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"Shhk!"
The wet, slicing sound of flesh being cut echoed from behind him.
Zeke nodded to himself in quiet satisfaction.
"That fast?"
"I may have overestimated it."
He had expected the Machoke that had destroyed so many Phantom Order outposts to last at least a few exchanges against his Bisharp.
Yet less than five seconds had passed, and it was already finished.
"Well…"
"It was only a Machoke, after all."
It was still far from his Bisharp's level. Even so, evolving in just a few years was impressive for a wild Pokémon.
Zeke smiled faintly and waited calmly for his Bisharp to return to his side. Out here in the wilderness, standing alone without his Pokémon's protection was never wise.
One second.
Two seconds.
"…Hm?"
His brow furrowed.
"Why isn't it back yet?"
An inexplicable chill crept into his chest.
A quiet, instinctive dread.
Without thinking, Zeke turned around.
In the next instant, his sapphire-blue eyes shrank violently, his entire body freezing in shock.
What stood before him was not the image he had imagined. Not the Machoke reduced to severed pieces beneath Bisharp's blades.
Instead—
It was something far beyond his understanding.
Dark energy, like mist and flame entwined together, merged with a burning crimson aura to form a radiant blade of power.
It extended along Machoke's thick arm.
And pierced straight through Bisharp's chest.
The blade burst out from its back.
Bisharp's body hung suspended in midair, lifted effortlessly by the overwhelming force behind the strike.
Its shattered arm blades dangled uselessly at its sides.
Its eyes were already losing focus.
Hot, crimson blood poured from the wound.
Its life was draining away.
Kael gazed at the blond trainer frozen in absolute disbelief.
A cold smile curved across his lips.
This Bisharp had been strong. Judging by system standards, it would have been around Level 70.
In a normal battle, Kael could still defeat it through sheer superiority.
But not this easily.
Not this effortlessly.
The difference was simple.
His opponent had underestimated him.
Mistaking him for an ordinary Machoke, Bisharp had charged forward without caution, its blades swinging in reckless confidence.
In response, Kael had simply condensed the energy of Sacred Sword along his arm.
Driven by explosive muscle strength, he swung once.
Just once.
And Bisharp's silver blades, along with its pride, shattered into fragments that scattered through the air.
An assassin-type Pokémon with immense offensive power but fragile defenses could not withstand Sacred Sword.
With a casual flick of his arm—
Bisharp's broken body was thrown aside like discarded scrap.
It struck the ground hard.
Blood pooled beneath it, spreading into a dark, widening stain.
The killing intent Kael normally kept suppressed was released completely.
It surged outward like a black storm, sweeping across the field.
The air grew heavy.
Oppressive.
Terrifying.
"Thud."
Zeke collapsed to his knees.
It felt as though he had been dropped into a battlefield soaked in endless blood.
Violent, savage killing intent flooded his mind.
His thoughts blurred.
His body trembled uncontrollably.
His once-clear blue eyes stared blankly at Kael.
He looked as though he might shatter at any moment.
Kael paid him no attention.
His focus was elsewhere.
Excitement surged within him.
If raw combat strength were ignored and only the level was considered, Bisharp would not been weak.
Even though the battle had ended quickly, the system should still grant experience.
Perhaps—
He swallowed.
And opened the system panel.
"Ding!"
[Defeated Pokémon: Bisharp.]
[Experience gained: 35.]
A smile spread uncontrollably across his face.
If he remembered correctly, his experience had previously been (67/100).
Now—
With the additional 35 points—
It had become (102/100).
Which meant only one thing.
Evolution.
"Heh…"
A low, exhilarated laugh escaped his throat.
He had waited far too long for this moment.
Without hesitation, he opened his status screen and pressed the newly appeared Evolution button.
"BOOM!"
A wave of dark crimson energy erupted from his body, surging outward in all directions.
The sheer force was overwhelming.
"Wuuum…"
The sacred, radiant hum of evolution echoed across the field.
Countless days and nights of relentless training.
The solid foundation was built through endless battles and encounters.
The vast reserves of Ghost-type essence are buried deep within his bloodline.
Even the faint, unseen will of the world itself.
Everything Kael had gained.
Everything he had endured.
Everything he had become.
All of it ignited at once beneath the light of evolution.
His massive body, wrapped in crimson radiance, began to change.
It expanded.
Stretched.
Condensed.
Refined.
Ancient genetic power hidden within his blood merged seamlessly with the unnatural energy granted by human technology.
Under the silent witness of nature itself, they fused together.
Something mysterious.
Something profound.
Something divine.
His evolution had begun.
For Pokémon, evolution was not destruction.
It was ascension.
A sacred transformation guided by instinct and destiny.
Kael felt as though he had sunk into a warm ocean.
Endless warmth flowed through him.
It seeped into his bones.
His blood.
His soul.
It was so comfortable he nearly cried out.
Energy surged through every cell in his body.
Fast.
Yet perfectly controlled.
Orderly.
Harmonious.
There was no pain.
Only renewal.
When living beings lacked nourishment, they felt hunger.
When they exhausted their strength, they felt fatigue.
And when a Pokémon reached the threshold of evolution—
It was the same.
A natural instinct.
A return to its true form.
A rebirth from within.
The process did not last long.
One minute.
Perhaps two.
Then—
A sharp, crystalline sound rang out.
Like glass shattering.
And with it—
Kael's final ascension in this world was complete.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
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