"Morel's Praise"
Knuckle treated everyone, and he and Gelman ordered dinner together before sitting down.
When the food arrived, Knuckle dug in. He'd been hungry all day.
Shoto ate slowly and was a man of few words. When Knuckle asked what he'd been doing during the day, he gave a brief answer and said nothing more, occasionally sneaking a glance at Gelman.
Morel, meanwhile, curiously asked Gelman about his experiences at the Hunter Exam, killing several Shadow Beasts, and taking down Phinks of the Phantom Troupe.
Gelman told him what he could, treating it as dinner-table conversation.
By the end, Morel couldn't help giving him a thumbs-up and praising him. "I can tell that when you're dealing with opponents around your level, you don't go into a fight unprepared. That's a good habit."
"Knuckle, Shoto, you should learn from Gelman in that regard."
Knuckle still had a huge, uncut steak stuffed in his mouth. Shoto put down his knife and fork. Both of Morel's students looked at their teacher, knowing his words were meant for them, too.
Morel explained, "Look, Gelman had actually researched those Shadow Beasts beforehand, and he knew about Phinks, too. He deliberately avoided their Nen abilities' strengths and went after their weaknesses."
Knuckle and Shoto nodded repeatedly as they listened.
Morel continued, "Gelman seemed to be surrounded by the Shadow Beasts, but he cleverly avoided a situation where he'd be fighting several opponents at once. Instead, he took them down one by one."
Knuckle swallowed a mouthful of meat and said, eyes wide and shining, "Right! So that's how it was!"
Morel cleared his throat, signaling for Knuckle to settle down, then asked him to pour red wine for Gelman and himself.
After taking a small sip, he continued, "And that's not all. Gelman used a