"It's been too quiet."
He continued, "You know exactly what kind of person Pariston is. Especially when it comes to the presidential election, he never misses a chance to stir things up."
Ging went on, "Pariston's a strange one. Most people enjoy happiness and beauty, but he seems to thrive on being disliked.
When others show him kindness, he doesn't feel happy. Don't you think that's weird?"
While Ging vented his frustrations, Larry calmly sipped his tea, watching Ging with a curious look.
It was almost as if he was silently saying, 'Aren't you the last person to call someone weird?'
Noticing Larry's expression, Ging stopped his complaints.
What he'd said could almost be seen as a compliment to Pariston.
If he had heard it, Pariston might have smiled even wider.
Ging reflected, "At first, I thought Pariston was staying out of trouble because there was a good chance you'd become president this time, and maybe he wanted things to be stable. But I was wrong.
For someone like him, there's only one thing that drives him, one ultimate goal."
"That goal is something every hunter shares," Ging explained.
"Some hunters aim to discover new magical beasts. Others want to make more money or explore unknown places. But Pariston? It's all about having fun. For him, everything is either fun and valuable or worthless."
Ging added, "You might know some inside info, the old man purposely put Pariston in this position just to entertain him. They're kind of alike in that way."
"They just want to make their daily work harder and show off their tricks to each other," Ging said with a smirk. "So, do you think Pariston cares more about the old man or the Hunters Association?"
Larry paused for a moment, already guessing where Ging was headed.
"Of course it's the old man," he replied.
Ging nodded.
"Sure, there might be other reasons why Pariston sticks around, but that has to be the main one."
"Then the old man's influence over the Hunters Association is gone," Larry added.
"Actually, no," Ging corrected him.
"There's a new president now, someone powerful who won't hesitate to get rid of Pariston at the first sign of trouble."
Ging mimicked Larry's tone, emphasizing the words 'new president' with a teasing edge.
Both of them understood how significant that was, especially since Pariston couldn't stand the new president's strict way of doing things.
Of course, the new president was Larry himself.
Ging continued, "The source of his happiness is gone, and now there's this mountain pressing down on him. He's definitely going to want to leave."
He paused.
"I got curious about when he'd leave and where he'd go, so I started keeping an eye on him."
"And in the end, I found out where he was headed, didn't expect it would be your mountain," Ging added with a meaningful glance at Larry.
Pouring himself another cup of tea, he smiled.
"By the way, this tea is really good. After talking so long, I'm not even thirsty."
Ging leaned back and began to explain.
"It's a long story. I wasn't the leader at first; I only ended up in charge by chance."
Larry finally understood why Ging had been so interested in these events.
Everything was connected, like a butterfly effect triggered by him.
Ging continued, "So your team of skilled people isn't just playing house, huh?"
He took a sip of tea and said casually, "I want to join."
Larry raised an eyebrow.
"You don't even want to ask what this team does? Just decided to join that quickly?"
Ging shrugged.
"You mentioned in our first call that you planned to head to the Dark Continent someday. With Beyond, who's been there, the 'Stone Wall' mercenary group, and talented people from all fields..."
He looked Larry straight in the eyes, his gaze steady and confident.
"Putting all that together, I can only think of one goal."
"Dark Continent!" Ging exclaimed.
Larry revealed the plan without hesitation.
Larry nodded openly, confirming, "That's right. Our team was formed specifically to go to the Dark Continent, and now you're part of it."
Ging let out a relieved sigh, the excitement in his eyes slowly fading as he stretched and sank back onto the sofa.
"The Dark Continent, huh..."
He leaned half back, staring at the spotless ceiling, his eyes filled with a hopeful anticipation.
"So, when do we leave? I think the team is almost ready. Adding more people might just complicate things."
Ging was eager, almost desperate, to set foot on that mysterious land he had dreamed of for years.
"Very soon. In a week," Larry said casually, as if discussing dinner plans.
Ging suddenly sprang up, half leaning on the sofa, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Wait, did you say... in a week?!"
He blinked rapidly, unsure if he'd heard right.
Larry just smiled calmly and said, "Why the fuss? It's just leaving for the Dark Continent in a week."
Ging sat back down, muttering to himself, "A week... just a week..."
Then he looked at Larry, a mix of confusion and wonder in his gaze.
He'd been striving for years without even passing the first level, let alone getting this far.
How had Larry managed it?
Ging figured Larry must be under intense scrutiny from the V5, making it nearly impossible to get a green light for such a dangerous journey.
Was Larry threatening the V5 to get his way?
The thought crossed Ging's mind but he quickly dismissed it, or so he thought.
What Ging didn't realize was that his wild guess was closer to the truth than he imagined.
The reality was that Larry had stealthily infiltrated the Ferry Hall and used his pokemon to control the five leaders directly, bypassing all usual protocols.
But no matter how much Ging pondered, he could never have uncovered that secret.
This situation goes far beyond any simple "threat of force."
That's also why Larry said he'd set off within a week.
The so-called "Day of X" mentioned in the original book, the day Beyond and Nasubi announced the Dark Continent to everyone during a live broadcast, is set for January 27th of next year.
Officially, the Black Whale won't depart until August.
But even January feels too late to Larry.
Now that he has control over the five powerful leaders of the V5, sneaking across with his team should be a piece of cake.
If he can leave earlier, why wait?
The only thing slowing him down is reorganizing the team.
Once those last details are sorted, they can sail.