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"Where are you?"
Kael did not believe his opponent would simply strike once and flee like some assassin from his past life.
The killing intent contained within that Aurora Beam had been unmistakable.
His Aura Field expanded to its maximum range, capturing every movement within the forest.
Even blades of grass swaying gently in the wind were clearly perceived.
His massive body lowered slightly.
Every muscle tightened.
Power capable of overturning mountains gathered within him, ready to explode outward at any moment.
"There!"
Behind him—
A faint ripple of energy appeared within his Aura perception.
He spun instantly.
Flames erupted across his four fists.
"Aurora Beam!"
"Fire Punch!"
WHOOSH!
Blazing crimson flames ignited, illuminating the dark forest in searing red light.
Heat surged violently.
BOOM!
The burning fists collided with the freezing beam.
Fire and ice clashed.
Sparks and crystalline frost scattered through the air.
Though Fire Punch was a physical attack and Aurora Beam a ranged special attack, the elemental advantage completely erased the distance disadvantage.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
His four blazing fists struck the beam repeatedly, shattering it piece by piece.
To any observer, it happened in an instant.
A flash of red.
And the deadly Aurora Beam disintegrated into harmless particles.
His opponent had not expected this.
It had not anticipated that such a massive Machamp could counter its attack with such overwhelming force.
And in that moment of surprise—
It failed to retreat.
Its form appeared within the shadows of the forest.
The flames around Kael's fists faded.
He looked up.
And froze.
His pupils shrank violently.
"…Impossible."
"…Xerneas?!"
Standing before him—
The legendary Pokémon of life itself.
The sovereign of forests.
Xerneas.
One of the most powerful Legendary Pokémon in existence.
A being said to possess eternal life.
A guardian of nature.
A wielder of life's authority.
Its combat power rivaled beings like Groudon and Palkia.
And Kael knew exactly what that meant.
He had died once before.
Killed by Groudon.
He understood better than anyone how terrifying such beings were.
Even if he had evolved into Machamp—
It meant nothing.
He was not on that level.
Legendary Pokémon that governed natural laws were fundamentally different from ordinary beings.
Even at equal levels, their control over their domain allowed them to unleash unimaginable power.
Unless he himself became a Legendary Pokémon—
Facing one directly was suicide.
The ground beneath his feet cracked as his muscles tensed.
His body leaned backward.
Preparing to launch himself away.
This was not cowardice.
This was survival.
He needed to live.
Only by living could he continue fighting for the world.
His mind raced.
Escape.
He had to escape.
But could he?
Could he escape from Xerneas after it had already targeted him?
If necessary—
He would activate Zamazenta's Shield Form.
It would only last thirty minutes.
But that was enough to flee.
The absurdity of the situation struck him.
How had he become the enemy of a god of nature?
Then—
He noticed something.
His retreat stopped.
"…Wait."
His eyes narrowed.
He had not taken his gaze off Xerneas for even a moment.
And now—
He saw it.
Something was wrong.
Its once radiant blue-black fur appeared dim.
Lifeless.
Its eyes were empty.
Soulless.
Its presence, though still overwhelming, lacked the stability and completeness he remembered from Groudon.
It was weakened.
Severely weakened.
Yet even in that state, its mere presence made his heart tremble.
But that was not what stopped him.
What truly froze him—
Was the scent.
A familiar corruption.
Rotting.
Suffocating.
The Nightmare Seeds.
"…No…"
His pupils trembled.
Tapu Koko had warned him.
Many Legendary Pokémon had already been infected.
But they were supposed to remain asleep.
For centuries.
So why—
Why had Xerneas awakened now?
And worse—
Its mind was gone.
Consumed.
Controlled.
Reduced to a beast of corruption.
"…Damn it…"
Kael stared at the corrupted god of life.
His heart pounded violently.
Legendary Pokémon already possessed the power to reshape the world.
But corrupted by Nightmare Seeds—
They became far worse than Ultra Beasts.
They became walking catastrophes.
The corrupted forest.
The toxic life energy.
The spreading destruction.
All of it was proof.
If he fled now—
Within months, everything surrounding Sandalwood Forest would die.
The life energy spreading from Xerneas was like biological poison.
A slow-moving apocalypse.
"…No."
"I can't run."
If anyone could stop this—
It was him.
There might be stronger Pokémon in human-controlled cities.
But they were too far away.
By the time help arrived—
Xerneas would have recovered.
And the world around it would already be dead.
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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)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!