Born Amid Resentment

Early the next morning, Sato got up early. Unless something unusual happened, the Pokémon's morning training would not be canceled.

Larvitar had secretly been let out last night to chew on plenty of hard Black Stone, then quietly went to sleep in its Poké Ball.

Larvitar's species had a habit of forming cocoons, so they were highly adaptable to dormancy. Sato was not worried that it would suffocate inside its Poké Ball.

About half an hour later, West also Walked Out of the house. Seeing Sato training his Pokémon, he did not disturb him. He released the Three Pokemon he had brought along and began their Morning Training as well.

At eight thirty, the two finished training and packed their luggage. Sato kept Haunter and Zorua by his side, while West only released Houndoom. Feraligatr and Skarmory truly were not suited to traveling alongside them.

As they slowly drew closer, scattered ruins began appearing irregularly across the ground. Aside from tenacious grass struggling out through the cracks, there were no trees anywhere in the Ruins of Alph.

Before coming here, Sato had already sorted through his memories of the Ruins of Alph. Once he Arrived At the site, he began verifying them one by one.

The Ruins of Alph were extremely desolate, rarely visited by humans. Logically Speaking, such an environment Should Be attractive to Pokémon like Sandshrew, Raticate, and Mankey.

Yet strangely, there was not a single trace of any Pokémon in the Ruins of Alph. Still, one kind of Pokémon had been discovered here by humans many times.

Unown, even more mysterious than Legendary Pokémon! It was said that anyone who encountered Unown was lucky. Sato did not think so, because in his previous life, what he had encountered here was a terrifying Shuppet!

The Ruins of Alph were extremely quiet. Other than the sound of Sato's group walking, there was no other noise. Guided by his memories, Sato went deeper and soon Arrived At a rather unusual place.

The mottled Rock Wall was Full Of Ancient Pokemon Text. Sato could not read it, nor did he need to, but anyone who looked carefully would discover that the writing across the entire wall was perfectly symmetrical along a vertical center line!

Following that inconspicuous center line, Sato's Right Hand slid down from top to bottom. Nothing seemed to have changed, but in truth...

"Haunter, Mean Look!"

"Jiejie!"

Haunter emerged from the ground. In an instant, everything within its visible range seemed to be enveloped by a deep purple sky. Pairs of pitch-black eyes silently opened, leaving all ghosts with nowhere to hide.

"Eek!"

A panicked cry suddenly rang out. Behind a broken wall not far from Sato, a Dark Blue Shuppet abruptly floated out.

"Eek, eek!"

This Time, Shuppet's voice was Full of anger. Its body was suddenly enveloped in red light, and even the Ancient Pokemon Text on the broken wall began to Emerge with a red glow! "West, I'll leave it to you. This Shuppet is quite strong in the Ruins of Alph."

Sato took a step back. The Shuppet had already been found, so his task was complete. Keeping his promise, he naturally left the capture to West.

"Leave it to me. Houndoom, Flamethrower!"

"Woo!"

Scorching flames Sprayed Out, poised to engulf Shuppet directly. Yet before they could reach it, the red light around Shuppet suddenly intensified. Flamethrower was scattered in every direction, failing to touch Shuppet at all.

"Eek, eek!"

Shuppet seemed to be questioning something, but faced with Houndoom's attack, it retaliated without the slightest weakness!

A phantom abruptly appeared behind Shuppet, then rapidly expanded, Covering the Sky and Sun as it engulfed Houndoom and West.

Sato did not intervene. How could he interfere with a Trainer's battle before victory or defeat had been decided?

"Aowu!"

A wolf-like roar rang out, and the enormous phantom was broken apart. Houndoom and West panted heavily, their faces pale as they Stared Closely at Shuppet.

How Could there be Such Terrifying Night Shade!

West clenched his cold palm tightly and carefully noticed that Houndoom was trembling as well.

Night Shade was a very special move. The higher a Pokémon's level, the more fixed damage equal to that level it dealt to its opponent.

Even a wild Shuppet that had yet to evolve had to have limits to its level. In that instant just now, West had felt as though he would be swallowed by darkness the Next Second.

Fortunately, at the Crucial Moment, Houndoom had used Howl, greatly Increased its morale, and only then barely managed to Break Open the Night Shade.

Glancing at the Ancient Pokemon Text flashing with red light around them, West guessed that Shuppet's power Should Be coming from it.

"Houndoom, Inferno Field!"

"Woo!"

Houndoom stomped hard with its front paws. A massive red fireball instantly appeared Around Its Body, then exploded into chains of flame that stretched outward in every direction, aimed straight at the broken wall! "Eek!"

Shuppet cried out in panic. The red light on its body immediately dimmed by more than half, and its strength instantly dropped to the outstanding level.

"Charge Up, Fire Fang!"

Houndoom's Burst Power was formidable. It pushed off fiercely, instantly leaping before Shuppet, and Fire Fang struck home!

"Go, Great Ball!"

Seizing the moment, West threw a yellow-and-black Great Ball that struck Shuppet precisely.

The Great Ball that fell to the ground shook continuously, its red light flashing rapidly. West clenched his fists nervously. Sato watched with his arms folded, unexpectedly feeling a trace of nervousness as well.

"Ding!"

"Caught it!" West excitedly picked up the Great Ball and waved it vigorously at Sato.

"Check its talent."

"Treat it first. Shuppet's injuries are not light." As he spoke, West was about to release Shuppet.

"Wait. Let's get out first!"

Sato led West farther and farther away, only gesturing for him to release Shuppet once the Ruins of Alph were no longer in sight.

"Eee~?"

A severe bite wound accompanied by burns covered Shuppet's body. West showed no reluctance as he smeared on the precious Full Restore, and Shuppet quickly regained its energy.

"Eee! Eee!"

Shuppet ignored Sato and West, instead looking around in every direction as though searching for something.

"He's..."

"Looking for home—the place it considers home," Sato finished for West, his words carrying a deeper meaning.

"Eee..."

Shuppet landed forlornly on the grass, its small body looking lonely and helpless.

"Sato, you must know something!" West suddenly turned to him and said with unusual seriousness.

"Mm." Sato nodded, then walked over and sat beside Shuppet, seemingly considering how to put it into words.

"It must be painful, never being able to find the way home, right?"

"Eee?" Shuppet turned and stared at Sato dumbfounded, a faint emotion flickering in its eyes.

"People say that Shuppet is formed when a Pokémon dies suddenly while harboring intense resentment."

West sat down on Shuppet's other side and quietly listened to Sato's explanation.

"And an abandoned Unown must be in terrible pain too, right?"

"Eee!"

Please give recommendations and support! I stayed up late to add another chapter—pretty impressive, right?