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The forest was lush and green, sunlight trickling gently through the canopy, scattering patterns of golden light across the earth.
Fresh grass sprouted from rich soil, swaying with the breeze beneath towering trees. It was a vision of untouched wilderness, nature restored to its purest form.
Yet today, the woods were unnaturally quiet.
The Pidgey and Spearow that normally filled the branches with chirps were gone. The playful Pokémon of the fields had vanished without a trace.
A strange atmosphere hung heavy in the air.
The clean scent of nature slowly soured, tainted by the thick, metallic stench of blood.
As one pressed deeper into the forest, crimson stains appeared splattered across grass, streaking the trunks of trees.
The farther one walked, the more the blood pooled. And then, inevitably, bodies appeared.
Raticate. Sentret. Zigzagoon… even the sovereign of this woodland a massive, dominant Pidgeot lay lifeless among them.
All bore the same mark: bodies sliced clean in half, wounds as smooth as if carved by a razor's edge. No signs of battle, no struggle. Every strike had been instant death.
Blood and entrails seeped from their wounds, soaking the once-vibrant greenery.
Drip. Drip.
Footsteps echoed in the silence.
A slender, well-dressed man with flowing blond hair walked leisurely through the carnage. His polished black shoes splashed into pools of blood, scattering crimson droplets.
Yet none of it touched him. Some unseen force shielded his pristine clothes, repelling every drop.
"Where is it?" he muttered, frowning at a map in his hand. "I couldn't have taken a wrong turn, could I?"
He sighed, sounding more annoyed than disturbed, as if the rivers of blood around him were nothing new.
"Next time I'm offered an assignment this far from headquarters, I'll refuse outright. No, I swear I will!"
His grumbling was cut short as his gaze shifted sideways, golden hair swaying, jewel-blue eyes glinting.
"You're here, aren't you… Bisharp?"
Vrrrmm—!
A sharp metallic hum answered him.
From the shadows, a Bisharp emerged, its bladed arms gleaming with silver light, standing guard at his side.
The man smirked, as though the response confirmed his complaint.
"See? Wouldn't it be better to just sit in the office with the air conditioning on?" he muttered. "These missions are torture."
Step. Step.
His idle footsteps carried him deeper into the woods, the weight of death shadowing his path unaware that his presence was closing in on Kael.
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Far away, hidden beneath the plains, a massive steel door stood camouflaged among thick grass.
Rumble…
It trembled faintly, dust crumbling from its surface.
CRASH!
A blackened hand burst through the metal, claws slicing it open as easily as a hot knife through butter.
The steel groaned, screeched, then split apart, leaving a jagged square gap. From the darkness stepped Kael.
He had no idea how he was even alive.
The last thing he remembered was collapsing after his brutal battle with Arbok. By all rights, he shouldn't have woken up at all. Yet his body had healed half his wounds mysteriously closed. Arbok's corpse, along with the fallen guards, had withered into pale ash.
Kael suspected it was tied to the Ghost-type energy within him, though the details eluded him.
Whatever the cause, his escape had been far easier than expected.
Human guards fell with ease, their Pokémon surprisingly weak barely stronger than his old Caterpie self. The lack of resistance gnawed at him with unease, but he pressed forward, cutting through with only minor injuries.
Now, standing at the exit, Kael breathed in fresh air for the first time since he'd been trapped underground.
"Haah…"
The crisp night air filled his lungs, cool earth underfoot replacing the cold steel floors of the base. His body shivered at the sensation.
He stepped outside, squinting at the open sky—
And froze.
His pupils constricted sharply.
He had seen something. Something horrifying.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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