"So, in other words, your Kirlia… you rescued her from Team Dark?"
On the helicopter.
Aisa looked at Himeko beside her and asked.
"Yeah."
Himeko nodded.
"Back then, she was about to be taken away. My Charmeleon saved her."
She added that.
Thinking back to that scene…
Himeko still couldn't help but feel amazed.
That was the first time Shiko had shown his battle strength in front of her.
It was the kind of thing where he stayed quiet—until he didn't, and then it was a shocking display all at once.
It was absurdly strong.
That scene was something she would never forget for the rest of her life.
"No wonder. If that's the case, then Kirlia being this strong makes sense."
Aisa nodded.
She had more or less figured out what happened.
This time, her coming to Wintergreen City…
wasn't just to evaluate and recruit promising new students.
After all—
there was no need for an Elite Four-level Trainer to personally make a trip for work like that.
Her main purpose for this visit
was that the Military had received a report from the Wintergreen City Defense Forces:
suspected signs of Legendary Pokémon activity in Wintergreen Forest, along with Team Dark sightings.
That was why
the Military treated it as especially important
and hurriedly sent Aisa to investigate.
But after a careful and cautious investigation,
Aisa didn't find anything special.
She didn't find any traces of Legendary Pokémon activity, either.
Still, to be safe,
she asked the City Defense Forces
for more details.
After learning that the Team Dark report had come from Himeko,
she specifically asked about Himeko's situation today,
on the helicopter returning to the Military base.
"Besides Team Dark, did you notice anything else? Anything strange in the forest?"
Aisa asked again.
"No."
Himeko thought for a moment and shook her head.
Aisa gave a light "Mm,"
and didn't press further.
The helicopter continued flying north.
That morning,
Himeko had chosen the Military without any hesitation.
That immediately made the principals from the Pokémon universities present feel regretful.
After trying to persuade her for a long time
and still failing to change her mind,
they could only leave with envy toward Aisa, full of disappointment.
Aisa was equally decisive.
She immediately took Himeko to report to the Military.
Their destination this trip
was the Dragon Valley region in the north.
Because this time, the Pokémon riot in Dragon Valley
was being handled by Aisa.
Which was only natural.
After all, she just happened to be a Dragon-type Elite Four, didn't she?
There were still three hours until their estimated arrival.
Aisa closed her eyes,
planning to take a short nap.
But the moment she shut them, she got a call.
After dealing with it in a few sentences and hanging up,
Aisa turned to look at Himeko, her expression complicated.
Himeko immediately returned a questioning look.
"Didn't I say I'd find you an expert to help you plan the best way to raise your Pokémon?"
Aisa spoke, looking slightly awkward.
Himeko nodded.
She remembered that this was indeed one of the preferential terms offered.
"The expert has already arrived—an old scientist from the Military Research Institute. Highly respected, and very capable."
"But his temper is awful. He looks down on most Pokémon. He talks sharp. If he offends you later, don't take it to heart."
Aisa gave Himeko a preemptive warning.
Her head hurt a little.
Why did the higher-ups assign this particular expert…
His ability was indeed top-tier.
Her own Dragonite
had been raised to its current Elite Four level
under this man's guidance.
But—
his temper was also top-tier: bad and irritable.
Back then, even a powerful Pokémon like her Dragonite
had gotten plenty of eye-rolls and biting sarcasm from this old expert.
Aisa could already foresee it:
when the old expert met Himeko,
that poisonous tongue would come out in full force.
After listening, Himeko frowned slightly, then nodded.
If he was an old expert from the Research Institute,
then he was basically a senior who had devoted his whole life to Pokémon research
and made enormous contributions to the entire Alliance.
Even if he was sharp-tongued and ill-tempered,
she still had to show him some respect.
Three hours later.
Looking down through the window,
they could already see the Military camp.
The helicopter dropped altitude
and landed on the grass outside the camp.
Aisa led Himeko toward the camp.
They had just reached the entrance
when they ran into a four-person squad in full combat gear heading out.
"Commander!"
The four approaching stopped,
stood straight,
and saluted Aisa.
Two men, two women.
"Heading out on a mission?"
Aisa nodded and asked.
"Yes! There's been an incident involving civilians over in Dragon Valley. The advance unit has already departed. We're going to support them."
"And this is…?"
After answering Aisa,
the four looked curiously at Himeko standing beside her.
"This is Isobe Himeko. A new member joining our Special Operations Corps."
"She just graduated from the Pokémon Academy. If nothing unexpected happens, she'll be assigned to your squad."
Aisa introduced her.
"Hello."
Himeko greeted the four with a small wave.
"Hello! I'm Futaki Teruo, captain of First Squad. Just call me Teruo."
Among the four, the short-haired man with a finger-length knife scar on his face introduced himself brightly.
"My name's Tada Kantaro. Nice to meet you."
The remaining male, a youthful-looking guy, stared at Himeko with excitement sparkling in his eyes.
"I—I'm Kaneko Hina. Y-you… hello…"
Of the two women, the girl wearing thick-framed glasses lowered her head shyly and stammered.
"Mizutani Tsuki."
The last woman, with coffee-colored short hair,
was expressionless and only said two words.
"Commander, it's getting late. We'll head out first. When we get back from the mission, we'll welcome the new member properly!"
Teruo glanced at the time.
After leaving that line, he waved,
and the four hurried off, racing out of camp.
"Don't mind it. This is normal for our special operations unit."
"As an elite squad of the Northern Military Division, our missions are usually heavy."
Aisa smiled apologetically and explained.
Himeko nodded to show she understood.
"Come on. I'll show you around the camp first."
As she spoke,
Aisa led Himeko inside.
…
Outside the camp, in a jeep.
The four members of First Squad were seated inside, departing for the incident site.
"Commander's decision is way too rash. A squad like ours—where would we even find the time to babysit a rookie?"
"If she comes along, she'll definitely hold us back on missions."
Tsuki sat in the back seat with a cold face, complaining in dissatisfaction.
"That's enough. Say less."
"Who didn't start out as a rookie? The Commander assigned her to us because she wants us to look after her and train her a bit, so she can grow fast."
"As soldiers, we just follow orders."
Teruo scolded a few times while driving.
Right after he finished,
Tsuki snorted, turned her head away, and went silent.
…
"I actually think this Isobe is pretty great!"
Kantaro said with a grin.
"As long as it's a pretty girl, you think she's great."
Tsuki shot back immediately.
"Hey, kid—what do you think?"
As soon as she said that,
she turned to Hina beside her and asked for her opinion.
"I…I…"
"Forget it. I shouldn't have asked you."
Seeing Hina's face redden as she struggled to piece together a complete sentence,
Tsuki covered her forehead with her hand, thoroughly exasperated.
"Alright! All of you, stay alert!"
"Up ahead is Dragon Valley. Prepare for battle!"
Teruo raised his voice and barked.
In an instant,
the other three tensed up.
…
The entire camp was still under construction.
Himeko learned from Aisa
that the main force had only arrived here yesterday,
preparing to deal with Dragon Valley.
So,
inside the camp,
you could see many Machoke and Machamp helping transport supplies.
Gurdurr and Conkeldurr were busily building living quarters.
Geodude and Golem were leveling the uneven ground.
…
The whole camp was lively.
Aisa and Himeko walked in front.
Dragonite followed behind them like a bodyguard.
Wherever they went,
people warmly greeted Aisa.
That harmonious, friendly atmosphere
made Himeko feel there was real human warmth here.
They hadn't walked long
when Aisa suddenly stopped.
She stared blankly at a figure in a white lab coat striding toward them from the end of the road.
Her expression instantly turned strange.
Even Dragonite behind her
began to look complicated as well.
"Be careful. The expert I found for you—the Professor from the Research Institute, Boo-sensei, is here."
"If he says something too excessive, you absolutely have to endure it."
"I'll apologize to you for him in advance."
(End of Chapter)
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