In that instant, Menchi and Pyon reacted identically.
Staring at the person they had yearned for day and night, a faint mist clouded their eyes.
Tears shimmered at the edges.
Menchi pressed a hand to her mouth, her gaze locked onto Akira, as if unable to believe the sight before her.
Had he… really come back?
Or was this an Illusion born of her longing?
Only when they heard Akira's familiar voice did Menchi and Pyon snap out of their daze.
At last, they were certain.
Akira had returned!
Suddenly, as if moved by the same impulse, Menchi and Pyon dashed toward him, each seizing one of his hands.
Their delicate faces flushed with excitement, their grips tightening as if they would never let go.
In unison, they cried:
"Welcome back!"
Akira blinked in surprise.
Since when had these two become so in sync?
Looking at the two of them tightly gripping his hands from either side, Akira felt a bit helpless, but more than that, he was happy.
They had missed him dearly.
And hadn't he missed them just as much?
Akira spoke softly, "Alright, I know you missed me."
"But you should also consider the current setting."
Hearing this, Menchi and Pyon finally let go of his hands, standing to the side with slight embarrassment.
Akira nodded, then turned his gaze to the group ahead and greeted them:
"Beans, it's been a while."
"You've been working hard lately."
Hearing the familiar address, Beans visibly brightened and replied earnestly,
"Not at all. I'm just glad you've returned safely."
Akira swept his eyes over the group, his gaze lingering briefly on Kurapika before giving a slight nod.
Then, he turned back to Beans and said, "I'll take my leave for now. I'll come find you later."
He did have things to discuss with Kurapika, but there was no rush—it could wait until before their next departure for the Dark Continent.
In the next moment, a spatial rift appeared beside Akira, and he pulled Pyon and Menchi into it with him.
By the time the rift closed, the three of them had vanished, leaving only the others standing where they were.
The commotion had also been heard by the group at the other end of the hallway.
They all realized—their Chairman Akira had returned from the Dark Continent.
Mizaistom Nana the Ox crossed his arms and nodded solemnly.
"To return safely from a place like that… As expected of Chairman Akira, who surpasses even Chairman Netero."
"With someone so powerful leading the Association, it's no wonder we're thriving more than ever."
Cheadle adjusted her glasses, suddenly recalling something.
The Hunter Association was not part of the V5—it was a neutral organization, albeit one with significant influence.
Normally, their interactions with other nations were nothing more than equal treatment, with no special favors.
But ever since Akira became Chairman, it seemed the V5's attitude toward the Hunter Association had shifted.
For the better?
The more Cheadle pieced together the details, the more she felt that Akira was the reason the Hunter Association was gaining more influence.
Then, abruptly, Cheadle's pupils constricted as another thought struck her.
If Chairman Akira had returned, then the team he had taken with him should have returned as well.
Which meant… that insufferable Pariston was back?!
Cheadle's expression darkened.
She couldn't help but wish that troublemaker had stayed behind on the Dark Continent.
With a quiet sigh, Cheadle resumed walking away.
In truth, her assumptions weren't wrong—the Hunter Association's rise was indeed due to Akira.
But the details were different, something Cheadle could never have guessed no matter how hard she thought.
The V5 wasn't favoring the Hunter Association out of fear of Akira's power.
The truth was far simpler—the five highest leaders of the V5, along with several other high-ranking officials, were now all Akira's people.
Without exception, they had been injected with Nihilego's neurotoxin, turning them into puppets under his control.
Nihilego's neurotoxin allowed it to manipulate other organisms, making it the perfect tool for gathering subordinates.
By utilizing Nihilego, Akira could subdue his enemies without bloodshed, directly converting them into his subordinates.
Had he not done so, the current peaceful coexistence would not exist.
The likely outcome would have been the V5 alliance confronting the Hunter Association, exerting pressure on all fronts.
After all, they knew Akira was formidable, but they had no concrete understanding of just how powerful he truly was.
The original Netero had already warranted their intense scrutiny, let alone Akira, whose strength was even more terrifying.
Thus, the current tranquility across the Six Continents, with various factions coexisting peacefully, is largely thanks to Akira.
In other words, nearly every notable faction across the Six Continents is essentially under Akira's control.
The V5, as the official representatives, need no mention—they are now firmly in Akira's grasp.
The alliance of the five most powerful nations on the Six Continents holds absolute authority.
As for the underground representatives, the world's mafia syndicates are no exception.
Their collective highest leadership, the Ten Dons, are fanatical followers of Akira, obeying his every word without question.
If Akira says east, the world's mafia would never dare go west.
The Hunter Association, as the neutral representative, goes without saying—Akira is its chairman.
It is also the only faction he openly controls.
One could say the entire Six Continents have long since belonged to the "Akira" name.
The most powerful remaining faction is the Kakin Empire on the Azian Continent.
How the Kakin Empire is handled doesn't matter—even if they had any ideas, they wouldn't be able to stir up any trouble.
If he felt like it later, he could simply take some time to manipulate the Kakin royal family.
If, when he first left the Six Continents, Akira still placed some importance on his influence,
by the time he returned, he no longer cared for it.
Because he had Kyogre.
With absolute power at his disposal, those external forces no longer held any significance.
Even if the entire Six Continents united against him, it would be nothing more than Kyogre shifting slightly.
He could sink the Six Continents outright.
Now, the only use these factions have for him is to facilitate the execution of his future plans!
...
The highest floor of Heaven's Arena.
This was once the reward floor reserved for the champion of the martial arts tournament, but that rule has since been abolished.
Because everyone tacitly agreed that there could only ever be one champion—Akira.
Not just the audience, but even the Heaven's Arena officials were even more certain of this.
They firmly believed Akira was the strongest existence.
Thus, the prestigious 251st floor was tacitly acknowledged as Akira's private residence, now and forever.
As a result, future martial arts tournaments would no longer offer the "251st floor" as a prize, with participants fighting purely for honor.
The officials also did not pressure Akira to participate, effectively making all floor masters compete for second place.
In fact, the officials could have simply stopped hosting the martial arts tournament altogether.
Previously, they had organized the event primarily to generate profit.
But now, with Akira, they could earn mountains of gold just by selling a few officially licensed Akira-themed merchandise.
Compared to the laborious and time-consuming martial arts tournament, selling merchandise was far easier.
Learning from the last tournament, the officials almost entirely stopped producing merchandise for other floor masters.
Instead, they focused all their efforts on manufacturing Akira-themed goods!
The same outfit Akira wore during the Sky Arena matches, personal figurines, several of Akira's pets...
These items became highly sought-after by countless people.
Among the various pet merchandise, Lucario and Tyranitar were the most popular.
The former gained fame due to its frequent appearances.
Lucario had already made its mark when Akira first rose to prominence and was remembered by many.
Later, when the audience faced a life-and-death crisis, Lucario appeared as a hero, effortlessly defeating the enemies.
After receiving Akira's reminder, the Sky Arena also learned Lucario's name and corresponding title.
Aura Hero—Lucario.
This was its name and title, perfectly matching its characteristics, which made it even more popular.
The latter, Tyranitar, was different from Lucario, having only appeared once in public—during the battle against Zed.
Yet, that single appearance was enough for Tyranitar's tyrannical demeanor to become legendary, firmly etched in the minds of countless viewers.
Thus, the title "Desert Tyrant—Tyranitar" was born, equally adored by many.
Other "pet" merchandise also existed, such as Hydreigon, Dragonite, and Gengar, which had appeared alongside them.
However, since they had fewer standout moments, their popularity wasn't as high as Lucario and Tyranitar's.
But overall, anything related to Akira could easily fetch a high price and never lacked sales.
Due to limited quantities, scalpers and counterfeit merchandise also emerged.
This demonstrated just how immense Akira's influence was.
Meanwhile, the idol in countless people's hearts returned to his residence after two months of travel.
...
In a bedroom on the 251st floor,
Akira had initially planned to share his experiences first, but the two were so enthusiastic that they ended up "communicating" beforehand.
Now, they were resting on the bed.
To Akira's surprise, it seemed that during his two-month absence, the relationship between the two had improved significantly.
Coupled with the long separation, this led to their first three-way exchange—quite unexpected.
Menchi gazed at Akira beside her, her eyes filled with his presence and a deep sense of security.
This feeling was indescribable.
As long as Akira was around, she felt anchored, motivated to do anything.
But when he left, her heart would feel empty, and her mood would unconsciously dip.
Earlier, she couldn't suppress her excitement and did something she had never imagined before.
At this thought, a blush spread across Menchi's fair cheeks, her usually cheerful demeanor now shy and demure.
In contrast, Pyon on the other side remained much calmer, easily accepting what had just happened.
It seemed she had long been mentally prepared for this.
Ever since she made her decision back then, she had envisioned this scenario in the future.
After all, falling for the same person—and the most outstanding one in the world at that—was inevitable, wasn't it?
With this in mind, Pyon smiled faintly and instinctively tightened her grip on Akira's right hand, unwilling to let go.
After a while, Menchi asked coyly, "How long will you stay on the Six Continents this time?"
Both Menchi and Pyon knew very well.
Akira would never stop moving forward—he would keep advancing endlessly.
Of course, it was impossible for him to stay forever after returning.
All they wanted was for Akira to stay with them a little longer.
That was all.
After a moment of silence, Akira said softly:
"It's not decided yet. Let's wait until everything is settled before making a decision. At the very least, I won't leave for another month or so."
Having spent some time in the Dark Continent, he also wanted to indulge in the "comfort of home" for a while.
After all, his days were long, and there was no need to rush.
He could take his time.
At the same time, he considered whether he could bring the two women with him on his next trip to the Dark Continent.
After all, Porygon-Z's Digital World technology was becoming increasingly advanced.
It wouldn't take much effort to travel between the Six Continents and the Dark Continent.
So, he could let Menchi and Pyon stay in the Digital World or on the Six Continents most of the time.
Occasionally, he could summon them to his side to share meals and chat in the Digital World.
They could even come out to move around on the Dark Continent from time to time.
After this trip to the Dark Continent, he had not only improved his strength but also acquired more powerful Pokémon.
Now, he was confident he could protect the two women while exploring the Dark Continent.
So, this was something worth considering.
Without his team, he would be alone on his next trip to the Dark Continent, and having company would make it less lonely.
Menchi and Pyon nodded obediently. It was naturally good that Akira could stay longer.
Pyon asked curiously, "Were you satisfied with your trip to the Dark Continent this time?"
They were also curious about that unknown continent.
If not for their lack of strength, they would have gone along.
After all, as Hunters, they naturally yearned for that place full of mystery and the unknown.
Akira pondered for a moment before saying, "Well... let's just say it was truly extraordinary."
"There were many, many things beyond your imagination."
Akira then proceeded to share his experiences during this period, including the [Calamities] and [Hope] he encountered along the way.
The two women gasped in surprise from time to time.
When he described dangerous situations, they couldn't help but tense up.
They couldn't help but sigh in awe—the Dark Continent was indeed a "forbidden zone for humanity."
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