HxH : Pokemon Master

After Marshadow's explanation, Akira finally understood the meaning behind its mixed response.

It did indeed possess a control ability.

However, its power only worked on Pokemon—humans and other creatures were beyond its influence, so it couldn't control them.

Otherwise, in the movie, it wouldn't have just controlled Pokemon to attack Ash group—it would have directly manipulated them instead.

Hearing this, Akira wasn't too disappointed.

After all, having Marshadow was already a huge gain and lacking control abilities wasn't a dealbreaker. Besides, just because it couldn't do so now didn't mean it never would in the future.

Who could say for sure that Marshadow wouldn't one day evolve to manipulate other creatures?

After witnessing it firsthand, Marshadow followed Akira expectations and leaped into his shadow in one swift motion.

The inky shadow, like a tranquil lake, was disturbed by Marshadow entry, sending ripples across its surface.

The disturbance quickly subsided, not lasting long.

But the Gengar inside wasn't nearly as calm.

"???" Suddenly, it had a new roommate?

"Oh?" Marshadow sized up Gengar before raising its tiny right hand in greeting to its new companion.

"Gengaa..." Gengar hurriedly responded, putting on a very polite demeanor.

Even though it knew they were allies, facing Marshadow, Gengar couldn't help but feel nervous.

Fortunately, Marshadow proactive greeting eased much of that tension.

This new companion seemed quite easy to get along with!

Thinking this, Gengar patted its belly and flashed a grin that might seem terrifying to outsiders but was actually quite endearing. Having another companion to share the shadow with was nice—no longer would it be alone in the darkness.

They could play and chat together inside the shadow!

To the naked eye, Akira shadow showed no signs of anything unusual. No one could tell anything was amiss.

Who would have guessed that within Akira shadow lurked an S class and an SS class powerhouse? Without Akira permission, no one could get close to him.

Anyone wanting to mess with him would have to get past Gengar and Marshadow first!

"Hohoho, truly... terrifying~" Netero slowly walked up to Akira, his expression betraying lingering unease.

Glancing subtly at Akira shadow, Netero pondered for a moment before sighing deeply.

"Though I had this premonition before... I thought your strength would be enough to explore the Dark Continent safely."

"But now, it seems I was wrong."

"Your strength isn't just enough to explore the Dark Continent—you might even surpass that!"

"Perhaps no one can truly grasp the full extent of your power."

Netero stroked his beard, flicking off a speck of dust clinging to it.

Full power, huh...

At that moment, Akira thought of many things. The mighty Kyogre, the majestic Groudon. Even the awe-inspiring Rayquaza and Xerneas, the guardian of life...

Originally, Akira hadn't felt too confident.

But the moment he saw Marshadow appear before him, that mindset shifted.

He hadn't even been there yet.

How could he rashly assume the Dark Continent couldn't grant him those legendary Pokemon?

Perhaps in the future, he could obtain them?

If so, his power might truly have no limits!

His future potential would depend entirely on how vast the Dark Continent was and how high its environmental level was.

After a few breaths, Akira shook his head, offering no response to Netero musings.

Seeing this, a flicker of regret passed through Netero eyes, though it was understandable—no one would outright reveal their full strength. Netero interpreted Akira silence as reluctance to expose his capabilities.

Akira had never displayed all his Nen beasts, clearly unwilling to show his full power.

Netero still acknowledged this—it was never wrong to keep some cards up one's sleeve at all times. It was just a bit of a shame that his curiosity couldn't be satisfied. It felt as though countless cats were scratching at his heart.

He really wanted to know just what level Akira had reached!

Though he was well aware that he could never attain Akira level of strength, his pursuit of power still made him yearn to understand what a higher power looked like.

Could it be... that he had already reached a state where nothing in the world could harm him?

The moment this thought surfaced, Netero was startled by his own speculation.

If this speculation was correct, then even the Dark Continent, known as the "Forbidden Land for Humans," could not threaten Akira!

Netero probably never imagined that his wild guess would actually hit the mark regarding Akira current situation.

To say Akira could defeat all living beings—he wouldn't dare make such a claim, having never been to the Dark Continent before.

But with Marshadow by his side, it was unlikely he'd encounter any truly formidable enemies.

As for threats?

Nothing could truly endanger Akira life anymore. Ever since obtaining the Sturdy Shedinja, Akira had remained in a fused state with it.

Under this special effect, Akira now seemed to have unlocked an invincibility cheat, becoming a true immortal!

There was just one thing Netero misunderstood.

Akira head shake wasn't about hiding his strength.

The real reason was that even he didn't know how powerful he might become in the future. Perhaps one day, with a team of legendary Pokemon, he'd essentially be a god in the world of Hunter x Hunter!

And so, in the silence between the two, this sudden confrontation came to an end.

One was lost in dreams of the future and the many Pokemon companions he might meet.

The other was utterly shaken by Akira, needing a long time to recover.

***

The next day

"Thud!"

Kanjiru burly frame crashed heavily onto the ground with a dull thud.

The massive body fall stirred a faint breeze, lifting wisps of dust from the arena floor.

"Kanjiru is down and unable to continue! The winner is—the legendary Akira!"

Seeing Kanjiro completely unconscious, the referee immediately declared Akira the victor.

Lucario performed a final salute before following closely behind Akira as they exited through the competitor's tunnel.

Behind the man and his Pokemon, the roar of the crowd and thunderous applause surged like a tidal wave!

The excitement wasn't limited to the live audience—those watching the broadcast shared the same fervor.

Their idol! The legendary Akira! Had finally, today, rightfully claimed the title of Martial Arts Tournament champion!

Though everyone had expected this outcome, the crowd couldn't contain their exhilaration, expressing it through cheers and applause.

This tournament was destined to go down in history as the most impactful one ever held!

Despite the attack by Jed and his group the previous day, Heavens Arena remained largely unaffected.

The only damage was to the uppermost floors, which required reconstruction.

As the Floor Master of the 251st floor—the highest level—Akira floor had naturally suffered significant damage.

But this was a minor issue, as the officials would handle the repairs themselves.

Rumor had it that due to the severity of the destruction, the arena planned to commission a top-tier redesign for Akira floor.

Not that Akira cared.

If destroying a floor meant gaining a Mythical Pokemon, he'd happily tear down the entire Heavens Arena, rebuild it and tear it down again.

With Jed dead, the power of "On" had completely dissipated, allowing the other Floor Masters to regain their senses.

Apart from injuries sustained during their battles with Gon and the others, their minds were now clear. And so, just like in the movie, Heavens Arena promptly resumed the Martial Arts Tournament the very next day.

This scene appeared at the end of the movie and contrary to what many believed, the Martial Arts Tournament wasn't outright canceled.

In reality, since the Floor Masters only suffered some injuries and the damaged areas of Heavens Arena were limited to the highest few floors, neither the participants nor the venue faced significant restrictions.

Thus, this year's Olympus Martial Arts Tournament could still proceed.

In the storyline, every Floor Master fought while bandaged, earning it the playful nickname "Paralympics" from many on Earth.

However, with Akira involvement, the course of events did shift somewhat.

Thanks to Gardevoir healing of Zushi the day before, he recovered faster than the other Floor Masters.

As a result, Zushi ranking climbed higher, though he still couldn't break into the top three.

First place, of course, went to Akira—this was beyond doubt.

Second place went to Kanjiru, who had just fallen to Lucario fists. Though his performance against Gaki had been lackluster, Kanjiru was still one of the most outstanding fighters among the Floor Masters.

Had Akira not appeared, he would likely have become the new champion of the Martial Arts Tournament.

But in Akira eyes, he was hardly worth noting.

With Lucario just a sliver of experience away from its next stage, Akira decided to let Lucario handle every battle.

Unsurprisingly, none of Akira opponents lasted more than a single move against Lucario.

The audience didn't complain about Lucario lightning-fast victories—instead, they praised it enthusiastically.

After all, their main reason for attending wasn't to watch the fights but to witness Akira official coronation as champion!

Lucario's approach aligned perfectly with their wishes, speeding up the matches and shortening the wait.

Each fallen Floor Master contributed a small amount of experience to Lucario.

Though individually insignificant, the accumulated gains finally pushed Lucario experience bar to its limit.

As Kanjiru fell, a level-up chime—audible only to Akira—rang out.

Lucario had finally crossed that threshold!

From A+ rank to S- rank! Now a genuine S- rank powerhouse!

In the very place where it had been born, Lucario officially became one of the Six Continents' apex fighters.

***

In the competitor's tunnel

"So, can you Mega Evolve now?" Akira gazed at the dashing Lucario with eager anticipation.

At this moment, Lucario radiated vitality.

"Luca!" Lucario nodded firmly, confirming that it had indeed gained the power to Mega Evolve.

Lucario… could now Mega Evolve!

"I knew it!" Akira murmured to himself, unable to hide his excitement.

Lucario confirmation fully validated his theory. It seemed that once his Pokemon reached a certain level of strength, they could achieve Mega Evolution.

For A rank Pokemon, they needed to reach the S rank range.

As for S rank Pokemon like Tyranitar, they had to advance from the lowest S- rank to S+ rank. However, among the S rank Pokemon he currently owned, only three had Mega Evolution forms: Gengar, Lucario, and Tyranitar.

Neither Hydreigon nor Dragonite possessed Mega Evolution forms.

This was one of the reasons Mega Evolution often drew criticism. Because it wasn't fair—some Pokemon had it, while others didn't.

At least his own Gardevoir still had the potential for Mega Evolution.

Mega Sableye was already in its Mega Evolution form, so it didn't count.

All in all, he had gained quite a lot from this Martial Arts Tournament.

Tyranitar had risen to S+ rank and gained the ability to Mega Evolve. Lucario had reached S- rank and also gained Mega Evolution capabilities.

The biggest reward, however, was Marshadow—his first Mythical Pokemon.

Akira firmly believed this was his first Legendary Pokemon, but it definitely wouldn't be his last.

In the future, he would surely have even more Legendary Pokemon.

"Beep~ Beep~ Beep…"

Just then, Akira phone suddenly rang. He casually pressed the answer button and a crisp voice floated out.

"Congratulations, our big champion~ How does it feel to win?" The voice was high-pitched, sharp, and carried a hint of playful coquetry—clearly a woman voice.

"Not bad. Thanks for calling to congratulate me, Pyon." Holding the phone, Akira smiled faintly.

Even though Pyon wasn't physically in front of him, her voice was so distinctive that just hearing it over the phone made it feel like she was right beside him.

The caller was none other than one of The Twelve Zodiacs—Pyon, the Rabbit—who had just attended a meeting not long ago.

"As your good friend, it's only natural for me to call and congratulate you, okay?" Pyon sweet voice echoed through the dim corridor.

"But I didn't call just to celebrate. I also have another piece of good news for you." Her tone turned mysterious, and Akira thought he could detect a hint of pride in it.

"Oh? What kind of good news does our Rabbit have for me?" Seeing how Pyon was teasing him, Akira grew curious.

He hadn't shown any particular hobbies before.

Well, except for good food. Could she have found some top-tier ingredients for him?

As Akira pondered, Pyon eagerly revealed the good news herself.

"Hehe~ It's about the Dark Sonata!"

The Dark Sonata?!

This was indeed a bit unexpected, yet it made sense.

He had previously expressed interest in the Dark Sonata. Especially during their last trip to 'Port Carter', people like Ging had learned of his intention to eliminate the Dark Sonata.

It wasn't surprising that Pyon knew about it.

"Honestly, that really is good news for me." Hearing Akira response, Pyon nervousness eased, replaced by joy.

His approval meant her efforts these past few days hadn't been wasted. Since the Dark Sonata was involved, mission reports from Ging and the others had been handed directly to her.

From them, she had learned the general details of the trip, with Akira naturally being the main focus of the incident. Pyon had thus discovered Akira interest in the Dark Sonata and immediately decided to help him track it down.

This was also why she had been able to attend yesterday meeting in person—she had been at the Hunter Association, gathering relevant intel.

Unlike Hisoka, Pyon, as a member of The Twelve Zodiac, specializes in handling documentation and paperwork.

Obtaining various intelligence from the Hunter Association was incredibly easy for her.

Even classified intel on the Dark Continent could be accessed—though limited only to what the Hunter Association possessed.

However, these scraps of information alone weren't enough to uncover the elusive Dark Sonata. It was only after cross-referencing written records with intelligence that she stumbled upon what appeared to be clues about the Dark Sonata!

All her efforts finally bore meaning under Akira affirmation—none of it was in vain!

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