Aoki stood by, watching the battle between Blaziken and Slaking.
It was a fundamental clash of muscle against muscle, bone against bone, drawing the attention of other Pokémon who were training nearby. They stopped what they were doing and slowly gathered around.
Slaking truly managed to avoid the effects of its laziness during its bursts of activity, and after becoming familiar with its body, it was able to utilize some of the techniques it had learned as a Vigoroth.
A level 65 Slaking, when fully unleashed, could even fight on par with a level 70 Blaziken in terms of martial arts, though neither side used any special moves. Slaking held a slight advantage, but this was enough to satisfy Aoki.
As Blaziken and Slaking battled, a small, blue-and-black Pokémon, reaching just above Aoki's knee, watched with intense admiration in its eyes.
It was Riolu, who had now fully entered a period of rapid growth.
Aoki had entrusted Riolu to Blaziken for training, and its growth rate was very fast in a short amount of time. Riolu yearned to battle like Blaziken and Slaking.
Noticing the longing in Riolu's eyes, Aoki knelt down and gently patted its head, lightly rubbing it twice. He smiled and said, "Don't worry, you'll be able to battle like them someday. But before that, you need to accumulate growth well, so that after evolving, you can be as powerful as they are."
Hearing this, Riolu nodded resolutely. It had recently learned many techniques from Blaziken.
Given its current size and its future size, Blaziken was the most suitable Pokémon to be Riolu's teacher.
After letting Blaziken and Slaking battle freely, Aoki quietly left the area. He still had very important things to do.
He walked through the dense forest, yet no Pokémon dared to attack him.
As the master of this place, Aoki held the power of life and death over all the Pokémon on the island. No Pokémon dared to defy his orders.
Aoki walked into a particularly lush patch of jungle. Along the way, he saw many Bulbasaur and Ivysaur.
Indeed, this was the territory Aoki had allocated to the Bulbasaur clan on the island, where they could grow and multiply freely.
His main purpose for coming here was to see the shiny Bulbasaur.
After he caught that Bulbasaur, he hadn't interfered much with it. Now that he finally had time, Aoki came to visit again.
As for its parents, the two Venusaur, they had long since been persuaded by Aoki. Especially after seeing Aoki's strength grow, they felt even more at ease entrusting Bulbasaur to him.
While there was reluctance, no parent wishes for their child to be anything but better than themselves, to become stronger and better.
Even Altaria, after such a long period of consideration, finally agreed to entrust the two little Swablu to Aoki for training.
It was precisely because these three little ones were added that Aoki decided he would not actively capture any more Pokémon for a long time.
As long as he nurtured these little ones, he would become strong enough, and he would have more options for various team compositions.
Half an hour later, Aoki left the Bulbasaur forest, carrying the shiny Bulbasaur, who kept looking back, leaving the embrace of its doting parents.
However, the little Bulbasaur was no longer so afraid of Aoki. Instead, it was quite curious due to its parents' respect for him.
Accompanying them were two little Swablu perched on Aoki's shoulders. The brother and sister already knew Aoki was going to train them, so they were very excited.
If their mother hadn't stopped them, they would have already been part of Aoki's training plan. It's often said that a doting mother spoils her children, and there's some truth to it.
A mother's love is too great; no matter how old her children grow, in her eyes, they will always be children.
Altaria had been overly protective of the two little Swablu, and it was time for them to experience the outside world.
The busyness continued.
Aoki, who had just been freed from the demanding affairs of the Alliance, did not feel relieved at all. Instead, he became even busier.
However, this kind of busyness brought him joy. Nothing made Aoki happier and more content than training Pokémon and growing with them.
This small island was probably the only place where Aoki could shed all his disguises and live happily with his Pokémon.
Therefore, Aoki cherished this place even more.
Once he left this island, he would have to put on a mask and live a life of intrigue. This place might just be Aoki's ideal utopia.
A busy yet not monotonous life began here. Apart from occasionally needing to call the Alliance to inquire about the progress of the tasks he had assigned,
and occasionally remotely directing the rapidly developing Sky Team, as well as Team Flare and Jarvis in the distant Kalos region, nothing else could disturb Aoki, who was completely immersed in Pokémon training.
Adams, as the President, was clearly aware that Aoki had gone into long-term Pokémon training and development. All the tasks and work that Aoki would normally have to undertake were taken on by him.
Don't let it seem like Adams and Drake were constantly trying to trick Aoki; in reality, it was also a form of expectation they had for him.
They hoped Aoki would grow and have no significant weaknesses in any aspect. Aoki saw this very clearly, so whenever he was 'tricked', he would only show a wry smile and not object.
One does not refuse the blessings of elders!
Aoki also felt the pressure on his shoulders for the first time.
This was the responsibility that Adams and Drake hoped he would be able to bear.
When Adams learned that Aoki was in intense Pokémon training, he no longer solely demanded that Aoki fulfill his duties as an Elite Four member. Instead, he actively helped him alleviate the pressure.
Everyone saw the great expectations placed on Aoki. There were always some people who envied the treatment Aoki received. Even if they knew that whether Aoki was good or bad, it wouldn't benefit them, those who couldn't stand it would always jump out and cause trouble.
Especially when Aoki entered his training state and completely ignored outside matters, a group of people appeared online, beginning to mindlessly slander Aoki's abilities, strength, identity, and even his public image. Anyone with a discerning eye knew that certain individuals were behind this, but the ignorant public did not.
Some members of the public would be inexplicably triggered by something that resonated with them and resolutely joined the ranks of Aoki's haters.
However, these people only dared to stir up trouble online.
But it was Aoki's seemingly perfect growth, like a protagonist in a novel, and his flawless resume, that was seized upon and infinitely exaggerated.
They constantly liked to explain this negativity with the saying, "When the water is too clear, there are no fish." They argued that such a seemingly clean Aoki must have problems!
Fortunately, Aoki, on the island, had no time to bother with these people, otherwise, they would surely be even more boisterous.
Of course, Aoki had even more genuine fans, so many that they were almost uncountable, including men, women, old, and young. Among them, female fans were naturally the most numerous.
So, whenever these haters appeared, they were instantly drowned out by countless true fans.
But this also illustrated a point: when someone is liked by many, those who dislike them will also appear. It's just unknown who is behind these haters?