Y/N POV

These NGL clothes are surprisingly soft, flexible, and not an eyesore. The pretty "boysenberry" color is now a favourite. 

We stop in a forest. There was a bloody mess on the floor, but a very recognizable hat. "Ponzu-" 

My knees buckle and Killua catches me. Steadying myself, I whisper, "Rest easy."

Killua finds a bullet casing. Kite looks at it grimly. "So in addition to drugs, the NGL were making guns as well."

We start off running again. Spotting a village, we search it and find no one. However, we did find a path of blood. We follow it, and a creature emerges from the forest. 

"Chimera Ant," Kite mutters. 

The Chimera Ant rears its head and attacks us, knocking a feeble blow on us. Kite walks away. "You must fight it on your own, so I know that you are strong enough to stay with me." 

We nod. It makes sense. Quicly, we begin to attack separately. It doesn't get us anywhere, though. Glancing at each other, I can see a plan forming in all of our eyes.

I turn into my dark form and while Gon distracts the Ant with his Paper, propelling his Nen forward from a distance, I take the chance to sneak behind him and kick his knees down. He falls forwards, knees breaking from my Nen. Killua then goes in, electrocuting him. But when the ant falls back down, forehead hitting the dirt, something swoops through the sky and takes it away. I go back to my regular form.  

The Chimera Ant opens its eyes and starts to scream at us, waving his fist in the air. I'm in shock. Those attacks, they didn't kill him?

Kite walks up to us. "Don't blame yourselves. Those were some powerful attacks. All you need now is experience. But whether we win or lose," he looks up at us, a serious gleam in his eyes. "Hell lies in front of us." 

"We're coming," I say firmly. Gon and Killua agree with me. 

We continue to run, but I stop, Gon bumping into me. I gape at the sight in front of me. Dozens of cliffs in front of me, with millions of little caves inside.

"That's the real NGL," Kite says, turning around. "The underbelly where they make millions of guns and drugs."

We eventually climb up the cliff and start walking through one of the caves when Kite whips out a hand. "There's three Chimera Ants coming here."

"We outnumber them, then," Gon muses. "But who doesn't want to fight?"

"Y/N, sit this out," Kite commands. 

My jaw drops. "Why me? I-"

He cuts me off. "Your Nen. When you went dark, you seemed to be destroying. I assume there's a light side, then. If your darkness destroys, then it can be presumed that your lightness heals. Am I correct?"

I close my mouth, simply nodding. I'm impressed he inferred all of that just by seeing me fight.  

"Alright. I want you to be ready to heal anyone in case anyone takes damage. That takes a lot of Nen, so wait." 

"Yessir."

I hide myself behind empty crates and watch through a slit in the wood as the Ants make their appearance. The centaur looking ant starts talking before I see him make direct eye contact with me. 

He starts cackling and steps on one of the humans. Kite grabs Gon's shirt to stop him from running forward and saving the other human. "After I kill these pets and make you three my pets, I'll kill her." He points at me. 

I freeze, and I see Killua go still. Kite immediately grabs onto Killua's shirt, whispering something to both of them before letting go. They step away from Kite and each focus on a Chimera Ant.

Their fights move quickly, with the Chimera Ant and my friends moving swiftly around each other. I focus on Killua's fight. He's jumping around the girl when I see him leave a blindspot. My eyes widen in horror as she stabs a spindle into her back. 

I jump up in fear, ready to rush over, when I hear a crack and see him on her shoulders, twisting her head off. As soon as he lands on the ground, I'm in front of him. 

"Killua!" 

He looks up in surprise as I go behind him and slide his shirt up. There's a small hole in his back and a blue liquid leaks out of it. Instantly, I slide into my light form, ghosting my fingers over the wound. 

Goosebumps feather over his back as I heal him. He's quiet though, looking over his back at me working. 

"You have to be careful," I scold him. 

"Poisons don't work on my body," he reminds me. "It doesn't hurt."

"That doesn't matter! You have to be careful regardless."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

"It's not whatever, and you know that. You had the reflexes to dodge her."

"I knew she would leave an opening, though. That was my chance to kill her."

I let out a breath of air, finishing and spinning him around to face me. "You're too risky with your life."

He lets out an embarrassed smile, sticking his hands in his pockets and swaying on his heels. "Maybe, but I know you're here for me."

I roll my eyes, a small smile sliding on my face. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever," I mimic him. 

When Kite and Gon finish up, we go back outside. Walking back in the forest, we get stopped again by more Captains. They cluster together and we can't see how many there are. 

"Someone choose to go first," Kite tells us. "Demonstrate your talents one on one."

Gon goes, and defeats his opponent with his strength. Killua goes next and does the same with his lightning. 

My turn. I go up and a guy comes out. He's a crocodile that bounces up and down on his tail. What a worthless talent. 

He starts bouncing up at me but I jump up and land a kick on his head. We start fighting without Nen. Letting him back me up to a tree, I take the chance to transform into my dark form. When his tail whips out to hit me, I jump up onto a low tree branch and then back onto his head. My fingers encircle his head and he starts to writhe around in pain. Taking the opportunity, I twist his head off. He falls with a thump and I join my group again. 

Kite steps forward now and brings out his slot machine clown, rolling a 2. "Unlucky spin." 

Everything to him was unlucky, I guess. 

A scythe appears in his hand. "Jump up in three seconds." 

We nod, then jump. Landing, I see that every Chimera Ant's head is cut off. 

Running again, there's another ambush. Kite tells us about the watchers on both sides of us. We nod and keep up our pace. 

Kite uses his Lucky Spin again, getting number two. He uses it, and when we emerge from the trees, we see a Chimera Ant walking away. When Gon asks why he didn't stay and fight us, Kite tells him that it's because he was not foolish like the rest and realised the difference in skill between him and us. 

After that, we dash off, headed for the center of the NGL. Slowing down, Kite starts to use Nen. We marvel over how long and how far his Nen extends. 

Walking along a river, Kite sits down on a rock. "You told me you wanted to go find Ging, right?" 

Gon nods. 

"Then give this to him. It's his Hunter's License. I forgot to give it back to him." 

"Okay!" 

We continue walking, but we stop. There it was. The Chimera Ant nest. 

Kite kneels down.

"What is it?" I ask.

"What's wrong, Kite?" Gon walks up.

He turns to us and his eyes are so serious that I'm scared. "Gon, Killua, Y/N - run. Hurry up! Get out of here!" 

Kite jumps up and puts an arm out. "GET AWAY FROM HERE!" he screams. 

A sudden flash comes and severs his arm away from his body. I watch it fall down from the sky and land with a plop on the floor. Time slows down.

I look up and see a cat-like Chimera Ant. She looks at us and bloodlust oozes from her. More than I had ever encountered. 

I start to transform into dark, and Gon starts to charge up his attack, when I'm knocked out. 

When I wake up, I'm in a bed with Gon. He's still out. 

Killua sits down next to me, telling me what happened before burying his head in his hands. "Gon's never going to forgive me for leaving without Kite."

I wrap an arm around him, soothingly rubbing up and down his arm. "He will understand. You're not in the wrong here. Plus, Kite was the one who had told us to leave. If anything, you were the only one who was listening to what he had to say. Thank you for that."

"There's nothing to thank for. I would've saved you guys no matter what."

"I know." 

Gon wakes up, and we start talking. Killua mentions how Netero and two other Hunters were sending two assassins to fight us. Whoever won would be allowed to fight the Chimera Ants and the others would have to sit it out. 

"Two Hunters?" Gon questions. "So do we like, gang up on one of them?"

"He said that he didn't expect you to be here." Killua mentions, pointing at me. I frown. Killua hastily adds, "Since you separated from Gon and the others after the exam. He didn't think you'd still be here. No other Hunters wanted to join the fight, either."

"I guess that's understandable," I muse. "I wonder why no one else wanted to come, though. These Ants are powerful. Hold up, I'll call him."

I quickly dial his number and put the phone to my ear. He answers almost instantly. 

"Y/N!" he chortles. "You're awake, finally."

"Thank you, Grandpa," I dryly say. "I have a question for you, though, about the Chimera Ants."

"Let me hear it." 

"Why are there only two people coming to fight us? Why aren't there more Hunters trying to join the fight?"

"We cannot expect them to all drop what they're doing to fight these Ants. They also aren't that powerful, so we only needed a few. We rounded up some. If you prove yourself, you and your friends can reenter the fight. If you lose, you cannot."

"How would all three of us prove ourselves, though, if there are only two Hunters showing up?"

"Well, just have two of you fight the Hunters. If both of you lose, then you lose. If one loses, I'd assume another one of you would step up to try to claim the victory."

"I guess that kind of makes sense." 

Grandpa laughs at that one again before hanging up.

After that, we leave the hotel. I go and buy new clothes so that I can change out of these dirty NGL clothing, Gon and Killua doing the same. While we're shopping, Killua tells us about the blackboard in the town square with a message. When we go back there though, it's erased. 

"Who would've erased it though?" Gon asks, scratching his head.  

Suddenly, I feel a deadly aura. I know the other two feel it as well because we look at each other, then turn around. 

Just as we do, the person speaks. "You must be Gon and Killua. But who are you?" 

"Y/N."

She steps back, but regains a part of her posture. "Nice to meet you. My name is Palm. Allow me to take you to tea." 

Gon shrugs, following her. We go to a sit down restaurant and Palm orders a pot of tea. Motioning to the waiter, I request a Sprite.  

"Are you going to finish that?" Killua asks me when I get it. 

"Don't be dumb."

"Alright. Can I have a sip?" 

"Sure." I slide the cup to him and he starts to gulp. 

"You're fat!" I wrench my cup away from him.  

Palm starts to talk about this guy named Knov-san, and how he was her teacher and how she loves him. 

I wave the waiter back over. "More Sprite, please." 

"If you burp, that's gonna hurt," Gon says. 

"Then I won't burp." 

We wander around town more, Palm departing. For lunch, we go to a local cafe. I tell them what Grandpa told me, and what happens if they lose. "So if one of you lose, I'll be very happy."

"Mhm. Wait, what?" 

I wince. Killua starts talking about the chances of winning and stuff like that. I space out, but before I know it we're headed back to the hotel. 

"One week," Gon exclaims. "One week, then we'll be headed back to the NGL." He opens the door, but is punched across the hall.

"Are you an idiot?" A woman screams. 

"BISKY?" Gon shrieks.  

She stands there, Palm in the background. "We're training where we left off! That old man is sneaky. If he tells you one month, it'll probably take one year!" 

"That old man is also my grandfather. Kind of. Be nice." I scratch my head. 

"Doesn't matter! We'll start with Ren!" She sits down and opens a magazine. "Maintain that for three hours!" 

We burn out at an hour, but Bisky keeps us doing that. Finally, we can't anymore and fall asleep before we hit the floor. 

In the morning we do the same thing. Over and over and over. We can't stop until we can maintain our Ren. Bisky reads a magazine as Palm watches us intensely. Me Gon and Killua just strain ourselves. 

Then one day we do it. Maintain it for three hours. Bisky tells us that from now on, we will maintain our Ren for three hours and then go and fight Knuckle and Shoot. Damn, this woman is harsh. But this is going to be our schedule for one month, so I'd better get used to it.