Larry then turned his attention to the bespectacled man, who was now sweating profusely. Witnessing Neguro’s fate had his heart pounding wildly. “I—” he started, scrambling to expin that he harbored no ill will toward Larry. But before he could finish, a fsh of pink light from Gardevoir interrupted him, making him freeze in pce.
When Larry regained sciousness, the bespectacled man and his two siblings found themselves standing in the middle of a vast forest. The t trees swayed gently in the breeze, their leaves rustling like whispers. “This is a forest just outside the Karym Ruins,” Larry said, his voice calm but distant. “You’re not bad people—certainly better than Neguro, at least.” He waved a hand dismissively. “Saving your lives was just a casual thing for me, so don’t dwell on it too much.”
Turning to his Pokémon, he anded, “Gardevoir, heal them.” Gardevracefully raised her hands, releasile rings of soft pink light that rippled through the air, enveloping the trio. Their injuries began to fade rapidly, wounds closing and color returning to their faces.***[Healing Wave]: A psychic ability that restores health and heals wounds by emitting soothing energy waves. The healing effect depends on the amount of Nen energy used and the severity of the injuries.***Larry watched as the two who had been on the brink of death were now looking as if they’d never set foot in the ruins. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, the bespectacled man, usually posed, found himself speechless. His mouth hung open in disbelief. So far, Larry’s Pokémon had dispyed an impressive range of abilities—devastating attacks, mysterious mind-sing powers, powerful healing, and even the ability to store items like a portable vault. And these were just the two Pokémon he had seen. What if Larry had more?
The bespectacled man swallowed hard, realizing just how little he truly uood about Nen abilities. Larry was unlike anyone he'd ever entered—his strength was on airely different level. Larry, however, didn’t seem to notice—or perhaps, he simply didn’t care about the man’s awestruck rea. Instead, he stood up once Gardevoir had finished healing the trio, nodded in satisfa, and with a flicker of light, vanished from the forest using teleportation.
The three siblings were left standing there, dumbfounded. After a while, the leather-jacketed woman and the hip-hop man slowly regained sciousness. fused, they gnced around at the unfamiliar forest setting, struggling to prehend what had happened.
Ohe bespectacled man expihe events in vivid detail, they finally grasped the gravity of the situation. Even though they hadn’t witnessed Larry’s strength firsthand, the fact that they were standing here, alive and unscathed, roof enough of his abilities. None of them were ungrateful. Even if they couldn’t repay him now, they vowed to remember his kindness.
As hunters, they weren’t the stro, but if Larry ever hem iure, they would do whatever they could to help. They firmly believed that someone like Larry wouldn’t remain in obscurity for long. It was only a matter of time before his name became widely known, and when that happehey would make sure to express their gratitude properly.
Meanwhile, uhe resting trio, Larry had already returo the Karym Ruins—this time h above the inner city. Yes, he was back. There was still something valuable left in this pething he couldn’t afford to leave behind.
The dense, swirlih aura in the inner city was like experience dy to Gengar. Every time it devoured a cluster of lingerih thoughts, its strength grew visibly. Larry watched as Gengar absorbed the thick fog-like energy in massive gulps, eae bringing it closer to a new level. Unlike Gardevoir, who used abilities like Mystical Guardian and Healio se aralize the ive energy—ing her own aura in the process—Gengar’s method was simple and effit. It required no effort beyond opening its mouth and inhaling. What others feared and avoided, Gengar thrived on.
As the st lingering trace of death aura disappeared into Gengar’s endless grin, Larry’s eyes sed his interface. [Gengar - Strength: A-Level] Larry’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. Gengar had finally reached A-level, standing on equal footing with Gardevoir.
This growth speed ractically cheating. He had a strong feeling that Gengar would likely be the first Pokémon in his roster to break through to S-level. The world was full of ruins—a sites overflowing with death thoughts and residual energies. If he tinued down this path, the opportunities fengar to grow were limitless. And that wasn’t even ting the mysterious and dangerous Dark ti, where suegative energies would surely be in abundance. Everything there could serve as fuel fengar’s endless hunger.
Larry saw it as a win-win situation: his strength grew, and at the same time, these dangerous thoughts that pgued ruins would be eliminated, allowing archaeologists and reliters to explore safely. If he openly revealed Gengar’s ability to purify death thoughts, it wouldn’t be long before he’d be hailed as a hero in the reliting unity. He could already imagine people calling him the King of Ruin Hunters, a title not even the legendary reliter, "Gold," could match.***Before long, news spread like wildfire—people discovered that the death aura in the Karym Ruins had vanished without a trace. As soon as the wot out, reliters flooded the ruins, eager to explore areas they previously wouldn't dare approach. To their surprise, the inner sanctum was mostly empty, aside from a few scattered murals lining the passage walls and a solitary altar. However, clear signs of an intetle remained.
Neguro and his two bodyguards were long gone, reduced to ashes, and no one questioheir disappearahey were simply assumed to have fallen victim to the ruins’ perils. Instead, the reliters turheir focus to the remaining murals, which they believed could hold secrets about the Karym Ruins’ ins and its downfall.
Among them was a seasoned reliter, who had some knowledge of the ruins' e to the Dark ti. After careful iigation, he reported his findings to the higher-ups in the association. Soon after, the Karym Ruins were pced under lockdown, with only authorized personnel allowed entry.
While rumors about the ruins swirled in the hunter unity, Larry had already moved on. He was now traveling across the Yorbian ti, headi by airship. His destination: Gordeau Desert. This vast, unfivi was known as the rgest in the world, a barren wastend of shifting sands and scorg heat. It was also part of the The Uates of Saherta, retively close to the Karym Ruins—one of the reasons why Larry had chosen it as his stop.
Where there were a deserts, there were bound to be ruins buried beh the sands... and more opportunities fengar to grow stronger. Larry had another reason for ing to Gordeau Desert—he wao firm his theory about Pokémon breeding. If his guess was right, then the enviro pyed a crucial role iermining whion would appear.
