"If you want to survive the battles ahead, then you better treat this training like your life depends on it."
That was the last thing Kite said to Joey before leaving, after André set up the "Solitary Confinement Cell."
The door wasn't shut, and Joey didn't stray far. He simply sat outside the cell, waiting for the arrival of the first Chimera Ant.
According to Kite, ants would be released at irregular intervals. In other words, Joey would get no rest, no time to relax.
It reminded him of the manga scene on Greed Island, where Biscuit trained Killua and Gon by making them sleep with a rock tied to a string—if they loosened their grip, the rock would slam into their heads.
Joey's current situation was worse. If he let his guard down, a Chimera Ant could easily twist his neck while he slept.
He was just trying to train in Zetsu to conserve stamina and experiment with In when the first ant appeared—thirty minutes in.
It was a rat-faced Chimera Ant. The moment it exited the cell, it spotted Joey and immediately activated Ren.
Joey did the same.
In actual combat, Ken is the more practical technique—an advanced application of Ten and Ren, used to wrap the body in greater quantities of aura for enhanced offense and defense. Ken is considered the foundation for any serious Nen user.
Ren is the basis for Ken, and one must maintain it constantly during battle to be able to shift into Ken seamlessly.
To further control how aura flows throughout the body in combat, there's Ryu—mastering that gives you the edge in offense and defense.
Joey had only just barely grasped Ken during this month of training, so he relied mainly on Ren.
Unlike his cautious opponent, Joey made the first move.
He raised his hand and fired a ball of aura at the rat-faced ant.
A Gyo Shot—the simplest and most direct long-range attack of an Emission-Type Nen user.
The rat-faced ant relaxed slightly upon seeing it, dodged to the side, and rushed toward Joey.
Mid-sprint, a dagger materialized in his claws, faintly wrapped in aura.
Before reaching Joey, the ant abruptly shifted direction and flung the dagger, aiming not at Joey himself, but his shadow.
A feint—Joey quickly deduced the ant wasn't an Enhancer, maybe a Conjurer.
Conjured items often carried unique effects. The dagger may be more than it appeared.
Joey had already taken steps—falling back the moment the ant advanced to increase the distance, a key tactic for Emitters.
He subtly curved his aura shot—making it loop behind the rat's head as he analyzed the aura flow with Gyo.
Gyo—Kite's first and most vital lesson. Focus and perception. See the enemy's aura, trace its movement, and react accordingly.
From the aura flow, Joey had initially guessed the ant was aiming for close combat, concentrating aura in its hands.
But when the dagger appeared—clearly conjured and faintly enhanced—Joey became more cautious.
Close now, Joey had no time to think further. He fired another aura bullet—faster this time, directly challenging the thrown dagger's speed.
The rat smirked, then suddenly vanished.
It had dived into its own shadow.
The aura bullet hit the ground, leaving a dent but missing its target.
Unfazed, Joey fired another aura ball at the dagger's impact point.
There, instead of a shadow, a curled-up hedgehog had appeared.
The dagger hadn't hit Joey's shadow—but the hedgehog's.
Just as Joey's aura bullet closed in, two beady eyes appeared in the shadow. A pair of claws reached out, grasping the dagger to strike—then froze.
The rat realized too late the dagger had missed its true target.
BOOM—the aura bullet hit the dagger, dispersing the shadowy form.
Joey blinked, then redirected his next aura shot directly at the shadow.
"I surrender! I give up!" shrieked the rat's voice from within the shadow.
Joey didn't flinch.
The aura shot landed, cutting off the voice.
A headless rat Ant corpse slowly emerged from the collapsed shadow.
The hedgehog shrieked and quickly burrowed away.
Joey didn't approach. Instead, he summoned Killer Queen, conjured an aura bullet, tapped it with Killer Queen's hand, and flung it at the corpse.
A Silent Bomb—the body disappeared without a sound, followed by the audible impact of a second shot striking the earth.
Joey turned to return to his seat.
Then—goosebumps.
He whirled around.
A horned Chimera Ant was charging him.
Adrenaline flooded his system. Aura surged to his hands. Ken activated.
Joey caught the horns with both hands.
This was a brute. An Enhancer.
Which meant Joey, an Emitter, could only use 80% of Enhancement-based power. To block this charge, he had to compensate either with more aura or raw physical strength.
But this ant hadn't used Ko, the all-in focused attack. Nor did his aura surpass Joey's.
Joey braced, was pushed back two steps—but then Killer Queen struck.
No bomb—just raw fists.
The Ant was pummeled into the air.
CRACK—it crashed down, barely breathing.
And then... a third Ant appeared at the entrance.
Joey didn't even stop to rest. He inhaled sharply, gauged his remaining aura, then struck a pose alongside Killer Queen, waiting.
Side Note: Aura Calculation
Enhancer's punch = 100 base + 100 aura = 200
Emitter's punch = 100 base + 80 aura = 180 → 20-point power gap
Of course, in real battle it's not that simple. Physical strength, aura control, training—all play a role.
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