Himeko was stunned for a moment.
To be honest, she had not expected Shiko to have a name of his own.
Even more unexpected was that he would lay out such a string of highly targeted conditions.
It felt as if the Shiko inside the Pokémon Egg right now was not a Pokémon at all, but a living being with human-like thoughts.
That feeling struck Himeko as rather strange.
She lowered her head slightly and began seriously thinking over Shiko's conditions.
The second and third conditions posed no problem for Himeko.
She was convinced that Shiko carried a trace of Legendary bloodline.
As the child of a Legendary Pokémon, having his own way of training was perfectly normal, was it not?
As for treating Shiko as a partner instead of a tool, that was even simpler.
Throughout her entire career as a Trainer, that principle had always been upheld from beginning to end.
The difficulty lay in the first condition, which left Himeko feeling a bit troubled.
Looked at more deeply, Shiko's first condition meant he would not obey a Trainer's commands and would act on his own in battle.
That was a headache for any Trainer.
How could a Pokémon that did not follow commands become a truly reliable force in battle?
However, when she changed her way of thinking, Himeko quickly found a solution.
Who was she?
The brightest prodigy in the Trainer world!
A peak Champion-level super Trainer!
When it came to battle experience and commanding ability, Himeko felt absolutely confident she could leave Shiko far behind.
Shiko was still a Pokémon that had not even hatched yet.
What battle experience could he possibly have?
If they really did fight, he would only be able to rely on instinct at best!
After a few battles, once he had suffered enough losses, he would definitely give in and willingly agree to fight under her command.
Wouldn't that solve everything?
Thinking of this, Himeko instantly felt relieved.
"These conditions are no problem at all."
Himeko nodded vigorously, accepting them with honest straightforwardness.
"But there's still one more thing I want to say."
She hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke.
"This time I was reborn in order to change the outcome of that earth-shattering battle twenty years from now and alter the fate of humanity."
"If you become my partner, the opponents you'll face in the future won't just be ordinary Pokémon, but Legendary Pokémon."
"Are you still willing?"
Himeko asked.
Right now, she truly had placed Shiko in the position of her companion.
So she told him her plans and the things they would face in the future, seeking his opinion.
On Shiko's side, upon hearing this question, he also fell into deep thought.
Twenty years was more than enough time for him to grow to the level of a Legendary Pokémon.
By then, he should have the power to wrestle with the Legendary Pokémon of this world.
"I accept."
After thinking for a moment, Shiko nodded in agreement.
Himeko's face filled with surprise and delight.
She had had a feeling that Shiko might agree, but she had not expected him to agree so quickly.
A powerful warmth surged up in her heart.
From Shiko, she felt a long-lost, genuine warmth deep inside.
"Really? That's wonderful!"
A radiant smile bloomed on Himeko's face.
The corners of her lips and eyes curved up, and that sunny, cheerful expression was enough to brighten the mood of anyone who saw it.
"Then from today on, we're each other's partners!"
"My name is Isobe Himeko! Please take care of me from now on!"
After introducing herself, Himeko scooped up the Pokémon Egg and hugged it tightly.
The faint, refreshing fragrance on the girl's body drifted into his nose, making Shiko feel even more certain that he had made the right choice.
[Ding! Special Quest completed, distributing rewards!]
[Congratulations to the Host, obtained: EXP +200, unassigned base stat points ×10, move: Dragon Claw, new Ability: Tough Claws.]
The mechanical electronic voice sounded, and Shiko was instantly overjoyed.
Just as he had expected, the rewards for this Special Quest were quite generous, completely exceeding his expectations.
The 200 points of EXP directly raised his level by two, from Lv.5 to Lv.7.
As for those unassigned base stat points, considering his newly obtained move and Ability, Shiko decided to invest all ten points into physical Attack.
After allocating the points, he began checking his updated status panel.
[Species: Charmander]
[Type: Fire]
[Abilities: Blaze (when HP is low, the power of Fire-type moves increases), Magic Bounce – Enhanced (ignores the opponent's stat-changing moves used on this Pokémon and reflects their effects back at the opponent, and prevents machines and special abilities from probing this Pokémon's stat information), Tough Claws (the power of contact moves increases)]
[Level: Novice high tier (Lv.7, 0/100 EXP)]
[Status: Good, awaiting hatching]
[Potential: quasi–Elite Four-level (roughly Lv.50–60)]
[Base Stats: HP 39 (39), Attack 62 (52), Defense 43 (43), Sp. Atk 80 (60), Sp. Def 50 (50), Speed 65 (65), Total 339 (309)
Note: values in parentheses are the standard six base stats of an ordinary Charmander.]
[Moves: Scratch, Growl, Flamethrower, Dragon Claw]
[Description: A highly gifted Charmander that has begun to show traces of Dragon-type aura. Its true potential is difficult to gauge. The evolution factors in its body are in disarray—look forward to its future!]
Looking at his panel data, Shiko was very satisfied.
At the same time, under the envious gazes of everyone else, Himeko hugged the Pokémon Egg tightly, a brilliant smile on her face, and calmly left the Pokémon Breeding Center.
After stepping out the door, she slowed her pace.
Gazing at the Pokémon Egg in her arms, she hesitated for a moment, then could not hold back from voicing the question she cared about the most.
"Shiko, do you have some kind of Legendary bloodline in you?"
Himeko asked with an expectant look.
By now she was convinced that one of Shiko's parents had to be at least a Second-tier Legendary.
Otherwise, how could they possibly have a Charmander as special as Shiko?
However, Shiko's answer completely took Himeko by surprise.
"Legendary bloodline? I don't have anything like that. I'm a purebred Charmander."
Shiko shook his head.
Hearing this, Himeko was clearly a little disappointed.
But she quickly hid that trace of emotion.
Unfortunately for her, Shiko caught all of it.
He smiled slightly and added another sentence.
"As for a Legendary bloodline, that kind of thing doesn't impress me. My growth ceiling is higher than a Legendary Pokémon's."
(End of Chapter)
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[[email protected]/Zukooo]
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