Chapter 19: Zeal X Zushi
Sinbad and company traveled up the elevator to the 50th floor to begin their journey at Heavens Arena. The atmosphere however was a bit gloomy, honestly Sinbad was a bit hurt that his brother completely ignored him like he was an insignificant bug but that was Gilgamesh, he was accustomed to his cruelty.
Killua felt the most defeated, because he abandoned his responsibilities as the next head of the Zoldyk family. He remembered the nights staying up and fantasizing of being the head alongside Imane, and remembered the importance it was for Imane.
Pokkle was silent as he composed himself in preparation for the upcoming hand to hand combat. Before the Hunter Exams, he had grown confident in his own abilities and prowess against others, this is what led him to participating in the harsh Exams. However, since meeting the complete monsters and the levels of strength in between him and the others, left him lacking in confidence.
Quick to snap out of his mild feelings, most of it was him being overly dramatic but Sinbad was excited to soon get the real Contest of Kings started, as he was now going to begin the first steps toward becoming a Floor Master.
The elevator doors retreated and Killua led them to the grand fighting gymnasium. An oval space of six blue cushion mats to serve as boundaries and locations for each ongoing match, waiting fighters and spectators lounged on elevated bleachers. Together, they found a place to sit.
Killua's eyes darted around. "This place sure has grown a lot."
Following his line of sight, Pokkle observed his surroundings. "How so?"
"A lot more fighters, like twenty times the amount," answered Killua.
"Must be because of Gilgamesh," commented Sinbad.
Pokkle's eyes rattled. "That scary blonde guy?"
Even Killua couldn't shoot a funny remark because as Gilgamesh walked past him, every pore in his body begged him to run away and not even look at him.
"Oh Gil, isn't that scary," Sinbad laughed. "I just wouldn't recommend talking near him or standing too close and make sure not to breathe too loudly, then he will most likely ignore you and not even register you exist."
Pokkle and Killua gave worrying glances at each other before giving Sinbad a strange look.
Killua pointed at Sinbad. "You know him?"
"Of course," Sinbad replied, crossing his arms across his chest. "He is my beloved twin brother."
Killua and Pokkle fell from their seats in shock.
"You never said you had a twin brother!" Killua shouted, jumping back to his feet while standing on the bleachers.
Sinbad rubbed his temples. "Really? I feel like I mentioned I had a brother."
"Yeah but still, your brother became a Floor Master in two months," Pokkle interjected, slowly climbing to his seat. "That is insane!"
"Well, I plan on becoming a Floor Master much quicker than that," said Sinbad.
This revelation stunned the other two, making them lose their train of thought. And before they could offer a response to it, Sinbad's number was called. He removed his blue ornate sword from his hip and rested it in between the two of them.
Dramatically, Sinbad leapt from the second row of bleachers and landed on his designated floor mat. Due to this elaborate stunt, some of the spectators awed in response. He beamed a confident and charming smile as he waited for his opponent to show themselves. Then, a man appeared in a short warriors skirt with compressed tights underneath. He wore nothing else except for white bandaged tape around his hands.
The referee from a match adjacent to their mat backpedaled and faced their mat. He wore the standard Heavens Arena referee uniform, a pink and purple vest and a strange sailors cap.
"Ready?" He raised his hand in a bored and unenthusiastic manner. Both fighters nodded. Quickly, he swiped his hand down. "Begin!"
Sinbad's opponent was extremely confident in his legs and speed, immediately vanishing in a blur. Well, for most people in the arena would not be able to keep up with his movements except for Sinbad, Killua, and now due to their training over the past month together, Pokkle.
Seeing his every predictable move, Sinbad jumped and spun in the air, building momentum. His long purple hair flew in the air in an elegant dance as he swept his right leg around to spear the man directly in the chest. The force and impact of the blow launched the skinny man backward into the one of the fighters behind them. The crash was so devastating for the other guy, he was immediately knocked out and bruised his back.
Speechless, the referee watched in disbelief.
Sinbad smiled, turning his head toward the ref. "I believe victory has been claimed."
Still silent, the referee nodded. He quickly punched into his small device and printed out a ticket for Sinbad, who gracefully accepted it and skipped away, moving past the two collapsed and unconscious fighters spewing out saliva and blood.
Sinbad returned to his small group of friends. Killua jumped to his feet and they celebrated with a double high five, and Sinbad jumped into Pokkle's chest who wasn't expecting it and fell.
Sinbad turned his attention to Killua. "Come here, Killua."
Without waiting for a response, Sinbad left them and of course, Killua followed close behind. He entered the men's bathroom and waited for Killua to follow. After making sure they were the only ones in the restroom, Sinbad unsheathed his blade.
Killua's eyes widened but didn't move from the spot, sensing the danger and couldn't react. Because deep down, he knew the vast differences in strength between the two. Although this serious and cold expression from Sinbad caused more of a shock.
"Killua, do you remember what happened during the Final Phase of the Hunter Exam?" Sinbad asked.
The boy could only nod in response, his attention switching back and forth between Sinbad's gold color eyes and the curved blade.
"Refresh my memory again," Sinbad said, gliding his left hand across the smooth flat surface of his sword. "Why did you become a Hunter? Why did you abandon your duties as an assassin of the Zoldyck family?"
Killua paused, thinking of his answer. "I want to be free from my controlling brother and rewrite my own path instead of following the one already laid out for me! To adventure and have fun with you, Sinbad."
Sinbad dropped the serious expression as his lips curled into a playful and genuine smile. "Because we are friends."
"Exactly," replied Killua with urgency.
"But…" Sinbad responded, putting on a thinking face. "The Zoldyck family… Your father and brother will be trying to kill me."
Killua's eyes widened. "What–"
"You have a weakness, Killua."
As the conversation rapidly picked up and Killua's mental state turned more chaotic as each exchange went on, he couldn't comprehend what Sinbad was saying. His mouth twitched trying to say anything but nothing left his mouth because he was afraid that he was going to be abandoned.
Of course, Sinbad was well aware of all of this and strategically manipulated the twelve year old child.
Sinbad's assuring smile flashed. "However, I have a way to get rid of your weakness."
"You do?" Surprised and elated, Killua took a step closer to him, ignoring the constant demand of his brother's voice to run. Do not get closer and run as far as possible. His head erupted in pain as he forcefully kept his attention away from the sword in Sinbad's grasp.
"Yes!" Sinbad nodded, enthusiastically. "Do you trust me, Killua?"
'You do not have any friends, Kil. Do not trust anyone except for your family,' Illumi's voice echoed in Killua's mind, a looping reminder of how alone he was and how he shouldn't trust anyone. Afraid of saying the wrong thing, Killua kept his mouth closed but aggressively shook his head as confirmation.
Regardless of the pain, he wanted to believe in Sinbad's words. Trusting the friendship they built over the past two months, the shared laughs, meals, and time. As the memories flashed in his mind, tears streamed down his face.
"Don't worry," Sinbad took a calculated step backward. "I will free you."
Then, faster than Killua could perceive, especially due to his current mental state, Sinbad slashed him. A thin cut on Killua's forehead, slashing the Nen Needle left behind by Illumi. During the Final Phase of the Hunter Exam, Sinbad sensed the manipulating needle and waited for this precise moment to be the one to free Killua.
Instantaneously, Killua's mind cleared as if a thick painful fog had lifted, freeing up his thoughts. All of the tension, frustration, and sadness left his body. His face relaxed into a smile of relief. The cage trapping his mind filled with Illumi's manipulating words broke and vanished.
Killua was free and Sinbad watched with a delightful smile.
Sinbad sheathed his blade. "How does it feel?"
"Refreshing like for the first time in a long while, I can breathe," Killua answered. "Thank you, Sinbad"
"That is what friends are for," replied Sinbad, reaching out with his hand. They shook hands, smiling.
After Killua cleaned up his face, they left the bathroom and returned to the arena. They appeared casual as if nothing ever happened, Pokkle glanced between the two but then their numbers were called.
"Good luck," Killua winked at Pokkle and then folded his arms behind his head as he confidently walked down the bleachers. "Fyi, I reached 200th Floor as a six year old, so no pressure."
With his sending off words, Killua descended down to his designated fighting spot.
Pokkle abandoned his bow and quiver, trusting it to Sinbad and left without a single word. He didn't need Sinbad's encouragement or wisdom, this was something he would get done on his own. By the time he reached the blue cushioned mat for his fight, his face and body hardened with resolve.
Sinbad sat down and focused his attention on Pokkle's opponent.
A small sized boy wearing a standard white karate Gi, a large brown afro grew from his head. He gave a flawless disciplined fighting stance as he waited for the referee to signal the match.
Pokkle returned the gesture and prepared for combat, one of the biggest lessons beaten into his body was to expect the unexpected, especially getting accustomed to be marginally slower than Killua and Sinbad.
The referee by their side raised his hand and then swung it down like an axe, signaling the start of their match. With practiced ease, Pokkle's opponent rearranged his hands and arms positioning, and then slowly began to glow in a white hum.
Sinbad's eyes expanded. 'Nen!'
He slapped his forehead and gave a slight ironic chuckle. 'I'm sorry, Pokkle. It's over.'
Thankfully, Sinbad could sense the boy's Nen and found it pretty disappointing, and Pokkle shouldn't suffer from major injuries.
Over some careful deliberation Sinbad decided against revealing the truth about Nen nor its applications and definitely not the fact that he could use it. He wanted to remain on "even" playing field as the rest of them and wanted to begin learning Nen at the same time as them, he foresaw that it would be inevitable for the 200th Floor matches.
The biggest reason was due to Sinbad's unwillingness to appear unknowledgeable, there were still large gaps in his knowledge about Nen, he didn't even know the basics of Nen Categories or the implications of the advanced techniques he had been using subconsciously.
If he were to come off knowledgeable of such a crucial fighting skill, he would be doing more damage to his own potential Vessels and damage their future development.
However, a knowing smile brewed on his lips. This boy appeared to be a novice in Nen and there should be someone teaching and be willing to teach others. Sinbad wanted to scan his surroundings for a potential mentor for this boy but Pokkle's situation turned for the worst.
The mental frustration of the little damage his attacks were doing began to show on his face, any experienced fighter watching this anxious expression would know, he was going to get desperate. However, Pokkle quickly regained his thoughts and calmed down.
Sinbad nodded, glad to notice his main teachings were getting through to him. The ability to remain calm and analyze the situation, the easiest way to guarantee your defeat was to lose composure. But in the end, the afro boy claimed victory over Pokkle.
The benefits granted by Ten and the combat ability of the afro boy was simply too much for Pokkle to handle. Even though he did manage to land some good hits in and most likely would have won the match on a more even playing field. Regardless, he lost.
Sinbad rose to his feet and clapped as loud as he could. He cheered for Pokkle's valiant effort.
Killua approached from behind while drinking a can of juice. "Seriously? He lost?"
"I mean, Pokkle isn't a fighter," said Sinbad, excusing Pokkle for his defeat. Because in the real world, Pokkle would have been out of the kid's line of sight and shot an arrow at the back of his head.
"But still," Killua replied after taking another sip. "He is making us look bad."
"We all came here to get stronger," Sinbad replied. "Defeat is essential for growth."
Killua didn't argue but he did shrug his shoulders as if it didn't pertain to him.
Pokkle hung his head in defeat as he climbed the bleachers to join the rest of them. He didn't acknowledge them, standing silent with his fist balled up.
Sinbad grabbed his bow and quiver, handing it over to Pokkle. "Don't worry. You fought admirably."
"It doesn't matter," Pokkle said, clenching his fists and then snatching his belongings back from Sinbad. "I lost."
"So? Isn't that exactly why we are here?" Sinbad asked with encouragement.
Unable to find a disagreement or response in Sinbad's question, Pokkle remained quiet.
Seeing the hurt and desperation on Pokkle's face, Killua playfully slapped him on the shoulder. "Hey, you will win the next one."
Pokkle's eyes snapped onto Killua, filled with determination. "I will!"
"Let's go," said Killua, ushering them to leave the arena and enter the hallway. He tossed his empty juice can in the trash and took them toward the clerk's window. There standing in front of the glass window and speaking with the lady was the afro kid who defeated Pokkle.
After finishing his conversation with the lady, Sinbad approached the afro haired kid. "Congratulations on winning, that was fun to watch."
"Osu!" The kid exclaimed while thrusting his clenched fists in front of him, getting into a stance. He turned toward Pokkle. "It was a great match."
Pokkle only nodded in response.
The gears in Sinbad's head began to turn to strategically steer the conversation in his favor but a man with impressive amounts of Nen appeared from behind the afro kid. He wore black glasses and one side of his white buttoned shirt was untucked.
"Zushi!" He shouted, happily waving his hand at his student. A proud smile displayed on his face as he approached them. As he got ten feet from them, he subtly tensed up, noticing Sinbad's Nen but quickly returned to normal. "Congratulations on winning."
Zushi turned to his mentor. "Osu! It's all thanks to you, Wing-san!"
Wing scanned the three boys hovering over his precious child, especially Sinbad. He then crouched in front of Zushi. "Nope, it's all from your hard work."
"No, no, no," Zush waved his hands in disagreement. "I still have much more work to do."
"We also wish to get stronger and rise to the top." Sinbad stepped closer, exchanging looks between Zushi and Wing. His attention landed on the boy. "Do you share the same goals?"
"Yes! I very much do," Zushi said. "I want to be a Floor Master like Gilgamesh."
Wing gave a nervous laugh and scratched the back of his head. "Oh boy, I have such an ambitious student."
"Was Gilgamesh that special?" Sinbad inquired. This caused Killua and Pokkle to get closer to not miss the sensei's response.
Wing took in the moment, realizing the anticipation created by the question. "He is beyond comprehension. I believe becoming a Floor Master is achievable but becoming like Gilgamesh is a goal I wouldn't recommend dreaming of."
Killua whistled. "Seems like your brother is a big shot."
Zushi pumped his hands in surprise. "Brother?!"
"Twin brother to be exact," added Pokkle.
"Is this true?" Wing asked Sinbad with a studying eye.
Sinbad smiled. "Yes, but could you elaborate on why you wouldn't recommend striving for such strength? I would like to know what makes my twin brother so different from the rest of the Floor Masters."
Wing paused, hesitating to find the right response to this question that felt like a trap in some sense. He ultimately gave up due to the kindness of his heart and understanding the intent of Sinbad's question.
Because of his strange silence, Zushi tilted his head at his teacher. "Sensei?"
"Have you boys ever heard of 'Nen'?" Wing asked with a gentle smile.