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Kael had only just escaped the underground base. He had no idea that behind him, a powerful Trainer with terrible sense of direction was already hunting him.
For now, he was moving cautiously through the Koron.
The barren plain had little forest cover; trees were sparse, scattered across the open grasslands. To the eye, it looked endless, vast, and exposed.
The tall grasses that grew thick across the ground made visibility poor. Even with the heightened night vision his body had gained after the surgery, Kael could only make out a few ters ahead in the dark.
Still, he wasn't worried about losing his way.
The colossal, ancient trees that dotted the land towering, gnarled giants that had grown undisturbed for centuries stood as natural landmarks. By their silhouettes, he could keep his bearings.
But even with those guides, Kael did not rush. His mind was split between moving forward and staying acutely aware of his surroundings.
Night in the wilds of the Pokémon world was always dangerous.
Predators stalked beneath the darkness, hungry eyes glinting, their breath thick with the scent of prey.
And now, stepping into this strange new world, Kael could feel it: an eerie tension clinging to him like a shadow. His muscles tightened, Ghost- and Fighting-type energy coiling inside him, ready to strike.
He moved quietly, brushing aside grass with his hands so it bent and sprang back silently. His ghostly-darkened skin helped him blend into the shadows, like natural camouflage.
Then—
Hrrrhh... hhhhhh...
A deep, rumbling snore drifted through the night air.
Kael froze.
He didn't want trouble. Not now, when his body was still battered and half-healed. If he fought here, he risked being overwheld.
And any Pokémon careless enough to sleep openly in the wild at night was either brainless... or confident enough to not fear anything. Kael knew which was more likely.
He edged back, scanning with narrowed eyes.
Through the grass, he saw it: a hulking figure lying flat, chest rising with each thunderous snore.
Four thick, pillar-like legs bent under a massive fra. A body clad in gray, rock-like armor plates. And at the snout, a single sharp horn like a spear.
"...Rhyhorn."
Kael exhaled slowly. Relief touched him for a mont.
He knew the species well. Rhyhorns were powerful tanks, their bones unbreakable, their strength imnse.
But they weren't the brightest, and among the plains' larger Pokémon, their temperant was relatively mild. Unless provoked, a Rhyhorn usually wouldn't attack.
But Kael didn't know the truth.
The Pokémon that still lingered in the Koron Wastes weren't ordinary. They were infected tainted by the Nightmare Seed.
And infected Pokémon didn't care if you were harmless. To them, anything untainted was fresh, living prey.
The faint tallic tang of Kael's blood seeped into the air.
The Rhyhorn's nose twitched. Its eyes snapped open.
Glowing red.
"Not good—!"
Kael tensed, but too late.
The Rhyhorn charged with a guttural roar, blood-red eyes filled with savage hunger.
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
Its hooves pounded the ground like war drums, horn lowered and glinting with killing intent.
Kael sighed once, resigned.
There was no avoiding battle. And if he wanted to avoid drawing even more predators, he needed to end it quickly.
He sprang aside as the Rhyhorn barreled past, its sheer power tearing through the grasses, flattening everything in its path.
Kael landed lightly, one leg bent, the other extended. Crimson Fighting-type aura surged from his body.
"[Low Kick]!"
CRASH!
The air shrieked as he drove his strike into Rhyhorn's leg. The heavy beast stumbled, montum betraying it, and toppled sideways with a thunderous crash.
Dust billowed. The ground shook.
Kael's crimson eyes narrowed. He sprang again, fist wrapped in ghostly violet fire, spectral energy lacing his strike.
"[Shadow Punch]!"
The blow slamd into Rhyhorn's eye ridge, ghost energy searing through the cracks in its armor. The plates split like glass, spiderweb fractures spreading in an instant.
The beast convulsed, limbs twitching then slumped, unconscious.
Kael pulled back, breathing hard, his face still grim.
He'd won. But the brief clash had been enough. Already, in the dark grasslands around him, faint rustlings stirred.
More predators, drawn by the sound.
Shaking the sting from his arm, Kael retreated swiftly, lting back into the shadows before the next wave could arrive.
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