Pokemon: Reborn as a Pokemon

Chapter 324 324: 324. Deeper In

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Dry.

Scorching.

As if it meant to squeeze out the very last trace of moisture, blazing Fire-type energy churned through the air while waves of distorted heat rolled endlessly across the land.

Fresh green leaves had long since turned to ash-like black flakes drifting on the wind.

Bare, charred branches stretched weakly toward the sky, as if begging for the life-giving rain that had not fallen here in ages.

The once-lush shrubs had lost all color, reduced instead to dense black thorns twisted together like iron.

The soft forest floor had been seared clean by the burning air, leaving behind nothing but lifeless gray earth.

Kael walked across the dry, crumbling soil, his astonished gaze sweeping over the wasteland around him.

If he had not been standing here himself, he never would have believed that hidden in the very heart of this forest, which looked so green and thriving from the outside, there could exist such a bizarre and utterly different dead zone.

Even with something as basic as breathing, Kael could clearly feel the unnaturally rich Fire-type energy saturating the air.

It was so dense that the temperature throughout the whole area had risen far above what it had been before.

And for Kael, a Water-type Pokémon, the effects were even harsher.

Right now, it felt as though he had been thrown into a giant furnace. Heat wrapped around his body from all sides, while the moisture stored inside him cried out as it was forced through his pores and burned away into invisible vapor by the scorching air.

And this was only because Sobble's unusual skin still allowed him to regulate himself to some extent. If it had been an ordinary newborn Water-type Pokémon in a place like this, it probably would have collapsed from dehydration within a few hours.

Naturally, Kael did not want to stay in a place like this either.

But he had no choice.

Some instinct deep inside him kept warning that Skarmory had not truly left. It was most likely lurking somewhere outside this strange region, simply waiting for him to emerge.

If he turned back now because of the environment, there was no doubt he would be caught.

The only way left to escape Skarmory's pursuit was to keep moving deeper into this region until the danger behind him had truly been left far enough away. Only then could he think about what came next.

"Haa..."

The yellow fan-like fin on top of his head spread to its limit, trying to absorb what little moisture remained in the air.

With a light shake of his head, Kael looked back once, staring deeply at the blue sky behind him. Then he turned and continued deeper into the dead forest, being careful not to disturb the ground.

Yes.

Even with a deadly predator still behind him, Kael remained calm and alert, keeping a high level of caution toward everything around him.

He understood that while he did not know the exact reason, Skarmory clearly could not enter this place, or perhaps did not dare to.

So for the time being, as long as he stayed inside this region, the threat from Skarmory was effectively gone.

That meant the only thing he truly needed to worry about now was how to cross this area as quickly as possible, and what hidden dangers might be waiting nearby.

Tap!

The dried-out soil had become so loose that even Kael's tiny, lightweight body could kick up dust with every step.

To last as long as possible in this brutally arid land, he tightened every pore across his body to reduce the rate at which moisture escaped.

At the same time, the high-grade Water Stone coiled in his tail finally proved its worth again.

Soft blue light shimmered from it as pure Water-type energy slowly flowed out, some of it wrapping around his body to nourish and restore him, some drifting into the air to add back a trace of moisture. From every angle, it was helping him continue forward.

For a Water-type Pokémon, surviving in an environment this hostile was already incredibly difficult.

And that was before even considering the terrifying dangers hidden deeper in the dead forest.

A land stripped of moisture, filled with dry ground and hot, faintly burning air, was no proper home for most Pokémon.

But for Fire-types, it was almost paradise.

And in fact, nearly ninety percent of the Fire-type Pokémon in Molten Season Forest lived here.

Because there were so many of them packed into an area much smaller than the forest as a whole, the density of Fire-types in this strange region was extremely high. Often, just by walking a few steps, one could easily spot all kinds of Fire-type Pokémon in different shapes and sizes.

The rich Fire-type energy in the air made this place a perfect haven for them to grow and thrive.

And Kael, wrapped in the dense Water-type energy radiating from the Water Stone, was no different from a firefly wandering through pitch-black night. Obvious. Eye-catching. The kind of thing that made others want to snatch it out of the air.

Water and fire.

Two of nature's most fundamental forces, opposed like the opposite poles of a magnet, drawn toward one another along an invisible line of conflict.

"Hiss..."

A sharp bursting sound suddenly snapped through the air.

Scorching sparks spun outward in a spray, like countless brilliant fire flowers blooming all at once as they whirled and screamed toward Kael.

But the attack failed.

Even though he had only just escaped Skarmory's pursuit, the nature of this place had kept him on edge the whole time. Every movement around him had remained under constant watch.

The instant the sparks burst and the hot gust struck his back, Kael did not even need to see the flames with his own eyes. His legs kicked hard, and he sprang to the side with incredible agility, dodging the sudden fire attack in one clean motion.

The enormous agility boost granted by Deoxys's cosmic DNA was gradually becoming more and more obvious as his own strength continued to grow.

While leaping into the air, Kael used his near-perfect control over his body to twist himself around midair and face his attacker.

At the same time, he activated his modified Aqua Ring once more.

"Splash..."

Crystalline water instantly wrapped itself around Kael's blue body in a circular ring.

His skin grew transparent.

Blurred.

Sobble's natural camouflage took hold again.

Only then did Kael finally get a clear look at the attacker.

It was a very strange-looking Pokémon.

It had no fixed shape at all. Its entire body was made of thick, magma-red fluid, like molten lava given life.

A pair of golden eyes sat near the top of its body, standing out sharply against all that flowing crimson.

Slugma.

Usually a lazy Pokémon found near volcanic regions, it had become one of the residents of this place, drawn here by the unique environment hidden deep inside Molten Season Forest.

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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter

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