"Nicely done, Himeko!"
Himeko was still thanking Shiko for his help when Minister Kenjiro's voice suddenly rang out behind her.
She turned around.
Minister Kenjiro was looking at her with a smile all over his face.
"Not at all. Shiko was the one who did most of the work," Himeko said seriously.
She was not being modest. That was simply the truth.
From beginning to end, the one who had contributed the most throughout this entire incident was Shiko.
He had single-handedly crushed Team Dark's scheme, and in the end, he had even captured Mew.
If rewards were truly to be handed out according to merit,
then the greatest contribution unquestionably belonged to Shiko.
"I know."
"The one we should be thanking most is still this WarGreymon."
Minister Kenjiro nodded.
He lifted his head and looked at Shiko.
It was the first time he had observed Shiko from such a close distance.
The cold gleam radiating from that suit of alloy armor was filled with a powerful aura that made one's heart tremble.
What a powerful existence. Powerful enough to inspire fear.
Minister Kenjiro could not help but sigh inwardly.
He withdrew his gaze and looked at Himeko again.
"For your outstanding performance this time, the Military has decided to elevate your rank and benefits directly to Elite Four level."
"From now on, you will be appointed directly by me and report to me personally."
"Of course, considering your age, and the fact that you've only been in the Military for half a year, even though your strength is already this exceptional, I still won't assign you too many missions."
"Also, if you need any cultivation resources at all, just report them directly to me."
"As long as the Military has them, they will be supplied to you as a priority."
Minister Kenjiro patted Himeko on the shoulder and smiled.
Everything he said
was an enormous show of goodwill.
Openly and subtly, he was also telling Himeko about the dazzling future she would have within the Military.
"Thank you for your kindness, Minister. I won't let down your expectations!"
Himeko nodded.
Naturally, she understood exactly what Minister Kenjiro meant.
Now that she had such powerful combat strength in her hands, there was no way he would want her to leave the Military. That was why he was offering such generous benefits and conditions.
Of course,
she herself had never thought about leaving in the first place.
"All right, go get some rest with your Pokémon."
"It'll probably take at least half a day for the camp to recover."
Looking at the camp, which was in ruins everywhere, Minister Kenjiro let out a sigh.
Fortunately, they had Pokémon helping them.
If they had to rely on manpower alone to repair this devastated camp, who knew how long it would take.
Himeko nodded.
She turned and walked toward the outside of the camp.
The moment she left,
Minister Kenjiro immediately called together everyone in the camp who could still stand and move, and they all began the restoration work in full swing.
"So, what you need right now is a large amount of Dark-type items so you can level up and enter the next stage?"
Himeko looked at Shiko and asked.
"Yeah."
Shiko nodded and clenched his hand tightly into a fist.
Inside those Underground Ruins,
after all that strange black mist had been completely absorbed, he had directly obtained fifty percent Dark-type energy.
If it happened one more time, it would be filled completely.
But Shiko also knew
that chances like that were always something that could only be encountered by luck, not sought on demand.
The safest method, naturally, was to use items like Dark Gems and slowly accumulate the remaining fifty percent bit by bit.
That was precisely why
he had brought this matter up to Himeko.
"That's easy enough. When the time comes, I'll report it directly to the Minister."
"The entire Military should still have some Dark-type items in storage, but whether they'll be enough to satisfy your needs, I really don't know."
Himeko tilted her head as she spoke.
What Shiko had just said gave her quite a shock.
The current Shiko was already an existence as powerful as a Second-tier Legendary.
She had originally thought that this was already his limit.
But to her utter surprise, his evolution was still far from over.
He could actually go even further?
Then after that next stage, what level would he reach?
A First-tier Legendary?
Good heavens.
Just thinking about it made Himeko's scalp go numb, and she sucked in a cold breath.
What kind of terrifying existence would that be?
That would be one of the world's absolute top Pokémon.
With every gesture, it would possess the dreadful power to destroy the entire world.
And she...
she could actually truly possess a Pokémon like that?
Himeko felt as though everything was a little unreal, almost dreamlike.
However,
it also made her heart more confident and more at ease.
If Shiko was here, then perhaps when facing that crisis capable of destroying the entire world, they really would have some chance of victory.
(End of Chapter)
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