"Tell me the exact situation."
After a brief stretch of silence in the room, a voice suddenly sounded.
Cold—utterly devoid of emotion.
Professor Shen slowly lifted his head.
He looked at the back of a man wearing a crisp black suit.
Taking a deep breath, he eased his nerves slightly.
Then, with a trembling voice, he began to speak.
"The original plan was to have Elite Four Dayu capture that GeoGreymon."
"But we didn't expect that GeoGreymon would reach Elite Four-level strength in such a short time!"
"And its combat power was absolutely outrageous—Elite Four Dayu's three Elite Four-level Pokémon were all one-shot!"
"Even at the end, Dayu had no choice but to have Electrode self-destruct to delay the pursuit. He still failed to escape, and after being severely injured, he was captured."
"When he got captured, we already started purging the files in the underground base and began evacuating."
Professor Shen explained the whole process to the man in front of him in simple, direct terms.
The moment he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room instantly turned heavy again.
Professor Shen lowered his head.
His heart was pounding with tension.
A secret base being destroyed…
For Team Dark, that was a serious blow.
After all, building a hidden underground base like that cost an enormous amount of effort and wealth—let alone the fact that it contained a massive stockpile of precious resources and equipment.
Although this incident, when traced to the root, wasn't his fault but rather Dayu's recklessness…
The leader of Team Dark—the big boss in front of him—was not some kind-hearted person.
If he got angry and decided to "deal with him" as well, that would be the end.
"Elite Four-level!?"
There was a hint of surprise and disbelief in Team Dark's boss's voice.
He had already received the news of the defeat and the base's destruction.
But at the time, he had assumed the Military had dispatched an Elite Four-level figure, which was why Dayu lost.
He never would have imagined…
That the one who crushed Dayu was actually that GeoGreymon!
Hadn't it only been half a year?
Back then, that Digimon was only around elite-level.
And in such a short period of time, it had risen to the astonishing Elite Four-level!?
That speed was far too fast.
Even Team Dark, using all kinds of items to force growth, couldn't possibly stack a Pokémon to that level of power in so little time.
"Interesting…"
Murmuring softly, Team Dark's boss shifted in his chair and turned around.
It was a square, upright face.
Thick eyebrows, sharp eyes—at first glance he looked heroic and steely, with not even a trace of the "villainous wickedness" you'd expect.
"How's the research progress?"
After staring at Professor Shen for a moment, Team Dark's boss temporarily set GeoGreymon aside.
What he cared about most right now…
Was the status and progress of Professor Shen's research.
This was Team Dark's top priority at present.
"Almost there!"
"Based on the intensity of the Psychic-type energy leaking out, that sleeping Pokémon should awaken within about a month."
"At that time, while it's still in its weakened state right after waking, with our technology we can one hundred percent control it mentally."
"As for the energy research inside that purple crystal, I'm still short by three points."
"All I've been able to confirm is that this energy can act on Pokémon and cause their bodies to become gigantic."
"As for how it's achieved, I still need a bit more time to continue researching."
By the end of his report, Professor Shen's voice grew weaker and weaker.
Before this, the man in front of him had given him two months to determine the function of the energy inside those crystals and put it into practical use.
Now he had only completed the first part.
As for the second demand, he had no real lead at all.
In Team Dark…
The punishment was severe.
"Understood. Stand up first."
Team Dark's boss nodded. His tone remained calm as always, with no emotional ripple—impossible to guess what he was thinking.
"Over at the Military, your old colleague has already researched Mega Evolution for Pokémon. You don't want to fall behind others, do you?"
"I'll give you one more month. While we awaken and control that Pokémon, you must also produce three viable, legitimate methods for using that purple energy and present them before the throne."
"If you have any requirements during this month, you can state them freely. But if you still can't finish after a month…"
At that point, a sharp light flashed through Team Dark's boss's eyes.
Keen as a blade.
Professor Shen's heart went cold instantly, and his legs nearly gave out.
"I understand! I understand!"
"Please rest assured! I'll produce results within one month!"
Professor Shen nodded frantically.
A sheet of cold sweat broke out across his back.
This time, it really was a race against his life.
One month.
If he failed this research task…
Professor Shen knew there would be no need for him to keep living in this world.
"Leave."
Team Dark's boss looked at Professor Shen's condition.
He smiled, gave a slight nod, and waved his hand, granting permission for him to go.
The door closed.
The room fell quiet once again.
"GeoGreymon…"
The man murmured softly again.
In his mind, the ferocious image of Shiko surfaced.
Ding!!!
A crisp sound came from the computer on the desk.
His thoughts snapped back.
He looked at the screen.
A new email had arrived.
He opened it.
Inside were battle recordings—footage of GeoGreymon fighting Elite Four Dayu's Pokémon.
"What a powerful creature!"
After watching all the video materials, he couldn't help but exclaim.
Shiko's strength… was truly astonishing!
A creature like that…
Was enough to make anyone's heart stir.
After thinking for a moment,
this leader of Team Dark replied with another email.
He finished editing the message and sent it out.
What no one noticed was—
the recipient address of his reply…
was an email account from the Military.
(End of Chapter)
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