Canon Fodder

CHAPTER 210 NEVER THAT EASY

I got back to the cave to find Jill no longer alone. A very disheveled Kiri was there with her. Both sitting with a small fire in between them I approached in complete silence. Watching them they appeared awkward facing one another. Neither saying anything as a couple of small fish cooked over the fire. 

“What are you doing here?” I whispered as I dropped the chakra from in front of me. Both girls jumped, neither having sensed me. 

“I uh-” Kiri said nervously as she stood up.

“I found her,” Jill said quickly. “She was beat by someone and I found her floating on the ocean.” I looked Kiri up and down. She had plenty of scratches and bruises on her. 

“Lose your tag?” I asked. She shook her head, showing it to me. Number 245. I nodded, not remembering if that was her number. I was too tired to take her into my Makuramoto to double check she wasn’t trying to cross me. I nodded slowly and moved to the back of the cave. A little ways from the fire. 

“Did you get it?” Jill asked. I nodded, throwing her the 2 tags I had taken. 

“Damn,” Jill said. “2?”

“A guy tried to jump me, shouldn’t be a problem anymore,” I said. “Hisoka was a pain in the ass, but he underestimated me.”

“You beat HIsoka?” Kiri asked, her eyes wide. I nodded slowly. “The man feels very strong. I was trying to avoid him.”

“Me too, until l pulled his number,” I said. “Gonna have to stay on our toes until we are out of here.” 

“Isn’t this the number you said you needed, Kiri?” Jill asked, showing the Number 53 tag I got from the guy that tried to jump me. 

“It is,” Kiri said. I noticed her fingers twitch, but she didn’t make a move for it. 

“If we don’t get Jill’s tag, you can take it,” I said. 

“What number do you need?” Kiri asked slowly. 

“Number 191,” Jill said. 

“That’s Bodoro,” Kiri said. “An old guy, gray mustache and hair.”

“Oh, that guy,” I said, remembering the background character. “Well that makes it a little easier.”

“Any idea where he is?” Kiri asked. I could tell she was excited to potentially get the tag I had taken. 

“Nope,” I said. “We can look tomorrow. I assume you’re hanging with us?” 

“I-If you don’t mind,” Kiri said slowly, looking to Jill for support.

“Doesn’t bother me,” I said. “Put out the fire when you’re done.” I turned over and was soon trying to fall asleep. I had let my nerves get to me. Too worked up thinking about fighting Hisoka. Relaxing a little, I let myself enjoy my victory. I accepted the quest reward and reviewed my Status Screen. 

In the end I decided on Toughen Organs. The name changed to Hardened Skin. I remembered back in the day the original quest was supposed to be Tough Skin. But had upgraded to Tough Organs since I had done so well on the quest. That meant that all of my Bonuses could be upgraded in some way. Drug, Psychic, and Venom Resistance had the chance to become Immunities. Rewards I would very much like. The reward for receiving my license was a Bonus Challenger Slot. I considered which I needed, and to potentially upgrade in the future as I drifted off to sleep. 

It wasn’t long until Jill joined me. Unashamed as she laid on my shoulder, Kiri slept near the cave entrance and the night passed in silence. 

—

“What’s your story?” I asked Kiri as we sat around the fire. She had been with us for 2 days by that point. Getting into a routine we had ventured out, hunting other hunter candidates. I chided myself for not introducing myself to all of them, but I had been getting used to the Search Quirk. A part of me worried I could only keep a set amount of people in my quirk memory or something. 

We had found some tracks and signs of fights now and then, but no people. I wasn’t too worried. If we got to within a day of the hunt ending I would go out and find people no matter what. 

“I am the daughter of a Hunter,” Kiri admitted. She had been standoffish at first. But she followed my lead. Quite beautiful, she had deep tan skin, almost as dark as Jill’s, short dark curly hair, and deep green eyes that I found studying me often. 

“Didn’t disappear on you, did they?” I asked. Referencing Gon’s reasoning for becoming a Hunter. “I’ve heard they’re very fickle.” 

“No, my mother was around often,” she said, staring into the embers of the fire. “She trained me on what I needed to know to pass.” 

“So you know Nen?” I asked. She studied me and slowly nodded. True Hunters knew Nen and how to use it. “Why were you struggling with those guys in Phase 1 then?” 

“I did not expect them,” she said, frowning more at herself than me. “One of them touched me, and I was unable to call upon it.” 

“It’s back now though?” I asked. 

She nodded. “I only awoke my Nen last year, so I am not very experienced.” I thought back to the manga. From what I remembered, most people took years to learn it. The main characters were simply talented with it. “But I am experienced enough to know you don’t use it.” 

“I do not,” I said, not seeing a reason to keep it a secret. I wanted Kiri. I might have walked a little close to the ocean when she was bathing. Out of the cloth wrap that covered her body she had amazing curves that I wanted to get to know better. 

“I thought you would deny it,” Kiri admitted, a little surprised. 

“Nah, no real need. End of the day, what does it change? No, I don’t know Nen yet, but I plan to learn after getting my license,” I said. 

“How will you do that?” She asked intrigued. Jill eyed me as well. We hadn’t talked too much about what would happen after the exam. 

“There is this tower where fighting happens. Some kind of 200 floor tower,” I said. 

Kiri smiled, nodding. “Heaven’s Arena,” she said. 

“That’s it,” I said. I had been trying to think of the name for days. It was a weight off my mind. “Yeah, I plan to go there. Climb the tower. Try to find someone that could teach me Nen. I know that those above floor 200 use it, so it shouldn’t be impossible.” I knew that was where Gon and Killua learned it as well. Soon after passing the Hunter exam too, if I couldn’t find anyone, I would just latch onto their teacher.

“What then?” She asked. 

“Don’t know. Maybe I’ll challenge all the way to the top. Or become a floor boss. I’ve heard they’re paid handsomely,” I said. “Care to join us?”

“Us?” Jill asked slowly. 

“I assume you would want to come with,” I admitted. “Challenge ourselves. We could keep training your chakra. Learn Nen. Get stronger.”

A wide smile split Jill’s face. Her eyes becoming moist, she nodded. “Okay.” It was easier to convince her than I thought. The smile on her face only getting wider, she appeared to be in a much better mood. Maybe I would get lucky. With Kiri there Jill had been too embarrassed to do anything. I couldn’t blame her too much, and with the threat of Hisoka finding us hanging over our heads I wasn’t too sad about it. I had plenty to keep me busy. 

“You are very confident,” Kiri said. “I’ve heard only the best fighters go to the Heaven’s Arena.” 

“What else is there in life than challenging yourself?” I asked. “Did you have any noble endeavors for when you got your license?” Kiri frowned but shook her head. “Hell, you could make a Hunter Exam Training School. An all girl’s school. Teach them what to watch out for with that weird secret society that wanted to kill all the girls.” 

Kiri froze, reminded about the day we had met. The 3 of us became quiet. I still wasn’t too sure what to do about it. I knew the Hunter’s Association was a boy’s club, but not to that extent. The man had told me that a prophecy said a woman would bring down the Hunter Association. From what I had seen, that wasn’t the end of the world. They were shaving off jail time of convicted murderers. They didn’t care about bringing hundreds of people together and they killed one another off. I would have to look into it all later. For now I was focused on learning Nen then getting the hell out of the world. 

“I can’t remember if I thanked you for that,” Kiri whispered. “Saving me.” 

“I think you did,” I said, leaning back as I studied her. “But kind of unneeded. Like killing those criminals. Just taking out some trash.” She locked eyes with me. Studying me for a bit. Eventually she let out a smirk and nodded. There was no more to say on the matter. 

I was prepping for bed soon enough when I felt it. I was going through my nightly check up on everyone. First Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika. They were all together on the North part of the Island. Killua was on his own to the South. I checked a few others I had met, but they were all dead or something. I couldn’t find them. Then I felt for Hisoka. He was outside of the cave. 

Fear immediately gripped me. Jumping up I ordered, “Stay inside.” Moving past Kiri I came out of the cave to find Hisoka smiling widely at me. The man now wore 4 white pins on his chest. None were the one we were missing for Jill. 

“Finally,” Hisoka said. “I had worried you disappeared on me again.” 

“Nope,” I said, powering up. Moving chakra throughout my body I couldn’t feel him in my Observation Haki so he was using Nen. 

“Good,” Hisoka said. “So rare to find someone that can offer me a challenge. I would like to continue our game.” He eyed me up and down. “Not for the number tag, I have plenty of points. But to pass the time.”

Sweat broke out on my head as we stared at one another. “To the death?” I asked slowly. I wanted it out in the open what I had to aim for. 

“If it comes to that,” Hisoka said. The creepy smile never leaving his face. “We simply have 4 days left on this rock. I thought it best to spend it in a way that we could enjoy.” The way he said the words made it sound very sexual, but I knew enough about him to know that he meant fighting. The magician looked to the girls behind me as they stood just outside of the cave. “Of course, if you aren’t interested. I’m sure others could keep me busy.”

The threat was clear enough. Fight me or he would kill the girls. I cursed and slowly nodded. “When?” I asked. 

“Now,” he said. His arms opening wide, we stared facing one another for a bit. I made the first move. Jumping toward him I went for the face. He ducked down, his palm touching my arm I was thrown with invisible force down the length of the beach. As I was thrown I pulled him with me. Not as fast, but enough to annoy him. 

That was how the fight started. Simple, testing one another again. Not our full strength. But powerful enough to kill a normal person with a glancing blow. The fight turned from throwing one another back and forth to a brawl, then throwing one another back and forth. The fight continued on. Neither one of us in the lead as the night passed and dawn came. 

We had moved halfway around the island. Both ignoring everything else as we attacked and counterattacked. My body was black and bloody as the sun rose. Switching into Kame mode after kicking him far away I healed up quite a bit and replenished my stores. Going after him once more he took the blows and was throwing his own. 

That’s when weapons were introduced once more. He took out his cards, infusing them with more Nen they sliced through the trunks of trees as they narrowly missed me. I brought out my water, there was plenty next to the ocean, and set huge jets after him. Hisoka didn’t question my moves anymore. No longer surprised, he reacted expertly. Cartwheeling away I would use the chance to switch into Kame mode and replenish my stores once more. 

It was midday when I realized how much I actually needed this. I had planned and meticulously thought out what could happen before each fight. Naruto, I had beaten Akatsuki members because I knew their moves. One Piece, I had all their information as well. MHA had been my least challenging world so far because I had been smart about it. Here, now, I was learning what it meant to act on instinct. 

My punch missing, I was no longer continuing with more blows that missed but reacted, changing my form of attack. Learning his body language whether he was going to attack or defend. It wasn’t extremely one sided, but it was close. Hisoka had a strength that could punch trees down. I attributed it to his Nen, but I didn’t know for sure. I needed to get there, so I treated the entire fight as a form of training. Hour after hour we fought. And by the end even Hisoka was stumbling and making mistakes. 

After a serious set of hits we faced one another, breathing heavily. Both of us beat, but willing to continue. Hisoka put a smile back on and turned around. “See you tomorrow,” he announced as he disappeared into the woods. 

I had been tempted to press him. Try to beat him for good, but he was going easy on me. I wasn’t sure why at first, but I knew it was because I couldn’t use Nen. He felt like I was at a disadvantage. But he was struggling against me. He was most likely confused on what to do. I would have to watch it. Once I learned Nen I was sure his attitude would change and he would want to fight to the death. 

“I can’t believe you’re alive,” an old voice said walking out of the woods. I turned to see an old man with a gray mustache. Wearing martial arts robes he approached me slowly. 

“Come for my tag?” I asked. He eyed me, frowning, but nodded. “Good,” I said, lifting my Chikyugi Necklace out of my status screen. It wasn’t long until he was knocked out and I had Jill’s target tag. Cementing our place in the Hunter ranks. 

I limped back to our cave. Planning how I would do better fighting against Hisoka if he came the next day. I was sure he would. The man loved to fight. He wouldn’t back down from a challenge he had started.