Fearow circled through the torrential rain, emitting piercing shrieks.
The gale whipped up sheets of leaves and muddy water, leaving everything teetering on the brink.
Yahiko and Charmeleon stood back-to-back, breathing heavily.
They had already dodged multiple attacks, yet against an enemy diving from high altitude, they had almost no room for counterattack.
Fearow held absolute aerial dominance, darting through the clouds like lightning, each dive powerful enough to uproot entire sections of forest.
Another whistling sound cut through the air as several Wind Blades suddenly descended.
Gritting his teeth, Yahiko rolled aside to evade the Wind Blades, the ground beside his feet carved with deep trenches.
Charmeleon roared, its Tail Flame surging as it spewed scorching flames in retaliation.
The fiery blaze soared, streaking across the gloomy sky, but Fearow had already twisted mid-air, effortlessly avoiding the attack before whipping up another hurricane with a flick of its wings.
The wind swept like blades, carrying residual flames and ashes, sending both Yahiko and Charmeleon flying.
Human and Pokémon crashed heavily onto the ground, splattering mud and rainwater.
Yahiko pushed himself up from the ground, breathing rapidly, sweat on his forehead mingling with the rain.
He looked up to see Charmeleon also struggling to its feet, rage burning in its eyes.
In the next moment, that fury began to transform.
The Fire Chakra throughout Charmeleon's body boiled violently, light flickering within it.
It was the sign of evolution.
Yahiko's pupils contracted.
But the radiance suddenly dimmed, Charmeleon's body stiffened, its Tail Flame flickering wildly before finally stabilizing.
Evolution failed!
Charmeleon let out a furious roar, digging its claws into the soil, filled with resentment.
For a moment, Charmeleon seemed disoriented.
It looked up at Yahiko, its gaze complex.
Even carrying a hint of confusion.
Just then, another deafening cry echoed from the sky.
Fearow spread its wings, the air pressure around it plummeting as it stirred up a storm.
It dove downward, brimming with overwhelming fury.
"Dodge!"
Yahiko instinctively pulled Charmeleon into a sideways slide.
But the gale still struck the ground, the explosive shockwave sending them flying once more, trees toppling with their roots exposed, splintered wood flying everywhere.
Yahiko landed hard, a sharp pain shooting through his chest.
Before he could rise, a flurry of flapping sounds filled the air.
It was a flock of Spearow.
They shot toward Yahiko like arrows.
Charmeleon roared, its Tail Flame blazing fiercely.
Even battered and bruised, it charged recklessly into the Spearow flock, flames erupting from its mouth to form a blazing wall of fire.
The Spearow shrieked as they scattered, though several were caught in the inferno.
In the rain, Charmeleon's figure was enveloped in flames.
It still couldn't break through the barrier of evolution, as if something was missing.
Yahiko lifted his head, watching the scene before him, his heart aching.
Could it be that his recent suppression of Charmeleon had prevented it from evolving?
"Perhaps... I shouldn't have held it back from growing stronger."
He murmured softly, sinking into self-doubt.
Yet, at that moment, a calm voice spoke behind him.
"You did nothing wrong, Yahiko. If power lacks restraint and balance, it becomes like Fearow—completely consumed by vengeance and rage."
Yahiko whirled around to see a figure approaching steadily through the rain curtain.
It was Shiroishi.
Raindrops slid down his hair, yet it did nothing to diminish his reassuring presence.
"Shiroishi..."
Yahiko whispered softly, his expression complex.
Shiroishi took a few steps closer, his gaze sweeping over the distant Fearow.
"Abusing power leads to destruction. Fearow is the most direct proof—it only wanted to protect its master initially, but after losing restraint, it was consumed by grief and hatred."
He paused, turning his eyes to Yahiko with a gentle tone.
"Your kindness was never a mistake."
Yahiko froze.
Shiroishi continued, "Teach Charmeleon to endure, and to understand the pain of others. That is the true bond. Kindness isn't weakness—it's a form of balance, preventing you from being consumed."
He looked up at the sky, where the giant bird circled in the storm.
"Understand? If you don't want Charmeleon to end up like Fearow in the future, you need enough confidence and strength."
Yahiko's breathing gradually steadied.
He lowered his head, looking at the Charmeleon still roaring defiantly ahead.
The flames flickered in the rain.
"...Thank you."
He stood up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and began gathering Chakra once more.
At that moment, subtle, synchronized breathing ripples faintly appeared around both Yahiko and Charmeleon.
On the other hand, Shiroishi watched the Fearow in the sky and the Spearows around it, transformed by infection.
A strange smile touched his lips.
The contagious nature of Chakra was truly terrifying.
Not just the Spearows, but White Zetsu as well...
Thinking this, Shiroishi narrowed his eyes, his smile growing even gentler.
Outside Uchiha Madara's base.
White Zetsu emerged from beneath the ground, his movements much slower than usual. The usual playfulness was gone from his face, replaced by an eerie calm.
His pale skin seemed to seep with cold sweat.
"Hah..."
White Zetsu breathed weakly, his energy several times weaker than before.
He looked down, his gaze falling on his chest.
There was an extremely fine crack.
The fissure expanded visibly, spreading from his chest to his abdomen, the surface tissue curling and writhing.
With a faint pulsing sound, a soft light emerged from deep within the crack.
The next moment, the light source was fully revealed.
It was a Ninja Beast Egg.
Quietly embedded within White Zetsu, its surface shimmered with a silvery glow.
From the eggshell extended two translucent energy tubes, winding their way to connect with White Zetsu's heart.
Chakra flowed through the tubes, pulsing like blood.
White Zetsu could clearly feel the egg absorbing his life force in an extremely faint but steady manner, while simultaneously returning some unfamiliar energy back into his body.
With each breath, his body and the egg had fallen into a bizarre symbiotic state.
At the Breeding House, Black Zetsu had stolen a total of five Ninja Beast Eggs.
Black Zetsu kept one for himself.
He instructed White Zetsu to deliver four to Uchiha Madara.
But in reality, White Zetsu handed over only three.
White Zetsu raised his hand, gently touching the surface of the egg.
As he made contact, ripples of light shimmered across the eggshell, responding to his Chakra.
In that moment, a blurred figure surfaced in White Zetsu's mind.
It was a young face.
Calm, with clear eyes.
The features were sharp and clean, the corners of the mouth curved in a smile that was hard to distinguish as gentle or mocking.
Clearly, it was Shiroishi's face.
White Zetsu's breath hitched for half a second.
Then he retched, coughing violently...
The rain beat against the ground, and mist slowly rose around them.
The recovered White Zetsu gradually sank into the soil, the egg in its chest still pulsing rhythmically.
This time, through the fusion of White Zetsu's body with this Ninja Beast Egg, a completely new and unique life form was about to be born.
The morphological contagion affecting native creatures like Fearow and Spearow had always been part of Shiroishi's experiment.
This applied to Spearow, and equally to White Zetsu.
"To resonate like this already... Does Mega Evolution require merging?"