Blood Feeding

Clang!

Sato threw the sharp dagger to the ground without hesitation, making Zorua shudder. The last trace of confusion in its eyes instantly vanished. It watched Sato warily, curling up as it clearly prepared to pounce.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," Sato said softly, mobilizing the Dark Power within his body and directing it toward the cut on his hand.

A stream of pure Dark-type Energy slowly radiated from the seeping blood. With blood as its carrier, the Dark Power did not immediately dissipate. Instead, it mixed into the blood, giving off a fatal allure to Zorua, which was also a Dark-type.

The Dark Power's second extended ability: Blood Feeding. The Dark Power was Dark-type in nature. By using his own blood as a medium, this pure energy could be easily absorbed by Dark-type Pokémon, comprehensively improving their Physical Quality, intelligence, and even innate potential!

Back then, Sato had risked his life in a death match with Zorua, and Zorua's sharp teeth had bitten through his arm. At that time, the faint Dark Power within his body had actually pulled Zorua out of its bloodthirsty berserk state.

Now, however, Sato had merely cut himself voluntarily, and Zorua was temporarily unaffected by the bloody smell around them.

That fatal temptation made Zorua step forward unconsciously. Just Like That, it walked Step by Step to Sato's side, stuck out its small tongue, and began licking his blood.

Only then did Sato Have Time to observe this partner who had entrusted his life to him in his previous life.

Its body was skin and bones, its fur matted and dull, its tail bald, and several long whip marks ran across its body.

Sato knew Zorua's circumstances very well. It was a Pokémon discarded by the organization. Its former owner had already died during a mission, and because Zorua was weak, it had been left in the organization while its owner was Executing Mission.

Since Pokémon like Zorua had never appeared in the Kanto Region, and even in the Unova Region where they had been discovered, Zorua were exceedingly rare.

At this point, the Pokemon League was still far from having strong control over every region. Information between regions was difficult to share, causing the rare and powerful Zorua to be ill-suited to Kanto.

There were no native Dark-type Pokémon in the Kanto Region, and people knew nothing of their Type Advantage or moves. Zorua, a hidden gem, gradually gathered dust and was ignored, ultimately reduced to becoming a trial Pokémon.

"From now on, follow me properly."

Sato Extended Hand and gently combed through Zorua's messy fur. Zorua stiffened for a moment, but it seemed to understand what Sato meant and obediently accepted his touch.

"Kuso~"

The wound on his arm was not deep, so after only a small amount of blood flowed out, it closed on its own. Zorua obediently Rubbed Against Sato's arm, Indicating that he should withdraw his hand. It would not drink anymore.

"You can't drink any more, can you?" Sato grinned and tapped its little head. The Dark Power was no longer as scarce and weak as it had been in his previous life. With such pure energy in its stomach, even a tiny amount was enough for the currently weak Zorua.

"Kuso~"

Zorua's blue eyes darted around, a flash of cunning crossing them. Then it immediately whimpered and acted cute toward Sato. Seeing This, Sato could not help but sigh.

Zorua's personality before and after evolution was completely different. Before evolving, it was mischievous, cunning, and skilled at disguising itself. Even after enduring so much suffering and hardship, it had not lost that spark of liveliness.

After evolving into Zoroark, however, it became silent and calm, as though it had been born to lurk in the night. If it could Take Action, it would never waste words.

Click!

The Iron Door of the cage opened automatically. Dim light fell across Zorua's body, and it jolted before flashing behind Sato's back, its body trembling slightly.

Sato turned around and Picked Up Zorua. Feeling its frail little body, he felt a pang of heartache. Then, with his head lowered, he walked out.

"Hm?"

"What is he holding In Hand?"

"Is that a Pokémon? Shouldn't it have been killed?"

All sorts of surprised and doubtful discussions reached his ears. Following the voices, Sato saw roughly seventeen or eighteen rookies who had passed, all gathered there and talking among themselves.

Most of the cages in the Second Stage contained Pokémon like Rattata and Sentret, which were fairly fast but equally weak.

Even with a dagger, Rattata were far more troublesome to deal with than Caterpie.

This Second Round was merely meant to eliminate those with physical defects or those whose minds were still not firm enough.

"Number 136, What Is that you're holding? Why didn't you kill it? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" The Red Card Killer's voice rang out, his tone strangely excited, as though he were anticipating something.

"I caught it. That counts as passing, doesn't it?"

"Of course it doesn't. I'll give you a chance. Kill it now, and I'll let you pass!" The Red Card Killer had clearly realized what happened, making him even more excited. Killing one's own Pokémon with one's own hands just to survive—what a wonderful scene! Sato frowned deeply. In his previous life, he had also brought Zorua out, yet no one had made things difficult for him. Catching a Pokémon in the cage was far harder than killing it.

Any organization striving to improve itself, whether righteous or evil, would not reject outstanding talent. So where had things gone wrong? Sato tightened his hold on the trembling Zorua In His Arms and shifted his gaze to the Blue Rank Killer standing silently to the side. He was the one truly in charge here!

"I said, kill it!" the Red Card Killer snarled. The Houndoom beside him also stepped forward, One Person One Pet pressing down on them aggressively.

"Kuso..."

Zorua Turned Its Head. Though its body was trembling, it still bared its teeth viciously at the Houndoom, which was stronger than it by who knew how Many Times! A slender palm covered Zorua's view. While secretly calculating the fighting strength this weak body could produce with the Dark Power in order to find a way to Break the Situation, Sato silently Faced Directly the Blue Rank Killer, stopping Zorua from provoking Houndoom further.

"All right, return to the line!"

"Lord Carlo, this..."

The Red Card Killer tried to object, but all he received was a pair of eyes as unfathomable as an abyss and a terrifying aura that could not be resisted.

Houndoom was equally terrified. With its tail tucked between its legs, it whimpered and Begged for Mercy, hiding behind its master in a complete display of submission.

"Yes... Lord Carlo. Number 163, return to the line at once!" the Red Card Killer said sharply, his expression dark and unreadable. He had clearly remembered this grudge against Sato.

With his head lowered and without a word, Sato took his place at the very end. The trembling of the Zorua In His Arms lessened somewhat, but its pounding heartbeat still reached Sato clearly. To it, that single act of baring its teeth had been No Less Than a life-or-death battle.

He gently stroked Zorua's fur, sending scattered traces of Dark Power through his palm and into its body to soothe its emotions.

Sato's eyes were pitch-black. He had firmly memorized the distinctive Dark-type Energy fluctuations on Houndoom's body. He had not expected the second enemy he needed to kill to appear so early!