A Wanderer's Lies

Hamon.

Isaac knew of it. He and Merlin came across it during their research of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventures Verse.

JoJo was one of the few verses Isaac had learned of that had two PS, as well as One Piece and a few others.

But most surprisingly, it was a verse with multiple Revolvers. That was a first for Isaac.

He knew some characters could be considered secondary Revolvers, like Merlin, but never multiple Revolvers.

He'd investigated the verse to have a better understanding of his sword Anubis, but soon found himself interested in the verse due to its uniqueness.

He'd learnt the sword was something called a Stand.

Because of this, the Onyx marketplace he'd sold his sword on went crazy, sparking the start of a bidding war.

Isaac was a very wealthy man upon selling the sword.

Though the trouble of somehow transferring the large sum of money from Jayne's Swatch to Isaac's without raising suspicion posed a challenge, he ultimately decided to go to Ava for aid.

Sending the money from Jayne's account to the dozen other Swatches Isaac had, then to Ava's Swatch as separate transfers, the suspicion would be severely lessened, as Ava could simply make the argument she has a small business operating on the side.

Isaac doubted anyone would meddle further with a Longfield.

And if they did…

Well, Ava was the one with the money. He had no ties to her. Her sacrifice wouldn't be in vain.

'But that isn't important right now.'

Isaac thought to himself, seeing Eli draw closer and closer.

Hamon, the breathing technique that allowed one to inhale the energy of the sun, resulting in dozens of effects, versatility knew no bounds.

The most prominent effect is the yellow lightning crackling around the user.

For example, it was no secret that Hamom could change the properties and structure of things.

Bubbles, water, clothing.

And it seemed as though Eli was infusing his Hamon in the very air around him.

Isaac kept this in mind.

-STOMP

Eli stopped before Isaac, digging his feet into the ground as rotated his hips and swung his fist.

The very air around the punch seemed as though it created a barrier around the hand, the yellow lightning crackling with it.

However…

"Gyo!"

-BANG

Isaac, most of his Aura gathered around his forearm, blocked as an ear-piercing BANG rang out.

"He's playing it risky. His Aura is gathered in a single point, so the rest of his body is vulnerable." Oliver ground his teeth in nervousness as the Golden Six also noticed this.

And despite Zach hearing Oliver explain this, he seemed to still be coming to terms with the fact Oliver could see PS now.

Meanwhile, though Isaac's forearms stung a little, the pain was nothing compared to other pain he'd experienced.

-BANG

-BANG

-BANG

Isaac continued to block Eli's rapid continuation of blows, switching his Gyo between each forearm.

Due to the concentration he needed to perform this risky technique, he was unable to spare a second to use his Ki.

To put it simply, Isaac was being pushed back and was in a tight position.

"He won't last forever like that," Ava commented, practically biting her nails as the others watched intently.

It was true.

Isaac was at a disadvantage.

With the combination of Eli's superior martial arts and his raw power, there was little Isaac could do to win this fight.

Well, that was considering this was a regular fight.

-BANG

Isaac blocked one more punch, though this was heavier than the previous attacks as Isaac's arm flailed out of control for a second.

This allowed Eli to close the small gap, moving in dangerously close as his eyes burned with determination.

-CLAP

However, where one would assume he'd throw the final punch to end the battle and win him the point, he brought his two hands together, clapping.

-BANG

As he did, the air around his hand let out a small burst of power as a loud BANG rang out, knocking back everything in range, including Isaac's two arms as they uncontrollably shot back.

The spectators, consisting of Zach, Oliver, Merlin and the Golden Six, all watched without uttering a word as they were stunned due to the anticipation of the battle.

Well, not all of them.

Despite even Lucy seeming interested, her eyes glued to the fight, Amara could be seen with a slight smirk upon witnessing Isaac's soon-to-be demise.

"Hey, you were right. It was a good idea to come watch." Amara whispered to Cain, snapping him out of his trance.

"Huh, what? Oh, yeah, see, I told you." Cain chuckled, unaware of her true thoughts as he continued to watch the battles.

Meanwhile, not only was most of Isaac's Aura in his forearm for blocking, but Eli had also focused on the speed at which his Aura travelled around his body.

It was because of this that he knew his Aura wouldn't make it in time to protect Isaac's chest, where Eli's punch was aiming.

Everyone watching practically leapt out from their seats as the battle seemed to coming to a devastating end, while Oliver and Zach were leaping off their seats, ready to dash in and stop the fight.

However, they were too late.

-THUD

-DING

The ding signifying the end of the battle rang out as silence enveloped the area.

The BANG of Eli's heavy attack landing or maybe the CRACK of Isaac's ribs shattering were what everyone expected to hear.

Instead, one could see Eli's fist looking right before Isaac who had his buttocks on the ground, seemingly falling over.

"One point to Isaac. Battle concluded. Congratulations to the winner, Isaac." 

Isaac grinned upon hearing this, finding comfort on the ground as he relaxed.

"What…was that?" Amara asked, her face contorted in a difficult position.

Not just her either. Everyone could be seen with a look of confusion, shock and disbelief.

"Despite being off balance, he sacrificed his standing position to land a…kick," Jett answered, inches away from the glass as he'd become too engulfed in the battle.

Yes, they all knew that much. After all, they'd seen it with their own eyes.

What they were surprised with was the kick.

It was…

'So weak.'

They all thought.

It was clear there was no power behind the kick. It was so weak it barely made a faint TAP as it touched Eli's abdomen.

However, as the seconds passed, it became painfully clear what Isaac's intention was.

"He knew it would hurt Eli, so he misled him by coordinating his Nen into his arms, keeping most of Eli's attention there. Then when least expected, he attacked with enough power that the system would recognise it as a clean blow, giving him the win." 

Lucy deduced, explaining the jumbled and mixed thoughts in everyone's minds as the others nodded.

Meanwhile, Isaac heard this as the soundproof in the room that ensured zero distractions was deactivated.

Hearing Lucy explain it, his grin grew wider.

'Gladiator's Ring, you horrible bastard.' 

Gladiator's Ring, the name of the room Isaac was currently in, was given horrible reviews and became a disliked establishment due to its unrealistic simulations.

And it was true. 

If Isaac was to pull something like that in a real fight, Eli would have landed that hit, laughing as he did.

This was the same reason Eli's second point was allowed, despite it barely grazing Isaac.

But Isaac knew this. 

That's why he came here. 

'To win in any bullshit way I could.'

How did he know this?

It was simple.

Because Isaac had researched as much as he could about Ashton City in preparation for Onyx's plans.

But he never expected information like this could be of this much use to him.

Rising to his feet once again, Isaac stared at Eli.

His opponent had a strained expression as if he were a child with constipation.

However, he soon took a deep breath, his previous stoic expression returning as he looked Isaac in the eye.

"Congratulations." Eli gave a slight bow, extending his hand.

Isaac stared for a minute.

He was slightly expecting Eli to act immature and be a sore loser.

"Aren't you angry? Because of the way I won?"

Eli paused, soon shaking his head.

"Anger isn't something I should give in to. My father taught me that. I was fighting for him. Despite being one of the best martial artists in Spawn, he is hindered due to the fact he possesses no PS and is from a verse with regular people." 

"I wanted to make him proud. I, his offspring, was not forsaken with the same Curse. I was going to…I will carry on his legacy with this power I've been given." 

Isaac stared, the grin on his face disappearing as his expression remained solemn.

"You were able to use your surroundings and the rules of the Ring to think outside the box and win. I will learn from this battle and use it to grow stronger and make my father proud." 

Eli finished, stretching out his hand further as his expression intensified with determination.

Soon, Isaac shook Eli's hand.

"Who knows, maybe that day is closer than you think," Isaac revealed a wholesome smile, giving a thumbs up as Eli nodded, though failed to return the show of enthusiasm.

Isaac could tell that none of this had lessened Eli's determination or grit, but he could see, deep within Eli he wasn't as calm as he was on the outside.

No, he was angry. Frustrated. 

Isaac could only tell this because he recognised it in himself.

The feeling of not being strong enough. 

The feeling of failing.

The feeling of being disappointed in yourself, as well as disappointing others.

Isaac had only felt that last one when he cared what others thought about him.

Like Netero.

Even now, after so long, knowing the chances of him returning to the Hunter x Hunter Verse were low…

He still remembered Netero's comment about coming back when he got stronger to have a battle.

A small and crazy part of him was still clinging to the possibility that he'd one day be able to.

-SLAM

"Isaac!"

Before Isaac could say anything else, he heard the door to the room slam open as two familiar voices called out to him.

Seeing this, Eli took it as his queue to leave as he headed for the door.

"Hey, we saw you win. That was sly of you." Oliver nudged Isaac with a smile.

"And risky. I gotta say, you put a lot of trust into that self-healing perk you have." 

Isaac stared at Zach for a second, as if he were confused.

'Oh, I almost forgot I told them about a healing perk I have…'

"Remember? From when you fed your meat?" 

"..."

"..."

Oliver's smiles slowly faded as he slowly darted his eyes between Isaac and Zach.

"What exactly have you guys been getting up to while I was in my Scenario?" Oliver spoke in a tone of disgust; Zach was simply confused with raised eyebrows.

Meanwhile, Isaac helplessly pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed.

"Zach, how many times have we talked about this?"

***

"What a great match, hey guys! It's got me itching to have a spar. Where's Daniel when you need him?" Cain laughed, though the only person who seemed to share his enthusiasm was Ava as she answered.

"Daniel's been training ever since we've arrived in Ashton. It doesn't even seem like he'll be coming to the Final Battle." She answered, back to her usual chipper self.

And though for once she wasn't faking her emotions, no one could guess why she was so happy…no, happy wouldn't be the way to describe it.

She was barely holding herself back from asking anyone around for a spar.

Though Cain would be the perfect choice, seeing as how she's always wanted to fight him anyway, she was barely able to control herself.

"Whatever, let's go," Amara spoke, her arms crossed as a deep scowl painted across her face.

"Weren't you watching the fight just now? I can understand Lucy's indifference, but you too?" Cain asked, to which Lucy replied unexpectedly from the side.

"I quite enjoyed that. It was interesting." 

Amara scoffed.

"It was only interesting because he's an F-Ranker. It's like clapping for a Monkey who can say a few words of English, but for a human, it's a far less great feat. You're all simply entertained by a skilled monkey." 

Amara added, her disdain and dissatisfaction seeping through her words.

"Though I do not regret coming, I must agree with Amara. He's skilled…for an F-Ranker." 

Cain couldn't help but agree.

Simple fighting could only take you so far. When it was one of the only weapons in your arsenal, like for an F-Ranker, it was invaluable.

But to someone of the Golden Six's calibre, there was more to combat than simple Hand-to-Hand, as proven when Cain fought Jett.

"I guess you're right. What do you think Jett…Jett?" Cain glanced at Jett, only now noticing he'd been so quiet all this time.

Jett stared at Isaac, his expression showing a mix of confusion and bewilderment.

"The…way he fought." 

***

A few hours passed as the sun started to set and most of the students returned to Ember Hotel after a long day of sightseeing.

This included the trio of Isaac, Oliver and Zach as Isaac headed to his suite and Oliver could be seen entering his room.

He was alone, his room a noticeable improvement from his old room in Aurelius.

However, as he entered the room, instead of lying down on his large bed and soft mattress, or perhaps freshening up in his private bathroom, he stood still.

His expression was emotionless, still like a statue as the seconds passed, the only sound being the wind coming in from the open window that made the curtains flutter.

However, it wasn't long until one could see Oliver's lips curl upwards as he turned his head, looking over to the open window.

"Hello…"

He spoke, his bright yet unnerving smile present on his face, staring at the cat that was perched atop his window, under the moon, as she, too, peered at him with a piercing gaze.

"...Kitty Cat."

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Next chapter title: Final Showdown [2]

NNext chapter title: Where is he?

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