The current location is at the edge of Route 114 north of Meteor Falls.
After crossing Route 114, you will arrive at Verdanturf Town.
Where Aoki is now, the level of wild Pokémon is not very high, making it more suitable for the Pokémon in his second-tier team to participate in battles.
However, it was still nighttime, and Honchkrow and the others had been fighting for three days straight. Even with Floette helping to restore their stamina, prolonged battles were mentally exhausting for Pokémon, requiring intense focus.
So there would be no training tonight—just rest.
Let them recover their strength and prepare for tomorrow's battles.
Dawn arrived the next day.
After waking up early, Aoki prepared breakfast for his Pokémon and then checked on Bagon's recovery progress.
Some of its wounds had already been treated, though faint scars remained.
Given time, they would fade completely.
Restoring Bagon's full potential wouldn't be possible through diet alone. It needed light exercise to improve digestion and absorption.
Combined with Aoki's specialized massage techniques and internal treatments, the malnutrition should be resolved within a few days.
However, Bagon's weakened state had persisted for a long time, so fully restoring its potential would take a while.
Aoki hoped Bagon could recover before entering its growth stage—once it evolved, fixing its weakened condition would be much harder.
During early development, a Pokémon's body naturally adjusts and reshapes itself.
Just like Torchic, whose potential had always fluctuated between cyan and dark cyan.
Once everything was settled, Aoki recalled all his Pokémon except Torchic and Aron.
Torchic had reached level 15 a few days ago.
It might evolve soon.
Since Aron was slower to level up and had a type advantage in this area, Aoki kept it out to handle stronger opponents.
Torchic had been energetic lately, frequently participating in battles.
After crying during its first battle, it had never whimpered from pain again—now, minor injuries didn't even faze it.
It was starting to enjoy combat.
Thanks to its Speed Boost ability, Torchic grew faster the longer it fought, allowing Aoki to employ more tactics.
Though in truth, the strategy was simple: use its speed to outmaneuver opponents, then whittle them down with hit-and-run attacks.
This would be useful even after evolution, so mastering it now was crucial.
For example, against a level 16 Dustox earlier, Torchic had circled it at high speed, pelting it with Ember until it collapsed.
Flamethrower was also an option, but in a forest, high-powered Fire-type moves risked causing wildfires.
Of course, against a tough opponent, that concern could be ignored.
According to Aoki's system scans, Torchic's physical condition was steadily improving.
The changes were minor, but even though its level was fixed at 15, its body was still growing—a sign that evolution was near.
With enough buildup, or a sudden breakthrough, it could evolve at any moment.
Aoki kept a close eye on Torchic's condition.
Right now, it was so excited that small flames flickered in its beak—a sign of overflowing Fire energy.
Suddenly, Aoki frowned and called out, "Torchic, watch out!"
"Torchic?" It turned, confused.
It hadn't sensed any threat.
But the moment it turned, leaves rustled—a green blur shot through the air, aiming straight for Torchic.
Reacting just in time, Torchic dodged thanks to the speed it had built up.
A Scyther stood before it, eyes sharp, twin scythes slashing where Torchic had been moments ago.
Torchic froze—had Aoki not warned it, that attack would have landed.
Aoki hadn't sensed the Scyther either, but the lack of wild Pokémon in this part of the forest had tipped him off.
With his experience, he'd guessed this was another Pokémon's territory and warned Torchic just in time.
His system scanned the Scyther:
Average level and potential, but in this low-level area, it was likely the dominant predator.
Probably the only Scyther around, which explained its aggressive reaction to Torchic's presence.
At level 19 with light green potential, it was a tough opponent for a level 15 Torchic—but type advantage and speed could balance things.
"Torchic, counter! Flamethrower!" Aoki ordered.
The distance was close. Still rattled from the ambush, Torchic unleashed the flames building inside it.
A burst of fire struck Scyther point-blank, scorching its body.
Enraged, Scyther swung its scythes at Torchic's face.
"Quick Attack, then keep using Flamethrower!" Aoki commanded.
Torchic dashed away, evading the attack, and continued blasting Scyther with flames.
Soon, the smell of burning filled the air.
Scyther, unable to retaliate, grew disoriented. Before it realized, exhaustion overtook it.
It collapsed. Torchic stomped on it triumphantly, flames flaring across its body as its temper flared. Official source is novèlfire.net
Standing over Scyther, its flames grew larger…