The Five Great Disasters were infamous across the six continents, legendary threats that few ever witnessed firsthand. Most people would live their entire lives without encountering even one. That's what made this so special.
For Ging, getting the chance to face one up close was more than just luck, it was something he absolutely had to savor. Especially this one as it's a new one that V5 barely have any information on it. While he stood there taking in the thrill of the encounter, a soft chime echoed beside him.
A pink cell phone blinked to life in Pyon's hand. She had been tapping away on it from the moment the Gildrosia appeared, her fingers moving quickly as she gathered information.
Pyon stood out in her usual cutesy getup, adorable pink clothes that matched her aesthetic perfectly. But as she activated her Nen ability, a stream of rosy energy flowed from her body into the materialized cell phone, casting her in a soft pink glow.
Even the rabbit ears on her head were coated in that same light, making her look like a magical girl from a fairytale. "As Ging said," Pyon said while still tapping away, "these ones haven't been parasitized for long. It's confirmed, they're definitely Gildrosia."
Her ability wasn't as immediate or comprehensive as Larry's skill. It took her more time and Nen to get surface-level data. Still, she was already diving deeper, focusing her energy to extract more from the creatures they just encountered.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere around them shifted. Mega Sableye and Gengar had already devoured most of the death aura lingering in the outer cave. Visibility improved in an instant.
The fog of negative energy that had previously made everything feel so oppressive was now fading, giving way to clearer surroundings. But further inside, a wave of death aura still loomed, thick and constant, like a tide flowing steadily from deeper within. No one knew what kind of threats were still hidden ahead.
Ging glanced at Larry, admiration shining in his eyes. He'd already figured out Larry's other motive for releasing his Nen beasts.
One, they were absorbing the surrounding death energy, which meant they didn't need to waste their own aura to maintain a barrier. Two, by stirring up some noise, they might provoke hidden threats into revealing themselves. If something too dangerous appeared, they could still retreat, after all, the cave entrance was right behind them.
So far, nothing else had emerged. That suggested the divine script and protective membrane at the entrance were working as intended, keeping external threats at bay. Ging's guess was spot-on. Larry had calculated all of this beforehand.
A grin slowly tugged at the corners of Ging's lips. 'What a guy… definitely someone worth teaming up with.'
Larry had surpassed all of his expectations so far. His composure, his insight, his Nen mastery, everything fit Ging's preferences perfectly. If there was one flaw in the man, it was that he still wouldn't eat Ging's cooking. Honestly, that was the only thing holding him back from being the ideal partner in Ging's eyes.
The recent encounter also gave them clarity about what had happened to the V5 exploration team. The presence of Gildrosia, one of the Potential Great Disasters, now explained why the entire team had been wiped out.
While these thoughts raced through Ging's head, Larry suddenly turned as if something had clicked. Without a word, he released another Nen beast. In a flash of light, a massive orange dog appeared before them, its fur gleaming and its posture proud and majestic.
'A new nen beast,' Ging and Pyon both noted at once, entirely unfazed.
They had long gotten used to Larry pulling powerful beasts out of nowhere. The true number of Nen beasts he had was still a complete mystery, even to them.
It was as if his supply of them never ran dry. And now, aside from the three of them, the entire cave was filled with Pokémon.
Mega Sableye and Gengar floated silently nearby, continuing to devour the lingering death aura without pause.
With these creatures on their side and more information in hand, the real expedition was only just beginning.
Gardevoir stood calmly at the entrance, her eyes glowing softly as she maintained control of the Mystic Guardian. Arcanine had just been released, its powerful presence lighting up the dim cave with a fiery aura.
Fortunately, the cave was large enough to hold several Pokémon without feeling cramped. In fact, judging by what they'd seen deeper inside, the further they went, the more spacious the cave seemed to become. Who knew how much treasure, or Gildrosia might be hidden within?
Arcanine padded over to the spot where King had shattered three of the strange Gildrosia earlier. It bared its fangs slightly before exhaling a burst of flame. The fire split into three sparks, each landing on a cluster of tangled branches left behind.
'Fire-type move, Ember.' In mere moments, the branches caught fire, burning quickly and collapsing into soft, glowing ashes.
"Fire, huh?" Ging muttered, watching the blaze die down. "That might be exactly what we need for creatures like these Plants."
He caught on quickly to what Larry was thinking, this was a way to finish the job. Plant-based monsters were notoriously resilient. Burning them to ash was the safest way to ensure they wouldn't spring back to life.
Larry stared into the smoldering pile, something tugging at the back of his mind.
This was the second creature from the Dark Continent he had run into. The last one, the Desire-dependent Angstrom, had been a ghost-type gas lifeform. Now, these Gildrosia… they reminded him of a hybrid between grass and steel types.
If that was the case, then Arcanine's fire attacks would be a perfect counter, four times the damage. Grass and steel... there was only one Pokémon species that came to mind with that typing: Ferrothorn.
"Nice job," Larry said, nodding. "Still, we can't take chances. These plants might be faking death. Burning them is the safest bet."
As he spoke, Pyon, still busy typing away, received some new intel. He paused, looked up, and agreed. "These things are definitely more than they seem. As plants from the Dark Continent, they've got insane vitality. Burning them is smart."
At least they didn't have to worry about running out of air. From what they could tell, the strange membrane coating the cave wasn't blocking airflow.
It only seemed to stop death aura and those gold-silver disaster, but not air or external objects.
Maybe it had something to do with the divine inscriptions on the wall?
If that was the case, then the barrier was likely designed to restrict anything related to the Dark Continent from getting in, or out.
After giving Larry a thoughtful glance, Ging turned his focus back to the cave's depths. His main goal was still the same: explore further. And so, with their minds sharpened and their path lit by fire, the three of them began their first real advance into the unknown.