When Aoki left the rocky terrain, the sun was already setting in the west.
From Shuichi's confession, he successfully obtained the information he wanted.
It turned out that it wasn't that Shuichi obeyed Furukai's orders—rather, Furukai had actually placed a bounty on Aoki in some private circles within Team Rocket.
And anyone who accepted the bounty could obtain information about Aoki from him.
"A reward of 20 million Pokécoins... That's quite the sum. I didn't even know I was worth so much," Aoki muttered with a self-deprecating smile.
But the coldness in his eyes only grew sharper. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ n̷o̷v̷e̷l̷f̷i̷r̷e̷.net
He understood why Furukai had done this.
Aoki was currently a rising star under Sakagi's favor—most wouldn't dare act against him recklessly.
But this Neverland mission was an opportunity. He didn't know how Furukai had learned of his participation, but the implications were clear.
From this point onward, anyone on this island could be targeting Aoki—even the three Regis could no longer be trusted.
This was likely Furukai's true plan. He didn't actually expect Team Rocket members to eliminate Aoki. He simply wanted Aoki to distrust every participant, ensuring he couldn't form any real alliances. If things went wrong, Aoki would likely die here.
Of course, if someone did manage to kill Aoki, Furukai wouldn't mind spending 20 million for peace of mind.
Aoki's growth rate was terrifying—so fast it unsettled Furukai.
How long had it been since he left Trial Island? Before then, Aoki barely had the strength of a squadron leader. Now, he was participating in missions reserved for captains.
Aoki's current power wasn't what worried Furukai—it was his potential.
Shuichi had already been buried deep within that rocky terrain.
Since he loved Ground- and Rock-types so much, Aoki figured he should remain with them forever.
As for his Pokémon? Aoki had taken them all.
Shuichi had assumed Aoki only sent out two Pokémon—and that two would be enough.
But from his Poké Balls, Aoki discovered two more fully trained elites:
An Onix and a Marowak.
Even if Shuichi had sent them all out, Aoki wouldn't have lost.
More importantly, Aoki found multiple Excadrill in his possession. Xiu Yi must have favored the Excadrill + Drilbur combo, given how many spares he carried.
Aoki confiscated them all.
These Pokémon had been raised to a high level—they'd sell for a fortune.
As for the Drilbur swarm? Aoki considered putting them to work in the mountains, digging and terraforming.
He also healed the Rhyperior that had used Self-Destruct. It took two rounds of Aromatherapy from Florette to stabilize it.
Shuichi had been ruthless—willing to sacrifice Rhyperior just to take Aoki down.
On an island with no medical facilities, a Self-Destruct was usually a death sentence. Only Aoki's stockpile of Potions, Pokéblocks, and Florette's healing kept it alive.
But it wouldn't recover fully for at least a month.
Drapion had taken heavy damage too—Earthquake from Rhyperior and Excadrill's attacks had left it battered.
Ground-type moves were doubly effective against it.
Even with Drapion's strength, Excadrill had boosted itself with Swords Dance.
On the bright side, Drapion had gained new insight into Fire Fang.
Aoki also took Shuichi's storage items—he hadn't checked them yet, but he'd inspect them safely at night.
After two Teleports from Slowking, Aoki returned to the grassland where Altaria rested.
Safe spots were rare on Neverland—this one was worth keeping.
Besides, though proud, Altaria was reasonable. Yesterday, it had taught Honchkrow aerial combat in exchange for Aoki's food.
When Aoki left that morning, Altaria and the two Swablu were gone. Now, they'd returned.
Had they been hunting?
The Swablu flocked to Aoki, chirping eagerly.
Before tasting Aoki's cooking, they'd been content with wild berries. But now? Ordinary food tasted bland.
So, at their pleading, Altaria cut their outing short and brought them back early.
Altaria itself felt slightly embarrassed—never had it waited for someone else's cooking.
Aoki chuckled and released his team. The five younger Pokémon immediately bounded off to play with the Swablu.
After tending to his team's injuries, Aoki started preparing dinner.
Feeding one Altaria and two Swablu wasn't too burdensome.
But doing this daily would be exhausting. He'd packed plenty of canned food, but it seemed manual cooking was unavoidable.
Two hours later, the Pokémon ate together, chatting.
This time, Altaria didn't dine alone—it joined Aoki's group.
The two Swablu ate alongside the five younger Pokémon.
Aoki sat apart, sorting the day's spoils.
First, the ore from Bastiodon and Krookodile's territory.
He'd wondered why they guarded it so fiercely—until his system scan revealed why.
The mineral density was twice that of the ore Steven had given him!
Steven's ores were already premium-grade. This was absurd.
Aoki hadn't mined much—just enough for Larvitar and Aron to eat for two weeks.
The deposit was likely vast, but extracting more under Bastiodon and Krookodile's watch was impossible.
Then, his system flagged something unexpected.
Among the ores were small diamonds—and not just a few.
A thought struck him:
Can Larvitar and Aron eat diamonds?