THE CASSETTE TAPE

Killua stands before a large cassette player and speaks into the air. 'I NEED TO ASK YOU SOMETHING.' Gon appears on the left side of the player, replying 'DO YOU WANT TO SEE ME?' The tape continues playing with instructions: 'IF YOU DON'T, JUST PRESS 'STOP'.' and 'IF YOU WANT TO SEE ME, KEEP ON LISTENING.' In a small panel, Gon sits on the floor in front of the player and answers 'YES, EH?' with a surprised expression as the machine emits '...'. The final panel shows a close-up of Gon listening intently with Killua visible beside him.

A woman stands in a sunlit garden holding a large bouquet of flowers. Narration reads: "HUNTERS ARE SELFISH PEOPLE. THEY LEAVE THINGS BEHIND FOR THINGS THEY WANT." Gon appears in close-up, serious, and says, "ONE MORE QUESTION, THEN. ARE YOU PREPARED?" On a rooftop, a voice offers, "I'LL GIVE YOU A MINUTE." The same voice continues, "IF WHAT YOU'RE FEELING IS, 'I WANT TO SEE YOU, IF I CAN,' THEN I SUGGEST YOU STOP LISTENING." Gon stands in profile, listening intently. Killua, hands near his face, asks, "YOU'VE DECIDED ALREADY. WHAT'RE YOU GOING TO DO?" In the final panel a small figure sits alone by a door with only "..." visible.

A train car is shown with the line "YOU WANT TO SEE ME THAT MUCH." A small "HE HE..." floats above. Birds fly past silhouetted trees with flapping sound effects. Inside the train Gon and Killua sit facing each other. Gon declares, "I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU." A massive landscape panel shows a volcanic island with the text "I GAVE UP BEING A FATHER TO BE WHAT I REALLY AM." Another balloon reads, "FRANKLY, I DON'T KNOW HOW I CAN SEE YOU." Stylized sound effects ripple across the water.

A voice declares, "QUITE SELFISH." The panel shows a dark rooftop silhouette against a building. The narration continues, "IT'LL BE AT LEAST TEN YEARS BEFORE YOU LISTEN TO THIS." Another panel adds, "BUT EVEN DURING THAT AMOUNT OF TIME, THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT'LL NEVER CHANGE." Two stark speech bubbles appear on black: "WHAT I REALLY AM." and "I AM..." Below, a young girl with light hair blows a raspberry with a "PAH" sound effect while holding a paper. Killua turns his head with a serious expression. Gon looks forward with wide eyes and a determined face.

A close-up reveals a man with spiky black hair, furrowed brows, and a slight smirk. His intense eyes stare forward. Stubble lines his jaw. Torn clothing exposes his shoulder and chest. The image focuses tightly on his face and upper torso against a plain white background.

A spiky-haired boy sits cross-legged atop the head of an enormous, grotesque reptilian creature. The boy looks forward and calls out loudly. The massive beast, its mouth wide open to reveal sharp teeth and a long tongue, responds with the same sound. The creature's body is covered in thick, bumpy, wart-like scales and clusters of rounded protrusions. Long, jagged spikes and tendrils extend from its back and neck. Its powerful limbs end in rounded, hoof-like feet planted on the ground.

The enormous creature moves forward with large wing-like fins or membranes spread wide. The spiky-haired boy remains perched on its head. The beast continues to roar 'BO' as it travels across an open landscape. Small birds fly in the background near the creature's body. The monster's form shows heavy shading and motion lines along its massive, segmented torso and powerful legs. Distant trees and rocky ground are visible below.

The recorded voice continues speaking over the tape. "But, as I said before, I don't want to see you. I'll run before, when I know you're close." The speaker adds that they are doing crazy things while the listener hears the message. "If you still want to see me, find me." A sharp tap sound echoes as something strikes the surface. The voice then declares, "You're a Hunter too, right? Catch me." In the final panel, Gon stares forward with wide sparkling eyes and a broad, eager smile, clearly energized by the challenge.

Killua and Gon kneel in front of the tape recorder. Killua says "Wait." A pointing hand directs attention toward the device. The recorded voice states, "Your father isn't an easy person to deal with." Killua agrees with "True" while Gon lets out a short "Pff." The voice continues, "Jin is still there." Both boys lean in with surprised expressions as the tape keeps playing. The recorder sits alone on a surface with three dots indicating ongoing playback.

A close-up of the radio fills the panel as a voice begins, "ABOUT YOUR MOTHER..." Gon’s wide eyes stare in shock. The voice continues, "I FORGOT ONE THING." "AH..." In the next panels the radio sits on a shelf while the unseen speaker adds, "OTHERWISE..." "IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, KEEP LISTENING." Below, Gon and Killua kneel on the floor in front of the bookshelf. Gon reaches toward the radio; Killua’s hand slams down on the power button with a sharp "CLAK," cutting the broadcast off.

Gon stands up and declares, "IN SHORT, I DON’T WANT TO KNOW." He turns away while Killua, still seated, replies, "NO. THERE PROBABLY ISN’T ANY." Gon insists, "THERE MIGHT BE A CLUE." Killua answers, "NO. YOU DON’T NEED TO?" In a large close-up Gon shouts, "MY MOTHER IS MITO-SAN!" and adds, "AS I SAID BEFORE..." The radio lies on the floor emitting static "V V V" and vibration lines. Gon walks to the door saying "LET’S EAT!" while Killua remains seated with a sweat drop and a small "e a" reaction. The final panel shows the open doorway and the two boys from behind.

Gon stares wide-eyed at the cassette player as it suddenly shifts on its own. "THE PLAYER IS MOVING BY ITSELF!" a voice cries. Killua lunges forward, shouting "GON!!!" while the device lifts into the air amid heavy motion lines and a loud "ViUUM" sound effect. Close-ups show Killua's intense gaze and the floating player. The cassette player dominates the frame, radiating visible aura as it rewinds. "THERE'S AURA FROM THE PLAYER!" Killua realizes. In a tight close-up, Killua's face fills with shock: "IT'S REWINDING THE TAPE WITH NEN!" he yells. "NEN!!"

Gon and Killua react in confusion. "BUT WHY?!" Gon blurts. Killua wonders aloud, "HE PUT NEN IN IT 10 YEARS AGO..." while saying the voice instructed it to rewind when it stops. "HOW? NOW? FROM WHERE?" Killua questions as the boys tumble backward. "CAN'T BE!" The player suddenly stops with a sharp "CLAK" sound. Killua realizes, "NOW IT'S RECORDING... I GET IT!!" The device begins playing again with "SHUUU" and "CLAK" effects. Gon panics, "I CAN'T STOP IT!!" as Killua warns, "HE'S TRYING TO ERASE HIS VOICE!"

Gon holds the cassette player with a startled expression and blurts out "HUH?". Killua, standing nearby, quickly apologizes with "SORRY, GON!" and adds "I EVEN UNPLUGGED IT!!". In a sudden burst of determination, Killua lunges forward and shouts "I'M GONNA BREAK IT!" as a massive impact effect "BLAW" erupts from his strike. The cassette player is hurled violently through the air with a trailing "SHUUU", crashing into the distance where it explodes in a flash marked "VLAN".

Killua turns away with a grim expression and states "NO USE." before cursing "DAMN!!" as more impact effects flash. The cassette player floats in the air between Gon and Killua, who both stare at it; a voice notes "IT'S GUARDED WITH NEN." A wide empty landscape panel shows a distant treeline under clouds with birds flying. In the final sequence, a foot steps on a button producing "CLAC" and "PFF...", followed by repeated strikes "DON DON" "DAM DAM" and the repeated warning "NO USE. IT'S GUARDED WITH NEN." Someone realizes "I GOT IT!" and exclaims "NOW IT'S RECORDING ...." while another voice concludes "HE'S TRYING TO ERASE HIS VOICE!".

Gon and Killua sit cross-legged on the floor, intently studying a small cassette tape. Gon remarks that you can find out a lot of things from voice alone. Killua adds that the speaker did not want to leave any trace of himself. From the background noise, Gon explains, they can determine possible whereabouts of the person, along with height, weight, sex, age, facial features, possible diseases, and emotional status. Killua questions why the speaker had to go this far, noting even the copy tape is erased. Gon looks surprised and says "Huh?" Killua suggests the speaker was being cautious about something else. He calls the person formidable, wondering who can find out everything about someone just by listening to their voice. Gon agrees it is possible a Nen-specialist is involved. Killua confirms "Yes" and Gon replies "I see" as they both realize it is a Nen ability.

An open case reveals the cassette tape alongside two additional items. Killua announces there are two more. Gon asks what J.S. is, having never heard of it. Killua wonders if special hardware is needed. They note the smaller item is a normal ROM card and decide to leave the ring for later. Gon holds up the ROM card and reads "J.S.?" Killua identifies it as a Joy Station, explaining this is for the game console.