"Chirp—!"
"Beep-beep—!"
"Da-ka—!"
"Bzzz—!"
"Roar—!"
Red light condensed into shape.
One Pokémon after another appeared before their eyes.
All kinds of cries overlapped into a chaotic chorus, and the atmosphere instantly became oppressive.
Himeko focused her gaze—
Her heart clenched, and pressure surged up all at once.
Mankey, Beedrill, Butterfree, Meowth, Machop, Zubat, Hoothoot…
Twenty-one Pokémon in total!
And—
Every single one of them was Entry-level!
Not a single Starter-level among them!
One against twenty-one!
And it was a dogpile!
Himeko felt there was no chance of victory at all.
Even if the number were cut in half, she still didn't think she could win!
On the other side—
Because Himeko and Buneary had drawn all of Team Dark's attention, it gave Shiko the opening he needed to rush to the truck.
He sprang up in a single step, then raised his hand high, preparing to split open the alloy cage.
Only when he struck that posture did Team Dark's members finally react and notice what Shiko was doing.
The one-eyed man's expression instantly tightened!
Damn it!
If they let this Ralts get away again… how was he supposed to go back and report?
The outcome waiting for him would be death. No doubt about it!
"Hurry up! Zubat, Beedrill, Butterfree—and all the other Flying-type Pokémon! Get over there and stop that Charmander! He cannot be allowed to succeed!"
The one-eyed man's voice turned frantic.
No matter what, they had to block Shiko!
In the sky, those Flying-type Pokémon beat their wings and swarmed straight toward Shiko in a single mass.
The Pokémon remaining in front of Lopunny and Himeko were suddenly cut down by half.
Shiko!!
Himeko stared at Shiko's figure, her face tense with worry.
To be honest—
Even now, she still couldn't tell what state Shiko was really in.
Over these past two weeks, his body had visibly grown more solid and powerful.
But whether Shiko's level had increased at all… she had no real certainty.
By all logic, if he spent every day refusing to battle-train—slacking off, sleeping, with no experience gain—then there was no way he could level up.
So Himeko guessed Shiko was still stuck at the initial Starter stage.
A Pokémon at the initial Starter stage… facing this many Entry-level Pokémon—how could that possibly be a match?
He wouldn't last even a single move!
No.
I have to support him as fast as possible!
"Lopunny! Quickly—deal with the enemies in front of us!"
Himeko commanded.
The moment she finished speaking, her own expression grew even heavier.
She wanted to rush to Shiko and protect him—
But the problem was, the ten Entry-level Pokémon left here weren't easy to handle either!
Whether they could even break out of this encirclement was still an open question!
"Biiiii!!"
A high, piercing cry rang out.
A wave of sound that felt almost tangible drilled straight into Shiko's mind.
For an instant, his head went hazy, and the raised hand he was holding up dropped reflexively.
Shiko looked up—
Only then did he notice that more than a dozen Pokémon had already gathered above his head.
That shrill cry just now…
It was an ultrasonic attack from one of the Zubat!
Annoying little pests!
Shiko narrowed his eyes, fury coiling inside them.
He knew it—
If he didn't deal with these Pokémon first, he'd never have the time to split open that alloy cage!
Boom!!
The flame on Shiko's tail flared violently in an instant.
Like a blazing sun.
He opened his mouth.
Dense Fire-type energy began to condense within it!
Charging Flamethrower!
At the peak of compression, scorching Fire-type energy spilled outward, and even the air seemed to burn hot.
Those Flying-type Pokémon hovering on beating wings—
Humanlike fear appeared on their faces.
They had all sensed a powerful, imminent danger!
No!!
They had to attack immediately!
They couldn't let him fire that move!
Instinct drove them to launch an all-out assault at Shiko without hesitation.
But—
They were still a beat too slow.
In the moment they hesitated in fear…
Shiko's charge was already complete!
Two weeks' worth of Fire-type Pokéblocks had piled an unbelievably vast, dense reserve of Fire-type energy inside his body!
Next—
Would be a grand flame festival.
The Fire-type energy, compressed to the absolute limit, was so pure and dense that it had already shed the shape of flame itself, becoming a solid, deep-crimson pillar of energy!
Wherever it passed—
Even the air was seared black.
(End of Chapter)
If I see that this fanfic has support, I will upload 20+ chapters to Patreon!!
[[email protected]/Zukooo]
[Thanks for your support!]