Reincarnated in Hunter x Hunter

Almost at 11:00 pm, in the training room, we are currently stretching our body after accepting Chairman Netero's offer earlier. Why am I here if it is obviously an impossible mission?

My intention isn't really to win the game, but to train hand-to-hand combat with a true master. Even though my body now is much more powerful than average and I have some skill in fighting, I can't compare myself to the experienced fighters of this world due to the misalignment in my movements, reflexes, instincts and aura flow. Hisoka's massacre made that clear to me.

I have to get stronger for what is to come, even if it is gradually. And the best way to do that is to practice with someone of a much higher level like Isaac Netero.

 'It's an opportunity that I can't pass up. Let's hope I can make this worth it.' I think as finish my stretching and look to Netero along Gon and Killua.

"We still have a long way before we reach the next phase, so let's get to the rules." Netero says as he bounces the ball and holds it on one finger."They are really simple... If you can take this ball before the blimp reaches its destination, you win."

"I believe that we're scheduled for an 8 a.m. arrival. Well, that gives you nine hours. You're free to attack me any way you like, I won't hit back," Netero explains.

"That sounds so easy. It can't even be considered a game." Gon says astounded at how advantageous the rules are for them.

"Then why don't you try it and see if you can do it?" Netero responds.

"We just have to take the ball away, right? Alright, I'll start first," Killua says.

The chairman obliges, "Go ahead."

Killua then slowly walked to the side circling Netero and then all of a sudden another Killua appears and then become two, or three until a lot of Killuas appear.

A lot of after images of Killua appear. Netero, Gon, and even I are surprised at Killua's technique; "Rhythm Echo". Despite having already seen it before in the anime, I am still in awe seeing the real thing with my eyes. I fix my eyes on Killua, trying to burn down the memory of every detail of "Rhythm Echo" to learn it from him after the exam.

"I see lots of Killuas!" Gon exclaims with sparkling eyes.

'This kid is actually pretty fearsome. For his age, he knows the technique of "Rhythm Echo". That technique is mostly used in critical situations to create afterimages through a varying cadence of steps, which opens the opponent for an attack. I can't imagine what level he would be at if he actually had training in aura.' Netero thinks to himself.

Killua is using "Rhythm Echo" wanting to make an opening, but it isn't enough to fool Netero. Killua silently rush from his left, but Netero easily sees through his attack and avoids it by leaning back.

Killua keeps on attacking Netero, his focus not entirely on the ball but also on Netero's movements. Although Killua's movements are fast and energetic, Netero seem unbothered, easily dodging his attempts with agile and quick movements, displaying a monstrous balance with the ball and his body. His ease of action proves that he is just playing with the Zoldyck boy.

I still look at the two with an astounded face. The two are moving faster than any human I have personally encounterd yet.

'This kid's pretty energetic, if I don't say so myself. But he has no chance of getting this ball from me. It's only a matter of time until he quits.'

Just as the chairman is thinking that, Killua throws in an unexpected move and kicks Netero on his shin. Gon flinches at it while I shake my head in commiseration. Killua is smiling at seeing that his attack landed but his face changes into discomfort after feeling the pain from his leg.

"OW! Ow, ow, ow!" Killua cries out as he jumps out and down holding his pained leg.

'That was an awfully good kick with nothing held back. If I were an ordinary person, that would have shattered my leg.' Netero thinks as he looks at his leg.

'Damn... This old geezer's legs feel like steel.' Killua thinks to himself.

"Killua! Tag! Tag! It's my turn!" Gon shouts excitedly as he claps Killua's hand.

'Well, I guess you've got to take a rest after the beating you just received. I wonder what the spiky black-haired kid has up his sleeve.' Netero thinks as Gon charges at him after some warm ups.

'Oh... He has quick feet. But he'd need another 10 years before attacking me head-on. I guess he is just a child.' Netero thinks looking at Gon, but suddenly Gon disappears from his front.

"Huh? From above?" Netero thinks as he looks up, but it is too late.

Jumping with the necessary force, Gon reaches to touch the ball, but because he is too fast, he can't hold it properly and drops the ball. The ball drops near him so he just need to get it before Netero.

"Nice! Get it Gon!" Killua shouts getting up after Gon touches the ball.

I smile, proud that the advice I gave him about not jumping with too much force worked. 'Kukuku! We got you!'

Gon then positions his body on the wall stopping himself from crashing into it with his legs, before lunging wanting to make his dash much faster this time to get the ball.

Netero looks stunned for a second after seeing the ball disappear from his head, and looks at the ball that is almost in Gon's hands now.

At that moment, I stare intensely at Netero looking forward to what would he do. Then Netero disappears before reappearing in the corner with the ball in his hand.

My eyes widens. "That's Impossible." I blurt out dumbfounded.

Killua also looks shocked seeing that his eyes couldn't catch up to Netero.

Gon looks dumbfounded not seeing the ball in his hand. He was sure that he already grabbed the ball.

"Hoho~ that was close. I let my guard off. To be honest, I was looking down and let my guard down slightly. I'll need to take this a little more seriously." Netero says as he laughs seeing the face of the three of us with his interest piqued. 

'He used Nen, right? Just I anticipated it.' I think looking at Netero's laughing face.

I smile as I felt something from Netero's feet before he disappeared. That means I'm getting used to high-speed battles, albeit very slowly.

The reason why I whispered to Gon was to make him control his jump. Gon looked innocent and harmless, and because of it Netero lowered his guard and he got the perfect chance. I wanted to make Netero use Nen and use it as reference.

I then looks at Gon and Netero. Gon looks like he won't touch out anytime soon, so I sit down near Killua to watch the game as a spectator.

Date: January 8th, 2011

Around 1:10 am, Gon and Killua's attacks persist, alternating between one and the other, displaying great stamina for boys of their age. But they still showed clear signs of fatigue, while Netero didn't seem affected at all.

"Tired already? I thought I was old, and you were young." Netero jokes at Killua as he and Gon sweat and breath heavily. "Why don't you two try it at the same time?"

At the chairman words, Gon also joins in and suddenly dash seeing a chance, but he is stopped by Netero. Netero continues dodging them for a few minutes, making Gon and Killua crash into each other at one point.

I am amazed at how Netero keep ups with the stamina of the two despite how he old looks. But I remember the effects of Ten on the body, and I just think of it as normal in this world.

I see intently at Gon and Killua attacking from all directions, using a variety of unconventional tactics to catch Netero off guard. They are fast, swift, and accurate, but Netero is always one step ahead. They struggle even though Netero can only use one of his hands while the other has a restraint. Netero himself added that handicap to himself after using Nen to get back the ball earlier.

Gon dashes forward making Netero frown and say:

"Your attacks are getting simpler and boring."

Netero then steps back just barely enough to not get hit by Gon's kick. but he didn't expect that Gon would kick off his boot to increase his attack range and make it reach him.

Killua doesn't waste the opening Gon created and follows it with an attack to the back of Netero's head making him stumble and lose the control on the ball

"A chance!" Killua shouts as he jumps to catch the ball in the air.

"I don't think so." Netero uses his feet to kick the ball up to the front to distance the ball from Killua.

He then positions his body and dashes to get the ball. But a boot fly towards the ball making it escape from Netero's grasp; It was Gon's other boot. He kicks it seeing how Netero almost gets the ball again.

"You and your little tricks!." Netero blurts out.

Gon and Killua flicker forward almost at the same time. Although it seems both of them would get the ball now just like what happened earlier before the two could ever snatch the ball it disappears from their sight.

Netero used his Nen to amplify his speed by using Nen on his feet to increase his speed far beyond what I can actually comprehend. Netero zooms past with a swift boom between the two on action, making them fly side and fall to the floor.

This time I can see his movement and feel his aura much clearer than before. I'm glad my eyes are getting used to the super speed of Nen users.

"Well, that was a good try. You almost got the ball there," Netero remarks.

Killua looks irked seeing how they still cannot defeat Netero despite the handicap he had.

"But you, young man, have been quiet for quite a while. Want to take a crack at this old man? You never know, you might actually get the ball from me," Netero taunts me.

Feeling the challenge, I step forward. "Guys, I'll take over from here on out. You've pushed yourselves far enough this time, so go join the other examinees and rest so you'll be fresh for the next phase." I kindly say to Gon and Killua.

Point of View Switch: Reader

"Why? We still have time though. I'm pretty sure we can get the ball from him." Gon protests as he looks at the clock.

He then looks to Killua before continuing. "And we had a lot of close calls like just now."

"Sorry to admit it, Gon, but there's no case. The old man has been putting crutches on himself since the battle began. He's only used his left hand and right foot, and we're still powerless against him." Killua adds looking more irked than before.

"What?" Gon couldn't help but blurt out looking at Netero.

"We could chase him around for a year, but we would never take the ball from him." Killua says conceding as he slowly stands up and puts his clothes on his shoulder. and walks toward the door.

Netero just looks at the two arguing with each other while waiting to resume the game.

"But we still have Kai. If we team up, we should be able to take the ball now." Gon says as he points his finger to Kai.

"No, forget it Gon. On this occasion, I want to do it by myself." Kai says shaking his head to Gon.

"And even if he worked with us, we couldn't still beat that old man. Let's go Gon!" Killua says as he tries to drag Gon out of the room.

"But..." Gon tries to protest but gets interrupted by Kai.

"We still have a third phase tomorrow, remember? Just take a rest now and let me play with this geezer." Kai says as he points his thumb to Netero.

" Ah?! Didn't you hear what I said?! It's useless! Let's just go to sleep!" Killua yells to Kai.

"Don't worry. I'll just play with him for a bit. I'll follow you guys after this." Kai says as he pushes Gon and Killua out of the room.

"Go to the left, near the Examiner's private room. That's where Leorio, Kurapika and the rest of applicants are staying." Kai says to the two before closing the door.

Coming back to Netero, Kai begins to jump up and down before taking a deep breath and activating his Ren to enhance his physical performance. Netero reacts accordingly and also flares his aura. 

'He's finally making his move. He seems serious. I don't know who taught him about aura, but it's very clean and sharp. I can tell he's a novice, but he definitely has talent.' Netero observes as Kai prepares.

"Don't tell me you think you have a chance of winning against me alone?" Netero asks looking at Kai with interest. 

'Even though he's using aura, it's not going to give him the upper hand. I did say I would only dodge, though.' Netero thinks, maintaining his composure. 

Kai then walks slowly toward Netero before rushing out, mimicking Gon's earlier approach.

'Hopefully, it's not a mindless attack.' Netero muses.

Although Kai knows Netero would likely read his attack since that old man has a lot of fighting

experience, that is what he is really aiming for; To fight a strong experienced fighter so he can grow stronger.

He then suddenly throws a punch in Netero's stomach but stops before the contact since he knows that Netero can compress his muscle to make it tougher. The punch is a feint, and he sends a kick to his face but it is blocked by his arm.

He steps back, distancing himself from Netero. "So a simple feint won't work..." Kai mumbles to himself.

"Hoho~, it's 10 years too early for you to try and fool me." Netero says as he dribbles the ball.

He then circles Netero while fastening his pace. He keeps on doing it until Netero is in his attack range. He launches a kick to the back of Netero's knees, wanting him to fall to create an opening. But Netero easily dodges it.

He then follows his attack with another kick towards his arm holding the ball, making Netero lift the ball to dodge his attack. He then stabilizes his body before twisting it, launching another kick toward Netero. It is blocked by his free arm, but it is followed by a punch in the abdomen which connects, although it has no effect since Netero condenses his muscles to defend himself.

'A combo... Interesting. Look like he is too focused on attacking me rather than the ball. It seems I won't be bored until sunrise.' Netero thinks while grinning.

Date: January 8th, 2011

Kai's assault continue for 2 hours straight. His endurance being impressive given not only he has been fighting Netero non-stop for two hours, but had also spent the entire day performing continuous and extreme physical efforts.

He keeps on throwing a variety of attacks, trying to catch Netero off guard, but latter dodges and blocks all of them.

Netero then jumps up, escaping from the barrage of attacks from Kai. Netero frowns, seemingly confused about Kai's intention.

'Since the beginning, even once he didn't try to get the ball.' Netero thinks as he dodges another attack from Kai.

Kai is drenched in sweat right now. It is almost two hours since they started but only a few times his attack reached Netero. Although it was still guarded by his technique of toughening the body by tightening his muscles.

'The chairman is stronger than I thought he would be at this point in the story. I never realized how much leeway he was giving Gon and Killua.' Kai thinks while breathing heavily.

'Even when I try me best to hit him, he is just too quick. But it is good to see his aura in action. His control is almost perfect. There isn't a drop of aura leaking from any direction. His aura is so thin. I wonder how he condenses it so much.' Kai thinks.

'I have gotten enough fighting training. It's time to end it.' Kai thinks as he suddenly stop moving before closing his eyes.

'Does he finally give up?' Netero thinks while he keeps on looking at Kai. Kai takes a deep breath before slowly opening his eyes and taking a small step forward, and what happens next surprises Netero to the core. He sees three Kais in front of him.

It's "Rhythm Echo" that Killua had used before. After Kai had gotten used to fighting and moving his new body at a higher level, he applied what he saw at the start of the game in this training, controlling his rhythm and trying to copy the varying cadence of steps. The boost sense he got from his body trying to cope with Netero skill plus his opened nodes made it possible.

Unlike how Killua used his "Rhythm Echo" earlier, Kai uses the afterimages of himself to attack Netero. And rather than Killua who was using "Silent Gait" to make his footstep soundless, Kai does the opposite by simultaneously producing a sound. Kai devised it wanting to confuse Netero and

create a chance for him to land an attack.

He knows that a normal "Rhythm Echo" wouldn't work just by seeing how he responded to Killua. Kai wanted to use his newly learned "Rhythm Echo" like decoys. That's also the reason why he devised it. So he also attacks Netero with his created afterimages.

Because of Netero's shock, he doesn't notice Kai is already closing their distance. But when he comes back to himself, it is already too late. Camouflaged among his afterimages, Kai's punch connects to his gut.

Netero feels the punch, unable to tighten his muscles in time due to this unexpected turn of events, and quickly steps back with a puzzled look. Even though his Ken has protected him from any harm, he is confused about what is happening. He didn't expect to see someone using "Rhythm Echo" as he had always owned it after just seeing it once.

On the other hand, Kai's showing a delighted look with a wide smile, seeing his attack truly connecting to Isaac Netero unsuspecting body, despite knowing he can't deal any damage. "I WON!!!" Kai shouts at the top of his lungs because of the excitement of successfully landing an attack in Netero. He also fulfills his task of geafter learning the "Rhythm Echo".

Netero looks stunned by how happy Kai is even though he didn't get the ball. 'Rather, why he didn't snatch the ball? That was his only chance.'

"But you didn't win." Netero says with a smirk pointing his finger to the ball on his hand.

"Ah, that's right! The ball!." Kai cries out before suddenly falling down from exhaustion.

He looks up at the ceiling before speaking. "But I'm satisfied with the outcome. I did get land a solid hit to the former strongest Nen user after all!"

Netero looks more surprised at the fact Kai is satisfied not winning the match than how he knows Nen or his former title. Netero can't help but chuckle at how his smile didn't leave his face despite being asleep.

"Who cares, I did get some fun." Netero then takes out his phone and dials the pilot of the airship. He contacta the pilot to ask him to slow down the travel pace.