Two days later.
An island south of the Hoenn region.
Located east of Dewford Town.
There is a large archipelago here; some islands are very large, with villages of varying sizes, while some are very small, with only some vegetation and wild Pokémon.
Aoki and Drake appeared on one of the relatively larger islands in this archipelago.
This area also falls under the jurisdiction of the Hoenn League, and although the village is not large, it has basic facilities such as a Pokémon Center and a League Police Station.
Although there is no gym here, the residents long to become Pokémon trainers.
Because they are on the sea, most of the Pokémon here are Water-type, which is convenient for them when going out to forage or fish.
Since Aoki and Drake's arrival was for a mission, the local League Police Station, Officer Jenny, and other police officers were already prepared.
"Teacher, is this possibly that person's hiding place?" Aoki's expression was somewhat serious.
Drake said he would take him on a few missions to get used to it, so he brought him here.
"There are two main purposes for coming here. One is to let you adapt to this mission mode, and the other, more importantly, is for your Shelgon," Drake said with a nod and a smile.
The major criminal pursuit missions that Adams and Drake forcibly arranged for Aoki involved very powerful opponents, as they needed to provide training for Aoki, who possessed his current strength.
These individuals were either remnants of underground organizations once eradicated by the League, powerful individuals who had defected from the League and refused its jurisdiction, or Pokémon poachers who were strong and skilled at concealing their tracks—but most were heinous criminals whose methods were extremely cruel, bloody, and cunning, making them difficult to find.
High-ranking members of underground organizations like Team Rocket, Team Magma, and Team Aqua were also on this mission list, but the mission leaders generally wouldn't actively seek trouble with them, as these organizations were also very powerful, and sometimes a misstep could lead to widespread consequences.
Therefore, these individuals were at the bottom of the mission list; unless absolutely necessary, or if they happened to encounter them, they would not actively pursue them.
Moreover, although these individuals were powerful, because they had a unified organizational structure, they were much more disciplined than others, and situations like massacres or genocides were not common.
This was also a tacit understanding reached between the League and these larger forces.
"Officer Jenny, please explain," Drake said.
At this moment, an Officer Jenny with tanned skin, looking very wild and vibrant, stepped forward and saluted Drake and Aoki.
"Elite Drake, Elite Aoki, this person arrived on the island a month ago and seemed harmless, but based on our multiple tracking and investigations, we found that this person is very likely the notorious Pokémon thief, Sakata Dalang," Officer Jenny said, holding a small computer.
"Pokémon thief, Sakata Dalang, suspected Elite-level, takes on special Pokémon capture missions online, known for achieving his goals by any means necessary and for his cruel and bloody methods. After capturing one Pokémon, he will slaughter and exterminate the entire family," Aoki said, hearing Officer Jenny's words, recounting the information he knew about Sakata Dalang.
"That's right, Elite Aoki, we recently discovered a large number of wild Pokémon carcasses on some of the surrounding small islands. After investigation, we finally pinpointed this person, who is very likely the heinous Sakata Dalang," Officer Jenny's face was filled with deep, unshakeable solemnity.
She was clearly very angry at Sakata Dalang, and it was only because her strength might be inferior to his that she hadn't arrested him immediately.
"Alright, Officer Jenny, please lead the way for us," Drake nodded and said.
After speaking, everyone got into the League Police Station's off-road vehicle and drove along the muddy road toward the village.
Sitting in the car, Aoki closed his eyes and extended his psychic power.
Drake sat in the off-road vehicle, looking at the surroundings, appearing very natural.
He didn't pay much attention to such a thief; coming here to execute the mission was just a detour—otherwise, a Chief Investigator or a captain of the standing army would have arrived here very quickly.
Just as the car was about to enter the village, Aoki, who was sitting in his seat, suddenly opened his eyes.
"Stop the car. The opponent knows we're here and escaped early. You wait for me here; I'll be back soon." Before the car even stopped, Aoki leaped out and plunged into the forest.
"Elite Aoki..." Officer Jenny was about to say something but saw that Aoki had already disappeared into the forest.
Drake smiled and waved at Officer Jenny, "Don't worry, he's… one of the Elite Four now."
Looking in the direction Aoki disappeared, Drake nodded repeatedly.
Psychic power is indeed useful. It seems future tasks will be much easier—
As for Aoki, who rushed into the forest, a Poké Ball appeared in his hand and was casually thrown out.
Blaziken—
From a ball of flame, a majestic Blaziken rushed out.
Without hesitation, it quickly moved through the forest with Aoki—the only difference being that Aoki was flying using psychic power, while Blaziken leaped back and forth on tree trunks.
It seems that the matter of a flying mount cannot be delayed any longer; otherwise, just using psychic power is too troublesome.
However, Aoki quickly tracked down the person who was escaping.
Perhaps the other party also sensed Aoki's presence; their footsteps suddenly stopped, and they found a dense bush, scurried into it, and disguised themselves.
Most people would indeed have difficulty finding him unless they completely overturned the bush.
He had relied on this method to evade capture again and again.
Unfortunately, this time he encountered Aoki. When it came to concealing one's figure, Aoki himself was infinitely better than him, not to mention that he had always been exposed to Aoki's psychic perception.
Thud—
Aoki and Blaziken landed together on flat ground not far from the bush.
A slight curve appeared on his lips, "Blaziken, Flamethrower!"
Hearing this, Blaziken's eyes also flashed with a hint of playfulness. From its mouth, a large ball of flame was spewed out, aimed at the bush where the person was hiding.
Boom—
A figure rolled out of the bush in a very disheveled state, glaring fiercely at Aoki and the Blaziken beside him.
"Kid! I gave you a chance to avoid danger, so don't blame me now!
Mightyena!"
As his voice fell, three Mightyena leaped out of the Poké Balls on his body.
They charged fiercely toward Aoki and Blaziken.
Seeing the Mightyena appear, Aoki's eyes flashed, and he obtained their data.