Since they were searching on foot, it made sense to deploy air support. The dense trees on the ground limited their field of vision, but from above, it would be much easier to spot large creatures. "Hooo!" Dragonite nodded in understanding before flapping its wings and shooting into the sky.
It happened in the blink of an eye. In a mere breath, Dragonite vanished from sight, soaring so fast that there wasn't even a visible afterimage—just an orange blur.
Menchi's eyes widened in shock. 'That speed…' No, calling it speed didn't do it justice. It felt more like teleportation.
Now high above the ground, Dragonite's sharp eyes scanned the landscape, carefully observing the surrounding areas. While it surveyed the terrain from the sky, Larry and Menchi didn't slow down. The Arcanine beneath them kept running forward at full speed, its powerful strides making it seem like it was flying across the land.
A two-pronged approach—ground and air—maximized efficiency. After checking their current path, Dragonite changed direction and flew toward another area to widen the search.
While the Arcanine had been keeping its "Intimidate" ability in check to avoid scaring away potential prey, the side effect was that it had also stopped deterring aggressive creatures. That became clear when a shadow blocked their path.
A deep growl echoed through the forest.
Larry and Menchi came to a halt, looking at the creature in front of them. It had the build of a tiger, with a muscular frame and sharp, predatory eyes. The most distinctive feature, however, was the pair of elongated fangs protruding from its upper jaw—massive, curved sabers that looked sharp enough to tear through flesh with ease.
Larry narrowed his eyes. 'A saber-toothed tiger?'
It looked just like the prehistoric predator from Earth's fossil records.
Menchi's expression remained calm as she recited from memory, "Saber-toothed tigers are ferocious beasts. They mainly inhabit the Forest of Beasts. Their meat is firm and flavorful… an excellent cooking ingredient."
Larry raised an eyebrow.' So it's literally called a saber-toothed tiger?'
Unlike the giant ant-lion they had encountered earlier, this one seemed to have some culinary value. If they were lucky, it might even taste good.
Larry's eyes lingered on the creature, sizing it up. From the look in its eyes, it wasn't just going to run away—it was ready to fight. But instead of seeing it as a threat, he saw it as… food.
The saber-toothed tiger let out a deep, rumbling growl, tensing its muscles. Then, with a sharp snarl, it jumped forward. At that exact moment— "Woof!" The Arcanine barked, and an overwhelming pressure exploded outward.
BOOM!
The saber-toothed tiger's body froze mid-charge. Its eyes widened in sheer terror.
A split second later, its legs buckled, and it collapsed onto the ground with a loud thud, trembling uncontrollably.
Cold sweat drenched its fur. The wild ferocity in its gaze was gone—replaced by pure, unfiltered fear. Its entire body shook as if caught in a blizzard, and its tail curled inward instinctively.
It was suffocating under the sheer weight of Arcanine's presence. Menchi's jaw nearly dropped. 'This is just its intimidation ability?'
The beast that had been snarling so confidently seconds ago was now groveling, unable to even move.
She turned to Larry's Arcanine, her eyes filled with newfound respect. 'Just how powerful is this mount?'
It was a beast in every sense of the word.
Suddenly, Gengar popped out from the shadows, flashing a mischievous grin at Menchi as it made a goofy face.
"Wow, Gengar! Long time no see!" Menchi beamed at the familiar ghost-type Pokémon, finding its antics just as amusing as ever.
Really, who could dislike a "floating purple plastic bag" making funny faces?
"Ge ngar, Ge ngar."
With a chuckle, Gengar turned to the silent, petrified saber-toothed tiger and effortlessly stuffed it into its shadowy storage space. After throwing Menchi another playful grimace, the ghost Pokémon sunk back into Larry's shadow as if it had never been there.
In a place like this, Gengar's spatial storage ability was invaluable.
While the entrance and exit of the area weren't too far—reachable in less than two days with proper travel—it wasn't just about getting out. The real challenge was efficiently hunting for high-quality ingredients within a limited timeframe. Every second wasted on logistics was a second taken away from actual hunting.
Then, there was another pressing issue—ingredient preservation.
First, the sheer size of certain valuable ingredients posed a problem. Many of the best targets were massive, and even if a hunter successfully took one down, carrying the entire thing back was next to impossible. Most competitors could only take the essential parts, leaving the rest behind.
Second, ingredient freshness degraded over time. The longer something was left out, the more it lost its quality. Hunters could slow this process using various tools and methods, but even then, it was only a temporary fix.
Even someone like Lika, who had space-based nen abilities, couldn't fully solve both issues. Her ability allowed her to store ingredients, but only to an extent—large creatures still had to be broken down before storage.
As a result, most hunters only focused on their predetermined targets and ignored everything else. There was no point in hunting more than they could carry.
Larry, however, didn't have to worry about any of that. Because he had Gengar.
With its boundless stomach-like storage, he could collect as many rare ingredients as he wanted, stash them away safely, and retrieve them whenever he pleased.
For others, this food zone was a dangerous hunting ground. For Larry, it was a fully stocked warehouse.
"This is so convenient~" Menchi sighed, watching Gengar vanish into Larry's shadow. Even though she had seen it before, she still couldn't get over how useful spatial abilities were.
Before she could dwell on it further, a powerful roar echoed through the sky.
A second later, Dragonite descended from above, its large wings kicking up a gust of wind as it landed before them. "You're back?" Larry greeted the dragon with a knowing smile.
Dragonite wouldn't return unless it had found something. That meant it had likely located a mammoth. "Roar!" Dragonite nodded, its slightly pudgy belly jiggling a little as it did. It looked so soft that Menchi had the sudden urge to poke it.
Larry glanced at the Pokémon, then at the distant horizon, deep in thought. "Is it pretty far?" he mused before turning to Menchi with a smirk. "So… wanna ride the plane?"
Menchi blinked, completely lost.
Above the vast, open sky, a sleek orange figure soared through the air, cutting through the clouds with ease.
Larry and Menchi sat comfortably on Dragonite's broad back, enjoying the surreal experience. "How is it? Pretty exciting, right? First time riding a 'dragon plane'?" Larry teased, looking over at her.
Menchi, gripping Dragonite's back, couldn't help but admit, "Yeah… It's definitely thrilling!"
Strong winds whipped around them, yet neither of them felt even the slightest resistance.