"Bye!" I shouted and waved at Kurapika and Leorio as they walked away. We all agreed to meet up on September 1st for the auction. Leorio left to study, and Kurapika started his hunt for the Phantom Troupe.
I had decided to stay with Gon and Killua to train. I wanted to become stronger in order to take on Jiroku.
"Guess its just us three now. So whats next?" Gon turned to Killua and I.
"You seriously have to ask me that?! we've got to start training."Killua answered and Gon looked confused.
"For what? Let's go have fun!" He suggested. I sighed and Killua started fuming.
"Gon. Didn't you say you wanted to punch Hisoka? You're not just going to magically get stronger." I shook my head and he smiled sheepishly.
"But I'd rather have fun!" He beamed. I facepalmed.
"You remember what you told us just a second ago! You think you can punch Hisoka in the face without training?!" Killua screamed at Gon, poking him in the forehead.
"That'll take ten years! Forget about six months!" Killua continued to scold Gon.
"Okay, okay!" Gon gave in. Killua then picked up a stick and drew in the dirt.
"Here, I'll break it down for you." He stated, drawing two faces in to dirt about half a foot away from each other.
"This is Hisoka," He pointed to the first face. "And this is Hanzo." He pointed to the second one.
"Yeah, okay." Gon looked at the drawings in interest. I only shoved my hands in my pockets, wondering how this would play out.
"If this is the strength gap between Hisoka and Hanzo, then this is you." Killua dragged the stick along the dirt, drawing another line. He continued to extend this line until he hit a fence several feet away.
"This one!" He shouted, drawing another face at the end of the line. "And I'm being generous!" He added.
"Thats just mean." Gon grumbled, crossing his arms. I patted Gon on the back.
"It's okay Gon. Killua's just an arrogant brat! Watch him put himself only two feet away from Hanzo." I insulted Killua since he was out of earshot. Gon only laughed.
"Okay then, how far apart are you?" Gon asked Killua as he walked back. I snickered, realizing Gon was testing my theory.
"Who me?" Killua pointed to himself. He drew another face only a couple feet from Hanzo.
"Well probably here." He pointed to the drawing. Gon and I started laughing.
"Haha! I was right! No way!" I continued to laugh with Gon.
"What are you talking about? Hey! Why are you two laughing!" Killua demanded, annoyed at our joke.
"Huh. So Hanzo's the stronger one." Gon looked at the line. He then stared at Killua.
"What is it." He asked, noticing Gon's face contorted in thought.
"You really are awesome Killua!" Gon exclaimed. I laughed as his face grew red from embarassment.
"Knock it off! It's embarrassing!" He looked at the ground.
"Wait, where would Korudo be?" Gon pointed to me, and I perked up at the mention of my name.
"Right here!" Killua drew my face a foot away from his. I scoffed. What an arrogant loser.
"Of course you put me after you. You really can't get over yourself can you?" I teased, latching my arms behind my head. Killua growled. He was about to yell at me before Gon cut him off.
"But didn't she beat Hanzo during the last phase? Why is she after him?" Gon questioned.
"Tch. She just got lucky. There's no way I'm putting that," Killua pointed at me while I was mocking his talking with my hand. "Before me on the line." He turned around to glace at me a second time, catching me mocking him.
An irk mark appeared on his head as he realized what I was doing. I shot my hand behind my back. I started whistling while looking away, prentending I wasn't doing anything.
Gon only laughed nervously at the two of us, watching us bicker.
○●○
"The Heavens Arena." Killua stated. I titled my head. That sounded familar.
"Heavens Arena..." Gon repeated in thought.
"Yeah, I'll explain later. We should get moving." Killua gestured for us to follow him as we walked off.
A giant tower like building soon came into view, and we approached it.
"Whoa. Look, it's huge!" Gon shouted in amazement.
"I'm getting dizzy just looking up at it." I stated, gazing up at the tower.
"Yep. That's Heavens Arena. Two hundred and fifty-one stories. Nine hundred, ninety-one meters tall. The world's fourth tallest building." Killua informed. Why does he know all this stuff? He sounds like a book.
"So this is where we'll be training..." Gon continued to peer up at the tower. I had stopped looking at it since I'd seen enough. Something in my mind then clicked.
"That's it!" I blurted. Both boys turned to me and I realized I had said that out loud.
"What is it, Korudo?" Gon curiously gazed at me.
"This place sounded familiar, and I just realized why. Mr. Shiro used to come here a lot!" I explained.
I remember Mr. Shiro talking about the Heaven's Arena back at home. He used to scout for applicants he deemed worthy, then taught them nen.
Since he's a nen teacher, he wanted to find students, and he deemed this place the best place to do so.
Of course, this was all before he found me. After he took me in, he also took me in as a student and taught me.
○●○
"There's a really long line. Everyone's going to Heavens Arena?" Gon peered down the long hallway of contestants. I let out an obnoxious sigh.
"We're going to be waiting here forever!" I complained and slouched.
"Quit whining Korudo." Killua lightly pushed me and I looked away in boredom.
"There aren't any conditions here, like there were for the Hunter Exam. You just have to defeat your opponent." Killua explained.
"Can we kill them?" I questioned a bit too excitedly. He only nodded.
"The higher you go, the more prize money you earn. This is as good as it gets for those looking to make a living with their fists." He informed us. Gon and I nodded before walking up to the reception desk.
"Welcome to Heavens Arena! Please fill out this form." The lady behind the desk slid three papers over to us. We quickly filled out the papers and gave them back to her.
"Killua Zoldyck, you are number 2054. Gon Freecss, you are number 2055. And Korudo Otsiku, you are number 2056" She informed us. I had used Mr. Shiro's last name since he's basically family. I also have no clue what my actual last name is, so there's that.
"They'll call your number on the first floor of the arena, so make sure you remember it." She warned us.
Aw man, what was my number again? I already forgot. 2036? Or was it 2065? Damn it, how did I already forget it?!
We walked into an area with many arenas. There were bleachers surrounding the room, giving us a place to sit. I plopped down on the bench, trying to remember my number.
"It's been a while, but the place hasn't changed." Killua stated as he looked down at the arenas. I perked up. Did he just say it's been awhile? He's been here before?!
"Huh? You've been here before?" Gon asked him, voicing my thoughts.
"Yeah, when I was six. My dad left me here without a penny. He said to reach floor 200 before coming home. It took two years." Killua casually explained.
"And you're just now mentioning that!" I pointed at him while yelling.
"I didn't think it mattered." He shrugged.
"You could have at least told us what to expect!" I argued.
"Well I explained the rules didn't I?!" He started to raise his voice. Gon stood up and got between us.
"It's okay guys! No need to fight over this!" Gon nervously chuckled, holding his arms out between us as we glared at each other.
"If you want to fight people of Hisoka's level, you'll need to go higher." Killua sighed, dropping our arguement. I too, settled down, watching the fights below us.
"Number 1973. Number 2055. Please enter ring E." Somebody announced from the arenas. Number 2055? Is that my number?!
"Number 2055! That's me!" Gon shot up from his seat. I let out a sigh of relief. It was Gon's number, not mine.
"I'm getting nervous now." Gon stated while taking off his backpack.
"Gon, you got through the
Testing Gate, right?" Killua asked.
"Yeah..." Gon replied.
"Then just give them a push." He responded, a smirk on his face. Gon nodded and walked away.
I looked down at Gon's backpack between Killua and I. My eyes landed on the fishing pole sticking out of his bag. I grabbed the pole, sliding it out from his bag. Killua's head snapped towards me as he noticed me fiddling with the pole.
"Hey! What are you, stupid?! Put that back!" He screamed at me, reaching over for the pole. I moved it out of his range, and swung the hook.
"Huh... This thing is cool!" I exclaimed while swinging the hook back and forth. I felt a hand grab my shoulder, and jerk me over to them. I turned to see Killua gripping my shoulder, trying to reach the fishing pole.
His other hand reached for my arm with the pole. I tried to pull away, but his hand latched around my wrist. He tried to pull my arm over to him, but I didn't budge. He used more or his strength, and I started to struggle. I then used more of my strength to try and pull my arm back.
We wrestled like that for a while before Killua finally over powered me as I grew tired. He ripped the pole from my grasp.
"Aww... You're no fun." I pouted before smirking at his annoyes face.
"What's wrong with you, idiot!" Killua screamed at me, swinging the fishing rod around.
"You're missing Gon's round." I blankly stared at him and pointed to the arena Gon was standing in. He was standing in front of some huge dude who was laughing at him.
"That's your fault!" Killua yelled before turning to watch Gon's fight. I only shrugged.
Gon had won his battle by pushing his opponent out of the arena, and crashing into a wall. I cheered for him as he walked back.
I also spotted a another kid knocking out his opponent, not too far away. He had short brown hair, and seemed to be younger than me. Huh... I didn't expect to see any other kids here.
"Number 1943 and number 2056, please make your way to arena D." The voice announced again. Is that my number? I dont remember. I was pulled out of my thoughts by Killua hitting my back.
"Ow! What was that for!" I yelled, turning to look at the boy.
"They just called your number you idiot!" He shouted, pointing to the arena D. I sprung up.
"Really?! That's my number!? Aw man!" I panicked and ran off to the arena.
I stepped onto the platform to see some buff ass dude who wasn't wearing a shirt.
"Ew. Put on some clothes, man." I stated, waving my arm at him. This seemed to anger him as he yelled at me.
"What'd you say?! I'm going to rip you to shreds!" He screamed and charged at me.
I only stood there as he ran at me. I raised my arm once he was in range and gave him a solid slap. A loud clap rang throughout the room as I slapped his cheek. The man flew across the room, and slammed into the wall.
"Woo! I win!" I cheered, raising my arms. The referee only sweatdropped and told me I was going to the 50th floor. I nodded and walked off.
○●○
Gon, Killua, and I all waited in the elevator to the 50th floor. Killua was talking about the 100th floor, but to be honest, I was tuning him out.
"Plus... I've heard that after you pass the 100th floor, you get your own room!" A new voice interrupted, and I turned to see who it was.
I was surpised to see that boy from before, standing in the back of the elevator.
"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Zushi! What about you guys?" He stated. I smiled at him, shoving my hands in my pockets.
"My name's Korudo." I introduced.
"I'm Killua." Killua spoke up.
"I'm Gon. Nice to meet you!" Gon smiled brightly at the boy.
"I saw your fights earlier. That was really amazing!" Zushi praised us as we walked out of the elevator.
"What are you talking about? You made it up here with one match, too." Killua looked over at Zushi.
"No... I still have a long way to go. By the way, which martial arts discipline do you practice? I study the Shingen-ryu fighting technique." Zushi asked. I titled my head.
"Decipline?" I brought a finger to my chin. I don't think I have one, unless Mr. Shiro counts.
"We don't have one, right?" Killua spoke up, looking at Gon and I.
"Nope." Gon answered.
"What? You're that strong with no training? I'm kind of shocked... I still have so far to go!" Zushi exclaimed. A man walked up to us, and looked at Zushi.
"Zushi. You did well." He stated. He kind of reminds me of Mr. Shiro for some reason. Maybe they know each other?
"Master!" Zushi addressed the man.
"Master?" I repeated. Then this guy is Zushi's teacher. I wonder if he teaches nen.
"Master, your shirt is untucked again." Zushi pointed to the man's shirt, which was indeed untucked.
"Oh, sorry about that... Who are they?" He apologized, shoving his shirt back into his pants.
"Oh, these are Killua, Korudo, and Gon." Zushi answered, gesturing it us.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Wing. I didn't expect to meet other children. Why are you here?" Wing asked, smiling at us.
"Well, we want to become stronger." Killua answered.
"But we're also broke, so we're making money as well." I added.
"Killua's been here before." Gon pointed to Killua.
"Oh? If you're up here, you must be fairly skilled, but you should pay strict attention to your opponent's body, as well as your own." Wing advised, and we nodded.
○●○
"Here is your prize money." The lady behind the desk gave us our money.
"On the 1st floor, win or lose, your reward covers a canned drink. But beyond that, a loss gets you nothing." Killua explained while getting soda from a vending machine. I reached my arm out.
"Can I have that?" I asked, looking at his drink. He brought it to his side, as if shielding it from me.
"No!" He yelled at me. Why is he yelling?
"Chill out, it's just a drink. Jeez." I scratched the back of my head and he opened the drink. He started to gulp it down.
"A win over an opponent in the 50s gets you fifty thousand." He spoke between sips.
"Fifty thousand... That's a lot." Gon mumbled.
"In the 100s, I think wins are worth a million." He explained. I jumped.
"What?! That's so much!" I exclaimed.
"Once you're past the 150th floor, you get ten million a pop." He casaully stated.
"T-Ten million?! I think I'm going to pass out!" I dramatically yelled. Killua gave me a weird look before sipping his soda again.
"Didn't you make it to floor 200 when you were here before?" Gon asked.
"Th-The 200th floor?" Zushi mumbled in disbelief.
"How much do you get for winning on the 200th floor?" Gon questioned.
"Well... I don't really know, because I quit once I reached 200. But when I was winning in the 190s, I had around two hundred million, total." Killua responded.
"T-Two hundred million... Where's that money now?" Gon stuttered.
"That was four years ago. Of course it's gone now. Spent it all on snacks!" He stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. I choked.
"You spent two hundred million precious dollars on snacks?!" I yelled at him and he shrugged.
"What kind of snacks were they!?" Zushi turned to me, sharing my disbelief. Killua ignored us and walked towards me.
"Here you go." He grabbed my arm, and shoved his drink into my hand . He grinned as I beamed at it, happy that I had a drink. I lifted my arm and realized the can was empty. My face darkened.
"That. Is. The. Meanest. Thing. You've. Ever. Done." I spoke slowly and crushed the can.
"The meanest? I've done-" Killua was cut off by the crumpled can hitting the side of his head. An irk mark appeared on his head as he snapped towards me.
"HEY! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE AIMING!" He grabbed my collar and yelled at me.
"I DID! THAT'S WHY IT HIT YOU IN THE HEAD! RIGHT ON TARGET!" I shouted back at him, just as loud.
"YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET THAT!" He screamed, shaking me. I grabbed his hands that were balled up in the collar of my shirt.
"MAYBE YOU SHOULD THINK TWICE BEFORE GIVING ME AN EMPTY DRINK!" I yelled.
"YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO THROW IT AT ME!" He responded.
"SAYS WHO?! IT'S ONLY NATURAL I GIVE YOU WHAT YOU DESERVE!" I screamed back at him.
Zushi and Gon sweatdropped, watching us bicker back and forth.
"Are they always like this?" Zushi asked, still looking back and forth between Killua and I. Gon nodded.
"Yup. All the time." He sighed.
○●○
"Well, these opponents should be a cinch. Just take it easy." Killua arrogantly said, quite loudly I might add.
"Really?" Gon responded.
"Killua! They can hear you..." Zushi scolded Killua, looking nervously at the buff dude sitting nex to us on the bench.
"Yeah Killua. Keep your weird gloating to yourself." I insulted him and crossed my arms. He glared at me before a voice sounded over the speakers.
"Number 2054, Killua." The annoucer started.
"I'm already up." Killua stood lazily from the bench
"And number 1963, Zushi." The announcer finished. I tensed. What a coincidence.
"Okay." Killua calmly stated, looking down at Zushi.
"Osu! I shall give it my best." Zushi politely bowed.
"Sure. Well, you can't win them all. Better luck next time.I'll head out." Killua was once again being an arrogant dickhead. I quickly stuck my foot out, successfully tripping him as he tried to walk away.
"Hey! Knock it off!" He spun around and yelled at me.
"I don't know what you're talking about." I smugly smirked. He only angrily stomped away, grumbling under his breath.
"Good luck, guys! I'll wait for you above!" Gon shouted after the two.
"He really didn't have to act like it was such a done deal..." Gon mumbled. I nodded.
"Yup. That's for sure." I agreed.
○●○
"Okay, everyone! The event you've all been waiting for! We have a unique match-up for you! Two young boys, fighting it out!" The commentator lady announced.
I took a seat in the stands, watching the two boys. I didn't have another match today, so I wanted to come and watch this fight.
"However, you don't want to underestimate them! Both had strong showings in their first rounds! They both advanced directly to the 50s!" She exclaimed.
"Okay, everyone! Are you ready to press
your gamble switches? In that case, switch on!" She shouted.
The screen turned to a picture of both Killua and Zushi. Killua was red, and Zushi was blue. I looked down at the device in my hand, and immidietly pressed the blue button.
"All bets are in, and the odds favor Zushi! Perhaps his martial arts
knowledge gives him an edge?" She annouced, and I could tell that the votes pissed Killua off. I snickered
"That's right! Kick his ass, Zushi!" I cheered from the stands. Since I was pretty close to the ring, both boys turned to me in shock.
Zushi's face contorted into a worried one since I just pissed Killua off even more. I looked over at Killua to see him glaring at me.
I gave him a thumbs down and stuck my tongue out. He only rolled his eyes and faced Zushi again.
"Begin!" The ref signaled for the fight to begin.
"Wow... Killua is boldly walking toward his opponent!" The commentator screamed. I only scoffed. He's so annoying.
Killua darted behind Zushi, and brought a forceful chop to his neck. Zushi cried out, and collapsed to the floor. I sighed. This is definitely going to feed into his ego.
"Clean hit! Amazing! Killua has knocked out another opponent with only a single chop! A clean hit and a knockdown gets him two points!" She exclaimed, and continued to explain the knock out system.
"Can you fight?" The referee leaned over Zushi's body.
"Yes, I'm okay!" He picked himself up off the ground, much to Killua's suprise.
"He got up! Zushi will continue!" She commentaded.
"Hell yeah! Go Zushi!" I cheered him on, and Killua glared at me.
"Fight!" The ref started the match back up.
Killua once again struck Zushi, knocking him to the ground.
"He's taken another hit! Zushi has been knocked down! But he's already standing up!" She exclaimed. I beamed. This is gold! The more times he gets up, the angrier Killua gets! Haha!
"Tsk. Not bad. So the same attack won't
work twice against you." Killua stated, walking towards the panting boy. I leaned back in my seat. This should be fun to watch.