Chapter 16: A Master? Not Shingen-ryu — Spirit Wave Style?
Gathering and cataloguing information on others was practically instinct for a professional Hunter. When Satotz filed his report, he had naturally included everything: Ross's awakening time, every demonstrated ability, the Man-Faced Ape's reaction to being hit, and the moment the cartridge was pulled from the corpse. Netero connected all of it to the game on the television screen in virtually no time at all, and arrived at a conclusion.
The source of Ross's abilities was the electronic game in front of him.
And predictably, that made Netero think of a particular person under his jurisdiction — one who made him, the Chairman of the Hunter Association, look like a model of punctuality and presence by comparison. The Boar of the Zodiacs: Ging Freecss.
As far as Netero's experience went, Ging was the one person he knew who had the deepest attachment to electronic games and had gone so far as to develop an ability centered around them.
Netero had never played Greed Island himself, but he had heard enough about it. Fascinating thing, by all accounts — a special Secret Realm constructed inside reality itself using Nen, sitting entirely outside the bounds of the ordinary world.
Ross's version was different in presentation, but the underlying concept ran along similar lines.
Nen users of this type tended to share a cluster of traits. Imagination and creativity that ran completely unchecked. An unshakeable belief in their own ideas that was nearly impossible for anyone else to dislodge. And an exceptional capacity for action — the moment the thought "I'm going to do this" formed, they moved on it immediately and found a way to see it through.
It was precisely that kind of intent — powerful to the point of stubbornness — that enabled Conjuration-type abilities to produce rule-based outputs at rates comparable to Specialization-type. The sheer force of the conviction was what materialized things that should by any reasonable standard have been impossible.
Netero couldn't say yet how far Ross would develop. But he now understood exactly what Satotz had meant by "even if he doesn't pass the Hunter Exam, he should find a teacher before the foundation goes completely crooked." Left to develop completely on his own, Ross would be a genuine waste of potential.
"Come here, Killua~"
Netero beckoned the white-haired boy over with a wave and, while the kid stared at him with an expression that was barely containing a "is this actually happening?", held out the controller.
The little rascal had been standing there itching for ages.
Even in a world where the PlayStation equivalent had already been released, Sonic 3 could still hold its own — or rather, it was still in its prime. The speed it delivered was genuinely singular, and it had Killua holding the controller with something that edged toward longing.
If I could run that fast too, like this blue hedgehog called Sonic...
The moment Killua picked it up, Gon crowded in alongside him. The quiet atmosphere of a room where someone was gaming and the rest were watching dissolved instantly into the kind of noise two children produced when both of them were simultaneously giving advice, grabbing at things, and making demands of each other.
At this point, Netero caught Ross's eye. Ross nodded. The old man and the young man stepped out through the half-open door.
"What's your name?" the old man asked directly.
"Ross."
"Would you like a master?"
Ross's eyes went wide. The old man thoroughly enjoyed seeing that expression.
"Oh, don't misunderstand — this old man doesn't take disciples."
Ross, who had essentially been straightening up in anticipation, deflated on the spot.
"But this old man knows someone who would suit you very well as a teacher. More to the point, that person shares your hobby."
Ross straightened back up — and his first thought, immediately, was Ging Freecss.
The suspicion arrived right behind it.
He did not believe for one second that Ging would actually agree to be his teacher simply because Netero told him to. The most free-spirited and willful person in the entire Hunter world had left his own child in a cousin's care for ten years without once going to check in. "Responsible" was a word with no relationship to that man whatsoever.
In a passing thought, Ross even harbored the suspicion that Gon might not have had a biological mother at all — that Ging might have simply used Greed Island's Designated Card No. 7, "Pregnancy Stone," to produce the child himself.
What Netero saw was the whole sequence: first elation, then suspicion. And it immediately suggested something new to him.
If this kid was this fixated on games, the probability of him already knowing about Greed Island was high. And if he knew about Greed Island, the question followed naturally: did he know who made it?
Netero stole an imperceptible glance at Gon, still inside the room, and smiled a smile that was just a little infuriating~~~
He had no intention of giving the correct answer. He had simply become more convinced that Ross would be a reliable source of entertainment for some time to come. He stroked his beard and produced a name that left Ross genuinely frozen.
"Genkai. Founder of the Spirit Wave Style. If this old man's memory serves, that old woman has accumulated quite a pile of game consoles from the market over the years."
The old man was still reminiscing. Ross had stopped moving entirely.
He had come out here at midnight to pick a door lock and play games in secret, and the surprises and unexpected developments just kept arriving.
He still couldn't quite trace how things had gone from "caught sneaking games in an empty cabin" to "the Chairman of the Hunter Association personally recommending him a master" — and not just any Nen user, but a figure who ran through the early-to-mid main storyline of the original Yu Yu Hakusho, who had trained Yusuke, who was the founder of the Spirit Wave Style herself: Master Genkai.
Though now that the old man had said it, Ross was remembering: Genkai was, in fact, a serious gaming enthusiast. Not only did she fill her disciple trials with arcade machines designed specifically to test spirit power — Nen, in this world's terms — she had various home consoles as well, and when she wanted to pass time she chose arcades over anywhere else.
Looking at it that way, she was no longer just an enthusiast. She was a true hardcore veteran — collector and devotee in one. The real deal.
"If you manage to pass this Hunter Exam, I will give you the address of the Spirit Wave Style dojo and write you a letter of introduction. Given my name behind it, she should be willing to give you a chance."
Internally, he had already agreed with Satotz's recommendation. But finding Ross too entertaining to resist, the old trickster raised the bar one notch rather than making it easy.
"Oh, by the way."
Before Ross could say anything, the old man dropped his voice as if something had just occurred to him.
"Remember — don't go broadcasting this. Best if the other ordinary candidates don't find out what you actually are too easily. At least at this stage, they're not ready for any of it."
Ross stood to attention on the spot and mimed zipping his mouth shut, then gave a clear OK.
The old man saw it, nodded, clasped his hands behind his back, and wandered off.