"I was born into the Zoldyck family. From childhood I received assassin training, and taking the Hunter Exam was the first thing I ever did that wasn't arranged by my family. I really liked that feeling. At the start I was very confident in myself. That's why, during the Hunter Exam, when I saw Gon, I was curious. Through the whole exam, Gon was the only one my age. Up until the final phase, the entire exam hadn't been difficult for me."
Killua skipped over the final trial; he didn't want to mention it.
"After that I returned to Kukuroo Mountain. Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika all came to the estate. I was grateful they came, and from that moment I considered them my best friends."
Kite interrupted him. "Gon, earlier you said that on the ship you met Ron, Leorio, and Kurapika. You made a point of mentioning Ron's name. You must have a good relationship with him as well, right?"
Gon nodded. "That's right."
"Then why wasn't Ron there?"
"Ron's situation was special," Killua continued. "Ron-nii is my cousin, also a member of the Zoldyck family, but at the time he had other matters to deal with. Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika didn't understand the Zoldycks, but Ron-nii did. That's why he wasn't worried about me then."
Kite raised his eyebrows slightly. "Ron is your cousin, Killua? Then why didn't you take the Hunter Exam together?"
"Up until the final phase of the Hunter Exam, I didn't know Ron-nii's true identity," Killua explained. "It was only coincidence that we took the same exam. Before then, Ron-nii had never revealed who he was. In fact, I had already seen him once at Heaven's Arena."
Kite frowned. "So that's the Zoldyck family's way of doing things? Strange indeed."
Gon spoke next. "At Kukuroo Mountain, Leorio, Kurapika, and I all tried to push open the Testing Gates. It took us a long time, but eventually we managed. Later we learned that Killua could already open the Third Gate. And Ron could open the Seventh. The three of us had only managed the First and Second."
Kite asked, "What's the difference between these gates?"
"The weight," Killua said. "The First Gate is two tons, the Second is four tons, the Third is eight tons, and so on. The Tenth Gate is one hundred twenty-eight tons."
Now that the exact weights were clear, Kite had a better sense of them. "To be able to open the Seventh Gate, Ron's strength must already be considerable."
"Ron-nii really is very strong," Killua said. "Among all the people I've met, his strength definitely ranks near the top."
Killua had met many powerful Nen users: Zeno, Silva, Maha, Illumi, and Netero. He had also seen fighters in the martial arts tournaments and the upper floors of Heaven's Arena, all of them strong. He had even encountered members of the Phantom Troupe, and on Greed Island, Razor.
"After that we went to Heaven's Arena," Killua continued. "There, the Hunter Association arranged a teacher to instruct us in Nen—Senior Wing. After about half a year, both Gon and I earned qualification to reach the 200th floor. I sparred with a senior, and I lost. There were also some rookie killers there who were really unpleasant."
Gon added, "Afterwards I invited Killua to Whale Island. When Aunt Mito learned I had obtained my Hunter License, she gave me a box. Inside was a memory card for Greed Island. Kite, do you know Greed Island?"
Kite nodded. "I do. Greed Island is the game your father and his companions created."
With pride in his voice, Gon said, "It's an amazing game. My father left something for me inside, so he wanted me to play it. That's why we went to Yorknew, because the game cartridges were being auctioned there. But it was shocking—each cartridge was sold for over thirty billion Jenny. Even Killua's second brother couldn't manage to win one. In the end, every console was bought up by a billionaire named Battera."
He paused. "During the auction, the Underworld Mafia fought a battle with the Phantom Troupe. Their strength was frightening. Speaking of that… I wonder how Kurapika is doing. His enemies are the entire Phantom Troupe. Taking revenge will be too difficult."
Killua agreed. The strength the Troupe members had displayed that day was terrifying.
"In order to enter Greed Island, Killua and I accepted Battera's commission. That was how we gained the right to use his consoles. Once we entered the game, we met Biscuit. She taught us a lot—many Nen techniques. On Greed Island, our strength grew rapidly."
"By the way, Ron also entered Greed Island, but it didn't seem like he was there for the game. I'm not sure what he was aiming for, but we ended up clearing it. We collected one hundred designated cards."
Kite looked at Gon. "So you came here to me through a card?"
"Yes," Gon said. "I used a spell card called Accompany. I thought it would take me to my father, but instead it brought me to you, Kite. This must have been arranged deliberately by my father. He probably wanted me to train under you for a while."
Kite nodded. "Introduce your abilities."
"Alright," Gon said first. "As for basic techniques, Killua and I have already mastered Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu, Ken, Ko, Shu, En, and Gyo. My specific ability is called Rock, Paper, Scissors. Before using it, I charge aura. Until the moment I make my move, the opponent can't tell which attack I'll use. Rock is a powerful close-range punch. Paper is an emission-type aura blast. Scissors is transmuted into a sharp, cutting edge."
Killua followed. "My basic ability is electricity. I can transform aura into lightning. So far, the applications I've developed are Godspeed and Thunderbolt. Godspeed increases my speed and reaction. Thunderbolt strikes the target and leaves them paralyzed."