Hunter × Hunter Chapter 142: The Bomb Devil

Killua strains with clenched teeth and a shaky "NG" sound as he holds a difficult pose. Biscuit watches from below and praises, "YOU'VE TOUGHENED UP OVER THE LAST MONTH. IT'S GOOD! IT'S BEEN OVER 30 MINUTES NOW." Killua collapses while Biscuit declares, "KILLUA WON BY A SPLIT SECOND! GON, GIMME 1000 PUSH-UPS." and "BINGO. NUMBER THREE!!!" Biscuit then turns and announces, "FROM TODAY ON, IT WILL BE TRAINING FOR REAL FIGHTS." In the distance Gon, Killua and Biscuit stand with their backs to the viewer as Gon drops into a push-up position. Close-ups show Gon and Killua's surprised faces.

In a rocky cavern, Gon and Killua stand ready in fighting poses while Biscuit watches from the side. She calls out sharply, "KEN!" Diagrams illustrate aura distribution: when using normal aura, offense and defense sit at roughly ten each. With Kou the aura concentrates fully on one body part, making it one hundred offense and defense while the rest drops to zero. Biscuit explains that the balanced stance is called a "50-50 stance," splitting half defense and half offense. She reminds Gon he already knows what happens if an opponent strikes outside the Kou area. Gon shouts back, "USE KOU !!" Biscuit warns that without Kou they cannot inflict significant damage, but if both fighters use Ken they can spar freely. Gon answers correctly and Biscuit praises him with "GOOD ANSWER !" She then instructs, "USE GYOU." Killua asks, "SO, WHAT SHALL WE DO?"

Biscuit demonstrates Gyou by shifting seventy percent of her strength into her right hand while keeping thirty percent in the rest of her body. She explains that from the 50-50 stance one can adjust to fifty offense and fifty defense or redirect aura as needed. A close-up fist radiates power with the caption that this forms the foundation of Nen fighting. Using Gyou lets a fighter strengthen offensive and defensive values according to the situation. In the next panel Gon attempts the technique, his body labeled with specific percentages: left foot eighty percent, body twenty percent, head sixty percent, body forty percent. Biscuit corrects him, pointing out the exact values for right hand seventy percent and body thirty percent. She encourages him to try again without worrying about hitting the numbers perfectly. Large impact effects surround Biscuit as she powers up.

Biscuit stands with her back to the viewer, addressing the exhausted boys. "YOU'LL DO THIS EXERCISE THREE TIMES A DAY, 30 MINUTES AT A TIME, IN ADDITION TO THE TRAINING PROGRAM SO FAR." Gon and Killua pant heavily, sweat pouring down their bruised bodies as they gasp "HA HA—" and "ZSHA— ZSHA—". Biscuit turns with a bright smile and declares, "LET'S TRY SOME SPARRING." Gon and Killua drop into low stances. "GAH. AND NOW," Biscuit announces. In the large bottom panel, Gon and Killua face each other in fighting poses with fists raised while Biscuit watches from behind, hands on her hips.

Biscuit demonstrates the technique up close. "REAL-TIME OFFENSIVE AND DEFENSIVE VALUE ADJUSTMENT! THIS IS CALLED 'RYU.'" She shows the right fist at 70% and left at 30% body weight the instant an attack lands. "THIS IS THE NEUTRAL STANCE FOR FIGHTING." She tells Gon and Killua to "GO IN THE 50-50 STANCE" and "MAKE 'RYU'…" Gon and Killua watch intently. Biscuit continues, "I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING WITH THE FIST!! …AN ALMOST INSTANTANEOUS PROCESS." A timer counts "1 SECOND" then "13 SECONDS" as Gon throws a slow punch. Biscuit encourages them, "BUT DO IT AS CLEANLY AND SMOOTHLY AS YOU CAN. GO AHEAD, AT THE BEGINNING IT'S OKAY TO TAKE YOUR TIME."

Biscuit instructs from the rocks above the rocky training ground. "ON THE DEFENSIVE SIDE, ANALYZE AND SEE THROUGH YOUR OPPONENT'S ATTACK. YOU CAN ATTACK ANYWHERE, USING ANY METHOD!!" She then calls out, "BEGIN SPARRING NOW." "OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH FOR NOW." A hand raises and signals "BEGIN !!" Gon and Killua face each other in the clearing. Gon steps forward and declares, "WELL, HERE I GO." The two boys clash in close combat. Gon throws a punch while Killua braces. Close-up panels show Gon analyzing: "RIGHT LEG...! STRENGTH 60... MORE OR LESS?" Killua counters with a high kick, shouting, "RIGHT LEG!! STRENGTH 55!!" Gon focuses on his own strikes, noting "LEFT HAND!! STRENGTH 60...!!!"

The sparring intensifies. Gon shouts, "RIGHT FIST!! STRENGTH 80!!" as he delivers a powerful punch. Killua blocks and counters, yelling, "LEFT ELBOW!! STRENGTH 80!!" with a sharp elbow strike that produces a loud impact. Gon follows with another measured blow. The fight moves to a stone staircase where Killua launches a flying kick that Gon narrowly evades by leaning back. Both fighters show intense focus and rapid exchanges of strikes while continuing to call out strength estimates.

Gon and Killua stand face to face, sweat flying as they lock eyes in intense concentration. A narrator explains that a casual spectator might think they are just having fun doing slow motion stuff, but they are recreating the supreme sparring forms: 'RUI RUI BU.' The caption notes '(RUI RUI BU : THE DANCE OF 'RYU'S').' Against an expert opponent the low level practitioner has no chance of defending himself, however slow the attack, so the exercise has meaning only between people of the same strength. A form of sparring where offense and defense are purposefully carried out slowly, to ascertain the correct flow of each and every basic technique. In a dramatic black panel a blinding flash erupts with the words 'THE LAST LEVEL ... !!' and 'AND AFTER THAT, FINALLY.' Biscuit, facing away, instructs the boys in the rocky clearing: 'JUST EXECUTE YOUR MOVES CLEANLY AND WITHOUT HASTE!' Gon and Killua continue their slow, precise movements in the background.

A dark forest canopy fills the top panel. Below, a rocky cave entrance is shown on the left while a narrow passage between boulders appears on the right. A voice says 'WELL, GENTLE-MEN.' In the large lower panel a large group of people gathers inside a spacious cavern. A man with spiky hair stands with his back to the viewer, addressing the crowd. He declares that they are the fruit of everyone's hard work and thanks them for their efforts. Another speech bubble states that at the moment there are 133 imposed slot cards of 90 different types here. Dozens of figures sit, stand, or lean against the cave walls, listening attentively.

In a stone-walled chamber, three figures sit and stand in quiet discussion. One man with slicked-back hair states that their enemies are as good as theirs, while another notes they also know the whereabouts of seven of the remaining ten cards and the locations of the other cards in their owners' binders. A bearded man with a scar and a companion with stubble analyze the opposing force led by Tsezugera, concluding they likely possess the same number of imposed slot cards. They agree that while spell cards give the enemy an overwhelming edge in quantity and quality, the encounter will still be the final battle. The bearded man adds that the opponents remain on their guard, preventing further information gathering. Suddenly the scene erupts in a dramatic splash panel filled with bold SFX as the spiky-haired man with a goatee thrusts his fist forward and shouts, "GENTLEMEN!! VICTORY IS NEAR!!" Below, a man with glasses raises his hand and asks, "ONE WORD ... IS THAT OKAY?" while the spiky-haired man holds up several cards.

The man with glasses leans in and says he has something to tell everyone, though he cannot decide if the story is long or short. In a stark panel he declares, "I'M THE 'BOMB DEVIL.'" The surrounding group reacts with shock, wide eyes, and tense postures. He continues that the nine other original members never knew this fact and that they are definitely not his accomplices. A background figure shouts, "HEY, WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?" while another warns, "JUST HEAR ME OUT." The man with glasses raises his hand again and states, "NOW, WITH THAT OUT OF THE WAY, LET'S GO ON TO THE MAIN TOPIC." The listeners remain frozen in stunned silence amid the rocky cavern setting.

In the dim tunnel, Gon stands frozen with shock as a large exclamation mark bursts from his head. Ahead, Genthru stands with arms outstretched before the gathered crowd and declares, 'THERE ARE TIME BOMBS SET ON EVERY ONE OF YOUR BODIES.' The announcement sends ripples of panic through the onlookers. A man with a scarred face yells, 'BASTARD IS THIS A JOKE?!' while Gon shouts, 'WHAT?! HOW DID HE DO THAT...' Nearby figures clutch their heads in disbelief. Another voice cries, 'HOW ARE WE SUPPOSED TO STAY CALM AFTER HEARING THAT?!' Genthru raises a hand and urges, 'AHH, PLEASE JUST LISTEN TO ME CALMLY.' At the bottom of the scene, a stern man with glasses stands beside Gon, whose eyes narrow in fury as a clenched fist appears in the foreground.

A massive explosion erupts in a radial burst of black lines and debris as Genthru’s fist connects with Gon’s face, sending the boy flying backward with mouth open in pain. Small reaction panels capture the stunned faces of the onlookers, some with sweat drops and open mouths. Below, Genthru stands in the rocky cavern with arms raised, while Gon lies sprawled on the ground. In a close-up, Genthru adjusts his glasses and says, 'NOW I HAVE TO DISTURB THE SEQUENCE OF MY EXPLANATIONS.' He adds with a sigh, 'SHEESH...' as smoke drifts from his mouth.

In a dimly lit rocky cavern, a man with glasses and slicked-back hair adjusts his frames while speaking. "It's not very powerful... that guy got to keep his life." He continues, "This is a different skill than the one I used to set bombs on all of you..." In the open area, the same man stands confidently as several figures watch from the background. "I can make what I grasp in my hand explode. As you can see," he declares, with motion lines and "ドド" sound effects emphasizing his demonstration. A spiky-haired young man in a jacket reacts nearby. Close-up panels show two wide-eyed characters listening intently. One says, "I can tell you that you will undoubtedly die." The other adds, "But if the bombs inside you explode..." The man with glasses muses, "MMM... I guess it works up to about the size of a basket-ball." In the final panels, he smiles broadly and offers, "Let me teach you how you can get rid of the bombs. And now," as sweat drops appear on the faces of the listeners in the background.