◉◉◉◉◉
The small town on the distant horizon looked peaceful and harmless at first glance.
Yet in Kael's eyes, it had already changed.
He could sense a familiar, deeply disturbing presence, like an invisible cage draped over the entire town, radiating cruelty and violent intent.
"So it really is here."
"An Ultra Beast."
The guidance of Gaia's consciousness never made mistakes.
Kael's target, a ferocious creature from Ultra Space, was lurking within the town ahead like a living shadow.
With a single thought, he prepared to charge straight toward Nanth Town.
Then he stopped.
Something held him back, hesitation flashing across his expression.
Ultra Beasts were overwhelmingly powerful. Taking one down would never be easy. A brutal battle was unavoidable.
The reason Kael had been able to fight Guzzlord without restraint before was simple. The battlefield had been an abandoned ruin, devoid of life.
No matter how destructive the clash became, only broken steel and concrete were reduced to dust.
There had been no consequences to worry about.
But this time was different.
Although Nanth Town was smothered in the Ultra Beast's oppressive aura, Kael could clearly sense countless weak life signatures within it.
They belonged to the town's residents.
He did not know why the Ultra Beast had not attacked them yet.
But one thing was certain.
If he recklessly engaged the Ultra Beast inside the town, the shockwaves alone would erase Nanth Town and everyone in it from the human world.
Despite having inhabited many Pokémon bodies, Kael's humanity still remained buried deep within his soul.
He could not accept a future where countless innocent lives were lost because of him.
So despite possessing a body built for reckless violence, Kael chose caution.
After a brief moment of thought, he adjusted his plan.
He would use the advantage of his Ghost typing to suppress his presence and remain hidden around the outskirts of the town.
He would observe first, identify the Ultra Beast's nature and objective, then adapt his approach accordingly.
Rushing in blindly could provoke the creature into dragging the town's residents down with it.
His eyes flickered as he silently nodded to himself.
Dark, ghostly mist seeped from Kael's deep purple skin, rolling outward and wrapping around his massive frame.
The surging vitality within his body was sealed away, and his overwhelming presence dropped to nearly nothing.
Shrouded in mist, his huge body took on a faintly translucent quality, as if it could slip into another dimension at any moment.
Beneath the cover of shadows cast by the trees, he was nearly invisible.
Kael drew his Aura perception back into his body and conducted one final check.
Only after confirming there were no flaws did he step forward again.
Boom.
The roar of engines echoed from far behind him.
Kael froze mid-step.
His brow furrowed as he muttered a sharp curse under his breath.
The figures approaching from behind were none other than Quark and the League convoy he had rescued earlier.
"Didn't they agree to turn back immediately and avoid Nanth Town?"
"Trying to get themselves killed like this is just stupid."
Kael felt a headache forming.
This sudden complication shattered his carefully laid plan once again.
"I'll adapt as things unfold."
Without alerting the League team, and before they could notice him, Kael moved silently into the shadows and vanished from sight.
Crunch!
Small stones scraped sharply against the ground beneath reinforced rubber tires.
On a concrete road cutting through wild grass, two off-road vehicles sped forward.
Fran sat in the passenger seat with her arms crossed, pale crystalline eyes gazing out the window.
Ahead, an ancient town dominated by black and white tones gradually came into view.
Tall buildings with extended eaves. An ornate clock tower carved with elaborate patterns. A massive cathedral that carried an unmistakable air of solemn mystery.
The weight of history seemed to seep from every structure.
In another life, this town might have been a top tourist destination.
But it stirred no curiosity in Fran at all.
Instead, something like a cold current drifted through the air around the town.
An invisible, negative energy that made her chest tighten with unease.
Soon, guided by the straight road, the League convoy entered Nanth Town.
Neatly laid slate stone paved the wide streets, paired with stark monochrome buildings that gave the town a cold, oppressive atmosphere.
The moment they crossed into the town, the warm sunlight vanished.
In its place came a suffocating chill and unnatural silence.
The sunlight lost all vitality, casting lifeless shadows across the stone streets.
Fran shuddered.
It felt as though she had stepped from late spring into early autumn in an instant.
Cold air seeped through the window, sending a chill down her spine.
An instinctive dread welled up inside her as she looked outside.
The streets were not empty.
There were pedestrians.
The sight made her relax slightly.
Maybe Nanth Town was not as bad as it seemed.
Wait.
Her pale eyes suddenly contracted.
As the vehicles drew closer, the figures she had found reassuring came into focus.
Skin ashen and bloodless, tinged with a sickly gray-blue hue.
Arms hanging limp at their sides, swaying weakly as they moved.
Their walking looked casual at first glance, but closer inspection revealed stiff, dragged movements, thigh pulling calf, calf pulling foot.
Like true walking corpses.
As if sensing her gaze, one of the figures stiffly turned its head.
Dead fish eyes locked onto hers as a twisted smile stretched across its face.
"Hah... Hah."
Fran's breathing quickened.
She snapped her gaze away and shrank back into her seat.
Her heart pounded violently, threatening to burst from her chest.
"What kind of place is this?"
The disturbing sight did not go unnoticed by the rest of the League team.
Quark stared at the silent streets, Kael's earlier warning echoing in his mind.
A heavy sense of dread settled over him.
Once they secured supplies, they would leave.
Immediately.
◉◉◉◉◉
~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◉◉◉◉◉
For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access Patreon normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!