Viper nodded gravely.
For the Alliance to dispatch two Elite Four powerhouses at once—one of whom was a rare high-level Elite Four—meant they likely knew the details of that mission.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t have deployed such high-tier combat power.
His slightly furrowed brow tightened further; even knowing only a fraction of the situation, he could tell this was going to be troublesome.
“And what about the Boss?” “The Boss already knows.
As for who leaked the information, that’s not for me to worry about.
Right now, I just need a few people to help me with some minor matters.
After all, I suffered significant losses this time, and I need free time to recover.” The black-robed man withdrew his left hand and spoke calmly.
Viper’s brow relaxed slightly.
If he just wanted a few people, that wouldn’t be a problem.
“Do you want them after the trial ends, or right now?” Asking the question, Viper gave a faint, subconscious chuckle.
What use would these brats be right now?
They didn’t even have the strength of a standard Team Rocket grunt.
“After the trial ends.
I’ll pick a few then.
For now, arrange a room for me so I can recover.” The black-robed man offered no further explanation.
The reason he hadn’t chosen talents directly from the existing forces was twofold: first, he didn’t know who in Team Rocket was truly loyal and who was an Alliance spy.
Second, a blank slate without pre-existing strength was easier to shape, wasn’t it?
After having a subordinate lead the black-robed man away, Viper stared at the candlelight on the table, fingers laced together, sinking into deep thought.
Meanwhile, Aoki headed into the forest with Murkrow.
He didn’t intend to stay near the outer edges for long this time.
Not only were the Pokémon near the perimeter lower in level and ill-suited for Murkrow’s training, but more importantly, Aoki wanted to find a quiet place to set up camp and craft energy blocks undisturbed.
The deeper they went, the fainter the forest trail became, swallowed by increasingly dense weeds and underbrush.
Stashing the Yellow Berry Blocks he had prepared earlier into the Team Rocket belt’s storage space, Aoki wrapped spare strips of cloth around his head to protect his face from thorns and low-hanging branches.
Perched on Aoki’s shoulder, Murkrow continuously used Tailwind, doing his best to maintain the airflow.
While doing so, he controlled the currents to gently push aside surrounding branches and weeds, making it easier for Aoki to walk.
When larger branches blocked the path, Murkrow would flap his wings and unleash an unrefined, half-formed Gust move to blow them away, serving as practical practice for manipulating Flying-type energy.
“Murkrow, pay attention to the amount of Flying-type energy you use.
Stamina is inherently your weak point, so whenever you can save it, don’t waste extra energy.” Aoki offered guidance and training at opportune moments.
“Also, remember you’re a dual Dark- and Flying-type Pokémon.
Once we find a spot, we’ll start targeted training for your Dark-type moves as well,” Aoki added with a smile, his pace steady as he glanced at the increasingly spirited Murkrow on his shoulder.
“Kaa!” Murkrow nodded vigorously, understanding Aoki’s words completely.
Deep down, Murkrow longed to grow stronger and possessed a fierce drive for battle.
Flapping his wings, two mini-whirlwinds burst forth from between them.
Seeing Murkrow’s desire to grow stronger brought Aoki genuine satisfaction.
For a Trainer, no matter how high a Pokémon’s innate talent might be, if it lacked any desire for battle or drive to get stronger, it was inferior to a lower-talent Pokémon brimming with fighting spirit.
Murkrow possessed impressive aptitude, and his synergy with Aoki was growing stronger by the day.
Coupled with such an intense drive to improve, Aoki was confident that their future potential would be extraordinary.
Before they had walked much farther, Aoki’s thoughts were cut short.
A robust wild Spearow swooped down from a tree, its brutal glare radiating ferocity.
Its sharp beak and cold-gleaming talons laid bare its lethal intent.
It was clear that the Pokémon on this island held no goodwill toward humans.
Seeing the lean and slender Aoki, most would view him as easy prey.
Furthermore, Spearow were naturally notoriously short-tempered.
Yet to Aoki, such a sudden ambush was nothing more than a routine greeting.
With a slight sidestep, he dodged Spearow’s attack by a hair’s breadth.
This was a realistic world where Pokémon directly attacking humans was a common occurrence.
A powerful Pokémon’s assault on a human was often swift and lethal.
Moreover, there were people in this world who controlled Pokémon to attack humans directly.
Team Rocket was precisely that kind of organization—they didn’t care about fairness as long as the mission was accomplished, and even within the Alliance, such people were far from rare.
Having climbed to the rank of a city executive within Team Rocket in his past life and achieved Quasi-Elite Four combat capability, Aoki had faced countless situations like this.
An attack from a Spearow was absolute routine to him.
Effortlessly dodging the wild Spearow’s strike, Aoki commanded, “Murkrow, stay in Tailwind and use Feint Attack!” Murkrow launched into the air in fury.
He had zero goodwill toward this Spearow that had ambushed them and nearly hurt Aoki.
In fact, he felt a wave of humiliation—if Aoki hadn’t dodged so nimbly, he might have been injured.
As Aoki’s Pokémon, Murkrow viewed this attack as a direct provocation to himself.
A streak of dark light flashed.
Amplified by Tailwind’s acceleration, the unmissable Feint Attack struck Spearow dead-on.
“Jie!” Spearow shrieked in pain as the force sent it flying backward.
Taking advantage of the moment, Aoki scanned Spearow’s data.
[Pokémon: Spearow (Orange)] [Gender: Male] [Level: 12] [Type: Normal, Flying] [Ability: Keen Eye] [Held Item: None] [Egg Moves: None] [Basic Moves: Peck, Growl, Leer, Pursuit, Fury Attack] [Tutor Moves: None] *An Orange-aptitude Spearow isn’t bad for a wild Pokémon,* Aoki thought privately.
Pressing the advantage, Aoki ordered calmly, “Murkrow, keep up the pressure.
Use Peck!” Even before Aoki finished speaking, Murkrow was already moving—in truth, he had been preparing to follow up regardless.
Still reeling mid-air, Spearow didn’t even have time to react before Murkrow’s swift follow-up strike connected.
Fragile by nature, the wild Pokémon crumpled under the relentless barrage, paying the ultimate price before it could even comprehend what had happened.
Callously ignoring the Spearow slain by Murkrow, Aoki adjusted his stance and continued deeper into the forest.
Spearow were flock Pokémon that usually appeared in groups, and Aoki had no desire to trigger a battle with an entire flock right now.
Besides, the Pokémon deeper in would only grow stronger; he didn’t want to waste energy along the way.
His goal for today was to find a suitable campsite.
Relying on his past-life experience surviving in the wilderness, Aoki easily avoided powerful wild Pokémon and identified various species by reading animal tracks and game trails.
After swiftly dispatching a few aggressive wild Pokémon and quickly leaving the combat sites behind, Aoki and Murkrow finally reached a relatively ideal location after roughly three hours.
It was a small lake surrounded by dense, towering trees.
To the west of the lake stood a small hillside featuring a cave clearly excavated by Pokémon.
“This is it!”