Hunter × Hunter Chapter 290: Name

The scene continues with Knuckle still collapsed and the seated ally urging him onward. "DO... WHAT YOU CAN...!!" and "YOU..... CAN STILL... FIGHT..." Morel's face appears again, shouting "THEN... GO AFTER HIM...!!!" and recalling "YUPI SAID... 'WHENEVER'... DIDN'T HE...?!" A close-up shows Youpi's monstrous face covered in sweat. Morel's expression hardens as he admits "I... CANNOT." Youpi's massive hand reaches out while declaring he can no longer see his target as anything but an enemy to eliminate. Knuckle's hands clutch the dirt as he reflects that Youpi was never truly a bad person and had sympathized with them. Youpi finishes: "HE ACTUALLY SYMPATHISED WITH US, WITH HOW HARD WE WERE TRYING!!"

A massive muscular figure with a grotesque, brain-like head kneels heavily on the rocky ground, head bowed low as he utters, "THE KING...!" In the distance, Knuckle stands with one arm raised high, a brilliant flash of light erupting behind him. Smaller panels show close-ups of shocked faces: Knov with wide eyes and sweat flying, another man with an open mouth calling "KNOV-SA". In the foreground, Palm stares forward with intense sweat drops rolling down her face and glasses, her hands raised in agitation. She declares, "WITH A WAVE OF HIS BATON, THEY WILL DO HIS BIDDING, NO MATTER WHAT MAY BE......!!!" and adds, "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE SOLDIERS THINK OR FEEL."

Morel wipes sweat from his face while reporting, "HE HAS TAKEN THE KING TO THE APPOINTED LOCATION. I'VE RECEIVED WORD FROM A MESSENGER OF THE PRESIDENT'S." In another panel, Pouf's fragment stands cloaked before a kneeling figure, saying, "DO YOU TWO WANT TO COME AS WELL? YOU CAN LEAVE MORALI TO ME... SHOOT IS ALL RIGHT, AS WELL." Knuckle reacts with surprise. A small creature-like being appears near Knuckle. Pouf continues, "LET ME PUNCH THAT IDIOT IN THE FACE..." Morel's close-up shows him saying, "THEY WILL BE TOO LATE." Palm's eyes are shown with sweat drops as she repeats, "IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT THE GUARDS DO NOW..." Morel asks about Palm, then Pouf's fragment states, "IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE NO LONGER NEEDED... ANY OF US........." The final wide panel reveals a large circular patterned structure on the ground with cracks around it; Morel says, "...I SEE." and Pouf replies, "...NO. NOT YET."

A dark-haired man turns sharply and asks if the others will go back or stay. The spiky-haired man with glasses replies that anyone can see the state he is in and warns he may not be able to come back for them. The intense close-up shows the same man declaring he still has work to do here and that he is staying. In the ruined landscape a lone figure stands silhouetted against smoke while another character, half-buried in debris, acknowledges the strength on display. The group reconvenes as the spiky-haired man repeats that he still has work to do; the dark-haired man tells him that can wait, but the answer remains no. They ask if he is going to look for Palm. The reply is simply “Let’s go.” The final wide panel shows motion lines streaking across the page as a voice states that Youpi is not the only guard out there.

Youpi stands atop a broken structure, a mass of floating eye-like spheres clustered around his head and shoulders. He states he cannot sense any other battles nearby and wonders if he is the only one left. Killua, floating beside him, reacts with surprise. A fragment of Pouf appears in close-up, explaining he had to escape without being noticed and confirming he is the one speaking. Youpi addresses the fragment as Pouf and notes the change in appearance. The Pouf fragment replies that he had to disperse his particles gradually because moving them all at once would be obvious. Killua listens with a serious expression while the fragment adds that he has information to share. The final panel shows a dark, cloudy sky with an ellipsis indicating the end of the exchange.

Youpi stands with arms crossed, gazing downward in thought. "Will Pitou's transformation truly be of service to the King...?" he wonders. "I have no proof one way or the other." He continues, "Personally, Youpi could understand what Pitou was doing perfectly." Nearby, a bespectacled figure leans in and asks, "...we should do right now?" Youpi turns slightly and replies, "Youpi... what would you say..." Close-ups reveal Youpi's intense eyes narrowing as the realization hits. "Realising this, Youpi understood... He was tested." The final panel shows a dark, jagged silhouette with the note that Poufu had observed the changes taking place in Pitou as well as in Youpi. "...and that he feared them," the narration concludes. "Pretty stupid question."

The bespectacled man declares, "Surely that's all there is to it." Narration notes he spoke only his true feelings. A winged, insectoid figure with antlers bursts from a mass of spheres, shouting, "To the King!!! We should go to his aid right away." The long-haired figure watches in profile. A wide panel shows a dark sky with two small winged silhouettes flying. Narration explains, "It was because he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible." The final box states, "Because Youpi, too, was afraid."

A massive explosion erupts across the rocky terrain, sending smoke and debris flying. On the left side of the page, a bipedal creature with a helmet-like head and armored body braces amid the blast, its form partially obscured by the force. On the right, a towering, ornate head with flowing ribbons and a serene yet damaged expression looms above the scene. Below it, Morel stands in a low stance, arms extended as he manipulates floating spherical objects, his body leaning into the motion while large impact SFX surround him.

In a devastated rocky canyon, a bizarre multi-limbed plant-like entity stands at the center, its tendrils splayed outward amid fresh explosions and flying debris. SFX ripple across the landscape. In close-up panels, Morel appears with a tense expression, declaring the opponent's resilience. Beside him, Knuckle stares forward with wide eyes. In the final wide panel, Knuckle stands alone in the ruins, one arm raised, reflecting on the sudden assault as he notes its precision.

In a rocky cavern, Knuckle stands with his back to the viewer, arms outstretched, facing the kneeling armored figure of Morel who grips his massive pipe. A speech bubble asks, "ARE YOU FINISHED NOW?" Morel remains on one knee, pipe coiled, replying in thought, "...ASKING ME TO SIT...?" A panel shows Knuckle standing amid flames with the caption "HE IS STILL..." Morel's stern face fills a close-up. In the foreground, Morel, wearing his signature goggles and pipe weapon, clenches his fist and declares, "...SAY IT AGAIN. I WON'T..."

Morel, shirt torn, raises his hand and states he cannot withdraw at this point. His eyes narrow in resolve. A close-up shows his clenched fist. On the right, the massive skeletal form of Hyakushiki Kannon looms, multiple arms raised, one pointing forward as a giant pipe fist smashes forward with explosive impact lines. Large text reads "SAN-NO-TE". A tiny figure of Morel sits in the distance below the towering entity. A bottom panel asks, "DO YOU REALLY..."

Two enormous hands loom in the darkness, their palms blackened and dripping, framing a tiny struggling figure suspended between them. The small form twists violently as a voice asks, '...WANT TO DIE THAT MUCH?' Below, a rapid sequence of panels shows a figure in ornate armor recoiling from a sudden cross-shaped impact, motion lines streaking the air. Narration states THE WRATH UNLEASHED HERE... A close-up reveals the King’s diminutive body flung backward amid jagged black energy. Another box reads, '...TO THE KING, WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A TINY FLAME, THE LEVEL A PARENT MIGHT FEEL WHEN CONFRONTED BY A PETULANT CHILD...' On the far right, Netero’s aged face stares upward with wide, intense eyes, his beard and wrinkles sharply detailed against the panel edge.

Under a cloudy sky, a lone figure with a topknot stands on rocky ground facing a distant silhouette. Netero drops into a low stance, body angled forward. Narration notes a fierce and terrible sensation. From behind, Netero’s bald head and topknot are shown as he maintains his pose; text states it was enough to make him more than double his usual distance from the enemy. Another box reads it was as if his determination not to withdraw had been brushed away with a laugh, wounding his spirit. In a wider view Netero assumes a wide-legged fighting posture on cracked earth before a towering cliff, the distant enemy now a small dark shape. A final oval bubble simply says OBSERVE.

The helmeted fighter leans in close, eyes narrowed, declaring that the only thing worth exchanging is words. A gloved hand clenches tightly around a small, newborn-like form as the voice spits out '...BRAT...!' and 'THIS NEWBORN...'. In a massive close-up, the mustached man with the pipe glares furiously, shouting that if words were enough he would not be doing this. Below, bare feet stand planted on cracked, dusty ground as tension hangs in the air.

The bald figure turns sharply and calls out 'WAIT...'. In the rocky cavern, a voice addresses 'YOUR MAJESTY' while another emphasizes 'WORDS'. Far across the desolate plain, a lone small figure kneels under a radiant burst of light. Speech bubbles question whether the figure wishes to know their own name. The helmeted fighter reacts with visible shock, demanding to know why the other knows his name.

In a misty forest clearing, two figures stand apart on the leaf-strewn ground. A distant silhouette faces the viewer while a closer voice declares, "It seems that your name was the last thing she ever said." The reply comes from the far figure: "My subordinate was there when your mother died." Close-up panels show a tense, wrinkled face and the profile of a man in a hat, with overlapping dialogue: "I feel like fighting now...?" and "Though that subordinate may well have perished already in the battle against your guards..." The page ends on a stark black background with a dramatic close-up of Morel's face, eyes wide and hand near his mouth, as he says, "I may feel like telling you, you know? If you manage to make me admit defeat..."

The forest scene continues with a small figure kneeling in the distance. A voice compares the fight to "beginning a shogi match without one's rook or bishop." The opponent stands ready, asking to fight without killing until one side admits defeat. Large onomatopoeia "オオオオ" erupts across the page as Knuckle leaps forward dynamically, arms extended, declaring "...Very well. I will checkmate you forthwith." The bottom panel shows a shocked face with the caption "HERE HE COMES!!!" followed by a publication note announcing the series will go on hiatus after this issue.

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