Seeing that Lorze genuinely intended to seek justice for it, Zorua was initially deeply moved, but this was quickly followed by a look of sheer worry.
“Relax, I’m not some reckless meathead who charges blindly into danger.
Even if I’m going to confront him, I’ll conceal my true intentions first.
Besides, I’ve just bonded with my very first starter Pokémon.
Naturally, I need to understand you thoroughly before deciding on our next move.
Could you show me what you’re capable of?”
Zorua had never heard such respectful words from its previous Trainer.
Fighting back the tears welling in its eyes, it began to channel its inner energy.
The little fox didn’t start by showcasing a combat move.
Instead, with a sudden shift, it transformed into a Haunter.
As it floated in a circle around Lorze, it seamlessly shape-shifted into a Shuppet, then a Duskull, and finally morphed into an exact replica of Lorze before landing steadily on the ground.
This was its unique Ability—”Illusion,” which only revealed its true form after taking a direct hit.
Now, coupled with its typing combination that boasted three absolute immunities, the tactical advantage of this Ability would be even more miraculously effective.
Zorua reverted to its original form.
It performed a quick Scratch, shot a fierce Leer, and then condensed a pitch-black glow into its paw.
Sprinting and leaping into the air, it shattered a wooden beam with a single, vicious Knock Off.
“‘Scratch’, ‘Leer’, and ‘Knock Off’!” These were basic moves, and Lorze recognized them instantly.
After landing, Zorua paused for a split second before its entire body was gradually enveloped in a radiant, silvery-white aura, launching into a full-speed sprint!
It ran faster and faster, leaving behind a blur of afterimages.
Its paws even left the ground as it practically glided through the air for a brief moment, finally smashing a stone statue to pieces before flipping back to stick the landing.
“That’s ‘Aerial Ace’!
You actually mastered ‘Aerial Ace’!
That’s fucking impressive!”
It was well known that ‘Aerial Ace’ was a Flying-type move.
For a wingless Pokémon like Zorua to train and master it, the hurdles it had to overcome were astronomical!
Learning this move was likely its previous Trainer’s intended countermeasure against Fighting-types, only to disastrously run into a Fairy-type Snubbull in the ring.
Lorze thought about how mastering this move at such a young age meant Zorua must have endured countless agonizing days and nights of brutal grinding.
But these were moves Zorua had already known.
Considering it had fundamentally altered its typing and even its life form, Lorze figured there was a high probability it had unlocked new abilities, so he suggested it try to feel them out.
Zorua obediently closed its eyes, carefully sensing and familiarizing itself with the energy currents coursing through its brand-new body.
Suddenly, its eyes snapped open, and its physical form instantly became ethereal, even beginning to warp and distort.
Zorua revealed a look of sheer panic, but from the depths of its mind, it heard Lorze’s incredibly reassuring voice calling out:
“Don’t panic.
This is your innate talent now.
Don’t resist it; feel it, conquer it!
Just like a Hoothoot is born to fly, and a Wooper is born to swim.”
Zorua slowly calmed down, surrendering to the instincts of its new body.
In the blink of an eye, its entire figure completely phased out, leaving behind only a flat, pitch-black shadow darting rapidly back and forth across the ground.
“Just as I thought!
It’s one of the signature Ghost-type moves, ‘Shadow Sneak’.”
But before Lorze could offer any praise, that dense, pitch-black aura of raw resentment violently erupted from Zorua’s body once again, causing it to writhe and thrash in blinding agony.
“Shit, channeling that Ghost-type move triggered the pent-up malice!
Zorua, snap out of it!
Don’t let the resentment take control of you!”
“This little fox has had it rough.
Boys, let’s lend a hand and suck up as much as we can.”
Haunter, Duskull, and Shuppet immediately closed in around Zorua, greedily siphoning the torrential malice radiating from its body.
Of course, while the three ghosts claimed they were helping Zorua, Lorze had a strong feeling they were mostly just trying to leech off this deliciously pure, high-grade resentment.
However, the accumulated hatred inside Zorua was far too massive.
The rate at which the three ghosts absorbed it couldn’t even come close to matching the speed of its violent eruption.
Zorua’s consciousness was once again being dragged to the brink of insanity by the monstrous tide of malice, its pupils slowly bleeding out into a savage crimson.
Lorze prepared to intervene forcefully, planning to use necromancy to temporarily suppress the grudge.
But suddenly, a thought struck his mind like a bolt of lightning.
“Wait, no!
If Haunter and the others can absorb this malice to replenish themselves, there’s no fucking reason Zorua—who is now a Ghost-type too—can’t do the same!
Moreover, this malice originates from its own soul, so it must be perfectly compatible with Zorua.
The only reason it’s struggling is probably because it contains too many agonizing memories that it’s terrified to face.”
Lorze could certainly use necromancy to forcefully crush the resentment right now, but doing so would guarantee that Zorua would be even more terrified to confront its past in the future.
These experiences were the agonizing brands of its past!
But pain itself could be weaponized into raw power!
“Zorua!
Listen to me!
Do not fear this malice!
It is a part of you.
It’s the very reason you and I crossed paths.
Do not let the traumas of your past become your shackles.
Forge them into your blade, temper them into your armor, and carry them with you to become unfathomably stronger!”
“Guu…
Gaaa…”
Zorua let out an incoherent whimper and, guided by Lorze’s voice, began attempting to face the freezing, pitch-black torrent of agonizing memories head-on.
The process was absolute hell, but Zorua violently choked down the deepest terrors screaming within its heart!
It wanted to become strong.
It desperately wanted to become a true weapon for this new Trainer, rather than a pathetic burden that needed constant babying.
Instantly, an invisible vortex seemed to form with Zorua at its epicenter!
The violently dispersing black malice abruptly reversed its flow, rushing frantically back into Zorua’s spectral body!
“Holy fuck!
It’s stealing our food!”
Haunter kicked its absorption speed into overdrive, but it obviously couldn’t out-compete Zorua, the literal source of the feast.
It and its two lackeys could only watch helplessly as the resentment was rapidly devoured into nothingness.
After all, this resentment was birthed from Zorua’s own dying breath.
Originating from the same soul, it was absorbed with zero friction and instantly converted into raw, explosive power.
The energy fluctuations rippling off Zorua spiked at a visible rate.
Its aura became condensed and suffocatingly oppressive, signifying a massive leap in its power level!
However, Lorze would have to wait until he fully understood this world’s level system to determine exactly how much stronger it had become.
But the little fox’s transformation wasn’t over yet.
Having absorbed all the malice, Zorua raised its front paw.
Black, ghostly mist oozed from its body, accompanied by the piercing shrieks of countless agonizing souls.
Only this time, the ghostly mist energy was no longer torturing it; it was a submissive, obedient vassal.
Seizing the momentum, Zorua slashed its paw toward the waist-high ruins of a statue in the distance.
An incredibly ominous surge of shadow energy struck the target from a physically impossible angle, seemingly possessing a “sure-hit” homing mechanism.
The instant the pitch-black energy collided with the statue ruins, it didn’t trigger a violent explosion.
Instead, a sickening, teeth-grating “sizzle” echoed out.
The solid stone literally began to disintegrate, as if being melted down by ultra-corrosive acid.
Simultaneously, an intensely nauseating aura violently pulsed outward, causing the three ghosts to shiver violently.
“Did it learn ‘Shadow Claw’?!
No!
Wait, that’s not ‘Shadow Claw’!
That move is…
‘Bitter Malice’!”
“Bitter Malice” was the signature move of the Hisuian Zorua evolutionary line.
Not only did it deal considerable damage, but it also physically crippled the opponent’s attack power, making it a brutally practical ability.
The learning curve for this skill was incredibly steep.
To think Zorua had unlocked it prematurely just by embracing its own hatred.
For Lorze, who was about to take Zorua out for bloody revenge, this was a fantastic omen.
Securing extra firepower was always a good fucking thing.
With that thought, Lorze turned to the three ghosts.
“You boys just saw what I’m capable of!
Not to blow my own horn, but I have major perks when it comes to raising Ghost-type Pokémon.
Do you guys want to roll with me?”
“We’ll pass.
Us ghosts are used to living loose and free.
We can’t stand being chained down by human rules, so we won’t cause you any trouble.”
“Fair enough.
But we can at least be friends, right?”
“No problem there.
Me and the boys recognize you and the little fox as brothers now.
If you ever need a solid, just say the word.”
“Oh~ What a coincidence.
Forget ‘ever’—I need a solid right fucking now.
Zorua says that bastard has a bunch of badass Pokémon on him.
Since we’re all brothers here, why don’t you guys tag along and help me jump him?”
“Oh shit~ It just hit me.
The Gastly in the graveyard next door is rushing to reincarnate today.
I gotta go see him off~~”
…