Ron sent the severely wounded cockroach Chimera Ant into Knov's spatial portal.
Knov's brow furrowed slightly. "This might disappoint Chairman Netero."
In truth, Netero did feel a touch of disappointment when he saw the captured Chimera Ant.
"Half-dead already? That takes all the fun out of it. Ron really doesn't know how to hold back."
Shaking his head, Netero stepped toward the cockroach Ant.
At that moment, the Ant's confidence returned.
"That guy earlier was strong. I wasn't his match. But you—you're just some old man who handles injured Ants. How strong could you possibly be? Once you get close, I'll strike and kill you. Then that guy will taste the pain of losing a comrade."
But as the cockroach Ant was about to lash out, Netero suddenly appeared before it. Before the Ant could react, Netero drove a fist forward.
Bang!
A massive hole opened in the Ant's chest. It froze, then its body convulsed violently, blood spraying outward.
"Young ant you need to speak up more, I couldn't hear you."
..................
.........
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"Training complete," Biscuit said, clapping her hands. "Continuing this won't accomplish much more. From here, it's up to your real combat experience. I hope you reach your goals smoothly. I'll be leaving now—I have other matters to handle."
Killua and Gon stood at the doorway and waved. "Goodbye, Bisky."
She lifted her hand in a wave without turning back.
The two exchanged a glance, then set off again toward the forest, where Knuckle was waiting for them to come challenge him.
"You came?" Knuckle rose as he spotted Gon and Killua approaching.
"Then let's begin."
Shoot kept himself hidden in the shadows, silently observing.
Elsewhere, another figure was also watching. A disheveled woman radiating an ominous aura—Knov's student, Palm.
She was an Enhancement-type Nen user, but the ability she developed was more suited to tracking, utterly unlike Gon's straightforward style. Her personality was nothing like a typical Enhancer either; she was unstable, neurotic, and difficult for ordinary people to get along with.
She harbored a deep infatuation with Knov. The reason she was here at all was because of an agreement between Morel and Knov: if Knuckle and Shoot won, Palm would not be allowed to join the Chimera Ant extermination team. But if Gon and Killua won, she would be permitted to accompany them.
For that reason, Palm needed Gon and Killua to win.
Killua and Gon launched themselves at Knuckle simultaneously, dividing their roles. Killua attacked Knuckle directly, lightning crackling across his body, using electrical stimulation to push his speed to extreme levels, fast enough to rival Knuckle's—and in fact even faster. Though his strength was inferior, with his speed, Knuckle couldn't pin him down, so Killua could fulfill his role of keeping him occupied.
Meanwhile, Gon positioned himself at a mid-range distance, close enough that all three of his abilities could be used. He then entered his charging stance, crouching slightly as he began to gather aura in his hands.
This was a form of restriction and vow, somewhat similar to Phinks's Ripper Cyclotron. The difference was that Phinks rotated his shoulder to wind up aura into his fist, whereas Gon gathered aura over time. The longer he charged, the greater the power.
In such situations, opponents typically tried to cut down his charging time, because the longer Gon prepared, the more dangerous the attack would become. That was why Killua's interference was crucial—without it, Gon's window to charge would be too short, and the resulting attack far weaker.
Knuckle's expression grew serious. He had already experienced the force of Gon's Jajanken before. If it landed cleanly, even he would collapse, unable to continue fighting for a while. And that would mean the match was decided.
In this timeline, Killua was stronger than he had been originally, buying Gon even more time.
"Jajanken—Rock, Scissors, Paper!"
Knuckle had to defend against Killua's constant assault while also watching Gon closely to predict which attack he would unleash, so he could prepare accordingly. Rock meant raw power. Scissors meant sharpness. Paper meant a ranged blast. Each required a different response, and a mistake would result in heavy damage.
This unpredictability was one of Jajanken's strengths: until the moment Gon struck, no one could tell which ability he would use. That forced opponents into heightened caution and concentration.
"Rock!" Gon shouted.
Knuckle's eyes narrowed. He forced through Killua's interference and pulled back, avoiding the expected strike. But in truth, Gon had not used Rock—he had unleashed Paper.
This was Gon's feint: what he shouted and what he actually executed could differ.
Though Knuckle had created distance, he was still within Paper's range.
Bang!
The aura blast struck him directly, forcing him back. Paper lacked the sheer force of Rock, but a direct hit was still punishing.
"Thunderbolt!" Killua called.
A bolt of lightning crashed down on Knuckle, enveloping him completely. His body convulsed, smoke rising from his singed clothes.
Bang!
Knuckle collapsed to the ground.
Shoot's eyes widened, his heart sinking. "Knuckle… lost?"
Palm's eyes lit up. "They won? Wonderful. That means I can join them and see Sensei again. Wonderful!"
Gon and Killua lowered their stances, standing side by side as they looked toward Knuckle's fallen form.