HxH : Pokemon Master
Chapter 174: The Battle Is About to Begin!

Chapter 174: The Battle Is About to Begin!

Watching the tearful reunion of the three, even Morel who usually maintained a tough-guy image, secretly wiped his eyes.

Beside him, Knov remained silent, but the emotion was clear on his face.

A mother who had lost her children, drowning in tears every day, had finally welcomed them back!

What a heart-wrenching scene!

"Everyone, look! Kurt and Reina are back!"

"It’s true, the children have returned."

"Its good that they’re back, its good that they’re back..."

***

Noticing the commotion around Haruna house, the villagers gathered around.

Though momentarily taken aback by the changes in the children, they all felt genuine relief in their hearts.

It was good that the children had returned.

They had witnessed Haruna transformation over these past months and as fellow villagers, they too had hoped for the children’s return.

In the village, Colt and Reina were well-liked by everyone—each villager adored these two well-behaved children.

Normally, they would also lend a helping hand to Haruna and her two children, as it wasn’t easy for a single mother to raise two kids alone.

In the eyes of the simple villagers, no matter how much the children changed, they would always remain children.

That would never change!

Seeing the familiar uncles and aunties gathering around, Colt realized this wouldn’t do.

"We should go."

Wiping away his tears, Colt suppressed the reluctance in his heart and pulled his sister to leave.

Their current appearance made it unsuitable for them to stay any longer.

They might even bring destruction upon the village if the nation decided to act.

They couldn’t drag their mother and the villagers into this.

Watching Colt pull Reina away, Haruna collapsed to the ground, her face ashen.

The greatest harm one could inflict was to give them hope, then snatch it away.

She had endured countless days and nights, longing for their return.

She had prayed before the gods countless times, willing to give her life if only her children could come back.

Now that she had been fortunate enough to see them again, how could she bear to let them leave her once more?

"No!"

"Don’t leave Mommy!"

Haruna ignored the tears on her face, scrambling up to grab hold of her children again.

Before, she didnt have the chance—this time, she would never let go!

Colt and Reina stood frozen in place, unmoving.

It wasn’t that Haruna had truly restrained them.

After months of suffering, Haruna had grown so weak and Colt could clearly see her thin, pale hands.

Such hands couldn’t possibly exert much strength and as Chimera Ants, their power far surpassed that of ordinary humans.

How could they be held back by a frail woman?

It wasn’t that they couldn’t move—they simply didn’t want to!

Seeing this, Morel face twisted with unconcealable grief, the tears he had barely held back now flowing.

Even Knov eyes glistened with moisture, his usual cold demeanor crumbling.

Who wouldn’t shed tears at such a scene?

Even the villagers who had gathered couldn’t help but be moved to tears.

Only Akira, who had already made up his mind, remained unaffected.

"Ahem!"

"Colt, Reina, you don’t have to go to Greed Island. You can stay in your hometown."

Akira coughed twice, drawing everyone’s attention before speaking loudly.

His voice was loud enough for all present to hear.

"Huh?"

"Why? Didn’t we agree to go to Greed Island?"

"And with our current appereance, we might bring trouble to the village."

Colt was stunned, then deeply puzzled.

Hadn’t they agreed to go to Greed Island before?

If staying in their hometown meant endangering those around them, he would rather take his sister and leave.

"Don’t worry. Even if you stay here, nothing will happen. I promise you that."

Akira’s words weren’t spoken lightly—they were completely trustworthy.

In the original timeline, after the Ant King was defeated, the power struggles between nations ended.

The Chimera Ants’ dangerous status was also lifted, with the official classification being New-Type Magical Beasts.

As long as they didn’t harm anyone, they could live freely.

So there was no need to worry too much about their Chimera Ant identities.

As for the other Chimera Ants, especially Bihorn and his group, their homeland had already been destroyed.

Staying on Greed Island was simply the better option.

In the original storyline, it was the shrimp-type Chimera Ant Bloster who brought Reina back here.

The heartbroken Haruna recognized Reina as her own child at first sight.

The surrounding villagers were not only overjoyed at Reina’s return but even allowed Bloster to stay with them.

It was a happy ending for everyone.

"If that’s the case, then Colt and the others can indeed continue staying here."

After hearing Akira’s explanation, Knov agreed with his reasoning—this way, Colt and the others could remain in their homeland.

Colt and Reina were just children, unaware of the political struggles between nations.

All they knew was that they could continue living in the place where they were born and raised.

"And who are these people?"

Relieved that the children wouldn’t have to leave, Haruna smiled warmly and quickly asked Colt.

"Mom, they’re the ones who saved me and Reina."

"If it weren’t for them, we might never have made it back."

Haruna immediately thanked them profusely—they were her children’s saviors!

After much persuasion, they finally managed to calm the emotional Haruna, with Akira even giving her a Blissey egg.

Seeing her state, Akira worried she might collapse from sheer happiness and quickly intervened.

In the end, the three of them escaped the enthusiastic villagers’ and fled the overwhelming hospitality.

"It’s so nice to be reunited with family."

Walking through the forest, Morel puffed on his cigarette and sighed.

After witnessing such a touching scene, even the smoke tasted fresher to him.

"By the way, where did the Ant King and the Royal Guards go? Could they have already caused large-scale casualties?"

Knov suddenly realized that the Ant King had been gone for some time, yet his whereabouts remained unknown.

"Don’t worry, I’ve been tracking the Ant King the whole time. Every move he makes is under close surveillance."

Akira’s words shocked the two—had Akira been monitoring the Ant King’s movements all along?

****

Republic of East Gorteau

Located on the easternmost edge of the Mitene Union in the Balsa Islands, within the Yorbian Continent.

In a desolate, uninhabited clearing stood an oddly grandiose palace.

The palace was roughly square-shaped, predominantly colored in green and white.

This was the residence of East Gorteau’s Supreme Leader.

As the Supreme Leader of East Gorteau, the fat Ming Jol-ik indulged in a life of luxury.

He sat below the stage, feasting on wine and meat, while above him, a troupe of dancers performed solely for his amusement—such a luxury was pure bliss.

The East Gorteau was a nation whose absurdity rivaled even that of the NGL Autonomous Region.

While NGL appeared to be a land of pristine nature, it secretly housed countless factories producing illegal substances.

The East Gorteau forbade its citizens from owning high-tech devices like mobile phones, restricting communication to handwritten letters.

This bore a striking resemblance to NGL.

But East Gorteau’s even more outrageous policies didn’t end there.

To satisfy the demands of the upper class, the lives of the lower class were filled with unbearable suffering, living as if trapped in an abyss of misery.

Even so, the state deliberately reported false news.

For example, fake reports like "Most children in other countries starve to death before the age of ten."

This was done to make the poor believe their lives were comparatively better, making it easier to exploit them further.

Upon learning of the hardships faced by the people of East Gorteau, various countries provided financial aid.

Yet these funds were squandered by the upper class, with not a single cent benefiting the people.

It was said that East Gorteau even demanded nuclear technology in exchange for more international aid—technology that had been developed using aid money from other countries.

Truly a bizarre nation, even more outrageous than the NGL Autonomous Region.

It was through such exploitation of the people that Ming Jol-ik enjoyed his extravagant lifestyle.

"Hahaha! Excellent! Keep dancing!"

Ming Jol-ik clapped his hands on the table, laughing boisterously as a troupe of dancers performed below.

"Ring! Ring! Ring—"

Suddenly, Ming Jol-ik phone rang.

"Hmm? What? Intruders?"

"Just kill them! Is this worth interrupting me? I’m very busy right now!"

With a cold snort, Ming Jol-ik hung up, then immediately switched to a lecherous grin, beckoning the dancers.

"Come on, keep going."

***

"Tap, tap, tap..."

The Ant King and his group, having effortlessly disposed the armed soldiers outside strode uninterrupted through the palace corridors.

"Such meaningless defenses—not even a single strike could withstand us."

The Ant King walked arrogantly, his face twisted in dissatisfaction.

Every enemy they encountered had been dispatched with a single flick of his tail.

It left him deeply frustrated!

"Oh? This seems a bit more interesting."

Suddenly sensing a presence, the Ant King’s mood lifted—this was the prey he had been searching for!

"I don’t know which country sent you, but I promise your deaths won’t be quick or easy!"

A muscular, squint-eyed man in a red beret blocked the Ant King’s path.

At the same time, armed soldiers emerged from behind the surrounding pillars.

No sooner had he spoken than an intense burst of Aura erupted from the man, enveloping him completely.

This man bore an uncanny resemblance to Razor from Greed Island—both in his squinty eyes and bulging muscles.

Moreover, his Aura was formidable, marking him as a skilled Nen User.

He was both the strongest guard in the palace and its only Nen User.

"You look delicious. Time to eat!"

With a glare, the Ant King declared his intent, sending a chill down the man’s spine.

Suddenly, A blur flashed past them.

The surrounding soldiers collapsed as headless corpses, blood gushing like fountains, staining the already crimson floor even darker.

For easier consumption, the squint-eyed man had only the top of his skull removed, lying dead on the ground.

The Ant King licked his lips, unable to suppress his craving for food any longer and began to devour everything like a starving beast.

As the Ant King took his first bite, surges of immense malevolent Aura erupted from his body.

"It’s coming, it’s coming! Just like this, hahahaha!"

Feeling the growth within him, the Ant King grew even more excited, gnawing away as his Aura boiled uncontrollably.

"So that’s how it is!"

Watching the Ant King’s transformation, Neferpitou’s pupils suddenly contracted before she exclaimed in realization.

They finally understood the King’s innate abilities!

By consuming "rare breeds" (Nen Users), the King could plunder their Aura and use it to fuel his own growth!

This was a potential so vast it defied imagination!

Once the feast was over, the Ant King strode into the grand hall with his three Royal Guards in tow.

What awaited Ming Jol-ik now was only death.

They intended to usurp the throne and turn the entire nation’s population into their livestock!

What the Ant King and his guards didn’t know was that, within digital world a pair of eyes had been secretly watching them all along.

Their every move was exposed under the gaze of Porygon-Z.

***

Somewhere in the forests of the NGL Autonomous Region.

"So currently, the supreme leader of East Gorteau has been killed by the Ant King and the palace has been completely occupied."

Akira relayed the information just transmitted by Porygon-Z, allowing Morel and Knov to grasp the situation.

"To think they actually went to the Republic of East Gorteau?!"

"I thought they’d head to the nearby Republic of Rokario instead."

"NGL and East Gorteau are practically on opposite ends of the continent."

Morel exhaled a slow ring of smoke, his expression one of astonishment.

Not only was he shocked by the Ant King’s destination, but also by their terrifying speed.

It hadn’t been long since they left the nest, yet they’d already traveled from NGL to East Gorteau?

"It doesn’t make much sense, but if I had to guess, they just happened to pick that exact angle."

"This entire large island consists of five nations—NGL is the westernmost and East Gorteau is the easternmost."

"The only explanation is that the Ant King’s group took a straight-line path from NGL directly to East Gorteau."

Knov rested his chin on his hand, his expression cold and analytical.

There was no trace left of the teary-eyed man from earlier.

"This is bad. They’ve used Nen abilities to replace East Gorteau’s leader and plan to turn the entire nation’s people into livestock."

Morel clicked his tongue, twin plumes of white smoke jetting from his nostrils.

Their ability to replace Ming Jol-ik relied on Neferpitou’s Nen ability, [Doctor Blythe].

With this power, Neferpitou could manipulate corpses like marionettes.

Not only could the corpses speak, but they could also move and the controlling Nen threads could be concealed with [In].

To outsiders, Ming Jol-ik was still Ming Jol-ik—only they knew he was already dead.

"Well, that’s not a problem. We just have to deal with them before that happens."

Akira shrugged before turning to Morel and asking.

"Where’s the old man gone off to now?"

"The Chairman only mentioned he was going to meet an old friend, but didn’t say who or when he’d be back."

Meeting an old friend, huh...

So it must be Zeno Zoldyck.

Just like in the original story, he probably intends to rely on Zeno’s [Dragon Dive] to create an opportunity for his one-on-one battle with the Ant King.

The old man didn’t even ask if I could do it—I’ve got plenty of Pokemon that can do the same.

No need to waste time and money hiring Zeno.

Then again, maybe it’s not just for that. He might also want to see Maha.

After all, this time he’s resolved to die.

"Then let’s head back first. The results of your disciples’ match with Gon and Killua should be out soon."

"If we return now, we might still catch the end of it."

Since the Ant King’s birth happened three days earlier than in the original timeline, Morel and the others could even witness the fight in person.

With a flash of light, the three of them stepped into the spatial passage and vanished completely from the forest.

The Ant King had taken over the East Gorteau, which meant the battle to defeat him was coming soon!

At the same time, after a month of progress, the Incubation Bar in Akira’s mind was nearing its final stage!

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