The Ring

Liao Xingchen froze. Even Charizard, who was roasting Shedinja beside him, and Shedinja itself, which was being roasted, turned to look.

Then they all saw Lin Sen raise his head, wearing a gentle, refined smile despite his disheveled state.

Shedinja knew that smile on its ally's face was a disguise. Ever since its seal had been lifted, it had remained by Lin Sen's side.

The time had not been long—only a year or two—but for Shedinja, it was the first time it had met an ally who shared its ambitions. Together, they had plundered vitality without restraint, moving from one weak Pokémon League to another.

Then, not long ago, Aokigahara Forest—the place they had originally planned to visit—had been destroyed by the rampage of some unknown legend. For some reason, Shedinja had been filled with terror when it saw those Azure Flames in that strange box called a television.

It was as if those flames were its natural enemy.

Because Aokigahara Forest had been destroyed, they had been forced to change their plans and come to Viridian Forest, where they encountered this hateful human and Charizard.

Shedinja considered itself Lin Sen's closest ally. That was why it would rather endure the burning pain than let Lin Sen be hurt first.

It was only a little pain. It had endured being sealed away for so many years—what was this much pain worth?

As the embodiment of disaster, it would not die so easily. Otherwise, it would never have been sealed in the first place.

Yet, as it looked at Lin Sen's ever-present smile, Shedinja suddenly realized that it knew nothing about this man's past. Their shared memories seemed to consist only of endlessly plundering vitality, something it had regarded as the most intimate act allies could share.

Shedinja knew that Lin