"Steven, Phoebe, it seems that you have also gained a lot of benefits." Aoki said with a smile.
Hearing Aoki's voice, Steven and Phoebe realized that the three of them were together again.
Suddenly, both of them showed surprise on their faces, "Aoki (Brother Aoki)!"
Reunited again.
The three of them then began to look around.
At this ti, they were not in the erald space they had been in before, but had co to a normal tree hollow.
It was just that the size of this hollow was a bit exaggerated.
If they couldn't see the wooden walls surrounding them and the ceiling above, they wouldn't have imagined they were inside a tree.
Had they reached the base of the Tree of Life?
This was the first thought that ca to Aoki's mind.
It wasn't impossible.
After taking a quick look at the environnt, the three of them continued their conversation.
When the two appeared, Aoki scanned the data of their Pokémon.
Both Steven's Shiny tagross and Phoebe's Banette had reached level 65, breaking through to the official Champion level.
It seed that the rewards this ti were truly substantial.
However, what surprised Aoki was that Steven's Shiny tagross, after being scanned by the system, actually showed that its Shiny Awakening was in progress.
This ant that not only had the tagross's strength increased, but its Shiny attribute had also been triggered.
"Do Shiny Pokémon automatically trigger their Shiny characteristics when they break through to level 65?"
After all, Slowking had also reactivated its Shiny traits upon reaching level 65.
This was valuable information.
In addition, Steven and Phoebe noticed the towering figure standing behind Aoki.
Both of them wore expressions of surprise.
"Is that a Tyranitar? When did you, Aoki, secretly raise a Tyranitar? I've never seen it before." Steven asked.
Judging by the sheer presence Tyranitar exuded, it was clearly powerful, and its physique was exceptional.
After all, its size far surpassed that of an ordinary Tyranitar.
"Yeah! Brother Aoki, when did you hide such a trump card? We had no idea!" Phoebe chid in imdiately.
She trotted over to Tyranitar's side.
With Phoebe's petite fra, she wasn't even as thick as one of its legs.
Aoki shook his head helplessly.
"I wasn't hiding anything. It just hadn't evolved yet. As you know, Pupitar's evolution requires gradual accumulation. Now that it's finally evolved, I'm showing it to you."
Hearing this, Steven nodded.
He didn't press further.
What Aoki said was common knowledge.
However, since Aoki now possessed such a powerful pseudo-legendary Pokémon, Steven's desire to battle him grew even stronger.
He had ntioned before that they would spar when he returned.
Now, Steven was itching for a fight.
Still, while Tyranitar was formidable, it hadn't yet reached Champion level. Steven wondered if he should wait for Aoki to further strengthen it before their battle.
That would make the fight more exciting.
Otherwise…
Rembering Aoki's infuriating tactics from their previous battle, Steven shuddered involuntarily.
Better to wait a little longer.
A direct clash would be more satisfying.
The three of them briefly described the spaces they had entered and the encounters they'd had.
It wasn't much different from what Aoki had expected.
Steven had entered a space dominated by Steel-type Pokémon, while Phoebe had found herself in a realm teeming with Ghost-types.
As for why the two of them looked so disheveled…
It had everything to do with their respective challenges.
But when it ca to specifics, both remained tight-lipped.
Shhh—
Just as the three finished exchanging stories, Celebi floated down to them once more.
Steven and Phoebe expressed their gratitude, which Celebi accepted cheerfully.
Boom—!
Boom—!
Boom—!
However, before long, a deafening roar echoed from above the tree hollow.
The ground trembled violently.
Aoki and the others tensed—they had nearly forgotten where they were.
Had Drake really been fighting those three for this long?
Aoki's mind raced.
"How long were you inside that space?" he asked.
Without hesitation, Phoebe answered, "Seven days. What's going on? Uncle Drake has been fighting them for seven days straight? That's insane…"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but marvel at the sheer endurance.
"Seven days? But I was there for ten." Steven looked puzzled.
"Exactly." Aoki's suspicions were confird.
The other two stared at him.
"Celebi can manipulate ti. She might have sent us to different tilines. I was in my space for less than five days, but here, perhaps not even a full day has passed—maybe even less."
After hearing Aoki's explanation, Steven recalled Celebi's abilities, while Phoebe's eyes widened in realization.
When they looked at Celebi again, there was newfound awe in their gazes.
Noticing their expressions, Celebi puffed out her chest proudly.
That's right—this is . I'm just this amazing.
Even if she didn't fully understand what they were praising her for, she basked in the admiration anyway.
"So, in reality, we might have only been gone for a short ti, and Drake is still battling those three—now inside the Tree of Life?" Steven mused.
It seed the Hunter's Guild had set their sights on Celebi.
Perhaps they were after her ti-traveling abilities.
If soone could harness that power…
Steven shook his head, unwilling to entertain the thought further.
The entire Pokémon world would be thrown into chaos.
Shhh—
Celebi, sensing the disturbance, wrinkled her nose in displeasure.
No one liked intruders wrecking their ho.
With a wave of her hand, an opening appeared in the ceiling of the hollow, revealing the four combatants who had been fighting inside the Tree of Life for who knew how long.
Their condition was far from ideal—their Pokémon were battered, their energy waning.
Yet, even fighting one against three, Lance still carried himself with unshaken dignity.
The way he regarded his opponents was nothing short of dismissive.
The four were abruptly pulled down to the base of the Tree of Life by Celebi before they even realized what was happening.
"Elite Drake!" Aoki and the others called out.
Hearing their voices, Drake turned.
Though Steven and Phoebe looked a little worse for wear, they were unhard.
Relief flickered across Drake's face before he gave them an approving thumbs-up.
"Since you're all safe, now we can fight without holding back!"
His previously calm expression hardened—his eyes burning with fury.
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