After spending a few hours exploring, Larry turned his cal towards the city center, where most of the hotels were located. He knew the progress bar for Pokémon breeding was moving slowly, aning he would likely be staying in the desert for a while.
No problem. He had plenty of ti to take things slow. If the progress bar wasn’t full after exploring Mardiya City, he’d just move on to the next desert settlent and continue his journey. Unlike most people who spent their days training and pushing their Nen abilities to the limit, Larry had a much simpler approach to growing stronger—he just traveled. There was no pressure, no competition. He did what he wanted, when he wanted. No one could force him into anything he didn’t like, and that was the way he preferred it.
A Week Later “Co on, eat a little more. What’s with that face? Is the food I’ve been giving you too good, and now you're picky?” Larry held out a large spherical cactus to his three-humped cal, half coaxing, half threatening.
The cal let out a tired sigh, its droopy eyes full of helplessness. Over the past week, it had experienced both pure bliss and utter misery. On one hand, Larry was an incredibly generous owner—buying it luxurious multi-ball cacti to snack on every day, sothing other cals could only dream of. Back at the rental shop, it had been fed standard fodder. An old cal, rumored to be its mother’s cousin, once said that many cals lived their entire lives without tasting a single spherical cactus.
But Larry's generosity had its downsides. The cal shifted uncomfortably and looked down at its belly—a belly that had once been lean and strong but now bulged noticeably, making it resemble a floating swimming ring. Larry had been too eager to sample every dish the market had to offer, often buying more than he could eat. And instead of wasting food, he had stuffed everything he didn’t want into the cal’s mouth. Larry scratched his head awkwardly as he looked at the cal’s rounded stomach. Maybe he’d gone a little overboard.
“Hey, is it a good ti to talk?” A crisp, confident voice interrupted Larry’s thoughts. He turned to see a woman with blue-green hair, styled into several sky-high braids, standing nearby. Her fair complexion and youthful features made it clear that she was still quite young. She wore a striking outfit—a purple sheer top layered over a white crop top, paired with bright green shorts. Larry recognized her imdiately. nchi.
Even though her outfit differed from what she wore in the original Hunter x Hunter story, there was no mistaking her identity. nchi was a renowned Gourt Hunter, and if Larry’s mory served him right, she was only about 20 years old at this point. Despite her age, she had already achieved the title of a one-star gourt hunter, making history as the youngest person to earn the rank.
The Hunter Association’s ranking system consisted of four levels—no stars, one star, two stars, and three stars. To earn even a single star, a hunter had to make significant contributions in their respective field. Larry’s eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn’t expected to run into soone like nchi here. With his cal still eyeing him pitifully, Larry set the cactus aside and gave nchi a nod. “Yeah, sure. What’s up?”
nchi crossed her arms and smirked. “I’ve been watching you for a while. You're... different.”
Larry chuckled. “I get that a lot.”
She raised an eyebrow, clearly not amused. “No, seriously. Most people co to the desert with a goal in mind—survival training, artifact hunting, maybe even looking for lost civilizations.” “But you?” She gestured to his cal’s bloated belly. “You’re just eating.”
Larry shrugged. “Is that a cri?”
nchi sighed. “No, but it’s... unusual. I’m a Gourt Hunter, so I can appreciate the love for food. But this place isn’t exactly a five-star restaurant.”
Larry smirked. “You’d be surprised.”
“What’s the matter?” Larry asked, his tone calm and composed.
nchi led him into a small alley, her expression serious yet hopeful. “If I’m not mistaken, you’re a Nen user, right?” Though phrased as a question, her confident tone made it clear she was certain.
Larry nodded. “Yeah, I am. And you don’t have to call ‘Mister.’ Just call Larry.” Hearing his laid-back response, nchi let out a small sigh of relief. Though he hadn’t heard her request yet, his easygoing nature made her feel a bit more optimistic.
“My na’s nchi, and I hope I’m not bothering you, Larry…” she began, quickly diving into the reason she had sought him out. nchi had co to Gordeau Desert in search of a prized B-rank ingredient—the Pale Fang Scorpion.
Similar to the Gilded Claw Ants, Pale Fang Scorpions were unique to the desert. However, while the ants were useful for navigation, the scorpions were highly sought after for their culinary value. In the hunter world, ingredients were ranked based on their rarity and difficulty to obtain. The food most people consud was typically classified as D-rank, with C-rank ingredients being a bit more scarce. But B-rank ingredients? They were in high demand and required considerable skill—and often Nen abilities—to acquire.
Larry recalled that in the original story, the Violent Great Stamp Boar also fell into the B-rank category.
***
Na: nchi
Strength: B to A-
Nen Type: Materialization
Abilities: Possibly capable of materializing cooking tools to assist in gourt hunting, focusing on both ingredient preparation and defensive applications if needed.
***
Larry wasn’t surprised by her Nen ability—it suited her perfectly. What caught his attention, however, was her fluctuating strength rating. It indicated that nchi was on the verge of breaking through from B to A-. Given her age, that was already an impressive achievent. Despite her experience and skill as a Gourt Hunter, the Pale Fang Scorpion presented a unique challenge.
While not particularly dangerous in terms of raw power, the scorpion’s blazing speed and incredible burrowing ability made it nearly impossible to catch. It could vanish into the sand within the blink of an eye, burrowing hundreds of ters deep in seconds. This unmatched escape ability was the primary reason the scorpion was classified as a B-rank ingredient.
nchi had discovered Larry by sheer luck. Two days ago, she had been haggling in the marketplace when she sensed a sudden fluctuation of aura—Larry had teleported without his cal, and the burst of aura caught her attention. Realizing that he might possess a teleportation-related ability, nchi had been keeping an eye out for him ever since.
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