Under Shiko's fully unleashed barrage, the Scizor still flying in the sky and trying to flee were wiped out in no time.
Bang, bang, bang!!!
One after another, they crashed down from above.
The ground was littered with Scizor that had been injured and knocked unconscious.
Every one of them bore scorch marks, and the Fire-type energy lingering in those wounds still hadn't dispersed, continuing to run rampant.
The air was saturated with a thick, charred stench.
Over on Lopunny and Gardevoir's side—
Facing the combined assault of two Gym-level peak Scizor and two pseudo-Elite Four Scizor, the two Pokémon didn't fall into a disadvantage at all.
Under Himeko's command, they were even faintly suppressing their opponents.
"Finish them! Lopunny—High Jump Kick!"
"Gardevoir—Psychic!"
Himeko issued the order with an icy expression.
Mega Lopunny's speed shot to the extreme.
It practically became nothing more than a blurry afterimage.
The next second—
Two dull, heavy impacts rang out.
Lopunny's two High Jump Kicks landed perfectly.
The two Scizor that were already running on fumes were shattered on the spot.
On the other side, Gardevoir also made her move.
Her eyes turned a vivid pink.
Under her control, a fierce surge of Psychic-type energy poured forward like a tidal wave toward the remaining two Scizor.
That gathered force condensed into an overwhelmingly intense psychic pressure, slamming into their bodies again and again.
Under this wave-like bombardment of Psychic-type power, the two Scizor could no longer hold on.
Whorls spiraled in their eyes. Then they toppled backward, fainted, and lost their ability to battle.
This two-versus-four fight ultimately came to an end with Lopunny and Gardevoir's victory.
And the experience gained from this battle—
Let both of them break through their shackles!
Their aura and the energy fluctuations inside their bodies visibly rose, climbing higher and higher.
After reaching a critical point, it paused—
And in the very next moment, it broke the limit and stepped into an entirely new realm.
Pseudo-Elite Four!!
Sensing that her two Pokémon had finally made a huge breakthrough, Himeko's face bloomed into a radiant smile.
Sure, it still couldn't compare to Shiko's training speed—
But Lopunny and Gardevoir's progress was already absurd by any standard.
Pseudo-Elite Four strength was already outstanding combat power.
With these two Pokémon, Himeko could shake off her current status as an elite member and rise another level in authority and standing within the Military.
Of course—
She could have relied on Shiko's Elite Four-level strength long ago to become an Elite Four-level figure in the Military.
But she always felt that Shiko's strength was something he cultivated himself.
Gardevoir and Lopunny—
Those were the ones who had grown under her own training.
"Not bad! You're getting stronger and stronger!"
Shiko looked at Lopunny and Gardevoir, praising them without a shred of hesitation as he smiled at them.
The two Pokémon heard that and beamed, rushing up to cling to Shiko.
They nuzzled up against him affectionately.
With their size compared to Shiko, they looked far too small.
One hugged one of his legs; the other hugged the other.
The scene looked like little kids acting spoiled toward an adult.
For them, being praised and complimented by Shiko was the best reward there was.
Smiling as he looked at the two little ones, Shiko raised his head again.
His gaze shifted toward another mountain not far away.
That was the other Steel-type Pokémon tribe Corviknight had mentioned.
…
He glanced at his level—69, at the peak of Elite Four.
Then he looked at the experience bar—only eighty points left until he could level up again.
Shiko didn't hesitate at all.
He decisively chose to head for that mountain, launch another full-scale sweep, and strive to break into Champion level today!
But this time—
To make movement more convenient, and to save the time of going down and then back up the mountain—
Shiko directly had Himeko recall him into a Poké Ball.
Then Himeko sent out the Pidgeot she used as a mount.
They flew straight from this mountain to the next.
Pidgeot pushed its speed to the limit.
A distance of more than ten kilometers was covered in just a few minutes.
Spreading its wings, it circled above that lush, green mountain.
Through the Luxury Ball, Shiko clearly saw what kind of Steel-type Pokémon colony lived there.
On one towering tree after another, massive nut-like pods hung in clusters—silver-green, studded with iron thorns.
A Grass/Steel-type Pokémon!
Ferrothorn!
(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!]