"Do you know about Ging?"
Mito quickly reacted and asked softly.
"Yes, I know Ging is still alive."
Gon nodded, looking at his aunt, who had raised him like her own son: "I also know he's an outstanding hunter. So I want to see for myself what kind of profession it is that fascinated Ging so much. I want to become a hunter too. I want to find Ging and stand before him."
Looking into Mito's eyes, Gon's spiky hair stood upright, full of resolve.
His expression and tone brought a glimmer of light to Mito's eyes.
She seemed to see Ging at twelve years old again, full of youthful ambition, standing before the sea with arms wide while shouting his desire to become a hunter.
It's just... Too similar.
The current Gon, in both expression and tone, was exactly the same as Ging Freecss back then.
Anyone familiar with Ging Freecss would immediately recognize at a glance that Gon was his son.
Even someone as familiar with both of them as Mito felt a slight daze.
But once she came to her senses, her heart went extremely tense.
That sudden feeling of panic and fear weighed heavily on her mind.
Just as Mito's expression grew somewhat agitated and she wanted to say something...
"I know, Aunt Mito, you're afraid I'll leave you."
Gon spoke first, immediately calming all of Mito's emotions.
"You can rest assured about that, Aunt Mito."
Once again, Gon's face wore that familiar, reassuring, and joyful smile.
"Whale Island is my home."
"That will never change, forever."
Gon's words were always sincere, coming straight from his heart.
These words made Mito stare at him in silence.
Unconsciously, she raised her arms.
Then…
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have lied to you."
Gon's clear eyes made it impossible for Mito to say anything deceitful to him.
"Ging is indeed still alive, but he left you when you were a baby."
She gently held Gon in her arms again.
"And it wasn't that he abandoned you. I took your custody through the court."
"Mm, I know."
Gon also embraced her. "I knew you were lying to me a long time ago."
"Because when you lie, you can't look me in the eyes."
Gon spoke gently, recalling what Luke had told him before leaving.
"If you want to become a hunter, the greatest motivation comes from your family."
"Specifically, from your aunt Mito."
"The reason she tried to stop you from becoming a hunter is mainly because of two reasons. The first one is safety."
"This one isn't really a problem. After all, in this world, almost every job has some danger."
"If you stop because you fear difficulties and danger, how can you be called a man?!"
"If she truly cared about you, this wouldn't be a reason to stop you."
"The key is the second reason: she's afraid of losing you..."
"Losing me..."
Gon felt Aunt Mito trembling slightly in his arms with soft sobs.
He gently stroked her back. "You will always be my aunt Mito."
"I will never leave you..."
This was Gon's true feeling. Even knowing that his father, Ging Freecss, was still alive in the world, he had no close familial feelings toward him.
Instead, he held respect and admiration for the unknown, powerful person his father was.
Only Aunt Mito and his grandmother, who lived here, were his true family, his home.
He would never be separated from this home…
"All right, time's up!"
Just as the atmosphere was very harmonious and Gon had opened his heart with Mito, ready to further deepen their bond, the Scheduler Clock suddenly appeared: "Meal time is over. Next is basic physical training!!"
It ruthlessly disrupted Gon and Mito, then separated them.
Under Mito's bewildered gaze, two long mechanical arms pushed Gon toward the door.
"I know, I'll train properly... don't push me!!"
Gon's somewhat flustered and helpless shout echoed outside the door.
Watching this, Mito's confusion gradually transformed into a bright smile.
Especially recalling how Gon truly treated them as family, never leaving their side.
Her lips couldn't help but curl upward.
"What should I make for him tonight..."
"Since he's starting training, a reasonable nutritional meal is necessary."
Mito, feeling some joy, began planning Gon's dinner.
Now that she knew Gon's intentions and understood she couldn't stop him, it was better to respect his choice and support him as much as possible, rather than oppose him and ruin the ending.
Moreover, this was only the beginning of his training.
No matter how talented or gifted Gon was, training couldn't be completed overnight.
He would still be able to stay at home for a few more years.
With this thought, Mito's mood improved greatly.
She also thought about the friend of Ging whom Gon mentioned.
The person who provided this robot for Gon, specifically designed to train and help him, must be someone who knew Ging and had a good relationship with him.
Mito recalled earlier that day, a guest had come to her bar, ordered the most popular drink, and seemed exceptionally gifted and dignified, not an ordinary person…
If she guessed correctly, that person was Ging's friend.
Anyone familiar with Ging Freecss, upon seeing Gon, would recognize him as Ging's son.
"So, this is unavoidable, isn't it?"
The old lady of the household appeared inside.
She looked at Gon diligently training outside, then at Mito tidying up, and her wrinkly face formed a gentle smile: "Gon truly is Ging's son..."
Thus, at the cost of Gon becoming a Phantom Troupe member, he began training under the Scheduler Clock…
At first, Luke's tasks for him were very simple.
Including, but not limited to, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, 10-kilometer runs daily, with no air conditioning even in the heat…
A special Saitama training style.
For an ordinary eight-year-old, this would be very difficult.
But for Gon, who looked like a child but had extraordinary physical abilities, it was very easy.
He could complete the tasks on time without much strain and still have extra time afterward.
Of course, he didn't become stronger or bald like Saitama.
Saitama's method worked because he fought various monsters while training, gaining experience, not just through the exercises themselves.
Back then, Saitama had already entered society and fallen into a period of unemployment and decline.
As a student, he doubted his future due to his weakness.
Only after fighting the crab monster did he rediscover the joy of wanting to be a hero and begin training earnestly.
Gon, meanwhile, was motivated by finding Ging Freecss.
But he was only eight years old.
You can't demand too much from an eight-year-old child.
But for a monster like him, that's another matter entirely.
Gon's daily training progress was reported by the Scheduler Clock.