A massive surge of aura coursed through his body. His mental energy shot up, and at the same time, his physical strength skyrocketed. This was completely different from the previous time he had eaten pufferfish!
Larry immediately realized the reason behind the change. It had to be Snorlax.
The ability he had gained through fusion—it wasn't just an increased appetite. Snorlax's true power lay in its ability to enhance physical and mental energy after consuming rare delicacies.
To test it, he grabbed two more slices and ate them in quick succession. The result was undeniable. His body felt even stronger, and his mind sharper than ever before.
Larry smirked. 'This… This was an ability worth having.'
Larry was completely convinced now—Snorlax's abilities far exceeded his expectations!
If his Pokémon Master ability allowed him to grow stronger just by traveling, then Snorlax's unique trait was even more absurd. It only needed to eat to keep getting stronger!
His own power had always been dependent on capturing Pokémon, meaning his growth was tied to external forces rather than his personal strength. But Snorlax filled that gap perfectly—its ability to convert food into pure physical and mental power meant Larry was now on the fastest track to becoming a top-tier powerhouse.
If this continued, even without relying on Pokémon, he could still become the strongest in the world!
With both power-growth methods working together—traveling to collect Pokémon and eating to improve his own body—Larry realized he had no weaknesses. He was becoming a true all-rounder, a warrior with no blind spots.
And the best part? He was in a gourmet paradise. This island was home to some of the finest delicacies across all six continents.
If the near-death experience in the ruins had been Gengar's "experience candy," then every rare dish on this island was Larry's own version of experience candy!
At this point, his goal was clear: Eat.
Eat to grow stronger!
As he kept savoring the pufferfish slices, he could feel the effects stacking. His strength was increasing at an absurd rate. While this was shocking, it wasn't hard to figure out why.
The higher quality of white and purple pufferfish was clearly the key. If it had been lower-grade food, the boost wouldn't have been nearly as noticeable.
Once the four of them had eaten to their heart's content, the two prized pufferfish were completely devoured. Before leaving, Larry even helped the vendor finish processing the remaining white and purple pufferfish—it barely took him a few seconds. Impressed by his skills, the vendor gifted him two more to take back.
Larry now had a crystal-clear goal, and with that came a newfound motivation to devour the finest foods available. Every bite made him stronger.
Whoever saw him eating at this rate would probably mistake him for a glutton.
Giant corn that popped into rare popcorn?
Take a bite.
Grilled wings from a legendary bird species?
Take a bite.
Anything and everything rare was now on the menu. With his deep pockets, there was no dish he couldn't afford—it was just a matter of waiting for the food to be served.
At this ridiculous pace, Larry's physical strength and mental energy soared at a speed that would be impossible for normal people to comprehend. Of course, not everything he ate was as effective as the white and purple pufferfish.
That was an A-rank ingredient—far above the usual B- or C-rank foods he was now consuming. It made sense that those ingredients weren't as potent. After all, if top-tier ingredients were that easy to come by, they wouldn't have been a grand prize in the gourmet competition.
Still, quantity made up for quality. Even though none of these foods could match the A-rank pufferfish, Larry was eating so much that his strength kept increasing at an alarming rate.
At first, Menchi ate alongside him, but as time passed, she simply watched, occasionally using a handkerchief to wipe his mouth. She was sharp enough to notice something strange.
Larry's mental energy was growing at a rate far beyond what food alone should allow. She didn't say anything, though. Instead, she used her knowledge of gourmet ingredients to guide Larry toward even better food. If he was going to eat to grow stronger, she figured he might as well eat the most effective delicacies.
After all, everyone has their secrets. As long as Larry kept getting stronger, there was no reason for her to pry.
Two days passed.
Larry sat in his room, standing naturally with his eyes closed, his body completely relaxed. Then, in an instant, his eyes snapped open.
A blinding flash flickered through them. It was like a switch had been flipped—his mental energy surged outward in a tidal wave, crashing against the walls like boiling water.
The sheer force of his aura sent strong wind pressure whipping through the room, flipping furniture and scattering objects everywhere.
Larry's hair was blown back, his entire presence radiating an overwhelming power. At a glance, he almost looked like a Super Saiyan. Then, he activated one of the Four Fundamental Nen Techniques—"Refinement" (Ren).
With Gyo, he focused his vision inward, and for the first time, he saw the colossal river of Aura flowing through his body. The power he had accumulated over these past days—it was staggering. His Aura had multiplied several times over. And his physical body had transformed too.
What had once been a normal, well-conditioned physique was now solid muscle, his core visibly defined with toned abs.
But unlike Greed, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, who forcibly stole Aura from others and struggled to control it, Larry's power was entirely his own.
Greed's stolen energy was empty, unstable, and inefficient—a hollow quantity that lacked true control. His power was borrowed, not earned.
Larry's strength, on the other hand, was purely his own. And it was only going to grow stronger.
Larry's progress had been astonishingly fast, but it wasn't due to any underhanded methods.
Instead, his strength grew through something as simple as eating!
Every bit of his Psychic Energy was the result of what he had cultivated, and he was able to utilize it with maximum efficiency. Even advanced techniques like Circle and Flow remained within his grasp. What was even more impressive was that he had already possessed these abilities before merging with Pokémon.
If his Psychic Energy had once been a narrow stream, then after obtaining Snorlax, it had expanded into a vast lake—one that was steadily growing toward the size of an endless ocean.
As he carefully analyzed his gains over the past few days, Larry nodded in satisfaction before gathering his Psychic Energy once again. Even without any Pokémon by his side at the moment, he could still confidently call himself a capable Psychic user.