"Gengar!"
Gengar widened its eyes, which were filled with crimson blood vessels, sending a chill down one's spine. Its voice sounded hoarse and shrill.
Gengar "ruthless" mouth opened wide, swallowing streams of eerie gas into it. It completely devoured the scattered "Ai," leaving not a single trace wasted.
At the same time, the experience bar for Gengar in the Nen ability system surged forward significantly, while Gardevoir also made progress, though much less compared to Gengar.
This was one of the reasons akira was surprised when Gengar explained earlier—Gengar could absorb the death aura and the mist-like "Ai," converting it into experience to level itself up.
This must be what the Nen ability system described as some Pokémon having special leveling abilities!
As for why Gengar was particularly effective against "Ai," perhaps "Ai" could also be considered a Ghost-type creature? Was this the Ghost-type move's advantage over Ghost-types?
"Burp~"
After finishing its meal, Gengar even let out a burp, patting its belly and hopping up and down as if thoroughly satisfied with the feast.
Even after "Ai" and the two monsters were completely eliminated, the bespectacled man and Pete still wore expressions of shock.
From what they had just witnessed, any of akira Nen beasts could easily deal with them. They had truly believed akira was just a non-combat support... How narrow-minded they had been!
As Gengar absorbed all the death aura and "Ai" in the chamber, the hip-hop man, who had been consumed by rage, deflated like a punctured balloon. His body rapidly shrank back to its normal size before he collapsed backward, stirring up clouds of decaying dust.
Looking at the chaotic mess of the chamber, akira sighed and rubbed his forehead, suddenly feeling a sense of emptiness—everything had happened too quickly... He never expected that one of the five great calamities, which struck fear into all hunters, would be no match for him...
Of course, this was partly due to Gardevoir and Gengar high combat strength. But the main reason was that Gengar special ability perfectly countered "Ai"!
This was the Pokémon mechanism's overwhelming advantage! "Ai" itself didn't possess formidable offensive capabilities. It primarily caused mental disturbances and created emotional monsters to attack.
But one must never underestimate "Ai." As one of the five great calamities, it was indeed formidable. For others, even veteran Nen users with A-level strength—or even stronger individuals—if they lacked special abilities, they might easily fall victim to it.
If the Pokémon that had been nurtured this time wasn't Gengar, akira would likely have had to stick to his original plan.
Escape using teleportation! The true hero of this battle was undoubtedly Gengar!
However, akira began to wonder if the nurturing of Pokémon was closely tied to the location. In this despair-filled, gloomy ruin, a Ghost-type like Gengar had been born.
Moreover, one of "Ai'" names was "Gas Lifeform," which perfectly matched Gengar gaseous nature. It could be said that Gengar emergence was the most fitting for this place!
After having Gengar confirm multiple times that there was no second "Ai" in the area, akira even felt a bit regretful. If there had been one more, Gengar might have leveled up to A-rank.
With the problem resolved, it was now... time for the rewards!
Under akira command, piles of treasures were swallowed by Gengar. Unlike the death aura it had digested earlier, Gengar wouldn't touch these items unless akira instructed it to.
Despite the successive battles that had damaged many treasures within the cavern, what remained was still a fortune that couldn't be ignored. As the savior of everyone present, akira felt no psychological burden about sweeping away all these treasures.
The bespectacled man understood this as well. While there was a hint of regret in his eyes, his gratitude toward akira was far greater. In contrast, Pete was filled with jealousy and resentment.
In his view, since he had contributed so much, a significant portion of the treasures should rightfully belong to him!
What neither of them knew was that Gardevoir, being a Psychic-type Pokémon, was highly sensitive to human emotional fluctuations. She had already relayed their inner changes to akira.
After Gengar stored the last large pearl, akira turned to Pete, who appeared grateful on the surface but harbored resentment within.
"You're jealous of me, aren't you? Jealous of my strength? Resentful that I took away what you think should have been your share of the treasure?" Akira spoke to Pete with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, which were devoid of any warmth.
Pete heart skipped a beat. Overwhelmed by shock, he couldn't maintain his composure, his expression clearly asking.
"How did you know?"
"Oh? The seasoned actor is putting on a show now? Aren't you good at acting?"
Gengar let out an eerie, sinister laugh, and three ghostly flames with an eerie glow shot toward Pete. The ghostly flames clung to Pete like maggots to bone, and in an instant, the tiny flames erupted into a fierce blaze on his body.
Peter agonized screams didn't last long, as he soon joined the Wind and Fire duo...
A gentle breeze swept by, leaving nothing behind on the ground, as if Pete had never existed. akira then turned his gaze to the bespectacled man, who was still in relatively good condition.
Stimulated by the recent events, the man, who resembled an office worker, felt his heart pounding rapidly.
"Um..." The bespectacled man finally mustered the courage to explain to akira that he harbored none of the emotions Pete had. But before he could speak, a flash of pink light darted before his eyes.
The next moment, when he regained consciousness, the bespectacled man and his two siblings found themselves in a vast forest.
"This is a forest outside the Harimu Ruins. You're decent people, at least much better than that Pete."
"Saving your lives was just a casual act for me. Don't dwell on it."
"Gardevoir, heal them."
Gardevoir spread her hands, releasing waves of pink energy toward the siblings. Their injuries healed at an astonishing speed!
Healing Pulse: A technique that restores health and heals wounds by emitting light waves. The healing effect depends on the amount of psychic energy consumed and the severity of the injuries.
Witnessing the two who had been on the brink of death recover almost to their pre-ruin state, the usually calm bespectacled man could no longer maintain his composure. His mouth hung open in shock.
So far, akira Nen beasts had displayed multiple extraordinary abilities. Powerful offensive capabilities, miraculous curse-removing skills, highly efficient healing powers, and even the ability to use Nen beasts as storage!
The bespectacled man didn't even know if akira only had these two Nen beasts. If there were more, then wouldn't that mean...
Akira display of power shattered the bespectacled man previous understanding of Nen abilities. This was the most formidable Nen user he had ever seen!
Akira paid no attention to the bespectacled man, whose mouth was agape, jaw nearly hitting the ground, as if mimicking a Gengar devouring something.
Seeing that the three siblings had almost fully recovered under Gardevoir healing, akira flashed away, teleporting from the spot. All that remained was the bewildered bespectacled man and the still-unconscious leather-clad woman and the hip-hop guy.
After a long while, the leather-clad woman and the hip-hop guy slowly woke up, finding themselves inexplicably in the middle of a forest. After the bespectacled man vivid and dramatic retelling, they finally understood what had just transpired.
Although they didn't witnessed akira overwhelming display of power firsthand, the fact that they were now here, nearly unscathed, spoke volumes.
The three siblings were not ungrateful people. Even if they couldn't help akira in any way now, they would forever remember this life-saving favor.
As hunters, their abilities might not be outstanding, but if akira ever needed them in the future, they would undoubtedly step up without hesitation.
They were also convinced that someone like akira wouldn't remain obscure for long, his name would surely become renowned someday. When that time came, they would actively seek him out to express their gratitude for saving their lives today!
...
Unlike the three siblings resting in the forest, akira had already arrived above the inner city of the Harimu Ruins. Yes, he had returned to this place once again. This time, he was here to extract every last bit of death aura from this location.
The dense death aura in the inner city was like experience candy in a game for Gengar. Every time it swallowed a large mass of death aura, its experience points would rise significantly. Unlike Gardevoir Safe Guard and Healing Bell, which consumed its own Nen to counteract the death aura, Gengar devouring ability required no Nen expenditure.
It simply opened its mouth and inhaled, as if eating. The death aura that others feared and avoided became Gengar experience, aiding its growth.
By the time the last mass of death aura was devoured by Gengar, its stats showed that it had reached the same A-rank level as Gardevoir!
Name: Gengar ...
Rank: A ...
This kind of power boost was practically like cheating. akira had a premonition that Gengar might very well become the first Pokémon in his possession to ascend from A-rank to S-rank!
The six continents were filled with countless ruins, which meant an endless supply of death aura! Not to mention the distant Dark Continent, where death aura and similar things would surely be abundant—all of which would serve as nourishment for Gengar!
Moreover, doing this was beneficial for both himself and everyone else. His own strength increased, and the death aura in the ruins was eliminated, allowing countless archaeologists and ruin hunters to fulfill their dreams.
If akira were to actively publicize Gengar abilities, he would likely be hailed as the king of ruin hunters in no time! This was something even "Ging" the leading figure among ruin hunters, could never achieve.