After having witnessed Nicholas's combat level, and having decided to become his teacher to help him develop his full potential, we both return to the city with renewed determination. For two hours we walk through the city, surrounded by the chatter of countless conversations until we reach our destination—Heavens Arena.
This massive structure is the world's most popular battle site, known for the intense battles that the general ignorant public can enjoy and the vast wealth and fame that can be earned by the fighters who climb its floors. Taking into account our situation as rookie Hunters, it's the perfect place for us to start earning some reputation, increase our financial resources, and further hone our abilities.
'Plus, at this point in the timeline, I'll also be able to meet the protagonists and enjoy the canon events firsthand.' I think to myself with a smile as I approach with Nicholas towards Heavens Arena.
As we get closer and closer, the towering building seems to touch the sky, making me appreciate how big this construction dedicated to fighting really is. Turning my attention to the entrances, I can see many people exiting and entering the building, with the line of people planning to register as fighters reaching several dozen meters.
"Alright, Nicholas." I say, turning to my partner once we've gotten to the back of the line. "Before we have to register, let's set the rules for our stay in Heavens Arena. The first thing is to clarify our main objectives for fighting in this place, which are currently three."
"First, build a reputation that will offer us more and better job offers once we start working as Hunters. To do this, we both have to reach the top of the tower and become the best fighters, the Floor Masters, in a month and a half at most."
"A month and a half? Boss, don't you think that's too unreasonable? You yourself said that I am not strong enough yet, so I don't think I can achieve that goal. It would be best to spend 2 or 3 months training so that I can reach an appropriate combat level and so I can accomplish that." Nicholas retorts with his opinion.
"I also think that would be the ideal, but we don't have that much time. I have a lot of plans for the future, and a deadline to meet them, so a month and a half is all I can commit to. Plus, thanks to me you'll now be able to get stronger at a faster rate and with greater ease. Even if you don't reach your full potential, you should be able to get strong enough to hold your own in a fight and create a skill that will be useful to us. You understand, right?" I ask Nicholas, who nods in response.
"Good. That brings us to the second reason: training. Before we dive headlong into the criminal underworld, we need to be strong enough to survive. While you, Nicholas, have a lot more to improve, I too want to try my hand at Nen battles."
"That's why we came to Heavens Arena, where there are plenty of fighters and Nen users to face off against and hone our combat skills. But until we reach the 200th floor, we won't be using Nen."
"Why? Wouldn't it be easier if we use Nen?" Nicholas asks in doubt.
"That's precisely the problem. If you want to improve your physical and hand-to-hand combat skills, then you can't take the easy way out. Not using Nen will help us improve our physical abilities and keep our Nen abilities under wraps until we really need them."
"You don't have to worry, I'll help you train both your Nen and your physique so you don't stagnate. And if you happen to meet any Nen users before the 200th floor, then I give you permission to use it as well."
"Okey. But why do we start using it on the 200th floor then?" Nicholas asks still curious.
"Well, don't ask me why I know," I start whispering to Nicholas as I lean in closer to him. "But starting from the 200th floor, all fighters know how to use Nen. So it would be a practically fatal disadvantage to face them without using it as well." I tell him, closing one eye and giving him a mischievous smile.
"The last reason we are going to fight in Heavens Arena is to increase our monetary funds. Nicholas, can you tell me what your personal savings are?"
"Let me see." He says taking out his cell phone and starting to type. "Umm... Yes, here it's. I currently have 1.500.000 in my account provided by my parents before I went independent to become a Hunter. How much do you have, boss?"
At his question, I scratch my head, recapitulating my expenses. "Well, I've been spending some money here and there on food, transportation and other miscellaneous things, but I'd say I still have 39.000.000 left in my bank account."
"39.000.000 OF JENNY?!!! How is it possible that you have so much money?! Are you also from a prestigious family, like the son of a king or a high-ranking government official?!" Nicholas asks in total shock and disbelief.
"No, not at all. If that were the case, then my savings would be much larger, perhaps even in the billions. The thing is that I was involved in some affairs and received this remuneration." I answer.
"That kind of money can't be earned through ordinary means. What were you into before we met, boss?" Nicholas asks me with a seriously worried look on his face.
"Please stop looking at me like that. It was nothing serious, I just helped an explorer to find some treasure. Nothing else." I respond omitting the part about the explorer being a Hunter.
"Listen to me carefully Nicholas." I start to say pointing at him with my index finger. "In the world of Hunters, this amount of money is meaningless. For a professional Hunter it's completely casual to spend 20 or 50 million jenny on a single thing, and the most important jobs handle sums of more than a billion. And of course, we are not going to be different."
"In order to set up a truly functional and notable mercenary agency, we're going to need to invest an initial capital of at least 500 million jenny. The easiest thing to do would be to sell or pawn our Hunter licenses, but that's a big no go. So instead we'll earn that money in this tower by fighting and winning the fights. Okay?"
"O-O-Okay." Nicholas stutter flabbergasted by the sheer disparity in the value of money between Hunters and ordinary people.
For the next 43 minutes I discuss with Nicholas various details about the steps and procedures we will need to take during and after our stay at Heavens Arena, until it was finally our turn to check in at the counter.
"Welcome to Heavens Arena. Please fill out these forms." The receptionist girl says, handing us the forms with the basic questions for the fighters.
Apart from name, date of birth and previous experiences in the tower, there were also questions about combat experience and martial arts styles. In the combat experience section I put 10 years and Nicholas 4, and in martial arts styles we both put Taekwondo and Wing Chun.
'It would be fun to say that we know Shingen-ryu, but I don't want to get into trouble for lying if we run into Wing and the boys later.' I think as we hand the filled out forms to the receptionist.
After registering on the computer, the girl gives us the numbers 4567 and 4568, and invites us to go to the first floor. Upon entering there, we can see several rings filled with wrestlers of all shapes and sizes fighting each other, and stands with many spectators screaming with excitement.
Although to me they just look like a bunch of weaklings novice eager to make a name for themselves, for the more innocent and inexperienced Nicholas the scene is eye catching. "Don't let it fascinate you too much. These fighters are nothing special." I say deadpanned as I head to the stands followed by him.
"Okay, are you clear on what you have to do?" I ask.
"Winning the first fight with a quick single blow so I can get higher. But are you sure I can do it without Nen? Those guys look really tough." Nicholas asks with a worried look.
"Of course you can. At the end of the day, those guys are all a facade. I assure you that you won't have any problems." I say giving him an encouraging smile and a thumbs up, making him smile in encouragement.
Point of View Switch: Nicholas
After about 5 minutes of waiting, I am called over the PA system, so I get up from the stands and say goodbye to the boss before heading to my assigned ring. My opponent turns out to be a muscular man, about 190 cm tall and with a tough face. Faced with such an imposing figure, I feel somewhat nervous and insecure of winning, but remembering the words the boss has said to me, I clench my fist and strengthen my resolve.
When the referee starts the fight, my opponent lunges to try to grab me with his right arm. However, perceiving it as if I were playing a slow video, I position myself on his left side and with a Hiraken blow to the neck, my opponent falls unconscious to the ground.
As the referee announces my victory, I'm stunned at how easily I won the match. 'Is this how the boss saw the fighters when he entered this floor?' I think as I look at the unconscious man on the floor.
"Number 4568, advance to the 50th floor." The referee says giving me a pass that states my victory and advancement.
Receiving it, an unknown feeling begins to form inside me. Right now, I feel like I am truly capable of fighting in this tower and advancing alongside the boss.
"Yes!" I reply feeling motivated to keep fighting.
Point of View Switch: Kai
After Nicholas wins his fight and confirms his promotion to the 50th floor, it isn't long before I am also given a fight. I slap my opponent out of the ring and the referee promotes me to the 50th floor as well.
After leaving there and receiving a brief explanation from the girl at the elevator, we head to the counter to receive our payment for the fights.
"Only 152 jenny? What a pittance." Nicholas comments visibly disappointed.
"Yes, it certainly is. But it is only our first fight, from now on we will win much more in our battles." I respond, trying to cheer him up.
After that, it doesn't take much time for both of us to fight again. Although my fight is of no interest or benefit due to my opponent's low level of power and technique, Nicholas seems to get more out of his. By probing his opponent instead of finishing him off with a single blow, Nicholas's body and brain are becoming more accustomed to fight.
Plus, seeing him fight more will also help me give him better tips and training as his master.
As he leaves the stadium after winning, I greet Nicholas, ready to give him a performance evaluation of his fight. "Your body moved with little sharpness or balance. You were obviously subconsciously hesitating about how you should move around the ring and how far away you should be from your opponent. You also dodged clumsily, and when you struck, you did so without conviction or murderous intent."
"Of course, going in for the kill would have been pointless for the practice, but you have to learn to handle killing intent more appropriately when fighting, and your body has to become conditioned to moving on the ground and in battle."
"Yes sir." Nicholas replies.
As night begins to fall, we both head to the front desk to announce our departure of the tower, and after a few minutes of running we return to our hotel room.
"Okay, Nicholas. Make sure you get a good night's sleep because we start training first thing in the morning tomorrow." I say to Nicholas as I settle into my own bed.
"Yes boss." He responds doing the same.
When turning off the lights, lying in bed I reflect on the fun of today, wondering when I'll be able to have such a relaxing, responsibility-free day again until I fall asleep in the dark of night.
Date: May 17th, 2011 7:00 am
"Nicholas, come on, get out of bed." I say to a Nicholas asleep like a log as I shake him to wake him up.
"Hmm, 5 minutes more." He answers half asleep, clinging to the sheets.
Faced with this, I decide to take a different approach. "WAKE UP AT ONCE!!!" I scream at the top of my lungs, causing Nicholas to wake up with a start.
"Good, you're awake now. Wash your face and get dressed. We'll start training after breakfast." I say as I walk out of the room already prepared and leaving Nicholas gasping for air.
After breakfast, I spend the next three hours training with Nicholas to improve his physical abilities. The training is essentially no different from mine, but of course it's less intense as I don't want Nicholas to break down mentally or physically. He needs to get conditioned first and then I will gradually increase the difficulty.
After leaving Nicholas sweating and panting from exhaustion, I move on to explain to him about the advanced functions of Nen. My first explanation is about how one can vary the flow of aura on the body and on objects to increase power and efficiency.
Igniting my Ren, I begin to vary the flow of my outgoing aura and demonstrate how to use the Ken, Shu, Gyo, Ryu and Ko techniques. Although I explain how each technique contributes to different things, not knowing how to use them yet, Nicholas is unable to assimilate my explanation, so I follow Biscuit's example and ask him to use the Ren to defend himself against my Ryu.
Despite the difference compared to Ko and Ken, the gentle touch still sends Nicholas flying back, startling him at the unexpected result.
"What was that? It looked like it would be a weak blow." Nicholas asks still stunned on the ground.
"And it was. What I just did was just a gentle touch. But through the enhancement of my aura, the impact becomes much greater. It can kill on its own, and if you add strength, speed, body position, and the use of Ko instead of Ryu, the power increases several magnitudes." I explain.
"Does that mean when I fight a Nen user I have to use Ryu or Ko to win or get the advantage?" Nicholas asks excited.
"Yes and no. While it's true that using Ryu or Ko can give you the advantage, it also leaves you vulnerable, as the aura you use has to be evenly distributed." I say as I switch from using Ryu to Ko.
"As you can see, the aura on my right fist is much greater than before, but my body is practically defenseless. If a powerful enemy were to attack me, I would be seriously injured, or even killed despite a clear difference in level."
"That's why it's important to know how to manage the flow of your aura in combat, which is what we're going to start with. For the next two hours, I want you to try to change the percentage of your aura in different parts of your body. Once you get the hang of it, you'll have to do it in sparring. Got it?"
"Yes sir!" Nicholas yells standing up motivated.
Despite my explanation and demonstration, Nicholas seems to have a bit of trouble handling the regulation of his aura, and after two hours of practice I tell him that the training is over for now, and that we need to return to the hotel to shower and rest. He nods, and after he turns off his aura, we both head back.
After taking a shower and giving Nicholas his turn, I sit on the bed and call one of the contacts I have registered on my recently purchased mobile phone. My call goes unresponded twice, but the third time I manage to hear the voice on the other end.
"Wow, three attempts for you to finally answer. And you said you'd be waiting impatiently for my call. I'm a bit disappointed, to be honest." I respond with a sarcastic tone.
"I'm glad you still remember me enough to recognize my voice, Ponzu."
"If that is the case, then there is no problem. The only important thing for me is that you're not in a bind. Then tell me, how have you been doing since the Hunter Exam?"
"I've been training non-stop for the past three months to fully master the applications of Nen, so I haven't had time for anything else. And speaking of Nen, how has your training been?" I ask in an inquisitive tone.
"What do you mean with low?" I ask trying to make her clearer.
The phone remains silent for a few seconds until Ponzu answers.
Although Ponzu's voice trembles with a hint of embarrassment, I can also sense the frustration beneath it. 'With everything she had to go through in the exam, I'm sure she's also tried hard to get stronger, but she just didn't have the talent or training method to do so. That must have been hard for her to accept. But that's why I'm calling her out now.' I think, ready to start speaking again.
"Then we should meet again as we had agreed in the exam. I am currently with Nicholas in Gelsea city, the two of us participating as fighters in Heavens Arena while I train him to improve his Nen capabilities and create his Hatsu ability."
"We both plan to stay here for a month and a half before starting our careers as Blacklist Hunters, so if you come in that time we could catch up while I also train you to improve your fighting skills. If you wanted you could also participate in Heavens Arena to gain some combat experience and money."
"I don't know if I'm a very good teacher since Nicholas is my first and only student at the moment. But if you're not busy, then you could give me a chance and spend a few weeks trying to get stronger. Besides... I'm also really looking forward to seeing you again to spend some time with you." I abashedly say the last sentence scratching my cheek. "Well, what do you say?"
Again there are a few seconds of silence before the answer, but this time her tone is one of jubilation and anticipation.
"I'm looking forward to that too. Give me a call when you're about to arrive so I can pick you up at the landing zone."
"Don't worry, I'll be there without fail. Well, for now I have to call more people from my new contact list, so it would be better if we continue the conversation at another time.
"Same here. Bye." After saying this last sentence, I hang up.
After this pleasant conversation, I take a couple of minutes to remember the moments I spent with Ponzu during the Hunter Exam, blushing as I remember our meeting on Zevil Island, how she took care of me after my fight with Hisoka, or how she hugged me warmly when we said goodbye.
Shaking my head flustered, I push those exhilarating moments out of my head and strengthen my resolve to make her stronger to survive before dialing the next number on my phone contact list.