A massive, crimson iron pincer slammed down.
That terrifying momentum and impact, however, only made a string of sparks burst across GeoGreymon's skin.
The rebound from the collision sent a wave of numb, aching tingles through Scizor's arms.
It felt like all of its attacks were crashing into a chunk of unyielding alloy.
What an absurd defense!
Scizor's heart lurched, its pupils jittering with shock and uncertainty.
How was this even possible!?
How high did that defensive stat have to be to reach this kind of level!?
This terrifying, earth-yellow opponent in front of it—
No matter how Scizor looked, there wasn't the slightest trace of that metallic texture a Steel-type Pokémon should have.
So why did it have defense even more horrifying than a Steel-type!?
After boosting with Swords Dance, its attacks—
Forget ordinary Pokémon.
Even against Steelix, a Pokémon with an unbelievably tough body, Scizor was confident it could inflict damage.
Yet on Shiko's body, it only left the faintest marks!?
This…
Scizor's fighting spirit instantly dropped by a huge margin.
Even though they were both Elite Four-level Pokémon…
It finally understood now—
The one in front of it was not an opponent it could contend with head-on.
This natural gap born from Pokémon talent and species-level differences…
Was no longer something that could be bridged by "thirty-something levels" of effort.
That difference made it feel suffocated—and hopeless.
Hah…
Shiko watched Scizor's aura weaken sharply and let out a breath.
He had Steel-type law energy flowing across his entire body as a defensive layer.
Used like this, it was extremely effective…
But it also consumed stamina and internal energy at a frightening rate.
Still, Shiko was satisfied with the results.
His raw physical defense was terrifying.
Even the attacks of an Elite Four-level Scizor…
Only left shallow, painless traces on his surface.
Shiko's gaze shifted.
On the other side, Lopunny and Gardevoir had been trapped inside a ring of Scizor.
Surrounding them were two quasi–Elite Four-level Scizor, and two Gym-peak Scizor.
They should have been the strongest fighters in the colony aside from that Elite Four-level "boss."
White evolution light coiled around Lopunny's body.
After the glow flashed—
Lopunny evolved into Mega Lopunny.
The Scizor hemming them in froze for an instant in shock—
Then decisively launched their attack toward Mega Lopunny and Gardevoir.
Seeing how calmly and smoothly Mega Lopunny and Gardevoir handled the assault, Shiko didn't keep his attention there.
He understood.
Those four Scizor were absolutely not beyond Mega Lopunny and Gardevoir.
If that was the case…
Then the battle on his side—
Should end now.
A trace of resolve flickered through Shiko's eyes.
That Elite Four-level Scizor had already lost its will to fight.
The moment it caught Shiko's gaze, it almost instinctively sensed a violent, ominous premonition.
The next second—
Shiko's aura surged.
On those razor claws, that tough, silver-white, Steel-type sharp light appeared once again.
Immediately after, dense dragon-type energy so intense it made the heart shudder clung to his claws as well—
Forming a terrifying, deep-red, molten-cloud-like mass.
Metal Claw plus Dragon Claw!
Steel and Dragon energies intertwined, wrapped, and fused under Shiko's control.
A colossal draconic claw swung—
Carrying a chilling, oppressive presence—
And cleaved straight down at Scizor.
This is bad!!
Scizor's instincts screamed danger.
GeoGreymon's strike—
Back when they were still in the air—
Scizor had already been grazed by the flames from the scorching fireballs Shiko spat out.
It had lost some stamina because of that.
In this state—
Even if its physical defense was stronger than an ordinary Scizor…
It definitely wouldn't be able to take this hit!
Scizor beat its wings, trying to flee and evade—
But it was already too late.
Shiko displayed speed utterly mismatched with his huge frame.
In an instant—
Almost like teleportation—
He blinked into Scizor's face.
His raised claws slashed down viciously.
Shhk!!
A tiny sound rang out—so faint it was almost negligible.
Scizor's eyes went wide.
It watched helplessly as its red, alloy-like armor—
In front of Shiko's claws—
Collapsed in a single blow as if it were paper.
Those claws passed through its body—
As smoothly as a knife through tofu, with no resistance at all.
Across its waist and abdomen—
Several deep, clean, even wounds were left behind.
A moment later—
Agonizing pain surged in.
"Scizor!!"
It cried out in grief and pain—
Then crashed heavily to the ground.
With its defeat—
The entire noisy, chaotic battlefield—
Suddenly fell silent.
The Scizor that had been restless and itching to fight—
Seeing their leader crushed so effortlessly—
Became terrified into stillness.
When they looked at Shiko again—
Their eyes filled with an even thicker fear.
Run!!
After a brief pause—
That thought surfaced in their minds at the same time.
They vibrated their wings and hurriedly fled the area.
Trying to escape!?
Hmph!
Two hot breaths blasted from Shiko's nostrils.
This was the perfect moment to harvest experience—how could he possibly let it go!?
He opened his jaws.
A deep, rumbling roar sounded.
Fire-type energy compressed to the extreme poured out from Shiko.
The flames condensed into a searing, high-temperature beam—
Sweeping across the Scizor scattering in all directions like a laser.
Tzzzzzz!!!
That scalp-numbing sound kept ringing out.
A burnt stench spread at the foot of the mountain.
One Scizor after another fell from the sky—
Each with a glaring, neatly "cut" gash across its body.
[Congratulations, Host, you have gained 0.3 experience points.]
[Congratulations, Host, you have gained 0.5 experience points.]
[Congratulations, Host, you have gained 0.4 experience points.]
The electronic voice rang again and again in Shiko's mind.
The experience gained from each one was small—
But Shiko took down enough of them.
Added up, it was still a considerable amount.
Watching the experience bar shoot upward—
Shiko leveled up once again.
From Level 68 to Level 69—Elite Four-level peak!
Just one more step…
And he could enter the Champion-level tier.
(End of Chapter)
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