In the cavern chamber.
The once orderly and clear cave was now in complete disarray, as if ravaged by countless super tornadoes.
Several sections of the rock walls had collapsed, creating heaps of rubble scattered throughout the chamber.
This expanded the already spacious cavern even further, as if additional space had been carved out from the walls.
Except now, these spaces were filled with piles of broken rock fragments.
Beyond the rubble, clouds of dust hung in the air—unlike ordinary dirt and dust.
Normal dust tends to be yellowish, but this dust was an unusual black.
Because it was the pulverized remains of Black Tremor Rock.
Even such durable Black Tremor Rock could only be reduced to powder in the aftermath of the battle.
This demonstrated just how intense the clash between SS-rank powerhouses could be.
Even the toughest ores would be reduced to clouds of dust under the residual shockwaves.
And this was after some time had passed, with much of the dust already settled. The dust clouds had been far thicker earlier.
With the naked eye, it had been nearly impossible to see through the ink-black dust.
Yet in this space that should have been empty, countless objects of varying sizes were inexplicably piled up.
At first glance, they might have seemed like oddly shaped rocks of different colors.
Some were silver-white, others pure black, with the most eye-catching being a brilliant golden hue.
These were no ordinary rocks—they were the remains of the stone giants!
And right now, Steelix was devouring them, turning them into part of its strength.
Steelix's back was now empty, as everyone had disembarked to allow it to feed undisturbed.
Its crimson eyes swept over the piles of "rocks" before settling on the smallest heap.
Though few in number, the dazzling golden glow made them impossible to ignore.
These were the remains of Jun, Jon, and Jan—the three Golden Giants—the most valuable among all the remains.
If the other remains were a filling meal for Steelix, then these three Golden Giants were a delicacy.
And the remains of Jin, waiting for it next, would be nothing short of a "grand feast."
Steelix slowly shifted its massive body, then, aiming precisely, opened its jaws wide and took a huge bite.
What it devoured was none other than Jun's remains.
The moment it took a bite, Steelix's experience points began rising at a speed surpassing its previous rate.
With every mouthful it swallowed, the experience points would inexplicably jump forward, advancing rapidly as if injected with adrenaline.
The Golden Giant's physique was sizable, but as a leader, Steelix's mouth was equally massive.
Under Steelix's rapid devouring, the three Golden Giants were reduced to mere powder that slipped between its teeth and fell to the ground.
Everything else entered Steelix's stomach, becoming fuel for its advancement.
By the time the three Golden Giants were fully digested, Steelix's strength had reached S+ rank.
If it consumed all the remaining Silver Giants and Black Rock Giants, Steelix could likely reach S+ to SS- rank.
Nearby, Akira gave a slight nod, quite satisfied with Steelix's growth.
Normally, Pokémon grew stronger by defeating opponents to gain experience.
However, some Pokémon were exceptions, able to gain experience through means related to their nature.
For instance, Gengar fed on lingering grudges, Snorlax on delicacies, and Porygon-Z on data from the digital world...
Steelix was even more unique.
Not only could it consume rocks and ores, but even stone-like creatures such as Rock Giants.
It could digest and absorb them, converting them into experience to strengthen itself.
Moreover, there was a chance it could inherit the special abilities of the minerals or Rock Giants it consumed, meaning it could potentially acquire more and more abilities.
After consuming Jun, Jon, and Jan, Steelix successfully obtained the abilities of Jun and Jan.
With a low growl, Steelix's body subtly transformed.
Jet-black patterns emerged across its golden body, resembling Jun's appearance.
The moment these dark patterns appeared, Steelix's presence drastically diminished—though it remained in place, it gave off an almost illusory sensation.
Then, as if melting, Steelix seamlessly merged into the surrounding shadows.
Its massive form vanished in an instant, completely absorbed into the darkness.
Now, Steelix was freely traversing the Shadow World, reminiscent of Giratina soaring through the Distortion World.
Akira pondered quietly, sensing Steelix's movements within the Shadow World.
He had to admit, Jun's ability was impressive.
Though he had learned the details of the battle from Porygon-Z, witnessing the ability firsthand still left him in awe.
Jun was a born assassin—even more suited for the role than the Zoldyck family.
Not only could it reduce its presence to near-invisibility, but it could also freely travel between the Shadow World and reality.
Even if an ambush from the shadows failed, it could retreat back into the darkness.
It could flee outright or bide its time for another strike.
Offense and defense were both viable.
Through his Pokedex Ability, Akira also learned that Jun had been incredibly lucky to consume the rare Shadowstone.
But now, it had all become Steelix's advantage, allowing it to traverse the Shadow World at will.
This so-called Shadow World could also be understood as the realm of shadows—a common space for all shadows.
It was somewhat similar to the digital world, except the Shadow World contained nothing within it.
Normally, Marshadow and Gengar resided in Akira's shadow—meaning they stayed within this Shadow World.
After exploring for a while, Steelix suddenly flicked its tail and surged out from the shadows it had entered.
The dark patterns on its body gradually faded away, returning to its original golden hue.
Unlike Jun and Jan, Steelix's normal appearance was simply that of an ordinary Shiny Pokémon.
Only when using its abilities would its appearance transform to match the corresponding power.
Otherwise, as Steelix consumed more types of ores, it would eventually take on a highly bizarre appearance.
After deactivating Jun's ability, layers of radiant white light once again shimmered across Steelix's body.
Then, countless tiny diamond fragments suddenly formed, firmly adhering to its surface and making it even more eye-catching.
From an almost unnoticeable, low-profile state to a dazzling, high-profile display, Steelix switched between the two in an extremely short time.
This wasn't to say Steelix could only use one ability at a time. On the contrary, it could simultaneously employ multiple abilities.
Each of these abilities was already formidable on its own, but when combined, they could unleash even more terrifying effects.
Take, for example, Jun's shadow ability and Jan's diamond ability.
The shadow ability allowed Jun to attack unexpectedly, but it lacked sufficient offensive means.
A top-tier assassin not only needs stealth but also enough lethality.
This was where Jun fell short.
If Jin were willing to share one of his blades with Jun, Jun's strength could increase significantly.
Unfortunately, Jin wasn't that generous of a Rock Titan.
He treasured those blades and never shared them.
Jan's diamond ability, on the other hand, offered both defense and offense, complementing the shadow ability and making up for each other's weaknesses.
However, using these abilities came at a cost, and employing them simultaneously meant the consumption rate doubled.
With a series of cracking sounds, the Shiny Steelix completely transformed from golden to a brilliant diamond-like sheen.
At this moment, Steelix reminded Akira of a peculiar-looking Onix that had appeared in Pokémon.
That one was also known as the Crystal Onix, a very rare variant.
A normal Onix was covered in dull gray-black rocks, appearing plain and unremarkable.
But the Crystal Onix had a body resembling crystal—exceptionally transparent and luminous, incredibly beautiful.
It was as if a massive crystal had been painstakingly carved by countless master artisans into an artistic Onix.
If Steelix were any more transparent, it would closely resemble that Crystal Onix.
Perhaps it should be called a Crystal Steelix?
Beyond its dazzling appearance, Steelix gained increased offense and defense when using this ability and could even transform surrounding objects into diamond-like textures.
Overall, both Jun's and Jan's abilities were highly useful.
Even though Jon's ability hadn't been obtained, Akira didn't feel disheartened.
After seeing the Pokemon Ability, he believed Steelix still had hope of acquiring Jon's ability.
The Encyclopedia Ability revealed that Jon's ability to transform into various gases originated from a type of ore called the Gasification Stone.
Gasification Stone: Geologically very soft, with a pure white surface and black interior, it is a companion ore to Gemstone Power.
This ore is quite unique—it can only be stored in places with minimal gas, such as within rock walls.
When placed in a corresponding gas of adequate concentration, the Gasification Stone will transform into a large amount of that gas.
If located in an environment with mixed gases like air, the Gasification Stone will preferentially convert into the gas with the highest concentration.
...
This Gasification Stone is unmistakably a byproduct ore of Gemstone Power!
This is also why Akira still held Hope.
He believed there was a high probability of a Diamond Spirit colony here, continuously providing Gemstone Power for the stone giants to consume.
Naturally, Gasification Stones would also exist, meaning Steelix still had a chance to obtain this ability.
Before reading about the Gasification Stone, Akira had been more interested in Jon's combat applications.
But now, he was far more intrigued by the other values of the Gasification Stone.
Simply placing the Gasification Stone in a corresponding gas environment would cause it to convert into a massive amount of that gas.
For example, placing it in an oxygen-rich environment would turn it into a large volume of oxygen.
In different gas environments, it would transform into the corresponding gas.
It was precisely this versatility that allowed Jon to execute so many unique attacks.
Without exaggeration, the Gasification Stone could fully qualify as a type of Hope.
Because upon understanding its effects, the first thing that came to Akira's mind was another Hope—
One of humanity's known Hopes: Trinity Elixir!
Trinity Elixir is called the "mother solution for all sorts of liquids."
In short, with Trinity Elixir, one could produce any desired liquid.
The simplest liquid would be "water"—Trinity Elixir could effortlessly become a vast quantity of water.
Beyond that, it could also transform into other liquids, making it a Hope with limitless possibilities.
Such a powerful Hope naturally aroused the desires of many.
According to information gathered from the V5 Migration Bureau, the Republic of Mimbo once even sought the Hunters' Association's assistance—
All to search for Trinity Elixir, the source of all liquids.
But the results were fruitless, with only three survivors.
They seemed to have fallen into some kind of dispute and returned completely mentally deranged.
This was because the location of Trinity Elixir harbored one of humanity's five known calamities—
The Gaseous Lifeform known as the Desire-Dependent Entity: Ai!
Akira was no stranger to Ai, having encountered a weakened one in the Harimu Ruins.
In the end, Gengar devoured it as a snack.
It seemed easy to deal with, but for normal Nen users, Ai was practically invincible.
Even if dispersed, it would reform, and it could absorb emotions to create emotion-based monsters.
Creatures whose emotions were absorbed would become mentally unstable, just like the three who returned.
They all ended up insane—even if alive, they suffered endless mental torment, a fate worse than death.
Fortunately, Akira had Gengar back then; otherwise, he would have had to retreat and rely on Gardevoir's Teleport to escape.
Trinity Elixir was far beyond his reach, but the Gasification Stone was different—almost within grasp, with a similarly remarkable effect.
If Trinity Elixir corresponded to countless liquids, then the Gasification Stone corresponded to countless gases.
Both held immense value, making it difficult to determine which was superior.
-----------------------------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator