Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 209 HUNTING TRIP

We were expected to wait in a large communal area. A few couches set out at least, I commandeered one since we were the first 5 people there. As more people showed up some people tried to take it. Like some bald guy calling himself a ninja. I showed him some real ninja moves and bitch slapped him hard enough he spent the rest of the time sleeping on the floor. 

There were a few TVs so Jill, Kiri, and I just hung out in front of it. Playing cards or watching TV. Kiri mostly opened up to us, but it wasn’t the type of place to socialize as people continued to pour in every couple of hours.  

Gon and his group made it with a few hours to spare. They too used the trick of breaking a wall down and we were soon swapping stories. 

The 48 hours ran out and a large door at the base of the tower opened to reveal the next examiner. He was a shorter man with wide glasses and a mohawk. He introduced himself and was soon leading the 24 of us out of there. 

From the tower we walked until we came to a boat ramp. Getting on the ferry-like boat everyone was pretty quiet. Mentally preparing for the next trial of the exam. 

“This is the last phase,” the examiner announced. “But like all things. The final step is the hardest. You all will be drawing lots from this box here.” He pointed to a large box sitting next to him. “In this box will be your targets.”

“Each of you was given a number tag when you arrived. Your target will be that number tag.” People that had been displaying the tags covered them up quickly. Moving to hide them to help limit the amount of people that knew who had which number. 

“You will all have 1 week on this island,” the examiner pointed ahead to an island that the boat drove straight for. “Your objective is to steal the number tag of your target. That will be worth 3 points. Keeping your own white tag is worth 3 points. Stealing a number tag that is not your target is worth 1 point. You need 6 points total to pass this phase and become a full-fledged Hunter.” 

People became more serious as they looked around. “Hisoka, you were the first to pass the last phase. You pick your target first.” 

The magician walked forward and pulled a sheet of paper out. He smiled and sat back down. Kiri was next. It wasn’t long until it was my turn. I really hoped I didn’t get Gon’s number. 

Sticking my hand inside the box I dug around until I found one that felt right. I turned it around and my heart sank. Number 44. Hisoka’s number. But that wasn’t the worst part. I had received another quest. 

“Fuck,” I hissed as I turned around. Making sure not to look at anyone as I sat down. Jill went up and grabbed her number. We were all silent as we went one by one to get our targets. 

I cursed mentally. Of course I would get the guy I didn’t want to fight. But I needed quest rewards. A bonus slot upgrade sounded too good to pass up. I had to think about how to beat Hisoka. 

The boat continued driving us and we were soon at the island. 

“You may disembark in the order of finishing the last phase,” the examiner announced. “Hisoka, you first. After 2 minutes the next person in line will go.” 

Hisoka openly displayed his number 44 tag as he walked off the boat. Welcoming the challenge he…was right. I should have been looking forward to taking him on. All I had to do was steal his tag. But I wasn’t going to have him catch up to me and let me have it like he had let Gon in the original story. No, I was going to steal it and piss him off. I was going to beat Hisoka. Get over whatever trauma the manga had put me through. Somehow it had convinced me that the guy was impossible to beat though he and I hadn’t fought. 

I had a lot in my wheelhouse. A lot that he couldn’t begin to understand or counteract. I could find him easily with my Search quirk. I could control water, temperature, chakra, Haki, and get stronger with anger. I had so many skills at my disposal I was going to knock him down a peg. 

My name was called and I was soon running out onto the island. Coming up with a plan as I mentally prepared for beating up a clown. 

—

“I’m going out,” I told Jill. We had been on the island for a day. Finding a nice cave near the shore we had set up shop there soon after arriving. 

“Are you going to try?” She asked, hesitant. 

I nodded. “If I don’t make it back. Try to find an ally,” I suggested. 

“You can’t be serious,” she said, her eyes wide. 

“I am, the guy is strong,” I said. “He only cares about fighting other strong people.” 

In the manga Hisoka had done everything he could to fight the leader of the Phantom Troupe, Chrollo. Chrollo was an impossibly strong villain that could challenge Killua’s family. Master class assassins. I didn’t know if Hisoka ever fought Chrollo, or who the winner would have been. I had stopped reading after the video game arc. Once the author broke his hand the story got a little out there. But if his goal in life was to fight the strongest people in the world, Hisoka had to be confident. 

“My goal is to steal his tag, but if I can beat him I have to try,” I repeated. “Keep practicing chakra. I’ll be back before you know it.”

Jill frowned but nodded. She and I had sparred, and she was strong. I guessed as strong as a Genin from Naruto. Either she had good training or a strong family, I wasn’t sure which. I was confident she could make it to the end. 

She stood facing me, struggling with what to say for a bit. “I have no idea how strong you are, but if you die, I’ll be pissed,” she ended up on. I laughed and nodded. I found myself liking her more everyday. We had only known each other for less than a week but I felt like I could trust her. 

Kissing her cheek I used my Search Quirk, finding Hisoka on the other side of the island. I was liking the Quirk more and more. If I knew my enemy it could ensure I didn’t run into them. And I could find my allies easily enough. I still hadn’t figured out the other information I was getting from them. But I hoped to go to MHA and talk to Ragdoll herself. 

Heading out of our small cave I jumped up and over it, ensuring I didn’t leave any tracks to our hideout on the sandy beach surrounding us. Draping myself in chakra I was hidden from sight. Using my Search quirk to ensure I didn’t run into anyone else that I knew I jumped from treetop to treetop. 

The island we were on was rather large. I guessed a good 30 miles across. More of a forest than a tropical island there were many caves and trees scattered over it. The perimeter was covered in sand though so it had been like a vacation so far. 

Jumping from tree to tree I reviewed what I knew about the power system of HxH World, Nen. It was confusing as hell, I knew that. I was pretty sure Nen was your soul or life force. I could tell it was different than Spiritual Energy like for One Piece. Hisoka had thrown the cards in my Observation Haki and I wasn’t able to sense it.  

That meant that Observation Haki might be useless. When using it I was sensing others' spiritual energy. I was pretty sure that Nen use included sealing the Nen or something, which might have inadvertently sealed in the Spiritual Energy. 

That left me with chakra, water, Armament and Conqueror’s Haki. One thing I planned to do when I got back to Naruto was learn some different jutsus. I needed my own training arc. Felt like I only used Transformation, shadow clone, and coating my body in chakra. There had to be some more useful crap. 

I could trap Hisoka in a Genjutsu. But that sounded cheap. That was a last resort. I had thought about transforming into someone else for the fight but in all honesty I needed to do this fight for myself. I had challenges coming up. I had to get used to fighting the unknown.   

I focused on Hisoka and closed in on him. He was sitting on a boulder at the center of a clearing. Welcoming all challengers. I took a few calming breaths and stepped into the clearing. It wasn’t long until he was looking my way. 

When I stopped a few paces away from the boulder I raised up my small sheet of paper that showed his number, 44. He smiled widely as he read it. 

“Quite bold to not try to sneak up on me,” he said. 

“What can I say? I’m curious,” I said with a smirk. 

He jumped down. Taller than me he looked down, but still wore a wide smile. “Not going to try to steal other tags?”

I shook my head. “Nope, sounds too easy,” I said truthfully. It helped I had a quest too. 

He eyed me up and down. “You can’t use Nen,” he said. “But you have some skill. One I don’t know of.” He cracked his knuckles. 

We eyed one another, preparing. I kept Observation Haki up just in case. I could still feel him in front of me, so that was good at least. Then again, maybe he was underestimating me. Pouring chakra throughout my body I leapt forward. He dodged to the side, kicking out at me. I blocked it and felt that he was strong. But not impossibly strong. Angiea was much stronger. 

I got serious. Punching forward again and again I let my anger go. Feeling myself become quicker. He dodged the first 2 but then my hit connected with his face. I knew it wasn’t advised to touch him, but it was worth the risk. 

He was thrown back, hitting the boulder with open palms as he somersaulted over it. I ran around the boulder and he had disappeared from my Observation. 

Standing in front of me he wiped his mouth of some blood. “Seems I need to take you more seriously,” Hisoka said. He appeared to like that news as I felt the intense blood rage leak from him. 

I jumped back. Intense fear came over me. Apparently I was at the 2nd stage of the fight. He walked toward me confidently. I thought All-For-One had a strong aura. Hisoka was so much worse. I felt like he was at my neck, ready to cut my head off. 

He pulled out a few playing cards. Fanning them out between his fingers he said, “don’t disappoint me.”

I released my Conqueror’s Haki. He blinked, hesitating for a moment and I was on him. Ignoring my fear I kicked him with everything I had. He was thrown back, bending over as he flew back. I landed and was after him. Back on his feet he crouched, throwing 3 cards headed for my chest.

I noticed then that I couldn’t sense just 1 of them with my Conqueror’s Haki. The other 2 I could feel their Spiritual Energy. I ducked down under all 3. But it was a feint, there was another hidden in their wake. He had predicted my dodge. 

The card embedded in my leg. Cursing, I pulled it out and kicked him in the gut. He took the hit, grunting. Landing a short ways away he somersaulted and extended his arms out, ready. 

Breathing in and out it was time to get serious on my end. I made water out of chakra. Freezing 5 bullets I sent them out. He dodged all but 1. It shot in and through his arm, striking the dirt after it passed through him. 

“Many tricks,” Hisoka said, ignoring the hole in his arm. “Maybe I’ll keep my skills secret.” He raised his unhurt arm and I was pulled to him from where I had been stabbed in the leg with the card. 

“Fuck!” I said as he drew his arm back. Hitting me with all he had I was thrown back, but was pulled to him again with his invisible Bungee Gum. 

Bungee Gum was Hisoka’s Nen ability. He was able to make an invisible Nen physical object that he called Bungee Gum. He was able to attach it to people. He could pull you away and probably push you back, I couldn’t remember. He also used it to make invisible sheets for reattaching limbs somehow and could use the Gum like puppet strings. 

He pulled me back to him but instead of taking it I grabbed his body with chakra. Pulling him to me. His eyes widened as my foot met his face. 

He hit the ground hard, practically bouncing off of it. My body continued forward. Grabbing the tag on his chest as I went passed I landed on the ground. I started running. 

Kicking it into gear I wasn’t sure what ended his Bungee Gum, but I hoped it was distance. Breathing heavily I jumped up to the top of a tree and began heading for the coast. 

I didn’t feel him coming at me as I jumped from tree to tree. This made me more scared as the miles were eaten away. One of the challengers made the mistake of attacking me. 

It was a short man with a pink head wrap on his head. He tried to grab me but I twisted in the air, punching his face. Knocked out from the hard punch he had picked the wrong time to attack me when I was so on alert. I didn’t hold back. 

Thrown to the ground I cursed and dropped. Grabbing his white tag I was back on my way to the coast. Running out onto the water I draped myself in chakra and sat on the water. 

Breathing in and out heavily I forced myself to calm down. Watching the coast, I expected Hisoka to show up at any time. But he didn’t. I used my Search quirk, feeling him far away, but my mind was too focused, thinking he could come for me at any moment. It was dusk before I felt confident enough that he wasn’t coming. 

Groaning, I got up. My leg hurt but it wasn’t an impossible wound to move in. He had underestimated me. That wouldn’t happen again. I walked around the island as I headed to the cave. Thinking over and over how I could have done better. But my quest was complete. I had to accept the small victories.