After hearing A Luo's words, the light returned to Gon's golden-brown eyes.
He stopped moping, and by early the next morning, he was back to full strength.
The boy also picked up and put away the two Number Plates Hisoka had tossed him like handouts.
A Luo was right. I shouldn't stay down. I should get stronger as soon as possible, then pay Hisoka back for yesterday's humiliation!
Seeing that Gon had regained his spirits, A Luo seized the chance to ask him to help find Ponzu.
Gon readily agreed, of course.
"A Luo, does this Ponzu you mentioned have any distinguishing features?"
A Luo was just about to answer when they ran straight into Kurapika and Leorio.
"Gon, A Luo? What are you two doing together?"
Remembering that A Luo seemed to be allied with Ponzu and had also been walking with Hisoka earlier, Kurapika and Leorio both grew wary.
Gon blinked his big eyes, looking puzzled.
"Why can't I be with A Luo? When I ran into Hisoka earlier and got depressed after failing, she was the one who looked after me and encouraged me."
Kurapika and Leorio looked at A Luo.
Faced with their wary expressions, A Luo sighed and said helplessly:
"Forget it. At this point, there's no sense in us being suspicious of each other."
"Yes! You guessed right. I can't find Ponzu, and I'm with Gon because I wanted him to help me look for her."
The girl spread her hands.
"Gon showed off his incredible sense of smell back in the Numere Wetlands, after all! Maybe he can pick up Ponzu's scent and help me find her?"
To reassure Kurapika and Leorio, A Luo also showed them the Number Plates she had collected.
Her target was examinee Number 80. Her own Number 42