HxH : Pokemon Master
Chapter 137: The Cursed Charm?

Chapter 137: The Cursed Charm?

If it really was Meloetta, then such harsh conditions would indeed be justified. Collecting the complete Dark Sonata to incubate Meloetta—that seemed like a worthwhile endeavor.

Not to mention, the Death Aura from the Dark Sonata could also enhance Gengar strength.

Shifting his thoughts away from the yet-unobtained Meloetta, Akira noticed two objects lying on the ground. They had been left behind after Gengar devoured the shadow.

One was larger but looked bizarre—It was a mummy!

Who knew how long it had been since its life force had been drained?

The body had long since withered into a desiccated husk. Shriveled, skin clinging to bones—far smaller than a normal human body.

His earlier guess had been correct!

This mummy was undoubtedly the person who had played the Dark Sonata—most likely a crew member from this wrecked ship. Previously, it served as a vessel, becoming the physical form of the Dark Sonata, which led to the birth of the shadowy figure.

The mummified corpse wasn’t particularly interesting—it only confirmed Akira suspicions and served no other purpose.

What caught Akira attention more was another item.

It was a slightly yellowed piece of paper with crooked, chaotic musical notes scrawled across it. Just from the appearance of the writing, one could sense the intense madness contained within.

This must be the legendary Dark Sonata!

Akira had initially assumed the Dark Sonata wouldn’t be so simple in appearance.

Perhaps it was some kind of object that required the input of Aura to reveal its contents. But upon further reflection, he realized this made sense. If one needed to input Aura to see the contents of the Dark Sonata, that would mean only a Nen User could perceive it.

In that case, both Melody friend and the crew member would have had to be Nen Users. The probability of that seemed rather low.

The paper was made of some unknown material—extremely tough, though not in the sense of being hard like stone. Rather, it was indestructible, possessing remarkable resilience.

The Dark Sonata wasn’t entirely useless to him, it could still be handy in certain situations.

For example, if he were surrounded by enemies, he could simply pull out a violin and start playing. With his invincibility cheat, he’d be fine—but others wouldn’t be so lucky.

Originally, this would’ve been a method of "injuring the enemy by eight hundred while harming oneself by a thousand" but for someone with an invincibility cheat, it was a different story.

Aside from the possibility of summoning Meloetta, gathering the complete Dark Sonata had another benefit.

Legend had it that if one could collect all the Dark Sonata pieces and perform them together, something unimaginable would happen.

Akira was quite intrigued by this.

"Gengar"

Having completely devoured the shadowy figure, Gengar reverted from its Mega Evolution form and returned to Akira side.

After consuming the shadow, Gengar seemed to have overindulged—its body continuously exuded eerie black mist. Its crimson eyes fixed on the Dark Sonata in Akira hand, revealing unmistakable desire.

"So it can amplify your move power..." Akira raised an eyebrow, gripping the Dark Sonata thoughtfully.

Gengar had just explained that the Dark Sonata could enhance the power of its moves.

However, the effect was primarily on Ghost-type moves, given the Dark Sonata affinity with the Ghost attribute. As a musical score created by the Demon King, the Dark Sonata had long been surrounded by vast amounts of Death Aura.

It made sense for it to retain such an ability.

But still... The Dark Sonata was just a piece of paper, yet it could amplify Ghost-type moves.

At this thought, Akira expression turned slightly odd.

Wasn’t this essentially the same as the Spell Tag in the Pokemon world?

The Spell Tag, also known as the Curse Tag, was an item in the Pokemon world.

Outwardly, it was just a paper talisman marked with red dots, exuding a ghostly aura. When held by a Pokemon, it boosted the power of Ghost-type moves by 20%.

According to Gengar, the Dark Sonata aligned perfectly with the Spell Tag!

This was the second item Akira had encountered that resembled a Pokemon item in effect.

The first was the Float Stone, which could reduce gravity when infused with Aura.

But the Dark Sonata was different—it didn’t require Gengar to expend Aura to enhance move power.

The effect of the Light Stone is active-type, requiring the expenditure of Aura to activate. The effect of the Dark Sonata is passive-type, functioning as long as it is worn on the body.

Overall, there are still some differences compared to Pokemon items, after all, this is the world of Hunter x Hunter. But this gives Akira even greater confidence for the future.

As he continues to explore further, even venturing into the unknown Dark Continent, he will encounter more miraculous things, and there will undoubtedly be many items suitable as Pokemon equipment.

Since it’s useful for Gengar, there’s no question that the Dark Sonata should be entrusted to Gengar care.

Gengar suddenly opened its mouth wide and swallowed the Dark Sonata, storing it in its belly.

This way, the amplification effect of the Dark Sonata could be triggered.

The Dark Sonata is quite good, offering multiple benefits. It can amplify Gengar power, serve as a trump card in critical moments and even nurture Pokemon—perhaps even allowing him to obtain the mythical Meloetta.

Truly worthy of being a composition created by the Demon King.

This trip to [Carter Port] has been incredibly fruitful, with so many gains that Akira can’t even list them all at once.

First, he obtained many peculiar and rare items, such as the Float Stone, Light Stone, and the Dark Sonata.

Second, the experience levels of his Pokemon have risen across the board.

Most crucially, both Hydreigon and Gengar have advanced from S- rank to S rank.

Now, he has a full three S rank Pokemon in his possession! An S rank Gengar, after Mega Evolution, can even reach S+ rank, instantly becoming his strongest Pokemon.

Finally, and most significantly, he gained two new Pokemon.

One is a Water-type mount born from [Carter Port]—Lapras.

This successfully fills the gap in his oceanic mount options.

The other is even more remarkable—none of the previous gains can compare to this one Pokemon.

That is the sturdy Shedinja, nurtured from the [Demon Realm].

Just like Snorlax Devour ability, Shedinja can merge with Akira, granting him Shedinja psedou immortality. This elevates Akira survival ability to the absolute maximum, reaching a level that cannot be surpassed.

He can no longer be killed.

Of course, if the gap in strength between him and his enemy is too vast, the enemy could still resort to sealing or imprisonment.

In that case, he would go from being unkillable to wishing for death.

So it’s not truly invincibility—he still needs to obtain even more powerful Pokemon and further enhance his own strength.

****

In the southeastern corner of the Republic of Padokea, lies the city where Heavens Arena is located.

The usually bustling streets have become even more crowded lately, with visitors from all six continents visible everywhere.

Even the shops lining the streets have seen a wave of new openings, eager to capitalize on this opportunity to make a hefty profit.

The so-called opportunity is the biennial Heavens Arena Martial Arts Tournament.

This is a world-renowned event across all six continents, drawing countless spectators every time it’s held. But this year’s tournament is especially heated.

That’s because nearly everyone is waiting to see one person!

The one who only appeared in the public eye last year, yet immediately made a meteoric rise all the way to defeating the previous tournament’s champion.

He is the legend of Heavens Arena—Akira!

This is also why the officials lowered their stance so much when they initially invited Akira. It’s no exaggeration to say that out of every hundred people who came to watch this year Martial Arts Tournament, at least ninety-nine were here for Akira.

If word got out that Akira wasn’t participating, this would undoubtedly be the worst tournament in history.

Perhaps it was Akira influence, or perhaps this was simply how the original trajectory unfolded.

A full year had passed since Akira last appeared at Heavens Arena, and during this time, many Floor Masters had changed.

All the Floor Masters who had once fought against Akira had left Heavens Arena.

Names like "Tennis Queen" Sally, "Plant Empress" Lina, and "Iron Man" Jim. Some left to pursue their ideals, while others wanted to travel the world and challenge more formidable opponents...

As a result, the strength of the Floor Masters has been declining over the past year. The already low prestige of the Floor Master position has become even more meaningless.

Even Zushi, a child who had only recently learned Aura, became one of the Floor Masters.

Thus, if Akira didn’t participate, this year Martial Arts Tournament would have been the worst one ever held.

Because everyone was here for Akira!

Although Akira had defeated the previous tournament champion and with the recognition of both the public and the officials, was exceptionally appointed as the 251st Floor Master, people still wanted to witness the moment Akira truly claimed the championship title.

So, the officials couldn’t afford to be anything less than humble—if they displeased Akira, it would be over for them.

Fortunately, Akira intended to harvest experience and accepted Heavens Arena invitation.

This delighted the higher-ups, who immediately allocated a massive budget to promote the news.

They wanted everyone across the six continents to know—Akira would be participating in this year Martial Arts Tournament!

Heavens Arena even learned from the Hunter Association about Akira title as "The Strongest in the World" and directly incorporated it into their promotional slogans!

The Legend of Heavens Arena!

The New Strongest in the World!

Akira is joining this Martial Arts Tournament!

Thanks to Heavens Arena relentless promotion, what should have been a poorly received tournament ended up far surpassing previous years in popularity.

The tournament, along with the entire city, benefited from the influx of tourists, boosting the local economy.

Among the shops, one stood out from the rest—yet it was the most popular and highest-selling.

It was the stall operated by Heavens Arena, selling nothing but merchandise of the most popular fighters.

And the most prominently displayed items?

Those featuring Heavens Arena legend—Akira!

How exaggerated was it? Over half the stall was filled with Akira’s merchandise, while the other Floor Masters’ items were pitifully few.

In fact, Akira merchandise was in such high demand that many items sold out the moment they were put on display.

Meanwhile, the sparse selection of other fighters’ goods gathered dust, completely ignored.

"Boss, boss! Give me three Akira keychains—no, wait, make it five!"

A well-dressed office worker, her face alight with fervor, demanded.

She worked at a prestigious law firm in the Yorknew City.

To witness Akira victory firsthand, she had taken an extended leave just to be here.

"Boss, do you have any more Akira posters? If not, I’ll go to another stall!"

"Boss, Akira—"

"..."

The small stall was swarmed, the crowd frenzy resembling a zombie siege and this was just one of countless merchandise stalls.

The revenue from Akira merchandise alone surpassed Heavens Arena entire promotional budget!

Of course, a significant portion of this profit would go to Akira.

The difference between a one-time windfall and a steady stream of income—the higher-ups at Heavens Arena knew which was better.

As long as they treat Akira with great respect, they’d never run out of money-making opportunities.

"See that? Next tournament, order more of Akira-sama merchandise."

"Shut down the production lines for other Floor Masters’ stuff—just focus on Akira!"

A high-ranking executive, observing the sales from a corner, nodded in satisfaction and casually instructed his secretary.

It seems I was too conservative before—I should have put all resources into making Legendary Akira merchandise.

After a year of absent, Akira fame hasn’t diminished at all.

On the contrary, it has reached new heights.

Especially after the title "The Strongest in the World" emerged, Akira reputation soared to unprecedented levels.

The number of Akira fans continues to grow.

The office lady was just one among countless fervent fans. If Akira were to see these obsessive fans, he might be reminded of the Shadow Beast earthworm from before.

Their expressions were eerily similar—equally fanatical.

In the world of Hunter x Hunter, people worship strength.

Otherwise, a gladiatorial arena like Heavens Arena wouldn’t be so popular.

****

Akira Abode on the 251st Floor

At the very top of Heavens Arena, this was the domain of Legendary Akira.

The entire 251st floor belonged to him.

The spacious 251st floor housed many different types of rooms.

After Akira took over the floor, he immediately had the officials arrange for a complete renovation, redesigned and decorated entirely according to his aesthetic and style.

It also took into account the needs of his Pokemon.

There was a gym for workouts, filled with various fitness equipment—Lucario was currently exercising inside.

There was a swimming pool where Lapras happily splashed around, accompanied by Dragonite.

They were the only two among Akira Pokemon suited for aquatic activities.

There was a spacious kitchen, piled high with "mountains" of gourmet food.

Snorlax lay sprawled in the middle, eyes half-closed as if napping, looking utterly content.

Whenever hunger struck, it would grab a handful of food and stuff it into its large mouth—its massive hands could scoop up huge portions in one go.

There was a desert-themed room covered in sand, where Tyranitar stood silently at the center, occasionally stirring up a sandstorm around itself.

Being in the desert made Tyranitar feel at ease, as if it had returned home.

Meanwhile, Akira and Menchi were in the living room, enjoying afternoon tea while watching TV.

"The Heavens Arena Martial Arts Tournament is about to begin! Legendary Akira awaits you there!"

An overly excited voice blared from the TV, making Akira face darken as his lips twitched involuntarily.

Promotion was fine, but wasn’t this slogan way too cringy?

And why was every channel airing Heavens Arena ads?

Akira switched several channels, but it was the same everywhere.

It was as if Heavens Arena had bought out all the TV stations.

"Pfft—HAHAHAHA!" Menchi, also seated on the sofa burst into laughter her voluptuous figure shaking in a way that drew Akira gaze.

"Keep laughing, and I’ll have to discipline you!" Akira eyed Menchi up and down, threatening her with a sinister grin.

"Go ahead." Menchi puffed out her chest defiantly, though a faint blush colored her cheeks, betraying her shyness.

"Then here I come." Akira cracked his knuckles, ready to "discipline" Menchi right there on the sofa.

"Gardevoir?"

Just then, Gardevoir walked in carrying a tea tray, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

Gardevoir had perfectly taken on the role of a maid, excelling at tasks like serving tea and water.

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