Killua returns to some fanfare and a wide array of new treats.

It had been a few days since Killua left, the two boys trudging along through Bisky's training whenever Gon hadn't been practising his new skills.

Rock has started to form nicely along with his Paper technique, although he still struggled a little with Scissors.

As much as he liked the idea of visualising Paper as another variation for his Transmuter attack, a sheet of paper crushing his opponent with overwhelming weight wasn't something he could envision easily.

What Bisky said was true. No matter how much he wanted it, how much his heart craved the idea of a cool ability. He couldn't succeed.

Nor the idea of the papercut would work. A slice thin enough to cut through objects like butter wasn't possible.

But the idea of slicing could still work.

Maybe not like a pair of scissors cutting through objects, but rather a blade as sharp as a sword. Or as Raphael pointed out, a katana.

Nobunaga used a katana… didn't he cut through everything Gon witnessed?

Could he sharpen his aura to slice like Nobunaga's sword could?

Bisky eyed the boy's training, the aura wavering as he swung his aura at the rock. He was barely chipping into its surface, carving into a rock as though he were using a blunt axe.

He panted heavily, exhausted from his actions. Collapsing onto his butt, he whined at his inefficiency "It's so hard…"

"Is it a visualisation issue?"

"I'm not about to buy him a pair of scissors." Bisky frowned, "That's a better training method for someone who wants to create an exact, replica. Gon doesn't need to do that. He just needs to sharpen his aura."

"Is it possible he can't see how sharp he needs to make his aura?"

Gon wiped some sweat from his forehead, "I know what a katana looks like. How sharp one can be up close…"

"How so…?"

"The Phantom Troupe, Nobunaga specifically. His weapon was sharp. And even though we didn't see his ability in action, we could feel it. He would've sliced Killua in half had he taken one more step forward."

"So it's not a visualisation issue…" Raphael mulled over Gon's words. What was stopping him from building a foundation towards his attack?

"If Killua were here, he would know."

"But he isn't. Besides, the exam should be starting soon. It'll take a week or two, depending on what the exam is about." Raphael held out his ring, "Book."

Killua's name was still greyed out, "He's not back yet. But I'll keep an eye out for you."

"Thanks, Raphael. I can't wait to see him again. Oh, and we'll start to play the game as soon as he's back."

"Slow down. I didn't say we could start playing." Bisky pouted. Gon was too eager to start. As much as time wasn't on their side, going into this without Killua having some sort of category training wouldn't be fair.

"But if we take too long, Genthru might win."

"Tsezgerra will find a way to screw him over. He has a large chunk of cards and a better understanding of this game."

"Maybe you're right…"

An idea soon formed in Raphael's head. Maybe Gon didn't need to envision a sword… but rather knives, fingernails sharpened like knives. He found himself smiling, "Have you ever seen Killua's sharp nails up close?"

"Yeah…?"

"And you know how much damage he can do with those kitty claws of his?"

"Why do you keep calling them kitty claws?"

Raphael found himself blushing from the accusation. Gon was right, he does call Killua's hands Kitty claws a lot, an awful amount if he was going, to be honest.

But to be fair, Killua's motions remind him of a possessive cat, minus the actual hissing. Although he wouldn't be surprised if Killua was forcefully woken up from a nap he was enjoying, he'd actually hiss at someone.

Still… he wouldn't voice these thoughts to the boy's best friend.

"Killua just reminds me of a cat sometimes. Anyways," Raphael looked away for a moment, "You know how sharp they can be, right? Why not use that as your foundation? Thin, small knives… as long as your fingers."

Gon's expression brightened, "Yeah. Sharp like Killua's nails. Why didn't I think of that?" The boy prepared himself, only to stop a second later, "But shouldn't it be longer."

Bisky shook her head at the question. But seeing his confusion, made the scene a little funny. Increasing his range was relatively easy, it's the sharpness that's difficult "The range can come through practice. But if you can make a thin, shallow cut through a rock, you'll eventually learn to cut it in half."

"Osu!"

"~"

It had been a week at this point since Killua left, Gon's mood souring as the days went by without his friend. He was still committed to training. He was still committed to finalising an ability that would make even Killua get excited. But he still lost that flair of excitement he held whenever he got up, which would make Killua's morning personality pale in comparison.

When the sun was up, Gon would be as equally bright in the morning as the sun would be… whereas Killua would unironically be the cranky five more minutes type of guy.

Bisky could see it…

Raphael could see it…

Gon misses having his best friend Killua around.

Today they were going to practice the last of the categories, Conjuration. The task was simple.

"This is going to be your Conjuration Exercise." Bisky held out her hand, aura flowing in her palm, it slowly shaped into a small chair, a miniature size within her palm "You're going to reshape your aura into an object of your choosing. I don't expect refinement or any major detail. It just needs to look like the object you're presenting. This needs to be done within a five-minute time frame. But I'll waive the limit at the start so you can at least practice the task."

She closed her hand, the aura dissipating around her body once more "If I can't guess what it is, you did a bad job. It needs to be recognisable. So no rocks, sticks, boxes, clothing, or junk like that. No gems, as much to my dismay. Keep it simplistic. Got it?"

"Osu!"

The two got to work, Raphael struggling to create something from scratch in his palm. If this was an emitter-style training, it'd have been way easier. But this was the complete, opposite of his category.

It was all about creating physical objects, through Nen.

He decided to keep it simple. He was focusing on recreating a chair, starting from the base, and working his way up. It was much harder than it looked.

Gon was doing something completely different, something Bisky could immediately tell what he was trying to attempt. He was trying to recreate who he misses the most "No people either."

The boy's expression fell, "I miss him…"

"We know…" Bisky and Raphael almost admitted, in sync. Bisky chuckled before pointing at the boy "We understand you miss your best friend, but recreating a physical variation of his shape isn't going to help you. It's going to be way more difficult given the task at hand. Try something else."

Gon gave a nod, the image falling away into his palm. He tried a pair of scissors.

Time ticked by as the pair created their objects. She eyed the images, taking in any misshapen details. For the first time, even though it took a lot longer than her initial limit, it's going to take a while for them to reduce the time "I see what you're going for. But I'm going to need to practice this a lot harder than that. The baseline is for you to do it in under a minute. To master this, you're going to need to make three objects, and they all must be retained in your palm. Oh, and you'll need to create them one at a time too."

"Osu!"

"Good! Let's move on to something else. Gon and Raphael, let's do some sparring. I want you sparring at a similar strength. Although, while the limitations may be off, try not to hurt each other."

"~"

It has been a few weeks since Bisky taught them the last of the categories.

She purposely made them alternate from one category to the next, rotating them so they'd always be improving with their main category being the focus.

Neither of the boys needed to master their opposite categories. But as long as they improved over time, this would help boost their adjacent categories, creating a domino effect that would ultimately improve the bell curve she was aiming for.

Her training had already shown signs of improvement with their overall strength. They've already mastered one or two categories, with Gon still struggling mostly with Manipulation and Raphael with Conjuration.

It's to be expected. Certain categories tended to struggle with those furthest from them.

The one exception is with Gon having an easier time with Conjuration. Even though Conjuration and Manipulation were at a similar level of difficulty in terms of efficiency.

There were possibly multiple factors that made Gon find that category difficult, with the main issue being who he was to his core. He didn't like the idea of manipulating anyone. That could be stunting his growth. However, provided he improves, this will continue to boost their adjacent category, which will ultimately lead to pushing his main category to a new level.

"Alright guys we-"

From the corner of Raphael's eyes, he saw Killua's name lit up "Killua's back."

"He's back! Killua is back. Let's go. He's probably waiting for us."

"Actually, he's probably still going through the entrance point. His save date will be updating right now so we can't-"

"Let's go. Book." Gon pulled out a card before anyone could stop him "Accompany on. Uh…" He awkwardly turned to Raphael, "What's the entrance point called?"

Raphael dropped his head in shame at the question. There's a specific card that goes to the origin point. None of them have that card so the best option would be to go to one of the towns closest to the area and walk it…

But knowing Gon… he's probably going to run there, "We don't have Origin. So we're going to need to go to Antokiba or Rubicuta, then walk the rest of the way. Or… if you wait a minute or two, you can go straight to him."

Gon opened his mouth to speak, but Bisky cut him off "But before you do that. I'm not finished."

"But I want to go see him now…"

"He can wait a few minutes."

"No!" Bisky rolled her eyes as Gon made the call "Accompany on, Antokiba."

The moment they landed, Gon was already running towards the Shiso Tree. Bisky shook her head, Raphael laughing from how excited Gon was "We should probably catch up to him."

"I swear, he must have ants in his pants. But…" Bisky found herself smiling, "At least he's happy now."

"~"

Killua had barely walked out of the shadow of the tree, eyes scanning the area. He could feel the eyes of others on him, players who were still actively watching the starting point. It didn't matter though. They had nothing to steal from him.

Nor will they be able to get the upper hand on him, given that he knows what some cards do "Now, where should I-"

"Killua!"

Killua's head snapped in the direction of the voice, barely having enough time to react to his best friend running straight for him. He was pulled right into a hug, the giggling laughter bellowing from his friend's chest vibrating his body. It didn't help that Gon was laughing right into his neck.

He was instantly flustered from the connection, two sets of eyes looking directly at the two boys reacting to their reconnection.

"Stop it Gon!"

"No! I missed you!" He swung the boy around, his arms tightening as though he were afraid to let go.

Killua relented. He missed his friend too… but he wasn't about to hug Gon back like he was doing with him "I'm back, Gon."

"Welcome back, Killua!"

"Now, let me go…"

"No!"

Killua rolled his eyes, letting his friend go through the motions. When he was finally put down, his face was as bright as a tomato. He could see how happy his friend was to see him. Those eyes of affection and excitement looking directly into his.

"So, how was the exam?"

"Super easy. I passed it in no time, naturally."

"What do you mean?"

Killua's eyes met Raphael's, "Oh, for the first round we just had to beat each other up and grab three tags. I knocked out everyone before going to pick up every tag. Oh, Zephile was there too… but I still knocked him out anyway."

"That's mean…" Gon pouted at his friend.

"I just wanted to beat it as quickly as possible. After grabbing everyone's tags, and a quick discussion between the examiner and Netero, I was the only one to pass."

"What the hell…" Raphael was seriously questioning everything. Did they just let a single person pass the exam in the first stage? Has Killua technically created a new record for the exam? He didn't get much time to ponder the situation, not when Bisky was pushing Gon aside "Alright let's tone down the excitement. Check this out Killua!"

Bisky called for her book "Look at all these spell cards."

Killua got excited from all the cards, observing everyone's books "Wow… that's a lot of cards. Does this mean we're finally going to play the game?" Then his eyes noticed one of the cards "Wow, we even got an S-rank card! Hey, Raphael. How much would one of these sell for?"

"A lot. That's if we can find someone who'll buy or trade for it, rather than trying to outright steal it…"

"With all these defensive spells? I doubt it."

"Idiots are still going to try anyway."

"Agreed." Killua knew that from first-hand experience. A bunch of players stole their Fake copy of the Sword of Truth. But he wondered what it would've looked like if Raphael stuck around to battle it out with all those players.

How many cards could've Raphael stolen in a single surprise attack? He didn't know, but he's sure it would've been fun to watch.

Killua moved on, eyes scanning through a couple more "So have you used any?"

"Just Blackout Curtain."

"And an Accompany card because someone… really, misses you."

Hearing this didn't help Killua's situation. His blush intensified, making his cheeks as ripe as the reddest of tomatoes "Seriously?!" Killua's glance shifted from the book to his friend. He'd have assumed with Raphael around; they'd use more than one card. Maybe even play the game a little to steal some cards "Not even a Steal or Mug?"

"I don't want to play the game like that, Killua…"

The boy frowned at the news. Gon still insisted on playing the game without stealing cards. But considering they have Raphael with them, maybe he'll take them through a few fun quests along the way "Alright. But you should still use them." Killua ran his finger along multiple cards, "How about this?"

Raphael saw Killua hand over a Contact card to Gon "You can choose a player you've met before to talk to them."

Gon looked from the card to Killua "But who are we going to talk to?"

"Let's prank someone!" Killua felt like being a little mischievous "We'll tell them we're watching their every move right now. And unless they're willing to trade one card, we're going to steal multiple from them."

"But, Killua-"

"We're not going to do it for real. Just freak them out a little."

"That's fine and dandy. But, there's a tiny issue with that. The book lets the player know who's calling them."

"That's no fun…" Killua whined. They can't even have their own fun.

Gon made the call anyway. The book flipped multiple pages. A list of names showed up, some greyed out. Killua looked over the names lit up before stopping at one. He felt a gnawing feeling of dread wash over him "Hey, Gon… When did you run into Chrollo Lucilfer?!"

"We didn't-"

"Who's Chrollo?"

"The book goes by proximity." Raphael switched the discussion. Considering both Killua and Gon were scared, they didn't know how this aspect of the game worked, "We don't have to be right next to the person for the book to realise they're there."

"So you could've passed each other without noticing…" Killua rubbed his chin at the news, "That's not good."

Bisky glared at the two boys. What on earth were they talking about without her? Who was this guy they were terrified of "Seriously? What are you going on about?"

Gon ignored the older woman's concerns "Kurapika sealed his Nen. This shouldn't be possible."

"Right…" Killua looked at the name once more, "You need to use Nen to enter the game."

Raphael had no idea what was going on. The two boys were off in their own world, discussing an issue nobody else was aware of.

Bisky's eye twitched "Now who's Kurapika."

Raphael leaned over to the older woman "I think they're in their own world right now. I have no idea who Chrollo is, but Kurapika is a friend of theirs who has some sort of revenge issue with the Phantom Troupe. Maybe Chrollo is a part of that group. But considering they're talking about his Nen being sealed, it might be someone else."

"But if he's able to get inside this game, maybe he's found a-"

Bisky slammed her fist into the boy's head, knocking them to the ground, "Seriously. Tell us what is going on!"

The two boys explained the situation, talking about Chrollo, the Phantom Troupe and Kurapika's involvement. She nodded along taking in all the details. Eventually, they posed a question.

"Purging Nen? It's very possible. We already had this discussion Gon."

"Oh, yeah. A Nen Exorcism."

Killua couldn't believe his ears. There was a way for Chrollo to remove the curse Kurapika inflicted on him "Really…?"

"Of course! Yes, there's a level of difficulty involved when removing Nen curses, but a strong Nen Exorcist could remove it with ease. Or at least stop it from activating provided they have a route to eventually remove the curse through natural means. But the rules follow. If it can be placed, it can be removed."

Killua shared a worried glance with his friend. This was a dangerous situation. If Chrollo has already removed the Judgement chain from himself, Kurapika could be in danger. The question is, why is he here? What does he hope to gain from Greed Island…

Or is he still cursed? The Judgment Chain was hindered long enough for him to enter the game. Given what they know about Angel's Breath, that could be what Chrollo needs to finally remove the Judgement Chain, "Say, Raphael. You know what Angel Breath does, right?"

"Yes… It heals all wounds."

Killua held his chin, "But could it heal a Nen Curse?"

"I don't see why not. But it heals wounds, so if it's a curse that requires him to follow a set of rules, or risk bodily harm… it might heal it?"

"What about something that causes death if you break a rule?"

Raphael thought about it for a second. He doesn't think the card would work in this situation. Death has no cure, at least when it comes to the rules of an Angel Breath… "It could be possible. But it's highly unlikely. The card is specifically designed to heal wounds. A card that could bring someone back from death wouldn't be possible. Something of that magnitude would have to be insanely rare, or at least unobtainable to counterbalance its worth"

"Then if he's not here for Angel's Breath…" The boy paused. He couldn't figure out the why part. The why Chrollo was in Greed Island "Why would he be here?"

Gon had no clue either. When it comes to difficult questions, he would rather depend on Killua's ability to access situations than to try attempt to figure it out on his own "I don't know, Killua…"

Killua nodded to the response. Without asking him directly, they wouldn't know what Chrollo is here for. And approaching him directly would be a huge risk. He may be surrounded by the other Phantom Troupe members, "We should let Kurapika know. Depending on how his Judgement chain was removed, he might not know it has been removed. I'll leave the game real quick."

"In that case, Bisky has a Leave." Raphael was quick to inform the boy.

"Nah, save it. I want to leave the game through the harbour master. It'll be fun to try out that mechanic."

"Do you even know the way from here?"

"Yeah! Go north, follow the beach all the way east to the harbour. It should be the house next to the lighthouse."

"Yeah…" Killua was right. He could even guess where he needed to go in a small town without even having to see it.

The boy left in a hurry, Gon once more whining about the situation.

His best friend just got back, and he's already leaving the game again.

"~"

Killua opened the door, eyes peering directly at a man slouching in a chair. He barely acknowledges the boy's presence, focused only on his assigned task.

After stepping inside, the man barely looked up from his desk. He took in the player's presence, giving Killua a once-over.

Killua could see the cogs turning as if a process was running in the NPCs head. Was this how he chose his personality? Once he's chosen one, would walking out then back in again, reset his initial personality choice?

That would be a funny interaction in that case, but he highly doubts that. There's probably a distance range in check so they can't cheese the system.

"What do you want, kid?"

The man leaned back, puffing on his cigar a few times.

The boy took in his surroundings. A wooden display showed off some type of shark's teeth. Next to that was a bed, one that looked like it's never been used.

But given that this was an NPC designed to help players get off Green Island, he probably never sleeps anyway.

The man wrote away on some kind of document, probably a pretend shipment that was going in or out of the port.

Next to that was a well-used ashtray.

Nothing in this room could probably be destroyed. But that doesn't mean the NPC couldn't be harmed to some degree.

The boy made his way over to the man, stopping at his desk.

On the table were maps of Greed Island and one of the real world.

It was a strange detail to include, but considering there were no indicators of where Greed Island was in the world, it's probably there to add some sort of realism to the game. A way to pretend that when the boat leaves, they'll be chartered back to the real world via a ship, and not through a teleportation device.

"One ticket to leave the island." Killua slammed his hands on the desk as an intimidation tactic.

The harbour master didn't react to his act. Instead, letting out a loud exhale of smoke into the boy's face. When the boy hadn't reacted to his actions, he shoved his cigar into the ashtray "Fifty-thousand. Take it or leave it."

Killua took in the man's rotund figure, the antlers on his head. The way he was relaxed in his chair. I was kind of pissing him off. While the smoke produced no smell, it was still annoying.

Then again, this was all new to him.

Raphael did tell him he could go as crazy as he wanted when it came to bargaining.

No harm would come to the NPC, given that he was considered immortal. Killua walked over to the man, sparks generated along Killua's fingertips, "I was hoping for a little…" With a wide, mischievous, smirk, he leaned in real close to the harbour master. Gripping the man's shirt, he ripped him out of his chair, and finished his statement with a cold tone "A discount."

Sparks flew across his fingertips between them, lighting up the man and the room like a house during Christmas.

The man let out a scream of agony, Killua's tone remaining cold and collected, "So about that discount?" Killua grinned. Who knew playing with the game's mechanics could be so fun and exciting?

A/N: Leave a review, it helps inspire me.