Many smaller islands dotted the waters around Dewford Town's island, and the Secret Base Yong had mentioned was actually one of them.
It lay northwest of Dewford Town, not very far away.
The main reason they called this island their "Secret Base" was that Yong had secretly learned to surf here with Brawly. It was also the training ground where Brawly honed his martial arts and strengthened his Pokémon's bodies.
Most importantly, the island sat at the meeting point of ocean currents. Huge waves constantly battered its shores. Compared with the relatively calm beach they had used before, this was the perfect place to take Steelix and the others' training to the next level.
In Yong's current team, Steelix and Swampert belonged to the first tier. They were his undisputed mainstays.
Next came Vibrava, Claydol, and Aerodactyl, who currently made up the second tier. Either they had not reached their final evolutions, or other circumstances had limited their improvement.
The remaining Pokémon, such as Rhyhorn, Lairon, and Tyrunt, belonged to the third tier. They could take part in ordinary battles, but unfortunately, without major improvements, they clearly could not compete in an event like the Elite Tournament, which gathered the strongest rookies from four regions.
As for Shieldon and Larvesta, they had yet to mature and were still nowhere near ready for battle.
Their greatest priority now was to keep raising Steelix and Swampert's strength while helping Vibrava, Claydol, and Aerodactyl achieve new breakthroughs!
Soon, under Yong's guidance, Aerodactyl arrived at an island surrounded by whirlpools, its beaches constantly pounded by waves.
The level ground at the center of the island and the deliberately arranged rocks all showed signs of human activity.
These were Brawly and Yong's handiwork.
Yong directed Aerodactyl to land, then leaped down.
He surveyed the familiar