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Inside the Poké Ball, Kael crouched in the far corner, face pale and wool slick with cold sweat.
Through the translucent wall, he had witnessed Matt's entire team get annihilated.
It wasn't cowardice. It was survival. Kael knew exactly what they were facing.
"Fuckkk!!"
Zeraora—
A Mythical Electric-type from Alola. In his past life, players revered it for its god-tier speed and lethal power. Kael had been one of those players.
And now it was standing right outside.
Maybe because they shared an elemental typing, he could feel the power coiled inside its body an endless, suffocating sea of electricity. His own electrical reserve, impressive for his level, felt like a puddle by comparison.
Even if he evolved into Ampharos, even if he Mega evolved he doubted he'd reach that level.
Charging out would've been suicide. The burnt corpses of the other Pokémon proved that well enough.
Step… step…
Light footsteps approached.
Through the Poké Ball's wall, Kael saw a clawed paw step into view sleek, yellow, speckled with blood-blackened mud.
His heartbeat slammed into his throat. He held his breath. Prayed.
The steps stopped.
Silence.
Kael's body trembled under the pressure of that overwhelming presence. He clenched his teeth, ready to burst out into a desperate last stand—
And then… the footsteps started again.
Fading into the distance.
Kael didn't know that Zeraora had noticed him. And stalled on purpose.
Just to watch the little Flaaffy tremble.
Only when the sound was completely gone and after another ten minutes of absolute stillness did Kael finally let out the breath he'd been holding, wiping icy sweat from his brow.
He thought he had dodged death.
Sensing no presence outside, he released himself from the Poké Ball in a burst of crackling black mist, the amethyst crystal secured safely in the pouch at his side.
The air hit him like a shock.
Thick with raw, pure electricity.
Even standing still, every breath pulled fresh electrical energy into his body, sending pleasant shivers down his spine.
Then he smelled it the burning iron scent of blood.
Charred bodies still smoked a short distance away.
Kael sighed and walked over, using his magnetic power to dig a pit and bury Matt's fallen Pokémon.
"Hope next time… you end up somewhere safer."
It wasn't grief, not really. He'd only known them a short time. But he could at least give them that.
More importantly, he was free now. With Matt dead, the Dark Star contract no longer bound him.
A strange lightness slipped into his chest… followed, unexpectedly, by a hollow emptiness.
For all its danger, Dark Star had given him structure, resources, and rapid growth. Losing that all at once felt like walking out of a long exam into an empty street.
And then—
A pull.
From deeper in the gorge.
Sharp. Hypnotic. Impossible to ignore. His very instincts surged toward it like a starving man toward water.
"Wait—!"
Kael bit down hard on his tongue. The metallic tang snapped him out of the trance.
He stared into the darkness. Whatever it was it was in the same direction Zeraora had gone.
His rational mind screamed danger. But another voice, raw and hungry, whispered of opportunity.
His eyes lit with untamed fervor.
"People die for riches… Birds die for food…"
He took a breath.
"...Screw it."
Kael stepped into the darkness.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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