Half a year was a crucial period for Aoki, who was in the fastest changing phase of his life.
His growth had been incredibly rapid, even surpassing Steven, who had the support of the Stone family.
However, this rapid growth also brought many hidden problems, or rather, hidden crises, that couldn't be discovered immediately.
But after this half-year period of stabilization, everything changed.
For example, Aoki's Gengar, which had grown too quickly, needed time to stabilize itself. It was best for it not to participate in battles during this period.
Similarly, Tyranitar, which had absorbed Groudon's energy crystal, and the rapidly growing Gardevoir and even Salamence, were all in the same situation.
Furthermore, Aoki's subsequent Pokémon had also been trained up.
Many of these Pokémon, such as Salamence, Gardevoir, and Kingdra, had reached the Elite Four-level in terms of level and strength, but they had never used a single TM and had not properly honed their skills.
This led to them having a certain level but lacking the strength to match that level, which was a hidden danger. What Aoki saw was merely inflated strength.
It wasn't just them; all of Aoki's Pokémon, including Tyranitar and Slowking, had this problem.
This was nothing but a hidden danger and an obstacle for them to challenge the Champion level.
But with this half-year, Aoki could meticulously sort out the status, development, and future direction of his Pokémon, from beginning to end, as if tracing a path from source to conclusion.
This was also a way to pave the way for them to challenge Champion strength, solidifying their foundations.
Moreover, it's important to know that only Pokémon with blue-level aptitude have a better and higher chance of breaking through to the Champion level.
During this time, Aoki helped many Pokémon, which originally had dark green aptitude and were just short of advancing to the blue level, achieve a qualitative transformation.
Everything he did was to enable them to break through better and possess stronger power.
Besides these already powerful Pokémon, Aoki also spent a lot of time training those originally weaker Pokémon.
Among them, the Shiny Bulbasaur evolved into a Venusaur, and Riolu successfully evolved into a Lucario, gaining considerable strength under the tutelage of Blaziken.
Even the two original Swablu had now evolved into Altaria, possessing potential far surpassing their mother's.
Seeing them grow strong so quickly, the mother Altaria was completely relieved.
These were also the results of Aoki's diligent training during this period.
As the Pokémon's strength improved, Aoki's overall strength also greatly increased.
Both in terms of individual Pokémon strength and the overall strength of his team, there were significant changes.
Now, Aoki himself dared to say that he was fully capable of holding the position and duties of a League Elite Four. He even had the confidence to battle against the two Elite Four members a few years before him.
In a formal battle, his win rate might only be 40%, but in a life-or-death battle, Aoki conservatively estimated his win rate could reach 70%.
This was just a conservative estimate; in fact, Aoki believed his chances of winning were as high as 80% or even 90%, because Mega Evolution could be used in a life-or-death battle.
Since the battle between Kyogre and Groudon, and the subsequent appearance of Rayquaza, and the form changes of the three Pokémon in official battles, the League has already begun research on this matter, which is for Mega Evolution. It is believed that this should be the beginning of the League's research on Mega Evolution.
During these six months, both the League and various underground forces appeared very quiet and well-behaved, but the changes occurring beneath the calm surface were turbulent.
After half a year of dormancy, it is believed that an eruption is imminent, which might once again be a major earthquake encompassing the entire Pokémon world.
Aoki also sensed this, so he was diligently accumulating his strength, hoping to protect himself during this major earthquake, and if possible, to gain some benefits for himself.
Fortunately, during this period, although the Pokémon were all consolidating themselves, their strength did not fall behind too much.
Currently, among all of Aoki's Pokémon, Gengar has the highest level.
After absorbing the energy of three Gengar, Gengar, which reached level 77, not only stabilized itself but also made considerable progress in its strength.
Currently, Gengar's level is 79!
This means it's at the pinnacle of quasi-Champion level, just one step away from Champion strength and tier. However, this one step is the biggest hurdle Gengar needs to overcome in its growth so far.
The significance represented by this hurdle can only be truly felt by Pokémon that have broken through it.
Only by crossing this hurdle can one understand its meaning and the changes it brings to oneself.
This is also why Aoki said that in a life-or-death battle against Kahili and Olivia, his chances of winning could reach 80% or even 90%.
Because once Gengar undergoes Mega Evolution, it can forcibly break through this threshold and possess Champion-level strength.
Therefore, Gengar is currently Aoki's strongest Pokémon, whether or not Mega Evolution is considered.
As Aoki's shadow, the stronger Gengar is, the safer Aoki himself is.
Gengar ranking first in level is not surprising.
However, the Pokémon with the second-highest level will definitely surprise many people.
Tyranitar!
It suddenly surpassed all other Pokémon, becoming the second-highest level Pokémon in Aoki's current team.
Tyranitar, currently level 78!
Compared to its level 71 before coming to this small island, it has increased by a full 7 levels!
After reaching the veteran Elite Four level, in just half a year, and for a Pokémon with such immense energy consumption, it was able to increase by seven levels!
All of this is thanks to Groudon's energy crystal!
Otherwise, unless Aoki spent all his fortune to train Tyranitar, such a significant increase would not have been possible.
However, this also made Aoki fully understand why Tyranitar was so furious that day when it learned that Maxie had lost that energy crystal.
If Rayquaza hadn't appeared that day, Groudon, lacking that energy crystal, would have had a high probability of falling to Kyogre's attacks.
Now, however, it completely benefited Tyranitar.
At this point, Tyranitar is also not far from breaking through to the Champion level.
However, after the detailed explanation of Groudon's energy crystal, Tyranitar's level did not increase any further. This was a result of Aoki's emphasis, not allowing Tyranitar to break through without his permission.
Such rapid improvement has more advantages than disadvantages, but the negative impacts are also not small.
Fortunately, there was this half-year. Absorbing the energy crystal took one month, and the remaining five months were used by Tyranitar for consolidation.
Tyranitar was the main force in expanding the small island, which was a form of training for Aoki and also helped it stabilize its own energy.
Five months was just right; now it has returned to normal and can freely improve.