Everyone, hello. I'm Gon Freecss, and I can't hide my surprise at Goreinu joining us sooner than expected. Just as I knew from the original story, he's incredibly smart with a great personality—an absolute gem of a recruit.
The complete elimination of the Phantom Troupe, a group of Class A bounty heads.
The moment Goreinu heard that the Mafia had supposedly achieved this feat, he intuited there was an untold truth and began gathering information.
His investigation led him to piece together the story from the three rookie Hunters' Single-Star achievements, and he became certain that Gon's group was the key to accomplishing that great deed.
Seeing is believing—Goreinu was astounded by Gon and the others' abilities, which far exceeded his expectations when he faced them directly.
"...This is insane. Beating the Phantom Troupe was apparently way more dangerous than I thought. And getting instruction from a Double-Star Hunter on top of that? I've got to give myself credit for making contact."
After exchanging questions and answers, Gon's group officially decided to team up with Goreinu. Over a meal, they casually discussed each other's capabilities.
During this conversation, Goreinu came to properly understand that Gon's team had defeated the Phantom Troupe head-on. When he also learned Biscuit's true identity, he was shocked to discover this group operated at a far higher level than he'd imagined.
"From what I can see, you've got plenty of room for improvement too, even if your face isn't my type. If you give me the rights to the cards you can take out after clearing the game, I'll train you as a bonus. What do you say?"
"Wait, that's all you want? I don't mind reducing my share of the rewards either, but if that's possible, I'd love to take you up on it. Honestly, I've been feeling like I've hit my limit lately. Direct instruction from a Double-Star Hunter is like a dream!"
"You're pretty thick-skinned to not care about being insulted like that. Anyway, we've explained most of our stuff, but what can you do, Goreinu? I'd like to hear a bit even if we'll see it later."
"I'm well aware I've got a rough face, and I can tell Biscuit doesn't actually feel any disgust toward me, so I don't let it bother me. Now, about my ability..."
Goreinu briefly explained that he was an Emitter who used a Hatsu that conjured two gorillas with teleportation abilities.
Each gorilla could swap positions with either himself or another person, though currently there was a distance limit of about 20 meters, and the swap couldn't occur unless the target was in either the gorilla's or Goreinu's field of vision.
After explaining that much, Goreinu honestly discussed his weaknesses as well.
"It gets especially bad with tools, but my shooting sense is absolutely abysmal. I can barely manage to hit a target a few meters away by throwing stones. If I try using a bow or gun, I'll fire 100 shots and miss all 100. That's why I couldn't create a long-range attack Hatsu."
However, without leveraging his strengths as an Emitter, he could never succeed as a Nen user. After much deliberation, he arrived at the concept of swapping, he explained.
After receiving initial instruction from the Hunter Association, he sought teaching from other Hunters, and through trial and error, he finally managed to reach his current form.
"Wait, why does it have to be gorillas though? The Phantom Troupe's leader used regular teleportation too. Wouldn't instant movement be better?"
"That's actually the key point. Basically, weaknesses and inefficiencies in Nen are used as restrictions to enhance the ability's power. Creating ordinary instant teleportation as a Hatsu would be incredibly difficult."
"Exactly. Having similarity with the swap target makes it easier to visualize. It's not well known, but conjuring is also easier when you base it on real living creatures."
When choosing himself or others as swap targets, they needed a creature with a similar build that was easy to visualize for both manipulation and conjuration.
Furthermore, since he didn't need to obsess over fine details like he would with humans, he naturally arrived at gorillas, Goreinu said.
"Most of all, people have been telling me I look like a gorilla since way back. When you look closely, they're charming and approachable, so I thought this was it."
Despite conversing while eating, he ate with such refined elegance that he exuded grace. Gon and the others thought to themselves that it was rare to see someone so disadvantaged by their appearance.
"Honestly, it's a good Hatsu—hard to believe you arrived at it mostly self-taught. The question is how precisely you can remotely control them, and how well both the gorillas and you yourself can fight. That'll determine how far you can go."
Goreinu accepted the highest praise from Double-Star Hunter Biscuit with a slightly bashful but confident smile.
Gon's group told him they looked forward to working together, and Goreinu accepted with an expression that truly reflected the wisdom of a forest sage.
***
"...This is insane! Where's even a shred of mercy?!"
Several days after Goreinu joined them, Gon's group had been using the prize city of Antokiba as their base. However, since they were still too ignorant about the game to collect designated cards, they decided to head north from the city to a mountainous region to begin training.
Initially, Biscuit spent several days properly assessing everyone's abilities, then planned to provide individual instruction while those on break would progress through the game.
That plan changed when they entered the mountainous region and were suddenly attacked by Binolt, a Blacklist Hunter who was himself a wanted criminal.
"This is perfect timing. Fight him one-on-one with everything you've got. I'll watch and build your training schedule from there."
As a result, Binolt was forced into six hellish consecutive battles, healed by Leorio after each fight and having Biscuit's aura replenished by Kurapika.
First up, Leorio managed to defeat him after an extremely close match.
Next, Kurapika, enraged that Leorio had been injured, crushed him with Emperor Time's Chain at maximum power.
Killua paralyzed him with electricity and knocked him unconscious in an instant.
Gin finished him by slamming a roar into Binolt while he was distracted by afterimages.
Gon simply caught Binolt's scissor weapons with his bare arms and beat him down.
Even Goreinu, who'd been left speechless by the carnage, skillfully used his conjured Black Gorilla and White Gorilla to defeat Binolt swiftly without causing too much damage.
"I'll leave the game and turn myself in, so please... no more of this..."
Though Binolt looked perfectly healthy aside from his tattered clothes, his completely broken spirit leaked various emotions as he begged through streaming tears.
"Okay, I've got a pretty good picture. Now then, let me show you all my abilities so you can really commit to this."
Goreinu, who'd been giving them a skeptical look for completely ignoring the dejected, hunched-over Binolt as he shuffled away, felt his excitement rise despite his age at the prospect of witnessing a Double-Star Hunter's abilities firsthand.
"Come on, Killua. You're the most contrary, so I'll straighten you out."
"Tch! Aren't you going to transform? I don't want to hear excuses after you lose."
"That's exactly what I plan to do."
Biscuit suddenly stripped off her gloves, shoes, and even the dress she was wearing, leaving her in just an undershirt and drawers.
"Don't look, Leorio!"
"My eyes—?!"
Though the sight wasn't particularly stimulating in terms of appearance or exposure, Kurapika instinctively moved and blinded Leorio, who collapsed to his knees in agony.
"Oh come on, Kurapika. This is about to be the main event, so let Leorio watch too."
Receiving Biscuit's exasperated gaze, Kurapika pouted in displeasure but used Holy Chain to heal Leorio's eyes.
"Look at me weird and I'll gouge them out."
"...Relax. I'm not desperate enough to lust after a kid. Damn, it's still blurry."
Watching the two of them, Biscuit let out a massive sigh, shook her head once, then turned back to face Killua and raised her aura.
With the sound of creaking muscles and bones, her body began to expand.
Her previously frail, slender limbs became literally like logs.
Her girlish, flat torso transformed into something like a statue with all excess stripped away.
Her adorable face became feminine yet impossibly fierce.
Muscles that could be called supreme art, matching or surpassing Uvogin's, had descended.
"Uh..."
"Come here, boy. I'll pet you nice and gentle."
As the speechless members and bright-eyed Gon watched, a domination even greater than the Binolt fights began.
***
"Now then, I'm going to announce each of your rough training plans. If you have complaints about my instruction, I'll crush you without question, so keep that in mind."
"Yes ma'am!!"
Though Biscuit had returned to her adorable girl form, every member except Gon stood at rigid attention and responded like soldiers.
Killua was no exception, and his painfully swollen cheeks created a scene more tragic than comical.
"First, Killua. You'll focus heavily on mental training. Your heart is too immature in the mind-technique-body trinity, throwing off your overall balance. Your aura quality is too light, so you'll spend most of your training meditating from now on."
"Understood. Still, it sucks that even when I get stronger, my problems don't decrease."
"It just means you have that much potential. You're far and away the most talented, so work seriously."
Though the training content wasn't particularly interesting for Killua, who wanted to keep moving at his age, Biscuit was actually shocked that he'd already reached his current limits in body and technique.
(Even accounting for Killua's talent, those must have been hellish days. The fact that he can still be an ordinary cheeky kid is nothing short of miraculous.)
Seeing Killua playfully roughhousing with his friends, Biscuit felt both pity for him and genuine joy that he'd found such irreplaceable companions.
"Next, Leorio. From now on, you'll study medicine more than combat training. You still have room to grow stronger, but during this growth period for your Nen, you should focus on developing your main Hatsu."
"Got it. I was planning to take the next university exam anyway, so the timing's perfect. It pisses me off being protected, but more than that, I'm proud I can heal people."
Leorio himself knew he could still get stronger, but he also understood he'd never reach the level to compete with Phantom Troupe-class opponents.
On top of that, his ability to think about what he could do and what he could do for Gon and the others was undoubtedly a strength of character.
(He really is a good man, contrary to his appearance. The ability to make others want to support you rather than dominating them is also a talent.)
Though Leorio was undeniably the weakest of Gon's group, his humanity—which made him the most relied upon—deserved unreserved praise.
Smiling wryly at Kurapika, who was gazing at Leorio more proudly than anyone, Biscuit began discussing Kurapika's training.
"Kurapika will focus on martial arts and learn bodyguard techniques. Your offensive capability with Chain Jail is sufficient, but I'll drill into you techniques for protecting both yourself as the user and those you want to protect."
"That's ideal training content, but don't I also need techniques for defeating enemies?"
"Your most powerful chain, Emperor Time, requires strong emotions. Even though you've achieved revenge and have almost no aggression left, you'll perform at your best when protecting people important to you, right?"
Persuaded by this logic, Kurapika nodded in understanding, looked at Leorio, glanced at Gon and the others, then nodded deeply again.
His eyes overflowed with determination never to lose family again, and the sparkling scarlet and crimson-purple were beautiful enough to make even gem specialist Biscuit want to keep them close.
(This child's mental fortitude is off the charts—the opposite of Killua. Because he knows despair, he's determined to protect his present and future, including himself. I'm a bit jealous as a woman that he found someone worth that much.)
Biscuit then turned her gaze to Goreinu and casually waved her hand at his pitifully nervous appearance.
"Goreinu will start with body modification. Gon's group has been trained to an absurd level of efficiency, but you're completely within the normal range. I'll perfect that physique of yours."
"Really? I thought I'd trained pretty hard. Just for reference, could you let me test how Gon's group measures up?"
At Goreinu's request, Gon suggested a simple test of strength, and they decided to wrestle in a state of Zetsu.
Initially, Goreinu wasn't enthusiastic about facing such a small opponent, but once they locked up, he couldn't help but feel that overwhelming strength.
(What the hell? He's so tiny but I can barely move him! And they're seriously saying he's weakened right now?!)
Though Goreinu ultimately managed to push through and win the sumo match, touching that unfathomable physical ability erased all hesitation and doubt about the training content from his face.
(Goreinu's got a strong heart too. Even without shooting sense, he didn't give up—he sought his strength in Emission instead. I already knew that, but to accept being challenged in strength by current Gon without bitterness, even showing respect—that's not something just anyone can do.)
That excellence of character, which somewhat resembled Leorio's, was rare even among Hunters, where eccentric individuals were more common.
(Still immature, but will transform dramatically with proper instruction. Having no sharp edges means that perfect circle will give viewers security and trust. One wrong step and he'd be one of many, but if he succeeds, he'll become truly unique—a genuine pearl.)
While thinking it might be interesting if he and Leorio became Hunter Association executives together, Biscuit made eye contact with Gin, whom she couldn't really help, and spoke.
"You should return to the wild. In a sense, this place is full of Nen beasts, so it'll be a valuable experience for you."
"Whine..."
"I'll stay with Gon, who you're worried about. I promise not to let him get a single scratch outside of training."
Hearing Biscuit's strong words and seeing Gon nod, Gin howled and immediately disappeared into the forest.
(If you're going to be a beast, you need to return to nature sometimes or you'll weaken. It hurts to lose that fluffball, but it can't be helped.)
While wiggling her fingers, regretting not giving him one last thorough petting, she announced Gon's training content.
"Gon will spar with me constantly while adjusting his movements. You seem more like an imprinting type than an intuitive type, so I'll drill punching and kicking movements into you down to the millimeter."
"Yes ma'am!!"
Nodding at Gon's response without a shred of hesitation and confirming the other members had no objections, Biscuit cleared her throat once and announced the policy again.
"We'll take breaks during training to work on clearing the game. We'll probably need to rotate, so exchange information thoroughly when we gather. No recklessness or foolishness, but wring out every ounce of effort."
Surveying everyone, Biscuit smiled with satisfaction at Gon's group, who were already beginning to shine brighter, and swore on her pride and her Double-Star title:
"By the time you clear this game, I'll make sure you can beat your current selves 100% of the time!"
"Yes ma'am!!"
Under the world's greatest teacher, the uncut gems were about to explode with brilliance.
***
"Ah ♥ I can feel it, I can feel their growth reaching me so intensely ♥"
Picking up the playing cards he'd dropped from trembling, Hisoka was struggling with his Nen arm, which proved far less controllable than expected.
(Power increased more than I thought, but it's clumsier than I expected ♣ Even with increased power, it's nowhere near Gon's level. I really need to buckle down or I won't make it in time, hm? ♦)
The arm made of Bungee Gum had greater strength than his original arm and could stretch or move while ignoring joint limitations—pure possibility—but it had lost delicate movement.
With Gon as his standard for comparison, Hisoka realized technique mattered more than power for landing effective hits, which wasn't exactly cause for celebration.
(Repetitive practice over real combat. Splitting off really was the right call ♦)
"What are you doing, newbie? We're heading to the hideout, so get over here now!"
"...Yes, yes, coming right now ♣"
Hisoka had learned to endure.
In addition to being accustomed to waiting, having obtained Gon as his ultimate opponent had stabilized him mentally.
However, this didn't mean Hisoka was becoming a decent person at all.
Like how waves recede before a tsunami, like how a sheathed sword still possesses sharpness that can kill.
Hisoka's stable appearance was merely a prelude to deepening madness.
The most vicious jester, waiting for the moment to explode, quietly vanished into the crowd.
***
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