Hello everyone, this is Gon Freecss. I'm surprised at how refreshing the atmosphere feels without Hisoka lurking around.
Even though this place is supposedly a sanctuary for fighters, wild beasts are apparently banned from competing, and Gin has been sulking ever since he found out he's been left out.
After several days of travel, Gon and his group finally arrived at the Sky Arena—a tower known as the "fighter's holy land" and the fourth tallest structure in the world.
The surrounding area bustled with inns and training dojos catering to challengers and combat sports fans, with crowds of people flowing in and out every day.
Rather than lingering to explore the town, Gon's group lined up early in the morning at the Sky Arena's entrance.
Since the line consisted mostly of burly, intimidating men, Gon and Killua—who were obviously children, along with the tall but slender Leorio and delicate-looking Kurapika, naturally drew unwanted attention from those around them.
To make matters worse, Kurapika was in a state of mild nervous breakdown from his Nen manifestation training, giving him a pale, haunted complexion, while Leorio couldn't take his eyes off the prize money amounts he'd heard about. This made their group stand out even more conspicuously.
"Listen up, Kurapika and Leorio," Killua warned. "Make sure to write 'over ten years of martial arts experience' on your registration forms, or it'll take forever to advance through the floors. And Leorio, be especially careful not to accidentally kill someone. Get your act together."
The warning from Killua, an experienced Sky Arena veteran and current assassin, made Leorio, who aspired to be a doctor and didn't want to harm people unnecessarily—refocus his determination.
Though Kurapika's expression remained somber, he answered firmly, and it seemed he wouldn't make any careless mistakes.
Gon, who had been training at full strength with Gin for years and was actually terrible at holding back, was being sternly lectured by Killua. But he casually looked up at the massive tower and exclaimed in wonder.
Led by Killua, who had become something of a guardian for the other three, they checked in and waited in the participants' waiting room until the announcement was made.
"By the way, we never discussed this—what happens if we end up fighting each other? And if we encounter someone else who can use Nen, are we allowed to use it too?"
It was inevitable that as they advanced through the floors, the number of competitors would decrease, increasing the likelihood that Gon and the others might face each other in battle.
And even though there weren't many of them, some competitors could use Nen. If they all registered at the same time, there was a real chance they might end up fighting each other.
"If we do fight each other, let's agree not to use Nen and keep it fair. If our opponent can use Nen, then we'll decide what to do in the moment."
"Agreed. Hey, let's make it a race to see who can reach the 200th floor first! The loser has to do a penalty game."
Killua's suggestion about the penalty game was rejected, but they decided that whoever performed the worst would treat everyone to dinner that evening.
When Leorio was called first among the four, the others were summoned immediately after and made their way to their respective rings.
From that day forward, the Sky Arena would be engulfed in unprecedented excitement, though no one was aware of it yet.
First Matches and New Encounters
Gon and the others won their matches without any issues or memorable moments. When instructed to proceed to the 50th floor, they all boarded the elevator together.
However, there was another child on the elevator who looked similar in age to Gon and Killua, and they were vaguely aware of each other's presence.
"Hey there! I'm Zushi from the Shingen-ryu school of martial arts! Your matches earlier were incredible! Could you teach me some techniques?"
As the elevator doors opened, the other child—Zushi—approached Gon and the others with an enthusiastic greeting.
Gon and Killua mimicked Zushi's energetic "Hey!" while Leorio and Kurapika, who had been watching the three with amused smiles, introduced themselves before joining them in the waiting room for casual conversation.
Zushi was amazed to learn that three of them—excluding Killua—were professional Hunters who all knew Netero, the grandmaster of the Shingen-ryu school. Then he asked the question that had been bothering him the most.
"Your techniques were amazing just now, but why didn't you use them during your matches? Even talking face-to-face like this, I can tell how much stronger you are than me."
In response, they explained that the real training begins on the 200th floor, and that they had intentionally imposed restrictions on themselves for the sake of gaining experience.
Zushi sincerely respected the four who viewed things so differently from himself, yet couldn't hide his growing competitive spirit toward Gon and Killua, who were on the same level as him.
"That's incredible! If you're all okay with it, could we have a match sometime? I want to see how far I can push myself!"
"Well, isn't that exactly why you're here? Our goal is also to fight against Nen users, so it's not something we'd refuse."
While Leorio was responding to Zushi—who looked even younger than Gon and Killua—an announcement was made that Leorio and Zushi would be fighting next.
"Alright then, Zushi will fight as usual, and Leorio won't use his advanced techniques. I think it'll be good experience for both of you."
This proposal from Gon would eventually cause quite a stir, but at that moment, no one could have foreseen it.
The 50th Floor Battle
The Sky Arena's familiar simple square ring, constructed of nothing but stone slabs.
On the ring stood the two combatants—Leorio and Zushi, along with the referee, and the match was about to begin.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Today's matchup features Leorio and Zushi, both of whom dominated the first floor with overwhelming strength!"
Unlike the first floor where multiple matches occurred simultaneously, by the 50th floor, spectators, commentators, and betting were all standard features.
"Leorio, despite his slender build, has been using incredible strength to throw opponents clear out of the ring, while Zushi has been using flawless combinations to overcome significant size disadvantages and secure knockout victories!"
The commentator hyped up the betting by briefly describing each fighter's background and fighting style. Once the odds were set, the match began.
"The betting odds are 1.5 to 3.0 in favor of Leorio! Can Zushi pull off the upset? Let the match begin!"
"Fight!"
At the signal, Leorio moved first, rushing toward Zushi, who held his ground. Leorio grabbed for Zushi's collar to execute the same throwing technique he'd used on the first floor.
However, for Zushi, who had mastered the Shingen-ryu style, Leorio's movements were far too crude. He deflected Leorio's attack and delivered a clean straight punch to his abdomen.
"Clean hit! One point to Zushi!"
"Wow! Zushi takes the early lead! However, Leorio doesn't seem to have taken much damage! What will happen next?"
Zushi landed his blow and immediately backed away, while Leorio, though slightly hurt, didn't pursue him.
This is bad, Zushi thought. Leorio isn't wearing any protective gear, and he's physically stronger than me. If he gets a hold of me, I won't be able to do anything. I have to dominate the striking exchanges or I'll be overwhelmed.
This is serious, Leorio realized. There's no way I can grab him fighting like this. Honestly, I don't want to hit a kid, but if I want to win, I have no choice but to focus on strikes.
After a moment of tense silence as both fighters assessed the situation, Leorio took a deep breath and charged at Zushi again.
What followed was a fierce exchange of blows, with both fighters blocking each other's attacks. However, Leorio finally broke through Zushi's guard with a punch to the abdomen, forcing them to separate.
"This is an incredible back-and-forth battle! It's hard to believe this is only a 50th floor match—the intensity is electrifying the arena! However, Zushi's physical disadvantage is proving difficult to overcome!"
His punches are heavier than I expected, Zushi thought. If this continues, I have no choice but to use that technique.
Zushi lowered his stance into a unique fighting position, keeping his focus on Leorio while gathering his aura.
As Zushi prepared to unleash his technique, Leorio dashed forward to stop him, but—
"Zushi!"
"Huh?"
"What?"
A thunderous shout echoed from the stands, and everyone turned to see a seemingly ordinary man with black hair and glasses standing up from his seat.
After briefly observing the man's impressive presence, Leorio readjusted himself and faced Zushi, who had also resumed his stance, and the battle continued.
Throughout the remainder of the fight, Leorio maintained the upper hand, but due to Zushi's skill and tenacity, he couldn't finish him off. The match ended with Leorio winning by TKO after building a ten-point lead in a lengthy battle.
Initially, the audience was enthusiastic, but as time dragged on, they seemed to grow increasingly bored. Gradually, resentment toward Leorio began to build.
As a result, on his very first day at the Sky Arena, Leorio was given nicknames like "Demon Glasses," "Sneaky Gorilla," and "Torture Rio," becoming an overnight sensation as a heel fighter.
Despite being the first to have his match scheduled, Leorio was the last to finish. Accompanied by Gon and the others, he visited Zushi and the man who appeared to be his master.
Leorio was deeply troubled by the fact that he had inadvertently held back too much, causing unnecessary prolonged suffering.
Meeting Wing
"No, no, such injuries are perfectly normal. In fact, we should be thanking you for giving Zushi such valuable experience."
Zushi's master, a somewhat disheveled-looking man, introduced himself as Wing and responded with a smile to Leorio's apology about the previous match.
He also revealed that he had been observing Leorio's character ever since they'd been talking in front of the elevator, though he seemed slightly awkward about admitting it.
"I was surprised that someone your age could show such restraint. I knew there wouldn't be any real problems, but I think I was being overly cautious."
After a brief exchange of apologies, Gon suggested to Wing that he wanted to discuss something more serious, and Wing agreed, inviting Gon and the others to the hotel where he and Zushi were staying.
"To be completely honest, we want you to teach us the fundamentals of Nen. So far, we've managed with basic aura manipulation and its applications, but we know almost nothing about type-specific training."
As soon as they arrived at the hotel where Zushi and Wing were staying, Gon asked Wing—the deputy master of Shingen-ryu—to teach them Nen training.
Of course, since Gon and the others weren't part of the Shingen-ryu school, they proposed conditions: they would pay for the training using prize money earned at the Sky Arena, Leorio—who was developing medical techniques—would provide treatment for Zushi, and if Zushi was willing, they would share muscle enhancement techniques to improve his physical abilities.
"Wow, Gon, you're really mature for your age. I won't charge much for the training, so why don't you all stay at this hotel? That way, we'll have more time for training sessions."
In the end, the training fee was settled by offsetting it with the request for muscle enhancement techniques for Zushi, and Gon and the others decided to stay at the hotel instead of the Sky Arena dormitory.
"But is that really okay? As deputy master of the Shingen-ryu school, shouldn't you normally charge much higher fees?"
Given Wing's position as deputy master of the Shingen-ryu school, fees in the millions wouldn't be surprising.
As Leorio and Killua celebrated the reasonable cost, Kurapika scolded them, but Wing smiled and explained his reasoning.
"There are two reasons. First, Gon's muscle enhancement techniques are worth that much by themselves. Second, my master instructed me to nurture as many talented individuals as possible."
Wing then looked at Gon and Gin, speaking with conviction as if to convince himself.
"I'm certain that your character and talent are exceptional. To be honest, I think I may be inadequate as a teacher, but I'll do my best to share everything I know. Please count on me."
"Right!"
"Guma!"
The younger members and Gin responded enthusiastically to Wing's words, while Kurapika and Leorio bowed respectfully.
Wing nodded and noticed that Zushi looked surprised, asking if something was bothering him.
"I thought it was a hat, but it's actually a living creature! Is that Gon's pet?"
"His name is Gin, and he's my partner. He wanted to compete in the Sky Arena too, but since animals aren't allowed, he's been sulking ever since."
"Wow, he's adorable! I'm Zushi, nice to meet you."
"Guma."
Wing smiled as he watched Zushi and Gin shake hands, then issued a warning to Zushi, who didn't seem to notice anything unusual.
"Don't be fooled by his cute appearance. Gin is also a Nen user and far stronger than you, Zushi."
At those words, Zushi briefly pulled his hand back, but then, stunned, reached out to touch Gin again.
"Really? But he's so small!"
As Zushi expressed his surprise, Killua and the others, who had experienced the same shock, nodded knowingly. Gon nodded to Wing, giving him permission.
"After all, Gon and Gin aren't in their true forms right now. You can't judge Nen abilities by appearance alone."
The next moment, Zushi's eyes widened in shock as Gon and Gin began building up their aura. Even Killua and the others were surprised that Wing—who hadn't been told about their abilities—had somehow noticed.
"Actually, my master has a similar ability. It's just intuition, but those who know will understand."
"Is it really okay to reveal your master's ability?"
Even though he was technically a disciple, Killua couldn't help but call out Wing for revealing his master's ability to people he'd only known for a day.
"It's fine. It's not an ability that would put us at a disadvantage if others knew about it, and I don't believe any of you would misuse that information."
He continued, looking proud as if speaking about himself.
"Above all, my master—Shingen-ryu Grandmaster Biscuit Krueger—is simply the strongest. You're not nearly experienced enough to pose any threat to her, you rough diamonds."
Reflections and New Determination
Gon and the others returned to the Sky Arena to retrieve their few belongings and informed staff members that they would be staying at a hotel instead of the dormitory, which left some disappointed.
While confirming that Zushi was concentrating properly on his training to improve his aura precision, Wing pondered the four people and one creature who were no longer present.
First, what was astounding was the completeness of their physical conditioning. All of them were incredibly well-balanced and trained, able to utilize their bodies to their absolute fullest potential rather than simply being swung around by their strength.
Next was the precision of their basic aura manipulation. Even from that brief demonstration, it was clear they had mastered the Four Major Principles and their applications to an extraordinary degree.
As for the other three—excluding Gon and Gin—their talent was terrifying. They had only been practicing for just over a month since opening their aura nodes. Zushi was also a highly talented prospect, but honestly, he paled in comparison.
However, all of that was overshadowed by the glimpse of hellish aura he had felt emanating from Gon, which continued racing through Wing's mind.
When I calm down and think about it rationally, I realize I was getting competitive with a child no different from Zushi.
The reckless decision to teach secrets that should be kept within the school was driven by a desire to match Gon's bottomless potential.
If they fought right now, Wing would almost certainly win, but the aura he had glimpsed when he boasted about Biscuit was steadily eroding that confidence.
I thought that fire had already died out, but it seems my competitive spirit hasn't faded after all.
The limitations he had recognized in himself while training under Biscuit—the strongest of them all—and the obligation to nurture his juniors that came with his position as a senior disciple had caused him to turn away from his own growth.
The desire to become stronger, which he thought had been completely extinguished, was being rekindled by Gon's blazing passion.
I need to send an updated report to Master. I've discovered four incredible rough diamonds and one extraordinary creature.
The aura emanating from Wing was so intense that even Zushi, who was focused on his training, couldn't help but react.
"Um... the juice Master is squeezing right now came from the bottle I bought. And I'm the one who has to wash those dirty shirts and pants. Is there anything you'd like to say about that?"
"Ah! Oh no! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! I'll buy you a new one—please forgive me!"
Despite his flustered appearance, Wing—deputy master of Shingen-ryu martial arts—was undoubtedly one of the strongest fighters in the world.
***
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