"Today's May twenty-second." Liam leaned against the kitchen counter in their apartment, arms crossed. "We've got three weeks until the airship leaves on June fifteenth. Eight wins. That's all you need."
Shizuku nodded. She stood by the window, hands folded in front of her. Listening.
"As long as you don't run into someone like Wing, you'll be fine," Liam continued. "Most fighters on the 200th floor are newbies. They've got the aura, but not the experience. You can handle them with basics. No Blinky required."
Shizuku blinked. "Just basics?"
"Just basics."
If she couldn't use Blinky, that meant pure fundamentals. Ken for defense. Ryu for offense. Nothing fancy. Just technical skill.
Liam pushed off the counter. "Let's go."
He moved to the center of the living room. The furniture had been pushed against the walls weeks ago to create space. Hardwood floors. Plenty of room to move.
Liam spread his stance. Aura surged. He gathered it across his entire body in a thick shell. Ko. Maximum output distributed evenly. His skin seemed to shimmer under the layer of compressed Nen.
Shizuku mirrored him. Her aura flared. Ko formed around her arms, torso, and legs. Not quite as dense as Liam's, but close.
They had Star Marks on each other. Training could be brutal. Injuries didn't matter. Broken bones healed in minutes. Concussions vanished before they could cause damage. It made sparring sessions more intense than anything a normal person could handle.
Liam stepped forward. Shizuku met him halfway.
Crack.
Their fists collided. Aura clashed. The impact echoed through the apartment like a gunshot.
Liam shifted his aura. Ryu. He pulled Ko from his torso and concentrated it in his right arm. Threw a punch.
Shizuku blocked. Her left forearm met his fist. She redirected the force, sliding to the side, and countered with a palm strike aimed at his ribs.
Liam twisted. Brought his elbow down to intercept. Their limbs met with another sharp crack.
They moved faster. Trading blows. Shifting aura dynamically. Ryu required precision. Move too slowly and you'd take a hit where your defense was weakest. Move too fast and you'd waste energy.
Thud. Crack. Thud.
On the windowsill, Jaku tilted his head. The gray sparrow watched them with beady black eyes, utterly baffled.
Why do humans keep hitting each other when nothing's wrong?
The bird ruffled its feathers and hopped to the other end of the sill, turning its back on the chaos.
In another city, miles away, Kurapika found the Thousand-Ear Society office.
The building looked terrible from the outside. Cracked paint. Flickering neon sign. Bars on the windows. The kind of place you'd walk past without a second glance unless you knew what you were looking for.
Inside, the lobby was small. Cramped. A single desk sat near the back wall. Behind it, a middle-aged man slouched in a folding chair, cigarette dangling from his lips. He typed on an old keyboard connected to a bulky monitor. The keys clacked loudly with each press.
Kurapika approached. "I'm here for a job."
The man didn't look up. He took a drag from his cigarette and exhaled smoke toward the ceiling. Then he glanced at Kurapika. His eyes narrowed.
This kid looks twelve. What the hell?
Still, anyone who could find this place probably had some skill. No point turning him away without a test.
The man flicked ash from his cigarette into a tray. "What's my name?"
Kurapika frowned. The question seemed random. Pointless.
Then his eyes sharpened. He activated Gyo.
A thin thread of aura rose from the man's fingers. It twisted and curled in the air, forming shapes. Letters. Words written in Nen.
Test passed. If you can't see this, you're not qualified to take missions.
Kurapika read the name aloud. "Gento."
Gento's eyebrows rose. He sat up straighter, crushing his cigarette in the ashtray. "Not bad. Your Gyo's clean. Smooth activation. You've been trained."
He turned back to the keyboard. "What kind of job are you looking for?"
"Anything that gets me into the Sensui Mountain Art Exhibition next month," Kurapika said. "Preferably an employer who's a painter. Or a collector."
Gento's fingers flew across the keys. "Let me check."
May 24th, 1995. Heavens Arena, 211th Floor.
The referee raised his hand. "Fighters ready? Begin!"
Shizuku moved.
She crossed the distance between herself and her opponent in less than a second. Her footsteps barely made sound. One moment she was on her side of the ring. The next, she was in her opponent's face.
The man's eyes went wide. He tried to react. Threw up his aura in a hasty defense. Too slow.
Shizuku's fist slammed into his chest.
Crack.
His Ren shattered like glass. Blood sprayed from his mouth. His body lifted off the ground and flew backward, tumbling across the ring before crashing into the far wall. His chest caved inward. Ribs fractured. He slumped, unconscious.
The referee blinked. Stunned. He rushed over to check the fighter's pulse. Still alive. Barely.
"Winner! Shizuku!"
The crowd erupted. Cheers. Applause. Shouts of approval.
Shizuku's expression didn't change. Blank. Neutral. She turned toward the stands and looked up at the corner of the arena.
Liam gave her a thumbs up.
Good. She remembered not to kill him.
"So she's finally competing again."
Liam glanced to his left. Wing stood a few seats away, hands in his pockets. His face was still a bit pale, but otherwise he looked recovered from their match two weeks ago.
"Thought you weren't attending the conference," Liam said.
Wing adjusted his glasses. "I declined the Heavens Arena invitation. But I'll be attending as a disciple of Shingen-ryu. Different channel."
"Figured as much." Liam leaned back in his seat. "So what is this conference, anyway? You guys from the traditional sects probably know more about it than I do."
Wing smiled faintly. "I've only attended once. A few years ago."
He paused, collecting his thoughts. "It's mostly a gathering. Young disciples from various martial arts schools. Fighters from Heavens Arena. Everyone gets together for sparring matches and technique exchanges. The highlight, though, is seeing the Sky Master."
"Sky Master?"
"The headmaster of Shingen-ryu," Wing explained. "A highly respected martial artist. It's rumored he's from the same generation as President Netero."
Liam raised an eyebrow. "Rumored?"
"The Sky Master rarely appears in public anymore," Wing said. "Some people think he died years ago. Others say he's bedridden with illness. But I saw him when I attended. He was real enough."
"You've met Netero too, right?" Liam asked. "How do they compare?"
Wing chuckled softly. "With my level of skill? I can't tell the difference between them."
Liam nodded. Fair answer.
Wing turned to leave. "I just wanted to say goodbye. I need to head back to the dojo before the conference. If you attend, maybe we'll get a rematch."
"Bold words for someone I beat three weeks ago." Liam grinned and held out his fist.
Wing bumped it with his own. "We'll see."
He walked away, disappearing into the crowd.
May 30th, 1995. Heavens Arena, 215th Floor.
Shizuku's opponent was the paper airplane guy. The same fighter who'd faced Liam weeks earlier.
The man looked nervous. Sweat beaded on his forehead. He knew what Shizuku was capable of. He'd watched her matches. Seen her demolish opponents with single strikes.
The referee's hand dropped. "Begin!"
The man immediately sent a swarm of paper airplanes flying toward Shizuku. They zipped through the air, twisting and diving like missiles. Each one glowed faintly with aura.
Shizuku walked forward. Didn't dodge. Didn't block.
The airplanes struck her. Exploded on contact.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Smoke filled the ring. The crowd gasped.
When the smoke cleared, Shizuku stood untouched. Her Ken hadn't even flickered. The explosions had been like firecrackers hitting a brick wall.
The paper airplane guy's face went white.
Shizuku kept walking. Slow. Methodical. Like she had all the time in the world.
The man sent more airplanes. Faster. Bigger. Packed with more aura. They exploded in rapid succession. The noise was deafening.
None of it mattered.
Shizuku reached him. She raised her fist. Aura gathered. Concentrated. Her entire arm glowed with Ko.
The man's legs gave out. His eyes rolled back. He fainted before she even threw the punch.
The referee hesitated. Checked the man's pulse. Then raised his hand.
"Winner! Shizuku!"
The crowd roared. The referee's voice boomed over the PA system, full of theatrical enthusiasm.
"In just two weeks, Shizuku has stormed through the competition with seven consecutive wins! Will she achieve a perfect ten-win streak like John Smith? Stay tuned to find out!"
The big screen split. On the left, Shizuku stood in the ring, expressionless. On the right, the camera cut to Liam in the audience.
Liam waved.
The crowd went wild. Whether they were cheering for him or Shizuku was unclear. Probably both.
June 1st, 1995.
Shizuku won her eighth match.
The moment she stepped out of the arena, a staff member handed her an envelope. The Sensui Mountain Conference invitation.
She opened it. Read the details. Nodded.
Then she declined her next match.
The audience was disappointed. Social media buzzed with speculation. Everyone wanted to see if she'd match Liam's perfect record. But Shizuku didn't care about streaks. She'd achieved her goal. Eight wins. That was enough.
Liam met her in the lobby. "Ready to celebrate?"
Shizuku tilted her head. "Celebrate what?"
"It's Children's Day," Liam said with a grin. "We're taking a few days off. Amusement parks. Shopping. Whatever you want."
Shizuku blinked. Then nodded slowly. "Okay."
They spent the next week enjoying the city. No training. No matches. Just downtime.
Before they knew it, June fifteenth arrived.
The airship to Sensui Mountain was ready to depart.
[TN: Netero is Founder and Grandmaster, so Sky Master is Headmaster after Netero on this fanfic]
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