Chapter 31: Escape x Rush
I like listening to anime music; it reminds me of the scenes and motivates me to write.
The buildings were in ruin, left behind by human civilization. They looked as if they would fall apart at any moment. Inside one of these buildings were Killua and Gon, surrounded by a group of people, the Phantom Troupe. The troupe members didn't tie or knock out Gon or Killua. They couldn't do anything even if they wanted to; eight strong and dangerous people surrounded them.
As Gon and Killua enter the temporary hideout, they look at all the members present. Killua and Hisoka have spotted each other, and both agree that they don't know each other. Gon, being Gon, is slow in the uptake. "Ah!" Gon exclaims, pointing in Hisoka's direction. This action made some of the troupe members give them questioning looks.
"What? There's someone you know?" the guy with a sword asked. Gon had already realized that he shouldn't reveal that he knew Hisoka. Killua, being quick, spotted a girl. He remembered she was one of the people who had contacted them. "NO, Actually, Ah!. The girl who was in the arm wrestling," Killua said. The girl had been sitting next to Hisoka, so it had worked out in Gon and Killua's favor.
Shizuku, that was her name. She was quirky and did not remember them, but that didn't matter because the other two who had been with her did remember, saving the situation for Gon and Killua. "So you won against Shizuku?" the guy with the sword asked. "Yes," Gon answered.
"Fine. Play against me." The sword guy said, making a makeshift table with all the surrounding rubble.
Gon didn't have a choice, but a few words popped into his head as he walked to the table. 'Gon, you can use the flash step in arm wrestling. If you ever play against someone, make sure you win, or I'll punch you across the face if you lose to anyone other than me,' Gon remembered what Jett had told him.
In the original story, Gon would have lost countless times; it wasn't until the swordsman guy talked about friendship that Gon won because Gon did not like the Hypocrite words that the man had been saying. It had made Gon angry that someone could speak about their friend with such emotion but be indifferent to the lives of others.
As Gon took his stance, the only ones who noticed the stance Gon was taking were Killua and Hisoka. Killua knew that the flash step could be used in wrestling and tried to win against Jett but could still not beat him. It felt like trying to move the weight of the testing gate of his house plus two more times their weight. Hisoka because he had learned the flash step technique and noticed that the foot stance was the same.
As Gon and the swordsman began, the swordsman thought he would win easily, or maybe he wasn't taking it seriously. However, as he tried to move Gon's arm, the swordsman found out that no matter how much he tried, he couldn't move Gon's arm an inch. The swordsman Nen flashed around his body, making his body stronger. "What's wrong Nobunaga? You can't win against a little brat," Nobunaga was the swordsman's name; the one called out to him was Feitang.
"Shut the hell up, Feitang," Nobunaga shouted; his hand was shaking, trying to move Gon's hand. The spiders were a group that liked to mock each other, especially when one of them was having a hard time. If a member were in trouble, they would shout if they needed help but wouldn't go out of their way to intervene in a fight.
Nobunaga didn't know that the flash step was a powerful technique that used kinetic energy to perform instantaneous movement; all the force that Nobunaga was using against Gon was being redirected at the sole of his feet back into the earth. That was the principle of the flash step technique from the world of UQHolder: the more potent the force you used, the more significant the speed. So, no matter how much force Nobunaga uses, it would be nullified into the earth by the technique; unless Nobunaga also knew the flash step technique, he would not win against Gon in arm wrestling. If he did know it, it would come to who was more skilled in the technique.
'Gon!' Killua was shocked, still arrogant about his family's techniques. Killua didn't think anyone would have better movement skills than his family; his Grandfather, Father, and brother were strong assassins. Yet, Gon was winning against a Nen user without using Nen. Yes, Gon has still not used his Nen. As all this was happening, Jett was still trying to figure out how to free Gon from the Nen user control, not knowing that Gon was safe but in a precarious situation.
...
'Damn it, what can I do...' Jett was still thinking about how to free Gon. He used Gyo to try to detect any abnormalities. If a Hatsu from the manipulation system was being used to control Gon, there had to be some way to dispel it; one choice was the obvious solution. All Jett had to do was figure out the location of the Nen user. Jett had used Gyo to locate the Nen user; if the Nen user controlled Gon remotely, a Nen trail would be left behind. There was also another possibility: it was possession. Jett thought the Nen user developed a Hatsu that allowed him to take over Gon's body with some condition, but he didn't know those conditions.
With that in mind, Jett hadn't attacked "Gon" with any powerful attacks, afraid to hurt Gon. However, Jett wasn't holding back too much. His attacks could break a bone or two, but none of them were fatal. Jett knew Gon was an Enhancer and could recover from a broken bone.
Jett blocked a punch from the Gon imposter. The fight also made it difficult for Jett to devise a plan. As Jett and the Gon imposter fought, they moved with precision, each attack trying to undo the others. As their moves made contact, a small explosion of air would sound. Jett used Ryu to defend and attack; Ryu was an advanced Nen Technique from the Shingen-ryu school, but Jett had forgotten that information. Sometimes, the Gon imposter would get past his guard, so he would use Ken to guard quickly.
The Gon imposter could see that Jett was trying to figure out how his Hatsu worked. Of course, he wasn't going to give him that chance. "You will never figure it out, boy. Give up, and let me take you. I'll tell you something. When I use my Hatsu to take over someone's body, they usually die afterward. If you come willingly, I will let this boy live," said the Gon imposter. That was the wrong thing to say because as soon as he finished his words, a strong killing intent washed over him, but as soon as it came, it was gone just the same.
Jett was angry; he would have killed that man without remorse if he was in front of him; people like him were the scum of the world. Jett, like Gon, also didn't like hypocrites and scum that use others to get to someone. However, could he say that he wasn't also a hypocrite? Maybe he knew if someone he cared about were in danger, Jett would do the same, but Jett also thought there was a line somewhere along those actions that Jett couldn't cross because he knew that Gon would look at him disappointingly.
Jett calmed himself. He knew that he couldn't let his emotions take control of him. "Jett! what's going on?" Leorio had woken up and was now standing behind Jett. As Leorio appears, both Jett and the Gon imposter take distance from each other. Jett because he had come up with an idea, and the Gon imposter because he was worried Leorio would join the fight. He didn't know if Leorio was strong; he had taken him by surprise before, so he was wary of Leorio.
"Leorio, I think some Hatsu is controlling Gon; I need you to go and find a Nen user. He should be close by, but there is also a possibility that there won't be one. If that's the case, then I need you to find Killua. If he's in a fight, help him. I can hold this guy back. I then need you to come and help me. " Jett laid out his plan in one breath.
That was the plan Jett had thought of when Leorio appeared. "What! I can help you here; we can capture Gon and then figure out how to free him," Leorio protested. Jett was a patient saint. Jett still didn't understand why they were friends with someone like Leorio. Sure, he had his points here and there, but could he go with the plan without speaking out occasionally?
"That won't work. If you still haven't mastered Nen's advanced technique, you won't be of any help. We need to find Killua. Three of us would work better," Jett explained. "What, I'll show you..." Leorio, Indignant, was about to charge at the Gon imposter but stopped because Jett was glaring at him.
While Jett had looked at him mockingly before making him out to be an idiot, Leorio never felt like Jett was looking down on him. The look he now saw in Jett's eyes was indifference, as if he was looking at someone useless. "Damn it! What's with that damn look, Fine, but when I come back, I'll punch that look out of your face; you better be ready," Leorio said. Jett smiled and said, "I'll be here when you return. Don't make me wait long," Leorio didn't say anything else and ran.
"You think I'll just let you go?" said the Gon imposter.
"I thought you were after me?" Jett said, blocking him.
...
The members of the phantom troupe were still holding Gon and Killua. In the wrestling match, Gon won against Nobunaga. It happened differently, but Nobunaga still spouted the same spiel as in the original story. It made Gon mad, so he flared his Nen, making Feitang restrain Gon. Hisoka stopped Killua by placing a card against his neck artery.
A scene between Feitang and Nobunaga happens the same way as in the original story: they flip a coin to settle their conflict. The conversation prompted the girl, Shizuku, to ask what they would do with Killua and Gon. They also start discussing the chain user, asking the woman dressed in a suit, Pakunoda, if she has learned anything from Gon and Killua.
Killua questioned how they could have gotten any information from them; he then remembered Jess telling them about a spider member who could read the minds of others with just a touch. Killua had also figured out who the chain user was, making him realize that the woman Pakunoda was also the woman they wanted to use to figure out the boss's location behind the people trying to capture Jett.
The phantom troupe discusses what to do with Gon and Killua and eventually decides to let them go. However, Nobunaga disagrees; he asks something that shocks everyone present. "Hey, kid, join the Ryodan." He asked Gon.
"No way," Gon answers without hesitation.
"Team up with me." Nobunaga continues.
"Enter your Group; I'D Rather Die,"
"Hehehe, you seem to hate us; how about this? I'll tell you something interesting," Nobunaga said.
"What?" said Gon, confused about the change of topic.
"Someone hired us to capture you," Nobunaga said, shocking Gon and Killua. Killua narrowed his eyes at the implications; many thoughts came into his head. "What do you mean?" Gon asked, also having suspicions about what Nobunaga would say next.
"We only capture you because someone pays a lot to; they just say they needed you out of the way and didn't care what happened to you. I guess they needed you out of the way to do something. How about it? If you join, I can help you resolve this problem." Nobunaga didn't have the time to react because Gon and Killua had exploded with Nen, and he used flash step at its fullest to break down the door and escape.
Everyone present was strong, and their reaction speed wasn't slow, yet they failed to react to Gon and Killua's speed. That was also something about the flash step technique. The stronger you were, the more speed you could use.
Gon and Killua had figured it out: if someone wanted them out of the way for something, it had to do with Jett. Jett was being targeted just like Jess's husband, and someone had finally made a move. Gon moved faster than ever, each of his steps covering a mile. Killua wasn't slow either; he was behind Gon step by step; he had anticipated Gon's action and moved accordingly; he, too, was worried about Jett. If the troupe wanted to catch up, they would have to move faster than Gon and Killua, but maybe only Hisoka could have that chance among them. However, he had another prey that he was eyeing.
'Jett, wait for me. I'm coming...' Gon thought as he rushed. Gon and Killua didn't know someone had noticed them and was waiting for them.