Once we set foot in the mountains, in addition to continuing to practice advanced aura applications and ensuring that Nicholas trains to create his personal Nen abilities, I also give Ponzu and Nicholas an explanation of the rest of my Orbital Orbs's powers and a brief introduction to more advanced Nen concepts such as vows, postmortem Nen usage, and some subcategories that Nen abilities can fall into.
I had originally planned to reveal all of this to them once they had a better understanding and mastery of their aura control, but our recent discussion has made me realize that keeping everything to myself without considering the feelings of those close to me may not be the best approach. Still, there will always be certain things I can't tell them or anyone else.
In any case, the three of us continue training and pushing our bodies and aura to the limit for 4 hours at the same time I explain about these more complex concepts. After finishing with the daily routine, both Ponzu and Nicholas look quite sweaty and exhausted, which prompts me to ask if this level of training is alright after 3 weeks under Wing's tutelage.
However, to my pleasant surprise, they are both smiling very satisfied, claiming that they feel more determined and motivated with my training methods than with Wing's as we both return to Heavens Arena through my Womhole Orb.
"This ability is truly very useful for traveling. Perhaps we could use it to meet up more often in the future?" Ponzu comments as I close the portal once we all cross it.
"We could, but I still have a long way before I can instantly go anywhere in the world." I reply as my orb fades away as it reaches its usage limit.
"Well, that's all for today. Get a good night's rest and get your strength back for the training of tomorrow."
"As you command, teacher. And while we're at it, would you mind if I used your shower? I just can't wait to get all this sweat off." Ponzu says while posing to highlight her skin glistening with sweat.
"I-I'd rather you didn't! P-Please use the shower of your own room!" I answer very flustered at the tempting thought of Ponzu bathing in my room.
Ponzu shows some disappointment at my blunt refusal before walking out the door with Nicholas, leaving me alone in my room and giving me the opportunity to call one of the tower's delivery services to bring dinner to my room. After filling my stomach and washing away the sweat and dirt with a relaxing soak in my enormous bathtub, I settle onto my bed and use all my aura reserves to create a new Wormhole Orb, collapsing onto the mattress from exhaustion right after.
For the next days, we all returned to our usual routine. Nicholas, Ponzu and I woke up early, eager to start our training and improve on our weaknesses, with the first part of the day aimed at increasing our physical abilities, and the second part at sharpening our techniques and Nen control, focusing on incorporating unpredictable moves and refining our defenses and Nen categories through hours of practice and sparring.
I also went out a couple of times to meet with Wing and engage in sparring matches with him in the mountains. And despite my undeniable growth as a Nen user, Wing had grown more in close combat thanks to my Development Orb, making it impossible for me to overcome his newly improved technique and aura output without using my Barrier Orb.
Even though I emerged victorious thanks to my Hatsu, Wing was pleased and happy to see that after a long time stagnating, his skills were growing once again, chatting with me after each fight and then saying goodbye in a friendly manner.
Obviously, more happened during these days than just training. Nicholas and I, for example, began contacting sellers and real estate agents, setting up appointments to view some of the properties after July 15th, and heading to the continent of Yorbia via my Wormhole Orb to purchase some cars, warehouses, furniture, and other miscellaneous items to use on behalf of our agency.
I also contacted some of my mobile contacts, specifically Bodoro and Pokkle, after a while. While Bodoro continues to focus solely on training to fully master the 4 basic principles of Nen, Pokkle informed me that his master would soon give him a leave of absence so he could meet with me so I could help him with his training after hearing of my abilities, so we agreed to meet soon on the continent of Kokun (the one where the Hunter exam took place).
Continuing on the social front, I also had my share of minor setbacks. For example, after checking my room for things that had been disturbed almost imperceptibly after I left to work out or do other things, I suspected someone was sneaking into my room. So, making the necessary preparations, I set a trap to catch the offender in the act.
Using a hidden camera to observe my room through my personal laptop, I discovered who the trespasser was: Killua. Apparently, he'd been snooping around my room while I was gone to discover things he could use against me, placing particular emphasis on taking pictures of my canonical information notebooks with his cell phone.
Fortunately, all of that information was written in English, so Killua couldn't translate them on the spot, having to resort to taking photographs to be able to translate them later. So, taking advantage of the fact that he's distracted doing that, I switch to Zetsu state and open a portal to appear right behind him, knocking him out with a quick and well-aimed blow to the neck.
After taking his phone and waiting for him to wake up, I started giving him a rather serious and angry reprimand for his invasion of my privacy, and informed him that if he didn't want me to post and announce his compromising photos to all our acquaintances, then he would have to do something important to make it up to me: give me the instructions and details of how his family trained him to withstand poison and electricity without problems.
Although Killua found it somewhat strange and unsettling, he agreed to my request, relieved that I wouldn't put him through something embarrassing like the last time. Eager to start building up my resistances to eliminate potential future threats, I listened intently to Killua instructions on how his family trained him before saying goodbye to him and promising to return his phone after Nicholas hacked it to ensure the photos were completely deleted.
'For heaven's sake, that poor boy. What he's had to go through because of those obsessive lunatics isn't right at all.' That was the thought that crossed my mind right after Killua left. Even if I already knew what he had to go through in canon, it's a very different thing to hear it firsthand in all the details.
Even so, it wasn't Killua's little guidance that was the most disconcerting in my interactions in the tower, but Ponzu's still persistent odd behavior.
Despite my initial belief that she would soon grow out of this unusual phase, Ponzu's behavior became increasingly assertive and frequent, clinging to me, making cute gestures and expressions uncharacteristic of her personality, and expanding her wardrobe with more feminine clothes. It got to the point where on one occasion in the city, a strong wind made the famous Marilyn Maneuver with one of her skirts.
All this constant barrage of sensuality and cuteness was taking its toll on me, forcing me to engage in mind-clearing exercises and self-harm far more frequently than I had been doing before.
And the most worrying part was that as the days passed, even these ceased to be effective remedies, with my head being plagued by those sweet memories, excitement, and thoughts like, 'It wouldn't be so bad if you made a move on her', much to my concern.
Realizing I couldn't continue like this, I went to Nicholas to question him about whether he knew what had happened to Ponzu in my absence and why she was acting this way now, even though deep down I wasn't so clueless as to not know already the answers.
However, in stark contrast to his usually helpful attitude, this time he told me he didn't know about it and that if I had a problem with Ponzu, I should discuss it frankly with her.
Deciding that I didn't want to face the possibility looming in my head yet and risk ruining our current relationship before her training was even finished and I could tell her the Nen ability I had thought for her, I opted to wait until Nicholas and I had to leave Heavens Arena to officially launch our career as Blacklist Hunters to talk with her, holding off these harassing desires until then.
Finally, regarding our battle record on the 200th floor, both Nicholas and I made rapid progress, with Nicholas managing to reach 8 wins, and me reaching the 10 I needed to challenge a Floor Master.
By Nicholas Part:
Seventh Fight: Dorado
To my unexpected surprise, Nicholas's seventh opponent on the 200th floor was a character who had appeared in the 1999 anime adaptation; Dorado. It's not that he was a strong or important character, but seeing his appearance in this world made me wonder what other plot anomalies I would encounter later.
Either way, during his confrontation with Nicholas he showed the same abilities as in the 1999 version; conjuring a double-headed spear, using it efficiently in combat alongside his great physical abilities, and utilizing his Nen either to increase its reach or to release powerful shock-waves with it, destroying the ring ground and landing several blows against Nicholas, leaving him badly injured.
Even with Dorado's remarkable combat skills, Nicholas made good use of the training and combat experience he had been through, moving nimbly to dodge Dorado's attacks and landing hits despite Dorado's strong defense. In the end, the match ended with Nicholas winning by knocking Dorado unconscious, although Dorado managed to score 7 points first.
Eighth Fight: Shinokuni
After recovering from his match against Dorado, his next fight was against Shinokuni, an opponent who appeared to be a Manipulator with the ability to exhale and control a poisonous mist that served as both an attack and a defense. From the start of the fight, Nicholas didn't fare well due to Shinokuni blindsiding him by spitting the poisonous mist in his face as they began close combat.
Fortunately, it seems the poison wasn't instantly fatal, though it did weaken and blind him, making Shinokuni an increasingly lethal foe. Even so, Nicholas was able to continue fighting thanks to his well-trained ability to sense the aura around him, using this and his sense of hearing to locate Shinokuni despite his blindness and weakening.
With this as the basis for his strategy, Nicholas slammed the ground with a Ko punch to raise a thick cloud of dust, leaving Shinokuni also blind to his surroundings by combining it with his mist, and throwing several debris from the floor enshrouded by Shu.
However, even though Shinokuni managed to withstand the impact of the projectiles, Nicholas's real plan was to use them as a distraction to sneak up behind him while holding his breath in Zetsu state.
Realizing the deception, Shinokuni tried to counterattack by hitting him, but Nicholas used swift and fluid grapples from Jiu-Jitsu to immobilize him on the ground and started to relentlessly pummeling him using his Ren and his remaining strenght, managing to knock him out after several blows and giving him the win of the match.
However, as soon as Cocco announced his victory, Nicholas collapsed in the ring, exhausted from the exertion, lack of oxygen, and Shinokuni's poisoning, requiring a medical team from the tower to come and collect him and Shinokuni to take them to the infirmary.
At first we were all worried about his well-being, but thankfully it turned out to be nothing serious and he recovered quickly well thanks to medicine and his enhanced healing factor as a Nen user, with me subsequently slapping him angrily and starting to give him a good scolding for being so careless and reckless to confront someone using poison, reminiscing quite a bit when Wing scolded Gon after his first fight against Gido.
Finally, under threat of no longer helping him train if this happened again, Nicholas apologized and promised to be more cautious in the future, so I decided to forgive him for his carelessness just this once.
Ninth Fight: The Scale
After he recovered and we trained a bit more, it was time for Nicholas's ninth fight; a rematch against a fighter who had previously defeated him, The Scale. I hadn't been present at his fight, but I had seen the footage of it, so I knew what his Nen ability was and how frustrated Nicholas must have felt at being unable to overcome it.
For this fight, Nicholas wore a long brown cloak over his usual fancy boy clothes, and the moment his opponent activated his ability to conjure floating metal spheres, Nicholas used for the first time in combat the Nen ability that had taken him so much time and effort to create: Ultimate Programming.
Gathering his Nen in his hands, Nicholas conjured a small laptop, and as soon as his rival tried to attack him with his spheres, Nicholas inputted a command into the laptop and out of nowhere a shield appeared, repelling all the spheres before making it disappear and launching himself at The Scale.
His opponent was surprised by this performance, which made him vulnerable to receiving a couple of hits from Nicholas before he brought back his spheres and Nicholas took distance again in response. The fight continued like this for a while, with The Scale trying to land blows with his spheres on Nicholas, and he repelling them with weapons conjured by his laptop before making them disappear and closing the distance to try to score points.
At one point, The Scale attempted to take a more active role in the fight, attempting to engage Nicholas in close combat while simultaneously attempting to overwhelm him with his ability. However, to his and everyone else's surprise, someone appeared behind him to stab his side, and when he turned his head to see who had gotten into their match, he saw it was Nicholas as well.
Hurt and confused by the situation, the Nicholas in front of him landed a good kick to the face that made The Scale fall to the ground unconscious. With this finishing move, the referee announced Nicholas's win, making commentator Cocco and the crowd erupt in cheers as Nicholas made his laptop and double disappear before leaving the stadium.
These were two of the Ultimate Programming apps: Subspace and Physical Constructs.
The first allowed Nicholas to convert physical objects into data and store them in and out of his Nen laptop like a video game inventory, making it a useful skill for transportation as well as fights like this one.
The second consists in creating a perfect physical replica of something or someone using the data he's recorded on his laptop. In this case, he's done this for himself, as he doesn't yet have enough data, experience, or power level to fully utilize the ability. Nicholas had used the cover provided by his cloak to create his double without The Scale noticing and thus attack him unawares from behind, just like Kastro.
Although incredibly powerful and versatile, much like my Orbital Orbs, this Nen ability is still in development, so Nicholas needs to continue training until he has reached his full potential.
By My Part:
Ninth Fight: Mirage
After my quick match against The Elementalist, my next opponent was a female Emitter named Mirage, who could generate an En-like spherical domain where she could teleport and control the terrain around. Or so she wanted to make people believe.
In reality, the true nature of her ability was to create and control illusions within her domain, making herself invisible and entering in Zetsu state until she was ready to land a sneak attack.
It could have been a very problematic ability, if it weren't for the fact that I was cautious enough to activate Gyo as soon as she disappeared, noticing the illusions and activating my En within a diameter of one meter to hit her as soon as she entered my range.
Out of respect for my opponent and to maintain my popularity as a fighter, I pretend to have difficulties fighting Mirage, pretending that her ability really has the effects it pretends to have and winning after several minutes by accumulating 10 points, leaving her badly injured but conscious.
Tenth Fight: Tetsu Murakami
My last match before the Floor Master was surprisingly against a Magical Beast: A shirtless blond man who possessed golden eyes with pupils in horizontal lines, claws on his fingers, and green scaly skin on his forearms, sides, and both sides of his neck.
According to what he told me after the fight, it was a Lizardman, a species of part-alligator men who inhabit the Begerosse Union and are on cordial terms with humans as long as they do not invade their territory, in which case they consider it a transgression and act hostile.
Despite his different appearance, his attractive bishonen face seemed to attract the attention of several women in the floor just like me, and he proved to be a worthy opponent during combat with his Enhancement abilities, which while not at Wing's level, were quite difficult for me to overcome combined with his species seemingly superior strength.
Still, I won the fight by accumulating 10 points, receiving a sporting handshake from him as he said what a formidable opponent I had been, earning a standing ovation from the crowd.
Date: July 7th, 2011
While I'm training in my room with Nicholas and Ponzu, the phone in my room suddenly starts ringing, so I put down my 200-kilo dumbbell and get ready to answer it.
"Hello, who's calling?" I ask, picking up the phone.
"Good morning. I'm Cocco, Heavens Arena favorite commentator. Is Mr. Kai Ikeda there?" Cocco asks on the other end of the line.
"Yes, it's me. What do you want?" I ask.
"You see, as a representative of the tower, I would like to ask you to come in for a short personal interview to encourage the tower's spectators who are waiting for your future challenge against the Master of Floor of the 230th floor and wish to know more about you. Would you be so kind as to spare a few minutes of your time to come and answer a few questions about your experience in Heavens Arena and your expectations for the future?" Cocco asks.
At this sudden request from the woman who has been watching all my fights, I ponder for a few seconds before answering. "Okay, I can give you some of my time. Where and when would be a good time for this interview?"
"Great, I'm so glad to hear you agree! I'm sure everyone in the tower is eager to hear what you have to say! Would you mind if we had the interview in the viewing area on the 140th floor in about an hour?" She asks pretty excited.
"Sounds acceptable to me. See you then to talk about my fighting career and future match. Bye." I say finally hanging up the phone.
"Wow, you've clearly become quite the Heavens Arena celebrity if the people running it are so eager to get their hands on you." Ponzu teasingly comments to the side.
"Yes, it looks like. Nicholas, tap into the security surveillance system of the tower and look into the 140th floor to ensure that it is not a trap from some ill-intentioned people." I ask him.
"Okay, boss. But are you sure about going to that interview? Even if there's no life-threatening danger, that commentator might try to put you in a bad light." Nicholas asks worried.
"I don't think so. From everything I've heard her shout during our fights, I can tell she's a true fan of the tower fights, so I don't think she's trying to set me up. Besides, this is a good opportunity to promote myself to the professional world." I say, thinking excitedly about how I'm going to market myself to my future employers with this interview.