Killua, standing next to him, looked more composed, but the relief and confidence in his expression were clear. With Larry here, things would be fine.
After exchanging greetings, their attention turned to the woman standing beside Larry.
So… that's his girl?
Gon stared at Menchi's face, frowning slightly, trying hard to remember where he'd seen her before. He'd only met her once during the Hunter Exam and wasn't very familiar with her.
"Umm… have we met somewhere?" he asked hesitantly.
Killua's eyes lit up as the memory came back. "Gon, she was one of the examiners during the Hunter Exam!"
"Yeah! The cooking examiner!" Gon finally recalled, snapping his fingers in realization.
Menchi smiled, slightly surprised the kids remembered her. "Not bad. I didn't think you'd recognize me."
Only then did Gon and Killua understand what Biscuit meant when she said they'd met before. Their gut feeling hadn't been wrong.
Now that everyone had gathered, they set off toward the gym under the lighthouse, Razor's usual haunt.
Before long, they arrived.
"Oh? Back for another try already?" Razor said, clearly amused as he balanced a volleyball on his fingertip. His narrow eyes glinted with interest.
"Mr. Razor, this time, we're here to win," Gon replied, eyes burning with determination.
With Larry backing them up, there was no way they'd lose again.
Razor didn't say anything, but a flicker of disappointment passed through his eyes. Judging from how things started, he had expected more calculated moves from Ging's son, something clever, something tactical. He hadn't anticipated such impatience.
But before the thought could fully settle in, he dismissed it. There was something strange in the air. A pressure. A presence.
"…Looks like you found yourself a real powerhouse," Razor said with a grin, his eyes locked on Larry despite speaking to Gon.
This guy, he was strong. Even without doing anything, the subtle aura Larry gave off made Razor's instincts kick in, muscles unconsciously tensing as if ready for combat.
The last time he'd felt this kind of pressure…
Was when he faced Ging.
'Did they really bring someone on Ging's level?
Am I the weaker side now?'
Razor, having remained on Greed Island all this time, spent his days engaged in sports and guarding his area. He didn't keep up with the outside world, so he didn't recognize who Larry was. But his instincts were screaming: this wasn't someone to underestimate.
As Razor studied Larry, Larry also took his time sizing Razor up.
Razor wasn't just any player. He was a former killer, someone Ging had "recruited." To put it nicely, he was hired. To put it bluntly, he was used. But if someone like Ging took an interest in you, it meant one thing for sure: you were strong.
That body of his? Packed with dense muscle, he looked like a classic Enhancer. But surprisingly, Razor was a Emitter.
His physical strength alone could rival that of most Enhancers, and his aura reserves were massive.
Definitely a target worth farming for experience.
"In that case," Razor said as he turned toward the court, "let's start with the first match, "
"Wait a second."
Larry cut him off, stepping forward with a calm voice.
"Hm? Got something to say?" Razor asked, curious to hear what this strange and clearly capable man had in mind.
"There are three main rules to the challenge, right?" Larry asked.
"Fifteen matches total, and the team with the most wins takes it. Everyone only plays once. And you're the one who decides the games. That correct?"
Razor's grin grew wider as he nodded. "Yeah, that's right. Just those three."
"Good," Larry replied. "Then we forfeit the first seven matches."
He casually gestured to the half-hearted players they'd recruited as fillers, guys who clearly weren't cut out for a serious match.
"You're surrendering…?" Razor raised an eyebrow.
"Yup. Which means the final game will be the eight-on-eight dodgeball match, right?"
Razor paused, but eventually nodded in agreement. "Alright. Let's go with the original format."
Just as Larry predicted. Gon and the others exchanged satisfied glances. This was exactly what they hoped would happen. And what Author wanted rather than writing the same fight again like in Anime. LOL
Anyway, If it had been fifteen individual games, with each person playing only once, things could've gone badly. But with Larry here, turning it into a single team-based event was a guaranteed win.
One fight. All or nothing. That was a fight Larry wouldn't lose.
"Nice call," Gon said, a grin spreading across his face. "Now it's just about execution."
Razor stepped onto the court, and in the blink of an eye, his energy surged. A dense wave of aura rippled out from his body, sharp and oppressive.
Eight glowing spheres of Aura floated around him, each one radiating power. They struck the court with a thunderous impact, bursting into eight circular glyphs on the ground.
From those glyphs, eight humanoid creatures emerged, each formed from pure Aura. Each one looked different in shape and size, but all of them had numbers printed across their torsos, from 0 to 7.
"These are my contestants!"
Razor pointed proudly to the nen beast beside him, a subtle smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. At the same time, his nen beast No. 0 stepped forward, taking on the role of the referee for what was about to unfold.
"Oh? What a coincidence. I've brought some of mine too."
Larry's voice carried a playful edge as he casually waved his hand.
In that instant, flashes of dazzling white light erupted behind him, one after another, each one heralding the arrival of a new presence. Every single light represented a Pokémon, a nen beast of his own creation.
Razor's expression changed the moment he saw them. The smirk on his face stiffened, his brows lifted slightly, and a ripple of unease flickered across his eyes.
'No way… all of these are his?'
"Roar!"
"Graaaaah~!"
One after another, the roars echoed through the gymnasium, and the once-empty space behind Larry was now filled to the brim with Pokémon. nen beasts of all kinds stood tall, each unique in form and temperament.
Some exuded the grace of noble ladies, while others looked chubby and drowsy with sleepy eyes. There were also goofy-looking dragons with simple faces and pudgy bellies.
But the one thing they all shared was the crushing aura they gave off.
Powerful, overwhelming energy radiated from them, each aura taking on a vivid color: earthy yellow, searing red, blazing orange… the entire spectrum soared skyward, surging and mingling into a blinding pillar of raw pressure.
The gym ceiling itself seemed ready to burst apart under the weight of their collective presence.
"…!"
Razor's calm facade shattered completely. His normally relaxed, half-lidded eyes flew open wide, filled with disbelief and dread. Cold sweat rolled down his forehead. He tried to speak, but his throat tightened, refusing to form words.