The salty tang of the sea air on Whale Island was still fresh in Kess's memory. Just days ago, he'd stood on the shore, watching the ferry disappear into the horizon, carrying Mito towards the unknown challenges of the Hunter Exam. While Grandma Mito had expressed her quiet concern, Kess harbored no doubts about Mito's success; his training had seen to that. Yet, the thought of simply idling on the island, waiting for weeks or even a month for her return, felt… inefficient. The world of Hunter x Hunter was vast and filled with opportunities, especially for someone with his unique foreknowledge. He had intentionally nudged Mito onto the Hunter path, deviating from the canon, and now he felt an urge to be just as proactive.
Yorknew City. It had been his immediate thought. A sprawling metropolis, a beacon of commerce, information, and a place where rare artifacts and powerful individuals often converged. It was the perfect proving ground, a chance to explore, to test his abilities against the unseen currents of this world, and perhaps even stumble upon something genuinely interesting. He had given himself a generous window – days to a month, depending on what he found – before he'd need to loop back to Whale Island.
After a reassuring farewell to Grandma Mito, promising to return with tales of his own, Kess had boarded a smaller, faster transport that had quickly whisked him away from the familiar tranquility of the island. Now, the ferry's low hum was a distant memory, replaced by the symphony of a city that never truly slept. Yorknew City exploded around Kess the moment he stepped onto its polished public transport lanes. Compared to the serene, verdant expanse of Whale Island, this was a sensory assault: towering chrome and glass structures clawed at the clouds, their surfaces reflecting a sky that shimmered with the distant glow of a million lights. The air, thick with the scent of countless cuisines and the subtle hum of advanced technology, pressed in on him. Horns blared, excited chatter echoed, and the rhythmic whoosh of air vehicles painted stripes across the twilight. Kess, usually unflappable, felt a dizzying mix of awe and mild disorientation. It was magnificent, and utterly overwhelming.
His first objective was the Bull Market. He'd heard tales, seen images, but nothing prepared him for the reality. It was a sprawling, vibrant organism of commerce and chaos. Stalls overflowed with everything imaginable: ancient, dust-laden tomes; glistening, exotic flora and fauna in intricate cages; strange mechanical contraptions that whirred and clicked; and countless other curiosities, each promising a story or a fortune. Vendors, their voices hoarse from constant hawking, competed for attention, their cries weaving into a tapestry of sound that pulsed with the market's energy.
Kess activated his Gyo, allowing a faint shimmer of Nen to coat his eyes. The world shifted subtly, the vibrant colors gaining an almost ethereal quality as he focused on detecting any residual aura within the myriad items. He moved with a practiced fluidity, an invisible current in the dense human river, weaving through the throng of buyers and sellers. His eyes, now keenly attuned, scoured over ancient weapons, glimmering jewels, and peculiar artifacts. He searched for the subtle, unique imprint of a creator's Nen, a faint, almost ghost-like shimmer that would signify an object imbued with significant aura from its maker. Such items were exceedingly rare, often overlooked by the untrained eye, but they held a fascination for Kess, hinting at hidden histories and powerful individuals.
He picked up an ornate, antique pocket watch, its brass casing dulled with age, and felt nothing. No lingering trace. He lifted a peculiar, petrified-looking seed; again, nothing. For all its chaotic splendor, every item Kess examined, from dusty relics to polished gemstones, was utterly ordinary in the Nen sense. He found no items with even the faintest residual aura left behind by their creators. The Bull Market was a bust for his specific, peculiar quest.
With the market thoroughly explored and nothing of note found, Kess shifted his focus. His time in Yorknew was limited. He spent the next hour or so discreetly asking about auctions. Most vendors either shrugged or pointed him towards the city's major auction houses. He learned that the main, high-stakes auction was still weeks away, far beyond his window. Disappointed but not deterred, he decided to make the most of his remaining time.
The rest of his daylight hours were dedicated to exploring Yorknew. He strolled through the bustling entertainment district, the air thick with music and laughter, neon signs painting the evening sky in garish strokes. He marveled at the architectural wonders of the historical quarters, where centuries-old buildings stood stoically amidst the modern skyscrapers, their intricate carvings telling tales of a forgotten era.
Kess also indulged in a spontaneous food tour, sampling street food from carts overflowing with aromatic skewers, trying a bowl of spicy noodles from a bustling eatery, and indulging in bizarrely shaped pastries from a crowded bakery. The sheer variety of cultures and cuisines was intoxicating. He observed the diverse inhabitants, the blend of technology and the unusual, further immersing himself in the world. The city was a living, breathing entity, constantly surprising him.
As dusk began to bleed into night on his final day, Kess made his way towards the city's private airport. He had a late flight back to Whale Island, wanting to maximize his time in Yorknew. He walked through a less populated, industrial district, warehouses casting long, ominous shadows under the weak glow of scattered streetlights. The sounds of the bustling city faded, replaced by the occasional clatter of machinery and the distant hum of traffic.
Suddenly, a sharp crack echoed through the quiet. It was followed by a guttural grunt, then a frantic scramble. Kess's enhanced hearing, always vigilant, immediately picked up the tell-tale sounds of a struggle. He instinctively activated Zetsu, erasing his presence, and melted into the shadows behind a stack of crates, observing.
Illuminated by a single, flickering fluorescent light hanging precariously from a warehouse wall, two figures clashed. One was a burly man in his mid-20s, a veritable mountain of muscle with a scowling face, wearing a slightly disheveled suit and tie, the knot loosened as if he'd ripped it open in frustration. He exuded an air of coarse authority. He wielded a metal baseball bat, its surface visibly rippling with Shu. His swings were wide, powerful, each one capable of crushing bone, maybe an enhancer judging from his straight forward and power like approach.
His opponent was a younger, almost lanky figure, perhaps around Kess's own perceived age of eighteen. He had dark brown hair that fell messily around his face, and his clothes were deceptively simple: a dark, short-sleeve polo shirt, black pants, and plain black shoes – almost like a student uniform. Yet, his movements were anything but ordinary. He danced around the bat swings, a predatory, unnerving grin already fixed on his face, his eyes gleaming with a manic delight.
The burly Enhancer grunted, putting all his weight into a powerful swing. The younger man weaved, dodging just inches from the bat's deadly arc. As he moved, Kess saw him flick something from his sleeve. A glint of steel. A butterfly knife. The younger man threw it. The Enhancer ducked, and the knife, instead of hitting him, clattered harmlessly to the grimy concrete floor a few feet away, seemingly forgotten.
The younger one didn't hesitate. He launched a series of blindingly fast feints and punches aimed at the Enhancer's abdomen, drawing his opponent's aura and attention to his front. The Enhancer, focused on defending his vitals, unwittingly exposed his unguarded head. At the exact moment he delivered a final, gut-wrenching blow to the body, Kess saw something unexpected. The butterfly knife, still lying innocently on the floor, suddenly sprang upwards, a lethal projectile. There was a sickening wet crunch as it impaled the Enhancer directly in the back of his skull. The burly man crumpled, dead, the butterfly knife visibly lodged in his head.
Kess's eyes widened, a rare occurrence. He did a double-take. Was that Bungee Gum? That's... no way. A cold wave of recognition, mixed with a healthy dose of disbelief, washed over him. Hisoka? He looks so different! This unexpected turn of event, left him momentarily stunned.
Hisoka stood over the lifeless body, chest heaving, his dark eyes wide and gleaming with an almost feral satisfaction. A slow, wide grin spread across his face, revealing a flash of teeth. His aura, already potent, flared with the raw power of adrenaline, bathing the grim scene in an unsettling, vibrant shimmer.
Then, faster than Kess thought possible, Hisoka's head snapped towards Kess's hiding spot. Hisoka's grin widened further, now fixed directly on Kess, even though Kess was still perfectly cloaked by Zetsu and a considerable distance away.
Kess's surprise was palpable. His senses are ridiculous even at this age. This is unsettling.
"Well, well," Hisoka rasped, his voice already possessing that unsettling, melodic quality. "A new toy enters the arena." He immediately lunged, a blur of dark clothing and eager anticipation, clearly unconcerned by the sudden appearance of an unseen observer.
Kess didn't hesitate. He knew exactly who this was, and precisely what he was up against. The foreknowledge of Hisoka's signature ability, his Bungee Gum, was a critical advantage. Kess immediately activated Gyo, allowing him to perceive the subtle, invisible threads of Bungee Gum that Hisoka would attempt to use. Then, Kess activated Inner Peace. His physical attributes – speed, agility, and reflexes – ratcheted up, not beyond their natural limits, but to the absolute peak of what his body could comfortably handle without strain or side effects.
Hisoka was fast, but Kess was faster. Hisoka's initial attack, a flurry of unpredictable strikes, met only empty air as Kess became a phantom, weaving, ducking, and sidestepping with impossible grace. Hisoka tried to employ his Bungee Gum, sending invisible strands out to snare Kess, but Kess, armed with foreknowledge and hyper-accelerated perception, saw every subtle twitch, every minute intention. He dodged the invisible elasticity as easily as he dodged Hisoka's physical attacks. Each attempt by Hisoka to attach Bungee Gum, no matter how sneaky, was met with Kess flawlessly repositioning, leaving Hisoka's strands slapping against the cold, unyielding brick of the warehouse or whipping harmlessly through empty space.
Hisoka's grin tightened, his playful demeanor giving way to a flicker of genuine frustration. He increased his speed, his attacks becoming more erratic, more desperate to land a hit. But Kess was a wall of flawless evasion, never once getting grazed. He didn't use any other ability; he simply manipulated his own body to move with such overwhelming speed and precision that Hisoka couldn't keep up. Kess parried Hisoka's kicks with light, perfectly timed pushes, deflected his punches with shifts of his body that seemed to defy physics, always keeping Hisoka off balance, never allowing him a solid connection.
The fight wasn't a struggle, but a demonstration. Kess wasn't fighting to kill; he was fighting to subdue, to prove a point, and to ensure Hisoka wouldn't be a nuisance. Seeing an opening as Hisoka overextended in a wild lunge, Kess moved. In a blur, he was inside Hisoka's guard, a place Hisoka rarely allowed anyone. Before Hisoka could react, Kess delivered a rapid succession of precise, non-lethal strikes: a quick chop to the wrist that momentarily numbed the hand, a swift kick to the knee that buckled Hisoka's leg, and finally, a sharp, concussive blow to a pressure point behind the ear. Hisoka's eyes rolled back, and he slumped forward, unconscious before he hit the ground.
Kess stood over the fallen, young Hisoka, breathing evenly, not a drop of sweat on his brow. His face, however, twisted into a peculiar expression, as if he'd just swallowed a whole lemon.
Seriously? Hisoka? And so young too, he thought, rubbing his temples. This was… unexpected. And weird. I'm not killing him. And I sure as hell hope he doesn't turn his perverted eyes on me in the future. He sighed. Still, he's strong for his age. Could be useful down the line, if I can gain a connection with him.
He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper—a receipt from a noodle stand—and a pen. In quick, decisive strokes, he wrote: "Kess" followed by a string of numbers that was his actual phone number. Below it, he added: "You're strong. Let's be friends." With a soft sigh, he peeled the backing from the paper and stuck it firmly to Hisoka's forehead.
Then, with a casualness that belied the recent intense confrontation, Kess grabbed Hisoka by his legs and dragged him away from the dead Enhancer. He moved Hisoka to a slightly safer spot, a nearby bench bathed in the weak glow of a working streetlamp, where he would eventually be found, but not immediately discovered next to a corpse. The dead Enhancer was left behind, a problem for someone else to discover.
Kess paused, scanned the area one last time to ensure no one had witnessed his peculiar act of philanthropy, and then continued his journey to the airport. The strange, exhilarating encounter with the future Magician faded into the night behind him as he pondered the utterly bizarre twist of fate that had just unfolded. He returned to Whale Island without further incident, the memory of Yorknew City, its food, its chaos, and its startlingly strong, young, and unsettling residents, burning brightly in his mind.