"CRITICAL HIT! Two points to Gon!"
The referee's voice cut through the stunned silence, and the arena exploded.
"WAAAAAH!"
The crowd roared, their faces flushed with a twisted mix of shock and bloodlust. They didn't really believe the kid could win, but seeing the untouchable Magician bleed triggered a primal thrill.
Hisoka wiped the blood from his lip with a thumb. He stared at the red smear, not with anger, but with the look of a gourmet who had just discovered a new flavor.
He smiled—a wide, terrifying expression that didn't reach his eyes—and walked slowly toward Gon.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out badge #44. With a flick of his wrist, he tossed it.
Gon caught the badge. It was heavy in his hand, a symbol of the debt finally paid. The "Unripe Fruit" had ripened enough to bite back.
The moment their eyes met, both fighters leaped backward, creating distance.
Gon didn't hesitate. Gyo!
Aura flooded his eyes, sharpening his vision to track the invisible threat of Bungee Gum. He flared his Ren, wrapping his body in a protective shroud.
Hisoka saw the focus in the boy's eyes and licked his lips. "So you've done your homework on my ability... but knowing isn't the same as understanding."
Before the last syllable left his lips, Hisoka vanished.
Fast!
Gon's pupils contracted to pinpoints. This speed was on a different dimension compared to the Exam. Relying on pure animal instinct, he threw a desperate kick toward the blur.
Thwack!
Hisoka caught the leg effortlessly.
In the same motion, a fist buried itself in Gon's stomach.
"Guh—!"
Gon felt like he'd been hit by a wrecking ball. The air was forced out of his lungs in a strangled gasp as he was launched backward.
"Gon!" Killua shot up from his seat, his nails digging into his palms until they drew blood.
The frustration was suffocating. Watching his friend get dismantled, knowing he couldn't step in, was a torture worse than any electric chair.
"Hisoka didn't even use Ko..." Kyle murmured, his eyes narrowing. "That was pure physical strength and base aura. The difference in engine size is too big."
Next to him, Wing adjusted his glasses, his voice grim. "This is the wall of absolute capacity. Gon... don't push yourself too far."
Gon was still airborne when a shadow fell over him.
Hisoka was already there, waiting at the landing spot like a spider tending its web. He drew his right arm back to an impossible angle, the muscles coiling like steel cables.
I can't take this hit!
Mid-air, Gon twisted his body, crossing his arms over his head and focusing every scrap of aura into a Ken guard.
It didn't matter.
Hisoka's punch carried a bizarre, drilling rotation. It tore through Gon's guard like paper, smashing directly into his cheekbone.
BANG!
Gon hit the floor hard. He bounced once, twice, spraying blood across the white tiles.
The world spun. Darkness encroached on the edges of his vision.
Get up.
Sheer willpower forced his limbs to move. He backflipped away, skidding to a halt.
I can see him... but my body can't keep up!
And then, the horror set in.
His right arm felt heavy. Sluggish. Like it was moving through molasses.
When? Was it when I handed back the badge? Or during the block?
He realized with a sinking heart that he was already trapped. The gum was attached.
"Down and Hit! Four points to Hisoka!" the referee announced.
Hisoka stood relaxed, savoring the despair in the boy's eyes. Delicious.
Is this it? Is it over?
No.
A fire ignited in Gon's gut—a stubborn, irrational refusal to yield. It burned away the pain, burned away the fear.
He glared at Hisoka, his eyes blazing like a cornered wolf.
"Hisoka! I'm not done yet! I'm going to show you something new!"
Gon roared, channeling every ounce of his focus, every drop of his spirit, into his right arm.
Remember the pain. Remember the weight. Flow.
The aura around his fist condensed, hardened, and then—
Turned black.
A deep, obsidian sheen coated his skin, absorbing the arena lights. It wasn't aura; it was something denser, something heavier.
"It... it changed color!" the announcer screamed, his voice cracking. "Gon's right arm has turned black! Is this a new Nen ability?! Or some kind of unknown transformation?!"
Hisoka's eyes widened. For the first time, the smirk vanished.
He stared at the black fist with genuine, unadulterated greed. That's not Nen. That feels... primal.
"HAAH!"
Gon launched himself forward like a cannonball. The black fist tore through the air, aimed straight at Hisoka's face.
Hisoka didn't dodge.
He leaned into it. He wanted to feel it. He wanted to taste this unknown power with his own flesh.
WHAM!
The Armament Haki connected. Hisoka's head snapped back violently, a spray of blood flying from his mouth.
Pain. Sharp, heavy, and distinct from a Nen strike.
Hisoka laughed. Blood dripped from his chin, but his body was trembling with ecstasy.
Yes! More!
Gon saw the opening. He unleashed a barrage of punches, driving the Magician back.
I can do this!
He leaped into the air, cocking his black fist back for a finishing blow, pouring everything into one strike.
Twitch.
Hisoka's index finger moved a fraction of an inch.
"Gotcha."
An invisible force yanked Gon's fist sideways.
"Ah—!"
The punch went wide. Gon's momentum carried him forward, off-balance, defenseless.
Thud.
Hisoka's counter was simple, brutal, and efficient. A straight right to the face sent Gon flying back.
Yank.
Hisoka twitched his finger again. The gum contracted, dragging Gon's airborne body back toward him.
CRACK.
A knee to the gut. Gon's eyes bulged, bile and blood exploding from his mouth.
WHAM.
A roundhouse kick to the ribs sent him skipping across the floor like a flat stone on a lake.
Silence fell over the arena.
The excitement evaporated, replaced by the cold reality of a slaughter.
"Down, Critical Hit, and Effective Blows... Five points to Hisoka," the referee intoned, his voice devoid of emotion. "Total score: Nine to Two."
Gon lay on the ground, his body a wreck. He pushed himself up on trembling arms.
Every breath was a knife in his lungs. The taste of copper filled his mouth.
He looked up. Hisoka was smiling, pristine and terrifying.
Nine points.
One more point, and it was over.