The experience provided by the Brion was substantial, even when split between Tyranitar and Hydreigon.
It still left Hydreigon just one step away from reaching S rank.
Good things come in pairs. Gengar, who had been continuously absorbing Death Aura, had nearly exhausted the supply in the labyrinth city.
Finally, it had risen from its original A+ rank to S- rank.
Crossing this significant threshold, Gengar had successfully become an S- rank powerhouse! It was also the fourth S- rank Pokemon in Akira possession!
Back when Akira first learned of Gengar ability to absorb Death Aura, he had a premonition—Gengar might very well be the first Pokemon to ascend from A-rank to S- rank!
As it turned out, Akira intuition was correct.
With the vast amount of Death Aura provided by the ancient labyrinth city, Gengar had finally reached S- rank and the information Gengar conveyed next was even more shocking to Akira.
After Gengar promotion to S- rank, it had gained a new ability.
That was the ability to Mega Evolve!
Gengar could now enter its Mega Evolution form, though like in the Pokemon lore, it could only maintain this form for a limited time.
Mega Sableye, having been born in its Mega form, could remain in that state indefinitely.
Originally, Akira had thought that Gengar and other Pokemon might not have the chance to Mega Evolve. But it turned out that when their strength reached a certain level, they could awaken their Mega Evolution forms.
Although there was a time limit, it was still a significant advantage.
Perhaps when Pokemon like Gardevoir and Lucario, currently at A-rank, ascended to S- rank, they too could gain the ability to Mega Evolve?
As for why Tyranitar couldn't Mega Evolve?
Akira believed that it might need to reach a higher level of strength to awaken this ability.
As a pseudo-legendary Pokemon, Tyranitar had greater potential and might need to reach an even higher rank to Mega Evolve.
Judging by Gengar awakening at S- rank, Tyranitar might need to reach SS- rank. But Akira thought it might not need to go that high; perhaps it could Mega Evolve sooner.
Accepting Ging invitation this time had been the right decision.
First, it led to the birth of the "Grass-Steel" Ferrothorn.
Second, the large number of Brion provided substantial experience for the Pokemon.
Third, the Herb that was about to be obtained.
Lastly, the massive amount of Death Aura had successfully helped Gengar ascend to S- rank.
And on top of that, Akira had discovered the pattern of Pokemon Mega Evolution.
Just as there were remnants of Death Aura lingering within the ruins, it was the perfect opportunity to show him the form of Gengar after its Mega Evolution!
"Hmm?"
Ging was about to walk over to the stone wall to pluck the herbs growing on it when he suddenly turned his head, sensing the strange aura emanating from Gengar.
Gengar, which had been gulping down the Death Aura as if it were "soup," had now stopped its actions. The aura around it was fluctuating continuously, growing stronger and stronger.
The level of aura it was currently exuding was already at an astonishing level!
Ging stared in shock at Gengar, now enveloped in a white light, a look of surprise flashing in his eyes.
Ging subtly glanced at Akira.
Just how many secrets are you still hiding?!
"Is this... a transformation?"
Pyon blinked her eyes, staring at the ever-changing shape of the white light, her tone filled with astonishment.
As the white light dissipated, an even more terrifying aura burst forth from Gengar, stirring up the dust that had just settled.
No, it should now be called Mega Gengar!
Mega Gengar size had grown significantly compared to before, with sharp spikes now adorning its back.
Its two short arms had transformed into shapes resembling spiked hammers, but the most striking feature was the golden pattern on its head.
"Geeen~ gar."
Mega Gengar let out its first roar after its Mega Evolution. It sounded deeper and more menacing than before.
Immediately, without even opening its mouth, countless Death Aura began to converge toward Mega Gengar spontaneously.
When the eerie and sinister Death Aura touched Mega Gengar body, it melted away like snow under the warm sun. It was completely absorbed by Mega Gengar, becoming a part of its strength.
The range of absorption was so vast that it covered most of the ancient labyrinth city.
Countless Death Aura hidden within the buildings were also drawn out, flying straight toward Mega Gengar.
Name: Gengar (Mega Evolution)
Ability: Shadow Tag
Type: Ghost, Poison
Strength: S
Moves: Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, Sludge Wave, Hypnosis, Hex...
Gengar had indeed transformed into its Mega Evolution form. Under Mega Evolution, Gengar strength had risen from S- to S tier. Its ability had also changed from Cursed Body to Shadow Tag.
Shadow Tag was quite useful, as it could prevent the opponent from escaping.
Looking at the massive Gengar, whose entire body exuded an aura that made one feel as if they had fallen into an icy abyss, Ging remained silent.
The already formidable aura surged even more after the transformation.
Ging, whose eyelids were twitching uncontrollably, suddenly thought of something terrifying.
If each of Akira Nen Beasts possessed this transformation ability, then...
'I must never become enemy of Akira.'
Ging silently resolved in his heart.
The Mega Evolution of Gengar once again shocked the two people beside him.
Akira was like a bottomless black hole, others could never know just how much was hidden within. When you marveled at what he revealed, there was always so much more concealed beneath the surface!
After the Mega Evolution, the last remnants of Death Aura were completely swept away by Mega Gengar. Not a single trace of Death Aura was wasted, all of it became nourishment for Gengar advancement.
As it continued to absorb, the color on Gengar body became more refined, exuding an eerie, abyss-like aura. If Chairman Netero and the other elders were to see this, their first thought would likely be that it was something from the Dark Continent.
After a while, seeing that the Death Aura had been fully absorbed, Akira recalled Mega Gengar. According to Gengar, the more its strength increased, the longer it could maintain its Mega Evolution.
Perhaps, once its strength reached a sufficiently high level in the future, it could remain in its Mega Evolution form indefinitely?
The frightening commotion finally subsided.
The battlefield finally returned to calm.
The three of them approached the stone wall and began to admire the fruits of their journey. The aftermath of the battle had left a layer of dust on the intertwined plants. Their once vibrant green had turned into a dull, earthy yellow.
However, the truly precious herbs remained unharmed. They were still firmly rooted, seemingly unshaken by any storm. The fragrance that was already noticeable became even more intense upon closer inspection.
It was a scent brimming with vitality, a refreshing aroma that seemed capable of soothing the soul.
Compared to these legendary herbs, the special apple Ging had just eaten seemed pale in comparison. The number of herbs wasn't vast, but it was more than enough to be divided among the three.
Feeling that she had contributed less, Pyon took a smaller share, while the rest was split evenly between Ging and Akira.
Even so, each of them received several plants.
It's worth noting that even a single leaf, let alone an entire plant, of these herbs was an incredibly precious treasure. This harvest was enough to offset the challenges they had faced.
Ging placed his share of the herbs into a small cloth bag to better preserve them.
After all, no one could guarantee whether the herbs' effects would diminish once they were plucked. As for Akira, he naturally summoned his personal storage—Gengar.
Watching Gengar open its wide mouth and swallow the numerous herbs, Ging felt numb.
After so many surprises, Ging thought he wouldn't be overly shocked no matter what abilities Akira revealed next.
For instance, this newly displayed spatial Aura Ability didn't overly astonish Ging.
As for Pyon, who had already witnessed Gengar abilities, he was even less surprised. Unlike Ging and Akira, who had their own methods of spatial storage, Pyon chose to temporarily store his herbs with Akira, planning to retrieve them when needed.
From their time together, Pyon believed that Akira was definitely not the type to hoard things for himself. Even the herb symbolizing "hope."
After securing the greatest harvest of this journey, the trio proceeded to explore the "Ancient Labyrinth City" once more, checking for any overlooked items.
According to Ging and Pyon speculations, there might be some records here that could shed light on past events. These could be in the form of certain scripts or perhaps books. For the two, who were paleograph hunter and ruin hunter, such items were equally precious.
However, despite their thorough search, they found nothing.
Perhaps these records were destroyed in battle, or perhaps they had weathered away over time. In the end, they couldn't uncover any additional information. It seemed that only the divine script remained as a type of text here.
After leaving the cave, the trio caught the attention of the V5 personnel stationed there.
"You actually made it out?!" exclaimed the man in a suit, who was still on duty at the checkpoint.
Seeing the three emerge unscathed from the cave, he was as shocked as if he had seen a ghost. Given the numerous precedents, the man in the suit regarded the cave as a forbidden zone—a place that absolutely must not be entered.
Yet, the trio before him had effortlessly accomplished what others could not.
Could it be that they had stayed in a safe spot inside and waited for some time before coming out?
This thought had just surfaced when the man in the suit immediately dismissed it.
The cave was filled with Death Aura everywhere, there was no safe place for them to rest. If the man in the suit had gone to the cave entrance at that moment, he would have noticed that, looking through the membrane, the Death Aura inside had completely vanished.
"What? Surprised?" Ging said with a mischievous grin, deliberately not revealing how they had managed it.
Stumped by Ging response, the man in the suit looked somewhat uncomfortable, but then another thought occurred to him.
Had the trio figured out what was happening inside?
Since they had come out unharmed, even if they hadn't fully uncovered the truth, they must have gathered some information.
"What exactly is the situation inside?" the man in a suit asked, his tone somewhat accusatory.
Facing this, Ging raised an eyebrow, stopping Pyon, who was about to say something, and slowly replied.
"The Death Aura inside is gone. If you want to know more, go in and see for yourself."
Hearing this, the man in the suit was first indignant, but then his attention was drawn by Ging words.
He said... the Death Aura was gone?
How could that be!
By the time the man in the suit came to his senses, the trio had already walked some distance away. Seeing this, he didn't bother with them and instead arranged for the covert personnel to check the cave.
The results came out quickly.
Standing outside the cave, one could clearly see the situation inside.
The thick Death Aura that had blocked the view was no longer there.
Upon learning of this change, V5 once again dispatched a team to investigate.
What they faced was a place devoid of danger and devoid of gains—only an empty "Ancient Labyrinth City." Apart from that, there were only very obvious signs of battle.
Scorch marks were everywhere, and there were large craters here and there, indicating that several major battles had taken place.
After the trio "carpet-style" sweep, there was nothing useful left inside.
Even the bodies of the Brion had been thoroughly incinerated by Akira Arcanine flames, just to be safe. The plants on the stone walls were mostly ordinary, with only a few being mature parasitic plants.
After Akira had taken it, there was nothing useful left behind.
Despite the extensive mobilization by V5, they ultimately gained nothing.
After thorough comparisons, it was roughly speculated that this might be something akin to an "Ancient labyrinth city" in the dark continent.
No further information could be obtained.
Not long after leaving, the three of them went their separate ways.
Ging and Pyon were heading back to the Hunter Association.
Pyon main goal was to document this experience and archive it within the association's confidential records.
Ging wanted to meet with Chairman Netero, have a chat, and incidentally discuss the events that had transpired.
Akira destination was Gourmet Hunter Paradise.
After obtaining the herb that was said to "cure all disease" Akira first thought was of Linne.
He had a particularly deep impression of her, gravely ill and enveloped in an aura of death.
Linne was Menchi senior and a close friend of Chairman Netero and she had been kind to him. After he and Menchi won the Gourmet Hunter Contest, she had even specially prepared exquisite dishes for them.
At the same time, Akira could also test the herb effectiveness on Linne, as he was curious to see if it was truly as potent as claimed.
Through Linne unique case, Akira could also gauge the herb efficacy. He could also see if it would work on diseases from the Dark Continent.
Moreover, he could visit Menchi, whom he hadn't seen in a while.
So Akira decided to return to Gourmet Hunter Paradise first.
"Buzz~ Buzz~"
Just as Akira was thinking this, his phone rang unexpectedly. The caller was someone Akira found a bit surprising.
"Earthworm, do you have any information?"
On the other end of the line was Earthworm, whom Akira had recently sent on an undercover mission.
As he asked, Akira mind was already racing with thoughts about what information Earthworm might bring.
"Lord Akira, I have extremely important information to report to you."
Earthworm, facing Akira, spoke with the same fervent tone.
Knowing Akira temperament, Earthworm didn't beat around the bush but got straight to the point.
"Pride of the 'Seven Deadly Sins' has successfully become one of the Ten Dons!"
After a long while, Akira hung up the phone, a glint of sharpness flashing in his eyes.
"The Ten Dons, huh..."
It turned out that during the Yorknew City incident, the previous Ten Dons had been killed by Illumi, who was hired by Chrollo.
How could the highest position governing the world underworld remain vacant?
Typically, the families of the Ten Dons would appoint someone to fill the vacant position.
However, due to Akira butterfly effect, Pride had agreed to cooperate with the underworld.
In return, they had promised Pride a position as one of the Ten Dons.
Originally, the Ten Dons had only intended to issue a blank check, without any real intention of fulfilling it.
However, after the Yorknew City incident, the Ten Dons were completely wiped out, and the underworld suffered a significant loss of power. Even the Shadow Beasts, who had been entrusted with important tasks, were left with only Earthworm returning to report.
What they didn't know was that even this sole survivor, Earthworm, was a mole that Akira had casually arranged.
Faced with this situation, they naturally couldn't afford to provoke Pride of the "Seven Deadly Sins." Although the "Seven Deadly Sins" no longer held their former prestige, they were still not to be trifled with.
With the original Ten Dons dead, a position was conveniently vacated for Pride.
By directly making the "Seven Deadly Sins" their own, they also managed to replenish some of their strength.
This was the intelligence that Earthworm had specifically informed them about.
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