Ron didn't say anything further. Killua and Gon had yet to fully complete their Shingen-Ryu training. Just giving them a slight nudge was enough; too much guidance could hinder their progress. That wasn't what Ron wanted to see. Once Killua completed his training and reached the stage of developing his ability, Ron could provide him with some inspiration. As for the abilities Killua developed in the original storyline, Ron felt they weren't strong enough. And compared to what Killua could imagine, Ron knew far more about ability development—after all, his mind contained the knowledge of countless worlds.
Suddenly, Killua stood up. He clearly had a flash of insight about his ability and was eager to test it out immediately. "I'm heading back for a bit."
"I'll come with you," Milluki said, standing up from the nearby table.
The two of them left the café and headed toward the hotel.
Leorio, meanwhile, began to reflect. "Looks like I'm the slowest one here. Is it just a matter of talent? Gon, Killua, Kurapika—they're all more gifted than I am. All I've learned is Ten." A hint of frustration crept into his thoughts. "I can't let myself fall too far behind. I passed the Hunter Exam in the same batch as them. Back then, I didn't think I was worse than Kurapika."
At first, he and Kurapika hadn't gotten along. Later, they'd become good friends—but comparisons between friends never really go away. No one wanted to see their friends struggling, but they also didn't want to be outshone. Leorio didn't resent Kurapika, but he couldn't help constantly comparing himself. It was wearing on his confidence.
"Speaking of which… I wonder how Hanzo and the others are doing."
Leorio said, "From our batch, there was me, Kurapika, Killua, Gon, Hanzo, and Pokkle who weren't Nen users at the time. Ron, you and the others all were."
Gon turned to Ron. "Hanzo's teacher was you, right? I think you mentioned it once."
"Yes," Ron nodded. "Hanzo's strength should be pretty good now. He's probably stronger than you and Killua, though I'm not sure how he compares to Kurapika. That would have to be settled in an actual match."
Before learning Nen, Hanzo had been much stronger than Kurapika. After learning Nen, Hanzo should logically still have the edge, since Nen amplifies existing physical capability—and Hanzo's physical energy exceeded Kurapika's by far. As for his mental energy, it wasn't likely to be low either. After all, as a ninja, he had undergone extremely harsh training since childhood.
Kurapika's advantage was his Scarlet Eyes. When activated, his aura capacity would surge dramatically. Strength, speed, reflexes—all of these stats would increase. Another major advantage was that with his Scarlet Eyes, his proficiency in all six Nen categories would reach 100%, allowing him to utilize each type of ability to its fullest.
"Ron, could you do me a favor?" Kurapika suddenly asked.
"I want to know how big the gap is between me and a Phantom Troupe member. Your strength is above Hisoka's, which puts you above most of the Troupe."
"You want to spar with me?"
"Sure." Ron agreed without hesitation. Not for any particular reason—he was simply curious. Kurapika had only been practicing Nen for six months. How had he managed to defeat Uvogin, someone who had been a Nen user for decades and had fought countless battles?
"Thank you," Kurapika said, visibly pleased.
He had fought Uvogin once before, but Uvogin had been severely injured at the time. Kurapika had used his Judgment Chain without much interference, landing it cleanly. That left Kurapika uncertain. He couldn't properly assess who was stronger. He didn't know just how effective his Chain Jail really was against Troupe members.
"Let's go outside the city."
Gon and Leorio both perked up. "Can we watch?"
"I don't mind. Up to Kurapika," Ron said, shrugging.
Kurapika hesitated, then nodded. "Let's go together."
Even burdened by deep hatred, Kurapika still valued his living friends deeply. In the original story, he had given up a perfect chance to kill Chrollo just to save Gon and Killua. His trust in Gon and Leorio was strong.
A car pulled up to the door. The four of them got in. Ron sat in the front passenger seat; the other three sat in the back. The engine roared to life, and they drove out of the city. Buildings grew sparse, then vanished entirely as they reached a desert region. It wasn't the same location where the Shadow Beasts had fought the Troupe—just similarly barren terrain.
Ron and Kurapika stood facing each other. Gon and Leorio stayed at a distance.
With a thought, Ron summoned a figure beside him—Natsu.
Leorio couldn't see it so Gon filled him in on what was happening.
"That's Ron's Nen beast," Gon explained. "Ron's an Emission-type Nen user. He mainly uses aura bullets and Nen beasts. Natsu's just one of them—but it's really strong. Even Hisoka couldn't match it in a direct clash."
Gon and Killua had both watched Ron's fight against Hisoka at Heaven's Arena.
Leorio's pupils shrank. "That strong? One Nen beast stronger than Hisoka? And Ron has more than one?"
Natsu charged toward Kurapika and engaged him in close combat. Ron stayed back, watching and analyzing. "Kurapika's aura volume really is impressive…"