Every single person watching the match between Gon and Hisoka held their breath in astonishment as Gon's blow sent Hisoka flying into the wall on the far side of the arena.
The crowd erupted at Gon's first clean hit, but they were silenced once more as Hisoka emerged from the dust cloud, calmly brushing off his clothes.
"I must say, I'm surprised. My impression of you from just moments ago was so strong, I couldn't dodge in time. ♠ If the Panic Card I drew hadn't been the Jack of Hearts, things might have gotten dicey. ♥"
Just before Gon's attack landed, Hisoka had used Bungee Gum, its effects amplified by the Panic Card, to mitigate the damage. Even so, he was inwardly breaking a cold sweat at the sheer force that had sent him flying. He licked the blood from the card in his hand and gave a wicked smile.
"You may be trying to win a war of attrition, hoping for a mutual knockout, but unfortunately for you... ♦ I now have what it takes to beat you in a damage race. ♥"
He glanced at Gon's abdomen, where a fresh wound was staining his clothes with blood. Though the bleeding wasn't severe, it was obvious which of them had taken more damage in the exchange.
"So a normal playing card can cut me after all. But that just confirmed it. If I can land a clean, serious punch, I can take you down!"
"Well, yes, obviously. ♣"
Hisoka looked slightly exasperated at Gon's triumphant declaration. He returned to the ring, fanning a deck of cards out in both hands.
"If we keep fighting at your pace, I won't last. So from here on, I'm going to play a little dirty. ♥"
With a lewd smile, he flung the cards in his hands forward with incredible force.
***
The spectators had been so captivated by the dense, high-stakes battle that they had lost all track of time. How many of them realized that not even ten minutes had passed? The effect was most pronounced among the more skilled observers. Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio were drenched in sweat despite only watching, and Zushi was nearing the limits of his stamina.
(Heh. When I first met Gon, I thought I could beat him easily enough. What a conceited fool I was.)
Even for Wing, a master of the Shingen-ryu, the fight unfolding in the ring below was a battle so fierce it sent shivers down his spine.
(I was so focused on Gon's maximum power that I overlooked something crucial. By deliberately lowering his enhancement rate, he's able to make full use of his inherently high level of physical control. This, without a doubt, is the strongest version of Gon at this moment!)
His attention then shifted to Hisoka, a man he had distrusted from the moment they met, a man Wing considered the most malevolent of fighters.
(Contrary to his personality and appearance, what a magnificently orthodox and skilled fighter he is. All of his abilities have been honed to an unbelievable level. He is not a jack-of-all-trades, master of none, but a true all-purpose warrior who has surpassed such limitations!)
Wing had to admit that if he were to fight Hisoka, he would lose with a very high probability. The reason an ordinary talent like him had become a Shingen-ryu master was because he had eliminated his weaknesses and raised his overall balance.
Hisoka's fighting style was the very pinnacle of what Wing had strived for.
(And that's precisely why I know... as he is now, Gon cannot defeat Hisoka!!)
The ring was now littered with shattered stone tiles and countless playing cards. Hisoka, bleeding from his mouth, faced off against Gon, whose entire body was covered in cuts.
"Mmm... ♥ The passionate color of red suits you, Gon. Anyone else would have been unable to move long ago. Are you using your muscles to stop the bleeding in addition to your Aura? ♦"
Standing in a position of overwhelming advantage, Hisoka wiped the blood from his lips with amusement and re-analyzed Gon's condition. While he had been cut up, none of the wounds were fatal, and his stamina seemed to be holding up.
(Did I miscalculate? For him to take this much and still not flinch... he has a high tolerance for pain. ♣ It's not like I have much of a reserve left myself. What a truly troublesome opponent. ♠)
Throughout the fight, Hisoka had been using his Bungee Gum in an unconventional way.
By transforming his entire Ken into Bungee Gum, he was using the rubber's elasticity as both a defensive tool and a movement aid.
This gave him greater resistance to Gon's blows than his Aura defense alone could provide and allowed him to move with a speed and unpredictability that surpassed his natural abilities.
Furthermore, by focusing almost exclusively on slashing attacks, he was efficiently damaging Gon's impact-resistant muscles.
(And yet, I can't break him. In fact, in a prolonged fight, I might be at a disadvantage. ♠)
All of Gon's attacks were blunt force. While the damage was not immediately debilitating, it was accumulating within Hisoka's body. Though he was deflecting the blows with the utmost care, the damage was slowly eating away at him.
While Hisoka was not as comfortable as he appeared, Gon was exactly as he looked: completely out of options.
(Damn it... the threat of Panic Card is always in the back of my mind, and it's stopping me from taking that final step forward. He must have seen through that, because it looks like he's mostly been using normal cards.)
Thanks to Hisoka's consultation during the Hunter Exam, Gon was the second most knowledgeable person in the world about Panic Card. But even he could find no countermeasure for it; the synergy between Hisoka and his ability was simply demonic.
(It's almost impossible to tell the difference, and depending on the card he draws, a single hit could be fatal. I've been trying to remember the numbers and suits of the cards he's used, but the moment he uses a duplicate, I can't even predict what's left in the deck.)
For Hisoka, whose sleight of hand rivaled that of a professional magician even without Nen, mixing Panic Cards with a regular deck was no problem at all, even in the heat of battle. The sheer number of things Gon had to consider and watch out for, even in a head-on fight, was severely draining his concentration.
(I need to make a move soon, or I'll be ground down. I think it all depends on 'this' something that feels just within my grasp.)
In truth, Gon was nearing the limit of fighting with his "Prison" active while also trying to staunch his own bleeding. The approaching time limit was forcing him into an even more desperate, high-risk exchange.
By a strange coincidence, both Gon and Hisoka decided to push for a swift conclusion at almost the exact same moment.
***
Though both had decided to end it quickly, the fight continued without a major shift as they waited for the right moment to strike. While the average spectator was still mesmerized by the relentless battle, those with a certain level of skill understood that this was the calm before the final storm and heightened their focus.
(Yes! I did it!!)
The one who broke the stalemate was Gon, who, despite being the more cornered of the two, had found a new source of strength.
(I'll send him flying!!)
(He's going to make his move, Gon! ♦) Hisoka perfectly read Gon's intent from his fighting spirit and movements and drew a Panic Card. (Oh my. I was hoping for a ♠, but it's a King of Diamonds. ♠ Still, with this, I can stop his momentum and close in. ♥)
If Gon launched an all-out attack, he could not afford to ignore the power of a King. Whether he dodged or blocked, Hisoka had no intention of giving him time to shift his focus from pure offense.
(Now, let's begin the finale. ♠)
He threw the King of Diamonds without any attempt to conceal it, making sure Gon could see it clearly. The card, wreathed in an incredible amount of Aura, flew straight for Gon's centerline—the most difficult spot to dodge.
(Will he dodge it? Or will he take it? Knowing you, you'll try to take it and push through. ♥ Come, let me embrace you. ♠)
Hisoka envisioned it: Gon, valiantly trying to block the card, failing, but still pressing forward. Gon, at his limit, being lovingly enveloped by Hisoka's Bungee Gum, allowing Hisoka to savor the sweet superiority of victory.
The Panic Card passed clean through Gon's body.
(Huh?)
Despite having his vital organs undoubtedly pierced, Gon didn't slow down or show any sign of pain. He closed the distance to Hisoka and swung his right leg with all his might.
(This is bad. ☠)
Hisoka was blasted through the reinforced acrylic wall and slammed into the wall at the very top of the spectator stands.
***
"That idiot! He went for a suicide attack in a stupid match!" Killua yelled.
"Get ready to treat him, Leorio! ...Leorio?"
Killua and Kurapika turned to Leorio, who should have been the first to react, only to find him with his sunglasses slipped down his nose, his face contorted into a work of avant-garde art.
"...Ahhh. I don't know about after the match, but for now, he's fine. Seriously, what the hell is going on inside Gon's head? Who would even think of something like that?"
"What are you talking about, Leorio?!" Kurapika shouted, his voice sharp with urgency as Leorio remained seated, head in his hands. "That area is packed with vital organs! He's in danger even if you treat him immediately!"
Kurapika looked over and saw that Killua, who had also jumped to his feet, had now calmed down.
"...Kurapika, I think he's actually okay," Killua said. "For an organ hit, there's way too little blood. More importantly, he's not coughing up any blood at all."
When Kurapika focused on Gon again, he saw that Killua was right. For someone who'd been impaled through the torso, he looked remarkably undamaged.
"He probably used Muscle Dialogue: Muscle Control to shift his organs out of the way," Killua guessed. "He created a path for the card to pass through and minimized the damage."
Killua's theory made sense to Kurapika and Wing, and a mixture of anger and exasperation at Gon for attempting something so reckless in the middle of such a fierce battle began to build within them.
"I could have accepted it if that were the case," Leorio said, and the single person who knew the truth refuted their theory.
"Let me sidetrack for a second. The average adult male's body is less than 50% muscle. You've got organs and bones under the skin. There are limits to what you can do."
As the others listened in confused silence, Leorio stared at Gon and let out a heavy sigh.
"I don't know how he's still moving, but right now, everything under his skin, except for his bones, is pretty much muscle."
"...Huh?" the group uttered in unison.
"He's probably using an application of Savings Withdrawal: Muscle is Power. That idiot... he's converting his organs and everything else into muscle."
"WHAAAAAT?!"
While Leorio buried his head in his hands once more, the others could only stare at Gon in utter disbelief.
***
(It connected. But it wasn't a finishing blow.)
After kicking Hisoka, Gon did not lower his guard. He continued to stare intently at the still-settling dust cloud.
He felt a renewed sense of awe for Hisoka, who had apparently withstood a kick empowered by an application of Muscle is Power called Savings Transfer: The Body is Made of Muscle—the very technique that had allowed Gon to survive being impaled.
(But the damage has been completely reversed. Now I can press the advant—!)
Gon leaped back just as a card shot out from the dust cloud, leaving an Aura trail as it stabbed into the ring. The trail was Bungee Gum. In an instant, it contracted, and Hisoka appeared where the card had landed, standing tall as if he had teleported.
His condition, however, was gruesome. His left arm, which he had likely used to guard, was crushed and mangled, and blood was pouring from his mouth.
And yet, he wore a brilliant smile.
"Heheheheh... ♥ As always, Gon, your love is a heavy thing. Anyone else would have been turned into a pancake. ♠"
He grabbed his mangled left arm with his right hand and, with a sickening crunch that made one want to cover their ears, pulled it straight. He then used Bungee Gum to set it like a splint and began shuffling his cards as if nothing had happened.
"That wasn't carelessness on my part. ♦ While your fighting style is surprisingly straightforward, your use of Hatsu is so far beyond left field it's insane. ♣ You truly are a surprise box that never gets old. ♥"
Having gained the advantage, Gon had been about to wait and see, but he refused to be swayed by Hisoka's words and stepped forward to end it.
"I suppose you still need to learn through experience...♠"
As Gon took a step, the card stuck in the ring pierced his foot and vanished.
"Wha—?!"
"How curious. ♥ A Panic Card that was supposed to disappear after being used is still here. Well, the simple answer is that I placed it there from the start with the intention of you stepping on it. ♣"
At those words, Gon quickly scanned the ring and noticed several other cards sticking out of the ground unnaturally among the scattered debris.
"A simple, and therefore hard-to-spot, trap. In fact, your detailed knowledge of Panic Card was your downfall. ♦"
Realizing that if Hisoka could use them this way, there could also be invisible cards set as traps with In, Gon froze, his mind now wary of unseen landmines.
"I didn't think I'd be forced to use this. It just goes to show you should always be prepared. ♠"
A Panic Card was slowly tossed towards the immobilized Gon.
He saw it was the 9 of Hearts. As Gon's mind raced, trying to figure out the trick behind a card that wouldn't even reach him, it fell short and its shape began to distort.
"Actually, there are no other traps besides the one you just stepped on. ♣ And with this, the flush is complete. A Heart Flush. ♠"
The four other Panic Cards placed around Gon reacted in a chain with the disintegrating 9 of Hearts, transforming into Bungee Gum and spreading out to envelop him.
With his mind still reeling and his foot injured, he was in no condition to dodge.
(Damn it! A flush?! He used five cards to power it up?! I can't move!!)
The captured Gon struggled to resist, but the Bungee Gum, which covered every inch of his body, barely stretched before holding him fast.
"Now, what shall I draw for the grand finale? ♪ ...Heh heh. Well, well, it's the JOKER. ♠"
Hisoka slowly walked towards the immobile Gon, holding a card that pulsed with a terrifying Aura. He stood before him, smiled sweetly, and drew back his arm.
"That makes us even. Let's do this again. ♥"
"Next time," Gon vowed, "I'll definitely win."
A spray of blood flew from Gon as the card cut deeply into him. He collapsed onto the ring, reverted to his child form, and lost consciousness.
Hisoka, drenched in Gon's blood, spread his arms wide and looked to the sky, an ecstatic expression on his face as he basked in the afterglow of his victory.
***
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