They think they have a moment of respite, to come up with a plan. Unfortunately, Genthru is there to say congrats.

Daspeedforce Thank you for the reviews :)

ZoyeZest Thank you for the compliment. It'll be interesting to see :)

HeartByte-FreeAIWritingTool I hope you're liking it so far :)

Razor laid motionless on the floor, the ball rolling straight to the floor. Seeing him not moving, and the ref still up was surreal. Clearly, he was knocked out given the way he fell down.

But since the ref was still up, maybe there were conditions that kept it from fading out. Or maybe his control was so strong, he didn't need to be conscious for it to remain active.

The ref held up his hand, "Razor is out! The ball has touched the ground without being caught."

Gon slowly stirred awake, unsure for how long he's been out. But when his eyes met Razor's motionless body, he didn't know how to react. "What… happened?"

Killua found himself smiling, "Hisoka and Raphael teamed up to knock him out."

"It was mostly Hisoka though…" Raphael approached the group, "I just temporarily blinded him so he couldn't see where the ball was going to land."

"Really?"

Killua pointed at the clown, "Yeah, he pretty much stole all the glory."

"It was only possible with all of your help. It's still a team victory."

"That doesn't sound like you at all."

Hisoka could only frown at the accusation. He has never at one point claimed victory just for himself. Killua and Raphael laughing at his expense didn't make the situation any better.

Razor woke to the sounds of laughter, his eyes peering up at the roof "They got me good…" To be knocked out by Gon's aura would've been humiliating, if he hadn't been Ging's son.

The fact he got blinded out of nowhere was more humiliating, especially since he had no way to perfectly block the incoming attack.

He ended up getting knocked down-and-out cold.

Placing one hand on the ground, he sat up. He must have taken a heavy blow to his chest. Considering he couldn't block the full brunt, having to instead rely on his ability to defend his whole body equally, he's lucky it feels like there's only a cracked rib or two, definitely heavy bruising. It hurts like hell.

Standing up he approached the winners "As promised, we'll leave the city."

"Oh, yeah… that was this game's purpose."

"Before we do, I suppose you have questions about Ging?"

Gon blinked several times. He wasn't expecting that. He didn't think anyone would have anything to tell him about his father.

"Ask your questions, we can wait…" Killua offered a smirk at his friend. He knows he's been waiting to learn something, anything about Ging.

"Like hell you can!" Tsezguerra finally hobbled to the boy, "I saw what you did. I bet you barely protected your hands from that reckless stunt."

"I'm doing fine, it's no big deal. You'll be surprised how little it hurts."

Tsezguerra held a hand to his chest, bracing himself after the pang of pain reverberated throughout his body. He winced at the pain, "If it's no big deal to you, show us your hands."

"Why?" Killua stood up, never once removing his hands from his pockets, "You want to inspect my impeccable manicure?" Killua felt a smirk, slipping across his face with ease. He dared the man to say yes.

He didn't see Bisky sneak up behind him, yanking one hand out of his pocket. He didn't have time to react, let alone force his hand back into his pocket.

They were bruised and battered, splotches of skin split to reveal small spots of blood. He wasn't bleeding out because most of the circulation had been cut off.

"Look at that!" The man glared from Killua's hand, back to Gon, "Can you even feel a thing?"

"It really is nothing to worry about. I promise Gon, you don't need to be-"

"I already knew…" Gon found himself looking at the floor. He saw it. What Killua's hands looked like the moment he punched the ball. It was brutal… But no matter what, Killua was the only one he trusted the most in the world.

If it was anyone else, Bisky, Tsezguerra… Raphael, he didn't think he could go all the way. He trusted Killua more than anyone in the world "I know how messed up they were. I saw them…"

"I could've taken over. I know how to apply rapid aura."

"Same…" Raphael held the man's gaze, "I saw how you did it. It's why I survived Razor's so-called oops. You could've asked me."

Gon shook his head. No, that's not true he couldn't depend on Raphael, like he could with Killua "No, I can't. Killua is the only one I trust. I needed him to hold the ball. Without him, I would've held back… I wouldn't be able to focus on the ball. That's why I was so angry, angry when Razor curved the ball past Killua."

Gon found himself glaring at Razor, "Because if I lost my best friend, I don't know how I would've taken you down… let alone if I could do it."

Killua tilted his head downward, using his bangs to hide the teary eyes. He wasn't about to cry by any means. He was just so happy hearing how much Gon needed him in his life.

It felt great, to feel wanted.

Raphael saw the smile under the bangs, he wasn't just happy about the reveal. It was like receiving a confession of affection. Nothing should or would ruin this moment for him.

"Tsezguerra and Bisky, everything will be fine."

"You can't be serious…"

"I am. Besides, if you tried to take Gon's full strength, I wouldn't be surprised if your hands come flying off along with the ball. Although…" The teen felt laughter bubbling up his chest from the thought, "The thought of Razor getting slapped across the face by a dismembered hand as he's trying to rebound the ball back to us would be pretty funny."

Killua burst into laughter. That would've been hilarious. He could only imagine the man trying to keep a straight face after being slapped by a stray hand flying past.

Raphael shifted the discussion to something more serious, "As long as we can get our hands on Genthru's Breath of Archangel, that wound means nothing. It has the power to heal all wounds, as if they never happened."

Tsezguerra let out an irritated click of his tongue. The teen was right. Breath of the Archangel would make Killua's wounds obsolete "You're right…"

"See Killua, you'll be okay." Bisky grabbed the boy in question's wrist, holding it so he couldn't escape. A dark-eyed, menacing smile looked down at the unfortunate boy, "But we're still going to need to wrap it…"

Killua looked to his friend for help.

But Gon's bright smile was all he saw as he was being dragged away. Not even pleading was going to save him from the wrath of Bisky binding his wounds.

So he looked to the only other person, "Help…"

"Sorry, I don't know how to patch wounds… especially ones as severe as those."

Killua swallowed thickly, dreading how he was going to be treated.

"~"

Bisky tightened the bindings, Killua letting out a sarcastic scream "Ow, those delicate hands you ol-"

Killua felt the slap across the back of his head, but he didn't see the woman's hands leave his. Nor did he feel it. Seriously, she's quick to attack him physically over anything she deems worthy.

"What was that for…"

"Honestly, you're so reckless! I'm surprised your hands are still in one piece."

Killua turned to look away, pouting from the situation. Just because she can, doesn't mean she should be unbearable while wrapping his hands. He saw Gon off in the distance with Razor, wondering what the two were talking about.

"Hey!" Bisky snapped her fingers in front of Killua, "Pay attention!" She tightened the bindings once again.

"Ow, ow… I'm listening. I'm a reckless idiot, BLA-bla-bla. Ow, ow, easy there, Baba Yaga." Killua complained about receiving another slap.

Raphael watched her continue to bind his hands for a moment. How tight was Bisky panning on making Killua's bindings, "I'm pretty sure you don't need to cut off his circulation any more than you already have."

"Jeez. You two are like two disasters in a pod, egging each other on."

"We got the job done, and are still alive… that's all that matters."

Raphael gave a nod, looking over to see Razor already leaving, "That's our cue. Let's get ourselves a patch of Shore and come up with a plan to defeat Genthru."

"~"

"This is the place…"

The group was led to the shore, a small tower overlooking the water. The NPC leaned against the wall, sincerity crossing their eyes. The bliss of relief she must be experiencing from knowing Razor and his pirates will no longer be occupying Soufaribi, threatening them for the rest of their lives… he could only imagine it.

Gon and Killua looked out the window, taking in the scenery. The beach was pretty to look at, but he didn't understand how such an open place could be the card?

"A window?"

"Gon, I think she's talking about the entire view… I hope so. It is called Patch of the Shore, after all. So…" Raphael turned to the NPC, "How exactly do we reach the Sea God's Grotto? Do we jump from the window or something…"

She shook her head, fingers now tracing the wall for something. The NPC soon stopped at a single brick, one that didn't look any different from the others. Upon pushing it in, a light on top of the tower activated, pointing to a section in the middle of the water "Directly below the point on the surface, the grotto can be found. But you won't find what the pirates were expecting. There's no treasure to be found. Apologies if I got your hopes up."

"Damn…" Killua uttered a breathless complaint.

"It's a sacred cavern, so only a few fishermen know the location. Any other rumours you heard about the place, it's nothing more than a made up lie. But Razor and his gang wouldn't believe us."

Gon genuinely looked surprised. Wasn't Razor an actual person?

"Gon, this is a quest. It's designed to be that way…"

"Oh…"

"Those who make a living on the sea can never defile it. So they said before they were all killed, taking the secret with them."

Killua seeing Gon's gaze made him pout. Did he still not seriously get that this is a made up story? Even Raphael pointed out that this was nothing more than the conclusion of a quest line. Or maybe he just hates the idea of Razor actually being that cruel to someone, "Gon, just get over it. It's nothing more than a story being made up for context."

The sun rose as she reminisced on everything happening, leaning across the window as she looked out onto the ocean. This was her story to tell, the good… the bad… and the ugly side of what Razor and his pirates were capable of.

She was designed to finally feel relief after revealing everything to whoever saved her, "I can finally see the ocean again from here. The sunrise… The boats returning with their hauls…"

None of that was happening, it was only what she saw happening "The water sparkling in many colours. In my mind, this view is the true treasure…" She vanished into a puff of smoke, Gon now holding the last card to be officially obtained.

Patch of Shore

003 SS - 3

The entrance to the underwater cavern known as the Sea God's Grotto. The cavern changes every time you enter.

"Yes! We got Patch of Shore!"

"Quickly, use Clone to make two copies."

"We'll take the copies." Goreinu held up his hands, hoping to stop the boys from taking one of the copies for themselves, rather than the original. Tsezguerra agreed "After your stunt, you deserve the original…"

From the corner of his eye, Gon saw Hisoka making his getaway. It felt weird for him to leave without a word, especially after all that work he put in, to help them secure a win. Without missing a beat he called out to the man "Wait, are you really sure you don't want anything?"

The man stopped, slowly turning toward the boy now questioning him. No, he honestly didn't. He had a very thrilling battle with Razor. He saw how much the two boys had improved since the last time they encountered each other.

Plus, he got to see the abilities of the new straggler in action. He'll be sure to keep an eye on Raphael, to see how his growth turns out. If he becomes a detriment to the boys' growth, he'll be sure to get rid of him.

He enjoys playing with his toys… and if he were to find out how useless that toy became later on in life due to interference, he'll be disappointed. He wants to have fun, not be bored later on in life. So with a smile, he glanced over at the trio "No, it was quite fun."

"Why don't you join us?"

Hisoka's eyes narrowed slightly, "No, as fun as it was to listen to that snooze fest, collecting cards is at the bottom of my to-do list. I'd rather enjoy my company at Aiai. However, if another thrilling battle is bound to show up, why not use one of your Contact cards on me."

Turning away, the man climbed down the stairs "I'll be sure to use an Accompany or Magnetic Force to come at once…"

Raphael's eyes widened at the name-drop. Neither of them had mentioned Magnetic Force to the man, so how did he know?

"HEH?"

It seems like Killua even realised what's going on, "That liar!"

"Huh?"

Raphael pointed a finger at Gon, "He name-dropped Magnetic Force, when Accompany was used and I've only mentioned Return. He shouldn't know about Magnetic Force."

"He already knew about spell cards before he ran into us, Gon!"

"HUH?!"

Considering Raphael could still hear the man's high heels clacking across the steps, he was still within earshot of their conversation. He was probably smirking, knowing about their dumbfounded expression.

"Killua…" Bisky quietly used a warning tone on the boys, "there are liars who only lie when there's a reason to, and there are liars who also lie without reason. You and I are the former. He is the latter. You won't get anywhere by fretting over it…"

As Killua pouted, Raphael held up a finger "Actually, he might be the former as well. Does the name Shalnark mean anything to you…?"

Killua pressed a hand to his chin, mulling over the list of names Hisoka had in his book. He never saw that name. But, he vaguely felt like he should. A memory of a blond haired boy flashed into his mind, "Wait, where did you learn that name?"

"It was in Hisoka's book. One of the names had a small spacing error. I focused on the spot and could only gauge one name, Shalnark."

"Gon, the spiders are in the game. SHIT, why didn't you tell us earlier! We should've interrogated him!"

Bisky crossed her arms over her chest "I could think of a few good reasons why he shouldn't have said anything in front of Hisoka." She wiggles a finger at Killua, suggesting he and the others should follow them out of the tower "Would you like to hear the first one?"

Killua shot a glare at the older woman, "Why should he have kept his mouth shut, oh ancient wise-"

He was slapped once again across the head, "OW!"

"Because Hisoka would've straight up killed him!"

"~"

Bisky went on to list a few more possibilities, detailing several reasons why Raphael should've continued to keep his mouth shut, including not dropping the very name that agitated Killua "And that's to name a few…"

"So you're telling me I should've pretended like I saw nothing, even though Killua, was the very person who was the most disappointed to see he found nothing in Hisoka's book."

"I would've noticed something, had I known what you did. I probably would've noticed more names than you, had you pointed something out."

"Before or after Hisoka killed me."

"I…"

Gon stopped his friend from pursuing the topic further "Raphael made the right call. If Hisoka wanted us to know, he would've told us. But he lied for a reason…"

"A reason that now puts Kurapika in danger. One of us needs to tell him!"

"Another player has used Contact to reach you." Tsezguerra's book flashed open, displaying the one name they weren't expecting so soon, "Genthru…"

"It's been a while, old friend."

"What do you want?"

"First, I would like to congratulate you."

Raphael looked around, trying to spot where the man was perched. He was nowhere in their vicinity, so either he had an ability to spy on them… or he was using something to spy on them from a long distance, like a telescope or something.

Raphael gestured to the group that he must be far away.

"Very good, although it won't help you."

Hearing this, Tsezguerra focused on his book. He knows about the card they're holding onto, "What are you talking about?"

"Don't bother playing dumb. I know you have a Patch of Shore. I'll make this simple. You hand over the card, and I'll spare all your lives. It's a fair deal."

"Don't be ridiculous. How is that fair, at all…"

The man laughed, "I suppose that doesn't sound fair. But being fair implies you have a chance of beating us, which is highly unlikely. But it'll be somewhat interesting to see if you can beat us. If you're willing to make a deal, come alone to Masadora's entrance in one hour. If you don't, however… we'll take it by force. You can't escape us. We know how many Accompany cards you have on you. We have more than you…"

The man grit his teeth, frustrated with the situation. The man found out way too soon.

"Nick Cue, Souheil, Kazsule… just to name a few."

Asta started checking her book, her eyes lighting up with fear. Everyone she's ever played this game with, hunted or otherwise, all dead…

"They were members of your previous group. They were all members of your party of sixteen."

Raphael grit his teeth. The man had been watching them since their first attempt. The fact he knows when they got the card could be quickly deduced to a spell card aimed at Tsezguerra, but since he's known from the beginning, that means he must have been in the town watching them stumble around for quest information.

He has known about their goal from the beginning…

Gon checked his book, teeth grinding together at the news. None of their names had been lit up. That could only mean two things, they were outside the game… or he tortured and then killed them after obtaining information.

"You bastard!"

"Who are you…?"

Raphael made a motion for Gon to keep his mouth shut, but clearly the boy wasn't thinking clearly, "Gon Freecss! I'll take you on!"

The others freaked out, Killua, Bisky and Raphael mortified at Gon's blatant threat. He was going to get them killed before they had come up with a plan to take them down.

"Gon?" Genthru hummed at the name, almost singing in the silence as he repeated the name several more times, "Ah, you have a copy as well. Oh, and what's this… you have Lucky Alexandrite too. I guess I'll have to make a pit stop with you after I deal with Tsezguerra. Or, are you going to be smart and hand it over now?"

"Over my-" Bisky grabbed the boy's mouth, silencing him before he had a moment to issue another challenge.

Killua used this moment to gesture to the man, "Tsezguerra, move away! Now!"

The man left the area with his group, Bisky holding Gon still so he doesn't chase the man, screaming constant threats at Genthru as though it doesn't put them at risk.

"Killua, I don't think him, moving away from us, is going to exactly help us. Genthru has been watching us since the start. He can probably see where we are right now, isolated from that man's team.

"Yeah, but it's so Gon doesn't continue to scream. He's already dug us a grave…" He shot his best friend a glare, "He doesn't need to dig any deeper than he already has."

Gon stilled, pouting from his friend's accusation. He pulled away Bisky's hand, "He killed everyone."

"Except, Asta, Manheim and Amana…" Raphael pointed a thumb at the trio, "Would you like to add them to the list?"

"No…"

"We're already probably on his shit list. Knowing him, he probably thinks we have one of the copies of Patch of Shore. We can't survive against that man. He'll kill us…"

"There are ways around it…" Raphael thought about the long list of cards, trying to figure out which card would work best, "You'll need a card that defends you from being specifically targeted by teleportation cards. Shield of Faith? No, that's to stop people from escaping you…" There was only one he could think of…

But the problem was it was a non-restricted card that required multiple Restricted cards to obtain "Shit…"

"See, there are no cards that could save us from Genthru targeting us."

"There is…" The teen looked over at the trio, "Ever heard of Aduzla, the Azure Dragon? Or the Dragon of Fear?"

"That's a myth!" The woman screamed at the teenager. She has no time for rumours. She needed something realistically attainable.

"It's not. It's just an insanely difficult card to get, that's why it's so rare."

"What do you need to get it?"

"Oh, just a couple of S Rank cards, and the Paladin's Necklace."

Asta Grit her teeth together, there's no way she could obtain those cards on her own, especially now. The Necklace doesn't show up for months. "You're shitting me…"

"I'm afraid not…"

"Fuck!"

By now Tsezguerra returned, the man taking in the group's expressions. Asta and her team held fear in their eyes, while Gon was only just getting over his anger. It seems he may have an inkling about how much danger they were in, at least with those… who cannot defend themselves.

He took a moment to look down on the boy, seeing his eyes divert for a moment, "Gon, Genthru doesn't know your strength. He believes that we are carrying the original Patch of Shore. They'll want the original card… they'll want our card. So you'll be safe Asta, for now…"

"Thanks, but that means shit to us." It was a little relieving, but not by much. He could still be a threat, one who's just going after others for the mere fact that they know members of this group.

"Gon would've set their eyes on him next."

"And if they don't?"

"I'll come into play. Tsezguerra, how long can you buy us?"

The man paused to look at the teen, wondering what he had planned. "We'll try to buy as much time as possible."

"I need a week, can you do that?"

"I should be able to." Turning back to Gon and the rest, he continued "Use that time to regain your strength. If you want to beat this game, you'll have no choice but to fight them. And you are the only ones who have a chance of winning. But, Gon…"

He pointed towards Killua, "Your foolish and selfish actions may have cost him his life. Had they come right then and there, none of us would've had a chance to beat him. It'll be a one-sided massacre."

Gon looked down at the floor. It was true, Killua suffered the most from his actions, and he nearly made it much worse for his best friend.

"You endangered not only yourself, but your friends too, by losing control of your emotions!"

"I'm…" Gon closed his eyes for a moment, now forced to look over all his friends, "I'm sorry…"

"Good. Now that is out of the way, it'll come down to Accompany. If we can evade their use of Accompany, we should be able to buy plenty of time."

"Which can be done quite easily if you can keep pulling the Clone card and the card itself."

"Ideally…" Tsezguerra rubbed his chin, deep in thought, "There's another problem. If too much time passes, they may switch to instead target you, since you have two cards they need. I think we'll have a one-week limit. Past that, I can't make any guarantees…"

"Crap… I need that time to find a way to protect Asta." Raphael bit his lip, "I need you to draw out that time for as long as possible."

Goreinu offered his help, "I'll go with Tsezguerra. If we're buying you time, I assume we have an alliance?"

"That wouldn't do us any good. Genthru already knows the eleven of us have teamed up. So we won't be able to act as decoys while you take out Genthru's team."

"That means leaving the original versions of the last two cards they seek, #2 and #75, with any one party would be dangerous…"

"Then we split it!" Raphael pointed to himself, "I'll take #75…"

"Genthru will know-"

"I have the cape, and the Necklace. If anyone has a chance of protecting it, it's me."

Tsezguerra's eyes narrowed slightly, while he agreed that isn't what he had in mind. He wanted to win in the end, "I want to make a deal instead. If I can buy you more time, three weeks, I want #75, Lucky Alexandrite in return."

Killua quirked an eyebrow. The man said he'll be lucky if he can get a week at most. Why is he making an unreachable goal of three weeks? "You just said a week at best, why three now?"

"That's if we stay on the run… if we keep attacking him at random intervals, it'll keep him on edge, unable to make a move."

"Or…" Killua pointed to his friend, "Raphael, could tell you how to get it."

"We know how to get it…"

"But the cost would be all your cards, so back to square one…" The teen offered the reason to the others. The way it's obtained, it requires the group to sacrifice everything in their book, including their money too. That's way too much to lose, so late in the game.

"I know that isn't enough time for Killua's hands to heal. Nor would it be enough time to close the gap between our abilities and his…"

Killua smiled at the news, "Which means our goal would be to make a plan to take him down."

"Exactly. You devise a scenario where you can defeat him, we'll delay him for as long as possible."

Killua gave a nod, "You delay him for three weeks, you get #75 in return."

"Good…"

"There's one tiny problem." The man looked at the teen, wondering what he's about to say, "If you're going to play cat and mouse with Genthru, that'll give him opportunities to steal cards, would it not?"

"Goreinu would hold the real cards, while I'll hold the fake-"

"Hold it! Goreinu? The man who got knocked out by Razor."

The man shot a glare at the teen, "I would be the least likely suspect to have all the real cards."

"Sure, but do you know how to multicast spell cards in rapid succession?"

"Well, no…"

"Do you know how to farm enough Jenny to buy spell packs by the crate?"

"No…"

"How about defensive measures, other than spell cards? Like summoning monsters to instead defend you."

There was a long pause between the group, Asta, Goreinu and Tsezguerra uttering the same question, at the same time "You can do that?"

"Seriously…" Raphael stared between all three players, "It's specific monsters, but yes. It's possible to use monsters to defend players. But seriously Tsezguerra, you can't be thinking of enlisting this man to assist you."

"And how are you proposing to farm, and get Aduzla at the same time?"

Raphael smiled widely at the question. He looked towards Asta with a wide smirk, "Joint attack. The card can be found near Limeiro, the same city that houses the best farming spot. I get the loot, Goreinu buys the cards. He'll use the Returns to bounce to me, then to Masadora, buy up cards in hopes of racking up Return and Accompany cards, we'll need Fake and Clone cards too. Goreinu gives me the real cards we made fakes of, and you hit him as often as possible so he never has time to recover, nor suspect our plans…"

Tsezguerra gave a nod, "You have been a huge boon to me in the past." He thought about it for a second longer, "But wouldn't you want to stay with Gon's team?"

Raphael did want to… but in terms of making sure the plan succeeds without a hitch, he needed to make sure he was involved as much as possible with Goreinu and Tsezguerra's team "Gon, I'm sorry. But we'll need to part ways for this to work."

"I understand…" Gon flashed his biggest smile, "You've always been amazing at this game, knowing details about things nobody would think to do. As much as I'd want you on our team, I trust you to make the right call."

"Asta, do you trust me?"

"You've been the worst player…" Asta found herself grinning, "I've ever had the privilege of fighting against.

You gave me hell on multiple occasions. Not only that, you are the one player that I had to convince multiple teams had to take you on, in hopes of stealing a card. After many numerous times trying to take you down, if anyone is able to fuck with Genthru's plans, it's you. So do I trust you? Of course, I do."

Raphael found himself smiling. He gave a nod to Asta, then to Gon. Turning back to Tsezguerra, the man offered a slow nod in response "Don't make me regret this…"

"As if, I know a lot about this game, including how to optimise every route." He wasn't gloating, he was merely showing ways he was an expert at Greed Island. He was making a point, why rely on someone with less expertise to get stuff done, when you can have someone who can get it done more efficiently, and faster "I'll get started with my job. Asta, head to Limeiro or Aiai, Genthru will have a difficult time navigating that town, even with Return and Accompany to guide them to your proximity. I'll go to Limeiro to get started on farming."

"We'll make our way over to delay Team Genthru then."

"Oh, and Gon… remember, they've already killed over fifty players in this game. They aren't to be taken lightly."

Killua hid his expression at the news. Rookie numbers…

Raphael grabbed his card, "Stay safe, I'm rooting for you. Accompany on, Limeiro." With that, he was on his way to complete one of the most difficult, non-restricted slot cards… to obtain Aduzla, the perfect card for protection.

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