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Shredded branches and torn leaves brushed past Snover's cheek, making its eyelids twitch.
That power…
Snover knew it could also destroy thick underbrush with its own physical strength but absolutely not with the same ease and casualness as the Pokémon walking toward them now.
Its earlier confidence vanished.
Every part of its body sharpened with alert seriousness.
Thump… thump… thump…
The heavy footsteps drew nearer.
In the dim forest light, the approaching figure grew clearer—
A hulking black silhouette, built like a walking monolith.
What stood out the most were the eyes:
Two crimson, crystalline pupils, glowing faintly, sweeping through the forest with a pressure that made Snover's spine freeze.
His skin pitch black like a void absorbed whatever stray light slipped through the treetops.
Even the forest shadows seemed pale compared to the darkness coating his frame.
And then there were his muscles—
Perfectly proportioned, carved like obsidian stone, each movement rippling with terrifying strength.
Ba-dum! Ba-dum!
Snover's heart hammered violently.
"W-What… what kind of Pokémon is that…?"
The low light blurred the creature's features so much that Snover didn't even recognize the species at first.
Only after several seconds did it realize—
This was an alternate-colored Machop line Pokémon.
A jet-black variant.
An omen-colored powerhouse.
A bad instinct jolted through Snover's mind something ancient, primal, warning it of danger.
Sweat dripped down its back.
"No… no, calm down…" It forced itself to breathe.
Yes, the enemy looked strong but he was alone.
And they Snover and Tangela had already set up the battlefield.
Traps ready.
Ambush prepared.
Enemy unaware.
They held every advantage.
Snover clenched its fists.
"Just stick to the plan."
The black Machop walked forward slowly and predictably stepped right onto the unseen patch of seeded earth.
Crunch.
His foot sank into the damp soil, breaking old leaves beneath.
Then—
A faint green pulse flashed under the dirt.
"Trigger!"
Snover's mind roared in triumph.
Kael felt a strange, life-filled ripple under his foot.
Then—
SHRRKKK—!
The soil burst open.
Thousands of thorned brambles exploded upward like serpents.
They wrapped around his ankles—
his shins—
his waist—
his chest—
all the way to his neck.
Squeezing. Tearing. Binding.
"Stun Spore!"
"Poison Powder!"
"Sleep Powder!"
WHOOOM—
Tangela unleashed a triple-layered wave of powder, blending yellow, green, and purple into a swirling indigo toxin cloud.
The air itself seemed to shimmer with deadly fumes as the powder spread toward Kael.
Beside it, Snover gathered power—
The temperature plummeted.
Mist rose.
Frost formed on branches.
Tiny snowflakes crystallized in midair.
This was their moment.
Just one clean shot and they'd win instantly.
Snover glanced downward to confirm its aim—
And froze.
Impossible.
Kael, bound from neck to ankle in thorned vines, showed no fear.
No pain.
Not even surprise.
Only—
A faint, almost playful smile.
He tilted his head.
Opened his mouth.
And exhaled.
FOOOO—!
A roaring blast of wind erupted from him like a storm engine suddenly switching to maximum output.
The entire forest shook.
Branches whipped violently.
Leaves ripped free.
The ground groaned.
The swirling indigo poison cloud pride of Tangela's layered trap was shredded instantly and hurled back into the forest, scattering into useless glittering dust.
Toxic spores landed on plants, staining them blue with rot but none reached Kael.
The area around him looked like a crater in a storm wrecked, torn, chaotic yet perfectly clean of poison.
Snover's mind blanked.
This… wasn't possible.
Even new-born Pokémon could tear a human in half with physical strength alone.
But Kael wasn't just physically strong.
His body had been pushed past natural limits—
Through experiments.
Through the system's enhancements. Through months of brutal training.
Tangela's powder attacks were still powder—
and powders had no weight.
Blowing them away with sheer force?
It wasn't just possible.
For Kael?
It was trivial.
Kael's crimson eyes shifted up toward Tangela's tree branch.
A cold grin cut across his face.
He flexed—
CRACK.
The vines constricting him split open with a sickening sound.
Thick, thorny coils shattered like brittle sticks.
Sap splattered everywhere.
BOOM—!
A violent shockwave blasted outward as the last brambles burst apart.
Fragments flew in all directions like shrapnel.
Kael stood in the center, casually rolling his shoulders.
The countless barbs that once lined the vines had failed to pierce even a millimeter of his obsidian skin.
Because beneath that skin—
Fortifying him—
Was the effect of Zamazenta's Heart (Fragmented), granting immense damage resistance.
And layered atop that—
the defensive might he'd built through Infernape's brutal weight-pressure training, which had hardened every fiber of his body.
His body wasn't just muscle.
It was a living suit of armor—
a walking set of invisible steel plates.
Terrifying.
Immovable.
Indestructible.
Kael's armor.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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