Hisoka dodged Nobunaga's puppet's sword swings with ease, his movements as fluid as ever. With a flick of his wrist, three playing cards shot out, striking the puppet's head with pinpoint precision.
The puppet collapsed instantly, its structure unable to withstand the Nen-infused projectiles. Hisoka barely spared it a glance. "Too fragile~"
As another puppet—this one resembling Machi—dashed forward, its fingers unraveling into razor-thin aura threads, Hisoka remained unfazed.
Without missing a beat, he hooked his fingers subtly, activating the cards already embedded in Nobunaga's puppet. The moment Machi's puppet stepped forward "Splat!"
The playing cards flew through the air, slicing through its outstretched hands in a single motion. The puppet staggered back, its movements sluggish.
Hisoka's smirk widened as he slammed his foot into its chest, shattering it completely. "Sigh~ I really thought this would be more exciting," Hisoka murmured, twirling a card between his fingers. His eyes drifted toward Omokage, who was watching in horror as his carefully crafted puppets fell one by one.
Omokage's hands trembled. Hisoka tilted his head. "Oh? Did you finally realize? That your little toys… Are just that—toys?"
Omokage's fury exploded as he saw his creations reduced to nothing. "Damn you, Hisoka!!"
These puppets had cost him years of effort! His mind raced, his desire for revenge against the Phantom Troupe reaching its absolute peak. "I need their eyes! I need their power!"
Hisoka, however, was already done with him. "Bored now~" He turned to Larry, who had been standing off to the side, watching the whole exchange unfold. "Want to finish this one for me?"
Larry, arms crossed, shrugged. "Sure. You lost interest already?"
Hisoka sighed dramatically, dusting himself off. "Mmm, yes. He's disappointing~ I'm going to find more… exciting fruit."
Before Omokage could process what was happening, Hisoka turned and walked away—vanishing into the dense forest within seconds.
Omokage stood frozen, his mind barely keeping up. "What…?"
Hisoka had left. Which meant… The only one standing between him and survival was Larry.
Then, in a move that caught even Hisoka off guard— Omokage merged with Franklin's puppet— And fired a barrage of Aura bullets straight at Larry.
Omokage had made a critical error. He saw Larry standing idly by and assumed he was weak. A bystander. An afterthought. And in doing so— He had just signed his death warrant.
As the barrage of Aura bullets continued to rain down, Larry stood motionless—his expression one of mild amusement rather than concern. Hisoka, let out a soft chuckle. "Ahh, how foolish~"
Omokage's mistake was glaring. He had assumed Larry was just another fighter, someone who could be worn down, overwhelmed. And yet— Even as the bullets struck him, detonating with bursts of raw force, Larry remained completely unharmed.
The ground beneath him cracked under the sheer pressure of the attacks—but not a single scratch appeared on his body. Omokage's manic grin faltered. His eyes narrowed, scanning Larry for any sign of damage. Nothing. "Impossible..."
Larry cracked his neck, tilting his head slightly. "That's it?" He casually raised a hand and beckoned with a single finger. "Come on. Try something stronger."
Omokage let out a shrill laugh, his face contorting into something even more deranged. "Hahaha! You really think you can provoke me?!"
Hisoka, midair as he flipped away from Feitan's puppet, merely smirked.
"Oh? You're thanking me already? Shouldn't you save that for later?"
Omokage ignored him. The excitement in his mad, feverish eyes was now solely locked onto Larry. "You must be something special, huh? Then let's see you handle THIS!"
Omokage's right hand rotated in wide arcs, gathering a dense, swirling mass of Aura. Larry watched, recognizing the ability instantly. Phinks "Ripper Cyclotron". "So he can use multiple abilities at once, huh?"
Omokage's ability—"God's Puppet"—was far more complex than it appeared. He wasn't just controlling dead puppets. He could merge their abilities with himself, borrowing their Nen techniques like a living arsenal. Right now, he had combined Franklin's "Double Machine Gun" with Phinks "Ripper Cyclotron", stacking raw firepower on top of overwhelming close-combat destruction.
Omokage roared, his right arm now fully charged with destructive force. The moment arrived. He attacked, his arm swinging with devastating speed. "DIE!" But The instant his attack connected, Omokage's smile vanished. Because Larry didn't move. Not even an inch.
The force of the punch should have obliterated anything in its path. Yet, instead of sending Larry flying, His hand had caught it. Omokage's entire body locked up, his veins bulging as he pushed with all his strength. Nothing. It felt like punching a mountain. "H-How…?" Omokage's voice came out as a choked whisper.
"My turn." Larry tightened his grip on Omokage's arm. The bones in his wrist creaked, the pressure alone making Omokage's body tremble involuntarily.
A new wave of terror crashed into him. "W-Wait—"
Larry's free hand clenched into a fist. Hisoka, still mid-battle, smiled as he saw what was about to happen. "Oooh~ This is going to be beautiful~"
Larry pulled Omokage in with effortless force, making his opponent stumble forward. Then His fist met Omokage's stomach.
A direct hit. In the split-second that followed, the air itself trembled. The sheer force of the punch sent shockwaves rippling outward, shattering the ground beneath them. Omokage's eyes bulged as the world around him blurred into streaks of light.
BOOM!
The entire forest trembled as Omokage's body was launched like a missile, blasting through the trees like a ragdoll. His flight ended half a mile away, where he crashed through a cliffside, leaving behind a gaping hole in the rock.
Silence…
Hisoka gave a slow, impressed whistle. "Well~ That was quite the performance."
Larry dusted off his sleeve. "Too weak."
Deep within the cratered cliffside, Omokage gasped for air, his entire body mangled beyond recognition. His aura had shattered completely. His organs ruptured. His bones broken in dozens of places. He could barely even breathe. "H-He… isn't… human…" A weak, choked laugh left his lips. "Hah… haha… I lost… to a monster…"
As he turned away from the battlefield, Larry felt a shift in his mind. The Gestation Bar had completed. And at that moment—A new presence emerged. Larry's eyes flickered. "So, that's what I got from this fight…?"
At first, all he saw was a shapeless mass of purple jelly, its surface slightly translucent. Small, beady eyes blinked back at him from within the goo-like body, a simple, almost comically neutral expression on its tiny face. "Wait a second…" Larry instantly recognized this Pokémon. Ditto. "Oh? Now this is interesting."
Ditto was famous for one thing—its ability to transform into any other Pokémon. But in this world… Larry's eyes gleamed as he checked its stats. Without hesitation, he activated the restriction and oath, forcing Ditto's full abilities to be revealed.