The moment the trio stepped back into their room, Hisoka's eyes snapped open.
Down the hall, in a darkened room, golden pupils flashed with a predatory light. He licked his lips, sensing the shift in the air. The unripe fruit had returned, and it smelled... delicious.
"Gon," Kyle asked, breaking the silence as they sat down. "Be honest. What do you think your odds are?"
Gon sat on the sofa, visualizing the clown. Despite ten days of hell training, despite the Haki and the strength gains, the image of Hisoka remained a towering, insurmountable wall.
"I don't know," Gon admitted, clutching the #44 badge in his hand. His knuckles turned white. "But I have to fight him. I have to give this back."
"Listen to me, Gon," Kyle leaned forward, his expression grave. "Hisoka is strong. Abnormally strong."
"His ability, Bungee Gum, grants him dominance over speed, defense, and spatial control. In close quarters, if physical strength is equal, he is effectively invincible."
"Invincible?" Killua blinked, surprised by the absolute term.
"Yes," Kyle nodded. "Think about it. Once he attaches his aura to you, you enter his spider web. He can pull you in for a strike, fling you into a wall, or disrupt your balance instantly. You lose control of your own position."
Kyle tapped the table. "I've analyzed his patterns. In a fight, he gives you choices, but all of them are traps. The only true counter is to not get touched. But against someone faster than you... that's impossible."
Gon went silent. His entire fighting style was close-range brawling. If getting close meant losing, he had already lost.
Killua's eyes narrowed as he ran the simulations in his head. Speed gap. Experience gap. Ability matchup.
"I've run the numbers," Killua said quietly. "Your win rate is less than 1%."
Gon stared at the floor for a long moment. Then, the trembling started.
It wasn't fear. It was excitement.
He looked up, his eyes burning with a diamond-hard resolve. "Even if it's 0%, I'm fighting. It's a promise."
Kyle grinned. He knew Gon would say that.
"Good. Then for the next four days, we strategize. We can't beat him in a fair fight. So we won't fight fair."
Four Days Later. Heavens Arena.
The roar of the crowd was a physical force, shaking the foundations of the massive tower.
Every seat was filled. The air was thick with sweat, popcorn, and bloodlust. Hisoka's name was chanted like a war cry.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"
The announcer's voice boomed over the PA system.
"Tonight, we witness a clash of generations! In the red corner, the undefeated Grim Reaper, the Magician of Death—HISOKAAAAAA!"
The screams were deafening.
"And in the blue corner, the rising rookie who has stormed through the floors with terrifying speed—GON FREECSS!"
"Kyle," Killua whispered, his eyes fixed on the entrance tunnel. "Do you think Hisoka will... kill him? By accident?"
"I don't know," Kyle answered honestly. "That's the risk. Hisoka rides the line between pleasure and murder. If Gon pushes him too far... the beast might snap."
The lights cut out, leaving a single spotlight on the center of the ring.
Gon and Hisoka walked out.
Hisoka stood relaxed, his hips cocked to one side, a smile on his face that sent shivers down the spines of the front row. He looked at Gon not as an opponent, but as a meal he was savoring the scent of.
"Let the match... BEGIN!"
Gon didn't hesitate. He exploded off the starting line.
Plan A: Aggression.
He rushed Hisoka, throwing a flurry of punches. Hisoka didn't move his feet. He simply swayed, parrying Gon's strikes with lazy, fluid motions, looking bored.
"Amazing! Hisoka hasn't moved a single step!" the announcer screamed.
Gon saw the boredom. Perfect.
He backflipped away, his fingers digging into the stone floor tiles. With a roar of exertion, he ripped a massive slab of the arena floor—easily a thousand pounds of rock—out of the ground.
"Hah!"
Gon kicked the slab, sending it hurtling toward Hisoka like a meteor.
"What power! Gon Freecss has torn up the ring itself!"
Hisoka raised an eyebrow, amused. He raised a fist to shatter the rock.
CRACK.
The stone exploded into dust. But as the dust cleared, Hisoka's eyes widened slightly.
Gon was gone.
"Where...?"
Zetsu.
Gon had used the visual cover of the rock to completely suppress his aura, vanishing from Hisoka's sensory radar. He was already behind him.
Without a sound, without a trace of killing intent, Gon launched himself into the air.
SMACK.
A solid right hook connected cleanly with Hisoka's cheek.
The Magician's head snapped to the side. The crowd went dead silent for a heartbeat, then erupted into absolute chaos.
"A HIT! GON HAS LANDED THE FIRST CLEAN HIT ON HISOKA!"
Hisoka stumbled slightly, regaining his balance. He touched his cheek, looking at the small smear of blood on his finger.
"He did it," Killua breathed out, muscles relaxing. "He returned the favor."
"That was the easy part," Kyle said, his eyes not leaving Hisoka's face. "The debt is paid. Now... the real fight begins."
On the stage, Hisoka's smile widened. It wasn't the bored smirk from before. It was a genuine, terrifying grin of delight.
" wonderful..." Hisoka purred, the bloodlust finally beginning to leak out. "Now I'm excited."