Kite is alive!
He wouldn't ever let that thing beat him!
So we should hurry back...
Once we're stronger.
To save Kite!
Promise x and x Reunion
Gon and Killua have vowed to save Kite.
But before they can return to NGL,
they must pass the condition set by Chairman Netero,
leader of the punitive force.
What are those?
Tokens.
You take a piece of marked wood and split it,
giving each half to a different person.
They work as proof that you're an ally
or to authenticate a document.
We sent two assassins to the nearest village.
In this case,
each of the two assassins holds one matching token.
We defeat them and take the tokens.
It's been erased.
That means someone checked the board.
Yeah.
You must be Killua and Gon.
Nice to meet you.
My name is Palm.
It's a pleasure.
Oh, dear...
No need to be so tense.
I imagine the Chairman probably didn't provide many details.
Allow me to explain.
Why don't we have some tea?
I am a student of Knov-sensei.
He said I would only get in his way...
But I insisted on accompanying him.
Who's that?
She probably means one of the guys with Chairman Netero.
Yes, the one wearing a black suit...
My teacher is an incredible person.
Cool, intelligent, composed...
Ah, composed and cool mean the same thing!
Oh, dear...
Oh, but I only respect him, that's all.
There's nothing romantic about my feelings...
At least, I may wish that were the case.
After all, when it comes to falling in love, respect is a major factor.
Ah, my teacher knows nothing about this, of course.
I haven't said a word to him, and I don't intend to.
No one can say what will happen...
After all, love is a spontaneous thing,
don't you agree?
Uh, can I interrupt you?
Aren't we supposed to fight you?
Huh? Oh, dear...
Yes, I apologize.
The Chairman and my teacher
said I couldn't accompany them any farther.
But I insisted on going with them.
It feels like I spent a lifetime just trying to convince them of my determination.
And finally, they relented, with one condition.
Uh, I'm asking about...
My teacher may appear a cold person,
but he's actually quite gentle.
But you have to spend a lot of time with him to realize that.
Ah, by "spending time with him," I don't mean—
Okay! What's the condition?!
Knuckle and Shoot's defeat.
To think those vulgar, barbaric unmannered brats
will be allowed inside NGL before me...
I cannot allow that.
Palm-san, turn off your Hatsu!
She's an Enhancer like me.
I'm not too happy about that.
Knuckle and Shoot?
Not us?
That's right.
After all, I'm not the one who's supposed to defeat Knuckle and Shoot.
You two are.
Knuckle and Shoot are Morel-san's students.
They, too, received a condition.
I don't know what that condition was...
But whether it's us or them, only one group will be allowed into NGL.
The deadline is one month.
Since we were told to keep these tokens for a month,
that means someone will come for them.
What do we do, Knuckle?
That's easy.
He who strikes first, wins!
Find 'em...
And kill 'em!
Certain Death
My name is Knuckle Bine!
I am a Beast Hunter!
I challenge the two punitive force candidates to a duel!
Come tonight at midnight sharp, and face me!
Bring it on
I won't try to run or hide.
I won't bring any weapons or allies.
It'll just be me and me alone.
So come and fight me!
But where?
The location?
You have to tell them where to find you.
Bring it on
A man never turns his back on an enemy.
I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth...
You won't get away!
Even if he said where, I wouldn't go.
He's just a decoy.
His partner's probably hidden somewhere, watching.
They're watching to see if anyone reacts suspiciously.
According to Palm, they don't even know our names.
Yeah.
So their goal must be to smoke us out.
No one's stupid enough to do all that for real.
Did he look strong?
He's pretty strong.
AnimeChiby.com
What will it take to defeat him?
I have no idea!
One of the Hunters with the Chairman said that
In a Nen battle, nothing is certain.
So, according to him,
it's wrong for me to judge if a fight can be won.
I disagree.
If you want to survive, you must increase your odds of victory.
Gauging the strength differential between you and an opponent is crucial.
If you're up against someone you can only beat
once or twice out of a hundred times, don't bother.
You need at least a fifty-percent chance.
If possible, greater than seventy percent is preferable.
To reach that, we must do two things...
Work on our fundamentals, and learn more about our opponents' abilities.
Right.
If we know our opponents' abilities, it'll be easier to plan ahead.
Like we did against Genthru.
I'm half agreed, and half opposed.
What do you mean?
I think we should work on our fundamentals,
but I don't think we need to know their abilities.
Huh? Why not?
That just increases our risk of defeat.
Nothing good can come of that!
But that's what we'll be facing in NGL.
Our goal isn't to defeat Knuckle and Shoot...
It's to become stronger, and return to NGL and save Kite.
In other words,
we must be strong enough to defeat enemies we know nothing about.
Winning here with advance preparation is pointless.
That's true,
but we have to defeat these opponents first.
After all, we only have a month.
That's too long.
One week.
In one week, we'll be stronger, and heading back to NGL!
Go—
Are you an idiot?!
Bisky!
Why are you here?
I asked her to come.
Huh? You know each other?
No, I looked into your backgrounds.
How?
We only know Bisky because...
Once I used my power, it was quite simple.
Now, there's no time to spare.
Let's begin...
The plan to slaughter Morel's disciples.
Um, no.
Let's get started, then.
Osu!
What was that for?!
I'm picking up where I left off.
Are you stupid?
That old man's famous for his nasty nature.
If he tells you to do something in a month,
it probably should take an entire year.
You won't defeat them after a week!
But we have to hurry back and save Kite.
What are you talking about?
That was fun...
Like a dream come true.
I'd love to fight you...
once more.
I see...
All the more reason you shouldn't return without proper training!
What if you make the same mistake again?!
So typical of her age.
She's always ready with a lecture.
Got it?
Osu...
Let's start training, then.
Begin with Ren!
Maintain that for three hours.
Killua, how long can you last?
In top condition, I can manage around fifty-five minutes, max.
Until you complete this, we can't move to the next step.
Train like your lives are on the line!
Come on.
You didn't even last an hour.
Okay, keep working.
They say it takes a month to add ten minutes to your Ren endurance.
You won't have time to sleep.
Curses...
Those damn cowards ran away!
You bastards deserve to die now!
You have a collar.
Where's your owner?
You're supposed to keep the park clean.
Okay, you can rest for today!
Tomorrow begins in thirty minutes.
Looks like it's time for me to use my power.
Take it away, Cookie-chan.
Magical Esthetician: Piano Massage.
Pink Relief
Excuse me...
I hope this won't offend you,
but I'll let you decide how to train them.
Since my power told me that you would be the answer.
However,
if they cannot defeat Morel's disciples after one month,
I doubt I'll be able to restrain myself.
I absolutely must go to NGL.
Honestly, I want to depart this moment.
So after I've waited and waited and waited and waited and waited,
if this fails now,
I'll probably kill all of you...
Was that a threat?
No, it's a warning.
I'm worried about you all.
So if you think they have no chance, I recommend that you leave...
Speaking from experience, I'm less likely to lose my temper that way.
I'm not the one you should tell.
Once they're awake, tell the boys.
Don't worry! We've got this!
You can count on us to get you to NGL.
So let us know if you notice anything.
We'll do our best.
That's how they are.
Have some faith.
Oh, dear!
This won't do at all...
Anyway, I'm more concerned about what's happening inside NGL.
What is the Chairman's group doing for the next month?
Well?!
Ah, well...
They mentioned they'd be poking and probing.
Identifying the enemy's strengths, and weakening their forces...
The experts can't agree on the amount of time
remaining before the King's birth.
The Chairman is operating with two months,
the earliest prediction, as the deadline.
This is bad.
That thing is stronger than I am.
Stronger than the Chairman?
Surely you jest.
If that's really true,
none of the Hunters will be able to fight it.
It's been more than half a century since I was the strongest among Nen users.
Now, I'm more or less even with you guys.
Then you're more than strong enough.
You should have more confidence.
Even when I'm at less than half my former strength?
Growing old is no fun.
He never stops talking.
But we must fight.
I would prefer to avoid it...
If there were a solution that would avoid a fight, I'd choose it.
Our target is the Queen, and the Queen alone.
But sneaking past the surveillance of that En will be next to impossible.
We cannot avoid a fight...
The question is how we will manage to win.
If anyone has any brilliant ideas, I'd like to hear them.
You're simply awful.
When you asked us to join, did you not already have an answer in mind?
We exterminate the Ants in silence, one at a time.
Yeah, let's take it slow.
Might as well enjoy the job...
Okay...
First, we should learn the enemy's numbers.
Go.
So many.
Something is coming.
They aren't alive...
Is this the enemy's power?
Now, what to do?
You may as well wait.
If they come here, we simply destroy them.
You have a point.
These could be decoys.
Huh, what?
Was I speaking aloud?
No.
I simply knew what you were thinking.
Who are you, anyway?
One of the Queen's Royal Guard.
Shaiapouf.
Menthuthuyoupi will also soon awaken.
Nyow I see. So you're Shaiapouf.
Yes, that is correct.
You can read all my thoughts.
Not sure I like that.
Well, I can understand the sentiment.
But...
He will wake soon.
That's good news!
You see, I haven't been able to decide what power to develop.
Right, it's so simple.
I merely need to fix him.
I only need the power to do that.
And then, I will be able to experience that dreamlike moment with you
once more...
Come on, what are you doing?
You'll never defeat Knuckle and Shoot, much less the Chimera Ants, like this.
Are you giving up on going to NGL?
N-No way...
We never give up.
We must return to NGL, no matter what we have to do to get there!
To save Kite...
After reuniting with Bisky,
Gon and Killua are back to training.
They have one goal:
to get strong enough to save Kite.
Right now, that motivation is driving Gon.
Next time: Duel x and x Escape.
It's on, Killua!
It's on, Gon!
Rock, paper... Rock!
I lost...