Early morning.
After traveling for some time, the group finally emerged from the vast rocky terrain.
Truth be told, they didn't dislike the rocky area—after all, they occasionally stumbled upon extraordinary ores there.
These ores possessed unimaginable effects, making them invaluable treasures.
However, the unchanging scenery quickly grew monotonous, and their goal had never been these ores to begin with.
From the very start, their true objective had been the ultimate delicacy hidden in the swamp—Nitro Rice.
And now, that goal was within reach.
Just beyond this rocky terrain lay the swamp.
Naturally, everyone was eager to leave this place as soon as possible.
Akira stood atop an exposed patch of land, tilting his head slightly as he observed the lush forest before him.
This marked the boundary between the rocky terrain and the swamp.
A little further ahead, and they would truly enter the wetlands.
Unlike the previous Purple Forest, this woodland matched conventional expectations—at least the trees here were green.
The Purple Forest had been saturated with eerie, toxic hues, as if merely gazing at it for too long could induce hallucinations of poisoning.
But that didn't mean the swamp was any more normal.
In fact, aside from its relatively ordinary colors, everything else about the swamp weighed heavily on the group's hearts.
The ground was covered in dense undergrowth, making it difficult to discern what lurked beneath.
Scattered across the terrain were enormous trees, their size rivaling even those of the Purple Forest.
Their canopies, however, were even more expansive, their foliage thicker and more impenetrable.
As a result, little sunlight could pierce through the dense shade, leaving the depths of the forest shrouded in gloom.
Occasionally, a gentle breeze would rustle the treetops, stirring the shadows as if countless specters were drifting among them.
Above these trees loomed an inexplicable mass of rain clouds, their dark forms ceaselessly pouring down showers.
The raindrops filtered through the canopy before splashing onto the ground, nourishing the vast woodland with abundant moisture.
This place was practically a rainforest.
The scene before them was steeped in somber, muted tones—the overcast sky, the dim light filtering through the trees…
Were it not for the green leaves and grass, the entire landscape would have been a disquieting palette of shadows.
Even so, everyone knew this place was far from ordinary.
The stranger the environment, the more likely it was to conceal unexpected dangers.
Akira withdrew his gaze and silently pressed forward, the others following closely behind.
Those who had made it this far were no ordinary individuals—they understood exactly how to conduct themselves in such an environment, or rather, on the Dark Continent as a whole.
Remaining vigilant at all times—that was paramount.
As Akira stepped onto a patch of soft grass, a new incubation bar materialized in his mind.
'Another incubation bar?'
His expression flickered briefly, but his footsteps never faltered as he led the group deeper into the rainforest.
It wasn't the presence of a Pokémon that surprised him—it was the fact that there was only one new incubation bar.
Although it was rare for two gestation bars to appear simultaneously, ever since setting foot on the Dark Continent, he had always seen two bars at once.
Suddenly having only one gestation bar left, Akira felt somewhat unaccustomed and surprised.
Still, having one at all was already good.
The Dark Continent was vast, offering plenty of opportunities to hatch Pokémon.
So Akira didn't dwell on it too much.
As for the Pokémon that would hatch this time…
Glancing at the surrounding woods and grasslands, then considering the swamps that might lie deeper within, Akira guessed it would be a Grass-type or Ground-type.
Grass-type was obvious—this was a dense forest, so hatching a Grass-type Pokémon was only natural.
As for Ground-type, Akira reasoned that swamps were a defining terrain here.
So, would it be a Venusaur, Bellossom, Swampert, or Quagsire?
Then again, Akira reconsidered, it might not be so straightforward—it could also be related to the creatures inhabiting the area.
For example, the Hellbell Snake they had to face before obtaining Nitro Rice.
If a serpentine Pokémon or a sound-based Pokémon appeared, that would also make sense, wouldn't it?
Like an Arbok, Seviper, or Serperior?
...
The rainforest was eerily quiet.
Apart from the faint patter of rain, it was as if no other sounds existed.
The whole world seemed lifeless except for their group, as though all other creatures had vanished.
Even the dangers had disappeared, which was why they hadn't encountered any threats since entering.
But on the Dark Continent, the moment you felt safe was precisely when you were in the greatest danger.
As the group walked in silence, a sudden shower of raindrops fell from the canopy above.
These raindrops were different—they carried something from the trees.
Tiny green seeds, encased in murky rainwater, silently awaited the moment they would land on something.
Now, these raindrops mixed with the others, dripping downward until a few landed on the group.
At first, no one reacted—after all, the rain was heavy, and it wasn't unusual.
Not to mention, they were wearing safety suits, so they couldn't even feel the raindrops.
They simply pressed forward, keeping an eye out for any sudden attacks from creatures around them.
Yet these very raindrops, which they had taken for granted, had now become terrifying threats.
Muheer's expression stiffened as he felt his right shoulder suddenly grow heavy, as if an iron box had been placed on it.
He quickly turned his head.
His right shoulder, which had only been wet with rain moments ago, was now covered in roots, as though something was trying to take root there.
The roots grew rapidly, suddenly sprouting into a flower-like plant with a basketball-sized bud at its top.
The large bud bulged ominously, its contents unknown, but the sight alone was horrifying.
Then, the bud above abruptly split open, unfurling into five petals lined with densely packed fangs—utterly terrifying.
The fangs were unnervingly uniform, as if someone had meticulously arranged them in concentric circles from the outside in.
Their white edges faintly gleamed with a chilling, murderous intent.If someone with trypophobia saw this terrifying sight, they would likely faint on the spot.
As the flower bud opened, streams of yellow, pollen-like smoke billowed out.
Although Muheer didn't know what these gases were for, he knew one thing for certain.
Do not touch them.
The sunflower-like man-eating flower swiftly opened its maw, its five petals encircling Muheer's head as it lunged to bite.
The motion bore an eerie resemblance to the scene in Parasyte where the alien creature splits its head open to devour a human skull.
And Muheer wasn't the only one in danger—several others faced the same threat simultaneously.
The rapid series of changes caught everyone off guard.
Since the danger came from the seeds on the trees, even Millie, who was responsible for vigilance, couldn't detect it in time.
Muheer's pupils contracted as he watched the man-eating flower attempt to take his head in one bite, adrenaline surging wildly through his veins.
He knew the safety suit offered protection, but he couldn't take that gamble.
They had never encountered such creatures before, making it impossible to predict the extent of their attacks.
Thus, he couldn't rely solely on the safety suit for protection—he had to act swiftly to defend himself.
In an instant, Aura erupted from Muheer's body at an astonishing speed, unleashing the formidable power of Ren.
A razor-sharp longsword materialized in his grip. With a reverse grip, he slashed directly at the grotesque man-eating flower.
Several flashes of silver light streaked through the air.
Before the flower's five petals could clamp down, three fine blade marks appeared in succession—on its roots, stem, and blossom.
The next moment, the man-eating flower's body shattered, collapsing into segments that fell to the ground, hidden among the grass.
The largest part of the flower, in particular, was mostly pulverized by Muheer's strike.
Deep green sap oozed from the severed remains, corroding every blade of grass it touched until nothing remained.
Tendrils of white smoke curled upward.
Noticing the remnants of the roots on his shoulder still showing signs of regrowth, Muheer hastily tore them off.
Then, gripping them in his Ken-reinforced palm, he crushed them into dust with a forceful squeeze.
Muheer exhaled softly, a wave of lingering fear washing over him as he allowed himself a moment of relief.
The situation had been dire—had he been even a fraction slower, he might have lost his head.
This lightning-fast counterattack, however, came at the cost of rapidly depleting his Aura.
Though his reaction had been swift, and he had even managed to deliver three slashes in one go, the expenditure of Aura had been substantial.
After all, it had been a desperate countermeasure.
Meanwhile, Akira took in the entire scene, casting a glance at Ging, who approached from the side.
Ging casually yanked a man-eating flower off a Stone Wall member's head, gripping it tightly to prevent any movement.
Standing beside Akira, Ging kept his eyes fixed on the flower and remarked.
"These creatures are dangerous."
As a Hunter well-versed in biology, Ging understood exactly what these man-eating flowers signified.
He tilted his head upward, where countless raindrops continued to pour from the canopy, with no sign of stopping.
"These man-eating flowers grew from seed form at an alarming speed."
"As for the source of the seeds—it's the canopy above us. Given its small size and the interference from the rain, they were nearly impossible to detect." Ging's expression turned solemn as he said.
"These man-eating flowers not only grow at an extremely rapid rate but can even thrive without nutrients."
He observed clearly that although these flowers had extended their roots, they only clung to the surface of the safety suits, unable to penetrate human flesh.
"Even when landing on safety suits, they display such vitality, which shows how rich their inherent nutrients are."
Glancing at the others who were still pulling out the remaining roots, Ging continued.
"Without the safety suits, things would be much more troublesome."
"The defense level of the safety suits is very high—normal attacks barely affect them. Yet these seeds can still take root on the surface."
"If one weren't wearing a safety suit, say, just ordinary clothing, the seeds could very well grow directly into the flesh."
"At that point, they could use the energy within the living body as their nourishment, growing even faster and possibly reviving repeatedly."
"Dealing with them would then become extremely difficult."
"Every time a man-eating flower is cut down, it would plunder more nutrients from the host. After multiple cycles, the host wouldn't be able to withstand the depletion."
The others also heard Ging's explanation, their expressions darkening further, unwilling to be contaminated by such a dreadful thing.
Especially those who had just been parasitized by the flowers—they checked their bodies several more times.
Fearful of any remaining roots or seeds.
Beyond approached as well, his tone grave.
"What's more critical is that we don't have any countermeasures."
"Looking around, the entire forest is filled with these trees, meaning countless seeds could appear."
"Even if we block them with something, they can still take root and sprout using their own nutrients. They're incredibly tenacious."
To obtain Nitro Rice, they would have to venture deeper, inevitably facing the threat posed by these seeds.
For now, the best solution was to use something like an umbrella to shield against the rain.
Even if seeds landed, they would only grow on the umbrella.
Not only would this make handling them easier, but they could also abandon the umbrella and flee if overwhelmed.
Hearing this, Meowth quickly spoke up.
"If it's umbrellas you need, Meowth has some here, and they work even better, nya~"
It had previously developed a special umbrella, originally intended for looking cool in specific situations.
Unexpectedly, it now proved useful.
[Slippery Umbrella]: At first glance, it appears to be an ordinary umbrella, but rainwater cannot touch its surface at all.
When rain falls, the umbrella's surface repels it completely, letting the water slide off and land on the ground.
Meowth had created this umbrella purely for the amusement of holding something rainwater couldn't touch.
As they spoke, a pitch-black "ocean" surged outward from the depths of the forest at an alarming speed.
Everywhere this "black tide" swept past was left devoid of life—even the smallest blades of grass vanished without a trace.
Its path led directly toward where Akira and the others stood.