"Did I not tell you, Illumi? Gon is my prey! Hisoka declared, his blood-lust aura spreading recklessly through the hall, causing those who were not familiar with Nen to shiver as if they had been plunged into an icy lake.
Illumi stood in his place like a dolle, he didn't expect Hisoka's reaction would this fierce.
'It seems I angered Hisoka, troublesome.'
"Don't worry, Hisoka. I did not harm him. I merely put him to sleep," Illumi quickly explained.
Hisoka looked at the unconsious Gon and finally noticed that the needle of Illumi didn't penetrate deep into his head, only stayed on the surface.
Hisoka examined the unconscious Gon and noted the superficial injury. He then turned to Illumi, a menacing grin spreading across his face. "I will forgive you this time. But if you ever dare to touch my prey again, I will kill you," he threatened, retrieving his playing cards from Illumi's throat and returning to his spot.
Kurapika and Leorio rushed over to pick up Gon.
"Anyone who dares to interfere in the next match will be punished by the old man himself!" Netero spoke up, glancing at Hisoka before turning his attention to Kurapika and Leorio. "Take Gon away and let the match continue. I will be the referee."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, confident that Netero's presence would prevent any further danger.
Shinji finally reacted, he was shocked just now, Illumi didn't follow the routines at all, but fortunately he didn't kill Gon.
Even so, Shinji felt endless anger building in his heart, how much he desire to beat Illumi now until his mother can't recognize him anymore!
"Damn it!" he cursed, feeling his own weakness again. Shinji was filled with an overwhelming sense of hatred towards Illumi, and towards his own self.
…
Illumi had managed to manipulate Killua without any interference. Under his threat, Killua left the hunter exam venue and went back home.
The next day, Gon went directly to confront Illumi after hearing what he did to Killua. Illumi didn't care about Gon and took the hunter license before leaving.
"I'm definitely going to get Killua back!" Gon said with a firm tone.
"I'll go with you, Gon." Kurapika nodded, ready to follow him.
"Count me in!" Leorio shouted loudly.
Leorio turned to Shinji, "What about you, Shinji? Will you come with us?"
The trio looked at Shinji, who shook his head and said, "I'm sorry guys, I won't go with you. I had promised Netero-sensei that I'll follow him for the next few months. He intends to train me, and I can't waste such a chance. As you have seen, without strength, we are powerless in front of people like Hisoka and Illumi. I don't want to remain weak the next time we meet them or meet someone like them."
The three of them were silent for a while until Leorio spoke up.
"Damn! Are we going to be separated from you, Shinji!" Leorio looked at Shinji, not wanting the time of separation to come so soon.
"What separation are you talking about? We will remain friends forever. After you finish your things, let's pick a place and meet there," Shinji said, patting Leorio's shoulder. He then pretended to take his phone from his pocket, but his hand reached into his pocket dimension.
"Let's exchange numbers so that we can remain connected."
"Well, that's a good idea." Leorio was the only one who had a phone, so he wrote down Shinji's number, and Shinji also did the same for Leorio's number.
After chatting for a while with them, the trio of Gon bought tickets online to the Republic of Padokea, the region where Killua's home was located: Kukuroo Mountain. They bid farewell to Shinji and left quickly to catch up with the airship.
Shinji returned to the hotel, and Netero was still there. Shinji could only wait until the latter took him to the place where he was going to train.
On his way to the hotel, Shinji encountered the group of examiners leaving.
Seeing the familiar green-haired bold girl, Shinji greeted them.
"Hello, Satotz-san, Lippo-san, Buhara, and Menchi-san," Shinji said.
Satotz and Lippo nodded their heads in greeting.
Seeing that Shinji had something to do with the two of Menchi and Buhara, the two examiners left quietly.
"Shinji, how about it? Do you still want to go with us and learn more about the gourmet hunters?" Menchi, who appreciated Shinji's cooking talent, remembered what she promised him before in the second phase of the hunter exam.
Shinji was embarrassed. He also promised Menchi to follow her, but now the plan couldn't keep up with the change. He couldn't waste the opportunity to learn Nen from the strongest Nen master of humanity.
"I'm sorry, Menchi-san. After your phase of the exam, I somehow became a disciple of President Netero. He had arranged something for me, so I can't follow you for the time being," Shinji quickly explained to Menchi.
"What! You became President Netero's disciple!" Menchi shouted in surprise. She never thought something like this would happen.
'What the hell did he do to make President Netero accept him as a disciple!'
Menchi's surprise was palpable, and she couldn't help but congratulate Shinji on his achievement. "This is really surprising, congratulations Shinji, you really hide very deep!" she said with a chuckle.
Shinji simply waved his hand dismissively. "It's all luck, nothing worth mentioning," he replied.
Menchi, however, knew the value of President Netero's teachings. "Well, I also believe that getting the teachings of President Netero is more important now. Be sure to make the most of it," she said with a serious tone. "Strength is the core of everything, even for us gourmet hunters, so I wish you good luck."
Shinji nodded in agreement. "Don't worry, I already understand deeply this truth," he said confidently.
"That's good. Remember, when you finish your training, contact me," Menchi reminded him, making sure that he wouldn't forget.
Shinji patted his chest. "That's for sure. I still have your number. Once I finish this matter, I'll contact you," he promised.
As much as Shinji was reluctant to part ways with such a beautiful girl, he knew that improving his strength was his top priority. He had to force himself to resist the temptation.
"Then let fate decide when we will meet again. I hope the next time I see you, you can see this thing," Menchi said, drawing an imaginary picture in the air with a playful smile. Shinji couldn't help but wonder if she had just used Nen to do so.
Menchi turned around and walked away with Buhara following her. "See you later, Shinji-san," she said over her shoulder.
Shinji was caught off guard for a moment, still pondering about Menchi's use of Nen. When he finally snapped out of it, Menchi and Buhara were already gone. He watched their retreating figures for a while before turning around and continuing his way to the hotel.
As he walked, Shinji couldn't help but reflect on his life. "Gon, Kurapika, Leorio, Killua, Menchi, Buhara, Petter, Abraham, and all the beggar gang members... I never thought in my previous life that I would be able to have so many friends and contacts," he thought to himself with a small smile.