Duel

Under a starry night sky, three small figures stand atop a massive rocky cliff. Netero, the elderly Chairman with a long beard and antenna-like hairpiece, speaks confidently in the foreground. A large speech bubble states: 'IF THAT'S TRUE, THEN THERE ISN'T A SINGLE HUNTER OUT THERE THAT STANDS A CHANCE.' Another bubble on the right reads: 'STRONGER THAN YOU, CHAIRMAN? PLEASE SIR, YOU SHOULD NOT JOKE.' Netero replies with 'OH?' and continues: 'NOW, I'M PROBABLY ABOUT THE SAME AS YOU TWO.' He adds: 'IT'S BEEN OVER HALF A CENTURY SINCE I WAS CONSIDERED THE STRONGEST NEN USER, YOU KNOW.' In a lower panel, a skeleton-faced character and a suited man with glasses converse; the skeleton says 'BUT WE WILL STILL PROCEED, YES?' while the suited man notes 'THERE'S no end to his complaining...' and 'EVEN THOUGH I MAY NOT BE EVEN HALF AS STRONG AS I WAS IN MY PRIME? AGE REALLY IS AN ANNOYING THING.' The suited man responds 'THAT'S STILL QUITE STRONG, SO PLEASE HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF.' In the final wide panel, a blond character with a ponytail faces the distant cliff under a rising sun, declaring: 'SINCE OUR ONLY TARGET IS THE QUEEN.' Another bubble adds: 'NOTHING WOULD BE BETTER THAN TO PROCEED WITHOUT HAVING TO DEAL WITH ANY SORT OF CONFLICT...'

A vast black void fills the page, dominated by a brilliant white radial burst of energy exploding outward from a tiny cluster of figures positioned at the exact center. The stark contrast emphasizes the isolation of the small group within the overwhelming aura. A large speech bubble in the upper right declares, "BUT IT WILL BE NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE TO SNEAK IN UNDER THE RANGE OF THAT EN." In the lower left, another speech bubble states, "I'M AFRAID FIGHTING WILL BE UN-AVOIDABLE."

In the top left panel, a young man with glasses speaks with a calm expression. A speech bubble reads, "FROM THE MOMENT YOU CALLED THE TWO OF US, DIDN'T YOU ALREADY HAVE AN ANSWER?" while another states, "YOU REALLY ARE A DEVIOUS OLD MAN." The adjacent panel shows an elderly man with a mustache responding intensely, "IF YOU'VE GOT ANY GOOD IDEAS, NOW'S THE TIME TO SPEAK UP." and "THE QUESTION IS, HOW WILL WE ACHIEVE THIS OBJECTIVE?" Below, a wide panel reveals the young man in a dark suit standing on cracked ground beside a dark puddle, surrounded by several small white creature-like figures with motion lines. He declares, "WE WILL WIPE THEM OUT..." and "QUIETLY, ONE BY ONE..."

A suited man kneels on cracked ground, clutching a large wrapped bundle as a violent burst of light and debris erupts beside him. He drops forward onto his hands, sweat flying, while the bundle lies nearby. In the following panels a long-haired man with sunglasses swings a massive pipe in a wide arc, motion lines streaking the air. The suited man raises a fist in response. The long-haired man then lunges forward, pipe extended, surrounded by heavy speed lines and bold impact lettering as he closes the distance.

Morel draws on his pipe in close-up, cheeks puffing as smoke begins to escape. He exhales a thick cloud that rapidly forms into multiple rabbit-shaped silhouettes against the dark background. In the next panel Morel grins widely, sweat drops flying, and asks if they should take their time. He continues speaking while smoke rabbits hop across the rocky ground around his feet, the pipe still in his hand as he stands ready.

A tall man with long hair, sunglasses, and a cigarette stands dramatically against a black sky, his pipe weapon held ready. He is surrounded by a vast field of white rabbit-like creatures that fill the ground below him. "WE SHOULD AT LEAST FIND OUT HOW MANY WE'RE DEALING WITH," he states. "LET'S SEE NOW," he adds with a slight smirk. In the lower panel the man swings his pipe forward with great force, motion lines and impact shapes radiating outward as he shouts "GO!" The rabbit creatures react to the sudden movement.

A small fluffy cat-like creature with pointed ears appears in close-up, its tail visible. Nearby, a spiky-haired boy sits on a rocky cliff under a full moon at night. The boy looks toward the distance. The cat creature speaks: "THEY DON'T SEEM TO BE LIVING ORGANISMS." Another voice notes, "THERE'S A LARGE NUMBER OF... SOMETHING APPROACHING." At the bottom, the cat creature's legs are shown standing on rocky ground while the spiky-haired boy reacts with wide eyes. "NYAH- WHAT SHOULD I DO?" the boy wonders. "COULD THIS BE THE ENEMY'S POWER?" he asks.

A close-up shows the curly-haired boy with wide eyes and a slight smile. Smoke drifts across the next panel as a voice states, "IT DOESN'T MATTER IF WE JUST WAIT HERE." In a starry night scene, a tall figure cloaked in dark feathers stands against a rocky cliff and declares, "WE CAN SIMPLY JUST ELIMINATE THEM THEN." The curly-haired boy, seen in profile with a confident grin, replies, "IF THEY INTRUDE ALL THE WAY IN." A shadowed figure turns sharply and snaps, "NO." The small spiky-haired child looks up in surprise, asking, "HUH? WAS I THINKING OUT LOUD?" The curly-haired boy, hand near his chin, continues, "SINCE IT COULD ALSO BE A TRAP TO LU..." and adds, "YOU DO HAVE A POINT THERE." At the base of the cliff the small child sits on a rocky outcrop and asks the cloaked figure, "BUT WHO ARE YOU?" A close-up of the curly-haired boy's intense, shaded face carries the words, "I SIMPLY THOUGHT THAT THIS WAS WHAT YOU WERE THINKING. FROM THE WAY YOU LOOKED,"

Shaiapufu stands alone against a black background, one hand raised to his chin, and announces, "SHAIAPUFU. I AM ONE OF THE QUEEN'S ROYAL GUARDS." He adds, "I CAN'T STOP YOU FROM THINKING ABOUT IT THOUGH." In a smaller panel a moon hangs in a cloudy sky while the small spiky-haired child wonders, "...WHAT COULD IT BE?" Shaiapufu continues in close-up, "AND... WHAT IS ALL. MONTUTUYUPI SHOULD AWAKEN SOON AS WELL."

A timer device displays three hours elapsed. Outside a large half-timbered building, the scene shifts to a close-up of a sweat-covered fist and a pair of intense, glaring eyes. In a wide splash panel, Gon stands shirtless and drenched in sweat, his right fist clenched and extended forward with a determined expression. Killua stands nearby, also soaked and looking exhausted with his head slightly bowed. Biscuit kneels in the foreground wearing gloves and a fur-trimmed outfit, smiling up at them. She exclaims that they have finally reached three hours. Gon’s posture shows he has just completed a long endurance test.

Killua collapses forward, declaring he cannot move anymore. Gon lies on the ground nearby. Biscuit stands over them and tells them they must go right away. In the next panel Biscuit points toward Knuckle’s location while a large creature looms behind her. She tells the boys they can still move. A close-up shows a stern man with spiky hair glaring. Killua sits up and questions where they are going. Biscuit replies with a sigh that the obvious answer is to Knuckle.

Biscuit stares intensely with a bright flash behind her and declares, "TO DUEL!" In smaller panels, Gon and Killua react with surprise as someone says "Let's go." and "WHA..." A woman with long curly hair watches silently. Biscuit's voice continues from off-panel: "YOU'LL JUST GO FIGHT HIM AGAIN." Gon and Killua protest, "WHAT IF WE LOSE?!" and "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? WE STILL HAVE TIME, DON'T WE?" Biscuit stands before them and commands, "AND THEN GO BACK THE NEXT DAY FOR REVENGE!!" She adds, "IF YOU THINK YOU'RE GONNA LOSE, JUST RUN AWAY!!" Pointing upward she states, "THEN JUST DON'T TAKE THEM WITH YOU AND EVERYTHING'LL BE FINE." A gloved hand gives a thumbs-up as she concludes, "The condition of winning is to claim the plates, right?" Gon and Killua look shocked and worried.

Biscuit points forward with intense focus and orders, "THEN AFTERWARDS, YOU WILL GO CHALLENGE KNUCKLE!!" She continues, "FROM NOW ON, YOU WILL DO 'REN' FOR THREE HOURS EVERY DAY!!" Close-up panels show Gon and Killua sweating nervously. Biscuit adds, "AND OF COURSE, THIS IS UNTIL YOU DEFEAT HIM!" A full black panel filled with stars follows. In a park-like setting, a dog-like creature sits on the ground while a voice says, "Your owner must come today either, huh?" and "Didn't come today either, huh?" Knuckle stands in the foreground with a stern glare, a sweat drop visible on his face. Distant figures are seen in a dark background panel.

Under a vast night sky filled with stars, two enormous white pant legs frame the scene like pillars. Between them stand Gon and Killua, small figures looking upward in surprise, accompanied by a tiny dog-like creature at their side. Gon's eyes widen as he speaks. Killua's expression hardens with shock. A close-up reveals a third figure's narrowed eye and a voice saying, "YOU GUYS?" Another voice replies, "NO WAY..." In profile, a man with slicked-back hair and glasses stares intently into the darkness. The final panel shows a massive, menacing silhouette with pointed, bat-like headgear and glowing eyes dominating the frame. Speech bubbles read, "I HAVEN'T BEEN TAKEN SERIOUSLY." and "LOOKS LIKE..."