Aoki's heart stirred slightly, and he quickened his pace, calling out at the same time, "Full power! Finish them off quickly!"
His speed increased again, disregarding the remaining Lunatone that had yet to be defeated.
Upon hearing his command, Slowking and the others seemed to share an unspoken understanding, mustering their full strength to swiftly take down the remaining Lunatone.
Aoki's footsteps perfectly synchronized with the sound of the Lunatone collapsing to the ground.
Once these Lunatone were dealt with, the Pokémon followed closely behind Aoki.
They knew why Aoki had come here—for that future companion!
The small eyes of the target Pokémon locked onto Aoki's approach, flashing with panic before vanishing from sight in an instant.
Aoki sped up further.
Though he risked frightening the little one, this lifetime's Aoki was not the same as before. The Pokémon must have only just been born, and the cynical temperament from its past life shouldn't have developed yet.
Rounding the corner, Aoki finally saw what lay ahead.
The scene was identical to where he had first met this Pokémon in his previous life.
Inside the disheveled rocky cavern, faint light filtered through the scattered stardust. The space was barren—devoid of even the simplest comforts like soft grass to rest on. It was hard to imagine how a Pokémon not of the Rock or Ground type could endure living in such a harsh place.
Without a stable food source, malnutrition was inevitable.
A complicated expression crossed Aoki's face as he stepped slowly into the tunnel's branching path.
When he had captured this Pokémon in his past life, he hadn't paid any mind to the conditions it had endured. But now, seeing it firsthand…
An indescribable sorrow welled up inside him.
The Pokémon was curled tightly into a corner, its small eyes darting furtive glances at Aoki as he entered. Its body trembled faintly, old and fresh wounds marring its form.
Living in this rocky cave, surrounded by emotionless Pokémon like Solrock and Lunatone…
Life here must have been unbearable.
As Aoki drew closer, the Pokémon's trembling intensified.
Aoki's eyes burned with regret.
I should have come sooner.
I should have taken you away earlier.
Had he arrived just a little earlier, perhaps this suffering could have been avoided.
Though he couldn't pinpoint the exact day of its birth, he could at least have spared it some pain.
Finally, the Pokémon came fully into view.
It was nearly identical to how he remembered.
A light-blue body, crowned with a grayish-white, helmet-like crest. It hugged its legs tightly, burying its face into its curled-up form as if hiding would make it invisible.
Its small claws were clenched, its entire body stiff with tension, trembling faintly.
"Has the trauma already set in? I thought I wasn't too late, but it seems the damage has already been done." Aoki's outstretched hand hovered in the air as the thought crossed his mind.
He had assumed the personality from his past life had formed over years in this wretched place. But now, it was clear the scars had been etched early—practically from birth.
To leave a newborn in such a dark, desolate place, with no reliable source of food or water… The shattered eggshells were likely the only meal it had ever known—its sole comfort.
The defiant, cynical nature of his past-life companion now made perfect, heartbreaking sense.
Anyone raised in a place like this would turn out the same.
Surrounded by emotionless Solrock and Lunatone, any accidental trespass into their territory would earn an immediate attack.
And this was just a baby Pokémon.
That it had survived at all was a miracle.
"I'm sorry… I should have come sooner… Bagon." Aoki's voice trembled despite himself.
Now he understood—in his past life, the fact that it had fought for him until the very end before fleeing had been a gift.
He had never truly considered its perspective.
Hearing Aoki's voice, Bagon's trembling worsened.
It didn't understand his words, but it braced for another beating.
Yes, this timid, fragile creature was a Bagon.
The Hoenn region was home to two pseudo-legendary Pokémon—one being the Metagross that Steven had raised to its final evolution, and the other, the mighty Salamence.
And Bagon's final evolution was Salamence.
Any Trainer who possessed a Salamence would see why they were called the "Blood-Stained Crescent."
Yet the Bagon before him now bore no resemblance to the future terror of the skies. Weakness defined it in every way.
When Aoki had found Bagon in his past life, it had already been battle-scarred, its level decent, its familiarity with the terrain absolute.
Back then, Aoki had cornered it, overpowered it, and captured it through sheer force.
After obtaining it, he had poured every resource into raising it. Though he may not have unlocked its full potential, when it finally evolved into Salamence, Aoki had briefly stood above many first-time Elite-tier Trainers.
And that was when his arrogance had truly spiraled.
With the system and a pseudo-legendary Pokémon, he had believed nothing could stop him from claiming a championship.
But reality had been cruel. Could his rivals in Team Rocket stand idly by once they learned he possessed a Salamence?
Beyond them, the rest of Team Rocket had burned with envy.
Later, after Aoki rose to become a minor Team Rocket officer, they leaked his location to the League.
Two Elite-level opponents were sent to crush him.
Yet dispatching two Elite Trainers had been overkill—neither brought their strongest Pokémon, instead fielding secondary-team members.
Salamence had fought one against two, slaughtering both opposing Pokémon.
Only when the enemy finally deployed their true Elite-tier Pokémon did Salamence abandon Aoki and flee.
It had given its all—but their bond had never been strong enough for it to die for him.
As Aoki closed his eyes in defeat, he finally understood the meaning behind the "Blood-Stained Crescent" epithet.
He never learned what became of that Salamence afterward.
But now, this young Bagon was before him once more.
He would not repeat the mistakes of his past life.
To achieve true harmony with a Pokémon, one must connect with it sincerely.