Aoki quickly settled on a specific recipe.
An intermediate-tier Pokéblock known as the Yellow Berry Block.
Its purpose was simple and focused: to replenish missing micro-elements in a Pokémon’s body, rapidly condition its physique, and restore its original innate potential as much as possible.
Reviewing the required ingredients, Aoki noted that they consisted of common berries and medicinal plants easily found across this resource-rich trial island.
The crafting process was straightforward, requiring neither complex procedures nor specialized machinery.
It was perfectly suited to his and Murkrow’s current circumstances.
To produce these blocks, Aoki used wood to fashion a crude set of manual crafting tools.
In short, the set was exceedingly simple and undeniably ugly.
“The next task is to gather these materials.
Actual combat training will have to take a back seat for now,” Aoki thought to himself.
His top priority was rebuilding Murkrow’s physical foundation.
He refused to waste Murkrow’s innate talent by pushing it into heavy training while its body remained depleted.
Still, Aoki was confident that even if they paused formal training for a short while, he and Murkrow would catch up quickly once the foundation was restored.
Three days passed in a flash.
During this time, Aoki and Murkrow scoured the outer fringes of the forest, searching for berries and herbs.
The search took slightly longer than Aoki had budgeted, but it was still well within acceptable limits.
Holding a freshly finished Yellow Berry Block in his palm, Aoki felt a faint coolness radiating against his skin.
Holding it up toward the sunlight, he could clearly see fine, pulp-like strands suspended within the translucent mass.
Its pale yellow surface was smooth, and a light, refreshing aroma wafted from it.
Crafting Pokéblocks posed no difficulty for Aoki, and the process had gone smoothly.
The finished product matched his expectations closely.
He had acquired this recipe by chance in his previous life and had never tested it personally, so he could only hope its effects lived up to its description.
With a flick of his finger, he tossed the block upward.
Murkrow, which had been staring intently at the block, launched off his shoulder like a bolt of lightning, catching the morsel in its beak with a sharp *snap*.
Having watched the entire creation process, the bird had been barely able to contain its appetite, tempted continuously by the rich scent radiating from the block.
Aoki looked at the excited Murkrow and gave an approving smile and a nod.
Only after receiving Aoki’s explicit permission did Murkrow swallow the block whole.
“Kaaah!!” An unprecedented burst of flavor exploded in its mouth.
Murkrow opened its beak, narrowed its eyes in delight, and gave a satisfied cry.
The look of sheer bliss on Murkrow’s face was proof enough of the block’s quality.
“Looks like the taste is a success,” Aoki said with a light smile.
“These intermediate Yellow Berry Blocks have a limit of ten per day.
Anything beyond ten yields no extra benefit.
According to the recipe, seven full days of consumption should fully repair a Pokémon’s physical deficits.” Looking at the batch of nearly one hundred Pokéblocks in his hands, Aoki kept nine out and carefully wrapped the remainder in a piece of prepared cloth, securing the bundle to his waist.
One by one, he tossed the remaining nine blocks into the air.
Murkrow caught and swallowed every single one with lightning speed.
Although the physical improvements would not manifest instantly, Aoki could use the Microchip to directly observe the micro-changes occurring within Murkrow’s stats.
Even the shade of the green text indicating its talent potential had deepened slightly in hue.
“To help your body absorb the energy better, Murkrow, we’re going to start training now.
Are you ready to get stronger?” Aoki asked, tossing the final block into the air.
“Kaaah!!” A spirited, powerful cry was its answer.
Aoki already had a comprehensive blueprint for Murkrow’s development and training.
Murkrow’s greatest strength lay in its speed; if he failed to maximize its exceptional base Speed stat, he would be doing both of them a massive disservice.
Furthermore, Murkrow possessed its hidden ability: Prankster.
Prankster granted priority to status moves, making it a supreme tool for seizing the initiative in battle.
“Murkrow, use Tailwind!” A subtle breeze swirled around Murkrow’s body.
Tailwind—a status move that boosted the team’s overall movement speed.
Murkrow felt as though an endless well of energy had opened inside it.
The Pokéblocks it had just consumed dissolved into a warm current that flowed through its limbs and blood vessels, converting into a steady stream of physical stamina.
Before long, the standard duration of Tailwind expired, and the breeze faded away.
“Maintain the Tailwind state,” Aoki instructed.
“Keep the air currents gathered tightly around your body and try to extend how long it lasts.” Normally, Tailwind boosted the speed of all allies in an area.
By compressing and controlling the airflow so it only wrapped around Murkrow’s immediate body, energy consumption would drop drastically, allowing the effect to last much longer.
If mastered, Murkrow could potentially maintain a near-permanent speed buff.
Though Murkrow did not fully grasp the logic behind Aoki’s instructions, it obediently pulled the surrounding air currents inward, concentrating on keeping the airflow stable for as long as possible.
“Kaaah…” A minute later, the swirling air around Murkrow finally dispersed completely.
Looking as though it had expended all its strength, the bird let out a raspy, out-of-breath call.
“Remember that feeling.
Our goal is to make Tailwind stay around your body at all times.
Alright, again.” The moment training began, Aoki seemed to transform into a completely different person—impassive, strict, and uncompromising.
“Again.
Tailwind…” “Again.
Tailwind…” “Again…” “Again…” Once the routine started, Aoki became an iron-blooded drill sergeant.
With the Microchip monitoring every metric, he knew Murkrow’s precise physical limits.
He could push the bird to the absolute margin without causing overtraining injuries, while ensuring no effort was wasted on ineffective practice.
Another three days passed.
Aoki put Murkrow through three grueling days of targeted practice, finally extending its single-target Tailwind duration from one minute to ten full minutes.
Murkrow had even learned to sustain Tailwind while perched on Aoki’s shoulder without disturbing him, striving to reach its goal as quickly as possible.
Under normal circumstances, Aoki’s personality would have driven him to remain hidden deep in the forest, training continuously until the final trial commenced.
However, Team Rocket enforced a strict mandate: candidates had to report back to the base once every week, regardless of the situation.
Failure to report resulted in a deduction of points, and anyone whose points dropped below the threshold was summarily executed.
In the central square, where three hundred recruits had once stood, only a sparse crowd remained scattered across the stone floor.
Every gaze was laced with paranoia and hostility.
By now, everyone who had survived this long understood precisely what failure meant in this trial.
Every single person present was an enemy.
Aoki cast a cold glance at the few small cliques that had banded together, his lips curling into a silent sneer of disdain.
Grouping up was indeed a decent strategy for early survival, but its effectiveness depended entirely on the circumstances.
When life and death were on the line, no one would care about anyone else.
Those cliques were merely a few stronger individuals gathering pawns to do their heavy lifting.
As for the outcome of the final trial—so long as you were strong enough, who would dare challenge you?
Every candidate present shared one common feature: a Pokémon stood by their side.
The vast majority brought Zubat, while a select few were accompanied by Ekans or Koffing.
Only a tiny minority, like Aoki, stood beside different species altogether.
Counting them up, there were only about three Murkrow in the entire square.
Compared to the predatory hostility of Ekans or the volatile danger of Koffing, Zubat was relatively easy to subdue.
For defenseless teenage recruits, managing to tame any wild Pokémon was already a major feat, while those capable of subduing an Ekans or a Koffing were clearly not to be underestimated.
After a week of wilderness survival, the polarization among the recruits had become starkly pronounced.
The strong grew stronger, while the weak sank further.
Although the past three days of training had involved little actual combat, Murkrow’s level had naturally reached Level 10.
Even so, Aoki’s profile remained completely unremarkable among the crowd.
Thanks to several days of proper nutrition, however, the gaunt, sallow look on Aoki’s face had gradually given way to a healthier color.
Moving quietly to a quiet corner of the square, Aoki crossed his arms, leaned his back against a stone pillar, and closed his eyes to rest.