Greed Island
Akira sat alone in a room, quietly watching the conversation on the screen.
"Though there are some changes, it seems the final outcome isn't too different from the original. The rules are pretty much being finalized now."
The television in front of him was broadcasting the Twelve Zodiac members of the Hunter Association discussing the election rules.
This was all thanks to Porygon-Z.
Akira knew they were currently deliberating the rules because Pyon had been chatting with him on the phone.
During their conversation, Pyon mentioned she was in a meeting with others to discuss the rules for electing the new chairman.
Earlier, after talking with Kite and the others, Gon and Killua had stayed with Kite.
The two kids wanted to share everything that had happened recently with Kite.
Dwun and List had gone off to work.
Since Akira had nothing else to do, he simply had Porygon-Z pull up the live feed to see what they were talking about.
The content wasn't far off from what he'd expected.
The only thing that piqued his curiosity was Netero's mention of freely selecting three items from the association.
"What could be in there?"
Akira absentmindedly rubbed his fingers together, murmuring to himself.
The items collected by the Hunter Association were surely of considerable value.
Perhaps there were things similar to the items on Greed Island?
Would they be of any use to the Pokemon? Could they be used as items for them?
"Beep— Beep—"
"Hmm?"
Seeing the unfamiliar caller ID on his phone, Akira raised an eyebrow but didn't answer immediately.
This wasn't a number he recognized, meaning it likely wasn't a friend.
So why would this "stranger" be calling him?
Without Porygon-Z, normal phones wouldn't even have signal on Greed Island.
For a moment, Akira felt an odd sense of déjà vu.
He remembered that after leaving the Kurta Clan ruins with Kurapika, he'd also received a call from an unknown number.
That person had been Ging.
So who could it be this time?
Plenty of people knew of him, but very few had his phone number.
Those who did were usually people of significant status.
Had the Chimera Ant incident drawn more attention to him?
In the instant he saw the unknown number, Akira's mind raced before settling on a simple, straightforward solution.
He had Porygon-Z display the caller's image on the television to see if he recognized them.
With a thought, the screen showing the Twelve Zodiac's discussion abruptly changed.
Now, it displayed the person calling him.
"This is…"
Akira's gaze sharpened as he stared at the caller, surprise flickering across his face.
This was someone he actually knew!
Though they had never met in person, his familiarity came solely from the original story.
At first glance, Akira already had a rough idea why this person was calling and promptly answered the phone.
"Hohohoho, is this Mr. Akira?"
"My apologies, I hope my call isn't disturbing you?"
A hearty laugh came through the phone.
Though the other party began speaking immediately after the call connected, Akira could still detect a noticeable pause—as if they hadn't expected him to pick up.
"Not at all. I happen to be free right now and can chat with you."
"Beyond Netero."
A slight smirk curled at Akira's lips as he deliberately added the name, addressing the other party directly.
On the screen, Beyond's expression shifted slightly.
His lips parted, pausing briefly in clear surprise—clearly not anticipating that Akira would recognize him.
First, Beyond wasn't widely known, having always operated in the shadows.
The fact that Akira could tell it was him calling was impressive enough.
But beyond that, Akira had not only spoken his given name but also his surname.
What did that imply? It meant Akira knew about his relationship with the old man—something even rarer.
Due to his low-profile lifestyle, very few across the six continents were aware he was Netero's son.
'Did the old man tell Akira about me?'
The thought had barely formed in Beyond's mind before he dismissed it.
The old man wasn't the type to divulge such things, he hadn't mentioned Beyond to anyone in years.
Which meant...
Had Akira uncovered this on his own?
The more Beyond pondered, the more he felt Akira was mysterious.
"My, my, as expected of Mr. Akira. Truly remarkable."
"That's right. I am Beyond."
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Beyond openly acknowledged his identity.
When someone addressed you by name like that, stubborn denial was no longer an option.
"So, what's the purpose of your call?"
Akira already had his suspicions but asked anyway to confirm them.
"Well, as you likely know, I'm Chairman Netero's—that is, the old man's—son."
"Thanks to your presence during the Chimera Ant incident, my father's life was spared. I'd like to express my gratitude to you in person. Would you happen to be free anytime soon?"
Beyond's words were sincere and there was nothing questionable about them.
With Lucario's Aura sensing ability, Akira could easily tell these sentiments were genuine.
Beyond truly wanted to thank him.
Recalling Beyond's portrayal in the original story, Akira also realized that Beyond and Hui Guo Rou weren't exactly allies.
At least when it came to Netero, their views diverged.
As Netero's son, Beyond couldn't bring himself to kill his own father and break their agreement.
But Hui Guo Rou didn't care—he only worried that without the agreement nullified, Beyond couldn't journey to the Dark Continent and their deal would fall through.
Thus, the Chimera Ant incident was orchestrated, with the decision to use the Chimera Ants to kill Netero.
Now that the old man hadn't died, regardless of what the king's reaction might be, it was reasonable for Beyond to want to thank him.
But surely it wasn't just about gratitude.
"I do have some free time later if you want to express your thanks."
"Hohohoho, that's excellent then. How about letting you decide the time and place?"
Beyond laughed heartily.
Truly Netero's son—not only did they share the same appearance, but even their laughter was identical.
****
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Akira ended the call with Beyond.
The television screen switched back to the scene of The Twelve Zodiac members.
Beyond wanted to meet him and Akira believed gratitude was certainly part of the reason.
But if it were just for gratitude... that was highly unlikely.
Considering the Dark Continent Squad Beyond had formed in the original storyline, Akira guessed he might be considering recruiting him into the team?
'Ding'
Just as Akira was pondering, another notification sounded from his phone.
This time, however, it wasn't a call but an alert for a text message.
Chairman Netero: Come quickly, I've got something good for you!
"Something good, huh..."
A glint flashed in Akira's eyes as he glanced at the screen, where The Twelve Zodiac members were leaving the conference room one after another.
They must have finalized the election rules by now.
After wrapping up his business, the old man had sent him a message to come collect something.
He hoped whatever the Hunter Association had in its collection would prove interesting.
****
Inside the Hunter Association Chairman's office.
"Old man, don't tell me there's a hidden door in this room?"
"Or is the Hunter Association's collection stored right here?"
"That'd be way too little, wouldn't it?"
Akira quickly scanned the spacious office.
Aside from the empty areas, the large room only contained a sofa, coffee table, desk, office chair, two large filing cabinets and a sizable television.
Nothing else stood out.
At the very least, Akira didn't think the Hunter Association's treasures would be among these ordinary items.
They must be stored somewhere far more concealed.
"Hohoho, of course they're not kept here. Don't underestimate the Hunter Association."
Netero dug at his ear with his pinky finger before speaking.
"Come, let me show you what the Hunter Association truly values!"
Netero beckoned to Akira and walked over to one of the two cabinets in the room.
"Screech~"
With an ear-piercing metallic groan, the two large cabinets were pulled apart by Netero.
"Just as you suspected, there is indeed a hidden door here."
"But probably not the kind you imagined."
Netero stood before the wall, pressing his palm firmly against its surface as he channeled Aura into it.
Time passed minute by minute until Netero finally withdrew his hand after infusing a substantial amount of aura.
As if triggered by some mechanism, strange lines suddenly appeared on the previously blank wall.
They resembled the crooked, haphazard scribbles of a child.
In an instant, the symbols rapidly multiplied, covering a small section of the wall.
Thick aura clung densely to the markings.
"Is this... Divine Script?"
Akira recognized the bizarre, familiar symbols and turned to Netero for confirmation.
He had previously encountered Divine Script in the cave alongside Ging and Pyon.
Although the Divine Scripts all looked different, they shared a common characteristic—they didn't resemble conventional writing at all.
Their twisted forms made them appear more like intricate patterns than actual characters.
"Correct. These Divine Scripts possess a 'concealment' function," Netero explained.
"A substantial amount of aura must be infused to reveal what's hidden."
"Even if someone channels Aura into the wall, the Divine Script won't manifest unless a massive amount is poured in within a short time."
As he spoke, the Divine Scripts seemed to expand to a certain limit before abruptly vanishing altogether.
With the scripts gone, the wall returned to its ordinary appearance, as if all the Aura Netero had infused had been wasted.
"At first glance, it seems nothing happened, but in reality, the sealed passage to the Secret Realm has been opened."
Netero reached out and touched the wall again—this time, unlike before, his hand passed right through, half his arm disappearing into it.
Simultaneously, ripples like water rings spread around his arm.
"Hoooo, quite mysterious indeed. First, obstructed by a cabinet, then requiring an immense infusion of Aura."
"And to prevent the storage space from being exposed, it was deliberately placed within a Secret Realm."
Akira observed Netero's every move, unable to help but admire it.
The secrecy measures here were taken to the extreme.
If it were just a hidden door, the storage would still occupy physical space, leaving it vulnerable to discovery by those with ill intent.
But a Secret Realm was different—it didn't utilize any external space at all.
One simply entered through the passage and emerged in another dimension.
"This hidden chamber is known only to each generation's chairman. Retrieving items from here is always done with utmost caution."
"To this day, you are the first person outside the lineage of chairmen to learn of its existence."
"For others, obtaining these items as rewards is exceedingly difficult. Even if they do get the chance, it's only because I retrieve and present them myself."
Netero stroked his lengthened beard as he studied Akira's thoughtful expression, his words carrying an unspoken implication.
"That's quite an honor."
"But there's one thing I don't quite understand—why does a Secret Realm happen to be here?"
Akira voiced his confusion.
Neither Secret Realms nor Demon Realms could be artificially created.
Did that mean this one had naturally formed here?
"No, the 'Secret Realm passage' is just a convenient way for me to describe it."
"In truth, it isn't a true Secret Realm—just an independent space formed using Divine Script and an Aura Tool."
Netero shook his head, then stepped forward as an example, vanishing entirely from Akira's sight.
Following suit, Akira crossed the threshold as well.
For an instant, he felt as though he had plunged into water, ripples spreading around him before the sensation normalized.
Before him stood rows of shelves in a spacious area—though it paled in comparison to the Secret Realms he had visited before.
This area resembled a warehouse, with incomprehensible Divine Scripts in every corner, likely used to maintain this space.
"Go ahead and look. You may choose any three items."
Upon hearing this, Akira began examining the nearest shelf.
Each shelf held only a few items, some with just one object per layer.
Beside each item was a card that thoughtfully listed its name and effects.
The first thing that caught Akira's eye was a small vial containing a faint blue liquid, the amount inside quite meager.
'Restoration Potion': Apply this potion to a damaged object to restore it.
Drawback: The limited quantity makes it difficult to repair larger areas of damage.
"I remember this was discovered in some ruins."
"From the excavated history, it seems the king of a small nation was obsessed with restoring a certain artifact."
"He searched everywhere for something that could repair objects, yet he never succeeded in his lifetime."
"Regrettably, after his death, his lingering obsession—his postmortem nen—fused with the unfinished potion."
"Thus, this Restoration Potion came to be."
Netero played the role of commentator well, recounting the memories stored in his mind.
In other words, this Restoration Potion had been collected during his tenure; otherwise, he wouldn't have known its exact origins.
"This is quite impressive, but unfortunately, the quantity is too small to be of much use."
Netero shook his head, speaking with a hint of regret.
Being able to repair objects naturally made it incredibly valuable, but the limited amount diminished its practicality.
Still, it gave Akira an idea.
If everything here was this extraordinary, had he stumbled into Doraemon's pocket?
Just this first item had already broadened his horizons and Akira could hardly imagine what else lay ahead.
Akira had a vague premonition—he would find something here that would prove immensely useful to him!
As if to confirm his suspicion, Akira suddenly noticed something.
A new Incubation Bar had appeared in his mind at some point!
This was a Pokemon being incubated within this space!
A space filled with all sorts of peculiar Aura Tools—what kind of Pokemon could it be?
One with many tools?
Hmm...
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