Date: June 8th, 2011
Point of View Switch: Kai
After finishing my meal after training with Nicholas and Ponzu, I head to Killua's room to pay him a visit while they invest time in other things. Ever since I took Killua to get his wounds treated after the fight, I'd been waiting a bit for him to recover to hear his thoughts about his doubts and concerns about me.
Upon opening the door to Killua room, I run into him and Gon, who stop their Ten practice to greet me. "Oh, look Gon. The famous fighter "The Phantom" has come to pay us a visit. Please, sir, come in and make yourself comfortable." Killua says with feigned politeness in hopes of annoying me.
"I see you've regained enough strength to continue being impertinent." I reply accordingly.
After receiving such a one-sided beating, Killua seems to have practically recovered after only two days of rest. Certainly, the regenerative qualities of his body and aura are beyond human limits, even among average Nen users. The only thing he doesn't seem to have healed yet...
"Even so, I see that your leg is still bandaged. How long have they told you it will take until you make a full recovery?" I ask looking at Killua's left leg bandaged from the part where I bit him.
"The doctor said it would take a week or two for the bone to fully heal, but in my experience, it should be fine after another couple of days or so. Although, in truth, it could have taken much longer if you had bitten down even a little harder." Killua says reminiscing the moment in question.
"It was truly incredible! It seemed like Killua had finally caught you, but then you went and stopped him with your teeth! I don't think I could have done it if I were in your place!" Gon exclaims very excited.
"Yes, I have to admit that I was surprised too. I hadn't imagined Killua would rotate his body like that, so I acted somewhat spontaneously. It was lucky I didn't bite too hard or too loosely, or it would have ended badly." I say trying to sound humble.
'I don't think it was luck or spontaneity.' Killua thinks.
"It's a shame. I really wish you could have taught me how to do it too." Gon says looking upset.
"Having lots of fights and experiences is the only thing I can recommend to you. Anyway, Gon, could you leave Killua and me alone for a while?" I ask.
"Why?" Gon asks changing his expression from disappointment to doubt.
"You see, Killua and I had made a little bet about our fight at the tower, so I want to discuss the terms with Killua now that he's lost." I answer, making Killua jolt with a drop of sweat.
"Oh, yeah, that happened. Well, that's the kind of thing you say in the heat of the moment. As a good friend of mine, I was hoping we could leave this as..." Killua begins talking, trying to sneak away before stopping in his tracks as I start to emit my aura tinged with hostility.
"Killua... You were the one who came up with the idea of challenging me to a fight and making a bet where we both had to risk complying the other's demands. Even though I was taking a great risk by accepting your challenge, I accepted it head on with my word, which I don't do lightly. So, you won't have the nerve to try to shirk your responsibility like that, will you?" I ask in a deep, menacing tone, with the upper half of my face shadowed, and my eyes glowing a deep, bright red.
At this malicious aura display in direct contrast to my normally friendly and understanding attitude, both Killua and and even Gon begin to shiver in fear despite their normally fearless demeanor.
"N-No, of course not. I'll keep our agreement, don't worry." Killua says with a shaky smile, very scared by Kai's sudden display of hostility. 'His aura right now feels as sinister as my brother's. Seriously, who the hell is Kai really?'
Verifying that Killua stops trying to get out of fulfilling his part of the bet, I stop emitting my aura, releasing the heavy pressure I was putting on both boys.
"Okay, now that we've got that out of the way, Gon, could you leave us alone for a few minutes?" I ask him once again.
Gon, looking worried, glances at Killua, who nods in approval, deciding to bid us farewell for now and starting to walk towards the door. "Please, Kai, come and let me know when you're done so we can resume our Hatsu training." He asks before finally leaving the room after I nod in confirmation.
"Okay, tell me what you want to ask me to do." Killua says as we're finally alone.
"Before that I have to talk to you about something. The truth is... I know how to find Gon's father." I state, making Killua jump in tremendous surprise.
"What?! Are you serious?! How can you know it?!" Killua asks very quickly and shocked by my sudden statement.
I stare at him in silence for a few seconds before starting to speak again. "Ok, it looks like Gon isn't spying on us after all." I say with a relieved attitude, making Killua fall face down on the bed for the disappointment.
"Are you seriously joking about something so important like that?! You're seriously the worst!" Killua yells at Kai, instantly angered by his lack of consideration for Gon's greatest goal.
"Sorry, sorry. I know I've been quite a jerk there, but I wanted to be sure. After all, Gon would have been unable to refrain himself if he'd heard me say that." I explain, trying to calm him down.
"Now seriously, I do have to talk to you about something important. Killua, can you tell me how your thoughts about me have changed since our fight?"
At my question, Killua stares thoughtfully for a moment before answering. "I think you're really impressive. I forced you to hold back in the fight, went all out against you and created strategies to counteract you during the battle. And despite all these advantages, I still didn't manage to hit you cleanly even once."
"Even though I knew I wouldn't put you in mortal danger with your fighting skills, I was convinced I could win our bet if I set my mind on killing you. And yet, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't overcome you in any way, as if you were some kind of insurmountable adversary."
"The curiosity I felt about you only increases, and yet I feel that the answers are getting further and further away from me. But still, while we were exchanging blows in the ring, I couldn't help but enjoy the thrill of forcing myself to grow faster than before in order to surpass you, like if I had found a new goal that will encourage me to improve further than before."
"So, if you want to know how I feel right now, I'm frustrated at not knowing the truth about you and having experienced such an absolute defeat, but I also feel more motivated to keep trying to uncover the secrets you're hiding. That's like how I feel right now."
"That sounds fantastic to me. After all, if you're going to become a Hunter like Gon, then you need to have something you want to hunt to keep going forward. Even if it's something you're never going to achieve." I say to Killua somewhat condescendingly, earning a challenging smile from him.
"Anyway, going back to the subject of the bet..."
After agreeing with Killua that I would take him to keep his end of the deal after verifying that his leg was healed enough, I invite Gon back into the room to give them both a little private Nen tutoring, showing them things like the advanced principles of aura control and the Pip-Play game to practice the Transmutation category.
After about half an hour, I finally say goodbye to both of them with a satisfied smile, leaving the room and heading to Nicholas's to discuss what I've been thinking about recently. Once I open his door, I find him checking out one of my fights from the 200th floor before noticing my appearance.
"Welcome, boss. I see you've finished your visit with Killua. Should we meet with Ponzu now to continue training?" He asks smiling.
"Not yet. I want to talk to you about something important first." I say sitting down at the table and inviting Nicholas to join me.
"About what?" He asks sitting in the chair.
"Nicholas, I think it's time to start investing effort into starting to build up the reputation of our mercenary agency and launch my own career as a Beast and Blacklist Hunter." I state, leaving him a bit confused.
"I-I don't understand it. The plan you told me was that we waited to become Floor Masters at the tower and thus have some stability and reputation so we could start taking on good jobs for our agency. Why do you want to leave it aside now and start working as a Hunter all of a sudden?" He asks me, doubtful about my change of plans.
"Don't be mistaken, Nicholas. That's still our main objective. It's just that since we've been doing so well in our careers on the 200th floor, I think we have some leeway to act more freely." I begin to explain.
"Then what? We take our backpacks and leave here to start working aimlessly as Hunters? How are we supposed to do that and still achieve our goal of becoming Floor Masters?" Nicholas asks with a defiant tone uncharacteristic of him.
"We won't do it, I'll do it alone." I answer firmly. "As I told you before, I grew up on an island isolated from civilization, so I still know very little about the world. My goal now that I have six wins, plus the one I'll have against Riehlvelt due to his future disqualification, is to spend a week or two traveling through this world while trying to gain some experience as a Hunter."
"So you're going to leave on your own and leave Ponzu and me here?" Nicholas asks, falling back into his old habits of insecurity.
"You only have 3 victories so far, and you haven't trained your Nen enough yet. You can't afford to accompany me for the time being." I say trying to clarify it for him.
"And what about our promise to become the best Blacklist Hunters in the world? How are we supposed to achieve that together if you go away and leave us here abandoned? Wouldn't it be wiser if you stay to continue instructing me and Ponzu and we begin our careers and journeys as Hunters together after achieving our initial goal?" Nicholas asks trying to convince me to stay.
"We could do that, but it wouldn't be the best strategy to follow. It's better for us if I try to expand my horizons and gain experience as soon as possible, just like Ponzu did. You already know the daily training you have to do, and if you have any questions, you can always ask Wing or contact me by phone, although I can't guarantee I'll answer right away." I counterargue, leaving Nicholas somewhat crestfallen with my words.
"Don't make that face. Even if you don't join me, you'll still keep trying to improve as a Hunter by training and seeking out fights on the 200th floor to achieve our goal. Besides, I also need your help with the agency."
"Really?" Nicholas asks with his interest picked again.
"Of course. You'll see, for our future business ventures, we need to build a reputation in the underworld. That's why I want you to use your computer skills to anonymously start posting news about our Heavens Arena race on the Hunter Website, and also look for some low-complexity jobs that I can take after leaving, such as bounty hunting and stopping drug smuggling. Do you think you can do it?" I ask, making Nicholas give me a determined look.
"Yes, boss. I'll make sure to do everything possible to increase our notoriety as we start building up our fledgling agency." He answers.
"I look forward to it. I'll start my little journey once Killua has fully recovered in a couple of days or so, so in the meantime we'll dedicate a couple of hours a day to start laying the foundations of our mercenary agency." I state.
"Yes!" Nicholas responds.
Having clarified how we will approach our new goals in the near future, we set out to find Ponzu, who is training her Ten in her room. When I inform her of my plans to leave Heavens Arena, she, like Nicholas, shows some nonconformity and tries to convince me to stay.
She ends up accepting my decision under the pretext that I need to build my reputation as a Hunter just like she did, but even so, she still seems somewhat disappointed by it. Brushing it off, I lead her outside of the room so we can continue our daily Nen training.
For the next few days, Nicholas and I continue our routine training alongside the others while also working on beginning to develop our agency, advertising our achievements in Heavens Arena to attract the attention of interest groups, researching cases of wanted criminals and security contracts, and also making up the name of the agency: The Tsukimichi Organization.
Aside from that and attending Gon's fight against Riehlvelt, nothing out of the ordinary happened until the day when Killua fully recovered his leg finally came.
Date: June 11th, 2011
Receiving news of Killua's recovery from Gon and Zushi, I instruct Nicholas and Ponzu to continue their physical training on their own while I go find him to settle our bet. Despite attempting to sneak out of Heavens Arena, I run into him as he's leaving the tower, inviting him to accompany me to settle our unfinished business with a menacing smile, much to his disappointment.
After walking for about an hour, we finally arrive at our destination. "Beauty's Transformation Salon? Why do you bring me to a clothing store?" Killua asks in confusion.
"You're about to find out." I reply with a mischievous smile.
A few minutes later, Killua comes out of one of the store's fitting rooms wearing the outfit Gusto helped me pick out for him.
"Oh yes, boy! You look truly beautiful! Very, very excellent! I was a little worried after doing a job like this after several years, but I'm glad the result is so wonderful!" Gusto says in his usual flamboyant behavior.
"Yes, it actually looks better on you than I expected. What's your opinion on it, Killua?" I ask looking at him getting irritated.
"I knew you were a degenerate, but I didn't expect you to be that bad... WHY THE HELL DO I HAVE TO DRESS UP AS A GIRL?!" Killua screams very angrily.
The outfit Killua was wearing consisted of a black puffy square-neck dress that reached just above his knees and whose puffy sleeves only covered his shoulders, low-heeled black shoes, a black choker, and a long wig the same color as his hair to make the perfect disguise.
"Do you really think you can call me that seeing how you're dressed now? Truly speaking, you can only blame yourself for the current situation you're in. After all, it's what happens when you bet irresponsibly—You risk losing and paying the price." I say as I take out my phone and take pictures of Killua, much to his consternation.
"What the hell do you think you are doing?! " He asks angrily.
"Taking photographic evidence that can be used against you. This way, you'll think twice before trying to annoy me or calling me a pervert." I say with a malicious smile.
"You're a fucking pretentious and despicable bastard!" Killua complains.
"Say what you want now if you think it will make you feel better, because you won't have the chance later." I say waving the phone with his picture in his face, making him more irritated. "In any case, we're done with this set. Gusto, please bring the next one."
"As you wish, Mr. Kai." He answers helpfully.
"You will be...!" Killua mumbles, clenching his fists while getting more and more frustrated.
"Wait, what do you mean next?! Isn't this enough to settle our bet?!" Killua asks in consternation at my request.
"But of course not. The secrets you were trying to get out of me were extremely important to me, so I don't feel like we've made up our minds yet. I still need to take more pictures of you in other outfits before I'm fully satisfied. Gusto, proceed." I say.
"Please, master Killua, accompany me to the back of the store. I'll look for outfits that best match your skin tone and body type." Gusto asks as he pushes a struggling Killua by the shoulders.
"No, enough, let me go! I didn't sign up for this shit! Kai, tell him to stop! TELL HIM, YOU BASTARD!!!" Killua complains in vain, knowing that he can't defy my request with his cross-dressing photographs in my possession.
What follows this futile resistance is Killua showing up in various feminine outfits and hairstyles, with me taking pictures of his embarrassed appearances for the purpose of using them against him if things end up going sour at some point.
'Wow, young anime characters really have an androgynous streak. If it weren't for his voice, no one would notice right now that Killua was a boy.' I think while watching and photographing Killua fashion show, getting pretty dismayed for getting carried away with this situation and having these kind of thoughts.
After finishing the show after several outfits, I ask Gusto to pick something for me to go unnoticed in public, respecting the promise I made to him when I came with Ponzu last time by looking for clothes with which to carry out my work as a Blacklist Hunter in the shadows. After deciding between a couple of outfits, I buy the one I'll be wearing on my trip and I say goodbye with Killua to a pleased Gusto.
A little while later, the two of us sit on a bench, with Killua looking downcast from the experience I just put him through. "What an unpleasant experience. I didn't expect you to have something like this planned. You really are..." Killua starts talking again before I stop him in his tracks by showing him my phone.
"If I were you, I'd be careful with that insolent tone, brat. You don't want me to show Gon and other people the photos I took of you with harmful comments attached, do you?" I tell him with a confident smile, making him feel more irked.
"Someday, I'll make sure to return this humiliation to you." Killua says in a low voice.
"Well, start getting in line, because Hanzo is ahead of you, for what I did to him in the Hunter Exam." I say, leaning back against the bench.
"Seriously, you should try not to make more enemies than you already have." Killua says changing his determined look to a flat one.
"You know as well as I do that that's impossible. Hunters are people of interest in this world, and that's bound to make enemies no matter what you do. That's why it's important to always try to make more allies to watch your back, like you, Nicholas, and everyone else. I consider you all my friends, and I trust you to watch my back if the situation arises, and I expect you to do the same with me." I say calmly, causing Killua to completely drop his hostile attitude.
We stay silent for a while before Killua starts talking again. "Nicholas told us you plan to leave Heavens Arena for a while to try to gain experience and reputation. Is that true?"
"Yes." I answer dryly.
"As the son of a family of famous assassins, I know all too well how brutal and dark the world you're about to enter is. Do you think you'll be able to live on the brink of death to survive?" Killua asks very seriously.
"Are you seriously asking me that after facing me in combat? The answer should be obvious: I'll survive no matter what." I say making a smile with all the confidence in the world as I position myself to fist bump Killua.
Killua lets out a mocking sigh at this and bumps his fist into mine also with a smile. "You better do it. Otherwise, I won't be able to pay you back for today."
Date: June 12th, 2011
Point of View Switch: Reader
At the entrance to Heavens Arena, Kai stands in front of Nicholas, Ponzu, and Wing, with his backpack ready to begin his little journey. Taking a step forward, Nicholas extends his hand to give him several sheets of paper.
"Here you have it. The sheets of paper with all the information I've managed to collect of all the criminals wanted and bodyguard job offers in the geographic areas you specified. Honestly, I think it would have been better to email it to your tablet." Nicholas says.
"The web technology can be very useful, but you don't must to get too used to it or it could make you dependent. Also, having these profiles as sheets of paper also has its advantages." Kai replies, putting the leaves in his backpack. "Wing, I leave their guidance in your hands. Please try not to be too cautious with their lessons, or they'll grow weary of the pace they've been following up until now."
"Don't worry. I'll do my best to give you the best possible mentoring in the use of Nen." Wing replies with a kind smile.
"Good. As for you, Nicholas, keep working hard to train and rack up victories on the 200th floor. But don't be reckless. If you think your opponent is too much for you, then back out of the match. Don't make the same mistake Gon made." Kai says with great firmness and concern.
"I'll train as hard as I can so I don't find myself in that situation, boss." Nicholas says, standing as straight as a soldier speaking to his superior.
"And I say the same to you, Ponzu. You've improved a lot since you arrival, but you still have a long way to go before you can challenge the fighters on the 200th floor, so be careful and listen to Wing's teachings. I don't want anything to happen to you either, okay?" Kai asks, receiving a nod from Ponzu, who looks somewhat sad, in confirmation.
But before he can turn around to finally leave, Ponzu unexpectedly sinks against Kai's chest. "Make sure you come back safe and sound. Even if Wing is willing to help us to train, it's thanks to you that I've been able to reach this level. Remember, you're my Nen teacher." Ponzu says looking up at Kai with sad puppy dog eyes.
At this adorable sight, Kai's heart skips a beat, but contrary to his habit of beating himself to dispel it, he decides not to spoil this beautiful farewell, choosing to place his hands on Ponzu's shoulders and say: "Don't worry, I'll do it. You'll see that I'll be back before you even realize it."
Seeing Ponzu's cute smile at his statement, this time Kai turns around and begins to walk away from Heavens Arena while waving goodbye to his friends and preparing to begin his little journey to start working as a true Hunter in this fantastical and unknown world.
Some time later, in his room at Heavens Arena, Hisoka finds himself building a house of cards after hearing the news of Kai's departure, giggling with his wicked smile. 'Oh, Kai, I really hope you come back soon. I can't wait to face you and break you when you're at your highest moment. Umm, I'm getting turned on just imagining it.' Hisoka thinks, knocking down his house of cards with a disgusting expression of pleasure on his face.
'Come back and become a Floor Master as soon as possible, Kai. I won't be able to answer for my actions if you ultimately fail to achieve it.' Hisoka thinks laughing with a malicious laugh while exerting his ominous aura around him.
At the same time, in a building in another part of the world, an older man with well-kept gray hair is searching the web on his computer when he suddenly sees a link titled "Heavens Arena Invincible Star."
The link contains a video of the fight between Kai and Killua, which the unknown man watches closely, becoming fascinated by the fighting ability of both fighters, but especially by Kai's.
"I can't believe what I'm seeing! This guy is truly a hidden gem! I must do more research on him and get in touch before any other interested party does so!" The man exclaims excitedly, starting to search for more news about Kai online.