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Kael had considered another explanation for the strange absence of Pokémon in the facility: perhaps Pokémon themselves were impossibly rare in this world.
But after six days on the operating table, having seen nearly twenty subjects sacrificed and discarded like trash, he dismissed that idea.
If Pokémon were truly rare, they wouldn't be slaughtered so casually.
"Then why...?" he muttered, a dark shadow settling over his thoughts.
Though he didn't know it yet, his suspicion was already brushing close to the truth.
Centuries ago, when the Nightmare Seed spread, most of the world's Pokémon had been infected twisted into monstrous predators that hunted humans for flesh.
Very few retained their minds. For the ordinary person, owning a true Pokémon partner was nearly impossible.
The creatures Kael had seen here were not partners at all. They were artificial Pokémon, cloned in tanks by the cultists of Duskbane.
Their bodies looked normal, even enhanced, their stats elevated through genetic tampering.
But their souls were hollow, broken things. They lived scarcely more than a week or two before burning out.
A forbidden craft. A curse from the gods themselves.
Yet Kael was spared that fate. The original Machop's soul had already been extinguished before he awakened here.
The curse had burned away with it, leaving Kael with nothing less than a perfected body optimized, powerful, and free of the flaw.
He sighed, crimson eyes troubled. The more he unraveled, the less he understood.
Worse, he felt danger closing in an invisible tide rushing toward him. If he didn't act soon, he might never get the chance.
"No point waiting," he whispered. His eyes flashed red. "Better now than never."
The collar at his neck, once a paralyzing threat, was now nothing more than a shackle he chose to wear for show. It no longer held any power over him.
Footsteps echoed down the hall. Heavy, arrogant, reeking of alcohol and sweat.
Kael's lips curled, an opportunity.
The bloated guard swaggered into view, humming tunelessly as he approached. Even from ters away, Kael could sll him.
Bang!
The guard slamd a boot into the bars of Kael's cell. The clang of tal shrieked through the air, dust falling from the ceiling.
"Out, freak!" he barked, piggish eyes gleaming with cruel delight.
Kael didn't move. He stood in the shadows, arms crossed, a faint smirk tugging at his mouth. Then he opened his eyes.
Twin scarlet beams pierced the dark.
The guard froze. A shiver of ice raced up his spine, crawling from his feet to his skull. His eyes glazed, his breath caught, fat quivering as though the fear itself had sunk into his flesh.
He staggered, shook, then tried to laugh it off.
Clang, clang, clang!
He slamd his baton against the bars, face red with rage.
"You little bastard!" he roared, spit flying. "Get over here before I beat you into the ground!"
Kael tilted his head, smirk sharpening. His gaze was mocking, dismissive, like a man watching a circus clown stumble through a trick.
"You... you've got guts, huh?" the guard snarled, voice trembling with fury. His aty finger stabbed the air at Kael.
"You'll regret it! Begging won't save you when I'm done!"
His bloated body shook with anger. Muttering curses under his breath, he fumbled at his belt. At last, he pulled free a white device a remote.
He raised it like a weapon, eyes locked on Kael's face, eager to watch despair twist across it.
Kael, however, didn't flinch. He whispered instead:
"[Equip: Terrakion's Fortress Shoulder Guard]."
"[Equip: Zacian's Heart (Fragnted)]."
Bzzzzt!
Silver-blue sparks exploded through the cell. The remote's trigger sent arcs of electricity screaming across the bars and into Kael's body.
The guard narrowed his eyes, smirking as he waited for screams. One second. Two. Three.
Zzzzzzzzzz!!!
The electricity howled But Kael did not.
Slowly, the guard's expression faltered.
Through the blinding currents, a figure still stood tall unmoving, iron-clad, eyes glowing like blood-red lanterns in the storm.
The tower of a Machop, untouched.
The figure smiled with a grin.
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