Altaria initially saw the two little Swablu wanting to eat what Aoki handed out and thought about stopping them. However, after hesitating for a while, she ultimately didn't.
After all, in her opinion, the sll... well, it didn't seem bad.
Once Aoki distributed the barbecue to all the Pokémon, they happily dug in.
For so Pokémon, the portions weren't enough to fill them up, like Larvitar.
But at least they could enjoy a bite for now.
He figured he could just eat a lot of ore later — no one could steal his food anyway.
On the grill, there was also a whole roasted lamb. Aoki cut off a front leg, placed it in his own bowl, and then wrapped the rest in plastic wrap.
Under the watchful eyes of Altaria, he slowly carried the whole roast lamb toward her.
The proud Altaria kept her gaze locked on him but remained indifferent to his actions.
Smiling, Aoki didn't mind her attitude. He placed the roast lamb in front of her and said,
"Altaria, thanks for your help today. This is just a little token of appreciation."
After speaking, Aoki smiled again and turned to leave without waiting for her reaction.
The Altaria's throat moved slightly as the mouthwatering aroma floated up to her. It was hard to resist.
Well... it was a little fragrant.
Would it be embarrassing to eat food given by a human just like that?
But he said it was a thank-you gift... and she was the overlord here!
She saved him just now, and it was only right to accept so gratitude, right?
No, no — she needed to maintain her pride. She must hold back!
Maybe just... one bite?
Yeah! Just one bite!
Just trying it!
Giving him so face!
Ahh, it slls so good!
Aoki didn't know what was running through her mind, but he had been quietly observing her.
Once she took her first bite, she never looked up again.
"Finally, we're starting to build so rapport," Aoki thought to himself with satisfaction.
After finishing dinner, Aoki glanced at the Altaria again and saw her holding a lamb rib, pecking at it carefully.
When she noticed Aoki looking, her cheeks — those snowy white ones — blushed faintly.
It was a little embarrassing to be caught.
Aoki pretended not to see anything, casually cleaning up the leftovers, but the corners of his mouth lifted ever so slightly.
Gaining the trust of a powerful Pokémon wasn't sothing that happened every day.
Especially on this island, having a good relationship with a strong Altaria might an receiving special protection in the future.
After dinner, Aoki didn't approach Altaria again. Instead, he led his Pokémon to the grass for evening training.
The five little ones joined the training, while the two small Swablu could only watch from the side.
After a while, the two little Swablu thought it looked like fun.
They wanted to join but didn't know how, and were too shy to approach Aoki, so they flew back to their mother's side for comfort.
Usually, they enjoyed playing around their mother, but today, for so reason, playing didn't feel as fun.
After the evening training wrapped up, Aoki led the Pokémon back to the tent.
This special tent was not only waterproof and insect-proof, but also had much more space inside than the old ones.
Even though it was a little crowded with everyone inside, the Pokémon actually liked squeezing together — it felt cozy and warm.
Only Larvitar and Aron were set up in a corner of the tent by themselves.
It wasn't that they were excluded — it was just that their weight was too much for the others to handle if they all squished together.
Although Larvitar and Aron felt a little wronged, they understood and didn't complain.
Aoki closed his eyes but didn't fall asleep imdiately.
He activated the system to review the information about Pokémon aptitude improvent he had received from Team Rocket.
The system had already analyzed and stored the data.
However, it was clear that the information was intentionally edited — the thods that could universally enhance Pokémon aptitude were erased.
Maybe it was because the thod wasn't perfected, or maybe Team Rocket didn't want outsiders to know.
Aoki figured it was more likely that a truly universal thod of improving aptitude simply didn't exist.
Instead, the data described ways to improve specific types of Pokémon.
Many of the materials listed were things Aoki had never even heard of. But judging from the description, Team Rocket seed capable of obtaining them, which ant these thods were real.
For Pokémon like Combusken, Honchkrow, and Slowking, whose evolution paths were already set, improving aptitude was especially hard.
According to the data, the best timing to improve a Pokémon's aptitude was either before birth or during evolution. Those were the monts most likely to cause a significant change.
Even so, Combusken's aptitude was already high.
Without enough materials on hand, Aoki couldn't attempt anything risky.
However, there was one Pokémon's thod that caught Aoki's attention and wouldn't let him look away —
Skorupi!
The system listed a thod for improving Skorupi's aptitude.
The best ti was, again, before or during its evolution.
And Skorupi's current level was already 39 — just one more level and it could evolve, breaking through to the elite tier.
"Is it about raising Gu?" Aoki thought deeply after reading the docunt.
(A/N: I have no idea what Gu is so I am just going to leave it there.)
The next day Aoki once again led the Pokémon into the territory of the Scolipede.
After their leader was slain by Altaria right in front of them, no matter how much Aoki provoked them, the Scolipede refused to leave the forest.
With the death of the leader, no new ruler had been directly confird in the Scolipede territory.
Instead, several Scolipedes, all fairly strong in their own right, clashed against one another, each attempting to seize power and establish themselves as the new leader.
It was not a struggle that could be settled in a day or two.
Under normal circumstances, their ongoing battles wouldn't have posed a major problem. They could afford to fight among themselves, eventually choosing a new leader and then quickly replenishing their dwindling numbers.
As Bug-type Pokémon, they had that kind of resilience.
But now, things were different. They were facing a powerful — and very cunning — enemy.
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