Hey everyone! This chapter took some time as I had to work some things out but I think it came out great and it's length should make up for the wait.
I hope you guys leave a comment, review and your power stones!
Thanks! :)
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It had been about six months since they had discovered the killers of Sarasa and Sheila.
On the edge of Meteor City, the junkyard hadn't changed much, if you overlooked all of the damage caused by the Troupe's training.
The pain of loss hadn't dulled but gave rise to a fierce motivation. They had already decided that he would avenge them, but for that, the whole group needed to get much stronger.
The Troupe had been spending the last six months training their basics to prepare for their Hatsu while Loki continued to refine his own.
After all this time, the group was confident enough to start experimenting with some of their Hatsu ideas.
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It was just another day, dull clouds hung low in the sky, casting a sickly gray over Meteor City.
Loki stood with his hands in his pockets, gaze fixed on the others.
"Lovely! You all already started making your own Hatsu?" Loki asked.
His voice carried his usual finesse, but his eyes were expectant.
Around him stood the people who, half a year ago, had only grasped the basics of Nen. Now, each of them was completely proficient in it and ready to show him the Hatsu they had come up with.
"Well, don't waste any time! Please feel free to show me!"
Chrollo was the first to step forward.
They started with Chrollo, not because he wanted the attention, but because his ability was the most complex.
Loki crossed his arms, watching closely as Chrollo conjured a thick, leather-bound book into his hands.
Its cover shimmered faintly with Nen.
"Bandit's Secret. I can steal someone's ability and store it here. But the conditions are quite strict." Chrollo said before pausing for a moment and looking at everyone.
"I won't share all of the conditions unless needed, as I'm sure everyone has come to realize how important they are. This isn't because I don't trust you, but to prevent information leaking." He said, causing everyone to nod slightly.
Loki in particular knew just how bad it would be if all of Chrollo's exact conditions were known.
Chrollo flipped to an empty page, revealing carefully scribed text.
"As long as the book is open to the correct page, I can use that ability as if it were my own. But the book has to stay open."
Loki and the others smiled.
'It seems that Chrollo's is exactly the same as canon. That makes sense, considering I didn't even give him any suggestions. He told me he had an ability in mind from the beginning.' Loki thought
Feitan's demonstration was shorter.
He stood in silence, rolled up his sleeve, and dragged a knife across his palm. Blood dripped to the ground, but he didn't flinch.
The moment the pain registered, a suit of protective clothing erupted over his body, conjured from his aura.
That wasn't the end, though, as Feitan raised his palm to reveal a small ball of flames radiating heat, causing the others to back away.
The air around him seemed to shimmer, bending under the heat of his aura.
"Pain Packer, The Unforgiven. The more pain I take, the more I can return." Feitan said simply.
A low rumble echoed as the ground cracked beneath him. His aura flared violently before retracting.
Loki nodded slightly, realizing it was the same ability.
"You're ability works well for you, as your speed makes it hard for you to be instantly killed. The only thing to be careful about is having your protective clothing not be damaged or even taking it off." Loki added a reminder.
Feitan nodded as his eyes flashed subtly.
"I'll be careful of it."
Next was Shalnark.
He held up two thin antennae between his fingers, then flicked one onto Franklin's shoulder.
Franklin blinked slightly at the antennae stuck in him.
Shalnark pulled out a cell phone and started inputting orders.
"Move to the right."
Franklin did so, causing everyone to look at Shalnark.
Seeing everyone look at him, Shalnark explained.
"My Hatsu is Black Voice. I can control anyone with these antennae inserted with this controller."
"If I put one in myself, I go into what I call Autopilot. I go beserk and my aura surges, but I lose the ability to think and run a basic self-defence program."
"That's a bit risky," Franklin said as he pulled out the antennae in his arm.
"Yeah, but I'm lazy and don't like fighting up close and personal," Shalnark said with a grin.
Phinks cracked his knuckles and grinned before starting to rotate his arm slowly.
"Look here and I'll show you mine!"
Once. Twice. Three times.
"Every time I spin my arm, it charges more aura. When I punch, it releases all of it," he said.
He slammed his fist into a boulder. It exploded into dust and fragments, showering the area.
"I call it Ripper Cyclotron," Phinks said.
Uvogin laughed at the name.
"Hahaha.... That name is a perfect fit for you."
Phinks' face went red, but before he could say anything, Uvogin already started channeling his aura.
Uvogin walked to the nearest rusted-out bus, raised his fist, and brought it down like a meteor.
The bus collapsed like it had been hit by an artillery shell.
"Hahaha.... My Hatsu is called Big Bang Impact! It enhances my strength and defence as much as possible. What do you think, Phinks?" Uvogin asked while raising his eyebrows.
"What kind of name is that! Why are you acting like that's better than mine?" Phinks asked, outraged.
Everyone chuckled a bit before they continued.
When Pakunoda stepped up, the group went silent.
She held a revolver in her hand that she had conjured. She walked up to Shalnark and touched his arm briefly.
"When did you think of the idea for your Nen?" She asked.
Before Shalnark could answer, Pakunoda stepped back and fired a bullet of aura directly into Chrollo's chest.
Everyone stared at Pakunoda in shock until they saw that Chrollo was fine.
Chrollo looked up before speaking in a flat voice. "I know the answer to the question she asked you, Shalnark."
Everyone looked bewildered and looked to Pakunoda for an explanation.
"I can extract memories from people after asking a question as long as I'm touching them. The reason I shot Chrollo was one of the two abilities I made to work with it," Pakunoda said.
"The first one I call Trigger Memory Bullet. I can send knowledge into someone else's mind."
Loki raised an eyebrow when he heard that there were two abilities and couldn't help but ask.
"And what is the other one, Miss Pakunoda?"
She raised the gun again, this time pointing it at Nobunaga.
"Wait, wait—" Nobunaga shouted with his hands up!
Pakunoda fired the bullet and struck his shoulder. His eyes widened, and he froze before breathing erratically.
A moment later, he collapsed to one knee, sweating.
"Memory Bullet: Trauma Edition," Pakunoda said. "It forces them to relive their worst memory. I wasn't originally going to make this ability, but Loki said that we should all strive to have self-defence abilities."
"That's torturous," Feitan said with something that sounded like admiration.
Pakunoda holstered the gun without comment.
Chrollo stepped forward, offering Nobunaga a hand. He took it after a moment.
Loki grinned underneath his mask after hearing of Pakunoda's attack ability.
He had specifically mentioned this before they made their Hatsu to ensure that they all could hold their own.
Nobunaga wiped his face. "Alright, it's my turn."
He sheathed his blade and went into a laido position.
"I have two abilities. One is Soul Sheath, which builds more aura the longer I keep my sword sheathed. When I draw, all of it's released in one slash."
He drew his sword, and a flash of light split the air, slicing through a steel beam nearby.
"The other I call Sword Saint's Instinct. When I have my sword sheathed in combat for more than 30 seconds, I get a few seconds where everything slows down. I can see movement, intent… everything."
'I wonder if this was what his original ability was, or if I influenced him? After all, we only knew he was an enhancer in the original.' Loki thought curiously.
Machi stepped forward, expression calm. Threads coiled around her fingers, glowing faintly with Nen.
"Mine is Nen Stitching," she said.
"It's perfect for suturing wounds quickly. I also have a few techniques I've come up with."
Machi snapped her fingers, and a burst of thread shot into the ground from around her, weaving into a complex web across the clearing.
"I call this Thread Domain," she said. "The entire area is laced with wires. It provides information to me through vibration and can also be used to position and attack."
She then extended one thread forward. It wrapped around Shalnark's wrist and tugged.
"And this is Thread Marionette. I can control someone like a puppet if I connect enough threads. Corpses, too."
"You've turned a healing ability into attack and control. How wonderful, Miss Machi!" Loki said, raising his hands in surprise.
Finally, Franklin stepped forward. He raised both arms, each fingertip split open like a gun barrel.
"Double Machine Gun," he said. "I fire aura bullets from my fingers. It's pretty simple."
He fired a burst at a rundown bus with each bullet carving through metal like butter.
Franklin stopped firing before his aura surged again.
"Rapid Barrage."
Franklin fired again, only this time much faster. Thousands of bullets were sprayed in what felt like seconds, leaving the bus in shambles.
"My Rapid Barrage only lasts a few seconds, but it can fire thousands of bullets in seconds," Franklin said.
When everyone was finished, they all glanced at Loki, wanting to know what he had been doing these past six months.
"Well, it seems that I have to show something as well or I'll be left out!" Loki said with a clap.
"I've been working on something new besides practicing Imaginary Gimmick."
A faint shimmer of aura pulsed from his fingertips before he snapped.
A figure began to form beside him.
A moment later, the figure was recognizable.
It was… himself.
A perfect copy, dressed in the same outfit and mask.
Even his aura seemed real, being indistinguishable from Loki's.
The others went still. Shalnark narrowed his eyes, immediately switching to Gyo.
"…It has aura," he muttered.
"It's an illusion, but it's a convincing one, I would say," Loki said with joy in his voice.
He walked around the illusion, watching his own copy like a director watching an actor onstage.
"I call it Tricksters Script. I have to write a role, be it mentally or physically, and the illusion plays it out. Voice, sound, movement. If I prepare ahead of time, I can make it seem nearly human."
Feitan's eyes narrowed. "Can it even fool Gyo?"
"If I imprint someone's aura first, yes." Loki nodded. "A touch, a drop of blood… that's enough to embed their signature into the illusion for a few minutes. Obviously, it's easy to gather my own blood or aura, so copies of me are incredibly realistic."
Suddenly, the copy raised its arm and waved.
"Keep in mind that it doesn't think and doesn't react. It's running off a script I gave it ahead of time."
The group stood in silence, watching the copy flicker out as Loki dispersed it with a wave.
Chrollo stepped forward, looking intrigued.
"Another mask for yourself, Loki?" he asked.
Loki gave a faint smile beneath his mask.
"We all wear one. Mine is just laid bare before you all."
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Trickster's Script
Loki conjures hologram-like illusion copies based on written scripts or premeditated roles. These phantoms behave in ways determined by Loki's prepared outline, mimicking voice, motion, and presence.
Nen Types Involved: Conjuration (illusion body), Emission (sound illusion), Transmutation (supplement)
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Functionality & Drawbacks -
Script Condition: Loki must write a script (mental or physical) for each illusion beforehand, outlining how it behaves.
Realism: Illusions appear highly realistic under normal observation and even simulate footsteps and speech.
Fixed Roles: Illusions follow scripted paths and do not react dynamically unless pre-programmed to do so.
Aura Cost: Larger illusions or those with speech and sound cost significantly more aura.
No Aura Signature: Cannot replicate a real person's aura unless using a special mimic technique.
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Bypassing Gyo Detection
To make Trickster's Script viable against Gyo and master-level Nen users, Loki uses a two-layered deception method:
1. Aura Signature Mimicry (Touch-Based)
By physically touching a target (or an item or blood belonging to them), Loki can temporarily imprint a sample of their aura signature into one of his illusions. This allows the illusion to appear legitimate even under Gyo. (Can use his own aura to make a sample of himself)
Limit: Mimic lasts 3–5 minutes before degrading.
Trade-off: Reapplying aura samples costs additional aura.
2. Repulsion-Based Misdirection Field
Loki uses low-level repulsive pulses from Imaginary Gimmick to create ambient aura static in the surrounding area. This interferes with precise detection from Gyo or En, especially in cluttered environments (alleys, forests, ruins).
Limit: Only works when Loki is nearby.
Trade-off: Constant aura drain while active.
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Effectiveness Against Gyo & En -
Beginner/Intermediate Users: The aura mimicry alone is sufficient to fool them completely.
Advanced Users: The combined mimicry + aura static may still deceive them, especially in chaotic settings or with multiple illusions.
Masters (e.g., Zeno, Biscuit): They might detect subtle anomalies over time (movement patterns, aura decay, misaligned timing). The ability buys time, but won't fool them indefinitely.