Zangoose had fully accepted Tetsuya, and after several days of recovery, it had more or less returned to peak condition.
In a forest like this, only Poison-type Pokémon could remain. Aside from the Pokémon he kept with him, all his other Pokémon were going through focused training at Mahogany Gym.
Now that he had caught Zangoose, the frame of his Poison-type team had become even more firmly established, although there was no telling how many unknown things still lay ahead in this forest…
Tetsuya sent out all his Pokémon.
The four-headed Weezing, Drapion, Ariados, and the newly caught Zangoose. Although Zangoose was not a Poison-type, it complemented them perfectly. Whether in field control, close combat, or ranged attacks, these four Pokémon now had very few weaknesses.
Ariados's field control capabilities, combined with its ambushing tactics, allowed it to maneuver perfectly along the edges of a battle.
Drapion had powerful frontal attacks, strong defensive capabilities, few weaknesses, and a unique body structure that made it difficult for opponents to find an opening.
Once Zangoose stepped on Toxic Spikes and activated its Toxic Boost Ability, its Attack power would reach its peak, turning it into a terrifying killer!
As for Weezing, its capabilities had never been overlooked. Whether it was the combination of Gyro Ball and Sludge Bomb or the power of [Fume Cataclysm], both were highly destructive ranged attacks. Most incredible of all, of course, was its "special" move for dealing with Steel-types…
Tetsuya naturally had no desire to leave such an ideal place just yet. Weezing could absorb the poison miasma everywhere to intensify its toxins, while Drapion, Ariados, and Zangoose could all find the best food here…
---◓---
Drapion and Ariados's toxicity was increasing day by day, while Zangoose's resistance would not decline either.
After half a month, the coordination among these four had already become flawless, and they had used it to destroy several groups of Pokémon.
If Norman had not sent an urgent notice that Team Magma was gathering on Dewford Island and appeared to be plotting something, urging him to leave for Dewford immediately, Tetsuya would never have left the forest like this.
Even five or six years would not be enough to completely loot all the resources in such an excellent place!
Fortunately, this was an uninhabited area…
He could always return another day. Once his Ice-type team was complete, he could keep all his Poison-type Pokémon here until they had completely exhausted the "resources" of this forest.
There were still more than a hundred miles of ordinary forest between him and the edge of the this miasma forest.
After coming out, he asked Pryce to transfer his other Pokémon, but Pryce forcibly kept Mamoswine at Mahogany Gym…
That was because Mamoswine's level had now reached Elite Four!
Ordinary battles could no longer provide it with any battle experience. Only stronger opponents could possibly improve its strength further.
Naturally, that meant it needed Pryce's help.
At this point, Mamoswine truly needed Pryce's Pokémon as sparring partners if it was going to have any chance of improving. At Tetsuya's side, aside from serving as his bodyguard, there was little that could help it with that.
Ditto, Golurk, and Miltank all returned to his side. Ditto once again Transformed into a wristband and attached itself to his wrist. Tetsuya then rode Golurk out of the forest and landed on the outskirts of the nearest city, Rustboro.
There were ships from Rustboro City to Dewford Island.
Tetsuya hurried to Rustboro's port, but by the time he arrived, it was already dusk, with the sun sinking in the west.
Unfortunately, there were no more ships departing today. Tetsuya was not particularly concerned about that. To put it plainly, he was willing to help Norman only so he could capture Brodie. He had no real desire to help the Hoenn League deal with Team Magma.
Team Magma's existence was actually quite beneficial to him. With them around, most of the Hoenn League's attention would be focused on these organizations. Hunting a few Pokémon himself would never attract the attention of the League's higher-ups, naturally making things much easier for him.
Tetsuya sent Norman a message in reply and prepared to head back into Rustboro City to find somewhere to stay.
Just as he was about to leave, he heard a long whistle…
A speedboat surged across the surface of the sea. Looking closely, Tetsuya saw that the person aboard was wearing a blue-and-white shirt with a blue bandanna wrapped around his head.
Team Aqua…
That was Team Aqua's attire!
Tetsuya had originally wanted to mind his own business. Provoking people like this would do him no good…
However!
"Quick, catch that thief! He stole important materials from our company!"
More than a dozen burly men in security uniforms rushed over from the shore, but they had not prepared a speedboat, so when they reached the water's edge, they could only stop there.
"Quick, notify the captain. Have him contact Mr. Joseph Stone and get a speedboat ready!"
"Okay, okay!"
The dozen or so men paced anxiously along the shore.
"I'll help you chase him." At that moment, Tetsuya spoke up. The dozen or so men all turned their attention toward this… adolescent?, finding it somewhat unbelievable.
Of course, it was only after hearing the name "Joseph Stone" that Tetsuya had resolutely decided to intervene. Joseph Stone was the president of Devon Corporation, the largest company in the Hoenn Region, with corporate power comparable to Silph Co.
Joseph was unquestionably one of the richest people in the world. It was precisely because of such immense financial backing that he had been able to raise a son like Steven Stone, who was not only the youngest Champion but also have astonishing combat power, never once losing during his tenure.
Steven had directly handed the Champion position over to Wallace, so there were rumors that Steven had simply grown lonely… lonely from having no opponents, and had therefore relinquished the Champion position to pursue his dream of archaeology.
If this allowed Tetsuya to establish some connection with Devon Corporation or even Joseph himself, then forget chasing down a single Team Aqua member…
Even if he were asked to help wipe out Team Aqua, he would gladly do it!
With his resolve firm, Tetsuya climbed onto Golurk and headed in the direction of the speedboat.
---◓---
Golurk's charging speed was formidable, and before long, the speedboat appeared within his sight.
Closer and closer…
The Team Aqua member aboard the speedboat seemed to realize that Tetsuya was coming after him and casually threw out a Poké Ball. Crawdaunt appeared on the boat and fired Bubble Beam straight at Golurk.
Golurk itself was not afraid of an attack like this. Compared with the ones it had endured at the glacier falls, this was nothing more than a drizzle.
However, Tetsuya was riding on its body, and Bubble Beam would still be highly effective against him. Golurk therefore had no choice but to turn aside and evade Crawdaunt's attack.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, the Team Aqua member opened the throttle again and widened the distance between himself and Tetsuya.
This could not continue. Tetsuya could only curse the fact that he did not have a Water-type Pokémon. Otherwise, he would not have been forced into such a passive position…
Fortunately, he had Ditto!
"Ditto, Transform into Gyarados!"