After finishing their meal, Aoki and Steven, both accustomed to life in the wild, settled down to sleep.
Early the next morning, at the summit of Mount Chimney, Aoki and Steven returned to the lava cave they had explored the day before.
They planned to investigate further.
This cave seemed untouched by others. How Butler had discovered an entrance leading into the volcano's interior remained unknown. It must have been sealed before, only to be forcibly opened by Team Magma.
Aside from some native Pokémon inhabiting the passage, there should have been more wild Pokémon inside. However, Butler and his team had likely dealt with them already.
The other Team Magma members probably suffered heavy losses when Aoki's Pokémon confronted them in the cave.
Since they were heading deeper inside this time, Aoki and Steven wouldn't rely on just one Pokémon each.
Aoki kept Skorupi, Slowking, and Haunter by his side, while Steven called upon his Lairon and Metagross.
After a day of battling yesterday, Steven's Lairon had broken through level 40, officially reaching the Elite tier.
Skorupi had put in some effort against Camerupt but hadn't gained enough experience to level up. Still, the battle had been valuable for its growth.
Inside the cave, fire-type Pokémon were the most common, with occasional rock-types appearing.
The abundance of fire-types made things a bit uncomfortable for Steven's Lairon and Metagross, but he saw this as an opportunity. Exposure to this environment would help his Pokémon adapt to fire-type conditions and gradually increase their resistance.
The most frequent encounters were with Slugma and Magcargo. By the time they neared the volcano's core, they had practically entered a Magcargo nest.
The cave walls were covered with them, clinging to every surface. This was the ideal habitat for Magcargo, and due to the extreme conditions, they had few natural predators, leading to overpopulation.
Where there were large numbers of Pokémon, there was always a chance of encountering a particularly powerful one.
Sure enough, deep inside the cave, Aoki and Steven stumbled upon a Magcargo radiating the presence of a Champion-tier Pokémon.
The sight sent them retreating immediately.
Even so, they both gained plenty from their expedition.
Skorupi and Haunter leveled up, with Skorupi reaching level 36 and Haunter reaching level 37, closing the gap between them and Honchkrow.
Once Skorupi hit level 40 and evolved into Drapion, its explosive power would make it a devastating force in Aoki's team.
Aoki wasn't worried about Skorupi's evolution, but he still wasn't entirely sure how Haunter would evolve.
For Haunter's evolution, he might need to find a location rich in Ghost Energy.
Such a place existed in the Hoenn region.
Aside from Skorupi and Haunter, Slowking's progress was what pleased Aoki the most.
Though it had only gained one level, the difference in base stats made its progress much more significant than the others. Reaching level 42 was no small feat for Slowking.
The cave's environment had favored Slowking's growth.
Most of the Pokémon they encountered were fire-types, or in Magcargo's case, fire/rock-types, which took quadruple damage from Slowking's water-type moves.
Slowking had taken down countless Magcargo, making its level-up inevitable.
But what shocked Aoki the most was Steven's Metagross.
After evolving, Aoki knew it contained a massive amount of stored energy and had excellent mastery over its moves.
Yet it still surprised him—Metagross had jumped two levels in a single day.
No wonder Steven had been so confident after its evolution.
At level 47, Metagross was rapidly closing in on the Champion tier.
With their day spent battling, Aoki and Steven had thoroughly explored the cave. What lay beyond the Magcargo nest was a mystery they weren't yet prepared to uncover.
They decided to leave the cave.
This time, they didn't linger atop Mount Chimney.
Instead, they began their descent.
There were undoubtedly more secrets hidden within Mount Chimney, but during their exploration, Aoki received a message from his mentor, Matsuda.
It was time for them to return to Verdanturf Town—the League's representatives had arrived.
Though it wasn't an urgent matter, it was an important one.
The Verdanturf Gym was ready to open, and the League had finalized all necessary arrangements at the Pokémon Center.
Officer Jenny had already been stationed at the local police department.
Now, Verdanturf Town was like a finely tuned machine, fully prepared but not yet running at full speed.
Because the most crucial part was missing—Aoki himself.
As the town's Gym Leader and the driving force behind its development, Aoki's absence kept Verdanturf from reaching its full potential.
Not only that, but his mentor Matsuda was on his way as well.
The League's Breeder Association saw this as an excellent opportunity to establish their first Hoenn-based branch in Verdanturf Town, and Matsuda had been sent to facilitate discussions.
At the same time, Steven received a detailed report from his Devon Corporation team regarding their investigation of Verdanturf Town.
After skimming through the report, Steven decided to accompany Aoki to discuss potential collaborations.
Verdanturf Town was no longer just a quiet rural settlement—it had immense potential.
Once Aoki arrived and officially took his position as Gym Leader, every system would start running at full speed.
At that point, Verdanturf's rapid growth would truly begin.
And Devon was eager to be part of that process.
So, after wrapping up their battles for the day, Aoki and Steven began their journey back.
There was no need to rush—Aoki still had a promise to keep.
He had told Lairon and the others that they would get a chance to battle.
As a Trainer, he wouldn't break his word.
As for the League's representative?
They could wait.