In Meteor Falls, the flow of time felt distorted, as if hours passed like minutes.
The constant battles made the days blur together, yet the rewards were plentiful.
When Aoki emerged from Meteor Falls, a bright full moon already hung in the night sky.
What had felt like a single day inside had actually been three.
On the first day, he had successfully captured Bagon. Over the next two days, his team systematically defeated every Solrock and Lunatone in the area.
The experience gained was immense.
Every Pokémon on his team had contributed to the battles, ensuring balanced growth.
After being inactive for over a month, they fought with relentless enthusiasm, each eager to prove their strength.
Honchkrow, Weavile, and Drapion, all Dark-types, had a natural immunity to the Psychic-type attacks of Solrock and Lunatone, allowing them to dominate the fights effortlessly.
The young Bagon, trailing behind Aoki, watched in awe. These were the same Pokémon that had once bullied him—now, they were being crushed effortlessly. Even Floette, after shifting to a Grass-type specialization, held her own as a reliable attacker. Aoki considered purchasing stronger Grass-type TMs to further enhance her offensive capabilities.
Despite her small frame, she contained surprising power.
And then there was Slowking, whose stocky body seemed to hold boundless energy.
Ahem.
In any case, the team's levels had risen significantly.
Slowking had reached level 48, inching closer to the Elite-tier threshold.
Honchkrow, Weavile, and Drapion—the unruly trio—had bulldozed through entire groups of Solrock and Lunatone with ruthless coordination. Each gained two levels, now standing at 46.
Gengar, acting as a relentless artillery unit, had also benefited greatly.
Free from defensive duties, he had bombarded the enemy with Shadow Balls nonstop, earning two levels and reaching 46 as well.
Floette, balancing healing and support duties, hadn't fought at full capacity. But due to her lower base level and the sheer number of opponents, she still gained two levels, reaching 42.
She was now ready to evolve—all Aoki needed was a Shiny Stone.
However, her current aptitude was only Dark Green. If she were to keep up with the rest of the team, Aoki wanted nothing less than a top-quality Shiny Stone.
At this point, Aoki's standards had risen. A high-quality stone wouldn't suffice—only the best would do. If he couldn't find one, he'd rather keep Floette as she was, maintaining her role as his steadfast companion.
Beyond levels, Aoki had also collected a considerable amount of Stardust. Individually, each Pokémon dropped only a little, but combined, it was enough to craft three or four Star Pieces.
Now, for Mega Evolution, he had almost everything prepared—all he needed was a compatible Mega Stone and a Pokémon capable of undergoing the transformation.
As Aoki stepped out of Meteor Falls, Mismagius retreated into his shadow once more. This time, she had observed battles closely, gaining a deeper understanding of combat.
Perhaps wanting to set an example for Bagon, she had even expressed interest in training.
Before vanishing, she had quietly asked Aoki if she could participate in future battles—and if he could design a specialized training regimen for her.
Naturally, Aoki agreed without hesitation.
Having a champion-tier Pokémon like Mismagius join the fight would be invaluable, no matter how much of her power she could safely unleash.
As for Bagon, his fear of Psychic-types like Solrock and Lunatone had faded.
In Aoki's past life, even after evolving into Salamence, that lingering fear had remained—a subconscious weakness from his early days as a Bagon.
Fortunately, no opponent had ever exploited it.
Now, with the trauma still fresh but not yet ingrained, Aoki had made sure Bagon witnessed his teammates crushing those very Pokémon.
By the time they left Meteor Falls, Bagon's fear had diminished significantly. Given time, it would disappear entirely.
With few Trainers around at night, Aoki exited unnoticed, just another explorer returning from the caves.
He summoned Flygon and took off into the night before anyone could react.
After finding a secluded spot to rest, he settled in.
With Bagon secured, half of his journey's purpose was complete. The only remaining goal was the Mega Stone—unlike Bagon, its location was secure, untouched by ordinary Trainers.
But retrieving it would require strength.
There was no rush. Strengthening his team further was the priority. While his primary focus remained on his core fighters, the secondary team's growth couldn't be neglected—they were crucial for the transition ahead.
Upon meeting Bagon, the rest of the team welcomed him warmly.
Larvitar, now no longer the youngest, was especially delighted.
He eagerly offered to share everything—even his cherished red backpack.
At least, until he realized how much he loved it.
In the end, he settled for letting Bagon touch it.