Chapter 126: Shadow

Chapter 26: Shadow

Thick, bright red blood flowed across the pristine white tiled floor like a small stream. White lab coats, stained with vivid crimson spots, lay silently on the ground alongside their former masters. The scent of death permeated the laboratory.

The researchers, who had giggled as they callously decided the fates of Pokémon under their scalpels, had finally tasted the bitter fruit of their own planting, becoming the kindling that would ignite the nightmare of the world.

Lu Yun sat on the operating table, his two small legs dangling in the air. At his fingertips, scarlet blood belonging to others dripped slowly.

"Is it really this easy?" A faint sense of doubt rose in Lu Yun's heart.

These human researchers truly possessed no ability to fight back against him. Under the intimidating aura of Lu Yun's "Leer" ability, they could not even make a sound, freezing in place like lambs waiting for the slaughter. And, just as he had guessed, not a single Pokémon had appeared.

*Hoo—*

He sighed softly. Perhaps because he had become a Pokémon, he felt no nausea or discomfort in the face of so many human lives. Yet, he could not help but feel a touch of melancholy.

Pursing his lips and shaking his head, Lu Yun hopped off the operating table. His heavy body landed in the pool of blood, splashing out crystalline red droplets.

"They deserved it!" Comforting himself with this thought, Lu Yun headed toward the exit on the other side of the lab. Since he had started this, he would see it through to the end. He was not the type to intentionally leave behind hidden dangers. Without any immediate threat, he intended to thoroughly purge the entire underground base. Everyone in this facility was surely no good, and with this justification, Lu Yun felt no burden in his heart; his steps even grew lighter.

*Tap...*

Lu Yun’s legs suddenly halted, his gaze sharpening. From the corridor outside the operating room, he faintly heard the sound of footsteps. A brow quirked upward, an expression of interest appearing in his eyes.

The first Pokémon battle since his reincarnation... was it finally time?

...

Dr. Dal’s office was not far from the operating room. He had been quietly writing a report in the serene environment when his sixth sense, for reasons unknown, began sending him frantic signals of danger and unease. In a flurry of panicked thoughts, Dr. Dal heard the inexplicable, restless commotion coming from the adjacent operating room.

Years of experience roaming with the Nightmare Society told him that some unusual incident had occurred. With that, Dr. Dal took the Sandslash assigned to him by the organization for self-defense and cautiously crept toward the operating room. He had to see what was happening!

In the long, dimly lit corridor, Dr. Dal furrowed his brows.

"Something's wrong!"

It was too quiet! Normally, by the time one reached this point, the chatter of researchers inside the operating room would already be audible. But now, only a deathly silence hung in the air. Coupled with the increasingly pungent smell of blood, an ominous premonition slowly surfaced in Dr. Dal’s mind.

*Creak...*

Hidden in the shadows, Dr. Dal watched as the Sandslash slowly pushed open the operating room door. Crimson, grotesque blood-light spilled outward, and the hellish scene within came into view. Dr. Dal’s breathing turned ragged. Just as he was about to cry out for help, a roar like an explosion erupted in his ears.

*BOOM!*

A terrifying fist print was deeply embedded into the steel door. The sound of metal shattering, mingled with the whistle of air, suddenly burst forth. The immense power augmented by Terrakion’s "City-Shattering Pauldron" had, in an instant, blasted the metal door of the operating room into scrap.

*Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—*

Under the terrifying impact, the steel fragments acted like bullets, tearing through the air and screaming as they hurtled toward Dr. Dal and the Sandslash behind the door.

As an elite Pokémon assigned to a high-ranking member of the Nightmare Society, the Sandslash had undergone the most rigorous training since birth. Faced with this sudden turn of events, it did not panic. Its snow-white, blade-like claws danced through the air, transforming into a flowing, pristine white screen that deflected the metal fragments heading toward its master and itself.

Hard, biting gusts of wind billowed through the dark corridor as a black figure, seemingly forged from steel, charged forward, mixed in with the shrapnel of the iron door. Knotted muscles bulged on his arms, veins protruded beneath his pitch-black skin, and surging power filled his iron fists.

*Punch!*

A look of wariness flashed in the Sandslash’s cold pupils. With a powerful shove of its sturdy hind legs, it leaped to the side, vacating its original position.

*Bang—*

The hard floor, under the impact of the immense force, shattered into fine gravel that flew in all directions. Dust filled the air, and spiderweb-like cracks, along with a deep indentation, appeared on the ground.

"A pity." Lu Yun sighed inwardly.

His iron fist, fueled by the conviction of a killing blow, had been dodged by the enemy, leaving him with a sense of regret.

"I must hurry!" A burning light shone in Lu Yun’s eyes. This massive noise must have echoed throughout the entire base. If he could not finish off this opponent in a short time and remained bogged down here, he would face a desperate, dangerous situation.

"Aaah!"

The clash ended in an instant, and it was only then that Dr. Dal’s rooster-like, shrill scream escaped his throat.

Ignoring him, Lu Yun steadied his focus. Deep within his body, Ghost-type energy surged frantically, conducting rapidly through his meridians. Lu Yun glared fiercely at the Sandslash; like a clear ripple in water, an invisible, bizarre fluctuation erupted from his crimson, ferocious eyes.

"Leer!"

The Sandslash had just landed and had not yet regained its footing, so it naturally could not dodge in time and was struck squarely by the eerie wave. Its eyes suddenly turned vacant as hallucinations from the depths of its memory surfaced in reality. It felt as if, here in the dark corridor, it saw the stern elder who had trained it in its youth. Fine wrinkles layered the corners of the elder’s eyes, a severe look appeared in his pupils, and his lips parted slightly as if to unleash a reprimand.

For a moment, the Sandslash, caught by Lu Yun’s "Leer" skill, closed its eyes in fear.

"No!"

With a violent shudder, the Sandslash snapped out of the hallucination. Opening its eyes, all it saw was a black fist, hard as steel, carried by a fierce, biting gale.

*BANG!*

With a twenty-percent boost from Terrakion’s "City-Shattering Pauldron," the raw, pure muscle power slammed heavily into the Sandslash. Its brown shell shattered instantly, and as blood spurted out, the tender flesh beneath was exposed.

The yellow figure tumbled through the air.

Still not finished, Lu Yun knew that while this punch could severely injure the Sandslash, it would not be enough to make it lose the ability to battle entirely. He pushed off the ground with his toes, sending mud and stone flying, and his pitch-black body zoomed forward at incredible speed, catching up to the Sandslash still spinning in mid-air.

Ghost-type energy coiled around his fist, manifesting as the deepest, darkest void from hell. A sinister, terrifying aura filled the air of the corridor.

"Shadow Punch!"