In a relatively remote place, Aoki summoned the Flygon and left Slateport City without attracting anyone's attention.
A week may be a long time for Aoki, but for Regice, an ancient Pokémon, it is just a fleeting moment in the vast river of time.
Aoki recalled the location of the small island that Regice had mentioned and directed the Flygon to fly there. Once close enough, he could have Slowking teleport them directly to the destination.
At that moment, Aoki found himself missing his Gyarados. Sailing across the water while standing atop its head, feeling the rhythm of the waves, would have been far more comfortable.
Flygon, being a Ground- and Dragon-type Pokémon, disliked seawater, so it kept a fair distance from the ocean's surface. Aoki had no choice but to remain seated on its back, carefully reviewing the notes on Dragon-type Pokémon training methods he had gathered from Drake's experience, combined with his system's analysis.
The training techniques for Dragon-types were far more intricate than he had initially realized. Once this mission was over, Aoki planned to focus on Flygon's development first, as Larvitar's potential had yet to be fully restored.
Lately, Flygon had been performing well and behaving obediently. Aoki saw no issue in investing more resources into its growth. After all, according to his long-term plans, Flygon would serve as his primary flying mount for quite some time and might even play a role in his Sandstorm team.
Many ideas swirled in Aoki's mind, but his current resources and strength limited what he could attempt. With what he had available, he could only sustain the training of two full teams of Pokémon. Adding others, like Altaria and Swablu, was already pushing his limits—especially now that he had two Dragon-types, which demanded even greater resources.
After flying for over four hours at Flygon's cruising speed, Aoki estimated they were close. He opened his eyes and retrieved a Poké Ball, releasing Slowking. For more chapters visit novel·fire.net
"Slowking, sense the psychic coordinates of that island. Can you teleport us there?" Aoki communicated through Telepathy, linking his thoughts with Slowking's.
The Slowking closed its eyes, concentrating for a moment, then nodded. In an instant, the two Pokémon and their Trainer vanished from the open sea, reappearing on a small, sparsely vegetated island.
This uninhabited island lay between the Hoenn and Kanto regions. Its formation was due to an extinct volcano at its center, which had erupted long ago, creating the landmass. Now dormant, the volcano's peak was high enough to retain icy patches—likely where Regice resided. Despite being a legendary Pokémon, the Ice-type Pillar Pokémon still preferred colder environments.
During his last visit, Aoki had hastily left a psychic marker on the island without exploring thoroughly, so he hadn't detected Regice's presence. Now, he mounted Flygon again and flew toward the mountain.
The island hosted various wild Pokémon, though none were particularly strong. Resources were scarce, making survival difficult for larger populations. The previous unnamed island Aoki had visited was an exception due to its unique conditions.
Before reaching the summit, Aoki spotted a large, artificially dug cave. He guided Flygon toward it, then recalled the nervous Pokémon to avoid any unnecessary tension. With Slowking at his side, he ventured inside.
The cave's floor and walls were coated in layers of ice, and the frigid air prompted Aoki to pull on thicker clothing. Sunlight reflecting off the ice provided decent visibility despite the cave's depth.
At the far end, Aoki found Regice curled in slumber. Had he not known it was there, he might have mistaken it for a massive ice formation—its facial markings were barely noticeable.
Sensing their approach, Regice stirred, rising to its full height. The cave, dug by Regice itself, accommodated its towering form. Standing before the colossal ice entity, Aoki felt an undeniable pressure.
Facing a legendary Pokémon alone was nerve-wracking, especially when his own strength was still lacking. If Regice turned hostile, his plan was simple: release Flygon as a distraction and escape with Slowking.
Flygon would probably weep if it knew.
Drake (the Drake from Team Rocket) had treated it as a treasure, while Aoki saw it as expendable.
Fortunately, Regice recognized Aoki despite his change in attire and made no aggressive moves. Through Telepathy, they resumed communication.
Aoki's heart raced when Regice's first words were: "You… carry the aura of Mew within Slowking."
Was there room to manipulate this?
"Mew vanished long ago. Slowking is the only Pokémon chosen in all that time to inherit its legacy. It's being trained as Mew's successor—a half-apprentice, if you will." Aoki delivered the lie smoothly, his expression unreadable in the freezing cave. Not that blushing was possible in such cold.
"Impossible," Regice countered.
"Nothing's impossible. You sensed Mew's aura on Slowking, didn't you?" Aoki pressed, doubling down.
Slowking's face twisted in silent exasperation. Its Trainer was at it again.
"Mew disappeared too long ago. Slowking is too young to have met it."
"Then consider this: what if Slowking discovered an artifact Mew left behind? With Mew's power, preserving something for centuries would be trivial, no?"
Regice's communication skills were rudimentary, and while it wasn't unintelligent, Aoki's reasoning gave it pause.