~200 PS Goal Completed, Here is Bonus Chapter! Let's go for 600 PS and I will Upload 3 bonus chapters on Sunday!
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The thunderous impact still echoed down the steel corridor.
Houndoom's dying howl lingered in the air like smoke.
Kael's eyes gleamed with satisfaction. His work was done. No need to waste more time.
With a sharp kick off the floor, he retreated boots cracking tiles, shards scattering before vanishing back into the shadows.
"Ssshhh—!"
Arbok struck too late. A geyser of foul purple venom splattered the spot Kael had stood, the acid hissing as it ate into the floor, leaving a gaping hole.
The humans reacted more slowly still. Even though they were trained, they were only Humans.
Their eyes barely caught a blur of his silhouette as it melted into darkness.
"BANG! BANG! BANG!"
Gunfire roared, muzzle flashes lighting the hall like strobe lights. Shells pinged against walls, sparks flashing where bullets ricocheted yet the shadow swallowed every shot. Not one found its mark.
The recoil numbed Bert's arms, his fingers trembling against the trigger. His jaw locked tight as frustration and fear mingled in his expression. He lifted his hand sharply, signaling to stop wasting ammunition.
"Check on Houndoom!" he barked.
A few men dashed forward under cover, crouching beside the collapsed beast. Silence lingered. Then a grim shake of the head.
"…Damn it!"
Bert's fists clenched until his knuckles cracked. Rage burned in his dark eyes yet underneath it, a deeper, colder fear coiled.
"What was that thing? Did anyone see clearly?"
One of the guards swallowed. "It… looked like a Machop. But black. Completely black."
"A Machop?" Bert muttered, disbelief twisting his face.
He forced a breath, steadying himself. Then he raised his voice:
"Keep moving. This corridor's a dead end it can't escape. Close formation around Arbok. No more mistakes."
Only one Pokémon remained. Everything now depended on Arbok's strength.
Bert wanted to trust it. He needed to. Yet the memory of that shadow's crimson eyes gnawed at him, filling his gut with dread.
"Stay sharp," he growled.
The squad tightened ranks, pressing forward into the suffocating dark. Shadows pressed close, like jaws waiting to devour them.
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Kael leaned against the cold wall, chest heaving. The chill of the stone bled into his fevered blood, cooling the adrenaline still surging in him.
Two seconds. That was all his ambush had lasted. Two seconds but it drained his body and mind.
Balancing moves, managing energy output, and adjusting mid-strike, it pushed him hard.
And yet…
"Damn, that was exhilarating."
He grinned faintly. But he knew the truth: one misstep and he'd be lying dead, torn apart by bullets or venom.
That was why he had chosen carefully. The Syndicate's security forces were split into two halves: armed humans and their Pokémon.
Against humans alone, Kael had no fear. His reflexes and vision were beyond human limits. He didn't need "bullet time" he could read a trigger squeeze and dodge before the shot left the chamber. And with [Ghost]-energy move like [Scary Face], he could debilitate them instantly.
But the Pokémon? They were the true threat. Which meant they had to die first.
And that left him with a choice.
Two targets: Arbok and Houndoom.
He weighed them quickly.
Arbok is large, armored, slow, but durable. Its poison could cripple him.
Houndoom is fast, high offense, but fragile. Pure glass cannon.
The answer was obvious. He struck Houndoom down first.
Now only Arbok remained.
Kael flexed his hands, crimson eyes narrowing as he stepped forward from the shadows once more.
With Houndoom gone, there was no longer any need for elaborate strategy.
This fight would be head-on.
[Target Remaining: Arbok]
[Enemy Trainers: Armed, Distracted]
[Decision: Eliminate Pokémon First]
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