TRANSFIGURATION

Under a night sky dotted with clouds, a damaged building with a dome and staircase stands silent. Inside a wrecked hall, a large, grotesque mass lies on the floor amid rubble. Multiple speech bubbles scream "NO!!" in panic. A shadowy figure is partially visible atop the mass. The final panel shows a close-up of a torn, gloved hand or limb against the wall, surrounded by debris and impact marks.

Killua crouches amid rubble in a ruined corridor, electricity crackling around him as he finishes preparing an attack. "OK, CHARGING COMPLETE," he says, a small device glowing in his hand. A blinding flash erupts from the floor as he activates his power. In the next instant he stands tall in the devastated hallway, arms outstretched, staring down its length. Far ahead, a small figure lies motionless among the debris. Killua's eyes widen in sudden recognition. "I KNOW THIS PERSON ...!" he thinks. "I THINK... AND... I'M BEING WATCHED...!!! AND..."

Killua's face appears beside a large circular emblem marked with a star-like pattern. He is shown in multiple quick panels: leaping, extending his arm, and scanning the surroundings. A small object flies from his hand toward the floor. The long corridor stretches empty except for scattered rubble and impact marks. Elsewhere, a boy with curly hair sits against a wall holding a thin rod, looking calm. Killua peers through a circular lens-like view at a distant pile of rubble. "NO ONE'S THERE...?" he wonders. His expression remains tense as he continues searching the ruined space.

In a ruined corridor, a lone silhouette stands amid rubble. Palm appears transformed: her lower body now a scaled fish tail, long dark hair flowing, arms covered in scales, and a large glossy black sphere embedded in her forehead. Close-ups reveal her pale face with wide, luminous eyes and the orb reflecting light. A small inset shows Killua staring in shock, eyes wide and mouth open. Bold SFX symbols punctuate the panels as the transformed figure looms.

Killua stares in horror, hair standing on end. Narration states that seeing her shook Killua to his core. Though traces remained, this was clearly not the same Palm he had known. Internal thoughts continue: He probably couldn't take it. There's no room for anything else in his heart. If Gon were to see her... She was captured by the guards... And changed. A dramatic panel shows Gon with intense expression. The page ends with a black shattered background and bold text: It might break him!! If her heart has been completely changed, too...!!!

In a ruined corridor lined with shattered windows and debris, Killua stands alone amid the destruction. He clenches his fists and resolves, "I'LL JUST HAVE TO FIND OUT FOR SURE!!" and "FIND OUT FOR SURE!!" The floor is cracked and littered with rubble. Below, Palm appears further down the same hallway. She stands barefoot in a tattered white dress, her long dark hair hanging loose, her body marked with strange patterns. Smoke and dust swirl around the damaged space as she faces forward with an intense, unblinking stare.

Killua senses Palm's approach through the corridor. He thinks, "EVER SINCE I FELT HER GAZE ON ME," "SHE'S BEEN APPROACHING ME," and "SHE'S COMING CLOSER!! THERE'S A CHANCE....!!" He recalls, "I THOUGHT SHE USED SOME SORT OF DIVINATION TO SEARCH, BUT..." and questions, "PALM... IS THAT YOU...?" A large panel declares, "MORE LIKE CLAIRVOYANCE!!" and "IT MUST BE." Killua continues reasoning: "CLAIRVOYANCE WORKS BETTER AT A DISTANCE, AND BESIDES, IF SHE WERE THE ENEMY, SHE WOULDN'T EVEN REMEMBER ME...!!" and "AND IF SHE WERE THE ENEMY, SHE WOULD HAVE RETREATED...!!" He concludes, "SHE MUST HAVE 'SEEN' ME SOME OTHER WAY" and "SHE COULDN'T HAVE SEEN ME DIRECTLY FROM WHERE SHE WAS." The panels show Killua's profile, the distant view of Palm, and his feet amid the rubble.

In a ruined stone corridor, Killua stands with his back to the viewer, facing a tall girl with long dark hair who approaches him. His thoughts race: "THAT SHE REMEMBERS ME!!" and "THE FACT THAT SHE'S APPROACHING MUST MEAN..." The girl draws closer, her face filling the next panel with wide eyes and dripping hair as she asks, "WHERE IS GON...?" A small voice adds, "KILLL...A." Killua clenches his fist, realizing, "STILL HAVE HER MEMORIES!! SHE DOES." His shocked face appears in close-up. The girl looks down at her clawed hands and wonders, "NOW THAT LOOK LIKE THIS...? WILL GON HATE ME."

A flashback shows young Gon and a young Palm-like figure arguing near a tree. She says, "I DON'T NEED YOUR PITY ANYWAY." Gon replies, "FINE... ...YOU ALWAYS WERE A HATEFUL LITTLE THING... ...AND BESIDES, HE'D NEVER HATE YOU ANYWAY. GON DOESN'T JUDGE PEOPLE BY THEIR APPEARANCES." Back in the present, the girl stands in shadow asking again, "WHERE IS GON...?" Killua stands alone in the ruined hallway with hands on his hips. The girl moves to a broken window and sees a small figure in the distance. Someone states, "HE... GON IS WITH PITOU." A dramatic close-up shows Killua's profile against a black background, his expression tense.

Killua stands in the ruined hallway, his thoughts racing. 'BUT NOT GON?' 'SHE CAN SEE ME,' 'HOW COME' he wonders as dark smudges mark the air. A silhouette with glowing eyes watches from the shadows. Close-ups reveal scattered debris and boots near fallen cards. The woman with long dark hair leans forward, her eyes wide and intense. 'WHAT'S THE MATTER ?' she asks. Killua spins toward her, startled. 'HUH? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?' he replies. She continues, 'YOU'RE THE ONE WHO CAME AROUND THE CORNER.' Killua presses, 'DID YOU FIND ME !' She answers, 'BY ACCIDENT ?'

Killua confronts the woman directly. 'WHY ARE YOU LYING?' he demands. She retorts, 'YOU MUST HAVE NOTICED ME FIRST!!' and 'YOU'RE WRONG! I FELT YOUR GAZE ON ME.' A close-up shows her stern face with headband as she thinks 'WHERE IS GON?' and calls him an annoying kid. Killua stands with aura flaring, hand on hip. A diagram panel illustrates the woman turning around while using clairvoyance, with numbered arrows showing her movement and gaze. She insists, 'ANSWER ME FIRST.' 'THEN SHE MUST HAVE GONE THE OTHER DIRECTION AS SOON AS SHE SAW ME...!?' The woman repeats, 'WHERE IS GON?' and adds 'ONE LAST TIME.'

Killua stares intensely at his opponent, his spiky white hair framing a determined face. He points forward with one hand while clutching a small circular device in the other. "YOU'RE THE ENEMY," he declares firmly. In the next breath he adds, "I'M NOT GONNA TELL YOU!" Below, a powerful figure erupts with dark, swirling aura. Long wild hair flares outward, a headband sits across the forehead, and the character's muscular torso is marked by a dark wound on the chest. Massive energy tendrils lash violently in every direction as the figure glares upward with fierce eyes.

The long-haired figure's body twists and expands under a torrent of black scribbled energy. A massive arm swings outward while the torso becomes a vortex of swirling lines. "I..." the figure begins. A small panel shows Killua's shocked face, eyes wide. "WAS WRONG," continues the voice. The figure's limbs stretch and blur with motion as the aura rages. "MY POWERS," it declares. In the final panel the body is seen from behind, arms flung wide amid the storm. "ABOUT HOW TO USE," the figure concludes.

Massive, heavily bandaged hands flex and twitch against a backdrop of explosive energy, the fingers curling with raw tension as sound effects crackle around them. A young woman with long dark hair stares forward with wide, intense eyes, sweat and strain visible on her face as she thinks to herself that she should just let it control her body. Below, a spiky-haired boy named Killua stands frozen in shock, his mouth open and eyes wide as he begins to utter 'SHE'S...' and 'SH...'. In the background, a dark silhouette of a figure in a wide hat stands amid cracked ground and swirling energy. Killua's expression shifts to alarm as he finishes the thought with 'DANGEROUS.' The silhouette remains still, radiating menace while the energy pulses outward.

The hatted fighter named Knuckle lunges forward in a dramatic close-up, his eyes bulging and mouth open in a fierce grin as he declares his overwhelming desire to kill. Massive bandaged arms reach out with one fist extended, the motion lines emphasizing the speed and force of the strike. A large speech bubble labels the technique 'BLACK WIDOW.' Killua is shown in the lower right, looking up with a tense, focused expression as the attack descends toward him. The background explodes with radiating lines that heighten the intensity of the assault.

A massive impact erupts across the page as the woman in the wide-brimmed hat is hurled backward by a tremendous force. Her body twists violently amid flying debris and motion lines while large, jagged sound effects dominate the center. Smaller inset panels capture the spiky-haired fighter recoiling from the blow, his face showing shock as energy bursts flash around him. The woman lands in a low stance, eyes wide and mouth open in a fierce grin. At the bottom of the page she leans forward with an intense expression and shouts, "NOW WHAT WILL YOU DO!?" while the spiky-haired fighter throws his head back in wild laughter, "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The fight continues at high speed. The woman in the wide-brimmed hat lunges forward, her dress flaring as she closes the distance with the spiky-haired fighter. She grabs or strikes him amid heavy motion lines and impact bursts. Her face fills a large panel, eyes bulging and mouth stretched wide as she screams three rapid questions: "WILL YOU SPEAK BEFORE YOU DIE!?", "WILL YOU DIE WITHOUT A WORD!?", and "OR WILL YOU JUST DIE!?" The spiky-haired fighter is shown below, battered and wide-eyed, thinking "SHE'S STRONG!!" as another impact erupts near his head.

Meanwhile, Pouf has once more shaken free from Meleoron's restraints. The chimera ant stands in the ruined interior, his long hair flowing behind him. Knuckle, shirtless and muscular, faces him with his back to the viewer and demands a fight. Knuckle shouts, 'COME OUT HERE.' Pouf remains silent and still. The scene cuts to a close-up of Knuckle's intense, determined face as he glares forward, ready for battle.