Gon hunts down the last person on his list.
Iason and Sakura report their findings to their partner.
There was one last person on Gon's list, the man he deemed the hardest to find. The Pro Hunter, Steffelor. He could be anywhere, including deep into the West Underwater Forest… already searching for the predator stalking that location. He had to do a little bit of digging, questioning a few of the staff to find a single clue to where he could be located.
The man wasn't in his room, or if he was, he was by chance ignoring any knocking on said door… pressing the door buzzer wasn't going to help either. He was lucky, only due to the sole fact he managed to bump into the guy, not physically.
His eye caught the man out for a run on the beach.
Gon stretched his muscles, eyes following the man as he jogged along the sand.
Relaxing his muscles, he sprinted towards the man, not intending to create a sandstorm in his path, but to at least catch up to him without startling anyone in the process.
"Steffelor?!"
The man looked left and right, taking something out of his ears as he ran. When the man was sure he misheard his name being called, he intended to put in his earbuds. He must have imagined the whole scenario. Except, as he was putting them back in, he heard his name again.
"Steffelor…"
Shifting his gaze, he spotted the young hunter running towards him. Stopping for a quick breather, he waited for the young teen, arms crossed "What you want kid?"
"I just wanted to get to know the man I'm going to work alongside with." Gon offered his hand to shake the man's hand, but the older man didn't move, much less offer to shake his hand.
"Steffelor, Pro Hunter and two-star Deep Sea Diver. Is that all?"
Gon puffed up his cheeks for a moment, only to realise the act would make him seem more childish in the situation. Instead, he offered a hand to the beach "How about we get to know each other as we go for a jog."
"Look, kid… I know you're a Pro Hunter and all… but you're severely lacking one crucial thing that makes a Hunter skilled at his job… I bet you don't know what it is."
"You're talking about Nen, right?"
"That was a lucky guess…"
"Not really…" Gon thrust a finger at the man, "I might not know how to use Nen, at least right now…" The man raised an eyebrow, mildly confused about the boy's statement. But rather than get an explanation, the teen continued to chastise him "I know enough about the topic, to know it's not a guess…"
"Tell you what, if you can recite-"
"Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu… for the basics alone. Then for the advanced techniques, we have Gyo, In, En, Shu, Ko, Ken and Ryu. I'm also an Enhancer, if, that makes any difference…"
The older man frowned, "So… I stand corrected." There was no way it was a guess at this point. Given the teen's earlier statement and his ability to recite the components of Nen, the fact he can't use Nen must be for a completely justified reason. Although… now that he must think about it, he has heard the boy's name in passing.
He vaguely remembers hearing it during the last election, but he was there for the sake of voting, not the politics of it. To him it didn't matter who won, provided he got to keep his licence and continued to get a steady amount of work… it didn't matter for him.
Although he was reluctant to work with a Nenless user, Gon wasn't a complete noob in that department. At least he's aware of their techniques. It's not like whatever is down there, has a chance of using Nen. The man ushered with his fingers for Gon to follow him on his run
"Good!" Gon stuck his tongue out at the man as he ran alongside him, asking his first question during their exchange. Since the man already question him about his credentials, he could question them about some of theirs "Then what Nen category do you belong to?"
"Transmuter…"
"Oh, so you're like my best friend. You're able to manipulate your aura to mimic a type of element or substance. What can you weave with your aura?"
"It's not like you could see it…"
"But doesn't mean I can't feel it…"
"What do you mean? Is it linked to the fact you insulted my skill in front of the guy that hired me?"
"Yup." Gon popped the 'p' with a graceful smile, taking a page right out of Iason's, even Killua's book "I can tell Geoffrey is way stronger than you."
"That isn't helping your case, kid…"
"Well, calling me a kid, isn't helping either." The boy gave the other a knowing look.
"Transmuters aren't strong."
"I know three, who'd beg to differ. One would wipe the floor with you… the another wouldn't look your way…." The young boy didn't mean it as an insult. Why did the man set himself up for failure? He argues that he's weak, when a little push comes to shove, he could be way stronger in the future.
"What about the third, Mr I-like-to-insult-my-college-in-front-of-their-boss."
"I'm not insulting you… I'm arguing that being a Transmuter doesn't make you weak. One of the strongest Nen users I had as a Nen trainer, was a Transmuter. She'd knock me down… even if I had the advantage in terms of being an Enhancer."
"Look…" The man glared at the kid, "My skill isn't designed to knock people on their ass… nor would I accept being judged by someone who can't use Nen, yet is aware of its significance."
"I can't use it because of a mistake I made in the past…"
There it is again… what mistake did you make, that could render you unable to wield Nen? Is it a forced state of Zetsu? High demands that you can no longer touch upon?
"Either way… I'm still physically fit!" Gon gave the man a cheeky smile, "With my physical strength, I could knock out whatever is down there." I even went up against Chimera Ants that were physically stronger than myself. Sure, Nen gave me that edge needed to beat them… I was still able to beat some of them in a one of one fight.
The man thought about the boy's words. If he's truly strong, at least there will be someone by his side if they found the creature. But if Gon can hold it off, at least he can report to Steffelor that they found what is hiding down there.
Gon surviving the fight makes zero difference. If they can't beat it, they're going to need more than a strong physical fighter to take it down. But on the off chance Gon can beat it, given the reports, there was no way he can walk away alive, after that fight.
They were bound to use each other to get the final reward. The handsome reward that comes after the completely paid off vacation.
"Alright… what do you know about deep diving?"
"Nothing at all…"
The man groaned loudly, frustrated at his new dilemma. Why would they hire a non-deep diver, to deal with a creature that lives in the deep depths, "You're a Wet Towel… Look, I'm not going to train you while we're down there. If you fuck up and die due to your mistake, it's not my issue. When we're down there… you'll have to pull yourself through whatever we see down there. I will not be forced to train you…"
"Well… I wasn't going to ask you." Gon crossed his arms, annoyed at the older man. He wasn't expecting to be trained on the job by him. He mainly wanted to know what he knew. Them having to work together, could make this job much easier to bear.
If the man's Nen skills were supportive, not for attacking and he considers his strength to be weak or mediocre…
Then Gon being there to provide his strength could give them the edge they need to beat the monster "We were both hired for the job, so we should work together. Given what I've learned by speaking to everyone… it's not something you'd want to deal with when you're alone down there."
"Oh…" The man grew smug, "What did you learn?"
"It hunts living creatures, it's toxic… and if you get hit by it, you might not live long enough to reach the surface."
"Easily obtained if you read the reports."
"Then you'd know about Cassidy as well…"
"Who?"
"She's the one that did the autopsy… she also has the body of the half-eaten diver."
The man frowned, "What do you suppose then?"
"I ask my friend, Kite, if he knows something, we may be able to narrow down its hunting cycle… including its habitat. We could potentially catch it off guard."
"Underwater…? Highly doubt it. They'll feel the ripple in the water."
"Then… if we can figure out what it is beforehand, maybe we can ask for more assistance before we deal with it."
"Four days…" The man murmured, "I'll give you four days to learn the ropes and gather those details."
"It could take longer than that… a week!"
"In a week, it could eat a guest while we're delaying the job."
Gon fumed at the man, not out of anger for the extra days he won't provide, but rather the point he made. They don't know how long it'll be before they eat a random guest, on the Island. They don't even know if a person will try to sneak into the area for those four days that they're delaying a search. Sighing, the boy relented "Okay, four days. But if we know what we're up against… we need to go to Geoffrey to get more assistance."
"I can agree to those terms…"
Gon Then held out a finger to the man, "But in those four days I'm not doing everything by myself. I want something in return."
"What do you propose…?"
"An exchange of details. You tell me who I'm working alongside, and I'll put in the extra effort so I don't get left behind."
"What would you like to know about me?"
"Your ability for starters…"
"My ability makes my diving experiences much easier to navigate. I can extend it to others… but I rather not be using it on a Nenless person."
"What does it do?"
"A range of things… mainly extend my breathing capacity, and manipulate oxygen underwater."
"Like, control… air?"
"No, I do not bend air or wind to my will. I merely focus on the oxygen in the water and have it circle my body. It's kind of like Manipulation… but it focuses mainly on attaching to my aura. You see, I use it to get past the compression while underwater. While diving, this is more of a tip for you, it's kind of like a game of balancing. Those who have been in the trade the longest will know that you can never go from the bottom of the ocean to the surface…"
The man paused to gesture to the building pointing at the highest point "It'll be like a person jumping off that building, relative, to the height of you ascending in water. While it's true, that some Nen users can swim to the bottom of the ocean at a depth of… we'd say two-hundred meters then swim back up to the surface, those who can pull it off… are Sea Hunters'. I take my ability to the next level. They can usually only dive, then ascend, by maintaining a trajectory…"
Gon's brain started to fizzle.
The man didn't notice "I, on the other hand, can sink to the bottom, then rise to the top, constantly going up and down, without the need of maintaining that balance. My aura, using the bubbles I generate as I'm swimming, recognises the depth I'm at, forcing my body to think it's the natural pressure I'm-"
Gon face planted into the sand, his brain exploding from the overload of information.
The man stopped, laughing when Gon up after spitting the sand out of his mouth. To think his greatest ally, couldn't handle having too much information expelled at him when he was the one who asked for an explanation of his ability "You're not good at explanation dumps…"
"No…"
"Alright, long story short. Air bubbles, force my aura to change my current body pressure, as though I'm still at the surface no matter how deep underwater I go. I can keep up with the sharks as they're moving underwater, provided, I can maintain the speed and effort needed to generate those bubbles. This is why… I try to run every morning unless I plan on diving that same day. I get in my cardio, and it helps me maintain my endurance while underwater."
Gon was getting more curious about how the man's ability works. He knows what it does, the question was how does it work when it's being shared "Well… how does it work when you share your ability?"
"I hit you with my aura, dipping a bit into the Emitter category, then I circle the aura around you like a wet suit. That is what allows me to share my ability with others. However, if the creature bites me once, I ain't going anywhere… or surviving from the sounds of things. Nor would you benefit from the aura being encased around you."
"Then, it'll have to be up to me, to make sure the two of us survive." Gon beamed proudly. Even though he can't use Nen he still has his physical strength. He might not be as strong as Killua right now, but he was sure he'd be able to open the second door on Zoldyck Estate Gate.
He kept up with his training, going even as far as to ask Nathaniel for assistance. Mainly the first time he asked for that man's assistance, it was helping him to learn about Iason's Nen condition. The other was for securing him and his partners a spot at the Hyacinth Luminous-Willow.
Since the man was also an Enhancer, who bridged into the Emitter specialisation, he was sure he could learn some of the tricks and trades from the more experienced Nen user. Another factor that made him want to reach out to the older man, was because of his husband's vast network of clients and specialists.
As a possible solution, the man offered specially crafted weighted clothing. It was something he had a bit of experience with when he was training to open the gate of the Zoldyck Estate.
But what Nathaniel was offering, was a more advanced, technological version of it. But first, if he's going to use it, he'll need to recover his Nen. It requires the use of Gyo and Shu, something he can't use right now.
But if there's ever a point he can, at least he has a new form of Nen tool to practise with.
After this trip he may pay a visit to Alair taus, to possibly train a bit with the man. It'll also give him a reason to explore the land, to show off exotic areas and animals to his partners.
But for right now, that wasn't an important thought. It was probing the pro hunter for any viable information that could help him prepare for their future dive together.
"I guess… that's not the only benefit of my ability. We'll be able to talk normally when underwater. The coating of aura reduces the background noise, like, when underwater, you'll understand what I mean. It'll sound like a constant whooshing noise… or muffled voices when someone is speaking to you. Plus, that voice won't travel far… at least with my ability, you'll be able to hear me clearly… at roughly a ten-meter distance. After that point, I'll start to sound garbled, so do try to keep up with me."
"Is there anything else I'll need to know underwater?"
"Aside from basics, you'll need to learn from your partners… Don't get distracted… Be aware of your oxygen tank. If your tank starts filling up with water, panicking is the last thing you want to do… when working with someone else, both of you will need to share a single tank. You'll want to take a deep breath, hold it, and then pass the mask to the other. Repeat the process until you both can reach the surface. If that's not feasible, head for the nearest pocket of air. From here, you can do two things. Block off the hole where the water is leaking through… again, provided it's possible to salvage the remaining air in said tank… However, the better option is to get the better swimmer to navigate to the surface, then back with a spare tank and any equipment that was damaged in the process, to the other. It requires a massive amount of trust… but if you can pull it off, it's better everyone returns alive rather than one dying, in the field due to a single person's mistake."
Gon's smile etched across his face like a blinding light, "Thank you for the advice. Is there a swimming method that works best while deep diving?"
"If using my ability, hard kicks. Otherwise… the more natural method is slow and steady kicks. Keep your momentum going, but don't go too deep or rise too quickly in levels. But if you stay within the same distance to the surface, you can travel as fast as you want. Get a digital depth meter, they'll come in handy when we go searching for the creature."
"Will do, thank you!" With that, Gon ran off, wanting to report his findings to his partners first before he does anything else.
When the teen left, Steffelor's expression fell. His original attempt to use the boy to meet his end goal was no longer viable. There was something about the teen that made him seem so genuine, raw about his ideals.
He'll need to protect the teen, even if they're in danger…
Otherwise, everything he just stated will make him nothing more than a boldface liar.
The man was weak in terms of strength…
But looking at the boy, something tells him if he doesn't help them, he'll be destroyed… the question was, was it the teen that gave him that feeling, or was there something hidden that he was yet to uncover.
Turning away, he continued his run, trying not to worry about his gut feeling.