On the 19th day of training, it was yet another day of Killua and Gon getting thoroughly beaten by Knuckle.
And another day where Shoot, lurking in the shadows, debated whether to join in… and missed the window of opportunity.
Joey wasn't particularly familiar with the two. He had only seen them twice.
Once when Gon and Killua dragged back an unconscious Knuckle, and once when he opened the door to see Shoot pretending to pass by.
Today, Palm's mood was especially dark. She stared at her kitchen knife for an unusually long time.
Joey couldn't help but wonder—was Palm really going to NGL just for Nob?
When he boldly and directly asked her that very question, Palm's face turned crimson, her voice dreamy and full of longing:
"Yes. Sensei Nob is just… so gentle…"
Joey mentally filtered out the endless praise. "You do realize you won't even see him in NGL, right? He'll be assisting Chairman Netero with cleanup work. You'd be dead weight."
The moment those words left his mouth, he felt a sudden chill run across his skin.
His eyes darted—Palm's hair had started floating ominously, and she was now holding two kitchen knives.
Joey was certain that if he didn't say something quickly, he was about to get carved up.
"I think you're quite pretty, actually. You just don't know how to present yourself. If you dressed up a bit, I'm sure Mr. Nob would see you differently.
Besides, the way you are now—no matter the mission, he'd never choose you. You stand out too much."
"Eh? I—I'm… pretty?"
Palm's oppressive aura vanished in an instant, the knives clattering to the floor. Her pale, bony hand touched her burning red cheek.
Joey had his doubts whether she'd even registered the second half of what he said—that was the important part!
"You are pretty. Just a bit too thin," Joey nodded, recalling Palm's appearance in the anime once she cleaned up—fresh, beautiful.
"Then… would you like to go out with me?" Palm's voice was barely a whisper, her head lowered, blush reaching her neck.
"Huh?"
That wasn't just Joey's reaction. Killua and Biscuit, who had clearly been eavesdropping, let out a synchronized "Huh?!"
"Uh… can I think about it?" Joey adjusted his glasses, his brows furrowed handsomely. "I hadn't really considered adding a romantic relationship to my current plans."
Honestly, dating wasn't on his agenda. He was about to head back into that hellhole called NGL, fighting for his future identity. No time to waste on romance.
Still, after spending these days with Palm, he had to admit—aside from her extreme romantic obsession, she was a great catch.
Shopping, cooking, cleaning—everything that screamed "ideal housewife," she handled with care and patience.
The only real concern? She might be clingy once actually in love. I mean, the way she's risking it all just to chase Nob into NGL?
"Really?"
Joey's answer shocked Palm—and even Killua and Biscuit stared wide-eyed.
Even Kite gave him a long, sidelong glance.
Only Gon remained focused, diligently maintaining his Ren.
"Yeah, Palm's got her merits," Joey thought aloud. "Though I'm not ready now, if she's patient, maybe we'll see."
"I knew it—you really are messed up in the head," Killua muttered, confident in his assessment. Biscuit nodded solemnly.
Still, Biscuit couldn't help but recall—had Joey not defused that situation yesterday, things might've gotten… bloody.
And she couldn't shake the feeling that Palm was paying disturbingly close attention to Gon and Killua's training progress. Maybe it was time to pack her bags and prepare to bolt.
Sure enough, during dinner that evening, while Joey and Kite were still training, something weird happened at the dinner table.
Gon made a pinky promise to Palm, vowing to take her to NGL.
After that, Palm's eyes never left Gon.
According to Killua: "It was creepy as hell."
"Yeah… Palm's probably not for me after all. I don't like people who switch targets that easily," Joey concluded.
"But didn't she just do the same thing to you?" Biscuit blinked.
"You mean switching from Nob to me? I thought it was because of my overwhelming charm," Joey shrugged. "But now? Her taste seems… questionable."
The last ten days of training, Joey followed a set routine to solidify his foundation.
A training schedule jointly developed by Biscuit and Kite.
And Joey had no complaints—especially since Biscuit's support made his progress explosive.
His Nen fundamentals, physical stamina, latent and active aura capacity—they all saw massive gains.
Kite estimated Joey's latent aura had reached around 8,000.
Basically doubled!
More importantly, Joey could now maintain Ten without aura leakage. Only while using Ren did his aura deplete gradually.
And even then, the rate was similar to Killua and Gon before their training—about 1 aura point per second.
Meaning Joey could now maintain full-force Ren for over two hours! A stellar starting point.
He was still far from Gon and Killua's level, but they had both more time and a better starting foundation.
Maintaining Ren for two hours was impressive enough. Even Kite and Biscuit were genuinely satisfied.
However, Joey's mastery of advanced Nen techniques was still lacking.
Shu, In, En, Gyo, Ken, Ryu, Ko—he had barely familiarized himself with them and could use most only with difficulty.
There just wasn't enough time. Even with Cookie-chan's massage cutting down on his sleep requirements, a month wasn't enough.
That night, lights shone brightly inside the villa.
Five people were gathered: Joey, Kite, Palm, Biscuit, and André.
Palm and Biscuit waited for the results of the match-up challenge.
Joey, Kite, and André were doing final prep for entering NGL.
No matter who won—Gon and Killua, or Knuckle and Shoot—Joey would accompany the victors into NGL.
Phase One Battle Prep—Let's Go—
If you like the story, please leave a review and support by gifting power stones, it would be helpful and It would help me update more chapters.
If you want to read chapters ahead : patreon.com/Notorious_Zeke