Gon and Steffelor want out of the mission unless they get assistance.

The two slammed their hands on the desk in front of the owner of the resort, both expressing various reactions to the situation they'd gone through. The man had no idea what the two went through, but given that one of them was terrified and that Gon, although expressed a bit of fear, those eyes showed a grace of determination… he was willing to get the job done, but not with the tools he had at his arsenal.

So it was safe to assume, it was nothing but bad news "Bad news…?"

"Bad news…" Steffelor was practically freaking out, "BAD NEWS?! We almost died down there!"

"Hold on…" The man tried calming the other adult in the room down, "What exactly are we dealing with…?"

Gon slid the picture of the creature across the desk.

The man picked up the image, looking it over; the monster's teeth bared in the direction of the one who took the photo. It was terrifying to look at. He could only imagine what it would be like to be within its physical presence… what it would be like to look the creature in eyes.

To Steffelor, who sounds like they've never experienced something so deadly up close… this was a job he had every right to turn down.

But to someone like Gon… a teen who looked death in the eye; who was still willing to do the job, had some requests before he could fill out such a mission. What the boy needed, he wasn't too sure… but the kid might have an inkling of what they'd need… or who they'll need.

"I think it's from the Dark Continent…" Gon motioned to the image. Given the circumstances, how it's hunting… and the fact there's nothing about a toxic crocodile shark, he was pretty, certain with his assumption.

"Based on…?"

"Besides there the fact there's no information about such a creature's existence…? I would say it's just as strong… or even stronger than a Chimera Ant."

"The mission I believe you were a part of Gon…" The man stroked his beard, now smirking "So if you were capable of using Nen, you could beat it?"

"I'm… not sure. Maybe my friend could take it down. He's far faster than me in terms of speed… plus, he is a trained assassin."

Geoffrey would have choked if he were drinking anything at the time "Friend… Trained assassin?"

"Yup, he was there with me during the invasion of the Chimera Ants. But he'd definitely, be able to kill the creature… and probably tell what type of toxin it is. But considering it most likely comes from the Dark Continent… nobody would be able to figure out the toxin, which means there's no vaccine for it right now."

"As you know, my niece is working on one right now."

"Speaking of which, the toxin only affects organic life, not plants or trees…" Steffelor pointed out, "We have proof and samples."

"That's good… but it's still only a hypothesis on why you think, the creature comes from the Dark Continent."

"Kite will prove it… Once I show him the image, proof of its existence and vital clues we picked up along the way, he'll be able to back up my claim. It might even be considered a magical creature… But given its strength and speed, it's not a normal creature we would find here. It would've torn through our ecosystem ages ago… there would've been more humans hunted down than the ones being reported so far."

"Well… that's if we go by your information. Until Kite shows… or if, he can prove that it comes from the Dark Continent, we're going to treat it as an unknown creature. So, what other factors does it have besides strength, speed, and the toxin?"

"It's blind… and it despises light," Steffelor argued. He wanted to remark about its reaction to Nen, but it was too quick to say anything else. That was one time… they had zero proof that it was aware of Nen.

"Blind…?"

"It swam close to us, but it ignored us completely… provided we doesn't move."

"What about the light?"

"If we had turned off the flash of the camera, the creature wouldn't have been kicked up into a frenzy when Gon had taken the photo."

"That can't be all…"

"You're right, when we were trying to escape from the creature… we swam towards the boat. The thing is… it stopped before it could reach us. Somehow, the light shining through the water managed to keep it away from us. So, if it had been night, we would've been screwed if it started ramming the boat, given that it knocked a tree over while we were trying to avoid it, after Gon had taken that photo… the boat would've meant nothing to its raw strength."

"So, it's scared of light…"

"We don't know if it's scared of light, or the light blinds it… which is why it's avoiding it."

"But a flash of light aggravates it…"

"Possibly, the flash may count as a movement… which causes it to fly in a frenzy."

"The thing is I was moving my hands to position the camera, so I don't think it's all movements."

"So subtle movements will be off its radar. Then why did it react to our voices?"

"Bubbles…" Gon humoured the possible idea of it reacting to the bubbles being produced as their voices crossed the water.

"My ability requires the use of pockets of air certainly… but shouldn't it have reacted to my presence?"

"But you weren't physically moving. If you had been moving as you were speaking, it would've come straight to you… like it did for me."

"I suppose… that means if we have something that can produce heavy movement in the water… it'll focus on that."

"It would have to be very tough, given that it smashed and knocked over a tree with ease."

"Ah, yes… that problem."

"What else?" Geoffrey interrupted the two's discussion.

Gon stuck up a single finger, "It might be able to detect Nen… There was a moment Steffelor surrounded me in Nen… that cause it to avoid me."

"How did you know it was me…? Actually… scratch that; how did you know I surrounded you in aura?"

"Besides you being the only Nen user in my vicinity…? I can still feel its presence… it makes my body tingle, kind of like a cat hissing at something it doesn't like. I instinctually want to counter it with Ten, but since I can't access my Nen it's impossible, for me to do so…"

"Then… wouldn't that be good news?"

"Not if he still can't use Nen…"

"Hmm… I guess you would be correct."

Steffelor jammed a finger in his client's face "The fact is that creature is beyond killing with what we have. If we're going to hunt it down, we need to do it at night time… when it's completely active. How else are we going to kill it, let alone capture it, when it runs away at the first sign of light? Given its speed and strength… even with its lack of sight, we're not going to be able to beat it. We need more people to deal with this Geoffrey, stronger people who can deep dive. Someone like Morel…"

"Listen, he's out of reach… but that doesn't mean I'll ignore your pleas. I reach out through my contacts, see if anyone is willing to take up a serious case like this."

"I'll like to recommend Kite. Someone with his expertise… even without any diving experience under his belt, his skills will make him a great asset for this job. He was the original person who helped us find the first human hybrid Chimera Ant nest… I guarantee he'll be great at helping us defeat this creature."

"Give me his details and I'll take that into consideration…"

Gon wrote the man's number down, placing it on the table before sliding it across to the man, "You won't regret it."

"One more thing…" Steffelor leaned closer to the man, "We won't have long before it moves."

"What do you mean?"

"If it's using the Luminous Bile to mask its scent… it's running out. We have about… a week before it rips what's left of the patch to shreds. Once it runs out, we're not certain it will move… but it may try to find a new patch."

"Shit… Go to my niece and show your findings. Hopefully, by the time we're ready to deal with it, it's not too late…"

"~"

There was a shift of weight with every step, Cassidy Klein moving around her lab like she's lost her marbles all over the room. She kept trying new methods, trying to find the perfect balance… but nothing was working.

The toxin resumes its pace, constantly reproducing itself.

When she heard the door open, her head twisted in the direction of the sound.

The first thing the two saw was a monstrous-looking doctor, heavy bags under her eyes and a glare that could level a city under its scrutinising gaze.

Neither one wanted to approach her first, "We'll come at another time…" Steffelor pointed at the door.

Gon, however, took the evidence from the man, "Leave it to me… I have a way with people."

"Your funeral…" The man left in a hurry, not wanting to stay with the person who looked like a banshee from hell.

Gon took several steps closer to the lady, "We gathered some evidence of the monster."

"Please give me some good news…"

"All bad, unfortunately…"

The woman sighed in defeat, collapsing under her heavy exhaustion. She had been working almost non-stop… Gon coming in with more bad news wasn't helping her case "Seriously, can't I get some good news for once?"

"Well… we did receive some samples and a photo."

"Good! That's a start." Getting up, the young lady took a seat at a chair, ushering Gon to come closer "Show me what you found…"

Gon showed the first item they found while underwater, a piece of wood ripped from a tree the shark bit into. Cassidy looked at the grooves in the bark, "That's a big tooth mark… no contamination from the toxin. Hmm…" She crossed her arms, thinking further on the topic.

So, plant life is immune to its effects… "What else?"

Gon placed the jar with the toxin collected, still attached to the plant.

The toxin was glued to the plant, refusing to let go… but the plant still seemed to be thriving, even with the toxin attached to it "It doesn't affect flora…?"

"I thought the same thing… So, I was wondering if it's because of our circulatory system… maybe it passes through that."

Cassidy shook her head, "No, I don't think that's the case. Technically, a plant also has a circulatory system, drawing water via the roots and soil to feed its system. Except these plants thrive underwater… specifically in salt water. So technically, they're constantly drawing-"

She stopped, finger constantly tapping against the table.

"What's wrong?"

"Salt… water… No…" She moved the chair across the floor, sliding over to her lab desk. She grabbed a few samples and dropped them into a vial before pouring salt water into the mixture. Giving it a few twirls, she moved to the body, drawing some of the toxins.

She prayed to every being, hoping her idea works.

When a few drops were added to the mixture, they attached to the plant materials. She drew the contents via a syringe, grabbing a small piece of unaffected meat, the syringe pierced the meat before she injected it with its contents.

The two waited.

Rather than festering with yellow pus, the toxin passed right through the piece of flesh, flushing out onto the petri dish "It works… Oh, my god… it bloody works."

"You created a vaccination?"

"Yes, well… not entirely." Cassidy looked towards the young teen, "I created a working theory. That might work for a small infection… but I know that a single bite, especially from something with a tooth the size of that sample you found earlier… would rip through an ill-prepared body. If we pump a Saline solution, mixed with the right combination of the sample material through the body, we might be able to flush it out of the host's system. But it'll require more than a dust sample."

Cassidy sighed in relief, "At least I have a base sample. But I don't know exactly how many bags we'd need to flush through a completely infected body. A body might also need more salt than purified water… I'll have to test a large sample area from an infected host, hoping that I can find the right combination to clear a body of the infection."

"So, it's possible to clear a completely infected host…"

"With enough research and time… certainly. But for a temporary fix, for a newly infected host… time will be of the essence. How long before you go to deal with the creature?"

"It'll be a while…" Gon placed the final piece of evidence on the table, the woman now looking it over as he spoke "It's dangerous to deal with, with what we have."

The monster frightened the woman, the lady swallowing thickly from the monster contained in the image "I can see… I need time and patience. Hopefully, by the time I'm ready, we can deal with a possible infection."

"~"

With Geoffrey and Cassidy updated, there was one last person he needed to update before his partners. He'd rather focus on their feelings and emotions than split his attention between them and those who needed to be informed about what happened, while they were exploring the underwater forest.

Kite was the one person whose way more experienced with the world than he was… unless he went to Ging or Nathaniel, but those two were out of the question. Ging because it'll be weird asking the man he barely got to know for a day, his father who left him for his aunty to look after.

Nathaniel… well the man gave him this job, but the thing that makes it weird is that he has no idea what kind of explorer he was. He doesn't seem like the man that studied animals for a living… which left only Kite to explore these questions.

When the phone was picked up, a soft voice answered his call "Yes, Gon?"

"I think it's from the Dark Continent."

The phone went dead quiet, a soft but firm voice responding to his argument "Explain, everything…"

Gon updated the man with his experience of events, and the danger he went through with only grunts and hums to indicate the person on the other side was listening.

"If everything you say is true, then this creature is unlike anything humans have dealt with. Was there only one? Were there two…? Is there a nest?"

"We only fought against one… but we don't know if there's more. Given how it hunts, we don't believe there's more than one."

"It produces toxin… hunts as only one, blind… can sense movements underwater… it's fast and strong… reacts negatively to light." The man hummed for a few seconds longer, "It certainly sounds like it would come from the Dark Continent. It may be like a Chimera Ant situation, without the full-scale war, considering it's only one entity… at least right now. Did you get a photo of it?"

"Yes, and I'm sending the photo…" Gon sent the photo through to Kite, "Now. Did you get it?"

A few seconds later Kite responded "That's not a native creature. There's no way something like that would go unnoticed for that long. How long ago did you say it's been attacking?"

"At least a few months…"

"Can you see if you can get me involved in the matter?"

"I've already put in a word with Geoffrey. I'm hoping he'll reach out to you."

"Good… I'd like to work alongside Cassidy to catalogue the potentially dangerous creature. If possible, I would also like to assist you in taking it down. Considering you mentioned it was only yourself and Steffelor, I would assume you need all the help you can get to take it down…"

"We do… but we're going to need others as well. They may not be on King Meruem's level, but it's a creature that lives underwater. It has the advantage over us."

"Noted…"

"~"

When Gon returned to his partners, he was met with the worried glance of one, and the sigh of relief from another. Sakura ran into his arms, squeezing him tightly. It'll never cease to surprise him how much stronger Sakura has gotten after learning Nen.

Being able to wield Nen, makes a vast difference in power compared to a non-Nen user.

Although, he supposes he shouldn't be surprised.

Zushi, having already known Nen took multiple hits from Killua and he never went down… he kept getting back up.

Then there was the whole situation with Leorio scamming people. But then again… they did spend a week training at the Zoldyck Mansion to get stronger. At that point, they were far stronger than the average bodybuilder and gym goer.

Gon squeezed his partner's hand, "I told you I'd come back…"

"Well, I'd still worry about you… and not because you can't use Nen."

"Well, the thing is… it would've come in handy today."

"Gon… what happened?" Iason crossed his arms; a pointed gaze being directed at his partner. Something went down, while Gon was in the deep waters of the island.

"Well, the thing is…" Gon went on to detail what happened, his two partners screaming back at him in unison the same thing, in two different variations.

"You did WHAT?!"

"You can't be SERIOUS?!"

Gon winced from their loud voice, "But I'm here and okay. We survived… we helped each other survive."

"That's not the point Gon…" Sakura dismissed the argument, "You dealt with a creature which was far stronger and faster than you. You can't go back down there… we don't want to lose you because a Croc-a-shark almost took a toxic chunk out of you."

"Croc-a-shark… has a strange ring to it. I wonder if that's its name."

"Gon, focus…" Iason jabbed a finger in Gon's direction, "Does Kite at least know what you're dealing with? I'd rather you not go head-to-head with this thing…"

"He doesn't… it's not something he recognises, much less knows anything about it."

"So, you're going in blind…"

"Technically, we're both going in blind, here."

Iason groaned alongside Sakura at the painful dad pun, "Dad pun aside, can you get off the case? Pay what you owe and we jump ship…"

"As in end this holiday abruptly? No, I'd rather pay out of my pocket for the rest of the trip than cut this whole thing short."

"But Gon, that thing is out there…"

"It's not moving… but it will be within a week. If it's not dealt with, everyone on the island will be in danger from sunset to sunrise. Steffelor and I agreed we'll not try to deal with it until we get back up. It's not something we wish to fight on our own, without some strength to back us up."

"I know… but it's scary. You said you almost lost your life… what if next time, you aren't so lucky."

"I promise… I'm not going down without a fight."

"The fight is what I'm worried about…" Sakura murmured in his partner's chest, tears threatening to spill. He was worried about Gon, about the creature that his partner will have to fight… a creature that sounds far stronger than Gon, at least with how strong he was right now.

There was no way they'll completely be able to unlock their partner's Nen capabilities by then… yes, it breaks free from time to time; however, they don't know how exactly it's being broken. The few times they did see it breakthrough, there was no commonality.

Iason took hold of Sakura, slowly plying him away from Gon "Gon, we are worried… we don't want you getting hurt from this situation, especially if you, yourself said it's difficult to defend yourself from this situation. I agree with your sentiment… the creature is dangerous to be left alone. Be careful…"

"Thank you-"

"But at the same time, I agree with Sakura's sentiment. I don't want you to go ahead with this mission… I don't want you to go, but I know that this is a situation where you might need to go. You agreed to the dangerous mission… but this mission has become a little out of your expertise. Isn't there anything else you can do to avoid a head-on fight with the creature?"

"No… I'm not smart like Killua or tactical like Daniel… I don't have expertise in flora like Sakura, nor am I knowledgeable like you, Iason… But I can certainly punch things hard."

The boy sighed, "Unless you have some strong people backing you up, I don't want you to go back in the water… understand?"

"Yes… I understand the danger, but-"

"No buts… unless you have some strong people helping you out… do not make a move."