; they simply needed a reason.
Because the impact Aoki had on their hearts today was simply too great.
What kind of hero is most admired and loved?
It's this kind of lone hero!
A peerless hero who dares to bear all the pressure alone and save the world from peril!
But now, the officials and staff of the Alliance's official website were also in a panic. They truly didn't know what kind of reply to give, as the higher-ups hadn't given them any instructions, and they themselves were among the vast number of confused people.
More importantly, the Alliance's official website was crashed by the general public!
Originally, in the Pokémon world, although the internet existed, not many people used it. Most used it to check information, watch videos, find guides, and occasionally watch videos. Therefore, even the Alliance didn't pay much attention to their official website's servers.
This led to the current paralysis of the official website's server.
And it wasn't just that. As the Alliance's official website crashed, the entire Pokémon world's internet experienced a series of successive outages.
However, none of this had much to do with Aoki at the moment.
Although all of this was part of his plan, it was only a very small part compared to what he truly intended to do.
In fact, it could only be considered a small beginning.
Landing on Mt. Chimney again, the sun was slowly rising on the eastern horizon.
Standing on the summit of Mt. Chimney, one could witness a flawless sunrise.
But clearly, the focus of the people on Mt. Chimney now was not on the sunrise.
Although they stood there, it didn't mean they didn't know what Aoki had just done.
They could also receive signals on the summit of Mt. Chimney and had witnessed Aoki and Rayquaza's actions firsthand. For a moment, their complex emotions were hard to express.
This meteorite, which had caused them considerable pressure, was resolved by Aoki alone!
Although many small meteorites might still fall from space later, since the meteorite had already entered the planet's gravitational field, these small meteorites clearly posed no significant threat.
Some of the relatively smaller ones would completely evaporate and disappear due to the extremely high temperatures when passing through the atmosphere. Only the slightly larger ones would require their handling.
This was many times less stressful than the original large meteorite.
At the same time, they also didn't expect that inside that giant meteorite, there was actually a never-before-seen Pokémon from outer space.
Moreover, this Pokémon could even battle Primal Rayquaza, and although it was eventually defeated, it was captured by Aoki.
If it had a trainer's help, its combat power would definitely not be just what was shown.
An unknown strength Mewtwo, a Deoxys comparable to Rayquaza, a Darkrai that had already received divine authority, a Tyranitar known as 'Little Groudon', a Blaziken that could use Sacred Fire, a Salamence known as 'Little Rayquaza', an Aggron with the strongest defense, and many other Pokémon with extremely high strength and potential!
The power Aoki possessed at this moment made everyone on Mt. Chimney unconsciously feel considerable pressure.
With such strength, let alone them, even a single Tier 1 Legendary Pokémon might not be able to defeat him.
Didn't they just witness Aoki successfully standing on Rayquaza's head, and even Rayquaza didn't reject Aoki's actions and behavior?
This indicated that Aoki either had Rayquaza's recognition and the right to stand on its head, or he possessed the ability to make even Rayquaza unable to resist brazenly.
Whichever of these two it was, it represented the strength and ability Aoki possessed.
And it also translated into the pressure felt by everyone present.
"Alright, the matter is concluded. As old friends, we can finally catch up properly," Aoki leaped off Salamence's back, landing gently on Mt. Chimney, a faint smile on his face.
Everyone looked at Aoki, who acted as if nothing significant had happened, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.
Once upon a time, they had also watched Aoki effortlessly show off in front of them, but this time, they no longer felt the urge to clench their fists and punch him.
All those feelings had vanished due to their differing positions.
Everyone remained silent. Aoki's expression seemed a little helpless, especially his once cheerful best friend, Steven Stone, who now had a stern, expressionless face.
Matsuda, with his Dragonite, pushed through the crowd and walked to the front, standing before Aoki.
Looking at his proud disciple, Matsuda's expression was still relatively complex.
After a long while, Matsuda finally broke the silence and awkwardness.
To be honest, if they were really told to attack Aoki, fight him to the death, and bring him back to the Alliance, the people present might not actually be able to make a move.
Setting aside whether they could do it, just the question of whether they would even make a move was a significant issue.
"Well done."
Matsuda's voice was not soft, and it was full of vigor.
Even those present could hear the vigor in Matsuda's words, carrying a hint of pride and a touch of self-satisfaction.
Wataru and the others, standing behind him, exchanged glances, not understanding why Matsuda would utter words filled with so much emotion at this moment.
Even if Aoki had truly saved the Pokémon world, they were currently in an opposing state.
As the President of the Alliance, he shouldn't be speaking in such a tone.
Aoki grinned, nodding with a smile, "Teacher, rest assured, everything has been arranged. Before the sun sets today, everything will be resolved!"
Upon hearing this, a satisfied smile also appeared on Matsuda's face, and he nodded, indicating that he understood.
By now, the younger Champions standing behind them had also noticed that something was amiss; it seemed the situation was different from what they had imagined.
Shouldn't President Matsuda's expression be extremely complex, and shouldn't he look like he was disappointed in him?
Why did it seem like nothing of the sort was visible now?
"However, Teacher, you couldn't keep up the act, could you? Why did you stop pretending so quickly? I still wanted to play with them a bit longer!" Aoki's words sounded a bit helpless, but in his gaze towards the crowd, there was only mockery.
Everyone looked bewildered.
They didn't know what was happening.
Aoki then looked at the white-robed figure standing behind Matsuda, his smile slightly receding, and nodded to him, saying, "Thank you for your hard work this past year, and thank you for helping me protect my teacher."
Hearing Aoki's words, the man named Ryu, who was Matsuda's bodyguard, shook his head lightly, "It's fine, it doesn't matter. Anyway, I was already guilty, so consider it atonement."
As he spoke, an arm without a hand emerged from his wide white robe, and in the blink of an eye, a hand formed by psychic energy appeared at the severed limb. Then, with the help of this psychic hand, Ryu slowly pulled down his white hood.
For the first time, he revealed his face.
This was Ryu, the bodyguard of the Alliance President, showing his appearance for the first time.
"Lance!!!"
Seeing this person, Walace exclaimed!
He was all too familiar with this man; his uncle, the former bishop of the cult, the one who caused the Dragon Clan's reputation to plummet, forcing him to return to the Johto region to barely salvage the situation. This person, a stain on the Dragon Clan, was here!
It turned out that the person who had guarded Matsuda for over a year was actually this individual, who was once on the same level as Giovanni and considered a heinous existence by the Alliance.
Ryu was none other than Lance!
And such a bodyguard was found by the previous Alliance President, Elder Ge, for his grandson-in-law, a bodyguard who was the strongest and also trustworthy.
Matsuda! Lance! Aoki!
The regional Presidents and Champions of the Alliance present finally seemed to realize that something was quite wrong.
Why were these three people gathered together, and it seemed as if they were planning something.
Matsuda waved his hand, "Ryu did an excellent job. Indeed, because of his protection this past year, I was able to get a few more peaceful nights of sleep.
It's just you, boy. I've been waiting for the signal you were supposed to give me for a whole year. Don't you know that I'm an old man and don't have much energy to manage such a large Alliance?
I'm not like Elder Ge, who signed a contract with Arceus..."
"Actually, Teacher, you could totally go and sign a contract. As the President of the Alliance, you have every right and qualification to sign a contract with Arceus," Aoki stepped forward and offered his arm to support Matsuda.
Matsuda waved his hands repeatedly, "Forget it, I can't stand such a long lifespan. A person, well, living to a certain age is enough. When the time comes, I still want to leave with your teacher's mother. I also don't want to see white-haired people burying black-haired people, seeing you all pass away one by one. This old man can't bear such things..."
"Ahem, sorry to interrupt you, but what exactly is going on right now? I'm sure I'm not the only one here who's confused," the Kanto Alliance President stepped forward, interrupting Aoki and Matsuda's casual chat.
What was going on?
Had Aoki joined the Alliance, or had the Alliance President joined Team Rainbow Rocket?
For a moment, everyone felt lost in the wind.
Upon hearing this, Matsuda glared at Aoki in annoyance, pointing at him and saying, "All these matters were discussed between him and Elder Ge, including everything you see now. As for me... you're right, this old man is just a figurehead, their 'pawn,' and I even had to cooperate with their act.
Don't you know that old people shouldn't cry casually? It's hard on the body.
If you have questions, just ask him directly!"
Matsuda very simply dumped all the responsibility onto Aoki.
Everyone's attention shifted to Aoki.
Noticing their gazes, the smile on Aoki's face widened even more, "Actually, it's a long story, but what's happening now is indeed the result of the discussions between me and Elder Ge, and everything is now proceeding according to our plan. Everyone, rest assured, after the sun sets today, all matters will be settled, and then you will understand what has happened."
Although Elder Ge had passed away a year ago, his prestige had not diminished much in the hearts of these people.
But clearly, Aoki's words couldn't win them over, especially when it potentially concerned the direction of the entire Pokémon world and the entire Pokémon Alliance.
Now, the Presidents, Champions, and Elite Four from various regions were all gathered around Mt. Chimney, and there was no one in full control of the situation in each region. Once any fatal accidents or incidents occurred, they would bear undeniable responsibility.
So, if Aoki didn't explain clearly now, they probably wouldn't feel at ease.
Aoki looked at their anxious faces and simply said, "Please bear with me for another hour. In an hour, you should know what will happen.
An hour is clearly not enough time for you to rush back, and besides, the threat posed by the meteorites hasn't been completely resolved yet. I hope everyone considers the bigger picture."
Upon hearing Aoki say this, many people were truly seething with anger.
But they couldn't do anything about Aoki.
If the two sides were truly in opposition, things would be easier to handle; they could just attack him en masse and force him to speak.
But now, it seemed that the leader of Team Rainbow Rocket, whom they had considered their biggest opponent, was not so simple; there were secrets they, as regional presidents and champions, didn't know.
There was nothing they could do. Since Aoki wouldn't speak, they could only wait where they were.
Watching the sun rise together.
And during this time, the most difficult and complex feelings were held by Aoki's former friends, including Steven.
Just when it seemed their good friend was about to fall into an abyss from which he could never climb out, he seemed to have pulled back from the brink, standing at the edge of the cliff, testing and hovering wildly, making it so that everyone who wanted to pull him back didn't dare to approach.
...
...
Finally.
The hour passed in agony.
Aoki's communicator rang precisely on time.
Ignoring the resentful stares of the crowd, Aoki pressed the answer button.
"Sir, the operation is complete!! Except for a few special unexpected circumstances, everything has been carried out as required! The more critical locations have already had the highest-ranking executives dispatched to them, and in at most two hours, everything will be perfectly completed!"
The voice on the other end of the communicator was that of Brad.
"Excellent! Thank you for your hard work!" Aoki was clearly very satisfied with Brad's words.
He hung up the communicator with satisfaction.
But before anyone could ask, their own communicators also began to ring, almost simultaneously.
Everyone sensed that something significant had happened and, not daring to delay, immediately pressed the answer button one by one.
Upon hearing the reports from the other end of the communicators, everyone's bodies froze in place.
Clatter—
As one person's communicator accidentally fell to the ground, everyone finally came to their senses.
In an instant!
Everyone's gaze once again focused on Aoki, but this time, their eyes contained no other complex emotions, only one.
Shock!!
Or, to put it more exaggeratedly, horror!
"This... this is your... your and Elder Ge's plan, this is your plan?" the Kanto Alliance President murmured.
Aoki and Matsuda exchanged glances.
At Matsuda's signal, Aoki was once again helplessly pushed forward.
This time, however, he couldn't escape; he had to provide an explanation.
"That's right, this is the plan that Elder Ge and I set. We named this plan, 'Breaking Before Building'!!" Aoki declared loudly.
"What is the current situation of the Alliance? I believe all of you, as regional Presidents and Champions, are very clear. It has gradually fallen into decline. The policies used when the Alliance was first established are clearly not suitable for the Alliance in this current era!
Now, organizations like Team Rocket and the Cult have emerged, and I believe other forces will appear in the future—cults, evil cults, and so on!
Does the Alliance have to suffer a blow every time one of these organizations appears?
Has no one ever thought about why these organizations appear, why they possess such great power? Has no one ever thought about how to solve, how to fundamentally cure such problems?
No, you all know where the problem lies, and you know how to solve it, how to fundamentally cure it, but you don't dare to do it!
Or rather, your identities and positions restrict your actions!
That's right, what I'm saying, there's nothing to hide. The Alliance's problem lies with those large and small family forces, like blood-sucking maggots. Their existence is the root cause of the Alliance becoming what it is now!
It's not about scarcity, but about inequality!
Don't tell me that you can slowly, little by little, erode the influence of these families and restore a bright and clear world!
I tried. When I was the Hoenn Alliance Champion, I made an attempt, and I even pushed through the pressure and intensified my efforts, doing what you wanted to do but didn't dare to!
But it didn't work. The Alliance has long been intertwined with these large and small families, and it's not that easy for me to sever those ties.
Therefore! I had no choice but to do this!
This is what Elder Ge and I meant by 'no breaking, no building; breaking before building'!
Only by first breaking the existing rules and status quo! Even if the losses are great, we must bear them.
Only in this way can we excise the tumor from the Alliance, this patient who is critically ill!"
Aoki's words were passionate and inspiring, and his voice conveyed the determination in his heart at that moment!
"So... you sent Team Rainbow Rocket's people, when all the Alliance high-ranking officials and top-tier combatants were gathered at Mt. Chimney, when the world-ending crisis descended upon the entire Pokémon world, to... to... these large and small families..." The Kanto Alliance President trailed off at the end, unable to continue, as the impact on his heart was too great.
"Yes! Uproot all these families!!!
Long pain is better than short pain. Instead of letting them continue to drain the entire alliance, it's better to uproot them and let the remnants of these families become nutrients for the alliance, feeding it back!"
A trace of madness slowly appeared on Aoki's face!
It must be said, this plan was truly insane.
To uproot all these large and small families, like maggots, required not only courage but also immense power.
Coincidentally, Aoki, who controlled the entire Rainbow Rocket Team, possessed such power!
At the same time, he also possessed such courage!
The most important thing was that the Alliance didn't have to do it themselves; they just needed to push all of it onto the Rainbow Rocket Team.
Furthermore, the Rainbow Rocket Team wasn't doing useless work. After sweeping these families, although their own strength was more or less damaged, and even the loss was considerable,
the wealth and treasures hidden within these parasitic families were simply unimaginable to ordinary people, and the Rainbow Rocket Team, having obtained this wealth, did not suffer any losses.
Of course, the Rainbow Rocket Team only took away the wealth they could carry, while the fixed assets, such as real estate, returned to the Alliance's hands.
It could be said that neither side suffered a loss.
However, Aoki didn't indiscriminately wipe out every single family!
Some families with good reputations and a willingness to help others were spared, as they hadn't done anything wrong.
Even among the families that were wiped out, not everyone was an irredeemable scoundrel. There were still some good people, some good trainers, and these people couldn't be condemned outright.
These were also valuable assets to the Alliance.
It was precisely to determine which families needed to be destroyed, which families needed to be preserved, and among those to be destroyed, how many people needed to be dealt with and who could be spared.
These were the main reasons why Aoki spent a year!
During this year, both the Rainbow Rocket Team and the Alliance were silently gathering this intelligence.
The intelligence collected by the Alliance was handed over to Aoki by Lance.
All preparations were for this moment.
"After today, the entire Alliance will be reborn, and everything I promised the Elder will be completed!" Aoki stretched and said loudly.
He recalled that day when the Divine Cult invaded, after Lance was captured, Aoki and the Elder had a not-so-short conversation on the summit of Silver Mountain.
At that time, the Elder directly pointed out Aoki's identity, but Aoki stood from a different perspective, from his then-current identity, and analyzed the current situation of the Alliance.
At that time, the two initially settled on the plan currently being executed.
So, even though the Elder knew Aoki's identity, he did not expose him. He even secretly helped him keep his secret and helped him ascend to the position of Hoenn Champion.
In fact, at that time, Aoki mainly made a bet with the Elder.
Because Aoki knew that Giovanni, as the leader of Team Rocket, would definitely launch an attack on the Alliance after Mewtwo was fully formed. If they couldn't even withstand Team Rocket's attack, everything would become a joke.
So Aoki and the Elder made an agreement.
When Giovanni of Team Rocket attacked the Alliance, they would see if the Elder could stop Giovanni.
If he could stop or even repel Giovanni, then Aoki would implement his and the Elder's plan to help the Alliance clear out these tumors. But if Giovanni defeated the Elder at that time and defeated all the Alliance's high-end combat power, it would mean that the Alliance had no reason to exist, and the Rainbow Rocket Team replacing the Alliance would be destiny, and Aoki could not go against fate.
This was a gamble between Aoki and the Elder, and only the two of them knew about it.
This was also why the Elder kept Aoki's secret.
It was also why the Elder, during his battle with Giovanni, even at the cost of his own life, summoned Arceus and used Arceus's power to directly defeat Giovanni.
In fact, when the Elder and Giovanni were fighting, Aoki was hiding in the crowd, and the Elder knew about it.
And in the subsequent Alliance meeting, the Elder specifically emphasized Giovanni's situation to Aoki, which was also their secret signal, meaning that he had defeated Giovanni as per their agreement, and the rest was up to Aoki.
At that time, the Elder was already a flickering candle in the wind. Even if Aoki didn't honor their bet, no one would hold him accountable. In fact, no one knew about this except the two of them.
But the Elder, at the end of his life, chose to trust Aoki unconditionally.
He had already missed Giovanni and Lance once, and he didn't want to miss Aoki again.
If Aoki truly didn't follow their agreement, then he could only admit that he truly lacked the ability to judge people, and the Pokémon Alliance would decline in his hands, and he would accept it.
To help Aoki better execute their bet, the Elder even got rid of Giovanni, allowing Aoki to take over Team Rocket and the Rainbow Rocket Team without pressure.
This was the Elder's trust in Aoki, the path the Elder paved for Aoki.
In fact, during this year, Aoki had also struggled, but in the end, he still did as he had agreed with the Elder.
Only the Elder, Aoki, the Elder's chosen successor, Aoki's teacher Matsuda, and Lance knew about this plan.
Among these people, Aoki represented the entire underground force of the Pokémon world, Matsuda represented the Alliance's side, and Lance served as the link between the two.
Most people, upon seeing the person the Elder chose, thought it was to pave the way for his granddaughter, while a smaller portion believed it was to pave the way for Aoki.
In fact, those who saw it as paving the way for Aoki truly understood something, but their understanding wasn't comprehensive enough.
The true purpose of choosing Matsuda as his successor was indeed for Aoki, but it shouldn't be seen as paving the way for Aoki. Instead, it should be seen as enabling Aoki to better utilize the Alliance's resources to achieve this goal and complete this plan.
From this, it can be seen that to help the Alliance complete its transformation, the Elder spared no effort in helping Aoki achieve this.
This old man, who had dedicated his life to the Alliance, chose to trust Aoki, a member of Team Rocket, at the very end.
Because only in Aoki did the Elder feel the ability to change the world, so in the end, he took a big gamble.
Facts proved that he gambled correctly in the end, although he no longer had the chance to see it.
Aoki simply explained the bet he made with the Elder, and the reasons and process behind his actions.
The person standing opposite him felt like they were on a rollercoaster.
"So, my teacher and I agreed that when I reappeared in public, that would be the start of this operation," Aoki finally said to the crowd, spreading his hands.
Matsuda had been hiding to avoid a direct impact, and now Aoki pulled him out again to share the burden.
As expected, after Aoki mentioned Matsuda, the older people and those who were more familiar with Matsuda immediately looked at him.
However, some people still kept their attention on Aoki.
Of course, that was Steven and his group.
But at this moment, Steven was somewhat dazed, or rather, lost his mind.
Aoki walked up to Steven with a slight apology. He knew that his dear friend had indeed suffered a considerable blow this past year.
Through Matsuda's connections, news about Steven and the others was sent to his desk almost every day, ensuring their safety and confirming their growth.
"Steven..." Aoki began apologetically.
But he had just opened his mouth.
Bang—
Suddenly, Steven, who was just standing there, abruptly threw a punch at Aoki!
Although Aoki had psychic powers and reacted, after a tenth of a second of hesitation, he chose not to block.
Bang—
He fell heavily to the ground.
But Steven was relentless, directly sitting on Aoki's body and punching him left and right...
"You brat!!! How dare you hide it from us!!!"
"You bastard, do you think we would be a burden if you told us?!!!"
"You brat!! You..."
Bang— Bang—
In the end, he stopped talking and just kept punching Aoki's face.
Lance and Cynthia, standing behind, couldn't bear to watch, covering their eyes, only peeking occasionally, finding it too brutal.
In the past year, Steven had not only improved his Pokémon's strength but also kept up with his own physical training. Now, when he punched Aoki, it was truly a solid hit!
Aoki had originally given up resisting with his psychic powers because he felt somewhat sorry for Steven, but seeing that Steven had no intention of stopping.
How could he let this continue?!
Steven was going to disfigure him!
He was going to ruin his handsome face!!
He must be jealous that he was more handsome than him!!
Aoki couldn't tolerate it anymore. After a few punches, he already felt a burning pain on his face!
Instantly, psychic power covered his still handsome face.
However, Steven still didn't stop, so Aoki could only use a trump card.
"Lance, Cynthia, didn't you two promise me something? Now, quickly pull him off me!!" Aoki shouted at Lance and Cynthia.
Back on the Space-Time Continent, he had given them Mega Stones and made them promise to do one thing for him. Now was the time for that to come into play.
Lance and Cynthia, who had been watching the show and silently cheering him on, exchanged glances, feeling very helpless.
Just when the beating was going well, Aoki used that condition to make them pull Steven off.
To be honest, if it weren't for their prior promise, Lance and Cynthia really wouldn't have wanted to pull Steven off.
The shock they felt when they learned Aoki's true identity was immense. If even they felt that way, one can imagine how much of a blow Steven had suffered.
Everyone had witnessed his transformation.
He became taciturn, extremely enthusiastic about battling, and even his battle style became fierce. Everyone knew why he was doing this.
It was all to bring Aoki back and give him a good beating!
So, after Lance and Cynthia exchanged glances, they decided...
To approach slowly, moving their feet very deliberately, trying to buy Steven more time.
Seeing their actions, Aoki resigned himself to his fate.
"..."
Bang— Bang— Bang—
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Remember to take a look at my new story. :)