HxH : Pokemon Master-Chapter 69: Defensive Skill

Hisoka footsteps paused, his expression slightly changing as a hint of realization flashed through his mind.

"So, he's an opponent of the same caliber as him!"

As for who Akira opponent was, Hisoka already had a rough guess in his heart. But it was precisely this guess of his that left him utterly astonished.

"Has he already reached that level..."

Standing beneath the large tree, Hisoka face was a mix of emotions... Akira strength had far exceeded his expectations!

A certain bald ninja hiding in the tree was almost like Tonpa, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Why did such terrifying auras appear one after another! What kind of powerful beings were fighting nearby?!

Hanzo could clearly sense that the two auras came from two different individuals. The first aura was more domineering and brutal! The latter aura was purer and more forceful!

Unbeknownst to Akira, his battle with the Chairman had completely changed someone arrogant personality flaw. He had come to understand that there is always someone greater, and that no matter how strong you are, there is always someone stronger!

"Hohohoho, Akira, I am grateful to you for satisfying my desire for battle..." Netero slowly spoke, while his right palm slightly curved, forming a hand blade that he fiercely struck towards the unmoving Tyranitar.

First Hand!!

Facing Netero fierce attack, Tyranitar showed no signs of panic. With a forceful stomp of its right foot, the ground instantly shattered!

In an instant, a large number of massive rocks appeared in mid-air, then simultaneously descended. Each rock, formed from Nen, looked like a powerful meteor.

The "waterfall" of rocks was incredibly dense, completely blocking Netero attack.

Rock Slide!

"Boom!"

This was the first direct confrontation between Netero and Tyranitar!

The clash between the two S-class powerhouses created massive shockwaves, and the ground between them seemed to have been bombarded by missiles.

On the originally nearly flat ground, a huge crater was forcibly created! For a moment, dust filled the air, and this was only the beginning!

What followed was Netero relentless assault like a storm!

Second Hand ! Third Hand !

Tyranitar remained unmoved, still unleashing attacks to counter them. Brute force, Earthquake, and other powerful skills were used in succession. Some were dodged by Netero, but others had to be taken head-on.

This was how Netero beard was left only half intact...

Relying on his incredible speed, Netero continuously attacked, but most of his strikes were intercepted by Tyranitar wide-range skills, with only a few landing on its body.

Tyranitar frequently let out earth-shaking roars, as most of its attacks were dodged by Netero even faster movements.

Overall, the strength of the two was quite evenly matched, with not much difference. However, Tyranitar was more resilient, making Netero appear somewhat more disheveled.

By the time they reached the 98th move, Netero noticed that Tyranitar was almost completely unaffected. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and a look of disbelief flashed in his eyes.

It seemed he had to bring out something big!

With a thought, Netero decided to unleash the 99th move!

The 99th move was essentially the culmination of the previous 98 moves.

The difference was that the first 98 moves were executed one by one, with some intervals in between.

The 99th move, however, involved channeling all his Nen energy in an instant to unleash all 98 moves simultaneously! The destructive power increased exponentially!

Netero formed a demon-subduing hand seal, and the Nen energy around his body flowed even faster, emitting a more dazzling golden light.

The 99th move!

In an instant, Akira felt as though countless palms were attacking him, each with a different technique. Yet, he showed no sign of panic, his expression as calm as ever. It was time to let the old man witness the terror of Pokémon moves!

After executing the 99th move, even Netero was somewhat overwhelmed.

His chest heaved heavily as he gasped for breath.

Only at this moment did Netero truly resemble an old man. That is, if you ignored the surrounding scene, which had been utterly devastated by him...

As the dust slowly settled, Tyranitar body appeared unscathed, just as it had been before the attack, much to Netero astonishment. Tyranitar was now enveloped in a faint green spherical barrier, which had completely blocked all the attacks!

Then, the barrier began to crack, starting from the front, with countless fissures spreading across its surface in an instant. It shattered into countless crystalline fragments, dissipating into the air.

A defensive skill!

Protect!

Akira had just commanded Tyranitar to use Protect, allowing it to emerge completely unscathed from the terrifying 99th move!

In this world of Hunter x Hunter, the description of the Protect skill had also been altered.

Protect: Consumes a large amount of the Pokémon Nen energy to create an indestructible, all-encompassing barrier that blocks any direct attack. The longer the barrier is maintained, the more Nen energy is consumed.

Tyranitar dark green steel-like skin only bore a few scratches and some dust, with no visible damage otherwise!

"Even the 99th move couldn't harm it?!" Netero could no longer remain calm.

Could it be that he had to resort to the final Zero Hand? His half-broken beard trembled slightly as Netero began to doubt whether he was seeing things correctly.

Not to mention that Zero Hand would require an immense amount of energy, potentially shortening his lifespan.

More importantly, Netero intuition told him that even if he used Zero Hand, he might still not win this battle.

Seeing the obvious hesitation in Netero expression, Akira understood that the old man must have been deeply shaken.

Netero attacks were undeniably powerful!

The first 98 moves had been neutralized by Tyranitar counterattacks, which is why it hadn't sustained much damage. Without the overpowering skill like Protect, Tyranitar would have likely struggled against the 99th move!

Akira eyes lowered slightly, a glimmer of satisfaction flashing across them.

Since the old man was still hesitating, he decided to give him a little push to help him make up his mind quickly!

Before Netero could decide whether to unleash Zero for the sake of a sparring match, the opposing Tyranitar began to move again.

Tyranitar took a few steps forward, its immensely heavy body causing the uneven ground to tremble with each step. Every step felt like a drumbeat striking at the heart, heightening the tension.

Tyranitar opened its steel-forged, ferocious maw, and a tiny white light appeared within its mouth. Then, the silvery energy sphere rapidly expanded, taking on a cylindrical form, ready to transform into a beam aimed at the bewildered Netero.

Hyper Beam!

As this was the decisive move to determine the outcome, Tyranitar poured most of its remaining aura into it, making its power evident!

Yet, Tyranitar hesitated to fire, as if deliberately waiting for something.

"Sigh... I'm old and not as useful as I used to be."

"Stop, Akira."

Chairman Netero completely withdrew his aura, reverting to the appearance of an ordinary old man. In the end, he chose not to use Zero, openly admitting his defeat.

It wasn't that he feared the consequences of unleashing Zero, but rather that he felt his current condition wasn't optimal.

Even if he used Zero, he wouldn't be able to fight to his fullest!

Perhaps someday in the future, he could take some time to adjust his condition, put on that outfit, and have another match with Akira?

Netero stroked his half-length beard, his sharp eyes thoughtfully gazing at Akira.

Unbeknownst to Akira, Chairman Netero had already decided to extend the same treatment he reserved for the Ant King to him.

At this moment, Akira was focused on the changes in the experience bar in his mind.

Netero words were equivalent to admitting defeat, naturally fulfilling the conditions for gaining experience.

By Akira design, only Tyranitar had participated in the entire battle.

This was to ensure that Tyranitar would monopolize Netero experience points!

He also wanted to see if the experience from an S-tier opponent could propel Tyranitar directly to the next minor stage. That is, S rank!

The result was within Akira expectations—not too little, but not too much either.

Tyranitar experience bar, which would drive anyone to despair with its length, was now mostly filled, though it still fell short.

Most of the experience gained naturally came from the kind old man, "Netero," with the rest provided by Wrath and Envy.

As for the "fake Wrath" that was pulverized in the Tower of Deceit, it contributed almost nothing to Tyranitar experience. It was completely negligible.

Shifting his attention away from his mind, Akira carefully observed his surroundings and couldn't help but marvel.

The battle between S- rank beings was truly cataclysmic!

This "innocent" little island had been utterly devastated by the clash between Netero and Tyranitar! What was once a lush, tree-covered island now had barely a single tree left unscathed. In their place were craters of varying depths!

As if struck by a meteor shower, the once peaceful island was now riddled with bizarre pits. Even the thick dust that had been kicked up still hadn't completely settled, with some of it lingering in the air. All of this silently narrated the intensity of the battle that had just taken place!

After the intense battle with Chairman Netero, Akira decided not to return to Zevil Island.

After all, he had already obtained the target number plate, and going back would only mean spending the next six days idly on that small island.

So, Akira simply followed Chairman Netero onto the airship he had called. In any case, he would have to board this airship after the exam was over. He was just doing it a bit earlier than planned.

Once on the airship, Bean, Satotz, and others gathered around, their expressions somewhat unnatural, clearly curious about who had won.

It was obvious they had some knowledge of the duel between the two.

They all still believed that Akira couldn't possibly defeat Chairman Netero, given how young he was, while Netero was a seasoned veteran who had trained for many years!

That was their thinking—until they saw Chairman Netero current state.

"Chairman! Are you alright?" Bean stepped forward with a worried expression to greet Netero. It wasn't that he was being overly dramatic. Having been with the Chairman for so long, this was the first time Bean had seen him in such a disheveled state!

The Chairman, who had previously exuded an air of immortality, now looked like a construction worker, his tracksuit tattered and stained with yellow dust.

His once majestic long beard was now only half its original length!

Sweat dripped from his forehead, as if he had just undergone intense physical exertion.

In contrast, Akira looked exactly the same as before, completely unharmed! For a moment, the two formed a stark contrast.

Although Akira had relied on his Nen beasts to attack and hadn't personally engaged in combat, so his appearance didn't reveal much, the others couldn't help but feel a pang of unease, and a bold thought crossed their minds.

Could it be... Did Akira actually win against the Chairman?

"Chairman, so... who won?" Menchi, unable to hold back, was the first to ask the question everyone was dying to know.

Seeing everyone swallowing hard, their faces filled with tension, Netero scratched his cheek awkwardly and said.

"Hohohoho, I lost!"

At these words, their pupils dilated in shock, and they quickly turned to look at Akira, who remained calm and composed.

From the reactions of the two... it was true!

Netero admission was like a tsunami in their hearts, overwhelming them with astonishment! Akira had actually defeated the legendary figure—Chairman Netero!

"Ah, the younger generation is truly formidable. It was a complete defeat" Netero added, his tone filled with emotion, as the others were still processing the weight of his words.

He was clearly admitting that he was no match for Akira.

"Chairman, you're too kind. I only barely won" Akira glanced at Netero, who seemed to have noticed something, raised an eyebrow, and then explained.

As for whether it was truly a narrow victory... Both Netero, as the loser, and Akira, as the winner, knew the truth.

Akira Gardevoir, Gengar, and Arcanine, along with some other overpowered abilities, hadn't even been revealed yet!

If Akira had truly fought with the intent to kill, even if Netero had been in his best condition, the outcome would likely have been the same... Death!

To put it simply, Akira Gengar alone could have killed Netero!

All because of the move "Destiny Bond"!

The effect of "Shared Fate" in the game is that after it is activated, if the opponent attack causes your death, then the opponent's health will also drop to zero.

In the real world, the effects of certain abilities have naturally been altered.

Destiny Bond: When activated, a black gas swirls around the Pokémon. While this black gas is present, if the Pokémon that activated it is killed, the attacker will also die!

The only downside is that maintaining this black gas consumes a significant amount of aura, so it's impossible to use "Destiny Bond" at all times.

Despite this drawback of high aura consumption, it doesn't diminish the overpowered effect of "Destiny Bond"!

The key point is the information gap, which is the most crucial factor among aura users. If Akira doesn't reveal it himself, who would know that attacking Gengar would also take their own life?

Of course, this is considered a last resort. Akira wouldn't use it unless absolutely necessary.

As clearly stated in the aura ability Pokémon Master, each Pokémon can only be obtained once, and death means permanent loss.

The real world isn't like the game world, where Pokémon can be revived at a Pokémon Center after losing all their HP.

A versatile Pokémon like Gengar, which can devour death aura and seems particularly effective against creatures from the Dark Continent, while also possessing spatial abilities, must be protected at all costs.

And this is just one of Akira methods for dealing with powerful enemies!

So Chairman Netero wasn't exaggerating when he said that Akira had essentially already surpassed him!

In fact, there are many skills in the game similar to "Destiny Bond," such as "Perish Song," which Gengar can also use. In the game, if the opponent remains on the field for three turns after it's used, they'll be knocked out. But in the real world, it's been adjusted.

Perish Song: After use, the target is afflicted with a negative effect that lasts for three minutes, continuously draining their aura and stamina. Naturally, this can't compare to the instant-death effect of "Destiny Bond."

For now, the others couldn't tell whether it was a crushing defeat or a complete loss. But one thing they were certain of... Akira strength had already reached the level of those top-tier powerhouses!

For a moment, everyone reacted differently. Bean, perhaps due to his monster-like physique, showed no extreme emotions on his pea-like face, but he kept wiping cold sweat with a handkerchief.

Right now, Bean mind was replaying what the Chairman had said while reviewing Akira information in the office.

"Maybe Akira is stronger than me..." So that wasn't a question, but a statement?

Among the three, Satotz appeared the calmest... If you ignored his continuously trembling curly mustache.

Menchi reaction was the most straightforward. Her pair of emerald-green eyes stared intently at Akira, filled with complex emotions.

There was joy for Akira defeating Chairman Netero, but also a sense of inferiority and frustration at the vast gap between herself and Akira...

Being stared at like that by Menchi, Akira scratched the tip of his nose awkwardly and let out a dry laugh to ease the tension.

The Chairman of the Hunter Association, once the strongest man in the world!

Today, he was defeated by a young man!

A new world strongest had been born!

If this news were to spread, it wouldn't just shake the world—it would send shockwaves through the entire Nen user community!

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