After a long while, the aftermath on the field finally settled completely.
The dark clouds in the sky had vanished, leaving only the "lakes" on the ground and the droplets of water on the grass as evidence of what had just happened.
Apart from their immediate surroundings, the grassland and a few trees in the distance remained untouched.
At the same time, a spatial rift suddenly appeared, collecting the weakened Hellbell Snakes.
The largest and strongest among them had already been sacrificed earlier.
As for the remaining snakes, they had expended too much energy in a short time and could no longer mount an effective counterattack.
They could barely even crawl up, their pairs of Snakeine eyes staring at the group in terror.
Because Akira and the others were the most terrifying enemies they had ever encountered in their existence.
It was also the first time they had suffered such a crushing defeat, even after summoning the Demon King's phantom!
Kyogre's godlike and terrifying figure was deeply imprinted in their minds, leaving their bodies stiff with involuntary fear.
Right now, they could still shake their tails and produce the ringing sound from the spherical parts—that much was possible.
But doing so would only create ordinary, effectless chimes.
Because the so-called "Hellbell" effect primarily stemmed from the eerie black mist.
At the moment, the black mist inside them had been completely depleted, with not even a wisp remaining on their bodies.
Naturally, they had no extra energy to infuse into the chimes.
Thus, with fearful and bewildered eyes, they could only fall into the Digital World, left for Meowth to handle.
As one of the Five Great Calamities, the Hellbell Snake even had intricate connections to the Demon King.
Simply exterminating them seemed like a waste—after all, there was no guarantee they'd encounter a similar species again.
Perhaps these Hellbell Snakes were the only species linked to the Demon King?
Although Akira suspected there were likely other creatures connected to the Demon King, it was better to err on the side of caution.
At the same time, these twin-tailed snakes themselves held significant research value—alive, they could yield far greater benefits.
[Though now that I think about it, haven't I been assigning Meowth a bit too many tasks?]
Akira couldn't help but rub his forehead, feeling somewhat awkward.
In the early days after obtaining Meowth, things were fine—he simply gave it some Nen tools and knowledge, letting it experiment freely.
It could create whatever gadgets it liked.
But ever since this Dark Continent expedition began, he'd frequently assigned tasks to Meowth, directing it to research specific things.
Fortunately, Meowth seemed to enjoy it—it loved researching and inventing.
Maybe it had something to do with a cat's innate curiosity for the unknown?
Akira guessed that its special trait as an [Inventor] also played a role.
There was no denying how invaluable it was to have an unreasonable high-tech inventor like Meowth.
From the moment they set foot on this continent, he had handed Meowth one task after another.
For example, researching the monster corpses and plants harvested from the grasslands, or the Bone Clan's miraculous forging techniques...
Basically, anything he deemed valuable or potentially useful was handed over to Meowth.
Hope it can handle all this?
Just imagining Meowth tirelessly researching in the Digital World made Akira feel a little guilty.
But Meowth had indeed lived up to his expectations, making significant progress in many areas.
This would greatly aid his future plans.
After a moment of contemplation, Akira pushed these thoughts aside and narrowed his eyes, gazing in a specific direction.
The direction he was looking at was none other than the center of this grassland.
He hadn't forgotten the true purpose of this trip.
If the Hellbell Snake was more like a pleasant surprise bonus...
Then what came next was the real prize.
Nearby, Beyond stepped forward, glanced at the pensive Ging, and cleared his throat before speaking loudly.
"Although we've faced many setbacks and hardships, we've successfully overcome them all."
"The fact that we're still standing here, breathing, is the best proof."
"And just now, our captain—Akira—defeated that terrifying enemy, which means..."
Beyond's words immediately caught the attention of the others.
Whether they were resting or chatting, all eyes turned to him.
Pausing deliberately mid-sentence, Beyond gave everyone a moment to absorb his words.
At the same time, he aimed to stir their enthusiasm.
Clearing his throat, Beyond's deep, resonant voice rang out again:
"This means we're just one step away from our goal!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Beyond slightly turned his body and pointed sharply toward the center of the grassland.
His excitement was palpable.
Following Beyond's finger, the group's barely steadied heartbeats quickened once more.
At that moment, many felt their hearts pounding loudly, like drumbeats echoing in their ears.
As their gazes stretched into the distance, the thunderous heartbeat grew even louder.
Because they had realized what Beyond was pointing at!
At first glance, the grassland's structure seemed unremarkable, but from above, something interesting would be noticed.
The grassland was roughly circular, covered with weeds of varying heights and swamps of different sizes.
Beyond that, the most striking feature was the few trees arranged in an orderly circle.
Though sparse compared to the vast grassland, they roughly enclosed the very center, as if guarding something.
In that "center stage," the object of their quest lay.
At the heart of the grassland was a swamp, but unlike the others.
This one was relatively normal, with nothing particularly bizarre—except for being unusually nutrient-rich.
And within that swamp grew a cluster of unique "weeds."
They were a vibrant yellow, bending slightly when a breeze passed over them.
Like golden waves.
This was one of the so-called [Hope]—the ultimate food, Nitro Rice.
With unwavering determination, Beyond pointed excitedly at the Nitro Rice in the distance:
"The [Hope] that grants eternal life is right there!"
Beyond's words were like lighting a fuse. After a brief silence, the previously breathless crowd erupted in cheers!
"Yes! We've finally done it!"
"Is it real? The legendary Nitro Rice is right before our eyes!"
"I wonder what it tastes like?"
...
Ging watched the jubilant scene, a faint smile tugging at his lips, infected by the surrounding joy.
After a long while, he smiled subtly, casting an imperceptible glance at Beyond, feeling a hint of admiration.
He understood the deeper meaning behind Beyond's actions.
The shadow's oppressive presence had been so overwhelming that many were still reeling from the near-death experience.
Even though the shadow had vanished, its terrifying aura lingered in their hearts.It will only fade away with time.
If they continue to dwell in the fear of that illusion, it will have a severe negative impact on their mental state.
So, they need something uplifting to pull them out of this shadow.
Beyond had seen this clearly and, after they had recovered somewhat, brought this uplifting news.
As it turned out, his approach worked remarkably well.
Even the usually most stoic scholar, Kururi, couldn't help but wear a genuine smile in such a joyous atmosphere.
And it wasn't just him—nearly everyone's face was lit up with happiness because they had succeeded!
They had weathered countless storms, big and small, and finally overcome the challenges.
Now, it was time to reap the rewards!
Akira stood at the front, sensing their joy even without turning around.
He understood their feelings all too well.
Since embarking on this journey to the Dark Continent, everyone had been on edge constantly.
At night, it was manageable—they could rest safely in the Digital World without worrying about danger.
But during the day, while traveling outside, they had to stay hyper-vigilant, alert to every rustle and movement around them.
After all, in a place like this, the slightest lapse in attention could cost them their lives.
Under such prolonged high-pressure conditions, the team had faced one crisis after another.
It was only natural for negative emotions to fester, suppressed deep within.
Earlier, the phantom of the Demon King had stirred up many of these feelings, and if left unchecked, it could have undone all their efforts.
In other words, many might have suffered mental breakdowns!
But thanks to Beyond's intervention, this issue was successfully resolved, washing away much of the darkness in their hearts.
Now, what filled their hearts was mostly joy.
"Well then... it's time to enjoy ourselves!" Akira murmured, gazing at the golden waves of wheat.
...
In the Digital World,
The exhausted group was about to enjoy their evening meal after a long day.
Normally, they would still be traveling at this hour, entering the Digital World a bit later.
But with their goal already achieved, everyone's first thought was to savor the fruits of their hard-won success.
Even Akira was no exception.
Since they had what they needed, there was no reason to wait—they could start celebrating right away.
Thus, tonight's dinner was different from usual, made especially unique by the addition of Nitro Rice.
Akira clasped his hands behind his back, watching the bustling, enthusiastic crowd nearby.
Specialized tasks were best left to the experts.
Cooking, naturally, was entrusted to the team's chef, Sammy.
Assisting him were several members of the Stone Wall, who usually helped out.
But today was different.
Perhaps because their pent-up negativity had faded, everyone was in high spirits.
They eagerly vied to assist Sammy, wanting to take part in the cooking.
Unlike other elite chefs who would shoo away such enthusiasm, Sammy welcomed it.
He was delighted to see more people take an interest in cooking.
Of course, enthusiasm aside, Sammy knew just how precious Nitro Rice was.
He wouldn't dare let them handle such a top-tier ingredient.
At most, he let them help with chopping ingredients for the side dishes—the ones meant to accompany the "main rice."
Sammy felt this was already quite generous.He had originally intended to handle everything alone.
Watching the bustling activity over there, Akira turned to gaze at the beautiful scene behind him.
A swamp had materialized out of thin air in the Digital World, with stalks of [Nitro Rice] growing from it.
Not only had he taken the Nitro Rice, but he had also uprooted the entire swamp beneath it!
This had been part of his plan all along.
The effects of [Nitro Rice] were astonishing—it could extend one's lifespan.
Naturally, no one would ever complain about having too much of such a thing; the more, the better.
The original amount of [Nitro Rice] was far from enough to satisfy Akira.
So he devised a plan, one that could turn a limited supply of [Nitro Rice] into an infinite quantity.
The plan was simple: cultivate the Nitro Rice either in the Digital World or across the Six Continents.
With Shaymin, known as the "Flower Deity," and Landorus, revered as the "God of Harvest," by his side, Akira refused to believe that cultivating this small [Nitro Rice] would be impossible.
After all, Shaymin could effortlessly transform barren land into a sea of flowers and purify toxins from the atmosphere.
It could turn polluted, disaster-stricken land into fertile soil where any flower could bloom in vibrant splendor.
Meanwhile, Landorus possessed the ability to nourish the earth, enriching the land.
Any farmland blessed by its presence would yield bountiful harvests, earning Landorus its title as the God of Harvest.
With a Legendary Pokémon and a Mythical Pokémon both overseeing the task, if they still couldn't cultivate this [Nitro Rice], Akira would accept defeat.
Just to be safe, he had even taken the entire swamp along with him.
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