Larry's team of nen beasts was impressive, featuring six powerful creatures: Lucario, Gardevoir, Dragonite, Arcanine, Porygon Z, and Happiny. Even though these Pokémon were formidable, the three watching knew this wasn't the full extent of Larry's forces.
President Netero and Morel hadn't been mentioned yet, but they had seen other nen beasts with their own eyes. Knov had recently watched the live broadcast of the martial arts competition and had seen the three-headed dragon, Mega Gengar, and Tyrannitar, monsters Larry hadn't even released yet.
Larry's strength far exceeded anyone's expectations. The only person who truly understood just how powerful Larry was happened to be Netero, who had the honor of meeting Marshadow.
It was because of that encounter that Netero was confident: as long as Larry was involved, the problem would be solved. No matter how strong the ant king was, it couldn't surpass Larry's beasts.
"Morel, just release the Purple Smoke Field and leave the rest to them," Larry instructed.
He was ready to let his Pokémon handle the chimera ants while he focused on setting the stage. The Purple Smoke Field would help hide his Pokémon better and disrupt the ants' perception and signals, preventing them from being scared off right away.
Morel responded eagerly, "It's truly an honor to fight alongside you, Mr. Larry."
At that moment, he couldn't help but recall their adventure exploring the Dark Sonata together. Honestly, he hadn't contributed much back then, none of them had.
Larry and his army of nen beasts had handled almost all the danger, leaving little for the others to do. It was clear that with Larry as an ally, any challenge could be made easy.
Originally, Morel had planned to release a Purple Smoke Rabbit to scout ahead, but now that Larry had given his orders, he changed his mind. As Morel's chest rose and fell steadily, clouds of white smoke drifted toward the distant forest. He moved like a relentless smoke machine, repeating a simple cycle: lighting the smoke, exhaling it, and guiding the white clouds forward.
Larry and the others quietly observed as Morel prepared the battlefield. In the original story, Morel and his team had used this tactic for guerrilla warfare, and now they were putting it into action once again.
When Morel set up the purple smoke field, it disrupted the chimera ants' communication and sight lines. Knov had already prepared various holes to the Fourth-Dimensional Apartment hidden in the forest. Anyone who stepped on them would fall in.
President Netero used to stay in the Fourth-Dimensional Apartment, tasked with cleaning up any chimera ants that wandered inside. But now that Larry had joined the fight, those kinds of complications were no longer necessary.
Aside from arranging the venue, everything else was handled by the Pokémon. Then, in an instant, all the Pokémon vanished. The stage was set, and the show was about to begin.
"Hmm?" Neferpitou, sitting cross-legged on a rock pillar, noticed something strange.
The dark forest in the distance had suddenly turned into a vast expanse of white. Thick white smoke had mysteriously appeared among the trees.
She bit her finger lightly, her tail flicking behind her, eyes wide with curiosity. Slowly, she stood up, a strange smile spreading across her face. She seemed ready to make her move.
"Is it okay to just wait for the enemy to come to us?" A smooth, magnetic voice echoed from the cave entrance on the other side. Neferpitou turned her head slightly and saw a figure standing in the shadows, untouched by the soft moonlight.
"Yeah, just wait until the enemy gets close to the ant nest and then strike," the voice suggested.
Neferpitou sat back down cross-legged, lightly touching her lips as if suddenly understanding something. "You're right. This might be a trap."
"Did I say that out loud?" she asked, surprised. "No, I was just thinking it," she quickly added.
"By the way, who are you?" Neferpitou asked.
Slowly stepping out of the shadows, Shaiapouf finally came into the moonlight, revealing his appearance. He was a man with delicate, almost feminine features, blond hair, dressed neatly in a crisp shirt and trousers, quite elegant.
Despite being a chimera ant, he still retained some animal traits. Among his blond hair, a pair of tentacles jutted out, but the most striking feature was the large wings on his back. They were stunning, huge butterfly wings with black edges and vibrant, colorful patterns.
"Let me introduce myself," he said softly, exuding a calm and refined presence. "My name is Shaiapouf." He continued, "Like you, I serve as one of the Royal Guards. Menthuthuyoupi will be born soon."
There are three Chimera Ants who serve as the direct Royal Guards of the Ant King: Neferpitou, Shaiapouf, and Menthuthuyoupi. Among Neferpitou, is the most well-rounded and possesses the strongest all-around abilities.
Shaiapouf stands out as the intellectual among the trio, showing more human-like emotions than the others; he often plays the violin to express his feelings. Menthuthuyoupi, on the other hand, excels in combat but lacks intelligence because he doesn't have human genes.
Each of these Royal Guards has their own strengths but also critical weaknesses. Neferpitou tends to be overly curious and playful, which can be a liability.
Shaiapouf is usually calm and collected, but he becomes flustered when anything involves the Ant King. Menthuthuyoupi relies on brute strength but struggles strategically, especially when facing opponents with psychic abilities.
Unlike other Chimera Ants, these three are fiercely loyal specifically to the Ant King rather than the Queen. That's why Shaiapouf advises patience, suggesting they wait until enemies get close to the nest before launching an attack, they focus solely on protecting the Ant King inside the Queen, knowing that once the King is born, their role will become irrelevant.
Meanwhile, a chimera ant named Cheetu couldn't help but notice the sudden appearance of white smoke filling the forest. "Huh? Why is the forest suddenly full of white smoke?" he muttered, squinting with a bad feeling creeping in. "But it should be fine. With my speed, no one can catch me."
Confident in his abilities, Cheetu waved off his concerns. As a leopard-shaped Chimera Ant, Cheetu looks like a humanoid cheetah, tall and slender, with white fur on his chest and thighs and long purple hair covering his head. Thanks to his leopard genes, he possesses incredible speed, capable of reaching over 200 kilometers per hour in an instant.
For him, running at 150 to 180 kilometers per hour feels like a casual stroll. As a division commander, speed is his greatest asset, allowing him to escape dangerous situations even if he can't always win a fight. His pride in his speed is so strong that he chose not to run away immediately, a decision that ultimately led to his defeat.
Suddenly, two figures appeared right in front of the Cheetu. His eyes widened in shock, this was faster than anything he'd ever seen. No, it wasn't just speed anymore; they had appeared in an instant.