After the eting, Aoki and Steven left together. All the Trainers who had made appointnts this ti ate together in the cafeteria of the League Building, getting to know one another. After all, everyone would et again soon at the Sinnoh competition, and those called to participate in this eting were considered among the most promising young Trainers from the Hoenn region. Sharing a al ant they could at least greet each other as acquaintances when they t again, avoiding awkwardness later. When everything concluded, they all went their separate ways.
Phoebe was the one who followed Aoki and Steven. "Aoki, why are you always holding that computer? You never put it down," Phoebe asked curiously. Even during the al, Aoki had kept the device close. Steven had already asked the sa question earlier.
"It's just to develop a habit. With the Sinnoh competition approaching, I want to gather information about potential opponents. That way I won't be caught off guard when we et in battle," Aoki explained with a smile. Steven rolled his eyes beside him. He'd heard that excuse before, yet never actually saw Aoki using the computer for research. But it didn't matter - Phoebe believed it completely.
With admiring eyes, she looked at Aoki and said, "You're really amazing, Aoki." After leaving Mt. Pyre, Phoebe had learned much about the world with Adams' help. Gaining this basic understanding hadn't been easy for her.
"Anyway, what are your plans? The Sinnoh competition starts in twenty days. If you need to prepare anything, you should start now," Aoki changed the subject. "True," Steven agreed. "I'll likely return ho to recuperate. My Pokemon have several issues I need to consult family elders about. More pressingly..." He grimaced slightly. "I don't yet have six main battle Pokemon. I urgently need to complete my team before competing."
Steven's tagross was incredibly powerful, but the strength distribution among his other Pokemon varied greatly. These twenty days would be his final preparation period. "Sa for ," Phoebe added, counting on her fingers. "But Grandpa Adams will handle preparations. I'll probably focus on training battles to strengthen my Pokemon." Having lived deep within Mt. Pyre since childhood without formal Pokemon training, Adams had arranged several expert tutors to systematically teach her proper battling knowledge. She'd learned much since leaving the mountain, but still had room for improvent.
Aoki nodded. Like them, he needed to make final adjustnts - though his preparations would be more extensive. Currently, only his Slowking, Gengar, Drapion, and Floette were competition-ready. Assembling a full team of six battle-ready Pokemon was proving challenging. Ideally, he'd train his Marshtomp and Poliwhirl during these twenty days, as they were the strongest in his secondary roster. However, bringing them to Slowking's level in just twenty days seed unrealistic - such rapid growth might destabilize their foundations, hindering future developnt.
Moreover, evolving Marshtomp into Swampert and Poliwhirl into Politoed would require another set of specialized enhancent supplents. Preparing these wouldn't be as simple as the first ti, and gathering the necessary resources quickly would be difficult.
Most critically - Aoki was broke. His savings had been exhausted creating the first set of supplents. Without funding, all his plans stalled. While money wasn't everything, its absence made progress nearly impossible. Every strategy Aoki considered relied on having adequate funds.
Additionally, Floette needed to evolve, but a high-quality Shiny Stone required substantial money - and even with funds, finding one wouldn't be guaranteed. The only consolation was that after the Sinnoh competition began, preliminary rounds would provide so buffer ti before the final battles.
In desperation, Aoki considered relying solely on his Altaria and Mismagius to bulldoze through the competition - but this was just a passing thought. While Altaria's pseudo-champion strength might be acceptable, using Mismagius would seem like he'd borrowed a powerful Pokemon from so elder, causing discontent among other regional competitors. Even the Hoenn League wouldn't support such tactics - winning first place that way would bring no honor. Ultimately, this was ant to be a fair competition among the League's own Trainers.
Thus, Aoki formulated a temporary plan: If he could quickly earn enough for Marshtomp and Poliwhirl's supplents and acquire all necessary resources, he'd enter them in the competition. If ti proved insufficient, he'd have to use Flygon and Altaria instead - though this might feel unfair to opponents. Before the competition, securing a top-quality Shiny Stone for Floette's evolution was also critical to ensure his team's endurance in extended battles. Therefore, Aoki's imdiate priority beca earning money quickly.
As for the fastest way to accomplish this? Aoki already had several ideas.
"Then we'll et at the Sinnoh competition. Steven, please keep an eye out for a top-quality Shiny Stone - contact imdiately if you find one," Aoki said finally, tossing a Pokeball to summon his Flygon and mounting it. "A top-quality Shiny Stone? Understood. But you know how rare high-grade evolutionary stones are - I can't make promises," Steven acknowledged with a nod. "No problem. Just keep watch - it's fine if nothing turns up. Take care, Steven, Phoebe!" With that, Flygon's wings beat powerfully as it carried Aoki skyward.
Steven would depart later via private jet with his father, who remained in a smaller eting with Adams. Phoebe stayed at League headquarters where Adams would provide full support for her training.
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