"Pidgeoooot—!"
Seeing that, Pidgeot finally let out a breath of relief.
It pulled its wings back in and collapsed onto the ground.
With great effort, it lifted its head, staring at Shiko's towering figure bathed in sunlight.
In its heart, only worship and gratitude remained.
At that moment…
Even though it was merely a specialized flying "transport Pokémon" raised by the Military, an inexplicable thought surfaced in its mind—
It wanted to follow Shiko.
Then, the very next second…
Its head tilted to one side, and it passed out on the spot.
"We're saved! You saved me again!"
Himeko looked at Shiko, clutching her chest, her face filled with the joy of surviving a disaster.
If she'd been caught by that metal storm just now…
A human body would never have been able to endure it.
In an instant, she would have been cut into pieces.
If Shiko hadn't appeared in time…
She figured she'd already be nothing more than a pile of fragments.
Shiko didn't reply.
Instead, he turned around and looked at that enormous silver mountain peak.
"You can stop here. Leave now."
"I think there'll be more metal storms later. I can't spare attention to your safety."
Shiko spoke to Himeko.
As he drew near this mountain—when he stared at it—
Shiko felt a clear, intense pressure.
That aura…
It was from the same source as the aura he'd sensed on the outskirts of the deepest mountain in Dragon Valley.
Only…
In terms of sheer strength—
This mountain's aura was on an entirely different level.
Shiko could tell…
If he hadn't already stepped into the Champion-level…
Even entering this mountain would've been troublesome.
"I understand…!"
Himeko nodded.
She knew Shiko wasn't joking.
If she forced her way in anyway…
All she'd do was drag him down and make him split his focus to protect her—nothing else.
After quickly treating Pidgeot's wounds, Himeko recalled it into a Poké Ball.
"Be careful. I'm leaving first!"
After reminding Shiko, Himeko released Lopunny and Gardevoir to guard her,
then left the area, turning back again and again as she went.
Only after their figures disappeared into the distance did Shiko turn around.
He withdrew his gaze and looked back at the mountain.
Straight ahead, another metal storm suddenly swept in again.
Before its razor-sharp aura could even reach Shiko,
it was shattered once more by his own presence.
Right after that…
Shiko started walking.
He frowned, his expression serious and heavy,
and headed into the mountain.
Following the rugged path step by step,
he climbed to a height of about a hundred meters before noticing—
There was vegetation higher up as well.
But those plants…
Perhaps affected by the mountain,
had all turned a silvery white.
And all of them were dead—reduced to something like fossilized minerals.
The higher Shiko climbed this silver mountain,
the more clearly he could sense an overwhelmingly powerful Steel-type aura.
It was an aura so strong it made even him feel his heart pound.
It far surpassed every Pokémon he'd encountered so far.
That aura…
Was expanding and contracting in a steady rhythm,
like breathing.
Shiko began to move with even greater caution.
He followed the direction of that aura,
heading toward the deepest point—where the aura was strongest.
He passed through stretches of silver-white forest,
crossed a silver lake that looked as if it had been frozen solid,
and on the shaded side of the mountain, within a rocky mass—
Shiko spotted a deep, dark cave entrance.
That terrifying aura…
Was flowing out from within.
More than that—
A thunder-like, frightening breathing sound echoed from inside.
This was it!
Feeling that crushing, oppressive presence,
Shiko understood.
Inside this cave…
Was the target he had come to find.
His expression became more serious and heavy than ever before.
He slowly shifted his steps,
and crossed into the cave.
What he didn't notice was—
High up in the sky, nearly a thousand meters above,
a Noctowl was circling with steady wingbeats.
On Noctowl's back sat a man in a Military uniform.
He lowered the binoculars in his hand,
rubbed his eyes, and looked utterly stunned.
"…I didn't see that wrong, did I?! That just now was GeoGreymon, right?! Why is it going in there?! That's Registeel's place! That's the cave where Registeel is sleeping!"
"Hooot!"
Before he even finished speaking,
Noctowl cried out and nodded, confirming that its Trainer hadn't seen wrong.
The Military Trainer froze for a moment.
Then his expression turned grim.
He hurriedly took out a communicator and pressed a key.
"Minister Kenjiro! This is the Mt. Silver Registeel monitor!"
"Emergency! Emergency!"
"I just spotted GeoGreymon entering the cave where Registeel is sleeping!"
(End of Chapter)
[200 Power Stones = 1 Extra Chapter]
[Check out my Patreon to read 20+ chapters ahead]
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]