Finding My Way To Him (Shalnark x Reader)

5: My Name

After enduring a rather long journey, you finally arrived at the infamous Heavens Arena. It was a replica of the one in the show, standing firmly in the pristine rays of sunlight and reaching up into the endless sky.

It had taken you 3 days to get here, and you were completely depleted of energy. You staggered across the pavement, making your way to the grand entrance of the monstrous tower.

As the doors to the tower opened, you were immediately greeted with a breeze of cool air, making you realise just how hot it had been outside. Your cheeks were flaring with warmth, your hair messy, and sticking to the tacky droplets of sweat trickling down your forehead. You couldn't wait to get a private room and take a nice cold shower.

You headed straight towards the front desk where a generic-looking receptionist welcomed you.

'Hi, could I sign up as a contestant of the Heavens Arena?'

'Yes, of course,' she replied as she reached her hand to the side, grabbing a registration paper. 'Just fill out the form.'

You grabbed a pen, signing the form without hesitation. You already knew all the conditions of Heavens Arena having memorised Killua's explanation of the rules and systems of the tower. 

You returned the form and waited for further instructions.

'You are all signed up now. Would you like to have a match today?'

'Yes, is participating in 10 matches in a day allowed?'

'Yes, of course, I'll get you signed up immediately.' She answered, completely unconcerned with the reckless request.

The lady handed you a slip of paper where the time of your matches were scribbled down. You grabbed the slip and headed off, releasing a hollow sigh. You just wanting to get this over with quickly and finally get a room to yourself.

As Killua had explained in the show, there were a total of 251 floors in the tower. The first 200 floors were weapon-free and required you to compete every 10 floors. If you won a match, you would move up ten floors, and if you lost a match, you would move down 10 floors. When you reached the 100th floor, you were given a private room within the tower and earned a hefty sum of money. So all you had to do was win all 10 fights today. It's pretty simple.

You headed towards the arena on the first floor, prepared for your first fight. Despite being on the first floor, the seats were filled, and cheers from the audience boomed throughout the stadium.

You headed towards the centre of the stadium, stepping onto a large, grey plane in the middle of the room which was plated with slabs of concrete that formed a sizable, square fighting ring. The audience quieted down as their gazes fell on you.

'Isn't that a girl'? Some nobody bellowed from the audience.

The entire stadium rumbled is boos and complaints. Even your opponent protested against being paired up with some measly little girl. What a jackass.

The referee ignored the whining crowd, introducing your opponent and you. Your opposition was a man who looked around his 30s. He was heavily built but stood at a rather average height.  Various tattoos were scribbled on his chest and spanning across his arms trying to give off a badass vibe.

Despite this, you could tell he wouldn't put up much of a fight. His stance was lacking and unstable, his arms and legs positioned in a manner that emphasised appearance over efficiency and functionality. He was an amateur. 

A screech of the whistle resounded from the referee, signalling the beginning of the fight. Immediately, your opponent leapt forward, going for a direct strike towards the middle of your face. You paled slightly, your fingers trembling and legs quivering. You had never been in a real fight before, only a couple sparring matches with the pink-haired virus hunter. Even then, you had never won a single match. Blood rushed up to your face and body warming from the rush of adrenaline pumping through your veins. You were going to win this fight.