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"Hah… hah…"
Crowcaller's dull gray eyes flew wide open.
Broken, choking sounds were forced out of his throat as thick, dark red blood spilled continuously from his mouth.
His feet lifted off the ground.
His entire body was hoisted into the air by the arm that had pierced straight through his chest, limbs twitching weakly as death closed in.
He did not even have the chance to turn his head and see who had struck him.
Half of his body was already hanging over the edge of the abyss.
Splurt. Splurt.
With every final beat of his heart, scorching blood sprayed out in pulsing bursts from the wound in his chest.
Quark sat frozen on the ground, his body stiff as stone.
The fury on his face had not yet faded, but emptiness had already filled his eyes.
The sudden reversal completely shattered his thoughts.
He did not even realize that warm blood was splashing across his dark skin.
His gaze was locked on the blood-soaked, dark purple hand in front of him.
Not far away, Fran had stopped crying.
The silver-haired girl who had been clutching Roserade tightly was trembling, frozen in place, completely lost.
A human body that took decades to fully mature was fragile beyond belief in the hands of a Pokémon.
Kael had felt no resistance at all.
His hand passed through Crowcaller's chest as easily as tearing paper.
Originally, Kael had not intended to interfere with Quark's group.
His purpose in Nanth Town had always been the Ultra Beast lurking in the shadows.
As long as these humans did not obstruct his actions, he had no interest in involving himself with them.
That was why, when Quark and the others entered the town and headed for the League outpost, Kael did not follow them.
Using the natural concealment of his Ghost typing, he had remained hidden in the shadows, quietly tracking the Ultra Beast instead.
He had noticed the strange condition of the townspeople.
But in his view, as long as the source of the distortion was destroyed, Nanth Town would eventually recover on its own.
There was no need to intervene early.
Then, just as he was beginning to narrow down the Ultra Beast's location, something unexpected happened.
Through his unusually sharp perception, Kael sensed a presence on the other side of town.
A presence that felt disturbingly familiar.
What was it?
The sharp reek of disinfectant filled the air as he lay strapped to an icy steel operating table.
The rotten stench of damp stone when he curled up beside Ralts in a dark underground cell.
The metallic sweetness of blood spraying into the air when he crushed Doctor Dar's skull without hesitation.
In an instant, that familiar sensation dragged Kael back to the weakest, most helpless period after he first arrived in this world.
His brow furrowed sharply.
Cold killing intent churned in his chest.
The underground facility that had tortured him was long gone, reduced to rubble by his own hands.
His strength now dwarfed what he had possessed back then by dozens, even hundreds of times.
And yet those memories still lurked in the depths of his mind, whispering like a nightmare that never truly faded.
Kael knew the facility he had escaped belonged to some larger organization.
After entering Ignis City, he had tried to investigate through various channels.
Every lead had ended in nothing.
He had been forced to abandon the search.
And now, in a town overshadowed by an Ultra Beast, that same rotten darkness had appeared again.
Rage and grim satisfaction collided within him.
He made his decision instantly.
The hunt for the Ultra Beast could wait.
He turned and rushed toward the source of the aura.
Toward Quark and the others.
His timing was precise.
He arrived just before the young Trainers were about to be slaughtered.
And he heard the word spoken by the hooded man.
"Wraith Circle."
A cold smile formed at the corner of his mouth.
One name was enough.
As long as his intent was clear, Gaia's consciousness would guide him step by step until that detestable organization was erased completely.
"SKREEEEE!"
A shrill, grief-filled screech tore through the air.
The sound alone was enough to make Quark and the others feel dizzy.
Thanks to Kael's Ghost typing, Honchkrow had failed to detect him earlier.
But now, with its Trainer impaled, it was already too late.
The bird Pokémon's crimson eyes flared wide with madness.
Its black feathers trembled violently, standing on end.
Shame and fury flooded its heart.
Its own carelessness had allowed its Trainer to be mortally wounded.
It would tear this despicable enemy apart.
A storm of wind erupted once more across the battlefield.
Blue-gray energy flames ignited across Honchkrow's massive body, radiating unstoppable power.
"Brave Bird."
The same devastating attack that had crushed Rapidash was unleashed again.
Rip.
The air screamed as the blue-gray streak shot forward at terrifying speed, aimed directly at Kael.
Any ordinary Pokémon would have been paralyzed by the sheer pressure alone.
But Honchkrow's opponent was Kael.
A survivor forged through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.
A Pokémon that had faced Legendary beings more than once.
How could he be shaken by a single Honchkrow?
Bzzzt.
A piercing electrical shriek exploded across the street, like countless birds screaming at once.
Brilliant golden lightning coiled around Kael's fingers, spiraling upward in crackling arcs.
In an instant, the dazzling electricity wrapped around his entire forearm, radiating lethal power.
Kael did not step back.
He did not dodge.
He simply raised his free right hand.
Clenched his fist.
And punched.
"Thunder Punch."
CRACK.
To Quark and the others, it looked like nothing more than a blinding golden flash tearing through the air.
Then came an explosion so violent it felt like the world was being torn apart.
Shattered stone and debris were swallowed by a roaring shockwave.
The thunderous impact drowned everything.
Boom!
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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