After waking up 2 hours and 40 minutes later, Nicholas pulls the car over to the side of the road. He removes the restraints that keep me in the seats, and I take his place behind the wheel. As I get into position and fasten my seatbelt, I notice Nicholas preparing his laptop in the back.
"Put that away." I order him.
"Boss, I need to continue investigating the robbery and homicide cases that are reported in the following towns." Nicholas replies to me.
"Work can wait until we get to a town. Trips are meant to enjoy the path, so let's take a break and do typical travel things together, like enjoying the scenery and talking about our things, which we haven't done in a long time." I state.
"But we are always talking together." Nicholas comments.
"Yes, but all those conversations are about our work as Hunters and our future plans. This, this very conversation, is what I'm talking about. Relaxing, laughing, and talking about more personal topics, or about trivial and meaningless things to remind ourselves that we're people. That we're friends." I explain in a comfortable and cheerful voice.
In the back seat, Nicholas is stunned by my words, reflecting on the personal meaning of my statement for a few seconds until he decides to put his laptop away.
"All right, boss. What should we talk about?" Nicholas asks.
"Don't call me boss. It's a conversation between good friends. Call me Kai."
"But..."
"No buts, Nicholas. I'm not comfortable off duty, get it?"
"Whatever you say, Kai."
Seeing that Nicholas is finally relaxing a little, I get ready to start. "Well, you said that during my absence, several groups hounded you everywhere, seeking your attention, including our fans. Did you take the opportunity to hang out with any of them?" I ask mischievously, tesaing Nicholas.
For the next few hours we continue to go back and forth in a conversation full of questions and iddle chatter that were no relevant either our Hunter careers or our training, just simple, insubstantial things like our favorite music styles and songs, whether Nicholas had contacted his parents again after the exam, whether we're more into sweet or spicy food, general complaints about the people we've met, and many other things like that.
These are all trivial small topics that serve no purpose in our lives, but still, whether we laugh, are surprised or even shout at what the other is saying, it's a pleasant way to pass the time while we are traveling, and I can feel the sense of connectivity with Nicholas getting stronger as we break free from our seriousness and pragmatism and share a lot of useless information like two good friends.
Amidst the chatter and stops to change drivers, we also encounter some wild bizarre creatures that attack our vehicle (just as I had anticipated). Thanks to the sturdy frame made of state-of-the-art materials, the attacks of animals and monsters, both large and small, fail to cause substantial damage.
However, since these creatures don't give up easily, there's no choice but to face them ourselves, so on these occasions I encourage Nicholas to try to confront these animals and monsters so he can gain experience fighting non-human opponents.
Nicholas's performance in these fights is just as I expected: poor. Unlike me, who grew up in the wild and has faced all kinds of creatures, Nicholas has only fought human opponents, so his fighting style is more geared toward fighting bipedal creatures. As a result, he finds himself at odds when fighting creatures bigger than him, strangely shaped, with multiple appendages or with some other special trait.
Despite this disadvantage, Nicholas manages to hold his ground thanks to his Nen abilities, and when he's overwhelmed, I help him quickly defeat his enemies. We continue like this for several hours until we stop in a small town along the way.
There we book rooms at an inn and spend the rest of the day training to refresh and improve Nicholas's skills while continuing to chat about things that interest us until well into midnight, when I finally get to create a new Development Orb before going to sleep.
Date: July 31th, 2011
"Today we will stay at this inn in the morning and continue our journey after lunch." I say to Nicholas at the dining room table as the two of us eat breakfast.
"Why wait? The next stop on our route is the city of Kituso, a metropolis with a high crime rate. If we leave now, we'll arrive early in the afternoon and be able to catch more criminals before reaching Glam Gas Land." Nicholas argues.
"I have to go back to the offices and give Riven and Tetsu a Nen training program. I'm their master, after all, and I have to do my part, and besides, it'll be really boring for them to just sit there and do nothing." I reply.
"You can also wait until we get to Kituso to go there so I can investigate the crimes I've reviewed on-site, or simply call them with instructions on how to do it. You don't need to waste your Wormhole Orb for this." Nicholas continues to argue.
"Call them on the phone, but are you an idiot?" I ask with a fake, annoying, cretinous tone. "You're a Nen fighter too, so you surely know how difficult it is to train its various applications. It's not something you can just achieve just because someone tells you how to do it; you need to see and feel it to learn it."
"And besides, most people aren't self-taught. Those who put up a Nen ability without guidance or explanation would cover about 1% of users, maybe less. Most of people need someone to instruct them, to tell them how to do things and put them into practice. That's what masters are for, and we two are good examples of that, don't try to deny it."
'Nen can be a more complex issue than it appears at first glance. Even the four basic concepts are more difficult to use in real life than they seemed in the series. That's why I couldn't fully develop them on my own despite growing up in a tribe that knew how to use and train 2 of them.'
'Creating a spontaneous ability out of deep desire or strong conviction isn't the same as being a Nen master. Heck, even Chimera Ants, who had a greater affinity for Nen than humans, required a certain level of explanation, instruction, and practice in the subject.'
"It's true that I didn't know a lot of things until you showed them to me in person. I suppose Riven and Tetsu will find training better if you do it this way too." Nicholas says somewhat reluctantly, finally convinced by my arguments.
"And also, can you make some more online orders to be sent to the offices? You know, things like food, water, training equipment, sleeping bags, toilet paper... Things they urgently need to be more comfortable in that abandoned place.
"Wow, boss, it seems you really care about those new disciples after all." Nicholas says, trying to tease me a little.
"Don't get the wrong idea. I'm just making sure the staff is in good working condition. It won't do me any good to have them on my payroll if they want to leave or become unwell." I argue, putting another piece of pancake in my mouth.
After that, I leave Nicholas behind to place orders and continue checking things on his laptop. I sneak into an abandoned alley and open a portal to the offices. As I walk through, I notice the place is cleaner and less dusty than when I left (a little), and that some boxes from Nicholas's orders have already arrived.
"Master, have you already decided to come back?" Tetsu asks surprised appearing at the side of the hallway holding a mop.
"It's just a temporary visit. Go find Riven and come here together." I answer.
Tetsu bows in affirmation before leaving, and a couple of minutes later the two of them are standing in front of me at attention.
"Alright, we can begin the lecture. As I told you yesterday, I am now both your boss and your teacher, and as such, I have assumed the responsibility and duty to ensure I provide you with instructions and discipline in both your professional and training development."
"By bringing you here and ordering you to guard the place in our absence, I've covered the role of chief for the time being. But it's obviously a waste of time standing around doing nothing, so to keep you from getting distracted by some pointless activity to pass the time, today I'm going to take on the role of teacher and give you new methods for training Nen during these idle hours. Understood?"
"Yes, master!" They both say at the same time, looking quite motivated.
For the next few hours, I dedicate myself to giving them guidelines and examples of how to train their aura's capabilities based on their natural categories, their experience, and the methods I learned from Satotz and Biscuit in the canon.
—Physical Training: I don't currently have the land necessary to implement the same methods Biscuit used with Gon and Killua, so my instructions are simple exercises like an excessive amount of push-ups and sit-ups, and running several kilometers around this neighborhood.
I also tell them that equipment like weights, fitness equipment, and other things will be arriving to help them, but they'll have to wait a bit.
—Enhancement Training: Gathering a handful of rocks from the surrounding area, I instruct them to improve their use of Shu and Ko by trying to break a thousand stones in one day.
In addition, I tell them to exercise their Ren and maintain it for at least 1 hour and a half once they achieve the goal of the stones (asking them for 3 hours like Gon and Killua in such a short time would be absurd).
—Transmutation Training: For this training, I instruct Tetsu to form Nen numbers with his finger while running through the neighborhood just like Gon had to do, and in addition I also teach him the Pip-Play game that Captain Bone taught me and that was of great help to me in developing the Transmutation category.
Riven, for his part, already knows how to use Transmutation to a certain extent since his Hatsu is based on this category along with Enhancement, so I instruct him to try to increase the speed of his transformations, try to morph several parts of his body at once and try to transform them into parts of larger or more dangerous creatures (such as beings that can poison, dig, fly or possess any other special quality).
He tries to retort by saying that his Hatsu can only transform his body into parts of creatures classified as "mammals", but I quickly give him a strong and swift punch in the stomach and tell him that many mammals in the world could withstand that blow without problems, that there are many creatures in that classification that can do everything I have said and that he should start researching them in depth to improve instead of complaining.
—Emission Training: This training was exactly the same as Biscuit's:
The first level is to form a sphere of Nen on their fingers, hold its shape and place, and then attempt to throw it towards a target without it dissipating.
The second is to perform a one-armed handstand and propel yourself through the air by projecting your aura explosively from your palm. When I demonstrat this, I manage to propel myself higher than the office building, shocking Riven and Tetsu. To their relief, I tell them I only hope they can propel themselves 20 centimeters at most.
—Combat Training: Finally, I'm ready to teach them how to fight using the principles of Ren, Ken, Ryu, and Ko. They're both high-level Heavens Arena fighters and already have a good amount of experience with these applications, but they're still not at my level or Nicholas's.
That's why I instruct them to spar with each other by redistributing the percentage of aura they use in each part of their body to attack and defend, emphasizing trying to gradually increase the speed, fluidity, and responsiveness of their aura in combat.
These are all the training methods I provide them to do in their free time, making it clear that at least one of them must remain vigilant in the offices at all times and inform the other if something as minor as a stray cat passing by occurs.
'Obviously, this training program isn't as thorough and efficient as the one Gon and Killua went through on Greed Island or the one I put Ponzu and Nicholas through, but it's inevitable.'
'Unlike those instances, they have to stay in a city office building and don't have the usable environment of a rocky wasteland or a forest, and they also can't count on my constant support as a teacher because I have obligations to Nicholas as Blacklist Hunters, so they'll have to do everything alone for now.'
'And with all that in mind, there's the most important detail of all: I'm not going to use my Development Orb on them. I only have one in stock right now, and I'm reserving it to use on Pokkle so he has a better chance of surviving in the future.'
'Beyond that, there are more reasons: I can currently only hold four orbs at a time, I can only create one orb per day, and the situation with the Wormhole Orb is still complicated. These are all legitimate reasons, but there's one overriding reason that trumps all others: I don't trust Riven and Tetsu enough to do that.'
'From the beginning I had planned to use the Development Orb only on myself and the anime/manga characters that I loved so much and knew from the fantastic stories of this world, but unfortunately they didn't have enough talent to come out alive.'
'So why would I use it on people I barely know and care about? They may be in my professional service and claim to be willing to follow my orders to the death, but that's just empty talk.'
'In both my old world and this one, a person's loyalties and priorities can change given the right circumstances, and I haven't had the experiences and adventures that have forged a strong bond of trust with them like I have with Nicholas, so providing more potential to someone I fear might betray me in the future would be a very foolish thing to do.'
'Perhaps one day they will earn my trust after many events where they demonstrate their conviction and loyalty to me and The Tsukimichi Organization, but that day is still a long way off. So for now, this training is the best I can provide them.'
Organizing my thoughts as I watch them perform the exercises I've taught them, I look at my wristwatch and realize it's already past my usual lunchtime.
"Wow, this took me longer than I planned. Riven! Tetsu!" I shout their names, gaining their attention and causing them to stop their sparring.
"I've given you the most advanced training methods to develop your skills in using Nen, and as the days go by, you'll receive food, training equipment, and other supplies you may need via parcel at the offices. Now that you have the tools, your growth will depend solely on your dedication. With that said, I'm leaving for the moment." I say opening a portal behind me.
"What? Are you leaving already? I thought you'd stay a while to guide us through the training and make sure we integrated the techniques you've taught us." Riven asks.
"I'm too busy with my Hunter career to dedicate so much time to you. That's why I've entrusted you with taking care of the offices in my place. You have everything you need to train on your own, and whatever you're missing will arrive by courier. Don't worry." I say starting to turn around.
"Master, are you serious about training us?" Tetsu asks me this time, making me stop.
"From the beginning, you agreed to take us on as disciples because we agreed to work for you, and of course I'm willing to follow your orders to the letter if it means you'll teach us.
"But since we signed the contracts to join the agency, we've been out of touch with you for two weeks, and when you finally call us and say you're going to train us, you prepare to leave right after giving us instructions."
"Such a detached attitude has me questioning whether you're truly invested in training us. Not that the answer changes my commitment to you, of course, but I'd like you to make that clear to me."
At Tetsu's little inquisition, I start walking a couple of steps until I'm face to face with him.
"You're worried that I don't have enough commitment to training you two to make you stronger, and you're right to question that." I start saying.
"Your training isn't one of my top priorities right now because, first, it's not an urgent matter that needs to be addressed right now, and second, because I don't trust you enough to be completely committed."
"And it's the same for you too. You don't fully trust me, and that's why you constantly rebel and question my decisions. It's a problem we have, and we're not going to fix it quickly with a few nice, inspiring words."
"So what are we going to do then? Swallow our discontent and work without mutual trust?" Tetsu asks somewhat disappointed.
"Time and dedication. That's all there is to it. Keep training, take care of the agency in my absence, and demonstrate your loyalty and commitment when the time comes. And at the same time, I'll monitor you, and I'll also act when the moment calls for it. And if either party is dissatisfied, they're free to end this partnership." I reply.
"And you're not worried that we'll take advantage of the freedom you are giving us to harm or betray you? We could abandon this building and leave it to the mercy of creeps who pass by, or ally ourselves with someone who seeks to harm you or your companion. It wouldn't be unusual for that to happen to a Blacklist Hunter." Tetsu asks, not as a threat, but with intrigue and concern.
"You could try something like that... But you know what I am, and you've seen what I'm capable of. If you can come up with a hypothesis like that, I imagine you're smart enough to have an idea of what would happen if you did something like that. Does that address your concerns, Murakami?" I ask, bringing my face closer with a sharp look and trying to impose pressure as a teacher and boss.
"Yes, master Kai." Tetsu says, finally yielding to my authority.
Confirming that both he and Riven have accepted the reality of my statements, I smile and nod before saying goodbye again and finally leaving through the portal. Back in the town, I return to the inn to look for Nicholas, and when I arrive I find him sitting at the dining table with a disgruntled face.
"You're late." Nicholas says, looking annoyed with me for the first time in a long time.
"Yes, sorry. The introduction to the new training has taken longer than I expected." I apologize, rubbing the back of my head as I sit across from Nicholas.
"You could have called to let me know? At least that way I'd have time to investigate further. I've been waiting at this table like an idiot for 2 hours." Nicholas complains, crossing his arms.
"Yes, I know. You're absolutely right. I was so focused that I didn't even notice time passing. You know how I am when I get involved in something, I ignore everything else." I respond trying to justify myself.
"As an apology, I'll treat you to lunch. Order whatever you want. And I'll also take first turn driving this time. Come on, forgive me, Nicholas. Please." I say in a cutesy tone as I poke his cheek with my finger.
"Hmm... Well, I guess I can let this slide. We're friends and partners against crime, after all." Nicholas responds by turning his head to his left, but looking at me out of the corner of his eye.
Making peace after this minor setback, we both order food from the waitress, and after satisfying our stomachs, Nicholas takes the car out again with his Nen ability and we resume our journey overland filled with friendly chatter.
When night falls, with the intention that I create a new Wormhole Orb to replace the one I spent today, we stop the SUV hidden behind a rock on the road and take out a couple of blankets to settle down and sleep in the comfortable seats after I have created it.
"Hey Boss, are you excited to arrive at Kituso tomorrow?" Nicholas asks from the back seats.
"In the right measure, yes. And you?" I ask from the driver's seat.
"When we get there, I'll take on my first job as a Blacklist Hunter with you. I'm a little nervous about how it'll play out. What do you think?" Nicholas asks.
"Honestly, I don't know. When I was traveling the Yorbian continent as a solo Blacklist Hunter, every case I took on was different, and because of that, I made some mistakes. Life always throws you unexpected surprises." I answer, reminiscing the time in question.
"So you think we'll encounter Nen users with unknown powers?" Nicholas asks, getting alertly.
"No, I don't think so. Despite what it might seem, Nen users aren't that easy to find. I'm sure we won't run into any until we get to Glam Gas Land. Don't worry." I answer, trying to calm him down.
"Phew, I hope you're right. I'm really looking forward to catching my first criminal as an official Hunter. Anyway, I'd better stop talking now, since we'll both have a lot of work to do tomorrow. Good night, boss." Nicholas says lying down on the seats as if they were a bed.
"Good night, Nicholas." I tell him back, and after making sure it's past midnight, I create the new Wormhole Orb before falling asleep in my seat.
Date: August 1st, 2011
Waking up with renewed strength, I prepare a breakfast consisting of toast with ham and melted cheese accompanied by cups of coffee using my stove, frying pan and travel coffee maker, and after eating the breakfast, we continue driving for another 45 minutes until we finally arrive at the town where Nicholas will arrest his first criminal: Kituso.