Pokemon: Rising From The Dark Chapter 918 - 1172 - The Dream Ends

In a different space, Aoki observed the Pokemon training with a natural and practiced ease. The injured Tian Haoyu, having received treatnt, was still sleeping soundly. A Mismagius remained by his side the entire ti. The act of crafting dreams was not only an application of Mismagius's abilities but also a form of training for the Ghost-type Pokemon. Recently, under Aoki's conscious direction, Mismagius had beco more accustod and adept at constructing dreams, with the visions rarely containing obvious loopholes or omissions. If conditions permitted, Mismagius could even make a person live out an entire lifeti within a dream, provided the individual's physical body outside the dream could survive for that duration. With Aoki present in the different space, he would not, of course, allow Tian Haoyu to perish in such a manner.

Two days was a very short ti in the outside world, but in Tian Haoyu's dream, it equated to half a lifeti. He experienced days of struggling to survive at the very bottom of the Pokemon world and the lower echelons of the League. As a person of impoverished ans, he felt incredibly humble in the presence of those from established families and the direct mbers of the League. The price they had to pay to change their fate was far greater than that of the family mbers. Sotis, one even had to bet their life, attempting to forcibly subdue a Bug-type Pokemon with weak strength and low potential. This endeavor often required a literal gamble with one's life. Rashly entering a forest teeming with wild Pokemon carried a high probability of becoming their al. Even with the luck to encounter a weak Bug-type Pokemon, Pokemon were still powerful creatures, not sothing the human body could easily resist. A single poisoning could an death.

Family mbers could obtain Pokemon simply by asking. For ordinary people, such a thing was a luxury far beyond their reach. Even with the rare fortune of capturing a Pokemon, without any resources to cultivate it, the Pokemon would ultimately be defeated in a single move by the Pokemon of a family mber. To rise from a commoner to Aoki's current position required both top-tier talent and incredible, almost unbelievable, luck. Consequently, the entire Pokemon League was predominantly managed by adults who had grown up within the influential families. Born into a family and benefiting from its resources, one was naturally expected to give back to that family upon reaching adulthood. Thus, a vicious cycle was perpetuated. The powerful families grew increasingly powerful, while it beca progressively more difficult for ordinary people to achieve recognition. Even the few who did manage to stand out were eventually recruited by those very families, becoming part of the system they once struggled against. Who, then, would rember the common people?

It was at this point that underground forces like Team Rocket erged, offering a glimr of hope to these civilians. Manually capturing wild Pokemon was a life-threatening effort, and joining Team Rocket was also a life-threatening effort. So, why not just join Team Rocket? At the very least, the starting point was much higher, and there were established channels to obtain resources. It was far better than banging one's head against a wall like a headless fly, never finding the door to advancent. Joining Team Rocket let you know exactly where the door was and provided a clear, albeit dark, direction. Did those people not know that joining Team Rocket was equivalent to becoming an enemy of the League? Did they not know that joining Team Rocket ant becoming a mber of an underground force, living in the shadows from that day forward? They knew. Of course, they knew. But they felt they had no other choice.

The dream Tian Haoyu was experiencing was based on a modified template of Aoki's own past life. It was designed to make him better understand the true depths of Pokemon society. The dream concluded, and Mismagius obediently retreated back into Aoki's shadow.

"Hmm—" Tian Haoyu groaned, supporting his head as he slowly sat up. He opened his eyes gradually, and his original mories flooded back into his mind. He recalled the mory of being beaten by the mbers of Team Magma, finally succumbing to his injuries and passing out. "Is this... hell?" Tian Haoyu murmured, staring at the gray wall in front of him. A complex look filled his eyes. For so reason, the dream that had played in his mind felt so real, as if it were sothing he had genuinely lived through. "Civilians... Team Rocket...?" Tian Haoyu thought silently. At the very mont the dream ended, Tian Haoyu had truly felt the sensation of death.

"This is not hell," Aoki's voice sounded from behind him.

Startled by the voice, Tian Haoyu turned around and looked at Aoki with vigilance. "Aoki?!" he exclaid, stunned to see him.

Aoki smiled and said, "You're finally awake. I put in a great deal of effort to save you. I was almost killed by the Magmar."

"Magmar..." Tian Haoyu's recollection of the previous events solidified.

"You saved from Magmar?" Tian Haoyu found it difficult to believe.

"Didn't you see it for yourself?" Aoki said with a slight pout.

It was then that Tian Haoyu noticed the large amount of white gauze wrapped around his body. His previous injuries had healed significantly. Although it was still sowhat painful to move, it was no longer a serious impedint. He imdiately thought of his own Pokemon, and then of the dream where he had used Pokemon as re tools, a look of profound loss appearing in his eyes. "My... Pokemon..." Tian Haoyu murmured, unsure whether he was sighing for his current partners or for the Pokemon from his dream.

"They're all here," Aoki said, producing a tray with six Poke Balls neatly arranged on it.

Seeing the tray in Aoki's hand, Tian Haoyu's expression beca excited. His hands trembled slightly as he took it. Through the small glass window on each Poke Ball, he could see that the Pokemon inside were in good spirits. "I've already treated your Pokemon. Don't worry," Aoki added.

Hearing this, Tian Haoyu looked at Aoki with a deeply complex expression. A thousand words finally condensed into one sentence: "Thank you."

Aoki waved his hand dismissively. Tian Haoyu then carefully returned all his Pokemon to their Poke Balls one by one.

"No need for thanks. But we are not out of danger yet. Now that you're awake, we need to prepare to retreat," Aoki stated.

"Retreat? Retreat to where? The League? I... I guess I can't go back..." Tian Haoyu's expression grew increasingly complicated. He still rembered the complex look on Lance's face the last ti they had t, when Tian Haoyu had asked him how to change the current League. There was also a small, nagging doubt about himself. As an undercover agent, Tian Haoyu was acutely aware of that subtle shift in Lance's eyes. Lance could no longer trust him one hundred percent, and Tian Haoyu himself felt a growing disappointnt with the current state of the League. The peace he advocated for and yearned for was fundantally different from the superficial peace the League maintained, a peace that seed calm on the surface but was turbulent and fraught beneath. He felt profoundly confused.

"Not going back to the League? Then where will you go? Team Magma? You can't go back there, either," Aoki said with a frown.

Tian Haoyu shook his head, "I don't know."

Suddenly, as if struck by a thought, Tian Haoyu asked Aoki, "Aoki, as a commoner, what did you have to experience to get to where you are now?"