Killua and I saw Knuckle fighting Youpi in a crater, trying to run away from the Royal Guard. We knew we had to help him, so we decided to attack Youpi together to let him land a couple of hits on him.

We jumped up in the air, and Killua used his attack first.

"Thunderbolt!" He yelled, sending a bolt of lightning down on Youpi, shocking him.

"Aqua Spritz!" I focused everything I had to squirt a big burst of water down on him, increasing the intensity of the lightning. Youpi screamed in pain as we landed on the ground and watched.

Knuckle landed eight hits and ran up the crater, and I heard him cheering loudly as he ran away from Youpi, who was still paralyzed from our coordinated attacks.

The two of us started to descend the crater, preparing ourselves to attack.

"Sorry, but what's about to happen is us letting out some steam, 'cause we're a little pissed off right now." The ex-assassin said, engulfing himself in his lightning aura to fight him.

"We'll go all out on you, so be ready." I warned him.

Killua disappeared and reappeared in front of the Royal Guard, the electricity crackling on his hands. He took a second to shock him while I jumped up high and splashed him with Aqua Spritz. Youpi screamed in pain again and tried to launch a counterattack, but we both dodged and Killua kicked him in the face. I activated Scorching Inferno and engulfed my fist in flames, then I punched him in the face with everything I got.

Before he could even roar, Killua shocked him again, and I used Aqua Spritz to increase the damage. Youpi was paralyzed, giving us the chance to attack him many times. Killua kicked him twice and punched him once. I dealt two fiery punches and kicked him in the face.

We took turns attacking Youpi continuously with our physical attacks and Nen abilities. However, I was a lot slower than Killua, so Youpi almost landed some hits on me. I used Aqua Spritz once more after Killua dealt even more damage with his electric attack. I went to the boy and glared at the Royal Guard.

Killua's electricity suddenly went out, making him jump. He took off running up the crater and I followed him, dodging another one of Youpi's attacks. When we reached the top, Meleoron grabbed us and immediately activated God's Accomplice, allowing us to successfully escape Youpi.

We got into one of the rooms in the palace and Killua began to recharge himself through a socket.

"Once I get myself charged up, Lynn and I will go back to Gon. You go check on Knuckle. Pouf is outside the barrier, so it's very likely the big guy was taken out. Review the situation, then you and Knuckle decide whether to fight or retreat." Killua explained.

"Wait. What about you guys?" Meleoron asked.

"Once Gon gets in that state, he won't budge. I'm afraid he'll go down for Pitou's life."

Meleoron and I sighed, and he shot us an annoyed glare.

"I'm kidding! We're fine! I've got the magic word 'Kite' as backup. Just leave it to me." He reassured us.

We waved goodbye to Meleoron, and I waited for a long time for Killua to finish charging himself. After he was done, we ran into a hallway and passed by corpses of Chimera Ant soldiers. When we got to the intersection, Killua stopped, and I did too, feeling someone's presence nearby. We took a peek around the corner and saw nobody there.

That's odd. I felt a familiar presence around here. Who is it that's watching us?

Killua pulled out his yo-yo and let it roll about two feet away from him. He and I observed the reflection on the metal for a moment, and nobody was still there. Then suddenly, we gasped when we saw someone coming our way and heard their footsteps pattering on the floor. When they stepped into the moonlight, I thought I recognized someone I knew. A dark-haired woman wearing a pink dress. That's...that had got to be Palm! But...she looked kinda different to me. There were fish scales and fins on her forelimbs and a crystal ball was on her forehead. There was also blood around her chest, which meant she had stabbed herself when she got captured by the Royal Guard.

What the...What the hell happened to her? I thought she would be dead if she was captured, and here she is looking all different. She can't possibly forget who we are, can she? Oh, man, think about what will happen if she appears like that in front of Gon. He wanted to know where she is, and there is no room left in his heart for awful things like this. He can't take any more of them.

To my distress, I could picture him breaking down over Palm's altered appearance and all the other terrible things he had seen before his eyes. The very bad feeling only got worse when I realized one more thing.

Lizzy...I doubt she might return to him, but if she does and sees him breaking down, her heart will totally break, and eventually, she will do the same thing. And she will totally freak out when she notices Palm has changed. I...can't let that happen to her! I have to know what is going on with Palm and keep her from meeting either of them.

Killua and I looked at each other before nodding and showing ourselves before the woman. She stopped in her tracks and stared at us with her limpid eyes.

"Hey, Palm." The silver-haired boy said softly.

I can recall the time when she told us about her ability. She might have used it to sense our presence before we could sense hers. It was close to clairvoyance. She shouldn't be able to remember us if she's an enemy. However, the look on her face tells me she has to remember us. She has to remember us!

"You're Killua and Lynn, right?" She spoke, and we gasped in surprise.

She does remember us!

"Yeah." I whispered and took some steps forward along with Killua.

"Where's Gon?" She asked and sighed. "Once he sees what I've become, do you think he will hate me?"

Killua sighed and put his hands on his hips. "Gon doesn't judge people by appearances. And you're assuming he already likes you in the first place."

"Face it. Some people keep their offensive judgments to themselves and fib to keep you from feeling insecure about your looks. Gon isn't the kind of person who would do that, and believe me, he would even like someone as plain and repellent to others like me." I explained as firmly as I could.

"You two are always acting spiteful now, don't you? Well, it doesn't matter. I have nothing to gain from your pity. It wouldn't be helpful to anyone at all. Now, tell me where Gon is." Palm demanded.

"He's with Pitou at the moment. He's—" Killua's words were cut off by a gasp. I turned to see his terrified expression. He had realized something I didn't until now.

"Is something wrong?" She asked.

"Was it by chance you found us?" He asked her.

"Huh? What are you talking about? You guys were the ones who turned the corner and found me."

"Don't try to fool us. We sensed you watching us, and that is the reason we came this way. You noticed us first." I spoke, pointing at her. She glared at us with her menacing eyes and clenched her fists.

"Where's Gon?" She asked for the second time, her tone getting angrier.

"Answer the question first, then we'll tell you."

Wait. Does that mean Killua and I sensed her presence when she physically laid eyes on us? Did she see us once and then left before we had the chance to sense it? She must have used clairvoyance to watch us follow her, and then she turned around so it'd look like she was approaching us.

"For the last time, where's Gon?" She growled through clenched teeth.

I tensed up and got myself ready to fight her. Killua took out his yo-yo and prepared himself for battle.

"We're not telling you." I told her.

"You're an enemy, aren't you?" Killua asked.

She groaned, and her hair began to grow rapidly and wrap around her body. I widened my eyes in shock and fear as I stood there watching her transform into something dangerous.

"I guess I made a mistake. I used my power incorrectly. Instead of bottling up my rage, I should have let it just take over me!" She spoke menacingly, her eyes reflecting her murderous intent.

Her hair had become a costume consisting of only a black dress and a wide brim hat. She looked similar to a witch. I shuddered at her ominous appearance and prepared myself to fight her.

"It's better to let everything out instead of holding it in." She stated, and we pulled ourselves together to fight. "That includes my desire to kill you two!"

Killua swung his yo-yo at her, and she immediately smashed it with a single punch, shocking both of us. She went to land a hit on us, and we blocked her punches and jumped back.

"Well? What are you two gonna do now? Keep silent? Give up and talk?" She taunted us as she attacked us many times, us trying our best to block them all as possible. Her attacks were powerful, and neither of us couldn't do anything to fight back. We were sent crashing into the wall after Palm landed a powerful kick on us.

"Or will you just die?" She gave us an evil grin which creeped me out a bit. I scowled and got up as quickly as I could to escape her.

Palm kept trying to attack us as we ran back in the hallway we were moving through before we encountered her. I analyzed the situation as I continued running away from her.

Palm is an Enhancer, and her ability is a balance of defense and offense, with the armor of hair as her defense and her powerful attacks as her offense. She might be using little or no Nen at all in her attacks, which means there would be no way to evade all of them without taking any damage. Not even using my own Nen to defend myself.

I was using my Nen in my arms to reduce damage, but it did not help much as Palm was still dealing lots of damage to me.

There's no way I'll run away now. Gon's mind is close to shattering, as well as Lizzy's heart if she sees what happened between him and Palm. Both of them can't take any more pain. I have to keep Palm from meeting either one of them no matter what!

Palm chuckled evilly as her menacing eyes were focused on Killua and me. I could feel pain in my arms from her attacks earlier.

I know the real Palm is in there. She just has to snap out of it and remember who we are to her. She is one of our allies and we are supposed to do whatever we can to help Gon. But still, even if she gains control of her emotions again, Gon will only see her as another one of his friends the Chimera Ants have altered.

Palm started rolling toward us rapidly and threw a punch to me and Killua, sending us back a couple of feet. Then, she jumped up and attempted to kick the two of us down, but we moved out of the way in time. Killua was hanging onto the wall while I was right beside her.

"Palm!" The silver-haired boy shouted, capturing her attention to him. "Why the hell are you looking for Gon? If you have a very good reason, then maybe we'll tell you where he is."

"Huh? Why are you asking now? There's no reason at all. I just want to see him. He's probably nearby. Don't worry, I'll find him myself. Right after I kill you two!" Palm jumped up to where Killua was and smashed the wall, and he leaped to the other side. She dived down to hit me, and thanks to my great speed and reaction time, I threw myself forward and skidded to a halt. She attempted to attack Killua again, but he leaped back to where he was before and then dived down to where I was. Palm threw herself at us and we dodged her punch. We only watched in horror as she was about to deliver a powerful blow to both of us.

"Sorry!" Killua yelled, causing her to stop in her tracks. "I panicked and called you an enemy. Even if you look different, you're still Palm, aren't you?"

She gasped at his convincing words, and I frowned deeply to show that I agreed with him.

"Gon is suffering. Someone he deeply cares about was awfully transformed. That person had his soul taken away, and right now, Gon is facing off against the one who's responsible. If he sees you looking so different than you were before..." Killua suddenly gasped in realization. My lips quivered as I thought about the worst outcome.

"Gon will totally lose it." He finished, his expression grave.

I gulped and took a deep breath to speak without giving in to my sadness.

"My sister, Lizzy, is emotionally affected by his words filled with rage and pain, and she can't do anything to help him. She's hurting inside, and I don't know if she can take any more that's coming from the one she cares about the most. She needs help restoring his mental and emotional state, and you have to let her know you are there for her. Please, say your kindest and soothing words to her. Tell her you will do your best to help Gon." I explained everything and requested that she would relieve my sister's emotional pain and help her beloved friend.

"And, when you see him, make sure you say his name first. You must say, 'Gon.' That's the condition. Let him know you're okay." Killua's voice sounded depressing, and I started to tremble. Palm stood there watching us with soulful eyes.

"Before we entered the palace, Gon was really worried about you. He told us that himself. Please, give him some peace of mind."

I saw tears falling from his eyes, making my heart ache. I never saw him cry before.

"Help him...help him feel a little better, if you can. Only you...only you can do that now, Palm!" He clenched his fist, his breath shaking. "No one else...can reach him. Not even Lizzy. It's all up to you now."

I couldn't stop looking at his teary face, and it made me want to cry, too. But I forced myself to hold back my tears and toughen up.

"I just..." Killua slammed his fists on the floor out of frustration. "I can't help him anymore!"

To my horror, he started to sob and wail loudly in front of me and Palm. Just seeing him break down hurt me very much. He was my friend, a cool, pure, and caring friend. He had always been there for me during difficult times like this. He helped me feel better after the murderer's fake death in Yorknew City. He helped me make a reasonable decision when I was struggling to make up my mind whether to let Lizzy fight Genthru or not back in Greed Island. I didn't...I didn't want him to suffer around me. It was bad for my mind and heart.

I knelt down and let my hand touch his back, trying to comfort him as best as I could. I rubbed it many times in the most soothing way possible. I heard him take convulsive breaths as he tried to stop crying.

"There, there. It's going to be alright, Killua. Keep breathing in and out, in and out, and you'll be just—"

"Shut up." Palm coldly muttered, cutting off my words of comfort. I looked at her and stopped rubbing Killua's back. There was a tiny Chimera Ant flying beside her.

"My name is Palm. Palm Siberia." She turned to the little flying ant, and it panicked. "Don't call me 'Number One!'"

With a single punch, the ant was destroyed into several pieces and vanished. I gasped and widened my eyes at her extraordinary strength.

"I will never be a tool for you ants. Even if it costs me my life!"

Her hair was back to normal, meaning she disabled her ability. Me and Killua stood up, the boy no longer crying. We stared at the woman with little pain left in each of our hearts.

"Killua, Lynn, I'll have to thank you both." She spoke in a calm voice. "There was a wall inside my head. My emotions were separated from my body, and there was nothing I could do about it. I've been like this ever since I woke up. You guys took down that wall. Don't you guys ever think there's nothing you can do. Neither of you are powerless."

We gasped at her words of encouragement. I felt like I was going to cry just from hearing those words.

"If I'll do anything to help Gon, I'll be happy to. I'll be happy to help Lizzy as well. But don't forget. You guys are the only ones who can really help them." She told the two of us, taking us aback.

I held back more tears and looked down, unable to say anything else. She was right. I was one of Gon's friends and so was my sister and Killua. We had been together with him throughout all of our adventures, and we knew him very well. We had been keeping him from doing anything stupid that could end his life, and our lives, too. Now, his mind was at his limit, and we had to put him at ease before he completely lost it.

I knew Lizzy's heart was full of so much pain right now, and there was no one around her that could help ease her pain. Gon's emotions hurt hers, and since she was still angry with me, I was afraid I could make it worse. The whole mission might not be of her concern anymore, and instead of contributing with everyone to save humanity, she only wanted to make him feel better. Because she liked him when he was all cheerful and happy, that she would never make him feel sad or mad. In her world, he was everything she needed to keep herself content with her life. If he were gone from her world and in the real world, she would have to either move on without him or join him in the afterlife. The latter was what agitated me the most.

So I mentally prayed that my friend would be free from his rage and that my sister could feel better so they could be happy with each other again. I couldn't let them fall victim to the pain caused by unprecedented events. I had to find a way to reach them without causing them further pain.

And Killua and I could do it. Like Palm said, we were the only ones who could really help them.