Gordeau Desert
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 explain that he harbored no ill will toward Larry. But before he could finish, a flash of pink light from Gardevoir interrupted him, making him freeze in place.
When Larry regained consciousness, the bespectacled man and his two siblings found themselves standing in the middle of a vast forest. The towering 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 commanded, "Gardevoir, heal them." Gardevoir gracefully raised her hands, releasing gentle 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 composed, found himself speechless. His mouth hung open in disbelief. So far, Larry's Pokémon had displayed an impressive range of abilities—devastating attacks, mysterious mind-cleansing 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 understood about Nen abilities. Larry was unlike anyone he'd ever encountered—his strength was on an entirely different level. Larry, however, didn't seem to notice—or perhaps, he simply didn't care about the man's awestruck reaction. Instead, he stood up once Gardevoir had finished healing the trio, nodded in satisfaction, 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 consciousness. Confused, they glanced around at the unfamiliar forest setting, struggling to comprehend what had happened.
Once the bespectacled man explained the 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, was proof 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 strongest, but if Larry ever needed them in the future, 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 happened, they would make sure to express their gratitude properly.
Meanwhile, unlike the resting trio, Larry had already returned to the Karym Ruins—this time hovering above the inner city. Yes, he was back. There was still something valuable left in this place—something he couldn't afford to leave behind.
The dense, swirling death aura in the inner city was like experience candy to Gengar. Every time it devoured a cluster of lingering death thoughts, its strength grew visibly. Larry watched as Gengar absorbed the thick fog-like energy in massive gulps, each one bringing it closer to a new level. Unlike Gardevoir, who used abilities like Mystical Guardian and Healing Bell to cleanse and neutralize the negative energy—consuming her own aura in the process—Gengar's method was simple and efficient. It required no effort beyond opening its mouth and inhaling. What others feared and avoided, Gengar thrived on.
As the last lingering trace of death aura disappeared into Gengar's endless grin, Larry's eyes scanned 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 was practically 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—ancient sites overflowing with death thoughts and residual energies. If he continued down this path, the opportunities for Gengar to grow were limitless. And that wasn't even counting the mysterious and dangerous Dark Continent, where such negative energies would surely be in abundance. Everything there could serve as fuel for Gengar's endless hunger.
Larry saw it as a win-win situation: his strength grew, and at the same time, these dangerous thoughts that plagued ruins would be eliminated, allowing archaeologists and relic hunters 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 relic hunting community. He could already imagine people calling him the King of Ruin Hunters, a title not even the legendary relic hunter, "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 word got out, relic hunters 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 intense battle remained.
Neguro and his two bodyguards were long gone, reduced to ashes, and no one questioned their disappearance—they were simply assumed to have fallen victim to the ruins' perils. Instead, the relic hunters turned their focus to the remaining murals, which they believed could hold secrets about the Karym Ruins' origins and its downfall.
Among them was a seasoned relic hunter, who had some knowledge of the ruins' connection to the Dark Continent. After careful investigation, he reported his findings to the higher-ups in the association. Soon after, the Karym Ruins were placed under lockdown, with only authorized personnel allowed entry.
While rumors about the ruins swirled in the hunter community, Larry had already moved on. He was now traveling across the Yorbian Continent, heading east by airship. His destination: Gordeau Desert. This vast, unforgiving desert was known as the largest in the world, a barren wasteland of shifting sands and scorching heat. It was also part of the The United States of Saherta, relatively close to the Karym Ruins—one of the reasons why Larry had chosen it as his next stop.
Where there were ancient deserts, there were bound to be ruins buried beneath the sands... and more opportunities for Gengar to grow stronger. Larry had another reason for coming to Gordeau Desert—he wanted to confirm his theory about Pokémon breeding. If his guess was right, then the environment played a crucial role in determining which Pokémon would appear.