Chapter 8: Harimu Ruins
Suppressing his pounding heart, Ivan immediately began applying Limitation and Vow to Gardevoir.
[Name: Gardevoir]
[Attributes: Psychic-type, Fairy-type]
[Abilities: Trace, Synchronize...]
In the blink of a minute, Ivan's machine-gun-like speech speed finally came to a halt.
Simultaneously, the psychic energy surrounding the normally composed Gardevoir suddenly stilled.
Then erupted with several times more powerful presence! Vast pink psychic energy briefly flooded the entire room.
Like someone had set off a pink flashbang in the room, transforming it into a pink "ocean."
Instantly, tables and chairs throughout the room levitated simultaneously, the sparkling pink psychic energy acting like a giant hand supporting them.
Gardevoir's emerald hair began floating uncontrollably, and with a turn, she transformed from an elegant young lady into a queen whose mere presence commanded authority!
Pokedex ability activated!
[Name: Gardevoir]
[Ability: Trace]
[Attributes: Psychic-type, Fairy-type]
[Strength: A]
[Skills: Confusion, Psyshock, Hypnosis, Dazzling Gleam...]
"Hahahahaha, it worked!"
Looking at the Gardevoir before him whose current strength far surpassed her previous level, Ivan could no longer contain his joy.
Most importantly, this was only his first Pokémon!
There would be second and third ones to follow...
B-rank would become A-rank, A-rank would become S-rank!...
As a hardcore Pokémon player, Ivan could confidently assert that he possessed comprehensive knowledge about most powerful Pokémon!
As for the remaining, more mediocre Pokémon, there was no need to worry about their strength regressing due to Limitation and Vow, since their base power wasn't high to begin with.
Moreover, according to Gardevoir's explanation, she could now not only carry multiple people during teleportation but also perform consecutive long-distance teleports repeatedly, drastically boosting their survival capabilities!
At this moment, Ivan was grinning so widely his face seemed about to bloom with joy. He never expected a single attempt to yield such tremendous gains.
...
On the streets of Harimu City.
The overall style of Harimu City was remarkably consistent, presenting a very orthodox Western appearance, largely resembling Gothic architecture.
The roads were mostly paved with rows of bricks and stones, appearing neat and aesthetically pleasing—a veritable blessing for those with obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
The buildings lining the streets could be described as villa-type structures, mostly two or three stories high, composed of stone rib vaults and flying buttresses. At first glance, they resembled churches.
The overall color scheme was grayish-white, leaving a subconscious impression of cleanliness and tidiness at a single glance.
With nothing better to do, Ivan wandered around the city, unconsciously comparing the urban scenery to styles from Earth while admiring it.
The shops and street vendors primarily sold items related to the Harimu Ruins.
The stalls mostly peddled antiques scavenged from the ruins, but over time, the outer city yielded fewer genuine artifacts, and ordinary people couldn't access the inner city.
This resulted in fewer than one in ten of these so-called antiques being authentic.
Walking on the brick-paved road, Ivan suddenly halted, his brow furrowing.
"Huh?"
Just then, the progress bar for incubating the Pokémon in his mind had abruptly stopped.
Previously, it had been advancing slowly but steadily. Now, it had completely stalled, as if blocked by some invisible barrier.
Ivan narrowed his eyes slightly, instinctively glancing toward the direction of the Harimu Ruins.
In the next moment, Ivan vanished from his spot, reappearing in an empty, uninhabited area on the outskirts of the Harimu Ruins.
The stalled progress bar suddenly surged forward again as if injected with adrenaline.
So that's how it is...
Gazing at the relief-covered walls nearby, Ivan mused silently.
The situation was clear: within the city, the progress bar had an upper limit. Once it reached that threshold, he needed to approach the central area for it to advance further.
For this Pokémon incubation, the central location was the Harimu Ruins!
He wondered if every Pokémon incubation required moving toward a central point?
Strictly speaking, this was his first time experiencing Pokémon incubation firsthand, as Gardevoir had appeared alongside him when he awakened his Nen Ability.
What happened next seemed to deliberately confirm Ivan's speculation. Before long, the progress bar halted again, precisely at the 50% mark.
Seeing this, Ivan didn't hesitate and strode directly into the Harimu Ruins. The progress bar resumed its advance.
Ivan didn't mind, treating it as an early visit to tour the Harimu Ruins—something he had planned to do anyway, just slightly ahead of schedule.
The interior of the ruins was labyrinthine, giving an immediate impression of a maze. Everywhere he looked, there were pale yellow walls and a few scattered statues.
Most of the ruins remained relatively intact, though some walls and statues had been damaged, collapsing onto the ground and left unattended.
The reliefs on the walls were vividly lifelike, with details so exquisite they evoked awe, clearly demonstrating the carvers' exceptional craftsmanship.
Legend has it that the Harimu Ruins were once the palace of a fallen kingdom, later transformed into their current state by unknown events.
This is precisely what countless archaeologists and Ruins Hunters seek to uncover.
The reliefs offer limited information, only hinting that this was a nation rich in romanticism.
Its people were emotionally expressive, with a high average level of artistic attainment. Professions like painting and sculpture flourished remarkably.
Moreover, it's said the royal family of this kingdom wielded immensely powerful strength, with each successive king being the strongest of their era.
The continent was far less stable then than it is now, and the people relied on the royal family's protection.
Remarkably, despite constant dangers, the kingdom itself never faced crises, a fact the citizens attributed to their kings' guardianship.
Most statues here were carved in the likeness of successive kings to honor them.
Due to long-term neglect, authorities left these reliefs and statues in place rather than removing them, enacting strict laws to protect the artifacts.
If you picked up gold vessels or jewelry inside, nothing would happen.
But if you laid hands on these reliefs or statues, you'd soon have officials knocking at your door.
As Ivan strolled leisurely deeper into the ruins, the progress bar advanced toward 100%.
Until—
"Sigh... still have to face the Post-Mortem Nen eventually."
Ivan observed the Post-Mortem Nen looming nearby. It wasn't stationary but drifted like black mist stirred by wind, claws outstretched as if taunting him.
Writhing tendrils of dark smoke resembled countless tentacles, eager to drag and devour anyone in reach.
At the boundary between the outer and inner city, the progress bar halted stubbornly at 70%, refusing to budge further.
"Well... since we've already reached 70%, giving up now would be a shame... Is there any way to deal with Post-Mortem Nen?"