Chapter 2

"I have to go where?!"

Leorio had come to the professor's office after receiving the man's urgent call.

Apparently, he had found the perfect sponsor for his dream. According to him, the guy had everything he could ask for.

..But there's always a catch.

"Wyrd Forest. As you can see on this map-" The salt-and-peppered doctor tapped the board with his cane."It is in a remote region located in the next continent over."

"Wyrd has a unique ecosystem, teeming with rare and very dangerous organisms. The weather changes almost constantly, and the temperatures vary by nearly 50 degrees at a time. There are no records of natives living in Wyrd. Even the most dedicated beast Hunters don't like to go there. Inhospitable would be an understatement."

Leorio picked his jaw up off the floor.

"And he lives there? It's in the middle of nowhere!" Is he one of those wealthy eccentrics?

The professor blinked at him before chortling merrily.

"Lives there? Most certainly not! Only a fool would actually reside in such a place." he said shaking his head." As...odd as he may be, I don't think Dr. Burke would fancy such a place."

The young Hunter started at the name.

"Wait, wait, wait! Burke? You don't mean-"

"Yes! Quinn of this school, and several other titles that I don't have the patience to utter at the moment." He said with a small smile at his student's shock.

"You can't be serious! He's one of the top Hunters out there, and you're saying that he'll sponsor me?!"

At that, the professor's smile faltered.

"Erm...about that, Leorio. He hasn't actually agreed yet."

Leorio frowned in confusement. "What do you mean? I thought you said.."

"Think of it this way: You are a Hunter going to an interview. You need to find him and convince him to invest in your talent."

"I..see." Leorio muttered with a thoughtful nod.

"You're a Hunter aren't you? It shouldn't be too hard. The thing is, once he catches on, he'll do his best to convince you otherwise." A dry grin stretched his lips." Let me warn you, he's not the most accomodating person. Burke is extremely selective of his colleagues."

He turned to look out the window at the Headmaster's office across the yard with an almost nostagic look.

"The Headmaster and every single professor in this university including myself were hand-picked. The same goes for the supervisors of his labs. Can you imagine how hard he'll be on you?" The man shot him a firm look.

"He is the best choice for your predicament. You told me that you would do anything to achieve your goal; I've simply offered you an opportunity."

"You can take it...or, you can go back to the Hunter's Website and fish for small fry."

They stared at each other in silence.

"Well?"

He just grinned.

"You have to ask?"

/

As the professor watched his young pupil stride back towards the dorms, a determined gait in place of his relaxed sidle, he felt a tiny, minscule twinge of guilt in his gut.

Perhaps he hadn't been entirely honest with the poor boy.

I'd never thought it would come to this.

Simply put, there was absolutely no way that Burke would agree to sponsor the youth. At least not the way he was now.

As far as he knew, Leorio hadn't even customized his nen style. The doctor would throw a hissy fit when he realized what he really wanted him to do with the boy.

Leorio probably would too.

But, if anyone could get under the elusive Hunter's skin, it would be Leorio.

The man returned to his desk to sort through the research essays cluttering the surface. His gaze drifted over to a worn picture frame at the edge of his desk, coated in a thin layer of dust.

Afterall, hadn't Quinn Burke been an ambitious and terribly naive little Hunter once upon a time ago?

The young boy, frozen in time, simply grinned back at him through thick, foggy lenses.

Things are finally starting to move forward.

Question:Is Leorio an enhancer or emitter?