"Everyone, pay attention! The battle is about to begin. Summon all your main Pokemon to avoid them hindering us later," said the leading Void executive.
Of course, when facing the patrolling grunts of the Sky Hunters, one doesn't have to act alone. Otherwise, what was the point of bringing so many people? The whole reason for assembling such a force was to overwhelm the opposition.
The Void executive frowned when he didn't hear any response from his subordinates. Just as he was about to demand an answer, his direct underling finally spoke up from behind him. His expression softened slightly—until the subordinate's voice cut off abruptly.
"Mr. Gibson, it seems... the situation is..." The words died in his throat.
Gibson, the Void executive, finally lost his patience. With a scowl, he turned around—
—only to see his subordinate vanishing before his eyes, swallowed by a strange spatial rift.
And standing there, watching him, was a figure clad in a black robe, a white, weeping mask obscuring his face. Three Pokemon flanked him, silent and poised.
All of Gibson's men were gone. Vanished without a trace.
Five minutes ago, he had confirmed that no one had been left behind. That meant only one thing: his entire squad had been erased, just like his subordinate, consumed by those eerie spatial distortions.
All in just five minutes.
And the one responsible was the masked stranger before him.
Gibson's face darkened. Though he had grown complacent in his position as a Void executive, he hadn't forgotten what to do when faced with an enemy.
Three shrunken Poké Balls slipped from his sleeves, expanding to full size in his palm. He hurled them forward, releasing his team alongside the Honchkrow that had been perched on his shoulder—four Pokemon in total.
Aoki's system activated immediately, scanning the four opposing Pokemon.
Unsurprisingly, all four were pseudo-champion-tier.
To earn the title of pseudo-champion, a Trainer needed at least three Pokemon of that caliber. However, those who barely met the requirement were often the weakest among their peers, as not all their Pokemon would have reached that level of strength.
Gibson, the Void executive, was exactly that kind of Trainer. Aoki's scan revealed that while his Pokemon had indeed reached pseudo-champion status, their levels were unimpressive.
The strongest among them was the Honchkrow that had been following him—Level 52.
The other three were Level 51 and two at Level 50. Hardly a threat.
Thanks to recent upgrades, Aoki's system could now extract even more detailed data. It quickly became clear that Gibson's Pokemon had been poorly trained. Once a Pokemon reached pseudo-champion status, further growth slowed drastically—unless the foundation had been properly laid from the start.
This explained why Gibson's team was so lackluster.
It was also why Aoki preferred a meticulous, step-by-step approach to training. Cutting corners now meant stagnation later.
If Slowking and the others reached Champion-tier but lacked a solid foundation, they'd struggle to grow stronger—just like Gibson's team.
And Gibson's Pokemon had clearly plateaued long ago.
If he hadn't bothered to improve them by now, he never would.
This was as strong as he would ever be.
"Who are you?!" Gibson demanded, voice steadier now that his Pokemon surrounded him.
Behind the exaggerated weeping mask, Aoki smirked.
If the rest of Void's executives were as weak as this, then the organization was truly rotten to the core.
"Oh? Weren't you looking for me?" Aoki replied, his voice undisguised. "And now you ask who I am?"
Gibson stiffened. "You—you're the leader of the Sky Hunters?"
Aoki didn't bother answering. He saw no need to prolong this.
Even if Honchkrow and the others were outnumbered three-to-four, this would be a slaughter.
Gibson had grown too comfortable. He held the title of pseudo-champion, but not the skill to back it up.
Against weaker opponents, he might have bullied his way through. But against Aoki—a Trainer who stood among the strongest of pseudo-champions—the gap was insurmountable.
Telepathy activated.
This was Honchkrow, Weavile, and Gengar's first real battle after two months of relentless training. Their opponents? Four pseudo-champion-tier Pokemon.
Their blood burned with excitement.
It had been too long since they'd fought properly.
Tonight, they would feast.
Honchkrow's wings sliced through the night air. Weavile vanished into the trees. Gengar melted into the shadows, grinning.
All three disappeared in an instant.
Gibson's forehead gleamed with sweat.
He might have grown lazy, but he wasn't blind.
Aoki's Pokemon were all pseudo-champion-tier—and their speed alone eclipsed anything his own team could muster.
Even outnumbered, they outclassed him.
Gibson's gaze flicked to Aoki, standing calmly in the distance.
If he wanted to win, he'd have to take out the Trainer first.
With a sharp command, he sent Honchkrow and one other Pokemon charging toward Aoki. The remaining two stayed back, guarding against ambushes.
If the enemy's team specialized in speed, then sneak attacks were inevitable.
Thirty men had accompanied him here. Now, he stood alone.
He still didn't understand how Aoki had done it.
The thought sent a chill down his spine.
But the outcome was inevitable.
Before Gibson's Pokemon could reach Aoki, they were intercepted.
Honchkrow's Brave Bird and Weavile's Ice Punch sent them crashing back.
Gibson tried to rally his remaining Pokemon, but Gengar flickered in and out of sight around him, keeping him paralyzed with hesitation.
The battle ended swiftly.
Two of Gibson's Pokemon fell to Honchkrow and Weavile's assault. When he tried to flee with the last two, Aoki's Slowking barred his escape with Psychic.
Gibson joined his men in the void between dimensions.
Aoki collected four Poké Balls and a storage device from the fallen executive—decent spoils.
He didn't return to the Sky Hunters' base. Instead, he moved under cover of night, heading toward Goldenrod City.
The war had begun.
And Aoki would show no mercy.
He had waited long enough.
An organization like Void? They were overdue for eradication.
And if he could claim all their resources in the process?
Even better.
With a quick message to his lieutenant, he ordered the Sky Hunters to advance on Goldenrod City.
Tonight, the Void would be wiped out.