VICTORY OR DEFEAT

Biscuit speaks with a serious expression, "THE KEY IS FOR THEM TO REALIZE WHAT THEY'RE LACK-ING. THAT'LL BE GOOD ENOUGH." She continues, "AS LONG AS THEY FIGHT WITH ALL OF THEIR STRENGTH, THEY'LL JUST HAVE TO ACCEPT THE RESULT." In a smaller panel, Biscuit wonders aloud, "THE PROBLEM IS, HOW WILL GON AND KILLUA RUN AWAY FROM HER?" A door stands open with a dark-haired figure kneeling inside amid swirling energy and the sound effect "ごろごろ ごろごろ." Nearby, rough sketches show Gon and Killua being struck repeatedly with impact lines and the onomatopoeia "ガーン gān gān." Biscuit sits on the floor with a cheerful expression. The scene shifts to a starry night sky, then to a hand reaching into a bowl of small round objects on the ground outdoors, picking one up.

Under a starry night sky, a man in a long coat kneels in a grassy field and feeds a pack of dogs gathered around him. He holds out food while saying, "There's plenty for everybody!" and "Here, friends, eat up!" One dog suddenly bolts away with motion lines and the sound "dudududud..." The man stands and walks off carrying a bag labeled "Kukle," leaving several empty bowls on the ground. Close-up panels show a dog's face with "plop" and another with "plop plop." In a wide shot, a man with spiky hair stands with his back partly turned, glaring toward a bright flash of light in the distance where two small figures are visible. He declares, "IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S FOR REAL TONIGHT."

In a rugged, root-filled rocky area, a long-haired man stands playing a violin with focused posture. Nearby, a spiky-haired figure sits casually on a stone ledge and says, "Morning, Yupi." A large, detailed back view of another person's head and shoulders dominates the foreground, partially obscuring the scene. The environment is filled with massive, twisted root structures and cave-like openings. At the bottom of the page the chapter title is displayed: "No.206 ◆ VICTORY OR DEFEAT."

In a moonlit clearing, Gon stands in the foreground facing left while Killua lingers farther back with arms crossed. A distant figure waits near the treeline. Gon speaks first: "I WANT TO ASK YOU WHERE SHOOT IS. BEFORE WE FIGHT..." Someone replies with a simple "HUH?" Knuckle steps forward into close-up, fist raised and aura flaring, declaring, "I'M GONNA BE BEATING THE CRAP OUT OF YOU ANYWAY." He demands, "WHY DO YOU WANNA KNOW?" Killua leans in with a smirk and retorts, "HOW ABOUT YOU BEAT ME FIRST, PUNK? I'LL TELL YOU THEN." Knuckle answers with a grin, "YOU MAKE ME LAUGH. BECAUSE WE NEED TWO PLATES." Gon looks concerned and asks, "WHAT IF YOU PASS OUT?" then adds, "WELL, WHAT IF WE CAN'T ASK YOU AFTER WE BEAT YOU?" In the final panel Knuckle's face twists in sudden rage, veins bulging as a sharp "ビキッ" sound effect cracks across the image.

Knuckle stands tall in the center of the field, arms crossed tightly over his chest as a brilliant radial aura explodes behind him. He growls, "IT'S NOT FUNNY ANY MORE. NOW YOU'VE CROSSED THE LINE." The aura's sharp lines emphasize his fury. In the next wide panel the view pulls back to show Gon standing alone in the foreground, fists loosely at his sides and eyes narrowed, while Killua remains a small, distant silhouette near the treeline under the starry sky.

Speed lines explode across the page as a small, indistinct shape is hurled violently through the air. In the distance, Gon stands braced on the grass, knees bent and eyes locked forward with intense focus. The massive motion blur and impact lines dominate the upper panels. Below, Knuckle Bine fills the frame in close-up, his pompadour hairstyle prominent, face tense with sweat flying and a sharp glare directed ahead. Dramatic sound effects burst near his shoulder and chest, emphasizing the force of the ongoing clash.

Gon launches forward in a powerful leap, right fist cocked back and body angled aggressively toward his opponent. Knuckle Bine leans away in the same panel, coat flaring from the sudden movement. The next sequence shows Gon extending his arm in a full punch, motion lines streaking behind him. A tight close-up captures Gon's determined face and clenched fist as a large impact sound effect erupts beside him.

From behind, Gon braces as the fight erupts. The opponent with slicked-back hair lunges forward, fist cocked, while Gon clings to his back and drives a punch of his own. "ORA." The impact lands with explosive force. A blinding flash erupts as the man reels from the strike, his face twisted in concentration, motion lines and debris blasting outward with a resounding "GO."

Knuckle is hurled backward across the rocky ground, landing hard on one knee as massive impact lines streak past him. Gon crouches low in a ready stance, fists raised and aura flaring. Killua watches tensely from the shadows. Gon thinks, "BETTER BE CAREFUL, PUNK. IT USUALLY TAKES ME FOUR OR FIVE PUNCHES TO GET WARMED UP. IF I LET GO OF 'KEN', I'LL BE KNOCKED OUT NO MATTER WHERE HE HITS ME!! ...HIS BLOWS ARE HEAVY!! EVEN MY INSIDES FEEL LIKE THEY'RE GOING NUMB." Knuckle rises with a fierce grin, fist clenched, declaring "...WILL ONLY GET STRONGER! BE- CAUSE I..."

On a barren, rocky cliffside overlooking a vast wasteland, two figures stand with their backs to the viewer. One has long hair and wears sunglasses; the other has short dark hair and glasses. A large narration box reads: "AS I EXPECTED, THEY HAVE DECIDED TO BARRICADE THEMSELVES IN." Two speech bubbles above them state "YES." and "NOTHING TODAY EITHER?" In the next panel, the man with glasses speaks into a cell phone: "IT'S ALMOST THE DEADLINE FOR THE APPRENTICES. LET'S ACT AFTER THEY ARRIVE." A reply comes: "NO." He continues: "SHALL WE ALSO INITIATE OUR PLAN?" The long-haired man, now shown from behind holding a phone, responds "IT'S JUST A WASTE OF TIME. BAH." Another voice says: "HE TOLD US TO WAIT FOR THE APPRENTICES, TOO." A close-up of a grotesque, clawed figure appears with the text: "THEY'LL NEED TO REPLENISH THEIR SUPPLIES IN ABOUT A WEEK. JUDGING FROM THE NUMBER OF BODIES STORED INSIDE THEIR LAIR... DURING THAT PERIOD, WE SHOULD ELIMINATE APPROXIMATELY TWO OR THREE GROUPS." The long-haired man grins widely and suggests: "MAYBE WE CAN USE THEM AS A DIVERSION." The man with glasses replies: "IT'S TOO RISKY TO CONSIDER THEM AS POSITIVE REINFORCEMENTS."

The long-haired man smirks and says: "YOU KNOW THE CHAIRMAN ALWAYS LIKES TO GAMBLE. WELL, HECK, THEY'RE MORE LIKELY TO GET IN OUR WAY." The man with glasses responds: "IF WE BOTH LOSE, WE GIVE THE MONEY TO THE CHAIRMAN." The long-haired man bets: "I'LL BET US A 100 THOUSAND JENIS ON KNUCKLE AND SHOOT." He raises a finger and challenges: "LET'S SEE WHOSE APPRENTICES WILL COME TOMORROW. YOU WANNA MAKE A SIDE BET?" The man with glasses narrows his eyes and accepts: "THEN I'LL BET ON... IF THAT'S THE CASE..." In a close-up, the long-haired man yells: "YOU'RE JUST THROWING YOUR MONEY AWAY INTO THE SEWER!" while the man with glasses retorts: "YOU'RE CALLING THE CHAIRMAN A SEWER!" A distant panel shows the man with glasses standing alone on the cliff saying: "THERE'S NO WAY THAT'LL HAPPEN! ...FOR 1 MILLION." The long-haired man reacts with shock: "WHAT?!" The final wide shot shows both figures again as the long-haired man declares: "AND I ONLY GO FOR THE JACKPOT. I ALSO LIKE TO GAMBLE..."

In a series of panels, a boy with spiky hair stares in surprise toward the right. Beside him, a menacing man with wild hair and a scarred face grins aggressively. A man with glasses looks back over his shoulder with a serious expression. Next to him, a long-haired person wearing sunglasses bares their teeth. A short-haired figure peers from behind a tree trunk. Below, a girl with long wavy hair grips a knife tightly, her face tense. Nearby, a spiky-haired boy stares forward with wide eyes. At the bottom of the page, an elderly bearded man with a topknot sits with his hand near his mouth. He speaks two thoughts aloud: one bubble reads "UNLESS SOMEONE IS SACRIFICED..." while the other states "THIS MISSION... MAY BE IMPOSSIBLE TO COMPLETE..."

The page opens with the bold NEXGEAR PRESENTS logo above the large stylized title HUNTER x HUNTER, complete with Japanese characters beneath the X. Below the logo sit the URLs www.nexgear.com and irc.irchighway.net #nexgear. Credit blocks list TRANSLATOR: THEHYPERION XIN, BIRDIE; EDITOR: JOOS; PROOFREADER: THEHYPERION HIROSHI HIDE WURLY; and SPECIAL THANKS: KENNETH, FULLISH ALBERT, MUSASHI (NG) SHEBES AND ALL OF OUR HOSTS. At the bottom of the page, a small illustration shows a spiky-haired boy with a sweat drop on his face looking downward and a girl with hair styled in loops and buns sipping from a steaming cup while wearing a dark outfit with a fur collar.