#objectively sure. this post speaks to how well they work as a unit pre-palace invasion before the intensity of the future situation

[gorteaus]

Possibly one of my favorite things about the royal guard pre-palace invasion is, despite both Pitou and Pouf being seemingly aware of the fact that Youpi only ever appears to possess half of a functioning brain cell on even the best of days…

They never give him any shit for it.

It would have been terribly easy to have the other guard shun or demean him or deride his opinion because of his lacking intelligence. Any number of pages into the arc however, we see none of this behavior on display.

And why not? Objectively, Youpi poses as the intellectual weak link of the group and presents a glaring blindspot should matters of defending the king be brought to question. With all three particularly devoted to their king's safety, it might've been imaginable that either Pitou or Pouf might be shown to be exasperated or even somewhat concerned with his apparent idiocy and the inconveniences it could bring- especially considering we're frequently given insight to their inner thoughts- but Togashi never gives us this with any of the other royal guard’s pov, while by contrast, it’s a topic occasionally ragged on by outsiders (think Welfin and Knuckle/Morel).

If Pouf and Pitou found little point interacting with Youpi, or least of all found his intelligence (or lack thereof) irritating, social ostracization would be on the table. While it would be great to acknowledge that keeping Youpi up-to-date on current going-ons might be a must considering his status as a royal guard and an additional force to protect Meruem regardless…

…they're regularly seen interacting with him of their own volition in idle situations of which neither require an urgent exchange of information or for Youpi's presence to be wholly necessary.

(i'm sure Youpi's attendance was extremely essential to Pouf's impromptu violin concerto. they're literally just hanging out.) The fact that they do seek each other's companionship should be noted here; the guard frequently coalesce together despite the fact that 1. Gortaeu’s palace is big and 2. There are other ants they could share their company with if they so wish. With this in mind it's safe to assume that Youpi's clumsy understanding of... well, anything, really, is never really an issue for them.

Pitou for example, seems perfectly content with answering in extended detail any questions Youpi may pose (even if they appear to be all the most obvious ones).

And further beyond all of that, there's reason to assume they actually… value his perspective and what he may have to contribute to a given matter despite his lacking wisdom. Segwaying to that bit...

(Pouf gets booted from the throne room, and with the rest of an entire palace at his disposal, the next spot he chooses to sit next to is… Youpi.) 

Had Pouf not seen anything of significance in talking to Youpi or viewed his opinion as meaningless in the slightest, I can’t imagine he’d genuinely engage him in an earnest (albeit cursory) dialogue regarding Komugi (even going so far as to confide in his fear about her evolution) as opposed to just brushing him off and leaving their discussion at that.

It's interesting to see that we get this sentiment from Pouf, one of the more mentally-acute of the guard (and someone who arguably prioritizes critical thinking the most), in disparity to Welfin, a virtual stranger who was loath to interact with Youpi or (understandably) share any sensitive information with him after discovering how useless he'd be.

It might be easy to figure the royal guard like each other beyond some vague sense of tolerance with surface level reading, but I find the implication of Youpi’s dynamic with the other two not often addressed.