However, Hisoka's behavior left Pokkle a little annoyed.
And maybe... a little jealous.
In Pokkle's eyes, Kurapika wasn't nearly on Hisoka's level.
But thanks to Hisoka's deliberate forfeit, Kurapika advanced easily.
Which only made Pokkle more bitter.
He was already jealous—now it just got worse.
...
Hanzo was halfway off the stage when he was suddenly stopped by Killua.
"Why?"
Killua looked up at him.
"Why what?"
"Why'd you surrender?" Killua asked, frowning. "You had other options. You didn't have to kill Gon, but you could've made him give up."
Hanzo shrugged.
"Too much effort. I tried, and I doubt it would've worked anyway."
He smiled faintly. "Besides, I kinda like that kid."
"Even with a broken arm, he didn't show an ounce of resentment. That's rare."
"I've tortured a lot of people in my line of work," Hanzo said plainly. "But he's... different."
...
The third match ended quicker than anyone expected—even the examiner was caught off guard.
"Moving on to the fourth match."
"Hanzo vs. Pokkle."
It was another mismatch in strength.
Pokkle thought he was close to Hanzo in ability, but in reality…
To Hanzo, Pokkle was no different from Gon.
Just a few exchanges—and it was over.
The difference? Pokkle chose to surrender quickly.
Kurapika glanced in Pokkle's direction but said nothing.
Still, Pokkle noticed the glance. Misinterpreting it as disdain, his dislike for Kurapika only deepened.
"The winner: Hanzo."
"Next match—Hisoka vs. Alita."
Hisoka and Alita stepped forward.
"I surrender," Alita said before the match even began.
Though both were Nen users, the gap in strength was obvious.
Hisoka was a little disappointed.
He had planned to enjoy the fight, even if Alita wasn't one of his targets. A Nen user is still a Nen user, after all.
...
Sixth match.
"Killua vs. Pokkle."
Killua didn't fight. For some reason, he voluntarily forfeited, handing Pokkle a pass to the next round.
Kaizen couldn't quite figure it out.
Pokkle's next opponent would've been Gittarackur—Killua's own older brother, Illumi.
Not that Killua knew that.
"Was it because you thought Pokkle was too weak?"
"Or maybe you disagreed with what Chairman Netero said about the nature of talent?"
"Were you trying to prove a point with a more dramatic match?"
"Or was it just childish competitiveness?"
Kaizen mulled it over. That last one seemed most likely.
Killua was competitive. You could tell from the way he'd tried to challenge Kaizen back at Heavens Arena, ever since watching him fight there.
...
Pokkle was momentarily stunned.
Before, he'd been jealous of Hisoka for giving Kurapika an easy win.
But now, he'd experienced it himself.
"Kurapika lost to Kaizen without even putting up a fight."
"But I held my own against Hanzo for a few rounds."
"In that case... maybe I'm actually stronger than Kurapika."
...
Next match.
"Bodoro vs. Alita."
Bodoro used a similar approach to Gon's—refusing to surrender even when clearly outmatched.
But the difference was clear.
Gon did it instinctively.
Bodoro knew this could be his last chance.
He was already aging.
If he returned next year, he might be too weak to get this far again.
So he held on.
But Alita had already awakened Nen.
A strange scent reached Bodoro's nose.
A second later, his pupils dilated.
"I... lost."
He conceded.
Alita advanced, successfully earning her Hunter License.
...
"Killua vs. Gittarackur."
The examiner's voice rang out.
Killua and Gittarackur stepped forward to the center.
Leorio and Kurapika both turned to watch.
They didn't know Killua as well as Gon did, but they'd fought together multiple times—and Gon trusted Killua. That was enough for them to care.
Pokkle's eyes glinted.
Killua's forfeit meant Pokkle passed.
But that didn't mean he was grateful.
On the contrary, he was irritated that Killua had looked down on him.
He wanted to see Killua lose.
Hisoka, meanwhile, looked visibly intrigued.
"Begin!"
The examiner dropped his hand.
Killua moved in cautiously.
Then—he heard a voice. Familiar. Chilling.
"Long time no see, Killua."
Killua's body froze, pupils shrinking.
"Pfft..."
He looked up—just in time to see Gittarackur pull a needle from his head.
Then another.
And another.
Two… three...
Gittarackur's appearance began to shift.
From strange and inhuman to unmistakably familiar.
Young. Cold. Controlling.
Illumi Zoldyck.
Netero raised an eyebrow, a wry smile on his lips.
Menchi instinctively took a step back.
Leorio and Kurapika were stunned, then tense.
"Who is that guy?"
"He knows Killua?"
They both glanced toward Kaizen.
Killua's expression darkened, fear flashing in his eyes.
A deep, ingrained fear.
He wasn't scared of jokes or taunts.
But Illumi? That was different.
When Silva was too busy with missions, much of Killua's training had fallen to Illumi.
And Illumi had expectations.
Strict, merciless expectations.
Killua's memories of him were nightmares wrapped in family duty.
And this time... Killua had done something unthinkable.
He ran away.
He didn't know how Illumi would respond.
...
Illumi stared at him without emotion.
"Killua," he said softly. "I heard you stabbed your mother... and Milluki?"
------------
+475 chapters on patreon.com/FanficsHub