Those two mountains, huh...
Shiko lifted his head.
His gaze followed the direction Corviknight was pointing.
Several kilometers away in the distance, two mountain peaks stretched across the horizon.
Those two mountains looked different from the surrounding silver-white rocky ranges.
They were covered in large swathes of green plants.
The vegetation was lush, brimming with life.
After memorizing their position, Shiko nodded.
He raised a hand, signaling Corviknight to leave first and carry out the task he'd assigned.
"Gaw!"
With a sharp cry, Corviknight beat its wings hard.
A violent storm of wind burst forth, whipping up a swirling gale mixed with grit and sand as it departed.
Not far away, Himeko's eyes shifted off Gardevoir and Lopunny—who were sparring—and turned to Shiko.
Everything Shiko had just instructed was also conveyed to her through Telepathy, without the slightest attempt to hide or withhold it.
Hearing Shiko's arrangements, Himeko couldn't help but sigh again in amazement.
This intelligence…
It really wasn't something an ordinary Pokémon could possess.
Watching Shiko smoothly assign tasks to Dugtrio and Corviknight, for a moment it felt surreal.
He didn't seem like a Pokémon at all.
He seemed more like a seasoned, mature Trainer.
Shiko's gaze still didn't leave those two mountains.
The reason he'd asked Corviknight about them was because he was considering the clashes and war he would have to face next.
Shiko felt it was necessary to raise his strength by a large margin again.
When he'd dealt with the several hundred Corviknight on that mountain before, he'd gained exactly two levels' worth of experience—no more, no less.
And with the daily quests he'd completed over the past half month, he'd gained another two levels.
That pushed his level from Elite Four mid-tier—Level 64—to Elite Four high-tier—Level 68.
If he crushed the Steel-type Pokémon on those two mountains…
Shiko believed he should be able to break through the Elite Four boundary and reach Champion level.
Of course, even at Champion level, facing a third-tier Legendary head-on still wasn't enough.
But—
Shiko's own special nature, and the overwhelming strength far beyond ordinary Pokémon…
Even if he couldn't confront a third-tier Legendary directly,
after two third-tier Legendaries smashed into each other in a fierce clash, picking up the leftovers should still be doable.
"You're going out?"
Once he made up his mind, Shiko didn't hesitate at all.
He immediately set off toward those two mountains.
Seeing him move, Himeko hurriedly asked.
"Training," Shiko answered.
In his heart, though, he felt that compared to "training,"
"harvesting experience" was probably the more accurate description.
His Fire-type moves were simply too lethal against Steel-type Pokémon.
And—
those two mountains in the distance were thick with vegetation.
Shiko guessed it was very likely that the clans living there were Bug-type.
If that was the case…
then his fire moves would deal a full four times damage.
Dealing with them would be as easy as chopping vegetables—no pressure at all.
Lopunny and Gardevoir heard that and immediately stopped.
Both Pokémon looked at Shiko with bright, eager eyes.
The meaning was obvious.
They wanted to go too.
"Alright."
Shiko nodded and agreed.
Gardevoir and Lopunny were already at the peak of Gym level.
This real battle would probably let both of them break through their current shackles and limits, reaching the strength of a quasi-Elite Four.
After trekking for a while, Shiko's group finally arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Looking up, the mountain was blanketed in vast stretches of greenery—dense and thriving.
There were plenty of Pokémon traces in the woods.
Most of them were weak wild Grass-types and Bug-types.
Feeling the powerful pressure radiating from Shiko—an Elite Four-level Pokémon—
those Pokémon immediately fell silent in fear and hid within the forest.
And right at that moment, Shiko sensed an extremely forceful aura.
An aura that only a truly powerful Elite Four-level Pokémon could possess.
Bzzzz!!
A noisy wave of vibrating wingbeats filled the sky.
The sunlit canopy overhead was instantly covered by a layer of shadow.
Shiko looked up—
and all he saw was red.
A huge swarm of red-armored Pokémon hovered in midair above Shiko and the others.
This was Scizor territory!
Shiko narrowed his eyes slightly.
His gaze locked onto the single largest Scizor in the swarm—the one with the deepest, darkest coloration.
An Elite Four high-tier Scizor!
(End of Chapter)
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