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From the very beginning of entering the reincarnation world, Kael had never been particularly opposed to the idea of being captured by a trainer and becoming their partner.
His past experiences made that much clearer.
But that didn't mean just anyone could qualify to be his trainer.
With the system supporting him and the ability to reincarnate, Kael had witnessed countless exceptional Pokémon trainers across his many lives.
Some were strict and demanding.
Some were gentle and indulgent.
But without exception, each of them possessed a distinct personal charisma that attracted powerful Pokémon willing to follow them.
Over time, Kael's perspective had broadened.
And with it, his standards had risen.
Ordinary trainers?
He had no interest in them.
In his ideal scenario, the one who would capture him should be a trainer in the middle of their growth curve.
Not too weak.
Not too strong.
Someone with solid experience but whose team was not yet complete.
That way, Kael could rise within the team, become the core, and eventually take the position of the trainer's ace.
That mattered to him.
On the other hand, if his trainer were a complete novice—
Or a veteran who had already spent decades specializing in one field—
That would be far from ideal.
However, there was one exception.
One special circumstance that could make Kael discard all of his conditions without hesitation.
That was—
A bond.
Whether through resonance of the soul or the intertwining of fate, there were countless ways two beings might meet and spark something extraordinary in each other.
Kael didn't know exactly what that connection would feel like.
But deep down, he had a faint certainty.
Such a trainer existed.
He just hadn't met them yet.
As for the girl in front of him—
This sudden, strange female player—
In Kael's eyes, she was nothing more than a cute-faced, twin-tailed rookie trainer.
A destined bond?
A desire to be captured?
Not a chance.
So, driven by both instinctive resistance to the Poké Ball and his lack of recognition of her as a trainer, Kael cleanly dodged the Poké Ball she threw at him.
But how could Wendis possibly let such a rare Pokémon escape?
Before Kael had even fully recovered from his dodge, the blonde girl had already thrown another Poké Ball.
This time, it contained her starter Pokémon.
She intended to subdue him by force.
Click!
The spinning Poké Ball emitted a crisp mechanical sound midair.
In the next instant, a burst of red light exploded outward, illuminating the dim forest.
Thud!
With a heavy landing, a round, brown figure appeared before Kael.
Long, rabbit-like ears stood upright.
Two bead-like black eyes gleamed brightly.
Its oval body, marked with pale circular patches, was supported by a thick tail wrapped in dark rings, acting as a substitute for its short limbs.
The sentry Pokémon of Johto—
Sentret.
Now, it stood before Kael as Wendis's tool for forcefully capturing him.
Thanks to her brother's status as a guild leader, she had managed to obtain a starter Pokémon early in the game, while many ordinary players were still stuck grinding low-reward tasks in the city.
Her approach was correct.
Using battle to weaken Kael before attempting capture was the standard strategy.
But unfortunately—
Her lack of experience showed.
Even though she made the right decision, she overlooked a crucial factor that would determine the outcome of the fight.
The difference in strength between the two sides.
As a casual player, Wendis had never seriously trained her Sentret.
After receiving it from her brother, she had simply treated it like a toy—hugging it, doting on it—before storing it away in her system inventory.
As a result, its level remained exactly where it had started.
Level 5.
Meanwhile, Kael—
It was already Level 10, having surpassed the newborn stage.
Not to mention his combat experience accumulated over multiple lifetimes.
And the enhancements from his system.
His actual battle power far exceeded that of Pokémon at the same level.
Kael lowered his body.
His slender limbs pressed firmly against the ground as his muscles tensed.
Power gathered within him.
He had entered combat mode.
All distracting thoughts were suppressed.
In their place—
Absolute calm.
His blue eyes locked onto the brown oval form of Sentret.
Within his gaze, a fierce battle intent burned like fire.
Strike first.
Even though he could already sense that his opponent was weaker, Kael had no intention of holding back.
A lion uses its full strength, even when hunting a rabbit.
"Aqua Ring."
Splash—
Crystal-clear rings of water formed around his body.
They overlapped and spun, scattering fine droplets across his blue skin.
His small form began to blur.
Fade.
Disappear.
Merging into the dense green forest behind him.
On the other side, Sentret froze in confusion.
Faced with Kael suddenly vanishing, the low-level Pokémon panicked.
At only Level 5, it had almost no combat experience.
Any situation beyond its expectations left it completely lost.
In moments like this, a calm and capable trainer was crucial.
But was Wendis such a trainer?
Clearly not.
"Use Scratch! Hurry, use Scratch!"
Her urgent voice rang out from behind.
Caught off guard by Kael's sudden invisibility, the blonde girl panicked.
Afraid that this rare Pokémon might escape, she shouted her command without thinking.
And just like that—
Under reckless instructions from an inexperienced trainer—
Sentret made a fatal mistake.
It raised its thick tail and swung it directly toward the spot where Kael's fading figure had been.
Buzz…
A bright white glow lit up along its tail.
Like a moth diving into a blazing flame—
It was utterly…
Futile.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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For early access to advanced chapters on P-atreon:
P-atreon/iamxeno
(Just remove the - hyphen to access normally)
Thank you so much for your support and for reading!