"Shiko?"
Himeko's voice pulled Shiko's thoughts back from that empty, void-like space.
"What's wrong with you?"
She looked at him standing there in a daze, still stunned, and thought something abnormal might have happened to his body.
"I'm fine."
Shiko snapped back to his senses, shook his head, and returned to a calm expression.
In front of them was a ruined, withered forest where dried leaves drifted down lightly with the wind.
On the ground lay Ferrothorn after Ferrothorn—charred black.
They were packed densely together, piled all over the place, carpeting the earth completely.
"Let's go."
Shiko withdrew his gaze and spoke softly.
His goal had already been achieved.
All the experience had been harvested, and his level had reached Champion tier.
Next…
He only needed to start putting his plan into action.
As for these Pokémon he had defeated—
Shiko had no intention of treating them.
He had already held back when he attacked.
These Ferrothorn looked miserable, but in reality, they had only fainted.
With a Pokémon's physical toughness and recovery ability…
These injuries would be mostly healed in a few days.
Himeko took out a Poké Ball and recalled Shiko.
Then she swung herself onto Pidgeot's back.
"Pidgeot!!"
Pidgeot cried out, beat its wings, and shot up into the air.
Then, like a meteor, it streaked away at extreme speed.
In just a few minutes, they crossed more than ten kilometers and returned to the mountain ridge where they had first flown out from the cave.
Right at that moment—
Dugtrio and Corviknight also returned.
The two Pokémon had acted exactly as Shiko instructed.
Dugtrio easily found a Dugtrio clan within Mt. Silver.
In the Pokémon World, Dugtrio was one of the most numerous species.
This particular clan's numbers had reached a ridiculous figure—over ten thousand.
At first, the other side naturally refused to follow Shiko's orders.
But—
Under Corviknight's Elite Four-level pressure, they were quickly cowed into submission.
After all, within that clan…
Even the strongest Dugtrio, the clan leader, was only at a quasi–Elite Four level.
In front of Corviknight, it wasn't even remotely enough.
What's more—
Dugtrio's Ground typing basically couldn't deal any meaningful, practical damage to a Flying-type like Corviknight.
And!
Staring at Corviknight's sharp claws and beak…
That Dugtrio quickly understood the situation it was in.
It obediently chose to cooperate.
And so—
More than ten thousand Dugtrio rapidly dug tunnels, plunged underground, and began searching for the alloys hidden beneath the earth.
After hearing the two Pokémon's report,
a trace of satisfaction appeared on Shiko's face.
Corviknight and Dugtrio's efficiency pleased him.
With this, then…
…
Ten days later.
Inside Team Dark's hidden headquarters base.
"Boss! I did it!"
In the office, Professor Shen barged in, ecstatic.
He looked utterly wrecked.
His face was gloomy, heavy dark circles hung under his eyes, and his hair was a tangled mess.
His white lab coat was stained with all sorts of grime.
He looked like he'd crawled out of a garbage heap.
But—
his eyes were unusually bright.
Brilliant, dazzling, as if stars were flickering inside them.
In Professor Shen's hands was a wristband.
At the center of it were three colorful crystals, each about the size of a coin.
Within them, a dense aura of energy flowed faintly.
"Boss! I succeeded! I found a way to use this energy!"
Professor Shen staggered forward.
When he reached the desk, he wobbled and nearly collapsed to the floor.
"Oh?"
The leader of Team Dark, seated in his chair, turned around.
Seeing Professor Shen's excited face, his gaze slowly shifted—
landing on the wristband in Shen's hand, interest surfacing in his expression.
"This is a wristband I made. It can perfectly apply the special power inside these crystals onto a Trainer's Pokémon!"
"After being empowered by this force, a Pokémon's body will expand to ten times its size!"
"Its stamina will also double! And the power and range of its moves will increase as well!"
Professor Shen was so excited he could barely contain himself as he shared his research results with his superior.
Under the threat of death and relentless pressure, he had worked without sleep for ten straight days.
He ran countless experiments and attempts—
and only then, at last, found a proper, flawless method to harness this power.
(End of Chapter)
[200 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
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