After Alita left, Kaizen took out his phone and dialed a number.
"Ponzu."
"Captain."
"Has Siper contacted you yet?"
Since Ponzu was eliminated early, Kaizen had asked her to reach out to Siper first.
Otherwise, waiting until after the Hunter Exam to reconnect would've been inefficient.
Ponzu had already confirmed she'd join Kaizen's team.
But Siper's position was still uncertain.
Kaizen wasn't going to force it. If Siper didn't want to join—or lacked the necessary talent—then he wasn't going to push it.
"She's with me now," Ponzu replied, glancing at Siper beside her.
"Good."
Kaizen nodded.
"Send me your location. I'll head over now."
"Yes, sir."
Ponzu shared her coordinates.
Kaizen ended the call.
With a thought, a figure appeared beside him.
It was Altan.
"Altan, map the route."
In a flash, Altan calculated the most efficient path.
Kaizen skimmed the display. "Start by taking a car to this small town…"
...
He arrived in the town and raised a hand to flag down a passing vehicle.
Sliding into the back seat, the engine roared to life, and the car pulled away.
Kaizen leaned back, reflecting on the Hunter Exam process.
"Because I showed up, a lot changed."
"Some people who were supposed to die are still alive."
"Like Bodoro. And Siper."
"Others who were supposed to live ended up dead instead."
"Like Amori and Umori."
"Even Killua's path shifted. He didn't lose his eligibility this time—he passed and got his license."
Kaizen hadn't gone out of his way to preserve the original plot.
First off, it was pointless.
Like back during the exam preliminaries—when Gon offered to team up, Kaizen didn't reject him just to 'stay on script.'
He wasn't trying to curry favor with the original cast.
But he wasn't avoiding them either.
Second, Killua was his cousin.
Zeno and Silva had both looked after Kaizen in the past.
Returning the favor by helping Killua was only natural.
...
He took a connecting bus from the nearby town and rode into the city.
Then bought an airship ticket.
Two days later, the airship landed.
Ponzu and Siper were already waiting outside the terminal when Kaizen arrived.
"Captain, over here!"
Ponzu spotted him first, waving and bouncing slightly on her toes.
Siper, with her sniper's eyes, had seen him earlier but kept calm.
Ponzu had the help of her bees, of course.
Kaizen stepped out of the terminal and gave them a once-over.
"Let's head to the hotel."
"Got it."
Ponzu had already booked a suite. It was spacious, with multiple rooms and a massive balcony. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of half the city.
Kaizen sank into the couch, finally relaxing.
The Hunter Exam hadn't been too difficult for him.
But even so, it had taken effort.
"Captain," Ponzu said eagerly, "can I see what a Hunter License looks like?"
Kaizen took it from his pocket and handed it to Ponzu.
Ponzu immediately leaned in, eyes sparkling with curiosity.
Siper couldn't help but peek over too.
Ponzu didn't care that much about being a Hunter—she just wanted the strength to protect her village.
But he had come this far, making it to the second-to-last exam.
As for Siper, she did want to be a Hunter, but her strength had held her back.
...
After dinner, the three returned to the hotel.
Kaizen turned serious.
"Ponzu, Siper, let me ask you something. How would you classify the Hunter Exam candidates by strength? Like, how many levels would you divide them into?"
"Who do you think are in the same tier?"
The two exchanged glances.
"In terms of strength," Siper said thoughtfully, "I think there are three levels. Those who didn't make it to Zevil Island are one tier."
"Then there's Gittarackur, Hisoka, Hanzo, and you, Kaizen—you're the top tier."
"The rest fall somewhere in the middle."
Kaizen looked to Ponzu. "Your thoughts?"
"I'd say the three of you—Gittarackur, Hisoka, and Captain—are the top tier. Hanzo's more of a mid-tier…"
Thanks to her queen bee, Ponzu had a sharper sense of power differences.
Kaizen nodded.
"You can divide it further if you want, but broadly, I'd say there are three tiers."
"Top: me, Hisoka, Gittarackur, and Alita."
"Middle: Hanzo, Killua."
"Bottom: everyone else."
He paused.
"Actually, we could just simplify it into two levels."
"Combine the second and third tiers."
"The difference between them is way smaller than the gap between the top four and the rest."
"There's something really important separating the levels."
"It's not just strength, experience, or technique…"
"It's a completely different kind of power."
Kaizen's voice dropped slightly.
"It's called Nen."
"We can use a power called Nen."
"The foundation of Nen is aura."
"And the foundation of aura… is life energy."
He raised a finger and looked at Siper.
"Remember what I showed you back on Zevil Island? The leaf piercing the cloth?"
"That was a basic Nen technique."
He slowly pressed his finger against a metal cup.
No speed, no force.
But the cup gave way as if pierced by a needle, a clean hole forming where his finger touched.
"Next, I'm going to teach both of you Nen."
"First, I'll show you how to use Ten."
"Then I'll help you open your Aura Nodes."
Given their age and physical condition, Siper and Ponzu didn't need any extra training before unlocking their aura.
Once their Aura Nodes were open, Kaizen could quickly assess their potential.
It wouldn't take long.
...
Elsewhere...
Gon, Killua, and Leorio had boarded a bus headed toward Kukuroo Mountain.
From the window, the mountain came into view.
"So this is where the Zoldyck family lives, huh?"
"Didn't expect it to be this easy to find," Leorio said.
"Everyone around here knows the name."
"It's basically a tourist spot at this point."
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