The time had just come to noon, and after finishing lunch at the Pokémon Center, Aoki took to Route 44, the only road east of Mahogany Town.
To the east of Mahogany Town, a towering mountain could be seen in the distance.
Aoki's goal was that high mountain. It was said that within its caves, which extended in all directions, the temperature remained cold year-round. It was a paradise for Ice-type Pokémon.
However, before reaching the snow-capped mountains, a large forest still lay ahead.
Looking at the mountains, they seemed close, but after walking for an hour, the distance appeared unchanged.
Now on the outskirts of the forest, the number of people gradually decreased, though many still passed through.
Compared to the forests outside Goldenrod City, Mahogany Town had fewer people overall, yet human activity left visible traces throughout the area.
Aoki encountered several groups along the way, all in a hurry.
Under his observation, he noticed that many of them were actually from Team Rocket.
As expected of the city with the largest Team Rocket base in Johto. The forest here had essentially become a free training ground for Team Rocket. Googlᴇ search novèlfire.net
Although Aoki's clothes were ordinary League trainer attire, in this place, such an outfit stood out.
Some Team Rocket members, though not in uniform, eyed him with unfriendly gazes.
Those who weren't with Team Rocket also kept their distance upon seeing Aoki's attire.
After all, Mahogany Town was an important Team Rocket base—something well known in certain Trainer circles.
The resources here were abundant, and Team Rocket wasn't reckless enough to eliminate every non-member. As long as no one openly provoked them and concealed their identity slightly, Team Rocket would not interfere.
But Aoki's outfit made him stand out.
The League was not weak in Mahogany Town, but its presence was mostly limited to the city. Beyond its borders, Team Rocket reigned. Many League members dared not openly identify themselves when leaving Mahogany Town for fear of attracting Team Rocket's attention.
It wasn't that Aoki didn't want to change clothes—he simply hadn't been in Mahogany Town for long and had forgotten.
Only after leaving the town and noticing others staring at him did he remember the situation here.
In his past life as a Team Rocket grunt in Mahogany Town, he hadn't needed to worry about such things. But now, as a League member, his circumstances had changed.
Since he had already drawn attention, he could only rely on strength to deter unnecessary trouble.
"Come out, Slowpoke!" Aoki called.
The people watching Aoki, their gazes hidden yet focused, suddenly lost interest upon seeing Slowpoke.
They were all Trainers accustomed to survival in the wild, and they recognized strong Pokémon when they saw them. This Slowpoke was clearly not ordinary.
Anyone who challenged the wrong Trainer could suffer significant losses.
After Slowpoke's appearance lessened the scrutiny, Aoki continued deeper into the forest.
Still, while most people lost interest, one or two pairs of eyes remained locked onto him.
Even the presence of Slowpoke had not discouraged them.
After two more hours of walking, the surroundings became desolate, and the number of wild Pokémon increased.
Suddenly, Aoki stopped.
He said coldly, "Come out."
After a few seconds of silence, there was no movement.
Aoki smirked. "No need to hide. When did Team Rocket become so timid?"
At his words, two figures emerged from behind the trees. One was about 1.8 meters tall, wearing a gray coat, while the other, plainer in appearance, wore a black coat. Both eyed Aoki with surprise and amusement.
"Kid, how did you spot us?" the taller man asked, his voice sharp.
Aoki sneered but said nothing. Could their pathetic tracking and camouflage skills really have degraded this much?
"Kevin, what's the point of talking? He just got lucky. Let's handle this quickly and report back." The plainer-looking man spoke arrogantly, making no effort to conceal his contempt.
Kevin, the taller one, stared at Aoki for a moment, sensing an inexplicable danger from him.
"Kevin, hurry up. If someone else comes, they might take the prize." The impatient man urged.
Kevin raised a hand to stop him. After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Your Slowpoke isn't bad. Hand it over, and we'll let you go."
"Shut up!" Kevin snapped, his tone leaving no room for argument. The other man flinched, momentarily suppressing his frustration, though his eyes flickered with anger.
As expected, they were after Slowpoke.
Though Slowpoke's presence was imposing, anyone with experience could recognize its rarity. The sight of a Shiny Pokémon alone was enough to tempt risk-takers.
Under their gaze, Aoki hesitated for a moment before slowly reaching for a Pokéball on his waist.
Seeing this, the two Team Rocket members smirked. They hadn't expected him to surrender the rare Pokémon so easily.
Kevin's eyes gleamed coldly as he realized he had overestimated the League Trainer. He was just another naive fool, soft from the League's protection, putting himself in danger out of ignorance.
He also began to consider whether keeping the Shiny Slowpoke to himself would be worth eliminating his impatient companion. After all, one share was better than two.
The younger Team Rocket grunt behind Kevin glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. His right hand slowly moved toward his own Pokéball, prepared to strike at any moment.
But neither expected what happened next.
Aoki didn't recall Slowpoke.
Instead, he grinned and said, "Come and get it."