THE CONDITION

Gon, Killua, and a third figure with wild hair and wide eyes burst forward in a powerful dynamic pose. Gon on the left leans in with a fierce glare, his fist clenched. The central character grins intensely with one eye half-closed. Killua on the right points forward with determination while gripping a broken warifu plate marked with kanji. Another plate fragment with matching characters is held prominently in the foreground. The entire composition radiates urgency and resolve as the three advance together.

Gon and Killua stand outside a large traditional building under a cloudy sky, exchanging worried glances. Gon says, 'They must've confirmed the message.' Killua adds, 'Someone's been watching.' The two boys enter a dimly lit room filled with glowing monitors and screens. They join two other figures already inside, all facing the displays. Suddenly, long flowing hair cascades into view from above. A voice addresses them directly: 'You must be Gon and Killua, am I right?'

A tall woman with extraordinarily long black hair floats or stands dramatically amid swirling dark energy patterns. She introduces herself: 'My name is Palm. Glad we've finally met.' She adds, 'Pleased to meet you.' Gon and Killua react with surprise and nervousness below her. Palm continues, noting the Chairman only gave general instructions. She offers to explain everything over a cup of tea, her hair flowing around her as she descends toward the building entrance.

A hand pours a fine powder from a spoon into a cup while a voice explains, "HE TOLD ME I'D ONLY GET IN HIS WAY BUT I INSISTED ON COMING." The speaker continues, "I AM AN APPRENTICE OF MASTER NOVU." In the next panels a long-haired woman sits at a table with Gon and Killua. She says, "BUT THIS IS ONLY OUT OF MY UTMOST RESPECT FOR HIM, TO THINK THAT I MAY HAVE ANY SPECIAL FEELINGS... AH." She adds, "MASTER NOVU IS AN AMAZING PERSON. HE'S COOL AND INTELLIGENT AND COMPOSED AND... AH... COOL AND COMPOSED MEAN THE SAME THING... OOPS." Gon and Killua listen as she identifies, "I THINK HE'S ONE OF THE GUYS WHO CAME WITH CHAIRMAN NETERO. YES, THE ONE IN THE BLACK SUIT." The woman continues, "OH! OF COURSE, MASTER NOVU KNOWS NOTHING OF THIS. I HAVEN'T SAID A WORD, AND I NEVER WILL..." She then muses, ".........TOWARDS HIM... IS NOT OUT OF THE QUESTION. UHUHUHUHUHUHU. BUT THE IMPORTANT THING IS WHETHER YOU CAN HAVE RESPECT FOR THE OTHER PERSON OR NOT... WHEN IT COMES TO LOVE..."

The long-haired woman continues, "BUT... LOVE CAN SUDDENLY SPARK OUT OF NOWHERE, RIGHT? DON'T YOU THINK SO?" and asks, ".........BUT YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS, RIGHT?" Gon and Killua react with surprise. She then says, "UM... SORRY, BUT CAN I INTERRUPT YOU FOR A SEC." Gon replies, "WE'RE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT, RIGHT?" The woman answers, "AH... STOP IT! I SEE, I APOLOGIZE." Gon points at her and states, "AH... BUT YOU WOULDN'T KNOW THAT UNLESS YOU SPEND A LONG TIME TOGETHER WITH HIM." The woman responds, "MY TEACHER MAY LOOK LIKE A COLD PERSON BUT HE'S ACTUALLY VERY KIND. I APPEALED FOR MY PASSION WITH PROBABLY A WHOLE LIFE-TIME'S WORTH OF WORDS. BUT I KEPT BEING STUBBORN AND INSISTED I GO. THE CHAIRMAN AND MY TEACHER SAID THAT I COULD NOT ACCOMPANY THEM ANY FURTHER THAN HERE. SO THEY FINALLY AGREED TO LET ME COME UNDER ONE CONDITION. HU HU HU." Gon exclaims, "AH... AND JUST BECAUSE I'VE BEEN WITH HIM FOR A LONG TIME, DO NOT MISUNDERSTAND US TO BE... OKAY! OKAY! I GET IT! SO WHAT IS THAT CONDITION!?"

A close-up shows a glaring eye visible through long, disheveled hair as an intense voice declares, "...TO DEFEAT KNUCKLE AND SHOOT...!!!" In a tiled room, Palm stands with her back to the viewer, her hair wild and hands raised as a spiky, star-like mass erupts from the floor. Alarmed voices shout, "PALM-SAN! YOUR HATSU! STOP YOUR HATSU!!" and "WHOA!" A spiky-haired boy and another figure react with raised hands. Nearby panels depict hands holding a container of thick black liquid that bubbles and overflows with SFX "ゴポポポ" and "ゴポポポポ". A pointing hand emerges from shadow, stating, "YOU HAVE TO DEFEAT THEM." In the final panel, Palm, the spiky-haired boy, and a black-haired boy sit at a table with drinks. Speech bubbles read, "BUT I'M NOT THE ONE WHO HAS TO DEFEAT KNUCKLE AND SHOOT." "KNUCKLE AND SHOOT...? NOT US?" "SHE MUST BE REINFORCEMENT... I DON'T LIKE IT." and "THAT IS CORRECT."

Two silhouetted figures stand against a dark background as a voice explains, "THEY HAVE ALSO BEEN GIVEN A SPECIFIC CONDITION TO MEET." Palm, with long wavy hair, gestures while speaking to Killua and Gon. She says, "ALTHOUGH I DO NOT KNOW WHAT THIS CONDITION IS..." and "ARE BOTH APPRENTICES OF MORAU-SAN." Killua responds, "KNUCKLE AND SHOOT..." A dramatic panel shows a pointing finger with radiating lines and text, "ONLY ONE GROUP WILL BE ALLOWED TO GO...!" and "I BET THE ONES THAT WILL BE ALLOWED TO ENTER NGL WILL EITHER BE US OR THEM." The final wide panel reveals a sprawling cityscape with hills in the background. Large text declares, "ONE MONTH!!" A speech bubble adds, "YOU HAVE..."

A massive explosion erupts across a barren rocky landscape, sending jagged debris and stone fragments flying in all directions under a cloudy sky. In the aftermath, a long-haired figure lies sprawled on the ground amid scattered rocks, murmuring, "I felt like I was dreaming." Nearby, a muscular man with short hair walks steadily through a cave-like passage lined with dark openings, declaring, "It was fun." The scene closes on a tight close-up of a prone torso and arm, marked by impact lines and debris.

In a misty, icicle-filled cavern, the cat-eared Chimera Ant sits with their back to the viewer, saying, "I want to do it again... with you..." A large speech bubble from off-panel replies, "With you..." A sudden black panel with jagged edges shows only an ellipsis. Close-ups reveal a wide eye and a calm face with glasses stating, "It's a simple matter." and "That's right." A tiny chibi figure pops up exclaiming "Ah!" The cat-eared Chimera Ant turns with a startled expression, hand raised, as sound effects "Z..." and "ビク" appear near their head.

A chimera ant with fluffy hair and prominent cat ears stands amid swirling energy, eyes wide with fierce resolve. Massive abstract shapes and motion lines erupt behind the figure as the character leans forward, mouth open in declaration. 'I CAN JUST REPAIR HIM!' the cat-eared chimera ant shouts, the words cutting through the chaotic background. Below, a tight close-up captures the same intense eyes and parted lips. 'AND I WILL MAKE THIS MY POWER!' the character continues, the vow ringing with absolute certainty.

A violent tangle of thick black tendrils and limbs thrashes across the page, wrapping around a central distorted face. The face grimaces with clenched teeth and tightly shut eyes, half-buried in the writhing mass. Motion lines and impact shapes explode outward while smaller detached shapes drift at the edges. A single 'Zuu' sound effect punctuates the frenzy as the chaotic mass dominates the entire composition.

In a crowded outdoor gathering filled with smoke and chatter, several men clutch square plates marked with the symbol 角. One man with a cap declares firmly, "WE'RE NOT TO LET THESE PLATES LEAVE OUR POSSESSION." Another voice adds, "FOR ONE MONTH..." Nearby, a man in a beret smokes while holding one of the plates. In close-up, rough hands manipulate a small card bearing the same 角 symbol, accompanied by sharp crackling sound effects. A bystander remarks, "I GUESS THAT MEANS SOMEONE WILL COME TO TAKE THEM." The sequence ends on a dramatic close-up of a large hand thrusting the 角-marked plate forward amid heavy motion lines and the elongated SFX "シュウウウウ".

From behind a seated figure, someone calls out "KNUCKLE?" In the background, two men converse near a table. A sudden close-up reveals Knuckle's intense eyes and gritted teeth as he thinks "PREEMPTIVE STRIKE!" and asks "IS THERE ANY QUESTION?" In a full dramatic panel, Knuckle rises with his signature high pompadour hairstyle, eyes blazing, and declares "AND KILL THEM!" while another speech bubble states "WE WILL WEED THEM OUT." His posture is aggressive, arms spread wide.