The dilapidated traces at the cave entrance, and the deathly silence deep inside the cave, had already made Shiko almost certain of his guess.
The Champion-level Steelix that had been squatting here—
Nine times out of ten, it was already dead.
Otherwise, if a Champion-level Pokémon barged into its territory, the other side would definitely have launched a furious attack.
But whether his guess was correct still required them to keep going deeper into the cave to confirm it.
Shiko walked up to a sheet of Metal Coat.
He stepped on it with one foot.
The system activated.
The Steel-type energy contained within the Metal Coat immediately began pouring into his body in an endless stream.
Strands of silvery-white light flowed in thread by thread.
Himeko, standing to the side, could see everything clearly.
Her beautiful eyes filled with shock.
Th-this…
Was he absorbing the Steel-type energy from the Metal Coat!?
Himeko instantly reacted.
No wonder Shiko needed Steel-type items right now.
So he could directly extract pure energy from these items!
If that was the case…
Then when he stayed in Dragon Valley before, he must also have been absorbing Dragon-type energy from Dragon-type items!
No wonder his Dragon-type skills were so powerful!
Himeko finally found the answer.
This kind of ability that directly stripped and absorbed energy was simply too overbearing and terrifyingly strong!
Watching strands of silvery-white, razor-sharp energy flow into Shiko's body, Himeko was full of awe.
But immediately after, her expression turned blank with astonishment.
Wait!?
Wasn't Shiko's attribute Ground-type and Dragon-type?
He had absorbed a massive amount of Dragon-type energy in Dragon Valley.
By common sense, what he should need now was Ground-type energy.
So why did he need so much Steel-type energy!?
Could it be—
Himeko thought for a moment.
An answer popped into her mind.
She looked at Shiko, and starlight practically sparkled in her eyes.
He was preparing for the next evolution!?
The next stage of evolution…
Should be Steel plus Dragon, a dual attribute!
Steel. Dragon!!!
That attribute combination sounded so cool it made her want to get excited just thinking about it!
Looking at Shiko, Himeko had already started imagining what he would look like in the next stage.
Would it be GeoGreymon's current appearance, but with parts of the body metallicized?
Or would it be something else?
While Himeko was lost in her fantasies, Shiko had already finished absorbing the energy from that sheet of Metal Coat.
Just as he expected—
This entire peak Champion-level Steelix shed skin indeed gave him a 1% Steel Attribute Law bonus.
The Steel Attribute Law he held within his body had jumped from 20% to 23% in an instant.
As expected of a Pokémon that maintained its strength and reinforced its body by consuming rare minerals and Steel-type materials.
The effect of this shed skin alone…
Was equivalent to ten Steel Gems.
"Let's go."
Shiko glanced at the Metal Coat, now dulled and completely lacking any luster.
Then he strode toward the deeper parts of the cave.
He still needed to confirm Steelix's condition.
At the same time, he was also very curious—
What exactly had caused such a powerful, Champion-level apex Pokémon to die?
They advanced another hundred meters into the cave.
Judging from the slope of the passage, Shiko estimated they were already dozens of meters underground.
The passage, a little over two meters wide, suddenly widened.
After passing the end of the corridor, what appeared before them was an enormous underground space.
It looked like a massive natural cavern.
Above them, countless stalactites hung upside down.
The moment they entered, Shiko noticed the center of the ground.
There, curled up tightly, was a gigantic silver figure.
Under the illumination of Gardevoir's Flash, it reflected a dazzling silvery-white glare.
Shiko walked over.
After getting closer—
As he'd guessed, that huge lump of silver was a Steelix.
Its outer body was ice-cold.
It glimmered with a chilling sheen that made one's heart tighten.
Worthy of the body said to surpass diamond.
Just looking at it gave the impression of extreme hardness.
But unfortunately…
There wasn't the slightest trace of life on this Steelix.
Its eyes were shut.
Curled on the ground without moving at all, it truly looked dead.
"What a waste…"
Himeko stepped forward as well.
After observing this Steelix—one that was half again larger than ordinary Steelix—she looked full of regret.
Such a strong Pokémon…
Yet it had died soundlessly in a subterranean cavern like this.
After watching for a bit, Shiko straightened up and left Steelix's side.
A Pokémon that was already dead—
Even if it was Champion-level, he had no interest.
He began searching back and forth through the cavern.
This was Steelix's habitat; logically, there should be Steel-type materials and items stored here.
Yet surprisingly—
After making a full circuit, searching nearly every corner—
He didn't find even the tiniest bit of Steel-type item or material.
That didn't make sense.
Could it be this thing ate everything before it died?
Thinking that, Shiko turned his head.
His gaze returned to Steelix's corpse.
He began scanning Steelix's massive body again, carefully.
In an instant—
Shiko keenly sensed a faint Steel-type energy fluctuation coming from Steelix.
It was only for a moment.
But Shiko was absolutely certain he wasn't wrong—there really had been an energy fluctuation!
His pupils tightened slightly.
What was going on?
Could it be this Steelix wasn't dead!?
That guess flashed through his mind—
But he rejected it in the next second.
Impossible!
This Steelix had already been confirmed dead!
But if that was the case…
Then what was that energy fluctuation coming from Steelix?
Something was wrong.
Shiko returned to Steelix's side.
He began a serious inspection again, checking Steelix's condition from start to finish.
Not a single detail was overlooked.
Hm!?
What was this?
Shiko's gaze stopped at Steelix's mouth.
On the rigid, powerful lower jaw—
There was a faint, inconspicuous trace of corrosion.
This…!?
Shiko froze, a trace of shock flashing in his eyes.
Steelix's body had been corroded!?
This was a terrifying body even tougher than reality itself!
How could it possibly be corroded by some other substance!?
Wait—
A guess suddenly formed in Shiko's mind.
That corrosion mark…
Might be related to Steelix's death!
Even—
The faint energy fluctuation he was looking for might be related to this as well!
Then the answer…
Was inside Steelix's mouth.
(End of Chapter)
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