Wisps of white smoke drifted out as he spoke, gradually filling the entire room. The smoke formed a thick, impenetrable wall, surrounding the space on all sides.
This was Morel's prison blockade, one of his unique uses of white smoke. By condensing it, he could trap an enemy within a confined area, preventing any escape.
"Is that so?" Youpi replied, his bloodshot eyes suddenly snapping open with an eerie intensity.
At the same time, the wings that had been folded behind him spread wide, a vibrant pair of butterfly wings decorated with colorful spots.
A flurry of shimmering scales sprinkled from the wings, quickly covering the enclosed space.
This scale powder was Pouf's special ability When it attached to someone, it allowed him to sense their emotions and psychological shifts, even exerting a mild hypnotic effect.
The prison blockade trapped not only Pouf but Morel as well. In this confined environment, the scale powder would be even more effective.
However, as a seasoned Sea Hunter, Morel had extraordinary lung capacity and could easily avoid inhaling the powder.
Compared to the two other guards, Pouf lacked fighting skills, so this was a clever way to contain him.
Yet, Morel was not the only one responsible for handling Pouf.
'Huh? The mood seems relaxed and confident. How is that possible?'
'Is he not nervous at all?'
Pouf could not believe what his scales were sensing. The man before him showed no signs of fear or anxiety, and that made no sense to him.
Soon, he understood why Morel was so assured. Suddenly, Morel's shadow flickered violently, as if something powerful was about to burst forth.
'Could it be…'
A dark premonition hit Pouf, his expression turning grim. The breath emanating from Morel's shadow was far stronger than his own.
'How could that be possible?'
In the blink of an eye, a purple-black gas-like creature sprang out.
"Gengar!"
Gengar's scarlet eyes locked onto Pouf with fierce intensity, causing his chest to tighten.
At the same time, two strange, pitch-black eyes suddenly appeared on Gengar's head.
Pouf did not understand why, but an unsettling thought flashed through his mind. He felt completely unable to escape.
This was Gengar's special ability. When he fixed his gaze on someone with those black eyes, it was as if he could hypnotize them, making escape impossible.
With Morel's prison blockade and Gengar's black eyes working together, even if Pouf had the power to clone his mind, there was no way out.
If things got worse, Gengar could even evolve into its Mega form, whose signature move, Step on Shadow, added another layer of defense. This was triple protection, a perfect trap.
No matter how much Pouf flapped his wings, he could not break free. Despite being the weakest of the three guards, it was still considered an honor for Pouf to face Gengar.
So far, each of the three guards had confronted one of Larry's Pokémon. Neferpitou had faced Gardevoir, Youpi had battled Lucario, and Pouf now stood against Gengar.
Meanwhile, Gon and the others were too rushed to find a safe spot to land. They were still on the second floor, and the stairs leading down to the first floor were engulfed in a fierce fight.
Gon decided to jump off the platform extending from the second floor and rush straight toward where Neferpitou was.
But as they ran from the room out onto the platform, they suddenly saw Larry.
"Larry?!" Gon called out, surprised.
Larry had just been on the first floor but now stood on the second-floor platform.
"Hey," Larry greeted, his eyes briefly turning away from the distant red aura to glance at the two kids behind him.
This spot offered a better vantage point, allowing them to clearly see the battle between Neferpitou and Gardevoir.
Just then, Larry sensed something and turned his head toward the opposite platform.
There, a dark green figure appeared, stepping out from the passage.
Even from a distance, its terrifying aura was unmistakable, it was the Ant King.
Close behind him were the elderly duo, Zeno and Netero.
'This aura is seriously terrifying,' Larry thought, feeling the weight of the moment settle over them all.
Zeno cast a discreet glance at the figure of the Ant King, a quiet shock stirring within him.
The last time he had sensed such a terrifying aura was when he faced Larry at the meeting.
Honestly, only Larry could stand toe-to-toe with this Ant King.
He glanced at Netero beside him again, feeling a heavy sigh well up inside but choosing to keep silent.
In Zeno's view, even though Netero was about to confront the so-called "Ant King," his chances of winning were slim to none.
To put it bluntly, Netero was essentially heading toward his death.
It was Larry who truly needed to make the decisive move.
At that moment, Netero paused briefly and turned his gaze to the left, toward Larry.
Despite the distance between them, Netero could clearly read the words on Larry's lips:
"Don't die, old man."
Netero chuckled softly, the tension in his face melting away as if he'd returned to his usual self.
He stroked his remaining small beard and, with a playful grin, silently mouthed back to Larry from afar,
"Don't worry about me."
Zeno watched this exchange quietly, shaking his head slightly in mild frustration at the stubborn old man, not wanting to get involved.
The Ant King, walking ahead, glanced toward Larry with a fixed gaze.
His aura was stronger than that of the human behind him, raising a question: was there another enemy like this?
Yet, the Ant King barely acknowledged Larry seriously.
To him, neither the old man behind nor the young man ahead matched his strength.
Little did he realize, the one who would ultimately kill him was the very young human he thought was unworthy of concern.
"Don't worry about me," the words echoed quietly, carrying a promise beyond the Ant King's understanding.
When Netero spoke, his words only seemed to make people more anxious.
Larry noticed the way Netero's mouth moved and couldn't help but furrow his brow in thought, feeling a bit helpless toward the old man, probably because Netero didn't want to be saved.
Right now, the Ant King and Netero were preparing to fight far away, in a place where neither side could easily use their powers.
Netero's main concern was to avoid affecting Morel and the others.
On the other hand, what the Ant King cared about was Komugi.
Although something was off, the Ant King clearly valued Mai's safety more than the guards.
Maybe it was because they were a bit ahead of schedule or for some other reason.
Currently, Komugi wasn't injured by the Dragon Lance like in the original timeline, so she didn't need Neferpitou's help.