The Famished Group

There were countless ways to shake off pursuing enemies.

In the world of Doraemon,

there were plenty of gadgets that could deal with their current predicament.

Aside from facing their enemies head-on and killing them,

there were also many gadgets that could achieve the same goal while avoiding a fight.

There was the Anywhere Door, which could take them anywhere, the Devil's Passport, which could command others for a short time, and the Drink for Entering an Uninhabited Place, which guaranteed they wouldn't run into anyone.

If it weren't for the shortage of time, which had kept him from drawing enough four-dimensional gadgets,

Ian wouldn't have needed to flee so desperately with Chrollo and the others.

The wind howled.

Lying on Uvogin's back, Ian glanced up at the sky. A faint glimmer appeared on the distant horizon.

Dawn was almost here.

"How are you holding up, Uvogin? Can you keep going?"

Ian asked quietly.

"Ian, what nonsense are you talking about? It'll take a lot more than this to wear me out!"

Uvogin grinned, a confident smile spreading across his still-swollen face as he laughed loudly.

His forehead was already covered in sweat, and with every step he took, even Ian could feel his legs trembling slightly.

But he had never once said he was tired.

Ian couldn't help looking at the others around him.

After running for so long, Chrollo, Machi, and the others were all exhausted.

Franklin, Pakunoda, and the others who hadn't awakened their Nen were in even worse shape. Their faces were deathly pale, and they looked ready to collapse at any moment, but they gritted their teeth and pressed on without once asking to rest.

Ian thought it over and decided they couldn't go on like this.

After all, Uvogin and Nobunaga had at least awakened their Nen.

But such a long, fast-paced journey was too much of a burden for Pakunoda and the others, so he spoke up.

"Let's stop and rest for a bit. I think those labyrinths and sculptures should hold them up for a while longer. There's no need to rush so much."

At Ian's words, everyone stopped, including Chrollo. No one objected.

Perhaps guessing that Ian had suggested it for their sake, Pakunoda raised her pale, sweat-soaked face slightly and gave him a grateful look.

Machi noticed and felt a little jealous.

She couldn't quite describe how she felt, but with their enemies on their heels, she wasn't in the mood to dwell on it.

"If we can hold out until noon today, things might turn around."

No one wanted time to pass faster than Ian did right now. Only at noon would the gadget draw reset.

Hearing Ian's words, the group didn't stand on ceremony. Exhausted, they sat down on the ground.

They were still just a group of youths, after all, not the powerful Phantom Troupe members from later in the manga.

Running for an entire day had pushed them nearly beyond their limits.

But Ian also knew

that no matter how nasty the personalities of the youths sprawled before him were, their perseverance and endurance alone meant they needed only an opportunity to realize their potential.

One only had to look at the Hunter Exam in the manga.

The outstanding Hunter candidates from all over the country had followed the examiner, Satotz, at a fast pace for just four hours during the first test, and nearly half of them had already been unable to continue.

Although Ian had used up almost all his Nen making the labyrinths and sculptures,

he had recovered a little after resting on Uvogin's back for a while.

Still feeling somewhat weak, Ian spoke softly to Uvogin.

"Uvogin, get me the food from my backpack."

At Ian's words, Uvogin, who had been lying spread-eagled on the ground, suddenly opened his eyes wide. Delight showed on his face as he rolled over and got up.

"Whoa, are we eating?"

Everyone present turned to look.

Ian nodded gently.

"There might be another tough fight ahead. We can't keep running forever, so we need to regain our strength as soon as possible."

Nobunaga hesitated, then spoke up.

"Ian, you already used up a lot of Nen, didn't you? If you keep using your Nen Ability now, won't you..."

Before he could finish, Ian shook his head gently and smiled.

"Don't worry. This only takes a small amount of Nen."

"Besides, I promised to take everyone out of Meteor City, not make you all suffer with me!"

Machi took the food from Uvogin, hesitated, then came over and handed it to Ian. She pressed her lips together without a word, simply looking at him with concern.

Ian lightly flicked her forehead. He could naturally feel her concern.

He gave her a calm smile and said,

"Don't worry, Machi. Trust me."

As he spoke, he raised a hand, and a bottle of liquid appeared in it the next moment.

If others knew it existed, they would probably try every means to get it.

Chrollo, Pakunoda, Feitan, and the others had received food from Uvogin before.

Although it was all leftovers from Uvogin and Nobunaga, for them in Meteor City, it was a rare chance to eat their fill.

Uvogin had told them that it had all been a gift from a guy named Ian.

When the liquid dripped onto the food, an astonishing sight appeared: the food kept multiplying!

There was so much food that there was no need to worry about anyone going hungry!

The food slowly lined up before them.

"Gulp!"

Even though Pakunoda and Franklin tried to hold back, they still couldn't help swallowing.

The rich aroma lingered around them, stimulating their taste buds. It was almost their bodies' most primitive instinctive reaction.

"You... you've got to be kidding..."

Feitan's pale face looked strained, and his stomach rumbled despite himself. He held back, his face flushing red.

At the same time, he couldn't help being shocked by what he saw.

So... Ian really did "make" all this stuff appear!

Chrollo was a little surprised as well.

But when he thought of Ian's earlier "sculptural masterpieces," it seemed normal again.

It had merely added another layer to the wonders of Nen Abilities in his mind.

Or rather, Nen Abilities really were extraordinary.

At least, before meeting Ian, Chrollo's understanding of Nen Abilities had been limited to physical strength and destructive power beyond that of ordinary people.

But after meeting Ian, the things Ian had done with his gadgets, time and again, had completely overturned his understanding of how Nen Abilities could be used.

"Ah, I'm starving! I can't wait anymore—I'm digging in!"

Uvogin had no intention of holding back. He grabbed a chicken leg and tore into it.

Savory juices splashed around his mouth, making the usually quiet, honest Franklin's eyes widen as he watched, swallowing again and again.

Before Franklin had said anything,

even though he had spent all those days with Chrollo's group, he had barely exchanged a word with Franklin.

Of course, that was partly because Franklin didn't stand out much.

He was the future number seven of the Phantom Troupe, a future master of Emission Nen Abilities.

From the anime, he knew that Contract and Restriction would later make Franklin look terrifying, like a stitched-together Frankenstein's monster.

But in reality, Franklin's character made him, without a doubt, a very trustworthy companion.

Someone like that undoubtedly deserved to be treated well.

"Th-thank you."

Franklin hesitated, then broke his silence.

After accepting the steamed dumplings, he could hold back no longer and popped them into his mouth one after another!

His build was no smaller than Uvogin's, and after running again and again, he was ravenous and couldn't spare much thought for anything else.

"Ah!"

The next moment, the honest boy's eyes widened. A sublime sensation his taste buds had never known spread from the tip of his tongue through his whole body.

"S-so good!"

Hearing that, Uvogin and Nobunaga exchanged a glance and snickered.

They had known no one could resist food this delicious.

Chrollo and Feitan didn't stand on ceremony either.

The two had more self-control, though. Even as the rich flavors burst across their tongues, their expressions merely relaxed, and they closed their eyes slightly, savoring this sublime experience they had never known before.

Perhaps they were enjoying it too much.

Before long, when Feitan opened his eyes, his mouth was already stuffed full.

"I-Ian, y-you're amazing for having an ability like this."

After spending the past few days together, Feitan and Ian were no longer strangers.

Or rather, the moment Ian created the miracle at the church for the children, when Feitan saw the smiles on the faces of those fellow street children, he had already accepted the boy before him.

"If I only used my ability for myself, it wouldn't be worth mentioning."

Hearing Feitan's words, Ian glanced over the group. They had been utterly exhausted, but now, with food in their stomachs, they were happy in body and mind. He smiled and said,

"But if I share it with everyone, with all those who truly need it, then my ability will have truly fulfilled its value and meaning."

Chrollo looked thoughtful at Ian's words.

"Sharing your ability with others..."

At that moment, Chrollo was almost within reach of the Nen Ability he would envision in the future, just one final step away.

As for Machi, Pakunoda, and Franklin, hearing Ian's words,

for some reason,

even though they had never attended academic classes in Meteor City,

they couldn't help thinking that the boy before them, speaking such moving words in a matter-of-fact tone, was just like a hero from a book, a righteous knight standing in the light, or a clever and wise young king.

"What a boring idea..." Feitan frowned and muttered quietly.

Yet he lowered his head and studied the chicken leg in his hand. After a while, he swallowed it in one bite, a satisfied expression appearing on his face.

Uvogin and Nobunaga said nothing, their heads down as they dug into their food.

The two of them were simple-minded. They had no particular feelings about it, let alone any ideals. If they had to name one, it was that Ian was right, right, right!

As they saw it, Ian was so clever and always created miracles. They were stupid, so they didn't need to think too much.

They could leave the thinking to Ian and simply stand firmly by his side. After all, Ian's appearance in their lives was a miracle, and whatever Ian wanted to do was the truth!

And they were the ones who put that truth into practice!

Meanwhile,

far away, beneath the first light of dawn,

Boom!

With a tremendous crash, countless fists struck out amid reflections in countless mirrors, sending a blast of air surging into the distance.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of countless mirrors shattering rang out.

But farther away,

there were still mirrors behind the mirrors. Shattered mirrors also littered the ground, reflecting two grim human faces and one helpless wolf's head.

"Hey, this is ridiculous! Ron, how on earth did that guy do this?!"