Marcus Monroe did not enjoy shapeshifting.
Back when he couldn't wield his Energy Blade proficiently, he had been forced to, because his Shapeshifting White Lion form had greater killing power.
But now, he rarely needed to do so.
He would only do so in situations like today's, where shapeshifting allowed him to use the authority of a High-Rank peer to compel the Mutant Beasts to obey his commands, making their infiltration easier.
The reason was actually quite simple.
After shapeshifting, his control over his actions would diminish. Just as his body automatically changed its scent, his actions would lean more toward instinct than human reason.
Ever since he realized this, he had been somewhat averse to it.
However, the fact that Paige Summers could so frankly express her fondness for his transformed self also gave him an inexplicable sense of pleasure. After all, that was also him.
People are always so full of contradictions and complexities.
