Date: June 6th, 2011 15:00 pm
Point of View Switch: Reader
In his waiting room on the 220th floor, Kai is stretching and sharpening his mental state to the maximum for his impending confrontation with Killua.
'I think this is going to be the toughest battle yet. Like I said, Killua is still a novice at using Nen, and he's not at the level where he could pose a threat to me yet. However, the goal of this fight isn't to win against him, but to prevent him from getting a single point on me.' Kai ponders about the current situation.
'While Killua hasn't grown enough yet, it's undeniable that he has immense potential and skill, worthy of the so-called most talented Zoldyck. Also, when he attacked me yesterday and managed to wound my cheek, I could notice the change in his expression—the same ready-to-kill expression he had at the end of the Hunter Exam.'
'Entering this state, Killua becomes a completely different person, becoming a precise and unwavering killing machine. So without using my Orbital Orbs or employing my full power, I'll end up losing a point if I let my guard down for even a split second.'
'Even so, I must achieve success without resorting to those advantages, both to keep my promise to Killua and to maintain my spotless reputation in the Heavens Arena.'
Meanwhile, in his own waiting room, Killua is also mentally preparing himself for the confrontation he has brought upon himself.
'I'm scared. Flipping my killer switch means I'll go straight to try killing Kaiwithout being able to stop myself. Even if I feel somewhat concerned about his mysterious existence, I still consider him my friend, so obviously I don't want him to die.' He thinks, sitting with his gaze downcast.
'However, knowing of his victory against Wing even without using his Nen ability, I'm very aware of the gap between my skills and Kai's. If I don't go all out against Kai, then the odds of me winning the bet will be 0%, and I can't afford that at this point.'
'After getting myself into this mess, losing would not only mean remaining in the dark about the secrets Kai so closely guards, but would also force me to comply with his subsequent request. Having witnessed what he did to Hanzo to force him to give up on the final phase of the Hunter Exam, I don't want to know what he'd do to me for prying into his private affairs.' Killua thinks, uncharacteristically shivering at the possibility that something like this could happen to him.
'At this point, I have no choice but to win no matter what. Knowing him, I'm sure Kai will survive the match no matter what.'
As the two fighters prepare for the impending fight, the stadium is filled with excitement and anticipation. Despite its sudden organization, the venue is packed with spectators eager to witness the battle of the two star rookies.
As both fighter walk their way to the ring, in the background it can be heard the comments of several groups of people among the crowd:
"Go ahead Killua, we're counting on you!" One male spectator voices.
"Get in the ring and take that braggart down from the pedestal he's been perched on!" Another male spectator adds.
"Kyaa, Kai, you're still the most handsome fighter! Give your best and win!!" Several female voices (mainly from Kai fanclub) voices at once, much to Kai chagrin.
These and other cheers from the crowd echo around the stadium as the two fighters finally enter the ring.
"Unlike other fights and training sessions, I'm not going to hold back in the slightest today, so I hope you'll keep your word once the fight is over." Killua says to Kai, smiling with a serious air.
"I say the same. I fully intend to respect our agreement, so I obviously expect the same from you." Kai responds in the exact same way.
"Points system and knockouts, no time limit! BEGIN!!!" As soon as the referee signals the start of the fight, both Killua and Kai disappear from their original positions and instantly reappear colliding in the middle of the ring, seriously startling the referee.
Killua, with dull but fixed eyes, throws his claw-shaped left hand at Kai's head, who brushes it aside with his forearm and prepares to punch Killua back. Killua throws his clawed right hand at Kai's head, who pushes it away with his forearm and prepares to punch Killua back. However, Killua twists his body to try to strike Kai's head again with his left leg like a whip, which Kai dodges by leaning back and landing an upward kick.
Spinning back from the blow, Killua lands and lunges at Kai again, swinging his arms with claw-like hands in chaotic swings of slashing attacks towards his vital points. Kai keeps his focus on blocking his blindingly fast attacks, and in the middle of the attack he throws a punch towards Killua's face, but as he prepares to block it, Kai lands his real punch on Killua's right side, sending him sliding several meters as he spits a little in pain.
"I owed you that one." Kai comments with a triumphant smile.
"Clear hit! One point for Kai!" The referee states, inciting the audience to roar with excitement.
Recovering from the attack, Killua begins to walk towards Kai again, generating several residual clones with "Rhythmic Echo" as he closes the distance.
Faced with this assault, Kai uses his En within a radius of half a meter around him to differentiate who is the real one among the clones, and as soon as he barely touches his range, Kai instantly cancels his En and pretends to go to one of the fake Killuas in front of him to bait the real one who is preparing a claw to attack his head from the left, moving just in time to dodge it and land a right punch on his stomach.
"I got you again." Kai says as Killua spits out blood from the hit and flies off before landing clutching his stomach.
"Critical hit! two points for Kai!" The referee announces once again.
Overcoming the pain, Killua raises his murderous gaze to watch Kai taunting him. At this, Killua charges at Kai again, but before entering his attack range, he dives at full speed to his right, and once again launches himself close to him but without entering his range.
Killua continues running around Kai in a blur of feints until he finally decides to launch himself straight at his back. Kai swings his arm to to try to hit him, but Killua ducks in time and launches himself at his head again, Kai dodging it and hitting the back of his neck with his other hand.
Despite it being a strong blow, Killua manages to resist it and turn around as soon as he lands to try to stab Kai's heart again. To the surprise of everyone watching the fight, Kai for the first time moves away from the spot to dodge it, prompting Killua to follow him to try to land more deadly blows.
As Kai continues to dodge and block Killua's attacks, he notices that they are becoming faster and more efficient, showing that Killua is slowly adapting to his fighting rhythm. So as he blocks one of Killua's swings, Kai elbows him in the face causing him to slide a distance again, only this time Kai follows him and tries to throw a punch at Killua, who barely manages to dodge it by jumping to the side and letting the punch crack the ground upon impact.
At this, Kai immediately sets off to chase Killua and it's he who begins to launch attacks this time, forcing Killua to dodge them. Despite Killua's heightened agility and concentration, Kai pressures him with his superior physical abilities and a series of feints, managing to land a powerful punch to his face that, in addition to making him spit blood and knock out one of his teeth, throws him several meters until he falls prone at the edge of the ring.
"Critical hit and down! Three points!" The referee announces.
'From his soft panting, I can tell he's tired after assaulting me and taking so many hits non-stop. Plus, his current look tells me that last punch has brought him out of his full-on assassin mode, which leads me to assume he'll try a more thoughtful strategy now. I must remain alert and prepare myself.' Kai thinks looking at Killua while taking a fighting stance.
Meanwhile, Killua, who has regained consciousness, is mulling over his actual situation. 'What the heck?! I've been going for the kill for several minutes with all my inhibitions turned off, and I haven't managed to land a single clear hit! On the contrary, I feel the damage from his attacks slowly accumulating, even the ones I've blocked with my arms!'
'It seems a direct confrontation won't work. I'll test him for a while, trying to defend myself while I try to create a window to land a hit and win the bet. Now that I've become more accustomed to his fighting style, it should be possible for me to do so.'
With this thought, Killua launches himself at Kai again, but this time with his mental abilities at full capacity. Kai, seeing the change in Killua, lunges at him as well, and the two begin exchanging blows again.
The speed and lethality of Killua's attacks seem to have been reduced, but now his movements are more complex and unpredictable, making use of his flexible arms to pass through Kai's guard, forcing him to focus more on dodging than blocking as before.
At one point, Killua jumps to dodge a punch from Kai and tries to kick him at the head, but Kai dodges it by ducking in time and throws a punch that Killua blocks with his arms, going flying but landing unharmed.
'He is getting better at it.' Kai thinks as he closes the distance with Killua.
In front of him, Kai performs several feints before launching a left hook that Killua manages to dodge by leaning back, attempting to stab Kai's abdomen in response with his claw-shaped hand, being stopped by him grabbing his wrist with his right hand.
However, to his and everyone surprise, Killua dislocates his arm bones so he can twist his entire body to the left despite Kai's firm grip, preparing to launch a kick at an unprotected Kai face.
'Damn!' Kai thinks as Killua leg closes the distance and apparently hits his face.
"Saved! No point!" The referee says crossing and extending his arms in a save signal.
'I-Impossible! How can he have blocked my kick... BY BITING IT WITH HIS TEETH?!' Killua thinks also with a shocked expressión while Kai is biting hard on his leg, sinking his teeth in his flesh and fracturing the bone a little.
Taking advantage of the confusion, Kai pulls Killua's arm and leg and slams him hard into the ground, cracking it on impact and making him bounce a couple of times before coming to a stop lying down on it.
"Down! One point!" The referee states, getting the audience to burst in cheers once again.
'It was a real gamble, to be honest. Killua almost scored the point on me. I can't give him any more chances.' Kai thinks, launching himself to hit Killua before he can fully get up.
Despite the surprise and his leg damaged by the bite, Killua manages to jump from the spot in time, narrowly dodging Kai's punch that cracks the ground upon impact.
'I'm in no position to confront him now. I need to distance myself and adopt another strategy. If I use Rhythmic Echo again, I might disorient him to...' Killua starts to think when he notices Kai's hand still buried in the ground.
With the veins in his arm visibly prominent, Kai swings his sunken hand at Killua with such force and precision that it launches a cloud of dust and debris directly at Killua, damaging him for the impacts and obstructing his vision.
'I lost sight of him! Where is he?!' Killua thinks nervous while trying to position Kai.
However, he is unable to detect Kai using Zetsu until he lands a punch on the left of his face that sends him flying out of the dust cloud. While he is still stunned by the blow, Kai follows him into the air, drawing his fist back and landing a powerful punch into the stomach of a defenseless Killua, causing him to crash into the ring floor and becoming unconscious from the impact that cracks it.
As Kai lands back on the ground, the referee is quick to give his verdict: "Critical Hit and down! That makes three points! In addition to a knockout, that gives the victory to the challenger Kai!"
The entire stadium begins to cheer once more. The heavy, tense atmosphere that had kept them on edge until now has evolved into a celebration of both Kai and Killua's outstanding performance.
As Cocco comments on Kai's battle and rising reputation, he stands panting and staring at Killua's unconscious and injured body with great seriousness.
"That was a great fight, Kil. Despite holding me back, you didn't let me let my guard down for even a second. You almost managed to land a hit on me, and you probably would have managed it if I hadn't damaged you so much with my attacks." Kai says as he bends down and picks Killua up off the ground, carrying him out of the stadium to everyone's surprise.
"Without a doubt, this has been the most difficult and exciting fight I've had so far in Heavens Arena, Killua. I hope you enjoyed it too, and that you learned something that will help you in the future battles that await you and Gon. Although knowing you two, it may not be necessary after all." Kai tells the unconscious Killua with a satisfied smile as he fades with him into the darkness of the tunnel on their way to the floor's infirmary.