The Phantom Troupe had grown from its original eight or nine members to a confirmed thirteen, and every one of them was an "A-Class Wanted Criminal."
The members each had their own number. Chrollo, the leader, was number 0, while the others chose freely from numbers 1 through 12.
Machi chose number 3.
But that same year, the Troupe reached its peak and then began to decline, losing two companions in quick succession.
The Zoldyck Family—the "world's greatest assassin family"—targeted and killed member number 8.
Member number 4 was killed by Hisoka.
According to the movie, though, member number 4 hadn't actually been killed. Hisoka had only killed his body double. But that was beside the point.
The Phantom Troupe had lost two members, but they still insisted on maintaining a minimum of thirteen, upholding the principle that "the Spider has twelve legs," and began recruiting replacements.
The Phantom Troupe had a rather unusual way of recruiting members, one that suited their style.
First, anyone who defeated and killed a member could volunteer to join the Phantom Troupe.
Hisoka, who had "killed" member number 4, had taken his place this way.
Second, the leader, Chrollo, could personally select new members.
The new number 8, Shizuku, who also came from Meteor City, was found by him sometime between 1996 and 1999.
Third, a member could recommend someone, and all the Troupe members would decide together at a gathering.
If they couldn't agree, they settled it with a coin toss.
In 1999, number 1, Nobunaga, had tried to recommend Gon and Killua as new members, but nothing came of it.
Fourth, for special reasons, the leader, Chrollo, could decide to have someone join the Phantom Troupe temporarily.
From 2000 to 2001, the two sons of the Zoldyck Family, Illumi and Kalluto, joined the Phantom Troupe this way.
That's right. The Phantom Troupe didn't consider someone—or an entire family—who had killed one of their members an enemy to the death.
On the contrary, if they shared a common interest, the Phantom Troupe was quite willing to work with them.
Of course, it was also possible that member number 8 hadn't been part of the Troupe's original founding core, so they didn't care all that much about his death.
If the Zoldyck Family had killed one of the founding members, like Uvogin or Shalnark, or even their leader, Chrollo, they might have felt differently about the family.
With four ways to recruit new members and plenty of freedom within the Phantom Troupe, their gatherings were often missing people.
It wasn't unusual for old and new members to go more than three years without seeing each other.
The first year of Hunter x Hunter's story was 1999. The current date was November 21, 1997.
At this point in the original timeline, the new number 8, Shizuku, hadn't joined the Phantom Troupe yet.
The original Gelman had just killed his intermediary and begun his career as an independent assassin.
Since they both came from Meteor City, the original Gelman had been very interested in joining the Phantom Troupe.
After a chance encounter with Machi, he volunteered to become a new member.
Machi didn't like Gelman, but she still recommended him to Chrollo, in keeping with the principle of "keeping business and personal feelings separate."
She didn't like Hisoka either, but she still wouldn't oppose his joining. She'd even stitch up his wounds when he got injured.
But with Gelman's arrival, things took a subtle turn.
Chrollo didn't make an immediate decision. Instead, he called a gathering of the Phantom Troupe, one that shouldn't have existed in the original timeline.
All twelve current members of the Phantom Troupe attended, and they'd been informed in advance that a new member might be joining.
The fact that the original Gelman came from Meteor City and was also a Nen user worked in his favor, so most members voted to accept him.
Chrollo, however, unexpectedly decided that Gelman would have to undergo two trials.
The reason was that he took Machi's feeling that she "couldn't get along with Gelman" very seriously.
Still, the original Gelman passed both trials without a problem.
Since that was the case, Chrollo ultimately let him join.
But on the night Gelman returned after completing the trials, the new Gelman took his place.
This was probably a situation no one had ever anticipated.
As Gelman pondered, he heard a creak from up ahead.
He looked up and saw Machi push open the heavy wooden door and enter the silent Bell Tower.
Gelman followed slowly behind Machi's ponytail, always keeping some distance between them.
After climbing a spiral stone staircase, they finally arrived before the intricate, precise machinery inside the Bell Tower.
But now it was covered in a thick layer of dust and threaded with delicate cobwebs.
There, Gelman saw a group of strange-looking people, some standing and others sitting.
Machi walked over to them.
Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the Bell Tower, seeming to draw a natural line at his feet and separate him from the people before him.
There was no mistaking them. They were the Phantom Troupe.
Number 12, Kopf, whose hair was so long it covered his face.
Number 11, Uvogin, a huge, muscular man who looked like a wild man.
Number 10, Pakunoda, whose entire body was wrapped in bandages.
Number 9, the blonde woman with a prominent nose, Pakunoda.
Number 7, Franklin, a massive man with earlobes that hung past his shoulders.
Number 6, Shalnark, with short blond hair and bright, alert eyes.
Number 5, Phinks, dressed in a tracksuit, his eyebrows so faint they were almost invisible.
Number 4, Hisoka, with flame-red hair, an exceptionally pale face, and star-and-teardrop makeup.
Number 3, Machi, who had brought Gelman here.
Number 2, Feitan, a short man whose raised collar covered the lower half of his face.
Number 1, Nobunaga, with a high topknot, a mustache, and a samurai sword at his waist.
And number 0, Chrollo, the leader, wearing a black coat, a cross-shaped mark on his forehead, and an ever-watchful look in his eyes.
There was no doubt that they were a group of vicious criminals.
When dealing with enemies or people who didn't matter to them, they could use any means necessary to achieve their goals, with ruthless methods.
At the same time, however, they treated their own people—especially those from Meteor City—quite well. They often sold the treasures they stole and used the money for charity in Meteor City.
The two things weren't contradictory. That was simply the Phantom Troupe's way.
To be honest, Gelman didn't actually want to get involved with these people.
He could be considered a normal person.
It was only natural for a normal person not to want anything to do with the Phantom Troupe.
As for the specific reasons...
On the one hand, if he revealed the secret that he wasn't the original Gelman, there was no telling what unpredictable consequences might follow.
On the other, unless he had no choice, he didn't want to take part in the Phantom Troupe's "activities" and prey on innocent people.
But things had already come to this, and he could only keep playing the original Gelman.
Gelman knew a little about the Phantom Troupe.
If he'd ignored Machi just now and turned to run, he'd probably be a fresh corpse by now.
Or worse, considering Feitan enjoyed torturing people. It would've been an experience worse than death.
Gelman couldn't refuse to join now, either.
From his perspective, the situation was simple: he didn't like the Phantom Troupe's way of doing things, so he didn't want to join.
But from the Phantom Troupe's perspective, things were more complicated.
That was also connected to one of the trials he'd undergone.
Gelman looked over the Phantom Troupe, and the Phantom Troupe looked him over in turn.
The two sides held a tacit silence like that for about a minute.
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The novel includes some elements from Bloodborne Curse and Darkest Dungeon, but it mainly follows the world of Hunter x Hunter, with some changes. It has a single female lead and relatively little romance. The plan is for the relationship to bear fruit in the middle or later stages.
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