Chapter 41: A Teacher Discipline
While I remain dazed with surprise, Ponzu quickly begins to talk. "What's with that shocked face, Kai? It's like you've seen a ghost." She says in a mocking tone.
"Ponzu, what are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to call me and let me know when you were going to arrive so I could pick you up at the airport?" I ask, composing myself and trying to make the situation clear.
"Yes, that's what we had agreed, but I decided not to tell you so I could give you a little surprise." Ponzu says with a playful smile.
"Nicholas, did you know about this?" I ask him.
"She called to my private room a couple of days ago to tell me that she had arrived to the city and wanted to surprise you with her arrival, so I agreed to keep it a secret and inform her when your first fight on the 200th floor was going to be so that she could see it and surprise you with her unexpected appearance afterwards." Nicholas explains.
While I am both surprised and proud that Nicholas has become so independent as to do this task without consulting me, Ponzu begins to speak again, but projecting a different sentiment.
"It's been 4 months since we last saw each other in person, and since you're always so diligent and try to have everything planned, I wanted to catch you off guard with an unexpected appearance. Didn't you like my little surprise?" She asks in a cute, sad tone.
Getting a bit flustered, I answer scratching my left cheek. "No, it's not that. It's just that I was very surprised that you did this without me realizing it. The truth is that seeing you again after so long makes me very happy." I reply shyly, putting a smile on Ponzu's face.
"I'm glad to hear that." Ponzu replies very spirited.
"Excuse me, but could you tell me who she is?" Zushi asks a little confused by the current situation.
"Oh, sorry for the late introductions. She is Ponzu, one of the Hunters who passed this year's Hunter Exam like us. Nicholas and I met her when we had to work together in one of the phases, and from there on we established a connection until we separated after passing the exam." I answer.
"Osu. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Zushi, and I am an acquaintance of Mr. Kai and Nicholas." Zushi formally introduces himself while striking the typical pose of the Shingen-ryu school.
"It's a pleasure to meet you too. And Killua, I see you're here too. I'm glad you've recovered since I last saw you at the exam." Ponzu says looking at him.
"What? Killua, you knew her too?" Gon asks beside him.
"Yeah, I met her in the penultimate phase when I had to work with Kai and Nicholas to get points. Although I didn't know you had kept in touch with her after the exam. Man, you are seriously a pervert." Killua answers while looking at me with a mocking look to try to annoy me.
"A pervert?! Mr. Kai, I didn't imagine that you were that kind of person!" Zushi yells in shock upon hearing this.
"It's not that, dammit! I was just trying to help her as a fellow Hunter of the same exam! I also kept in touch with other passers of the same exam, not just her!" I shout very annoyed trying to clear up the misunderstanding. "And didn't I already tell you, Killua, to stop bothering me about that?! Do you want me to beat it into that thick head of yours?!"
"Ah?! Why don't you come and try it, skirt chaser?!" Killua asks in threat with an irked expression.
"I told you to stop with that, sweets junkie!" I reply getting angrier.
We both look at each other with our brows furrowed due to our little friendly bickering until Wing intercedes by putting a hand in the middle of our lines of sight. "That's enough, both of you. This little tantrum is embarrassing us all, so calm down and behave already. If you want to fight so badly, then do it in the ring, not now." Wing reprimands us in a firm, critical tone.
"Yeah, that sounds good. We can settle this dispute with a match at the stadium. What do you think of the idea, Killua?" I ask, changing my mood from angry to defiant.
"Honestly, I think it's a great idea. I'm looking forward to settle accounts with you and bringing you down to earth, so pick any date you want and I'll definitely show up to mop the floor with you." Killua answers also with a defiant smile.
"It's nice to dream ambitious things, but we have to live in reality. I can assure you that just like today with Sadaso, you won't be able to score a single point against me." I arrogantly state, making Killua more irked, much to the exasperation of the rest of the group.
Obviously, this whole little argument is just a typical bickering between two good friends rather than anything serious, as Killua knows full well that I'm much stronger than him, so for the needle Illumi stuck in his brain, he wouldn't be willing to accept a challenge against me if he didn't know I wouldn't be serious against him.
"Are you serious?" Ponzu suddenly asks in a low voice, drawing both Killua's and my attention. "Are you seriously saying something so conceited after today's fight?!" She asks seemingly angry, making me jolt at her sudden change of mood.
"The first time you called me I remember telling you to take care of yourself and don't do anything crazy! And as soon as we meet again, not only do I witness you endanger yourself by limiting your abilities in a Nen battle, but you once again provoke a member of the Zoldyck Family who almost got you killed! Not only have you not improved since the Hunter Exam, you've become even more reckless!" Ponzu berates me with a frown while pointing at my face with her index finger.
"Come on, calm down. It may seem like I was being reckless in the fight, but the truth is that I had to act that way." I respond nervously, trying to calm Ponzu, who acts like a worried girlfriend.
"One of my goals as a Heavens Arena fighter is to attract the attention of important people for my job as a Blacklist Hunter, and that's why I can't just finish my fights instantly. And the first fight was the most important to attract attention, so I had to make sure it was absolutely perfect. I know it may seem like I'm being careless, but deep down I'm giving my all to take care of myself."
After I agitatedly blurt out my explanation, Ponzu lets out a resigned sigh before answering. "Seriously, you're never going to change. Always taking the craziest, most dangerous path available without thinking about how others feel about you. Although... I guess that's part of what makes you, you." She says with a gentle smile at the end, making my cheeks blush.
"Even so, you better make sure that cocky attitude doesn't get you into trouble. If I find out that you've ended up seriously injured or in a harmful situation because you acted too confident, I assure you that I won't let you off the hook like this. Got it?" Ponzu says, suddenly changing her gentle smile to a frown and pointing at me again with her index finger.
"Ok, ok, I understand you, so don't worry so much." I reply, managing to finally calm her down. "Well, we had talked about meeting up after my fight to discuss its recording in our joint training. Wing, would you mind if we postponed it until later?"
"Oh? Why do you want to postpone it? I was really looking forward to commenting on your fight." Gon whimpers next to Killua.
"I know, and I wanted to discuss about it with you too. But I had agreed beforehand to serve as Ponzu's Nen teacher, and so I want to conduct a preliminary analysis of his abilities and knowledge to prepare her before she joins our group training." I respond.
"But Zushi had already been under Mr. Wing's tutelage for several months when we started our Nen training. Why can't she join now?" Gon asks, still unsatisfied.
"While that may be true, every Nen student has their own circumstances, and every Nen teacher their own discipline. While I agreed to train you together with Zushi, that's not always going to be the right choice. Just because Kai takes a different tactic than I do doesn't mean it's wrong or unfair, and as a student you must accept that fact. Do you understand?" Wing answers this time, finally receiving a sad nod from Gon.
"Kai, if you think it's best to wait before having your friend join our training, then I'll trust your judgment as a Nen teacher. So please let us know when you can join us again for our lessons. I'd also like to hear your review of your fight." Wing tells me showing a soft smile.
Nodding at him with a smile, Wing and the kids head off to their hotel, leaving me to head to the 200th floor alongside Nicholas and Ponzu, who, despite having calmed down, still has a sulky expression on her face.
'Why does she keep looking at me like that? Did I say something that upset her?' I think, looking at her out of the corner of my eye until we arrive at my room.
"Okay. Just as we've discussed before, starting from today, Ponzu, you will become my student of Nen and combat skills along with Nicholas. Since I know that you have already trained with another teacher dispatched by the Hunter Association, my first step in your training will be to review the 4 basic principles of Nen together." I state, getting a nod from her.
Ponzu then goes on to show us her execution of the 4 principles. Her proficiency with Ten and Zetsu are average, and her Ren does not flow smoothly or naturally. She certainly couldn't stop a bullet, or hide from someone with a moderately high level of perception. She still has a lot to improve.
"I told you my training hasn't gone well. Even though I try to train, my level is still low. It's not my fault I don't have talent." Ponzu says with a pout before I can say anything.
"Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. As I already told you, the path to training Nen is long and difficult, and immediate results are not achieved. It can take most people more than a year before they are able to reinforce the 4 principles to a level where they are truly competent. That you were able to learn to use the 4 principles in 3 months despite spending time starting your career as a Hunter is something very respectable." I say trying to cheer her up, surprisingly composed despite her cute pout. 'I think the training pays off.'
"How about before showing us your Hatsu, we show you ours so you can relax a little?"
At my question, Ponzu's expression of annoyance fades, and getting a nod from her, I take out a glass of water with a leaf, asking Nicholas to be the first to show his Hatsu.
"Look carefully, because Specialists are very rare and you don't get many chances to see one's Hatsu." I tell Ponzu as Nicholas takes position.
When he flares his aura and concentrates it in his hands, the water in the glass starts to spin until it creates a whirlpool. Although the concept had not been discussed in the manga, I think Nicholas's Hatsu expression shows that he doesn't have a dark or twisted heart, unlike Neferpitou or Tserriednich, whose Water Divination gave rather disturbing results.
"It's amazing. So this is a Specialist's Water Divination. It's truly different from the other categories." Ponzu says captivated by Nicholas's Hatsu.
"I know it. Despite having seen it several times, one never tires of seeing something that very few have the opportunity to see. Well, now it's my turn. Nicholas, do you mind?" I ask him and Nicholas deactivates his Hatsu.
With that, I cup my hands around the glass and channel my aura, first causing the water to turn red, and then causing the leaf to move, much to the shock of both Ponzu and Nicholas.
"2 things at once?!" Ponzus asks.
"Boss, how is this possible?! You told me you were a Emitter, but you're actually a Specialist like me?!" Nicholas asks, puzzled and somewhat hurt.
"Ha ha ha. It may look like it, but no, I'm actually an Emitter. The reason the leaf moves right after the water changes color is because I have a double affinity for the adjacent Manipulation category." I state amused by their reactions.
"Double affinity? What does that mean?" Ponzu asks.
"You see, a person can only belong to one Nen affinity; however, some Nen users may lean on one side of their spot to one of his adjacent affinities, making him master it more efficiently than normal because of this." I explain.
"I am specifically in the middle between the Emission and Manipulation categories, which means that I can master and develop Manipulation techniques as fast as the Emission techniques, which is my primary and true affinity. However..."
Interrupting my explanation, I use more aura and concentrate more, causing the water to begin rapidly changing into other colors at a flickering pace. "As you can see, although the color effect is altered by my extra effort, the leaf doesn't change the speed or direction of its movement. This is because I am actually an Emitter, and although I can learn Manipulation techniques at the same speed as Emission techniques, that does not change the fact that its efficiency is 80%, not 100%."
"Well, we've already shown our Hatsu. Your turn, Ponzu."
Stepping aside, I let Ponzu position herself for her demonstration, noticing that the emergence of her aura is sloppy and difficult for her. Regardless, her effort pays off, and the leaf on the surface of the water begins to move slightly.
"The leaf moving means you're a Manipulator. Ok, I guess that concludes Hatsu's expositions." Nicholas comments from the side.
"Not yet. Keep projecting your aura as much as you can." I intercede.
"Why?" Ponzu asks.
"If I'm going to be your Nen teacher, I want to know what your current level is. Keep projecting your aura, but focus more on duration than power." I instruct her.
Ponzu nods at me, and continues projecting her aura for another 15 minutes until she finally stops, panting and with her face sweaty from the effort.
"Here, wipe your sweat." I say giving her a towel.
"Do you now have a clear idea of what my level is?" She asks wiping her face and her hair.
"After this brief exposition of your skills, I can understand why you feel frustrated with your speed of growth. I can also infer that your teacher focused on teaching you the 4 principles and the basic concepts, but did not want to go deep enough into your growth." I say analyzing all the available information.
"I can't blame him. His job was to introduce me to the knowledge and use of Nen, not to turn me into a perfectly trained user. Anyone would lose interest with a talentless disciple like me." Ponzu says with a grief look, once again showing her lack of self-esteem.
"I promise you that that won't happen to me." I tell her in a very serious and firm tone, gaining her attention. "If I'm going to be your new Nen teacher, then you must be very aware that I'm not going to be as slack as the last one you had."
"During the month that we will remain here, just like with Nicholas, I intend to subject you to intensive and detailed training to take you to the next level and unleash the full potential of your combat and Nen abilities."
"And if it crosses your mind that I'm going to go easy on you because you're a woman, then you can put that thought out of your head. I want you to get strong as soon as possible to make sure you don't die an early death, so I intend to be relentless and unyielding with your training."
"So, with all that out of the way, there's only one question left to be confirmed: Ponzu, do you want me to help you try to get stronger?"
This question may seem unnecessary given that she is in Heavens Arena for that very reason, but I still have to ask because it's a condition of the Development Orb. Before I insert it into a person, I have to ask them a question along the lines of
"Yes, I do! I'm tired of training and getting no results! I want to get stronger so I can get rid of this feeling of helplessness and achieve all my objectives as a Hunter! Please help me achieve them, master!" Ponzu instantly answers with an eager smile.
At her unexpected change in attitude, a pleased smile forms on my face. "Alright, then let's get started with the first step of your new training program: Improving your potential."
After clarifying this, I activate my Orbital Orbs ability, and explaining to her how the Development Orb works, I introduce it into her body. By doing this, the aura flows back from her tired body, confirming that its integration has been a success.
"Wow, this is awesome. Although I don't feel like I've gotten stronger, I do notice that something has changed in my body. It's like I'm able to accomplish more things now than I could before." She says looking in awe at every part of her body as she feels the surge of her new potential.
"That's because all your innate qualities have been heightened, including your perception. But remember, this is just the preparation. From here on it will depend on your effort and willpower whether you become a powerful Hunter or not. So, are you ready to start the training under my guidance?" I ask, already knowing the answer.
"Yes, master! I'm ready to get started!" Ponzu replies very pumped up.
"Great. Then, until lunch time, I want everyone to do 200 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 200 squats and run 30 kilometers before returning to the tower. It will be a good way to warm up for the real training and to work up an appetite." I state, leaving Ponzu trying to come to terms with me thinking this is just a warm-up.