Aoki and Lance made their way directly to the second floor of the Battle Castle. The competitive atmosphere here remained as intense as ever, with numerous battle arenas scattered throughout - each hall serving as its own combat zone. For the foreseeable future, Aoki would be stationed in Hall No. 3, remaining there until he either abandoned his consecutive battles or successfully advanced in rank. Without any unnecessary preliminaries, the battles commenced immediately upon taking their positions on the field - this was the established custom of the Battle Castle. There was no time wasted on idle chatter; the truth would be revealed through combat.
As a newly appointed Baron, Aoki's initial opponents weren't particularly formidable. The two Pokemon he faced, both around level thirty-four or thirty-five, stood little chance against his Lairon. Truth be told, it was almost unfair for Aoki to compete at this level given his current capabilities. Lance, observing from the sidelines, began to regret agreeing to accompany Aoki - the battles offered no excitement whatsoever, being completely one-sided affairs. After several rounds, Aoki hadn't even needed to send out his second Pokemon.
Lairon demonstrated tremendous defensive capabilities, rarely sustaining significant damage in any encounter, while its offensive power far exceeded what its opponents could withstand. The prolonged consumption of Hard Stones had elevated Lairon's already impressive defenses to astonishing levels. Lance recognized that this Lairon was merely Aoki's second-tier Pokemon - in his estimation, barely meeting Gym Leader standards. Yet now this secondary Pokemon had surpassed his own team's capabilities.
How much time had passed since their last meeting? Lance found himself genuinely curious about Aoki's current strength level. When he'd originally invited Aoki to assist with investigating the Lysandre Labs, he'd only hoped for help dealing with minor threats so he could focus on opposing the organization's leadership. At the time, Lance believed he might have overestimated Aoki's abilities, but now realized he'd actually underestimated him.
Aoki proved unstoppable in the Battle Castle, securing clean victories in every match. Combined with the special considerations granted by the facility, his rank advanced rapidly - within a single day, he'd risen from Baron to Viscount. After waiting an entire day, Lance still hadn't witnessed any challenging battles for Aoki. This demonstrated how advancement became increasingly difficult at higher ranks, not only due to stronger opponents but also because finding suitable matches could take considerable time.
That evening, Aoki and Lance checked into the Battle Castle's hotel. True to his status as Lance of the Dragon Tamer clan, he reserved the most luxurious suite available. For individuals like Lance, becoming an investigator served merely as training - with both his family and the League paving his way, achieving Champion status was inevitable.
However, the pair didn't spend all their time focused on Battle Castle matches. During downtime, they discussed various matters including Lysandre Labs, Team Rocket's activities in Kanto, Team Magma and Team Aqua's operations in Hoenn, along with League policies and regulations. Their conversations ranged widely across topics. Later, Diantha and Wallace joined them, forming a temporary quartet within the Battle Castle.
Lance and Steven were future Champions, Wallace stood as one of the upcoming Elite Four members. As for Aoki, his current standing created no awkwardness in their group - quite the opposite, he integrated seamlessly. Having previously met Lance while also knowing Diantha and Wallace, Aoki essentially served as their social bridge. After spending time together, they'd all gained general understanding of each other's capabilities.
...
Seven full days passed during their stay. Aoki successfully advanced from Baron to Earl, reaching 92 points - just one victory away from qualifying for challenge matches. But he wasn't alone in his progress; Lance, Diantha and Wallace had all achieved rank promotions, each reaching Marquis status. By this point, Lance had already attained Champion-level as a trainer, while Diantha and Wallace weren't far behind - after all, Count-ranked battles only required using three Pokemon.
Aoki had begun with Lairon, then rotated through Pupitar, Moltres, Politoed and Swampert before later incorporating Florges, Magnezone, Gengar and others. He'd effectively made a name for himself in the Battle Castle. Maintaining an undefeated record thus far, most spectators believed Aoki possessed Marquis-level ability.
While others might not realize it, his three closest companions recognized that Aoki's ace Slowking had reached Champion-tier, alongside his Champion-level Mismagius. Currently, Diantha's Gardevoir and Milotic had both achieved Champion status - Gardevoir at level 61 and Milotic at 60. Aoki's Altaria stood at level 60, while Lance's six primary battle Pokemon had all reached Elite Four caliber.
This demonstrated that not only was Aoki's strength progressing rapidly, but his companions' development speeds were equally impressive. However, their Battle Castle sojourn needed to conclude temporarily - Aoki couldn't wait to achieve Marquis rank and would have to pursue that goal later. Both he and Lance had received urgent summons from the Kalos League's investigation team regarding a major incident at the Parfum Palace, located relatively near the Battle Castle.
The situation had arisen suddenly, leaving Aoki unprepared. Their quartet had no choice but to end this brief reunion, though when next meeting Diantha and Wallace, they might already have assumed their Elite Four positions.
During these seven days, Aoki and Lance had grown closer while privately assessing each other's capabilities. Lance admitted that in one-on-one battles, aside from his Dragonite, none of his Pokemon could guarantee victory against Aoki's Slowking. Moreover, Aoki's other Pokemon were no weaklings - Lance could see they all verged on Champion-level strength.
These seven days proved neither long nor short, but saw measurable progress in the Pokemon's development. Lairon and Pupitar, having fought most frequently, simultaneously reached Elite status - Lairon at level 40 and Pupitar at 41. Lairon neared evolution, prompting Aoki to plan a recuperation period. Blaziken reached level 43, Politoed 46, and Swampert 51.
While Battle Castle matches grew tedious, facing similarly-skilled opponents significantly helped Pokemon improve their capabilities and master techniques. The second-tier Pokemon had officially all reached Elite status, though they might not participate in upcoming events - Aoki recalled them to his island via portable transporter for consolidation training. Simultaneously, he had his Altaria sent over.
Now possessing three Champion-level Pokemon (Slowking, Mismagius and Altaria), Aoki prepared for their high-stakes mission. "For the Parfum Palace incident to require investigators from other regions, the situation must be truly urgent," Aoki remarked as they prepared to depart the Battle Castle.
Lance rubbed his temples wearily. "Truthfully, I'd prefer avoiding this matter, but the Parfum Palace situation demands immediate attention. We'll discuss details en route." Having some prior knowledge of the incident, Lance summoned his Dragonite while Aoki called upon his Flygon. Together they soared away from the Battle Castle toward Parfum Palace.
Diantha and Wallace watched their departure with complex expressions. While aware of the Parfum Palace developments, as non-investigators they lacked authority to participate directly.