Chapter Seven: The Prodigy
Six months into training with Takeshi, I'd stopped feeling human.
Not literally, of course. My body still required food, sleep, water. But something inside had transformed. The original me, the consciousness that had somehow transmigrated into Regis Volpe's body, had been slowly absorbed or overwritten by the daily reality of this world.
I was nineteen and I'd already killed people. I commanded creatures of nightmare. I sat in meetings with crime lords and negotiated territories and money flows like it was nothing. The squeamish part of me, the part that had been horrified by violence and death, had retreated somewhere deep inside where I rarely had to acknowledge it.
Takeshi noticed the change before anyone else.
"Your progress is abnormal," he said one afternoon, three weeks into the second quarter of training. We were in the gymnasium attached to the training room, a space I'd had expanded specifically for Nen practice. "I've trained dozens of users. Most take years to reach where you are in six months."
I was standing in the center of the gym, maintaining Ken without effort, my entire body coated in a stable layer of aura. I'd been maintaining it for forty-five minutes without any sign of the strain that had been present weeks ago.
"It's because I understand what's coming," I said quietly. "I know what's at stake. That motivates me in ways a normal student wouldn't have."
Takeshi studied me with an intensity that made my skin prickle. He could probably sense it through Gyo, the underlying knowledge in my movements and decisions that shouldn't exist in someone with only six months of training.
"You're hiding something," he said flatly. "Something about why you awakened Nen so perfectly, why you imposed those specific restrictions, why you're driven so hard to improve. But I don't ask questions about secrets. My job is to make you strong enough to survive whatever you're preparing for."
"Thank you for that," I said.
He grunted. "Don't thank me yet. We're about to move into advanced applications."
***
The second three months of training were different from the first.
Instead of drilling basic techniques, Takeshi introduced combat applications. Not sparring—actual combat scenarios designed to test my reflexes and decision-making under pressure.
He would put me in situations where I had to use multiple advanced techniques simultaneously. Maintaining Ken while shifting into Ko for a strike, then instantly reverting to full defensive Ten. Combining Gyo to sense hidden aura with Zetsu to hide my own presence. Using In on my aura while sensing attacks through En as I eventually developed enough reserves for that advanced technique.
By the end of month seven, I could maintain En for short periods. A sphere of aura expanding outward from my body, sensing everything within a thirty-foot radius. Anything that moved within that sphere triggered my awareness. It was like having a sixth sense.
"En is limited by both your aura reserves and your mental focus," Takeshi explained. "Experienced users can maintain it constantly, covering hundreds of feet. You'll get there eventually. Right now, focus on maintaining it for combat duration, about five minutes."
The physical training intensified too. Takeshi wasn't just making me stronger—he was teaching me to use Nen to enhance every physical movement. Ko in my legs when I needed explosive speed. Shu on my hands for gripping power. Ken to increase durability when taking hits.
By the end of month eight, I could fight Takeshi for nearly ten minutes before he put me down. Still losing, absolutely losing, but surviving long enough that the fights didn't feel like complete massacres anymore.
"You're learning how to use your aura as an extension of yourself," he said after one particularly intense sparring session. "Most users treat Nen like a separate thing, power added on top of their physical abilities. But the strongest users understand that Nen and body are unified. One system. One weapon."
The information gathering continued in parallel with the training. I'd read through all hundred profiles Takeshi provided and started researching beyond them. Spent hours in Father's library, reading books on the underworld, tracking criminal organizations across the continent.
The Phantom Troupe remained my primary focus. Chrollo Lucilfer. Feitan Portor. Phinks Magcub. Shizuku Murasaki. Kalluto Zoldyck, the youngest member, barely sixteen. I collected every piece of information I could find about them.
Some facts were verifiable. The Troupe had over a hundred confirmed murders attributed to them. They had connections to high society, moving in circles where law enforcement couldn't touch them. They were known to be intellectuals as well as fighters, planning their heists with precision.
Other information was rumor and speculation. That their leader had some kind of ability that let him copy other people's powers. That they possessed supernatural objects stolen from ancient tombs. That some members had abilities so powerful they defied normal Nen classifications.
I filled notebooks with theories, creating mental Predators for each member. What would hunt Chrollo, whose ability supposedly involved stealing other people's Hatsu? What would counter Feitan, the interrogation specialist? What weakness could I exploit in Phinks, whose strength supposedly came from a technique called Ripper Cyclotron?
Building those theoretical Predators taught me things about combat strategy I couldn't have learned otherwise. Forced me to think creatively about how to counter different ability types.
But it was research into the Shadow Beasts that truly astonished Takeshi.
***
"You've read all of these?" he asked, staring at the stack of notebooks I'd compiled over three months.
"Everything I could find. The Shadow Beasts are the Dons' personal security forces. If I'm going to understand what a real Nen user at that level can do, understanding the Beasts is essential."
The Shadow Beasts were rumored to number thirteen—one for each of the Ten Dons, plus three others who served the organization's leadership. They were considered among the strongest Nen users alive, warriors who'd been trained from childhood and fought in actual wars, not just criminal conflicts.
I'd managed to compile information on seven of them. Names, Nen types, estimated ability levels, fighting styles. For the other six, I had only scattered rumors and guesses.
But what I'd assembled was already comprehensive compared to what most people knew about these secretive fighters.
"This is..." Takeshi trailed off, flipping through the notebooks. "This is reconnaissance-level intelligence. The kind of thing a nation's spy agency might compile about enemy military forces. You've been doing this for three months?"
"I have access to Father's library. Connections within the organization. People who know things." I shrugged. "Information is valuable. I'm learning to appreciate that."
He studied me with something like awe on his scarred face. "Your ability doesn't just need information to function. You're building an entire intelligence network specifically designed to keep you informed about threats. That's..." He shook his head. "That's not something most Nen users would think to do. Most would rely on instinct, on experience, on fighting their way through problems."
"Fighting blindly is how people die," I said.
"Yes. It is."
He set the notebooks down carefully. "I need to be honest with you, Regis. You're approaching the edge of what I can teach you. Your fundamental Nen knowledge is now at a level it would take most users five to ten years to reach. Your combat applications are sophisticated. Your strategic thinking is exceptional."
"But?"
"But you still need experience. Real, actual experience against Nen users who aren't holding back. I can make you proficient in controlled conditions, but the arena of actual combat has variables I can't teach you."
"What do you recommend?"
Takeshi was quiet for a long moment. "The family council meetings. Father takes you to those, correct?"
"Yes. Monthly gatherings with representatives from the allied families."
"At the next one, observe carefully. Watch the bodyguards. Many of them will be Nen users. Try to sense their aura types using Gyo, determine their power level using En. Build a mental map of their abilities without them knowing they're being analyzed. That's good practice for what you'll need to do."
"And after that?"
"After that, you'll be ready for real combat. Not the kind where I'm holding back. Real fights. The kind where people die if you make mistakes."
***
The ninth family council meeting happened on a humid evening in late September. Father took me in our private elevator up to the top floor of the tower where these meetings were held.
The room was neutral ground, controlled by all the families collectively. A massive circular table with thirteen chairs, each one representing a Don. Beside each Don's chair stood their personal guards. One or two, depending on the Don's paranoia level.
Father settled into his chair and gestured for me to stand behind him, off to the side. The position of a designated heir. Visible, present, but not directly involved.
I wasn't supposed to use Gyo on people without permission. It was considered intrusive, an invasion of privacy. But this was a family council meeting, a place where power and information were the real transactions happening beneath the surface.
I activated Gyo carefully, my vision shifting to emphasize aura over physical form.
It was like seeing a completely different room.
The Dons themselves blazed with aura. Father was a pillar of white and red, his aura dense and heavy. The Don to his left, a woman named Lydia who controlled smuggling operations across the western coast, had aura that moved like water, fluid and adaptive.
But the bodyguards were what I needed to study.
Father's bodyguards I knew already. Viktor, the ice-cold consigliere with precise, controlled aura. Marco, the field captain with the broad, steady aura of someone trained in multiple combat styles.
But the other families' bodyguards were new.
The Trentini Family's bodyguard was an Enhancer, his aura thick and powerful, concentrated in his legs and arms. Nen type indicated fighting style. His power wasn't sophisticated—just overwhelming physical enhancement. The type of fighter who could snap bones without thinking.
The Albright Family's guard was something else entirely. His aura had a shimmer to it, multiple layers existing simultaneously. Conjuration, probably. Maybe Transmutation. Harder to tell with more complex Hatsu.
I cycled through all the Dons and their guards, building a comprehensive map of the power in this room. By the end, I'd categorized every guard present:
Four Enhancers. Two Transmuters. One Manipulator. Two Conjurers. One Emitter. One Specialist.
The Specialist was particularly interesting. I couldn't quite parse his ability through Gyo alone. It moved strangely, shifting in ways that didn't match his physical movements.
After the meeting, when we were returning to the estate, I asked Father about that one.
"The Specialist guard with the Moretti Don? That's supposed to be a difficult ability, something that makes him nearly impossible to track or predict. Even other Nen users have trouble reading what he's doing."
Exactly the kind of ability I'd need a Predator to counter properly. I made a mental note to research the Moretti organization more deeply.
***
By the end of month nine, Takeshi watched me maintain En for fifteen minutes straight while simultaneously sparring with him, and actually landed three effective strikes before he disarmed me.
He didn't continue the fight. He just stood there, breathing heavily, a strange expression on his scarred face.
"You understand what you just did?" he asked.
"Maintained En while fighting?"
"You generated and maintained an advanced Nen technique for fifteen minutes while simultaneously executing advanced combat applications. That's not something most professional Nen users can do until they've been fighting for at least five years."
He walked to the side of the training room and sat down on a bench.
"I need to make a call," he said quietly. "There's someone you should meet."
***
Three days later, an old man arrived at the estate.
He was ancient, easily in his eighties, with white hair and a beard that reached his chest. He moved slowly, carefully, like his body was fragile glass. But when he activated his aura for inspection, it was like standing in front of a mountain.
Father greeted him with the kind of respect usually reserved for the Dons themselves.
"Master Yamamoto. Thank you for coming on short notice."
"Takeshi tells me you have a prodigy," the old man said. His voice was surprisingly strong for his age. "I thought I should see this for myself."
He studied me for a long moment with eyes that seemed to see everything.
"Show me your Nen," he commanded.
I activated Ten, coating my body in aura. Let him see all of it—the control, the sophistication, the underlying structure I'd built over nine months.
His eyes widened slightly.
"How long have you been training?" he asked.
"Nine months."
"And he was largely self-taught for the first three months," Takeshi added. "Awakened through combat, imposed his own restrictions before I started formal instruction."
Master Yamamoto's expression shifted to something that might have been approval. "Show me your Hatsu," he said.
"I can't manifest it without a genuine hostile target," I explained carefully. "But I can describe it."
I explained Predator in detail. Every restriction, every condition, every aspect of the ability's design.
When I finished, Yamamoto was quiet for a very long time.
"That's a sophisticated ability design for someone so young," he finally said. "The restrictions are well-thought, the conditions meaningful. But the real achievement is the information dependency. Most users create abilities that require minimal preparation. You've done the opposite, built an ability that rewards patience and intelligence gathering."
He stood up, moving to the practice area. "Fight me," he commanded.
I hesitated. This man had to be one of the strongest Nen users alive. Probably a former Hunter, maybe even a Zodiac member based on how Father had reacted to his presence.
"Don't worry," he said, reading my hesitation. "I'll pull my punches. Just don't embarrass yourself."
The fight lasted exactly four minutes and thirty-seven seconds before he put me on my back with a technique I didn't even see.
As I lay there gasping for air, he smiled down at me.
"You're strong for your age. Stronger than I expected. In six months, maybe a year, you might be ready for real combat against actual professional Nen users."
He helped me to my feet.
"But you're not there yet. Takeshi, this one has talent, genuine talent. But he needs to understand something—" He turned to me directly. "—strength in this world is relative. You've become powerful in nine months. Impressive. But there are people who have been training for fifty, sixty, seventy years. There are creatures that aren't human that make the strongest humans look like children. There are situations where no amount of power helps because the enemy has ten times your strength."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"Your ability, Predator, is good. It gives you an advantage through information and strategy. That's rare. Most Nen users rely on raw power. But strategy only works if you're in a position to execute it. If you're facing something ten times stronger, your best Predator might only let you survive instead of dying instantly. And survival, young man, is how you eventually win."
He turned to Father. "Keep training him. you are already someone at the level of the Shadow Beasts. That is valuable."
After he left, Father pulled me aside.
"That was Master Yamamoto, one of the oldest living Nen users. He doesn't leave his compound for just anyone. Takeshi must have told him you're something special." Father's eyes studied me with a new intensity. "Are you?"
"I'm learning quickly," I said carefully.
"Yes. Faster than I've ever seen anyone learn." He paused. "I'm putting you in charge of a new division. Intelligence operations focused on tracking potential threats to the family. You'll report directly to me and Viktor. You'll have resources, authority, access to information most people don't see."
I was still nineteen years old. Young for this kind of responsibility. But Regis was his son, and I'd spent nine months proving I wasn't completely incompetent.
"Understood," I said.
***
By the end of month twelve of training, I'd reached a point where Takeshi admitted he couldn't teach me anymore.
"You need real combat," he said firmly. "Fighting me is useful for technique refinement, but you need to face actual opponents who have different fighting styles, different Nen types, different experiences."
"When?" I asked.
"Soon. Your family is involved with the Underground Auction, correct?"
The auction was coming in about six months. The event where the Phantom Troupe would massacre everyone.
"Yes," I said.
"Then you'll participate in the security detail. You'll encounter hundreds of Nen users from all different walks of life. Some will be stronger than you. That's good. You need to understand your actual limits against real opponents."
I nodded. Six months to get even stronger. Six months to gather more information, prepare more theoretical Predators, get ready for whatever was coming.
Takeshi helped me pack his personal belongings. He was leaving, returning to his normal life now that he'd done what Father had hired him to do.
"You're going to do something important," he said as he prepared to leave. "I don't know what it is exactly. But the way you approach problems, the way you think strategically instead of relying purely on power—that's rare. Most people in this world are just beasts fighting for dominance. You're trying to think three steps ahead."
"Will it be enough?" I asked.
He smiled. It was the first genuine smile I'd ever seen from him.
"No," he said honestly. "In the end, power is what matters. But it's a start. It's better than most can do."
After he left, I stood in the training room I'd spent the last twelve months slowly mastering. My body was completely transformed. My aura control was sophisticated. I could fight trained Nen users and survive. I'd even successfully injured Master Yamamoto during our fight, which he'd seemed genuinely impressed by.