One hour later.
Miyazato Aisa rode Dragonite and flew to the skies above Wintergreen Forest.
When she landed, Isobe Himeko had also just come out from that underground base.
After a thorough search, the City Defense Forces' members and Himeko indeed found a hidden spot inside the base below.
They discovered the secret escape route used by Team Dark.
But by the time they found it, there was already no trace of anyone.
And that secret passageway had been built like a maze, branching in all directions.
In the short term, there was simply no way to determine Team Dark's exact escape route.
Still, this investigation was not a total loss.
From the surviving documents and materials, everyone confirmed that this base was mainly dedicated to research on genetic technology.
They had been repeatedly experimenting with injecting the cellular genes of some kind of Legendary Pokémon into newborn Pokémon.
By doing so, they aimed to raise ordinary Pokémon's aptitude and potential—
granting them talents far beyond normal Pokémon.
In addition to that, they seemed to have an even deeper purpose.
It should be connected to some legendary Pokémon slumbering within Wintergreen Forest.
They could not analyze more specific information.
But one thing was certain:
Over the past few months, the successive incidents of Psychic-type energy surges sweeping across the area
were indeed connected to Team Dark.
They had planned it all.
Now that they had left this place,
this region could finally be peaceful for a while.
"How is it? Are you okay?"
The moment Aisa landed, she spotted Himeko in the dense crowd.
She hurried over and asked about her condition.
Seeing Aisa arrive,
quite a few City Defense Forces members saluted and greeted her along the way, their faces full of admiration.
This was a major figure who had come out of Wintergreen City.
In everyone's hearts,
she carried a meaning unlike anyone else.
"I'm fine."
Himeko shook her head.
"That's good!"
Aisa's gaze swept back and forth over Himeko's body.
Only after confirming she was truly safe did she finally relax.
Aisa then pressed for the full sequence of events in detail.
After hearing the specifics of how Hirata Shiko won a one-versus-three against Tsuchida Dayu's three Elite Four-level Pokémon,
the astonishment in her beautiful eyes flickered once again.
A one-versus-three—
and it was a crushing victory.
GeoGreymon's performance was simply far beyond expectations.
Powerful to an extent that surpassed Pokémon of the same level by a wide margin!
It was exactly as she had envisioned—
its combat power was already pressing right up against the level of higher-tier Champion-level Pokémon.
What astonished Aisa even more was this:
this still was not GeoGreymon's limit.
According to Professor Woo's explanation,
the evolution factor inside GeoGreymon had not yet fully stabilized.
Next,
it could continue evolving.
It was already this strong now.
After it evolved—
there was no doubt it could stand shoulder to shoulder with Legendary Pokémon!
After leaving a portion of people behind to continue guarding the area,
Aisa and Himeko quickly returned to Wintergreen City.
Himeko went back to her residence to rest first.
Aisa, meanwhile, went to the prison cells in Wintergreen City to interrogate and investigate Tsuchida Dayu.
By evening,
after Himeko finished feeding Shiko, Lopunny, and Gardevoir, Aisa also came over.
"How did it go?"
"We can't get anything out of him."
Aisa shrugged and gave a bitter laugh.
"Team Dark's people really are tough as nails. There's not a single useful piece of information we can pry out."
"He's already been secretly transferred to Military Headquarters. Now we can only see whether the Military's experts can squeeze any information out of him."
As Aisa spoke,
she glanced out the window.
Out in the yard,
Shiko was lying comfortably on the grass with his eyes closed, resting.
Gardevoir and Lopunny were being extremely careful, their faces full of adoration, as they massaged his arms and pounded his legs.
It looked like two little maids attending their master.
"Then you're not going along?"
Himeko asked.
Secretly transporting such an important Team Dark figure—
without an Elite Four-level person like Aisa overseeing things,
what if Team Dark came to take him back?
"I said it's a secret transfer—so naturally, the fewer people involved, the better."
"Someone like me, wherever I go, news spreads. For confidentiality, it's best that I stay in the city."
"Besides, the Military also has people heading out to link up. Nothing will happen."
Aisa withdrew her gaze and replied as she looked at Himeko.
Only then did Himeko nod, understanding.
"This incident—you've earned a huge merit!"
"You caught Team Dark's Elite Four, smashed one of their secret bases… tsk, tsk. Even I've never racked up such a big achievement!"
Aisa's tone shifted.
She bumped her elbow against Himeko and laughed.
"Have you decided what reward you want? Cash, or resources and items?"
"Going by your usual habits, you'll probably exchange everything for resources again. So what do you want this time—Dragon-type gems?"
"Dragon-type gems have been in short supply inside the Military lately. If you still need them, you'll probably have to wait a few months before you can get them."
Aisa rattled off a whole string of words on her own.
Going by Himeko's previous habits in the Military,
she always exchanged every mission reward for resources, not keeping any cash in hand.
This time,
she would likely make the same choice.
But Dragon Valley had only recently been unsealed.
Mining and extraction work had only just resumed.
If she wanted Dragon-type gems,
it would take a few months.
"I don't need Dragon-type gems this time. I need Steel-type gems."
Himeko smiled as she wiped the water from her hands.
Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft—
just enough for Shiko, who was still outside resting with his eyes closed, to hear every word clearly.
Hm?
This girl really does have a thoughtful side.
The corner of Shiko's mouth lifted slightly.
Even though he had never said it out loud,
Himeko still knew he was currently looking for Steel-type materials.
Tch.
Women really are meticulous.
"Steel-type gems…"
"The Military probably doesn't have much left either. But it's fine—tomorrow when we head back, we'll go straight to Mt. Silver. There should be plenty there!"
"Mt. Silver was under a mining ban for five years. It only reopened recently—so it must have nurtured a lot of rare Steel-type items!"
Aisa squeezed her eyes at Himeko and spoke with a bright smile.
(End of Chapter)
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