The battle against Jamie and Arturo gave Joey much to reflect on. After reaching the new Solitary Confinement Room, he fell into deep review of the encounter — replaying every moment, dissecting each move.
The most dangerous moment? The instant Arturo's stun-gun struck him.
And that was with prior preparation.
Had he not gathered intel and analyzed it thoroughly beforehand, predicting much of their behavior and abilities… the outcome might have been very different.
Especially given Arturo's ability to manipulate Pokkle's actions. If Joey had taken a direct hit from both the stun-gun and the baton, he would've been utterly paralyzed — no chance of recovery.
And that was without even factoring in the cursed-looking handcuffs — the most terrifying piece of gear on Arturo's belt.
Next time he faced Nen users, he'd need to be even more cautious.
Still, he'd gained something priceless from this fight — a clearer view of his own current level.
Not elite yet, but above average. He wasn't a master, but he could hold his own — especially thanks to the synergy between Gold Experience and Killer Queen, which often let him pull off unorthodox plays.
It was just a shame the insect bomb tactic had too many variables in open terrain. After all, nobody thinks twice about a mosquito — but slap the wrong one, and boom.
No one would ever suspect someone could weaponize mosquitoes into living bombs.
As for breaking his vow to avoid using Sheer Heart Attack, even without full control? That stemmed from a piece of intel Kite had dropped earlier.
Back when he lost his arm, he'd thought it was the only way to disable the bomb. But Kite had later told him something — that when Neferpitou clashed with Kite, both attacks had landed on Sheer Heart Attack simultaneously, and only then did it crack open.
After that incident, both fighters had learned to ignore Sheer Heart Attack, knowing it was more trouble than it was worth.
Which meant if Joey hadn't amputated his arm, the bomb might have kept working, just draining his stamina over time.
And had he been tracked through the tank instead of the remains of the bomb shelter, all three of them might've died.
So no — Joey didn't regret that sacrifice. In fact, now he had a much better grasp of the tank's defensive potential.
Even without detonating it, Sheer Heart Attack made for a hell of a projectile.
He'd been training hard since then, especially in controlling detonation at close range — and he remembered how in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, Kira had almost taken out both Jotaro and Koichi with a baited detonation.
Joey could now replicate something similar — choose when it exploded, or when it just rammed someone.
Tossing the tank, enhanced by Killer Queen's raw strength, had impact force on par with a thrown boulder. And if he'd had more distance from Jamie, he could've wrapped it in Shu and turned it into a stealth projectile.
Speaking of Shu, that particular application of Ten worked especially well with ranged attackers like Emission types.
Still, this battle taught him something else — technique was vital, but not always usable.
In most cases, melee combat was far riskier than ranged engagements.
You never knew what your opponent's blade or club might actually be — a Conjured weapon with hidden properties? An Enhancer's punch with hidden backlash?
Take someone like Knuckle. His Hakoware looked like a simple punch, but it installed a Nen debt counter on his target.
So Joey, being an Emitter, became even more firm in his resolve — long-range superiority was the only path forward.
Ideally, he'd strike targets without ever being touched — and if they dared close in, make sure they'd regret it before even trying.
That's what being an Emission user should feel like.
His gaze sharpened with conviction. So long as he stayed the course, he knew he'd reach his goal.
Oh — and this past month of training had revealed a few misconceptions he had about Killer Queen.
For instance — First Bomb wasn't always about a visible detonation. It could disintegrate enemies silently, without any explosive flash. But since his reference point had been Kira from the anime, he'd defaulted to dramatic effects.
It wasn't all bad though — once, that visual blast let him spot a hidden Chimera Ant just in time.
Now he understood: First Bomb had two settings — Blast (fixed cost, clear damage) and Erase (variable cost based on target resistance).
The first might fail to kill. The second might drain all his aura.
Another adaptation of Killer Queen to this world's mechanics, perhaps.
He also discovered that his Stand could become intangible, meaning it didn't need to physically extract bullets — it could pass through the chamber and touch the rounds directly.
Even the Sheer Heart Attack explosion from Touch of Death could vaporize targets — but only if it made physical contact with the body.
And alas — Killer Queen was indeed mute.
No "ORAORA". No "MUDAMUDA". Just cold silence.
Still — the more he used Killer Queen, the deeper his understanding became.
That night's dinner was rabbit, freshly caught and field-dressed.
As a licensed temporary Hunter, Joey was no stranger to outdoor survival.
Skinning, fire-building, seasoning — second nature.
What surprised him was Kite and Andre stepping out of the Solitary Confinement Room while he was still roasting.
He'd thought the Room was just for dropping off Chimera Ants.
"Yo, smells great," Andre said casually, tossing down a wild boar carcass. He sliced a chunk of Joey's roast and popped it in his mouth. "Damn. Not bad at all."
Still piping hot, but the flavor made up for it.
Before Kite could say anything, Joey tore off a rabbit leg and offered it.
Kite nodded, took it. "You did well. Next up, we'll start assigning higher-tier Chimera Ants to you. Three days from now — if you're still standing — you'll join us for a full-scale sweep."
Joey smiled. Recognition from Kite was rare — but meant everything.
If Kite was letting him tag along, he'd clearly passed a major threshold.
"Are that many Ants still scattered out here?" Joey asked, chewing.
Andre was busy skewering the boar, his motions so smooth it was like watching a movie. Even his spice tossing looked like a performance.
"They're like rabid dogs in heat," Andre said bluntly. "Lost all discipline. Anything that moves, they'll try to hump it."
Joey's stomach turned. "Wait… I thought only the Queen and King could reproduce?"
That had been his understanding — only the royal caste had mating privileges. The rest were sterile soldiers. Maybe even missing… you know.
But Andre's description painted a much darker picture.
"As long as the Queen was alive or the King was enforcing order, the rules held. Even the Squadron Leaders weren't allowed to reproduce."
Kite stepped in now, voice low. "But once that leash snapped — they reverted to base instincts. Forced mating with any compatible species. Breeding new hybrids. Total ecological disaster."
"We got confirmation from Koruto," Kite continued. "One of the defectors. Some retain enough human memory to feel disgust… but others? They revel in it."
His eyes hardened.
"That's why we can't leave even a single one alive in NG-L. Best-case, nature balances itself. Worst-case?"
He looked at the wilderness around them.
"We get a whole new subspecies. Or worse — a completely collapsed ecosystem."
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