Kaizen had gained a lot from the Zoldyck family.
So, in return, he was willing to give back to their descendants.
Promising to have a match with Killua? That was nothing.
Kaizen just hadn’t expected Killua to care so much about him.
He had assud that, after more than three—almost four—years, Killua might have forgotten him. After all, in the original tiline, there was hardly any ntion of the Heavens Arena in Killua’s past.
But things had changed now.
...
Hisoka glanced at Killua, then at Illumi.
He was well aware of Killua’s identity.
Illumi had already spoken to him beforehand. As a "friend," Illumi knew Hisoka’s nature. Killua’s talent was certainly enough to intrigue Hisoka, but Illumi would never allow him to make a move on his little brother.
A faint smirk appeared on Hisoka’s face. Illumi, however, remained expressionless.
...
Killua was montarily stunned—he hadn’t expected Kaizen to agree so easily.
Kaizen, on the other hand, was looking forward to the mont when he revealed his true identity. The look on Killua’s face when he realized their connection was bound to be priceless.
...
"Kaizen, what kind of place is Heavens Arena?" Gon couldn’t hold back his curiosity.
"It’s a place where both gas and battles take place," Kaizen explained. "It’s an open arena where anyone can register and compete."
"If you win, you advance to a higher floor."
"If you lose, you might get demoted."
"The higher the floor, the stronger the opponents."
"Heavens Arena has a total of 251 floors."
Gon’s eyes sparkled. "That sounds aweso! Once the Hunter Exam is over, I’ll definitely go check it out."
Kurapika had a similar thought but quickly dismissed it.
"I can’t. I’m on a mission for revenge. If I enter a public arena, my enemies could easily gather information on . That would put at a disadvantage."
Leorio, on the other hand, wasn’t particularly interested—until Kaizen ntioned money.
"Winning matches cos with prize money. The higher the floor, the bigger the prize."
"If I rember correctly, you can earn tens of millions of jenny."
Leorio’s eyes widened in an instant.
As soone who aspired to be a doctor, he had strong ethics. However, growing up in poverty had taught him a harsh reality—sotis, money mattered more than dicine.
Years ago, his friend had fallen ill with a non-fatal disease. But without money for treatnt, the condition worsened. One day, while playing soccer, his friend collapsed mid-ga and never got up again.
Since then, Leorio understood one painful truth: the deadliest disease in the world was poverty.
...
anwhile, Killua took notice of Gon.
He was curious about him—another kid around his age taking the Hunter Exam?
Kaizen was famous in Heavens Arena as a teenage prodigy, but he was still four years older than Killua.
"Kaizen, are they here to take the Hunter Exam with you?"
"No," Kaizen shook his head. "We just t during the qualification rounds."
Killua eyed Gon with interest. "My na’s Killua. What’s yours?"
"Gon Freecss! You can just call Gon."
"Gon?"
Killua stepped closer, comparing their heights.
"I’m twelve. What about you?"
"Sa! I’m twelve too!"
Two kids of the sa age—it was inevitable that they’d find things to talk about. Things that the others wouldn’t be able to join in on.
...
A figure approached them.
"You’ve had a long journey," the man said with a friendly smile. "You all look unfamiliar—first ti taking the Hunter Exam?"
Tonpa grinned. "Making it this far ans you must be talented. Thirsty? Want so soda?"
He pulled out a few bottles from his bag—one for each of them.
Killua took his without hesitation. "I’m kinda thirsty. Can I have another?"
Tonpa’s eye twitched slightly. He handed over another bottle, confused. After all, he had laced them with a laxative—nothing too harmful, but enough to throw off their ga.
Yet Killua chugged it down without issue.
Strange.
Kaizen opened his bottle and sniffed it. He quickly recognized the laxative. It wasn’t strong enough to affect him—at most, it would add a weird aftertaste.
If Killua was fine, then Kaizen would be completely unaffected.
Sure enough, he drank it without concern.
Seeing that Kaizen and Killua were fine, Leorio and Kurapika hesitated for a mont before deciding to drink as well.
Tonpa’s eyes glead with anticipation.
"The Hunter Exam isn’t a ga."
"Once you drink this soda, you’ll be in no shape to continue."
"I can’t wait to see the looks on your faces."
"Rookies are so naive."
"This is the first lesson I’m teaching you as a veteran—never trust anyone."
"This is the end of your Hunter Exam journey."
...
But then—
"PFFT!"
Gon spat out the soda as soon as it touched his tongue.
"Ew! This tastes weird—it’s gone bad!"
Leorio and Kurapika exchanged glances before setting their bottles down and glaring at Tonpa.
"Uncle, that’s ssed up! Why would you give us expired soda?"
Tonpa’s eyes darted around. He scratched his head awkwardly.
"Oh? Is that so? Sorry, I didn’t check the date. I thought it was still good. See? I drank so myself! I didn’t an anything by it."
He forced a sheepish laugh. "I swear, it wasn’t expired... Maybe you’re just not used to the taste?"
He turned to Gon, faking concern.
But deep inside, he was seething.
Damn it. Rookie killers weren’t supposed to fail.
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