"Elite Four Steven, new intelligence reports that the Cult has launched a large-scale invasion of Sootopolis City. Champion Wallace asks you to reach Sootopolis City as soon as possible to prepare defenses." A League member dressed as an investigator appeared in Steven's Steel-type Elite Four office at the Hoenn League headquarters.
Upon hearing the news, Steven, who had been engrossed in his work, immediately stood up from his chair.
His gaze was resolute, showing a significant difference in his overall state compared to before his training in the Space-Time Continent.
At this moment, Steven truly exuded the aura of a top League powerhouse. A resolute and decisive aura emanated from him, making the investigator who came to report not dare to look up at Steven's face. He merely lowered his head, his eyes filled with respect and a hint of admiration, completely captivated by Steven.
More than a month had passed since his return from the Space-Time Continent. Aside from the first few days spent waiting for Aoki's news on Silver Mountain, he had been forced to return to the Hoenn region for defense due to the Cult's invasion. This defense had lasted for over a month in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, today also marked exactly one month since Steven became the Steel-type Elite Four of the Hoenn region.
In just one month, Steven's strength, ability, and demeanor had all received unanimous approval from all members within the Hoenn League, and he had also gained strong support from all residents of the entire Hoenn region.
Steven's appearance was outstanding, no less than Aoki's. The strength he displayed at this time was similar to Aoki's back then, perhaps even stronger.
He was always at the forefront in resisting the Cult's attacks, and his current strength, apart from a few older members of the League, was almost unparalleled among all the younger generation.
In just one month, with frequent battles, Steven's popularity in the Hoenn region and on the League's online network was already on par with Aoki's back then.
Catching up to Aoki's popularity in such a short time was largely due to the frequent battles during this period.
At the same time, figures like Lance and Lorelei from the Kanto region, Cynthia from the Sinnoh region, and Diantha from the Kalos region were also circulating online.
Although the Cult's invasion brought great harm to the League, it also successfully brought young League members like Steven into the public eye, allowing the public to acknowledge their strength through repeated battles.
The Champion and the Elite Four are the guarantee of a region's people's safety!
As long as they saw these Champions and Elite Four fighting on the front lines and repelling the enemy again and again, the residents of various regions would feel exceptionally secure.
"Let's go!" Steven slightly adjusted his sleeves and collar.
He had been under considerable pressure during this period.
"It's already been a month, and there's still no news from Aoki. Could it be… that he really won't be able to return until five years later?" Steven couldn't help but think as he headed towards Sootopolis City.
At first, Steven still hoped that Aoki would miraculously appear before him, just like before.
He slowly came to accept reality. Later, the prolonged battles left Steven with little time to ponder this matter, until a few days ago when the Cult's invasion temporarily halted, and Steven finally found some free time to think about Aoki's existence.
He couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic. As his recognized close friend, Aoki losing contact was quite a shock to Steven.
Now, as the Steel-type Elite Four of the Hoenn region, he didn't have much time to think about such issues. The most important thing at hand was to first resist the Cult's assault, and then find an opportunity to launch a counterattack, directly crushing this organization that clung to them like a persistent ailment!
The Cult's entry into the Hoenn region was not once or twice, but each time it only targeted a single city, merely causing some simple destruction or capturing some League members. It's just unknown where they eventually took those they captured.
The reason why no counterattack has been launched so far is that the League doesn't know what the Cult's true objective is, so the League has been unable to seize the opportunity for a counterattack, and this is the case in all regions.
It was concluded in several top League meetings that these Cult members would strike here and there and then flee, all to conceal their true objective and disrupt the League's rhythm.
At the same time, launching attacks in multiple regions simultaneously was also to ensure that each region would only focus on itself, without extra effort to pay attention to other regions. This was also done to create confusion and prevent the League from knowing which region the Cult's true objective was in.
By the time Steven arrived, the Hoenn League's combat personnel, led by Wallace, were already confronting the Cult members in the center of Sootopolis City. It seemed that neither side had started fighting yet.
What was fortunate now was that Wallace had successfully taken over the Champion position from Alder, leading the resistance against the Cult's assault, while Alder remained at the League headquarters to oversee the overall situation.
This way, the Cult didn't dare to go too far against the Hoenn League. If Alder and Wallace were to act together, the Cult members who had entered Hoenn at this time would not be able to withstand them.
"Champion Wallace!" Steven leaped from the back of his Aerodactyl. A height of five or six meters was no challenge for his current agility.
Wallace looked at Steven, who appeared diagonally behind him, and the grave expression on his face slightly eased, "You've arrived."
Steven's strength in the current Hoenn region definitely belonged to the top tier. With him present, Wallace's pressure could be slightly reduced.
Hearing Wallace's words, Steven nodded and looked towards the Cult members opposite him, his brows furrowing slightly.
More people had appeared this time than he had imagined.
"Are they planning a big move this time?!" Steven said in a deep voice.
Wallace slowly nodded, "Perhaps. In the city, if they don't make a move, we can't make the first move either, but I always feel like they're waiting for something."
This was what Wallace was worried about, otherwise, he wasn't very concerned about the people currently in front of him.
"Where are Phoebe and Juan?" Steven's heart also sank slightly.
The Cult was definitely waiting for something, but with their current strength, they couldn't directly attack the Cult without harming Sootopolis City and its residents.
If Phoebe and Juan were both here at this moment, Steven would have some confidence.
"They're on their way, but they don't have your convenience, so it'll take a little more time for them to arrive," Wallace said, understanding Steven's thoughts. Their thoughts were actually consistent.
It's just that the Cult must have also prepared for this, which is why they chose Sootopolis City, a densely populated city, and specifically the very center of the city, where residents were originally most numerous.
Just as Wallace and Steven were worrying, their fears finally came true.
A dark spatial rift opened behind the Cult members, and figures in black robes emerged from the rift one by one.
Through the spatial rift, one could vaguely see a world behind the rift where floating islands drifted everywhere in mid-air. The entire world looked very different from the Pokémon world.
However, Wallace and Steven's attention was not on the world behind them, but on the black-robed figures emerging one by one.
To be honest, the Cult's ability to recruit so many members invisibly, and to infiltrate the League's internal structure to such a deep extent, was definitely not a glorious matter for a League Champion like Wallace. It could even be considered a disgrace, although it had little to do with him.
"Get ready, it's time to fight! The scale of this battle is not to be underestimated. We must first protect the residents of Sootopolis City." Wallace said, not only to Steven, but also to all the combat members behind him.
"Yes!!" All the League members preparing for battle shouted loudly.
At this moment, their morale was not low. With Champion Wallace and the League's new star, Steel-type Elite Four Steven, they were quite confident.
Meanwhile, on the face of the Cult leader opposite them, Aoki's old acquaintance Wallace, there was a hint of a smile.
Battle, that's right!
The people they had this time were not weak! He was confident he could withstand Wallace's assault. The only other threat was Steven, but this time, he wasn't attacking alone.
He recalled how he and Aoki had collaborated, and after Dialga and Palkia descended again, he almost didn't survive. Fortunately, he didn't have anything on him that could attract the attention of the two legendary Pokémon, and Giratina's Griseous Orb wasn't in his hands, so he escaped a disaster.
At the same time, Everard's death allowed Wallace to profit, gaining everything he possessed.
Although he didn't receive any rewards after leaving the Space-Time Continent, fortunately, the Cult's Bishop didn't punish him, allowing him to atone for his sins by rendering meritorious service.
He used Everard's belongings to exchange for things that could quickly boost his strength.
With divine power infused, he could withstand Wallace's outburst. Although he couldn't win, simply holding him off was enough.
There were six regions in total, and the Bishop let him choose. He ultimately chose the Hoenn region, hoping to encounter Aoki again and exact his revenge.
However, after a month, he hadn't seen Aoki appear. In Wallace's opinion, it was highly likely that Aoki had been trapped in the Space-Time Continent and could no longer return. Although he was a little unwilling, it didn't matter; he was in a good mood.
The two groups charged at each other immediately, soldier against soldier, general against general!
Wallace faced Wallace, and fighting Steven was his old opponent, Jasmine, the former Steel-type Elite Four of the Johto region. However, her identity was now completely public; she was the White Emissary, whose status in the Cult was no less than Wallace's, and she preached on behalf of the Bishop in the Pokémon world.
Although the White Emissary and the Black Emissary might not always be very strong, their identities were special.
Normally, Wallace and Steven working together to stop them would not be an issue, but today was different. The people who emerged from the rift were all quite strong.
In fact, they were the people who were once in charge of various regions in the Space-Time Continent.
Before Phoebe and Juan could arrive, these people were the most troublesome, and could only be jointly resisted by other League members.
To say 'resist' was actually to send Pokémon up one by one to sacrifice themselves, to put a little pressure on the opponent and prevent them from wantonly destroying things.
But this was ultimately not a long-term solution. Ordinary trainers facing people of such strength were not much different from offering themselves up as fodder.
The only acceptable thing was that among those League trainers, although most of their strength was relatively ordinary, there were one or two who were quite good.
From their attire, it was clear that they were all the League's Chief Investigators, the three people Aoki was familiar with.
Steven's cousin, Miki Stone, the special Joy family member, Nurse Joy Yui, who possessed an Articuno, and the lively Officer Jenny Ayame from the Jenny family.
"Cousin! When you can't hold on, retreat first and ensure your safety!" Steven was still able to spare time to remind his cousin while battling Jasmine.
"You still have time to care about others while fighting me! Metagross, Meteor Mash!" A ethereal voice, tinged with a hint of coldness, rang out from across Steven.
Bang!!!
Steven's Shiny Metagross was sent flying by Jasmine's ordinary Metagross's attack.
Jasmine's offensive no longer allowed Steven to be distracted.
In the Space-Time Continent, Steven's strength was still slightly inferior to Jasmine's. If it weren't for Aoki's two Mega Stones, he wouldn't have been able to withstand her attacks. But at this moment, the two were battling back and forth, with Steven not at a disadvantage, but also without any advantage.
Miki, hearing Steven's words, bit her lip without speaking, but at this moment, her pressure was truly immense. She could only defend against attacks, with no ability to retaliate.
"Heh heh—" It was unclear who, but someone let out a cold chuckle, presumably expressing disdain for Miki and the other two.
Slowly, the League fell into a disadvantage.
Afterwards, Phoebe and Juan finally arrived, but their arrival only mitigated the League's pressure to a certain extent, still failing to change the situation.
Wallace, upon seeing the Cult members emerge from the rift, had already sent an emergency signal to the League.
However, it would still take some time for other League combat members to arrive.
And during this time, it was unknown how many League trainers would lose their lives.
Whoosh—
A whooshing sound cut through the sky, reaching everyone's ears.
"It seems the situation isn't looking too optimistic! Mega Salamence! Boomburst!!"
At the crucial moment, accompanied by a clear voice descending from the sky, followed closely by a powerful dragon's roar that echoed through the heavens!
The terrifying Boomburst sound wave was like a hurricane, piercing through from dozens of meters away, directly sweeping across the main plaza. A large number of Cult members and their Pokémon were directly sent flying by this terrifying sound wave attack.
Trainers and their Pokémon with weaker resistance slowly bled from their seven orifices, clearly severely shaken by the sound wave.
Especially some Grass-type and Fighting-type Pokémon, which are weak to Flying-type, if their strength was insufficient, they were all sent flying and incapacitated by this single Boomburst attack.
Absolute destructive power!
The terrifying power carried by Mega Salamence's Boomburst, from high in the sky not far away, transformed into a terrifying sound wave that swept across the area. Wherever it went, the pavement bricks in Sootopolis City all burst into pieces and turned into dust from the sound of the attack.
Under the Aerilate ability, Normal-type moves not only become Flying-type moves, but their destructive power is also amplified. Coupled with the Sky Plate that Mega Salamence carries at this moment, its sound wave penetration is enough to destroy the world and tear apart everything in its path.
Fortunately, under Aoki's command, Mega Salamence's Boomburst was specifically aimed at the Cult members. Although the League trainers were also affected to some extent, compared to the damage sustained by the opponents, it was completely negligible.
The astonishing attack tore through the dark clouds that had gathered in the sky, allowing a sliver of midday sun to break through and illuminate everyone's faces.
A massive Bloodwing Dragon soared through the air, directly pouncing on the cult members who were fighting Mumu and the others.
"Roar!!!" The Mega Salamence's incredibly powerful dragon roar directly startled the opponents, forcing them to retreat. Aoki stood calmly on the back of the Salamence, looking down at the cult executives opposite him with emotionless eyes.
He immediately recognized them as the cult members he had encountered on the Space-Time Continent, including Wallace, with whom Aoki had previously cooperated.
"When did you shadowy figures dare to run wild in my Hoenn?!"
Aoki, the Sandstorm King of the Hoenn Region! With his steady voice and imposing aura, he unleashed his fiercest challenge upon all the cult members.
Instantly, Mega Salamence's entire body surged with the most intense energy fluctuations, roaring out!
It used Hyper Voice again!
Having witnessed the power of Mega Salamence's Hyper Voice once before, the cult executives naturally dared not underestimate it, and all their Pokémon adopted defensive stances.
Mega Salamence was now a genuine peak-level Pokémon at the first stage of the Champion rank. Among those present, only Wallace and Steven Stone were confident enough to suppress it.
"Aoki! *(n)" Uncontrollable joy burst forth in the eyes of the Alliance Trainers present who knew Aoki, and they couldn't help but exclaim.
Steven Stone and Wallace, having clashed once and separated, simultaneously looked at Aoki, who stood on the back of the imposing Mega Salamence, displaying different expressions.
Steven Stone, like Wallace and others, was filled with pleasant surprise, while Wallace showed a hint of shock, along with a look of hatred.
If it weren't for Aoki, they wouldn't have encountered so many unexpected changes on the Space-Time Continent. If it weren't for Aoki, even if he hadn't been able to bring back the things inside the Space-Time Mountain barrier, he wouldn't have lost Giratina's Griseous Orb.
If it weren't for his proven loyalty, Wallace estimated that dying dozens of times wouldn't be enough to atone for his mistakes.
Everything was instigated by this person named Aoki.
Although Wallace couldn't be certain that the current Aoki was the same person from back then, given the different psychic fluctuations, Wallace estimated there was an 80-90% chance it was him!
"Teacher! Steven! And everyone, sorry, I think I'm a little late!" Aoki scratched his head with a smile, jumped off Mega Salamence's back, and landed beside Miki.
He instinctively patted Miki's head, "You've done well enough. Leave the rest to me."
Miki looked at Aoki, who was full of confidence, bit her lip, and nodded subconsciously, "Mhm!"
Aoki scanned the entire scene and instantly understood the current situation.
Although he really wanted to catch up with his companions right now, the current situation didn't seem to allow him to do so.
For Steven and the others, it had probably only been a little over a month since they last saw him, but for Aoki, it had been nearly half a year since he last met his companions.
That's right, half a year!
Because after leaving Space-Time Mountain, Aoki had stayed on the Space-Time Continent for nearly half a year, utilizing the different flow of time on the Space-Time Continent to accelerate his own strength improvement.
At that time, Aoki did indeed think that he would have to stay there for twenty-five years before he could return to the Pokémon world again.
It was only later that the special Question Mark Unown told Aoki that it knew of a special, very hidden passage on the Space-Time Continent, one that even Dialga and Palkia didn't know about, because it was a fallback plan left by their Unown.
So when Aoki learned this information, he wasn't in a hurry. Anyway, he had enough resources, and his Pokémon all had a lot of room for improvement. So why rush?
Staying on the Space-Time Continent for twenty-five years would definitely be a huge waste, but staying for a month or so would definitely have more advantages than disadvantages.
Let alone a month or so, even staying for a year or two, as long as the resource consumption and recovery speed could keep up, the benefits would outweigh the drawbacks.
However, Aoki felt that half a year was enough because among his Pokémon, Darkrai, Gengar, and Tyranitar were almost at the limit of the first stage of the Champion rank, and further improvement might attract Dialga and Palkia.
This half-year period was just right for them to digest the strength improvements they had gained during this time.
As for the other Pokémon, while digesting and absorbing, they naturally also had different degrees of strength improvement. For example, the current Mega Salamence, even without using Mega Evolution, its inherent strength had broken through the first stage of the Champion rank. After using Mega Evolution, it directly approached peak strength.
The power unleashed by Aerilate combined with the Sky Plate this time was undoubtedly the best display of strength.
Aoki no longer had any thoughts of concealing Mega Evolution. In his plan, this return to the Pokémon world would involve showcasing Mega Evolution to the Alliance and the entire Pokémon world.
It was just that Aoki didn't know if Steven Stone and the others had already announced this matter.
Although they had promised Aoki to keep it a secret at the time, since he hadn't returned with them and had been missing for over a month, Aoki felt it was reasonable for them to announce Mega Evolution.
In short, the current Mega Salamence indeed intimidated most of the cult executives.
"Teacher! You continue, these three people, leave them to me!" Aoki shouted to Steven Stone and the others.
At this moment, these three cult executives were difficult to deal with. Previously, Miki and the other two, along with the Alliance battle trainers, had only barely managed to resist them, but the resistance was merely a one-sided slaughter.
As long as he could hold back or even defeat these three, then this crisis would be easily resolved!
Upon hearing Aoki say this, although it sounded a bit exaggerated, for some reason, Steven Stone and the others present just felt that Aoki could do it.
Steven Stone looked at the confident Aoki, unconsciously feeling a bit stunned.
Unbeknownst to him, had Aoki already reached this level?
"You brat." He cursed with a smile, but still chose to believe Aoki.
Although Steven Stone was fighting Wallace, Miki and the others were also considered rising stars of the Hoenn Alliance's younger generation. He also had to split his attention to worry about their safety, so he knew the strength of the people they were fighting against.
Honestly, even he couldn't say with 100% certainty that he could defeat all three of them.
Moreover, he didn't recognize the Pokémon beside Aoki that looked very similar to Salamence, nor did he know what special abilities it possessed.
However, now was not the time for them to research this. Wallace wanted to fight Aoki right now. If it weren't for Steven Stone posing a greater threat to him, he probably would have rushed to Aoki's front already.
But Aoki was practically asking for death by taking on three opponents, so Wallace could only hope that Aoki would last a little longer so that he could personally deal with him.
He once again commanded his Pokémon to charge at Steven Stone's Salamence.
Aoki wore a wild smirk on his face, beckoning to the three cult executives in front of him.
Right now, only he knew his true strength.
It felt truly wonderful to no longer have to conceal Mega Evolution or his strength, without that feeling of being constrained.
Moreover, while they were fighting, there were a few reckless reporters nearby filming the scene.
"Let me use this battle to directly establish my position in the Hoenn Region, and it's time to show the world my strength!" Aoki thought to himself, feeling slightly excited.
Before returning from the Space-Time Continent, Aoki's goal this time was very simple.
Champion!
He wanted to become a Champion with absolute strength in one fell swoop!
Then, whether it was strength, popularity, or other aspects, he needed to possess them all!
Many people were definitely paying attention to this battle. If he could swiftly eliminate his opponents, he would certainly leave a very deep impression on others and reclaim the top position among the Alliance's younger generation.
In Aoki's memory, in the original timeline, Steven Stone would become the Hoenn League Champion within the next few years, and after serving as Champion for a year, he would voluntarily yield the position to Wallace.
He wanted to become Champion before Steven Stone! To command the entire armed forces of the Hoenn region Alliance!
This was Aoki's goal.
Furthermore, he would not conceal his goal in the slightest, and he believed that others, upon learning of it, would not have any objections.
A Trainer who doesn't want to become a Champion is not a qualified Trainer!
One by one, Poké Balls were unclipped from his belt and summoned.
Since he wanted to become a Champion, the first thing required was, of course, absolute strength.
As the signature Pokémon of the Sandstorm King, a Tyranitar that was a bit smaller in size but looked even more terrifying!
Before Tyranitar, Aoki's signature Pokémon, the Slowking with a king's aura!
Coming and going without a trace, like a phantom or a ghost, the Gengar, serving as the core of the team's synergy and the error correction modifier!
The ultra-modern all-rounder, with the highest body development and utilization, a Blaziken capable of controlling Ho-Oh's flames!
The strongest defensive shield, an Aggron that could be called a mobile metal fortress!
And finally, the legendary Pokémon, Darkrai, known as the Nightmare!
Plus the Mega Salamence that carried Aoki to the scene from the start!
A total of seven Pokémon, and judging by their aura, not a single one had a strength below the first stage of the Champion rank.
Not only were the cult members opposite stunned, but even everyone who was paying some attention to Aoki at this moment, including Wallace, was stunned.
What on earth had Aoki gone through to cause such a drastic change in his strength?
Especially some ordinary Alliance trainers, after seeing Darkrai, they all pulled out their Pokédexes, and after learning about Darkrai's information from it...
First, they were instinctively shocked by the title of 'Nightmare God,' and then, there was immense excitement.
Elite Four Aoki's strength was actually so formidable.
Aoki's lips curled into a smile, a confident, even arrogant smile, which made countless girls watching the live broadcast on TV turn their eyes into heart shapes.
Although Aoki and Steven Stone were equally handsome, they represented two different styles. Steven Stone was the kind of well-behaved, aristocratic pretty boy, full of gentlemanly charm.
Aoki, on the other hand, appeared somewhat disheveled, with a hint of a bad-boy vibe, giving off the impression of a wild and uninhibited wanderer.
They were two extremes, yet it was a mystery how they became such close friends.
However, when Aoki displayed absolute confidence at this moment, that natural charm was the most lethal poison.
They say confident men are the most charming, and that probably describes Aoki in this state.
"Steven! Did you tell them about that thing?!" Aoki looked at the three nervous cult members, completely ignoring their defensive stances, and shouted towards Steven Stone.
Steven Stone, who was seriously battling Winona, subconsciously froze for a moment upon hearing Aoki's question, then realized what Aoki was asking.
"Huh?...No! Lance, Cynthia, and I agreed that if you hadn't returned after a year, we would then consider whether or not to announce it!" Steven Stone shouted loudly.
Because both of their voices were loud enough, not only those present, but even those watching the live broadcast on TV were drawn to Aoki and Steven Stone's conversation.
Everyone understood the current situation: whether Aoki could stop those three cult executives was crucial, otherwise everything would be in vain.
Hearing Steven Stone's reply, Aoki showed a satisfied smile.
As expected of the future Champions of the three regions, they kept their word!
From today onwards, the value of Mega Stones will skyrocket indefinitely. At that time, the favors they owed him would not be so easily settled.
But today!
Aoki was going to reveal Mega Evolution to the world!
With a flick of his wrist, two Key Stones appeared in his hand.
When these two Key Stones appeared, Tyranitar and Gengar, sensing them, showed eager expressions.
As Pokémon, they naturally understood Aoki's plan. Today, not only Salamence, but all the Pokémon present that could Mega Evolve would likely show off their abilities.
However, the first ones, of course, had to be Tyranitar and Gengar. With the current strength of these two Pokémon, once they Mega Evolved, they would possess the power of the second stage of the Champion rank.
Steven Stone's Salamence had only just broken through to this level. Aoki displaying such strength undoubtedly proved that he possessed the power to become a Champion!
Mega Salamence automatically de-Mega Evolved at Aoki's signal.
"Show the world your true power! Tyranitar! Gengar! Mega Evolve!" Aoki raised the two Key Stones, his eyes burning with fervor, and shouted loudly.
As his words fell, Tyranitar and Gengar's bodies began to change!