After scanning all the data into the system, regardless of how authentic it was, it was still crucial for Aoki, who don't have any other information.
By the morning of the day after tomorrow, when Team Rocket's ships set sail, Aoki had less than a day and a half remaining.
After recalling his Pokémon, Aoki headed straight to the training and battle arena behind the Pokémon Center.
There were many Pokémon Trainers affiliated with the League here. Whether training or battling, the place was always bustling with activity, but today's atmosphere was even more intense than usual.
Aoki arrived in the afternoon, right when the enthusiasm was at its peak.
Upon arriving, Aoki imdiately released Gengar.
Gengar was a rare sight. While Gastly and Haunter were more common, the unique evolution thod required for Gengar ant that not many were seen in the wild.
Most of the ti, Gengar could only be spotted in the hands of skilled Trainers competing in League conferences or high-profile battles.
Aoki bringing Gengar here caused quite a few heads to turn.
His intention was clear: to attract attention. Gengar had not yet fully adjusted to its newly evolved body, and Aoki had limited ti before departure.
He needed Gengar to engage in high-intensity battles to help it beco more accustod to its body.
Without hesitation, Aoki stepped to the edge of a vacant large battlefield and took his position.
Renting a battlefield through the Pokémon Center was relatively inexpensive for a direct mber of the League, and it also ca with an official referee.
Taking out a stack of Pokecoins—cash he had withdrawn from the underground market earlier—Aoki held up 200,000 Pokecoins.
"Here is 200,000 Pokecoins in cash. If you can battle and win, it's yours! No limit on the number of Pokémon per Trainer—one-on-one battles in rotation! You don't need to wager anything, just sign up with the referee!" Aoki announced loudly, flashing the money.
The Trainers who had been observing him erupted in excitent.
The entire battle arena behind the Pokémon Center was in an uproar.
This wasn't a small sum—200,000 Pokecoins was more than many families made in a year without expenses. Yet Aoki was putting it all on the line for a single battle event.
The best part? Anyone could enter. Even though the format was one-on-one, a Trainer could send in multiple Pokémon in rotation, increasing their chances of wearing Gengar down.
One quick-thinking Trainer imdiately dashed to the referee to register.
Seeing this, others quickly followed suit.
The referee, caught off guard, was montarily stunned by the sudden commotion. However, as an officially sanctioned League referee, he quickly regained his composure and began organizing the participants.
The first Trainer who had rushed forward now stood across from Aoki.
Gengar stepped forward without hesitation, understanding that Aoki had set up this entire battle event for its training.
Gengar felt a little ashad for not mastering its new body more quickly.
Just earlier, while playing with Aoki's other Pokémon in the room, Gengar had struggled with its movents. Fortunately, its teammates were supportive and patient.
The first challenger was strong, but compared to Gengar—now at the elite level—the difference was noticeable.
However, Aoki didn't command Gengar to simply overwhelm the opponent with its strongest moves. Instead, he controlled the battle tempo, forcing Gengar to use its body more effectively before delivering the finishing blow.
This strategy worked well, but to the onlookers, Gengar appeared to struggle. It took nearly ten minutes to defeat the first opponent's Pokémon.
Many in the crowd believed themselves to be stronger than the first challenger and eagerly prepared to battle, convinced they could win the 200,000 Pokecoins.
Others, however, realized they were weaker than the first challenger. Instead of jumping in right away, they moved toward the back of the line, waiting for Gengar to wear down over multiple battles before making their move.
200,000 Pokecoins might not an much to Aoki now, but for League Trainers, it was an irresistible prize.
If any mbers of Team Rocket had been present, Aoki would have been directly targeted. They wouldn't care about fair one-on-one battles—if the reward was high enough, they would resort to any ans necessary.
After Gengar defeated the first challenger, the second stepped up eagerly.
Following Aoki's strategy, Gengar appeared to barely scrape through each battle, using all its strength to narrowly defeat each opponent.
By the ti Gengar had taken down six Pokémon in a row, the next challenger was confident he could capitalize on Gengar's supposed exhaustion.
However, the outco was no different than before.
As an even more determined opponent took the stage, Gengar "struggled" to defeat them as well. Aoki then pulled out so Pokeblocks and fed them to Gengar.
Seeing this, so in the waiting line beca suspicious. Was Gengar pretending to struggle, only to reveal its true power later? But after noticing Aoki feeding it Pokeblocks, their doubts faded, and excitent surged again.
Finally, it seed Gengar was reaching its limit!
The battles continued one after another, but instead of Gengar tiring out, it beca faster and more efficient. As its control over its new body improved, Aoki quickened his battle commands, leading to quicker victories.
The exhaustion they were all expecting from Gengar never ca—instead, it was the challengers who beca fatigued.
So of the remaining Trainers hesitated, reconsidering whether they truly wanted to face Gengar. Did they really want to step up just to get defeated?
Seeing their hesitation, Aoki knew it was ti to wrap things up for the day. But there was still tomorrow, and other Pokémon could benefit from training as well.
The results had exceeded his expectations.
In just one afternoon, Gengar had significantly improved its control over its new body. With another morning of battles tomorrow, it would be able to fully utilize its elite-level strength—and maybe even grow stronger.
Even if Gengar didn't improve further, Slowking and Skorupi could still benefit from the intense training.
"That's all for today's battles!" Aoki announced. "Tomorrow morning, sa ti, sa place! The prize will be doubled—400,000 Pokecoins! Spread the word! Bring your friends and rivals! I'll be waiting here all day tomorrow!"
With that, Aoki and Gengar returned to the Pokémon Center.
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