WEAKNESS ②

Knuckle swings a wide horizontal strike labeled "BUON" that Gon narrowly evades by ducking low. Gon then leaps away, calling "OVER HERE." from a distance. In the next sequence Gon charges forward with fist raised, surrounded by heavy motion lines and impact shapes. Knuckle is sent sprawling across the ground with a large "SAT" SFX. The final panels show Knuckle rising unsteadily with an "OOF" while Gon lands in a ready stance, both fighters breathing heavily amid dust and debris.

Gon leaps high with a fierce kick aimed at Knuckle, who blocks with raised arms while shouting "HA!" and grunting "GAH" from the impact. In close-up, Gon's determined face fills a panel as he yells "ROCK!!" and declares "FIRST IS...". Knuckle counters with a swift strike, sending Gon reeling as motion lines mark "Z... Z...". The fight intensifies as Knuckle is hurled backward by a massive impact, shouting "ARGH!!" while Gon lands a powerful blow labeled "JAN!!", debris and shockwaves erupting around them.

Gon reels from a heavy blow, bloodied and grimacing with "ORR" as impact lines surround his head. Knuckle is sent flying upside down through the air with motion lines marking "Z... Z..." and "G... G...". In a dramatic close-up Knuckle sweats heavily, realizing "AS A FAKE." and thinking "THIS LITTLE BRAT... HE'S USING JAJANKEN". The scene shifts to a wide view of the open field at night where Knuckle kneels and Gon stands ready. Narration boxes explain how Gon exploited JaJanken's psychological weakness, reading Knuckle's intent to throw the punch and preparing to break the attack. Gon stands in a fighting stance with motion lines, ready for the next exchange.

A baseball diamond appears under spotlights. Gon stands at the plate in a striped uniform and helmet, bat raised high. "I can't miss my chance!" he anxiously waits for the perfect pitch right down the middle of the plate!! To Knuckle, Gon's Jajanken is like a pitch a batter's sitting on. Even the best professional signal-ball players make this mistake because the batter swings too early and grounds out. The eager thoughts tense up the muscles too much and disrupt the swing. "Here's my pitch! Swing for the fences!!" "Here it is!" he inadvertently puts too much force into his swing. The aura will become concentrated according to the will of the user, and will increase even more at the time of the attack. The same thing applies to aura.

Gon was able to detect Knuckle's hesitation and was able to intimidate him. As a result, his fake worked beautifully. An opponent can read the flow of this aura and be prepared for the moment of attack. If the user is inexperienced or loses his calm, the flow of aura may become awkward, or even too honest. This tactic will most likely work better against someone who's seen Jajanken before. When Gon prepares to execute the technique, an opponent who's seen the destructive power of the technique will immediately tense up and lose his calm. I always thought Jajanken would be useless if an opponent knew it was coming but... Should the opponent pull back, he can continue with his scissors and paper attacks!! The effectiveness of his fakes can be increased.

Gon clenches his fist with fierce determination, flames of aura erupting around him as he declares, "HERE I GO!" Internal narration echoes his realization: "I WAS WRONG...!! THERE ARE PLENTY OF WAYS... TO USE IT TO HIS ADVANTAGE!!" Nearby, someone affirms, "ALRIGHT." In the next sequence of panels, Killua sweats with a tense expression, thinking, "...NO. HAD GON ALREADY COME UP WITH A WAY TO COMPENSATE FOR THIS WEAKNESS...?" The scene shifts to a starry night battlefield where Gon stands facing an opponent. Killua continues analyzing: "ALTHOUGH HE GOT KICKED BY KNUCKLE BECAUSE HE WAS FOCUSING ON THE TECHNIQUE DURING HIS SECOND ATTEMPT... ALL HE HAS TO DO IS INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF NEN ACCORDING TO HIS OPPONENT'S REACTION TO MAKE IT DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT'S A FAKE OR NOT..." Suddenly Killua's eyes widen in shock as he realizes, "HE CAME UP WITH IT JUST NOW...!! RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF BATTLE...!!!"

Gon stands powerfully in the center of a dark void filled with crackling white energy and starburst effects, his arms crossed in a defensive yet charging stance as he grows dramatically in power. Narration declares, "HE'S GROWING!! AT A FRIGHTENING PACE!" A small distant figure of Knuckle watches from behind. In the lower panel Killua reacts with wide-eyed astonishment, the sound effect "OF BATTLE!!" exploding beside him as he repeats, "RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF BATTLE!!"

Gon stares ahead with wide eyes, sweat pouring down his face as he struggles to maintain his aura. "WE HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN FIGHTING FOR TWENTY MINUTES..." he thinks. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S ALREADY GETTING DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN KEN." In the next panel, Gon glances back over his shoulder, still sweating heavily. Knuckle stands in the background, watching him. Gon continues thinking, "I CAN ONLY MAINTAIN KEN FOR TEN MORE MINUTES...!! IF ONE HOUR OF TRAINING IS EQUIVALENT TO TEN MINUTES IN BATTLE... MY MOVEMENTS MUST BE DRAINING MY NEN QUICKLY..." A close-up shows Gon's determined face as he resolves, "I'LL HAVE TO FINISH THIS BEFORE THAT HAPPENS...!!" with several "U" sound effects. In another panel, Knuckle is shown mid-action with a starburst effect. Gon thinks, "IF MY OFFENSE-DEFENSE POWER WEAKENS... I'LL DEFINITELY LOSE." The page ends with a dramatic close-up of Gon's clenched fist streaked with motion lines: "WITH JAJANKEN...!!!"

Gon and Knuckle clash violently in a flurry of punches and kicks, surrounded by massive impact lines and "GA" sound effects. Gon is pushed back but quickly counters with rapid strikes. Knuckle lands a solid hit marked "BON" as Gon reels. In the final panel, Gon stands ready amid swirling dust clouds and motion lines while Knuckle watches. Narration states, "BUT GON IS GRADUALLY BECOMING ABLE TO HANDLE IT." and "KNUCKLE DEFINITELY HAS THE EDGE IN HAND-TO-HAND COMBAT..."

Gon faces Knuckle in their intense battle. Narration notes that Gon is also getting used to Knuckle's speed and hasn't taken any more surprise hits. A diagram contrasts Gon's aura state before and now, explaining that by increasing the area of his aura's defense he's reducing the amount of damage from his miscalculations. Close-up on Killua's face shows him thinking there's no time. The scene shifts to Gon running desperately as narration states his aura's stamina is reaching its limit. Gon thinks he has to prepare by summoning a large amount of aura, but for Gon to use Jajanken he can only use basic attacks. Knuckle continues saving up some of his strength.

Flashback panels show Gon repeatedly attempting Jajanken as a fake, each time consuming large amounts of aura. Killua observes that even when Gon uses Jajanken as a fake it consumes a large amount of aura. Narration explains that Gon will only be able to fight with all his strength for one or two more minutes and that it has been thirty minutes since the fight began. Gon will be able to use Jajanken one more time. The page ends with a massive impact as Knuckle lands a powerful blow on Gon, sending him flying with dramatic sound effects.

Under a starry night sky, a bright explosive aura erupts across the open field as Gon crouches in the center of the light. Knuckle Bine stands with his back partially turned, right arm extended forward. In a close-up, Knuckle glances sideways with a stern expression and says "GON." Nearby, Gon stares ahead with a fierce, sweat-streaked face while small "ha ha" bubbles float beside him. Knuckle continues speaking, declaring "BUT YOU'RE STILL FAR FROM BEING A WORTHY OPPONENT!!" and "YOU TOLD ME TO FIGHT WITH ALL MY STRENGTH." Killua reacts with wide eyes and a sharp "!?" In the final panels, a hand is shown as an off-panel voice states "FIRST IS..." and "YOU'RE" while Knuckle stands in the distance.

Gon leaps into a powerful stance with both fists clenched tightly near his chest, body covered in sweat and motion lines radiating outward. Large text declares "ROCK!!" beside him. Below, Killua stares upward in disbelief, shouting "WHY!!?" and "WH...!" with sweat flying from his face. Additional panels show intense speed lines, debris, and a distant view of Gon in the same crouched pose amid the chaos. The sequence emphasizes Gon's sudden, overwhelming action and Killua's stunned reaction.

Against a stark black background, a small spiky-haired boy appears in a jagged white starburst near the top of the page. The words 'WHAT ARE YOU' float beside him. Far below, a larger figure of a man is shown from behind, standing within another irregular white burst. The words 'GOING TO DO?' appear to the left of this figure. The composition creates a direct, tense confrontation between the two outlined forms.