As Don's reaction grew more obvious, Akira started to feel even more awkward.
He wasn't sure what to call this feeling.
One of his Pokémon had actually terrified Don Freecss, a guy who had survived the Dark Continent for centuries.
But then again, Akira understood.
Kyogre was a top-tier Legendary Pokémon—basically a god in its own world.
Getting scared by a god wasn't anything to be ashamed of.
Clearing his throat, Akira lowered his voice.
"Ahem... that 'unnamed Calamity' with the ocean-like aura you mentioned... uh, that's actually one of my Nen Beasts." He tried to say it calmly to save Don some face.
Meanwhile, Ging, on the other side, was trying his best not to burst out laughing.
He didn't seem to care that he might annoy his ancient ancestor and find out what a little "ancestral care" felt like.
When Akira finished talking, Don's mind just went blank.
His cloudy eyes suddenly cleared up, filled with pure shock, confusion, and disbelief.
After a few seconds, he managed to compose himself, though he was trembling a little.
"You just said... that was one of your Nen Beasts?" he asked, repeating the question a few times.
"That was a Nen Beast?!"
Don just couldn't believe it.
He had lived for hundreds of years and was once the strongest person on the Six Continents.
But even he was just a nobody in the Dark Continent, always at risk of dying.
The young man in front of him was now claiming that the creature with that overwhelming, terrifying presence—an aura that scared even him—was just his Aura Beast.
Since when could Aura Beasts get that powerful?
That presence was the most insane thing he had ever felt.
He figured there was probably nothing else like it in the world, unless it was hiding deep within the Dark Continent... like the Demon King himself.
Seeing Don's reaction, Akira thought it was perfectly normal.
Honestly, he wouldn't have believed it either if someone told him a story like that.
It was like an adult claiming their baby could outrun an Olympic sprinter.
To prove it, Akira stayed quiet and, with a thought, let a deep blue aura erupt from his body.
The oceanic presence blasted outwards, whipping up a strong wind and instantly forming a massive storm cloud in the sky.
Just a moment ago, it had been a bright, sunny day.
Don's body shook.
He wiped the sudden raindrops from his face and looked up at the sky as it began to pour.
Just a tiny bit of the aura, without Kyogre even showing up, was enough to summon a storm.
The scene was an exact match to what he'd witnessed before.
The shock in his heart was overwhelming.
'Could it be true? Was that terrifying power really connected to this young man?'
Don opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out.
He couldn't figure out how a human could wield this kind of power.
After a long pause, he finally sighed.
"Man, the young kids these days are so strong. I must be getting old."
Then, a spark of excitement lit up his eyes.
"Young man," he said to Akira, "would you do me a favor?"
....
A little while later, inside the Digital World, Don and Akira stood facing each other, ready to spar.
Ging, Beyond, and the others watched from a distance.
This was the favor Don had asked for: a friendly duel to test his skills against this powerful young man.
Everyone was hyped for the match.
Beyond's eyes burned with intensity.
"What's wrong?" he asked Ging, who was unusually quiet.
"Aren't you excited? This is Akira versus Don Freecss! We're talking about the two strongest humans alive right now."
Beyond was practically buzzing with excitement.
A fight like this could determine who was truly the strongest person in the world.
But everyone there already knew the winner would be Akira.
Still, just getting to watch a fight of this level was an honor.
Hearing Beyond, Ging sighed. "Of course I'm interested. But their power is on a whole different level from ours. If they really go at it, we probably won't even be able to see what's happening. Our eyes won't be able to keep up."
He paused, then added, "It's like a normal person watching Nen users fight. You know they're strong, but you have no idea what they're actually doing."
His words made the others realize they weren't even qualified to be spectators.
Meanwhile, Akira and Don heard Ging's comment thanks to their super-sharp hearing.
They had reached a level where they had basically evolved beyond normal humans.
Don looked around the Digital World with fascination.
"Having an ability like this must be so convenient," he said to Akira.
"I can't tell you how many times I've wished for a portable space where I could rest or store my stuff."
He sighed.
This young man had him beat in every way.
An ability like this was every Dark Continent explorer's dream.
It was like carrying a personal safe house with you.
If he had this, he wouldn't have had to go through so much hardship just to survive.
Seeing the envy in Don's eyes, Akira didn't know what to say.
He decided not to mention that this was just one of many amazing support skills his Pokémon gave him.
Porygon-Z's Digital World, Meowth's inventions, Nihilego's biological skills—they all made his life on the Dark Continent so much easier.
This Digital World was also the perfect place for a sparring match, since they wouldn't have to worry about destroying anything in the real world.
But its most overpowered feature was something Don didn't even know about yet: it allowed for teleportation.
If things got really bad, he could just have Porygon-Z teleport them all the way back to the Six Continents.
After a moment, Don refocused, his expression turning serious.
"You'll need to be careful," he warned Akira. "It's been a long time since I've sparred. I might not be able to control my strength at first."
Every fight he had on the Dark Continent was a life-or-death struggle.
There was no holding back.
Holding back was just a dumb way to get yourself killed.
You had to give every fight your absolute all just to survive.