Pokemon: Rising From The Dark Chapter 292 - 545 - Arriving at Fortree City

Aoki set down the communicator, deep in thought.

"It seems the plan to find that Pokémon will have to be postponed for now," he mused. "That's fine. Let him grow for a while and experience the true nature of this world."

Sitting atop Tropius, Aoki directed it to change course and head toward Fortree City. With only three days to reach Vermillion City in the Kanto region, he had no choice but to fly to Fortree first. Ti was tight, and Tropius would likely have to fly through the night to make up for it.

Retrieving another communicator, Aoki dialed Miyamoto's number. He instructed him to investigate the situation through Team Rocket's internal channels. While lower-ranking mbers couldn't access classified information directly, they could still pick up valuable rumors. Team Rocket's secrecy wasn't absolute.

The urgency of this mission made sense. If they didn't explore the island quickly, the League might intervene. The faster Team Rocket mapped out the terrain and resources, the better their chances of securing control before the League could act. That's why they allowed almost no preparation ti—just three days.

For Team Rocket mbers in Kanto and Johto, the tiline was manageable, but for Aoki in Hoenn, the rush was real. Understanding the urgency, Tropius increased its flying speed, aided by the clear skies and bright sunlight, which boosted its endurance.

By the ti Aoki arrived in Fortree, it was already midnight. Without delay, he went straight to the airport, where the staff of the Devon Corporation's Fortree branch had already arranged his earliest possible flight.

Catching the last flight to Saffron City that night, Aoki finally allowed himself to relax. One day was already gone. With two days remaining, he estimated another day to travel from Saffron City to Vermillion City, leaving only a single day for preparation and gathering intel—barely enough.

For now, he had no idea who else was participating in this mission. That information would have to wait until he reached Vermillion.

Closing his eyes, Aoki entered a ditative state, focusing on adjusting his condition for the days ahead. This mission was a great opportunity, but also highly dangerous. Given his current strength, he would likely be ranked in the middle to lower tiers among the participants.

Thankfully, Gengar had evolved just in ti, successfully breaking through to the elite level. With four elite-level Pokémon, Aoki had more confidence. Hopefully, after this mission, Skorupi would evolve into Drapion, further strengthening his team.

As the plane landed in Kanto, dawn was just breaking.

Wasting no ti, Aoki exited the aircraft and imdiately got into a pre-arranged vehicle from the Devon Corporation, heading south of Saffron City. He briefly considered using Slowking's Teleport but dismissed the idea. Sabrina's unpredictable temperant made him uneasy, and the last thing he wanted was to cross paths with her unnecessarily.

After a three-hour drive, Aoki reached the southern outskirts of Saffron City. There, he once again summoned Tropius, which had rested overnight. With the help of Pokeblocks, Tropius wasn't too fatigued. Under the bright sun, it could push its speed to the limit once again.

By the ti Aoki arrived in Vermillion City, it was already past noon. Instead of heading straight to Team Rocket's base, he first checked into the Pokémon Center. As a League-affiliated Gym Leader in Hoenn's Verdanturf Town, he was entitled to free accommodation at any Pokémon Center.

If anything, Aoki's status was on par with Lt. Surge in Vermillion City. However, he preferred to keep a low profile and requested that the Pokémon Center staff not broadcast his arrival.

Upon entering the city, Aoki imdiately noticed a change in atmosphere. The streets were quieter than usual, and there was a palpable tension in the air. Even ordinary citizens seed to sense sothing was off. The influx of Team Rocket mbers had clearly affected the city's mood. Fortunately, Lt. Surge's strength and reputation were enough to keep potential troublemakers in check—for now.

Just as Aoki was about to head out to gather intelligence, his communicator rang.

An unknown number.

Few people had access to his direct contact, so this was unusual. After a mont's hesitation, he answered.

"Aoki! Long ti no see, haha! I heard you're joining this mission too?" The voice on the other end was cheerful, almost too friendly.

Aoki's eyes narrowed as he recognized the speaker. "Regis?"

Regis, Lt. Surge's direct subordinate—soone Aoki had t on the trial island. He once tried to recruit Aoki into his circle but had gone silent since then.

"Haha, you still rember ! That's good. I heard your na on the participant list, so I called you right away," Regis chuckled.

"Participant list?" Aoki asked, intrigued.

"Yeah, the official list of those joining the mission. If you want, I can send you a copy. I even gathered so additional intel on the participants—interested?" Regis offered casually. "We could et up and chat."

Aoki wasn't surprised that Regis was involved. However, the speed at which he had learned about Aoki's arrival was concerning. Was it coincidence, or had Regis been keeping tabs on him?

After a brief pause, Aoki replied, "Alright. Where do you want to et?"

"Half an hour from now, at the specialty gourt shop in the black market. VIP room. See you there."

Regis hung up before Aoki could respond.

Sitting on the sofa, Aoki stared at the coffee table in deep thought.

Five minutes later, he retrieved his Team Rocket captain uniform, removed his human-skin mask, and donned a long black cloak. With Slowking's help, he teleported to a hidden coordinate he had previously marked within Vermillion's black market.

It was ti to step into the shadows once more.