Dragon Valley was vast beyond compare.
Peaks rose one after another, packed tightly together.
The deeper they went, the more clearly they could sense it—an increasingly powerful presence of Dragon-type energy.
Vast and pure, as if they were standing beneath a throne above a sea of clouds.
And there was more than that.
One hidden gaze after another watched them from the shadows, tracking every movement they made.
Shiko could sense it immediately.
Those stares belonged to the Elite Four–level Pokémon from before.
After being suppressed by Shiko's aura, they could only keep an eye on Shiko and Dragonite from a distance, unwilling to show themselves.
They continued forward.
After some time, Shiko and Dragonite finally reached the deepest peak.
It was the tallest mountain in the entire valley.
One side of its ridge looked as if it had been sliced cleanly by a blade, forming a sheer cliff face.
Even while they were still some distance away from the towering mountain, Shiko and Dragonite could already clearly feel it—
A terrifyingly powerful tide of Dragon-type energy radiating from that peak.
That dragon pressure and oppressive force were countless times stronger than what Shiko himself emitted.
Dragonite couldn't endure it.
When they were still several hundred meters from the mountain's base, Dragonite had already reached his limit.
Just forcing himself to resist the outward pressure had consumed everything he had.
There was no chance of moving even a step farther.
Shiko was doing a little better than Dragonite.
But when he still had a bit more than a hundred meters left to the foot of the mountain, that overwhelming pressure stopped him as well.
He lifted his head and stared at the peak.
For once, a rare heaviness—and surprise—appeared in Shiko's expression.
He was now certain of it.
If a single mountain was spewing out such an immense quantity of Dragon-type energy crystals, there had to be some unknown secret inside.
Otherwise, why would an ordinary mountain release such a terrifying aura?
And if he pushed the speculation further—
Shiko felt it was extremely possible that a Dragon-type third-tier Legendary-level Pokémon existed within the mountain.
After all, to make both Shiko and an Elite Four–level Dragonite feel this kind of suffocating oppression…
There weren't many explanations that fit.
What concerned Shiko even more was this:
If there truly was a Dragon-type third-tier Legendary-level Pokémon inside…
Then did these huge quantities of Dragon-type energy crystals have something to do with it?
Were they something that had always existed in Dragon Valley, only to erupt like volcanic magma due to some unknown cause?
Or had the third-tier Legendary inside the mountain been dead for a long time—its power crystallizing within its body—until it became the kind of energy crystals Shiko had been collecting?
Either way, one thing was certain.
Inside that steep, towering peak, there was absolutely a major opportunity—and a buried secret.
Shiko understood that.
And the other overlords of Dragon Valley—the Elite Four–level Dragon-type Pokémon that had lived here for so long—would naturally be able to analyze the same thing.
Most likely, they were being held back by the powerful Dragon-type pressure surrounding the mountain itself, an innate barrier that blocked them from entering to investigate.
So they could only fight each other over the Dragon-type energy crystals that erupted out, stirring unrest throughout the entire valley.
And that was also why they were so tense—and so focused—on Shiko and Dragonite approaching this mountain.
"I can't get in yet."
"But once my level goes up a bit more—three months at most—I'll be able to enter."
Shiko gauged the intensity of the aura blanketing the entire mountain, made a calculation, and arrived at a rough timeframe.
Three months.
If he kept his daily quests maxed out—
Even though leveling became noticeably slower after reaching Gym level…
No matter how slow it got, crossing the Gym level threshold within three months and reaching quasi–Elite Four level shouldn't be a problem.
By then, he should be able to withstand the mountain's pressure and enter to uncover the truth.
If he found something inside that could push his strength even higher, that would be ideal.
Because Shiko's first objective in coming here was to gather all those energy crystals that had basically ended up in the hands of the Elite Four–level Dragon-type Pokémon in the valley—
And use them to raise the progress of the Dragon-type Law within his body.
At Shiko's current level, even though his innate dragon pressure could overwhelm them…
If it came to a real fight, a level gap spanning two full major tiers was not something you could casually make up.
And Dragon-type Pokémon were naturally symbols of power to begin with.
So, three months.
He would use that time to rapidly raise his level and combat strength.
Then he would enter this mountain and look for an opportunity.
If all went smoothly…
When he left Dragon Valley, he might have the strength to contend with those Elite Four–level overlords.
And he also had an Elite Four–level Dragonite as muscle and bodyguard.
Shiko was confident he could take every last one of those scattered Dragon-type energy crystals—broken up and held by different Pokémon—and bring them all into his own hands.
It sounded like outright plunder.
But that was how the world of Pokémon worked.
One rule ran through everything from start to finish:
The strong prey on the weak.
With enough strength, anything you do becomes "reasonable."
As for whether those Dragon-type energy crystals would be consumed by the Elite Four–level Dragon-type Pokémon…
Shiko wasn't worried in the slightest.
For him, these crystals were consumables—he could absorb the pure Dragon-type energy inside them.
But for other Pokémon, they were just items you carried around.
They couldn't use them at all.
That was exactly why he was willing to let those Elite Four–level Pokémon fight each other first.
When the scattered crystals finally concentrated into the hands of only a few…
That was when he would strike.
It would be faster and easier that way.
"Let's go."
With his plan set, Shiko and Dragonite slowly left the area—
While, from the shadows, one wary gaze after another visibly relaxed as if finally able to breathe again.
…
Three months passed in the blink of an eye.
The turmoil in Dragon Valley also unfolded exactly as Shiko had predicted.
It gradually calmed, faintly returning to the quiet peace it used to have.
At this moment, in the Camp outside the valley—
A pink figure was battling a green-and-white figure.
The pink figure was incredibly fast.
As it flashed and darted around, it left only blurred afterimages behind.
Each punch and kick was wrapped in brown Fighting-type energy, every strike carrying frightening force.
The green-and-white Pokémon fought using Confusion the entire time.
The Psychic-type power rippling around her body was extremely condensed.
In the blink of an eye, she formed a Reflect to block and weaken incoming attacks.
At the same time, she controlled Psychic-type energy to counterattack the pink figure.
The two Pokémon traded blows back and forth.
They fought for more than a dozen exchanges.
Both offense and defense were outstanding—an impressive display.
Many people in the camp stopped what they were doing, watching from afar with amazement.
"All right. Take a break."
Himeko's voice suddenly rang out.
This round of training was about enough.
It was time to let both Pokémon rest.
"You both did well."
Himeko narrowed her eyes into a smile as she praised the two figures sincerely.
Over these three months, with her guidance, battle training against wild Pokémon, and—on top of that—Teacher Boo's advice and a professional training plan he helped set up…
Lopunny and Kirlia had improved by leaps and bounds.
Both Pokémon had risen from their previous "semi-pro" tier to Gym-level strength at level 45.
Their progress was so fast it was honestly terrifying.
Kirlia had even completed an evolution.
She transformed into Gardevoir.
But for some reason…
After Kirlia evolved, Lopunny's hostility toward her seemed even stronger.
Himeko tried to analyze it for a long time, and eventually arrived at the explanation that seemed closest to the truth.
Back when she was still Kirlia, that youthful "girl" look and appearance didn't put much pressure on Lopunny—an "older-sister" type with a bold, fiery figure.
But after evolving into Gardevoir…
She became a refined, elegant, intellectual-looking woman in a white gown.
That stood in sharp contrast to Lopunny's bold older-sister vibe.
Two completely different styles.
So in an instant, Lopunny felt a sense of urgency—and hostility.
In the end, it all turned into a messy rivalry over who ranked higher.
Shiko, Shiko…
You really do bring trouble everywhere.
Now I'm stuck here with headaches, mediating conflicts every day.
Himeko let out a quiet sigh and looked toward Dragon Valley, which she could only barely make out in the distance.
It had already been three months.
She had no idea how Shiko was doing now.
Had he become stronger?
How much stronger?
Was he still as lazy as ever?
Even though, when he was around, she always complained about how slack he was and how he never worked hard…
Once he wasn't by her side, Himeko realized something.
That sense of security Shiko gave her—
No one else could replace it.
In her mind, his figure kept flashing again and again.
From how he looked as a Charmander…
All the way to that dinosaur-like form, and then to GeoGreymon.
They'd only known each other for half a year.
But in Himeko's heart, Shiko already occupied a place that mattered immensely.
She silently reached into the small satchel at her waist and pulled out a large handful of type-boosting gems.
Dragon, Steel, and Fire—all of them.
These were what she had exchanged for through Military channels using the rewards she earned from missions over the last three months.
She knew Shiko needed these.
So after setting aside only the necessary training resources and items for Gardevoir and Lopunny…
She had exchanged everything else for type-boosting gems.
Staring blankly at the sparkling stones that churned with energy…
Himeko's longing for Shiko inexplicably grew heavier.
"Hey, Himeko-chan! You're here—perfect, I was looking for you!"
Just then, a familiar voice came from in front of her.
Himeko looked up and saw Teacher Boo's familiar face.
Urgent—yet carrying unmistakable joy and excitement.
"I'm telling you, kid, last month my research finally made a breakthrough!"
"You'd never guess what I was experimenting on!"
"It was about those gene chains and evolution factors—about Pokémon whose evolution is already 'fixed,' and whether they can evolve again!"
"It was your GeoGreymon that inspired me back then—otherwise I'd never have broken through the bottleneck and validated the theory!"
"And then, once I succeeded, I immediately started live Pokémon trials!"
"The test subject was an Elite Four's Charizard from the Military!"
"And guess what happened!"
"It evolved successfully!"
Teacher Boo was practically dancing with excitement, his beard trembling as he talked.
As he spoke, he pulled out a tablet and played the recorded footage of the evolution for Himeko.
On the screen, the Charizard was engulfed in intense white light.
Within that blinding glow, the outline of its body underwent subtle changes again and again.
When the light finally faded…
A brand-new Pokémon appeared in the footage.
It looked somewhat similar to Charizard—
But its coloration was no longer orange-red, instead turning blue-black.
It clenched a mass of blue flame in its mouth.
And the flame on its tail had turned blue as well.
Even through the screen, you could feel that this newly evolved Pokémon was far stronger than the original Charizard.
"Well? Amazing, right?"
"I'm calling this brand-new evolution: Mega Evolution!"
"And after observing it for a full month, that evolved Charizard hasn't shown any abnormal bodily reactions at all. Its personality and intelligence are the same as ever."
"My research is a complete success!"
Teacher Boo's face was flushed with pride.
For an established scientist, there was nothing more satisfying than a discovery like this.
Himeko listened, and the corners of her mouth lifted into a smile.
Sure enough…
The world kept changing.
And in her heart, she already faintly had an answer.
(End of Chapter)
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