The group learns about the discovery of a new species going for sale at an auction.

After handing in all their research to the Kakin official, a man named Wong suggested they head for the Southern Piece Auction back in Yorknew. Something strange had showed up in the listing.

An unidentified organism…

The group found themselves at the back of the auction house in one of the many private rooms. There, they found themselves looking at the limb of an insect… a very large one at that.

Multiple claws of some kind, either the forearm with the hand, or the foot and toes. But unlike most insects that had a claw per tip… this one had two. It gave it a better grip. Even though it was somehow intact where it showed up, it was tearing at multiple spots. The split occurred at where it was severed from, either the hand or foot, as well as at one of the toes or fingers.

Judging by the piece, they couldn't tell if the creature bled when its arm was severed, given that it was cleaned thoroughly when it was turned in, or right after it had been severed.

Lin studied the arm with great scrutiny, but was unable to divulge any information from the markings. It truly was an unknown species, "T-This is unlike anything I've encountered. R-Remarkable."

"F-From what I can see, it resembles an insect's leg…"

"Or an arm… could be a hand too."

"Y-Yes. B-But no known insects have appendages this large. A-And the claw exhibits traits not found among insects…" Lin pointed at the toes or fingers, "T-They typically have two claws, but this has six. I-It almost looks as though the tarsi evolved into something like fingers, or toes?"

The man took a second look, "O-Oh, it could be a tibia, too. S-See this spiny bit, that's characteristics of a tibia." When Raphael leaned in closer to see what Lin was talking about, the man could only frown, "I-If only we could study it further, I might be able to learn more…"

Podungo Lapoy offered a solution to the group, "We should ask for a sample in that case."

Kite had been unusually quiet, his eyes never once leaving the specimen. A piece this large could be problematic, given that none of them could tell what sort of creature it was.

Eventually, Kite took his eyes off the specimen, "Is it possible for us to take a small part, like a scale or a claw?"

The man looking after them simply smiled in response, "Usually, we would request you buy the piece since the owner who found it was hoping a Hunter such as yourselves would buy it. However, I cannot refuse someone recommended to me by Mr Wong."

The man opened the case, removing two claws that gave way easily. The wound spouted a few drops of blue blood as the claws were placed into small vials large enough to contain them.

With two vials, this would make researching the creature much easier.

Lin took one piece while Killua held the other. He inspected the piece up close, wondering if, given the sharpness of the claw, it may emit a toxin too. His father would be very interested in it, if it did so.

"Let's look into this, then." Kite pointed at Lin, "You try to find out what we're dealing with, while the second group tries to interview the person who found it."

Monta gave a nod, "We'll send results, once we have them."

"Appreciated."

Raphael held out his hand to Lin, "I'll assist Lin, I'm quite the bookworm, so I may be able to assist with researching what we're dealing with."

"T-Thank you."

"How about you, Gon and Killua?"

"We'll go with Kite, and try to assist him."

"~"

Raphael did the best he could do, flipping through the catalogues to see if anything had any similarities to what they were dealing with.

It was difficult, to say the least.

Nothing even comes close to that size.

Only when Lin made a noise, did he peer up from his book. It seems like the others may have discovered something about the creature, "What did you find?"

Monta frowned from the information being suggested, "It's a Chimera Ant."

"Wait, really?" Raphael quickly flipped through the journal, sifting through the reports on the insect, "Must be a branching species, because it says the average recorded size is ten centimetres."

He sped through the details, only stopping once he glossed over a detail, "So… we have bad news. You might want to see this, Lin."

Lin peered over what the boy was pointing out. There was a detail about the Chimera ant that could be problematic, given the size of the specimen they found, "N-Not good. W-We should tell Kite."

Raphael read out loud to himself, "So a designated quarantine level one, with a… voracious appetite. It can eat multiple times its weight? Say, Monta… given the size of the limb, and how big this Chimera Ant could be. How much would multiple times its weight be?"

"Hmm…" Monta thought about it for a few seconds, "I would imagine it's a lot, but that's not good."

"Yeah…" Raphael continued to read the details to himself. Chimera Ants have a special reproductive strategy. Also known as Phagogenesis.

"What is Phagogenesis?" He sifted through the list of information, finding a section that lists the details on another page. He pressed his finger to the spot, flipping through the pages, "Phag… Phag…"

When he stopped at the right page, he smiled, "Phagogenesis. Let's see…" He studied the graph, the details of the cycle are repeated every time the Ant Queen devours a creature, trying to grasp the information.

It's a nightmare…

Basically, from what he could understand, when the queen eats something, she takes some of the characteristics, or DNA of the creature and imparts it onto the next cluster of eggs.

It doesn't look like she inherits anything, she merely passes everything on, which is good… to a degree.

He could only imagine the disaster to follow if the queen itself could grow stronger with everything they ate.

But therein lies the problem. Anything could be passed on. Wings, claws, tails…

Technically, it could even devour species to extinction…

"Hey Monta?"

"Hmm? Do you still have Kite on the phone?"

"Yes?"

"Can you get Kite to ask Killua, going by how big that limb is, if the average size of a queen is ten centimetres, how big would this one be?"

Monta posed the question, waiting for an answer. "He says it's two meters tall."

"Well, we have bad news. If this queen is still alive, and she has eaten a human already, declaring it to be her preferred fodder, we're looking at an extinction level disaster…"

There was a long moment of silence, Monta relaying that conclusion to the other team. It seems like Killua came up with the same possibility.

So Kite, or one of the other members on their team, must have known about Chimera Ants.

It seems like they'll need to find the queen, and quickly.

"~"

Spin typed away at the computer, sighing when they hit another dead end. Finding an extra large Ant Queen should be that difficult.

They're going to be taller than most humans.

"No mass disappearances within the last six weeks."

Gon posed another question, "What about individuals?"

Killua got frustrated on Spin's behalf, "If she's eating like Kite and Raphael said, she's not going to be picky and grab a human here and there." She's going to gorge herself on humans like an all-you-can-eat buffet." Gon pouted in response, Killua once more turning to Spin, "What if she's targeting an area, trying to build up her army before she starts going the genocide route? Any chance she's hitting areas where it's harder to detect, like, look for areas with more reports than usual."

Kite thought about Killua's question. It was a good what-if scenario.

Spin started typing, only to stop, "No good. The data is too old…"

Raphael moved to look over the woman's shoulder, "Any sudden reports of a massive insect recently?"

"Nope, and typing two-meter-Ant isn't going to help." She turned to Gon to make her argument clear.

Banana joined the argument, "Maybe we're worrying about nothing. The queen could be dead, and we're looking for the remains at the bottom of the sea."

Kite grabbed onto the chair, "Can you look at the ocean currents for the day the arm washed up."

"Sure…" Spin searched up Kite's request, moving the mouse to the spot, "So the arm was found here."

"Hmm…" Kite looked at the currents, "Can you check for where the arm may have been?"

"What? Can you run that by me again…"

Kite sighed, "Go day by day, I want to see where it might've been ten days ago." She did as he requested, Kite, watching the currents.

"Doesn't look good, she could be anywhere on the Balsa Island."

"Not anywhere…" The man frowned. the currents may have washed her up anywhere, but there are a few places that sets them apart from the rest, "The Mitene Union is a possibility. If she's landed there, we have a problem."

"Why, what makes that place special?"

"Oh…" Banana could see why Kite is worried, "You're talking about NGL." She looked towards the teen, Raphael, "NGL is Neo-Green-Life is a technology free zone. They live among nature."

"There's also the Republic of East Gorteau." Kite's eyes narrowed, "Both places, which are pretty hush-hush about their inner troubles." This didn't forebode well if she landed in either spot.

Spin scratched their chin, "If I remember well, all communication is by mail. And transportation is by horseback. Bringing technology in is illegal. A group of three TV crew tried to pull off that stunt in 1987, one was executed, and the other two are still in prison to this day. We're looking at a population of 2.17 million, 1% of which are volunteers. As for the rest… they're members. If they saw a giant ant walking about, how would they react?"

"Nature will take its course." Kite leaned back, crossing his arms from the realisation, "The last time they experienced an epidemic, they let it run its course, refusing all international medical aid. By the time anything got out, she already had an army at her disposal. I wouldn't be surprised if she was already in the process of building her nest.

Raphael punched his palm, "Then let's go hunting for some human-sized Chimera Ants, before we have a disaster at our footsteps."

"~"

With the tickets in tow, they were on their way to the airport. Kite peered out the window, observing the weather, "It's awfully cloudy out there. Looks like it might rain, too bad I couldn't say the same for the route we took to visit the person who found the limb. I say it's been days… No, months since it last rained there. The weather was unusual this year."

"Nah, you should visit my home. They don't call it the four season day for nothing."

Killua probed the teen. It must be a nightmare to experience a sudden shift between temperatures every couple of hours. "Oh, where's that?"

"Alair taus, specifically the far northeast. Honestly, horrible weather all year round."

"In what way?" Gon posed the question.

"It's either hot or cold, rainy or sunny, there's no in between, and a combination of those four all day, every day."

"Sounds miserable…" Killua joked about his friend's home.

"You have to be a clairvoyant to predict the weather…" He paused for dramatic effect, "Or you could dress for all occasions."

"Nah, it still sounds miserable…" Killua cracked a small smile, "Whale Island was better. Nice and sunny, perfect temperature to go swimming."

"Sounds nice…" Raphael returned a smile, now turning to face his friends, "But if you go south along the east coast, nothing but beaches and beautiful sunny weather. Just be careful, it can get hot and dry, so you can feel the sweat evaporate off your skin."

"Still… not getting any better." Killua quipped back. Even if there were beautiful beaches for him to go swimming at, he'd rather not get out of the water to suddenly feel the seawater evaporate right off him after a couple of steps.

"Oh, if you think that's bad…" Raphael smirked at his friends, "We've checked, and yes… tested. That you can fry eggs, and bake cookies in a car from how hot it can get."

"~"

All they could do was wait for their next flight to Rokario Republic, the closest state that could land within distance to NGL. Sure, they'd need to drive the rest of the rest of the way, but that was the least of their problems.

Getting into NGL is going to be the problem. With their restrictive laws, they'd probably try to ensure as many of them can't get inside, for whatever excuses they could come up with.

Idle chatter started between the three, wondering what kind of creature the Chimera Ant would look like. Sure, it was bound to look like an oversized insect, but this is a creature nobody has probably laid eyes on.

Would conversing with the creature be possible, or is it a mindless, hungry, beast that won't stop eating…?

Kite approached the boys, listening about what they had to say.

It seems they each had one reason or another to be interested in what to expect. But there was a possibility that they may have to cut down such a rare specimen…

The only one that came close to that conclusion was Killua. They all needed to be on the same level, especially if Ants were already roaming NGL, "It may be a bit late to ask…" The man broached the subject, earning the attention of the three boys, "But are you sure this is something you'd want to be here for?"

He left the main question unsaid, testing their resolve for what's to come in the worst case scenario.

"I wouldn't miss out on anything, Kite!" Gon offered the biggest smile. He was here to assist Kite no matter what's to come.

Killua could only grin at the question, considering it was extremely late. They already have the tickets purchased for everyone, "Late is an understatement…"

Raphael could agree with Killua, "The tickets were already brought, we're kinda already forced to be here."

Kite's expression hadn't changed, "We don't know what we're walking into inside NGL, are you prepared for the possibility of the worst outcome? There could already be thousands of giant Chimera Ants… Human-Chimera Ants, hunting down more humans for the ant queen…"

The boys' expression hardened. They all thought about that possibility, the idea that they'd need to kill something that was once a human being.

"If that turns out to be the case, my priority would be to save the few remaining humans left."

He slowly turned to the kids, "That means no hesitating, I would leave you to be ant fodder if you aren't up to killing them."

"It's kind of to be expected…" Raphael broached the conversation, completely fixated on the ground. He didn't know what he could say to appease the man. But what he did know, is he had feelings on the matter that needed to be said.

"There's a possibility that since they used to be human, they'd have human-like tendencies. That includes conversing… and while it should be clear I'd like to retain records of such a momentous situation… there's the real risk that they lost all senses of themselves as once being a human. They'll be fixated on the task given to them by their queen."

The teen remained quiet for a moment. He needed his words to sink in for Kite. After a moment of silence, he turned to the man, "We'd have to kill them no matter what."

Kite gave a nod, "But there's another possibility. If I'm ever in danger, you three will need to be the ones to escape. To warn others."

Killua and Raphael already knew this. Kite has them trump in skill, training, and his mere presence told them he wouldn't roll over that easily…

Gon, however, clutched his fingers tightly. He couldn't imagine the possibility of having to leave Kite behind. Kite meant the world to him, the sole reason he's here to begin with. He wants to be there to assist him no matter what.

All their strengths combined, should be able to take out any threat.

So why was Kite thinking of that possibility…?

"Gon…" The man warned the silent boy, "Do you understand?"

He didn't… Well, he knew what the man was saying. What he didn't understand is how anything could be stronger than them, in this situation.

They're just creatures regurgitated from an Ant Queen…

However, they knew Nen. They had also been trained by one of the best, Bisky. Even when they were outmatched in terms of strength, they managed to beat Razor and Team Genthru. The only thing that set them apart was their expertise in Nen.

The Chimera Ants wouldn't have that. So, there shouldn't be any reason to be scared…

Right?

Gon never gave Kite an answer, even though the man expected it. He probably knew it was a difficult question to spring up on them.

But Gon should come to the right conclusion.

He's a smart kid…

"~"

The trio watched the sunset, well onto their way to the Rokario Republic. The boy still had his face scrunched up, still deep in thought from Kite's question. He didn't like this idea of giving up on Kite, even though it was the man that requested they do it.

Besides, Gon believes Ging expects them to stick to Kite, to fulfil any tasks he gives them without complaint. So why wouldn't this be any different? Besides, they haven't had any issues so far.

The boy finally got upset, unleashing a sudden announcement, "I've decided!" He's sticking to his guns, like he did with Genthru. He's not going to run away and take on whatever is thrown at them.

"What did you just decide?"

"Remember what Kite said before we left?"

"He said plenty of things…" Raphael pointed out, now turning to lean against the windows so he could get a better look at Gon and Killua, "But I'm going to take a stab at this. You want to go against one of his wishes, don't you?"

"Yeah, we can't escape without him if he's in danger." Gon twiddled his thumbs, looking down at the floor. The whole expectation felt wrong. It shouldn't be an option especially considering Ging expected them to go with Kite. If they ran, Ging would see it as an act of weakness…

And Gon didn't want to disappoint the man he admired… was chasing "It's not fair that he expects us to run away."

Killua frowned. That wasn't a request… it was a demand from him, an expectation they had to fulfil if things go south "I'm pretty sure that wasn't a choice, it was an expectation."

"Yeah. But that's why neither of us said anything."

Raphael sighed, "Neither of us said anything, because of you."

"Huh, me?"

"Well, yeah. You have a… proclivity to break rules. Case in point, Genthru." Seeing the shift in his mood, the teen continued, "You don't follow rules to a T, but that being said, it was a difficult request forced upon us. And in saying that, from a glance, WE can tell Kite means a lot to you. You'd want to stay to save him or at least assist him."

"Yeah…" Gon smiled. Raphael could tell what he was feeling about that matter. But he missed one key point. Everyone they've ever spoken to makes Ging out to be this infallible, powerful Hunter that beats all odds stacked against him.

Ging picked Kite for a reason…

He wouldn't make a mistake with picking Kite to train them further, "But I don't think it's possible for Kite, who earned Ging's respect, to be in any danger."

"Maybe there's something about Chimera Ants that Kite knows, that he hasn't told us yet?"

Killua scoffed at the idea, "I doubt it. Everything you read, Kite, already told us. At least the gist of things. Speaking of which, you told us plenty of minor facts we didn't really need to know."

"A detail is a detail…" Raphael pouted towards Killua. Why did he have to do him dirty like that? It's not his fault he was interested in learning about things. Besides, a single clue could assist them when it came to squishing this enemy before they could do any serious damage.

Killua let a Cheshire grin escape, "Not all details." But there was a lot. Raphael has shown time after time he likes learning even the minutest of details. He made that crystal clear in Greed Island "But my point still stands, even if there's something he hasn't told us, it's probably something he expects us to figure out as we go. Or it's something we should've already figured out by now…"

"The possibility of Chimera Ants already exhibiting human characteristics." The teen quietly muttered under his breath. Those were concerning, but there was another fact "There's also the issue with the Chimera Ant hierarchy, with each generation being stronger than the next. Namely, the King and the Royal guard generations."

"Yeah, but even with human characteristics, they're still the same species. They shouldn't…" Killua stopped himself. Kite may have been thinking the same thing. If every generation was indeed stronger than the last, was it possible they could eventually learn Nen with the least amount of training "Kite might be thinking they can learn Nen if given the chance. That's why he must be concerned…"

That would be concerning…

"Well, that would be pretty concerning. But all of us were trained to utilise Nen, which none of them should be aware of. The chances of us giving them a Nen baptism is the only thing we should be worried about. But Kite expects us to leave no survivors, so that wouldn't be a concern for us…"

"Yeah, that's the only thing I could think of."

Gon had taken the information in. He could see that as a concern Kite would think about. But his point should still stand. Even after learning Nen, they wouldn't be capable of any extraordinary feats.

"Killua…"

The boy in question tilted his head toward his friend, Gon. He was serious about assisting Kite. Anyone could tell by just looking into his eyes, "Yeah?"

"I was thinking. You said Ging had a reason for bringing Kite and me together. I do think you're right. Whatever reason Ging has, I can't give up halfway, no matter what's going on. Even if they've somehow learned Nen…" Gon's smile dropped a little, "I don't want to disappoint Ging."

Gon shifted his gaze to the window, glaring at nothing in particular. He honestly hates the idea of failing Ging…

Of failing Kite…

How could he meet Ging, knowing he gave up because of the possibility of meeting an enemy far stronger than them? "Of course, I could never forgive myself, either. I'm not going to run away! I'll beat whatever the ants throw at us!"

Killua took in his friend's words. Gon just doesn't know when to give up. But he understands why…

He doesn't like being the weakest link. It's why, when they spar, it's fun. But even though there should be a threshold, a limit, Killua would never want any of that to change. Gon should never be forced to change that fact about himself…

"Man, you totally had this serious expression, I thought you had this amazing goal in mind." Killua slowly looked at his friend, a smile escaping his lips, "But it's the same old you, y'know."

Gon was shocked. What did Killua mean by that? When he turned to question his friend, Killua was merely smiling at him, his head perched in his palm.

Gon returned the smile, only for Killua to hide his in response, "That's no fair. I thought about it a lot. I even ran a bunch of mental simulations…"

Killua chuckled, only to burst into full-blown giggling when Gon continued to whine.

"What's funny…"

"You over-thought something you were going to do anyway. No matter what…" Killua looked away, a faint blush escaping, "You'll still be the Gon, I know." Soon he felt that smile return, "Which is funny in a sense. If someone told you to abandon them, you wouldn't…"

The boy found himself pouting, "You make it sound like I wasted my time thinking about it…"

"You pretty much did."

"Then what about you? Would you run if Kite or I told you to run?"

Killua scoffed at the question. He didn't know what he would do. It really depends on the situation, and what he could get away with.

There was also time and the dangers of considering the idea of staying. A second wasted, is a second less he had to make a well-thought-out decision, "You know I'm spontaneous. I'd consider the possibilities, the chance of success or failure…" I wouldn't run, if you told me to run. I'd never forgive myself for leaving you to die.

"Wait, you would run?"

The boy rolled his eyes at the question, "I'd consider it. It really depends on the situation, you know… I can't say until it actually happens."

"So, we couldn't get an answer out of you if we asked a series of what ifs?" Raphael was genuinely curious. Most people would have an idea of what they would do the moment if push came to shove. Not Killua it would seem.

He's not humouring anyone…

"None. I could argue why I should be doing X, but I might have a completely different reaction, and instead do Y in a state of panic. Like I said, it really depends."

"Interesting…"

"There's absolutely nothing interesting about that. It's a basic fact that you never assume you're going to be right before it happens. Things change all the time. Case in point…" Killua quickly shoved a finger in the boy's face, "Assassinations. Just because I got told my target is going to be at X, at Y time, doesn't mean he will be. He could've stubbed a toe, had a bad case of the runs because of food poisoning, or insert some other stupid excuse. Shit changes all the time."

The group started to argue, a lone man watching the three debate over random excuses.

He had a right to be worried about some of their opinions on the matter. But given Killua's opinions, he was certain that the teen would make the right call if they were in serious danger.

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