At night, in the forest, Aoki chose a relatively quiet place to rest.
Since it was impossible to fly from Littleroot Town to Verdanturf Town in one day, an overnight break was necessary. Fortunately, Aoki had marked several locations while traveling through the forest earlier, allowing him to find a suitable resting spot with ease.
The place he chose was a tree hollow he had used just a few days ago. Since it had already been prepared, there was no need for Skorupi to dig out another shelter. Aoki skillfully sealed the entrance before settling in for the night.
The forest's massive trees provided ample space inside the hollow, enough for Aoki to summon a few of his smaller Pokémon. However, Pokémon like Tropius, Honchkrow, and Skorupi would have to remain in their Pokéballs until morning.
Slowking, as usual, took on the role of sentinel, keeping watch outside while Aoki summoned his second-echelon Pokémon.
Mudkip was now part of the team and needed to familiarize itself with its new companions. Aoki's second-echelon Pokémon consisted of four key members: Torchic, Aron, Poliwag, and Mudkip. Soon, once Larvitar hatched, it would be added to the group.
The team was growing fast. Five Pokémon in total, each requiring significant resources to train. Aoki wasn't sure if he would add more in the near future, but if he encountered a suitable candidate, he wouldn't pass up the opportunity. However, the resources needed to raise these Pokémon properly were immense, especially considering how resource-intensive Aron and Larvitar were.
Fortunately, Aoki's rising strength and growing influence meant he would soon have access to better support and resources. Unlike his first-echelon Pokémon, whose aptitudes started lower and had to be improved over time, the second-echelon team members already had strong natural potential.
Torchic's progress was particularly noteworthy. Its aptitude had been fluctuating between cyan and dark cyan, and the system was unable to provide a stable prediction. However, after the experience in Pallet Town, where Aoki allowed it to express itself more freely, its potential had begun to stabilize. Now, there was over a 60% chance it would fully settle at dark cyan.
If everything went well, Aoki's second-echelon team would include Torchic and Aron, both dark cyan; Poliwag and Mudkip, both light cyan; and Larvitar, cyan. This was a level of talent Aoki had never achieved in his past life.
Thinking about the past, Aoki suddenly recalled a particular Pokémon he once had. In his previous life, he had captured a powerful Pokémon as a hunter, one that had helped him reach the peak of his capabilities and break into the quasi-Elite tier. He had long considered reclaiming that Pokémon, but his strength had not been sufficient until now. However, things were different now—perhaps it was finally time to pursue that goal.
A new plan began forming in Aoki's mind.
After spending some time with his Pokémon, he observed how they interacted. Mudkip was naturally lively, quickly integrating into the group. Torchic, being outgoing, accepted its presence immediately, having encountered similar Pokémon before. Poliwag, a fellow Water-type, played the role of peacemaker, helping smooth over any tension. The only hesitant one was Aron, who initially kept its distance from the energetic Mudkip. However, once Aron realized that Mudkip was just as battle-hungry as itself, its attitude changed, and it became more accepting.
Aron was particularly competitive and held great respect for strong Pokémon. It admired those who trained diligently and was especially envious of the dedication shown by Honchkrow and Slowking. More than any other Pokémon, it looked up to Skorupi, who acted as the group's "big brother."
Unlike Aoki's first-echelon Pokémon, who had endured extreme hardship on Trial Island, the second-echelon team had a much safer upbringing. They had never experienced the same kind of life-or-death struggles. For now, they could afford to be carefree because their seniors were there to protect them.
Aoki's bond with his Pokémon had deepened significantly compared to his past life. Having developed telepathy, he could now communicate with them much more effectively, making battle coordination smoother. Starting now, he would train them to rely on telepathic commands, further improving their battle efficiency.
After playing for a while, Aoki let the four younger Pokémon interact freely inside the tree hollow while he turned his attention to another matter.
He called out Haunter from the shadows. The Ghost-type had been resting after recent battles, but it still had an important task to complete.
"Haunter, bring out Larvitar's incubator."