HxH : Pokemon Master-Chapter 170: Meleoron

Inside the Ant Nest

"I wonder if Colt will be able to secure human aid..." Bihorn arms crossed, watched with concern as the octopus Chimera Ant desperately performed emergency measures on the Queen.

Though he possessed the greatest strength among the Squadron Leaders, he was utterly useless when it came to medical treatment.

He could only hope Colt would return with reinforcements...

"Probably not likely." The small bear Chimera Ant wearing a purple headband muttered softly, yet his voice echoed clearly through the chamber.

Among the Chimera Ants, the bear was arguably the cutest—at first glance, he resembled a plush teddy bear.

As a Squadron Leader loyal to the Queen, his temperament was easygoing, devoid of ambition.

He believed seeking help from humans was an impossibility.

After all, the two sides were still enemies—how could any creature willingly aid their foe?

In the corner, the chameleon Meleoron stood silently, his bulging eyes fixed intently on the red book in his hands.

Unbeknownst even to himself, his usually calm and carefree expression had gradually darkened.

He gently traced the book’s cover with his fingers as fragmented memories surfaced in his mind—albeit slowly, leaving him momentarily unable to comprehend why he was reacting this way.

Except...

A surge of inexplicable rage welled up within him.

Directed at that Ant King!

***

Outside the Ant Nest

"Even from a distance, it looks ugly. Up close, it’s even worse." Akira tilted his head slightly, scanning the exterior of the ant nest and indeed found it hideous.

But it was understandable—this entire nest was built by the lowest-ranking worker ants.

Among the lowest-tier Chimera Ant soldiers, some were designated for combat while others handled menial tasks.

For instance, there were pig-type Chimera Ants specialized in "cooking" food and crawling insect-types for nest construction...

Akira sensed no powerful auras nearby, confirming the Ant King and the three Royal Guards had already left.

Had they still been here, they would have detected his presence.

As it happened, the Ant King had just departed to consume the last remaining food provided by the Royal Guards within the nest.

But the Ant King refused ordinary food, craving only special meals (Nen Users).

Left with no choice, the Royal Guards escorted the Ant King outside to hunt for Nen Users.

Yet all humans within countless miles had been evacuated in advance, leaving the Ant King without even basic sustenance.

Seeing this, the Royal Guards led the Ant King away from this "useless" nation, flying toward another direction.

Their destination was the Republic of East Gorteau, located opposite the NGL.

Both NGL and East Gorteau were part of the Balsa Islands·Mitene Union.

One lay at the westernmost edge, the other at the easternmost.

Akira speculated the Chimera Ants might have flown straight in a random direction, thus reaching East Gorteau.

Otherwise, they would have logically headed to the neighboring Republic of Rokario or other adjacent islands.

"Tap, tap..."

Suddenly, hurried footsteps echoed from within the nest, brimming with urgency and impatience.

With the queen near death and the Ant King gone with the Royal Guards, the remaining soldier ants grew restless.

Devoid of higher intelligence, they only sought to escape into the vast world outside to reproduce freely.

These soldier ants stood no chance of breaking free.

But the nest was a labyrinth with multiple entrances—far too many for Akira alone to cover.

But he was a Pokemon Master.

In an instant, figures materialized behind Akira before vanishing just as quickly.

His Pokemon had dispersed to other tunnels.

As swarms of soldier ants rushed out eagerly, they were met with terrifying auras.

"Where do you think you’re going? Need a hand?"

****

"Hmm?"

"Something’s coming?"

Bihorn suddenly turned toward the tunnel they’d come from, where a sinister aura now faintly lingered.

What could it be?!

All squadron leaders present fixed their gazes on the tunnel—except Meleoron, still deep in thought.

"Tap-tap, tap-tap..." The bear twitched its ears, carefully analyzing the approaching footsteps.

"From the sound, multiple creatures are coming—mostly our kind, and one..."

"Is that... a human?"

At the same time, Akira figure slowly emerged from the cave entrance, allowing the Squadron Leaders present to clearly see the newcomer’s appearance.

An actual human?

"How is this possible? Is he here to help, or..." Bihorn was initially startled but then realized they couldn’t yet determine the other party’s intentions.

If he was here to eliminate them, that would be troublesome.

Without the protection of the Royal Guards, these Squadron Leaders stood no chance against the enemy.

"It seems everyone’s gathered here. That makes things easier." Akira glanced around and nodded.

Since they were all assembled here, it was convenient.

He continued walking forward, stopping at the center of the room, briefly glancing at the dying ant queen on the ground without speaking.

Only then did Bihorn and the other Squadron Leaders fully notice the Chimera Ants following behind Akira.

There was a pink koala drinking alcohol, Hina with her adorable expression and an utterly ordinary soldier ant... These were Chimera Ants Akira deemed acceptable—though not Squadron Leaders, they still had value in living.

As for the soldier ant, it was actually Colt’s younger sister, who also retained memories from her human life.

However, because she had been very young as a human and had become a mute soldier ant, this fact had never been exposed.

"You are..." Bihorn was confused.

Was this human here to help or to eliminate them?

If he was here to help, where was Colt?

And could he alone really save the queen?

But if he was here to eliminate them, why bring those fellow ants along instead of killing them outright?

So, he was the first to speak up, though whether it was due to the overwhelming pressure Akira exuded was unclear.

Originally, as a bull-type Chimera Ant, Bihorn voice was quite booming.

Yet now, he instinctively lowered his tone, placing himself in a subordinate position.

However, before he could finish his question, a graceful figure suddenly appeared in the room.

A flash of pink light, followed by rippling waves of Aura, struck every Chimera Ant present.

Psychic-type move—Hypnosis!

’So he really is here to eliminate us?!’

Bihorn and the other Chimera Ants widened their eyes in shock, wanting to resist—but it was already too late.

In an instant, all the Chimera Ants in the room froze in place, their eyes losing focus as if their souls had been drained.

The spacious room fell into dead silence, save for the faint groans of the queen.

An eerie scene unfolded.

The Chimera Ants stood motionless, their heads drooping as if trapped in an illusion.

But Akira knew they were merely immersed in their own consciousness.

Once their memories were restored, they would awaken.

Communicating with Chimera Ants who had regained their human memories would undoubtedly be easier.

As for the ant queen on the verge of death... His Pokemon had plenty of ways to heal injuries.

As long as there was still a breath left, they could pull her back from the brink of death.

Just one ’Soft-Boiled’ from Blissey could restore half her health.

Two would fully heal her.

But Akira had no intention of saving the queen.

Unlike the other Chimera Ants who had once been human, he held no goodwill toward this queen.

He wouldn’t lift a finger to save her—not killing her outright was already generous.

If he remembered correctly, Kite who was now reborn, was still inside her body.

***

After sometime, the Chimera Ants began to wake up one by one.

Yet upon regaining consciousness, their emotions seemed even more subdued than before.

Their once-clear eyes were now filled with complex expressions.

Like Colt moments ago, they struggled to accept their current reality.

If they had originally clung only to the desire to protect the Queen, then with the full awakening of their human memories, their convictions began to waver.

What were they supposed to do now?

With human souls but monstrous appearances, could they ever live normal lives again?

Akira wasn’t surprised by the Chimera Ants’ silent demeanor.

Like Colt, they needed time to process everything.

"What a disaster..." Bihorn muttered, staring down at his pale blue skin, thick hide and the immense power coursing through his body.

Even the long bull horns atop his head made it impossible to recognize him as human anymore.

Truthfully, many people would willingly become Chimera Ants—especially at the Squadron Leader level.

They could retain most of their human memories while gaining new talents and strength they never had before.

Compared to most humans, Chimera Ants possessed far greater potential, their power skyrocketing as if by cheat codes.

In the world of Hunter x Hunter, where strength dictated fate, this was invaluable.

If word got out, countless people might even volunteer to be devoured by the Queen, just for a taste of that overwhelming power.

But Bihorn and the others present were not among them.

The humans the Queen had consumed were mostly residents of the NGL.

The only exception was the unlucky Pokkle, who had been eaten too late—by then, the Queen was already nurturing the Ant King, so he never reincarnated, merely serving as nutrients for the monarch.

Had he been captured earlier or later, things might have been different.

Earlier, he could have been reborn as a Squadron Leader-level Chimera Ant—far surpassing his original potential.

Later, he might have survived until Kite and the others arrived, before Neferpitou birth.

But fate had snatched him at the worst possible moment—what a badluck.

Bihorn and the others, as NGL residents, were members of the eco Green Life organization.

They had never craved power, content with simple, peaceful lives.

So rather than becoming these monstrous forms, they would have much preferred to remain human.

But time could not be reversed.

Meanwhile, Meleoron had also regained his human memories.

Unlike the others, whose faces were shadowed with gloom, tears streamed down his cheeks.

Drop by drop, they fell like a kite with a severed string, finally landing on the red cover of a book he held.

Clutching the book, Meleoron slowly walked to the side before collapsing to his knees.

Before him lay the corpse of Peggy the Penguin!

Already headless, Peggy’s remains had been further gnawed on by the Ant King.

Only scattered fragments of his body remained, a sight even more pitiful than before.

Meleoron knelt before the corpse, wiping tears from his face with his hand, letting out soft sobs intermittently.

He remembered... Peggy the Penguin was his adoptive father!

His adoptive father had been a scholar in NGL, who later took him in and the two lived together.

Though he was called an adoptive father, he act more like a father than his biological one.

Those were truly wonderful days.

They ate together, read together...

But the appearance of the Chimera Ants shattered everything!

Both of them were devoured, ending up in this monstrous state.

Yet even after becoming like this, his adoptive father still didn’t survive.

If someone were standing in front of Meleoron now, they would see his eyes wide with fury.

It was an expression of unparalleled hatred and grief!

At this moment, Meleoron loathing for the Ant King reached its peak!

Blood debts must be repaid with blood!

Akira gave Meleoron a rather peculiar look, his expression unreadable.

Mainly because Meleoron emotional turmoil felt eerily familiar to him.

Right now, Meleoron somewhat resembled Eren from Attack on Titan.

One harbored the desire to kill the Ant King.

The other sought to eradicate all Titans.

The former’s outcome remained uncertain, but the latter had carried it out ruthlessly.

Eren had truly wiped everything clean—even himself.

"Meleoron, what’s wrong with you?" Bihorn sensed something was off again.

Perhaps it was due to becoming a bovine Chimera Ant, but he often felt his mind couldn’t keep up.

First, the sudden appearance of this human and now Meleoron’s reaction—he couldn’t grasp the reason behind any of it.

He could understand crying, he himself felt the urge to weep, given how they’d been transformed from ordinary humans.

But why kneel before Peggy’s corpse?

"Penguin Peggy... was my... adoptive father in my human life!" Meleoron spoke haltingly, his voice choked with sobs.

By the end, he abruptly stood and turned around.

Now, everyone present could see Meleoron current expression.

His face was contorted with rage, brimming with fury.

This was nothing like the leisurely, sun-loving Meleoron from before.

That Meleoron was dead.

Now, there was only a human consumed by vengeance against the Ant King for his adoptive father’s brutal death!

So Peggy was Meleoron’s adoptive father?!

Hearing this, Bihorn, Bloster and the other squadron leaders widened their eyes in shock.

This revelation was second only to the impact of their restored human memories.

Now they understood Meleoron’s drastic change in demeanor.

To witness his adoptive father’s gruesome death before his very eyes...

"Let me ask you this, do you want to live as humans now, or as Chimera Ants?"

Since they’d regained their human memories, Akira posed this final question.

It would make handling them easier later.

"Of course as humans."

"We definitely want to return to human lives."

Bihorn words drew nods from the other Chimera Ants.

Resuming their human lives was undoubtedly the best outcome.

Fortunately, they were mild-mannered.

Had it been Zazan, Welfin, or others, they’d likely have sought to exploit their Chimera Ant abilities.

"Good. In that case, you have only one option. I’ll send you to an island."

"That island is quite resourceful—you could live there comfortably for the rest of your lives without growing bored."

"You can also take on odd jobs there to help others."

"Does that sound acceptable to all of you?"

Akira’s words reignited hope in the Chimera Ants.

They could actually live on as humans?

Being confined to an island was no issue at all.

To them, it simply meant relocating their lives—a trivial matter.

Seeing no objections from the Chimera Ants, Akira pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hello? Ging, does Greed Island need extra hands?"

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