Come to think of it, it had been a while since they'd seen him. According to Kurapika, Larry was last spotted in Yorknew City, and he even helped Kurapika take down the Phantom Troupe. Gon and Killua hadn't gotten the chance to meet him back then, but now, they finally would.
"The Larry you're talking about…" Goreinu swallowed hard, clearly nervous. "You don't mean that Larry from the Sky Arena, right?"
"Yep, that's the one," Gon confirmed with a nod.
"You actually know the legendary Larry?" Goreinu couldn't hide his shock. Rather than calming down, he seemed even more rattled now.
Like Dallzone, Goreinu was a huge fan of Larry, maybe even more so. Nei idolized Larry because of his unmatched power, but Goreinu's admiration ran deeper.
He looked up to Larry not only as a top-tier fighter but as a nen beast Master.
Since stepping into the world of Hunters, Larry had earned multiple titles. Most famous among the general public was his status as the top fighter in Sky Arena. That alone made his name known far and wide, even among those who didn't practice Nen.
In the Nen community, though, two other titles stood out: The Strongest Nen Exorcist and Three-Star Hunter. Both were legendary in their own right. But the title that meant the most to Goreinu, the one that made Larry his true idol, was nen beast Master.
As a conjurer who specialized in summoning beasts, Goreinu couldn't help but revere someone who had mastered the creation of so many strange and powerful Nen beast. And he wasn't alone. A whole generation of Nen users who specialized in beast conjuring looked up to Larry the same way.
"I get to meet Mr. Larry next…"
Goreinu's excitement mirrored Gon's. Neither had expected to bump into Larry here of all places.
"Wait a sec, Biscuit, earlier you said them both." Killua, sharp as ever, finally caught the slip. "Who else besides Larry?"
"The other one's Larry's woman," Biscuit said casually, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "You've actually met her before."
Biscuit thought back to Menchi and gave a few hints. If she remembered correctly, Menchi was one of the Hunter Exam's proctors during Gon and Killua's trial.
"Let me contact them first," Biscuit said, ignoring the boys' stunned reactions as she pulled out a 'Contact' card and prepared to send a message.
Meanwhile, Gon and Killua were still stuck on the phrase "Larry's woman."
'When did Larry get a girlfriend?!'
***
Love City , Aiai.
A city made for romance. Every corner of Aiai was packed with sweet encounters, meet-cutes, and the kind of scenarios you'd expect to see in a shojo manga. It wasn't just for singles looking for love, it was perfect for couples, too.
Located in one of the more remote corners of Greed Island, Aiai wasn't the most visited place. But after exploring almost every part of the island, Larry and Menchi eventually found their way there.
They were standing on the observation platform of a fairy-tale-like castle, quietly admiring the view. The whole city was themed around love, everywhere you looked, it was pink.
Floating above the skyline were giant pink hearts with smiling faces drawn on them. The buildings were all red brick, giving the place a whimsical, fairy-tale vibe. Even the roads and sidewalks were made of the same red bricks.
Here, you could bump into a beautiful girl on the street searching for her lost contact lens. Help her find it, and bam, instant spark.
Or you might stumble upon a damsel surrounded by thugs. Step in to save her, and just like that, your love story begins.
In Aiai, moments like these happened constantly, like scenes from a romance comic just waiting for their main character to show up.
From a high vantage point, the city looked like a giant stage where love stories played out endlessly. "Hmm?" Larry murmured, his gaze sweeping over the pink skyline.
Feeling the sudden buzz of communication, Larry instinctively called out the book. The abrupt action caught Menchi's attention, someone must've just used [Letter Exchange] on him.
"Larry, are you free right now?"
Biscuit's clear, distinctive voice came through the pages. You could tell it was her the moment she spoke.
Knowing [Letter Exchange] only allowed for three minutes, she got straight to the point.
"I'm available," Larry replied calmly.
Hearing the voice, Gon immediately lit up. "It's really Larry!" he shouted excitedly.
Gon's voice reached Larry through the book, which helped him guess who else might be part of this call.
As expected, Biscuit's next words confirmed it. She was asking Larry and his companion to join them and help out. With nothing urgent on their end, Larry and Menchi agreed. It sounded like something fun anyway.
"Alright then," Biscuit said. "Once we've gathered the rest of the team, we'll use [Accompany] to get you over here."
Larry thought for a moment, recalling Razor's tactics from the original game and added, "You don't have to stress too much about the remaining players. If you can't get top-tier candidates, just pick whoever's available. Don't bother with any special training either."
"Huh? Why's that?" Biscuit asked, a little puzzled.
She felt like she was missing something important, but once Larry explained it briefly, her eyes lit up. It finally clicked.
After a bit of thinking, everyone else started realizing it too. Larry was right. If Razor noticed things weren't going in his favor, he might ditch the dodgeball plan and switch to challenging players one-on-one. And in that case? Larry could just toss his Pokémon into the ring and still win.
In the original story, Razor used his conjured beast as a teammate, meaning using something like Pokémon in his place wouldn't break the rules.
With Larry now officially on their side, everyone's confidence shot up. Beating Razor and earning the card [Plot of Beach] suddenly felt much more doable.
Thanks to Larry's advice, it didn't take long for Gon and the others to gather a full team. They even saved time and effort by simply offering small appearance fees, just enough to get some decent players without spending too much.
Within two days, they were all set for another go at the game.
At Coastal City, Soffrabi, Gon and the others waited by the sea for their ultimate reinforcement.
"He's here," Biscuit said with a smile, narrowing her eyes toward the sky, her tone full of anticipation.
Two streaks of light shot down from above, landing right in front of them like falling stars. As the glow faded, Larry stepped out with a calm smile.
"Yo. Long time no see."
"It really is Larry!" Gon shouted, unable to hide his excitement, even though they'd already talked on the phone. Seeing Larry in person made it feel real.