And just like that, we've secured a nen teacher.
Mr. Wing invites us to his home, which I quickly accept on behalf of the group. Killua makes a bit of a fuss, but once we all come into agreement, we follow the bespectacled man and the small boy to their humble abode that sits not too far from the arena.
It's a nice house, with neat trimmings and simplistic furnishings. Mr. Wing guides us to a large, rolling whiteboard, and we line up naturally in a military-style row. I feel like I'm back in school again as I watch Mr. Wing write on the board in neat and precise strokes with a squeaky marker.
He looks back, placing his hands behind his back like a patient teacher. The familiar sight of authority automatically causes my posture to straighten.
"Are you all ready?" He asks us.
From the corner of my eye, I peek at the others standing beside me. Gon and Killua are on high alert, eyes intensely focused on Wing, whilst Leorio still looks a little confused as he struggles to read the character that Wing has printed on the board. On the other hand, Kurapika has a relaxed demeanor about him.
"Then, I'll begin." Wing says.
I'm not lying when I say I'm brimming with anticipation. Of course, I already know what nen is and whatnot-but the idea that soon I'll be able to wield it is overwhelmingly exciting. My mind is already going wild imagining what cool special power I should pick. Yusuke Urameshi's spirit gun comes to mind when I think about the cool pose I'll make when I finally have the power.
"Nen means 'to burn your soul,' so in other words, it's all about the strength of your will." The black marker squeaks as Wing drags it across the board, adding in a few more words as he speaks. "It consists of Four Major Principles, which work as a training curriculum to strengthen your will."
"Ten focuses your soul in one focal point…
"Zetsu speaks on these ideas,
"Ren is the strength of your determination…
"-and Hatsu means to place these ideas into action. So, Killua, in your fight against Zushi, he used Ren-his refusal to lose."
Mr. Wing says it with such authority that anyone without prior knowledge would probably accept his word as law- but after a second I realize that something is off. Hey, wait-
I have to focus a bit to remember the Hunter x Hunter anime. Now that it's been a while since I last watched it, the details remain fuzzy in my mind. In the episode where Killua and Gon go to Mr. Wing to learn nen for the first time, something had happened...
I slap a fist into my palm. That's what it was! Mr. Wing had given the boys a fake explanation in order to try and dissuade their pursuit of nen. But why was he giving it to us? Didn't he promise to become our nen teacher?
Was he intending to go back on that promise?
"Mr. Wing, sir!" I call out for his attention, and he pauses mid-sentence in his explanation.
"Yes, Portabella?"
"Can we skip over this part and go straight to the boom boom fight fight stuff?" I inquire.
That cliched anime glare passes over his glasses. Uh oh, that's how you know shit's about to go down. I brace myself, wondering what kind of response I'll get- but to my surprise, Wing just smiles.
"Bella, what are you talking about?" Leorio hisses from my side.
"No, she's right, for once." Killua interrupts, a little rudely, I might add. "Four-eyes. Your story makes sense, but there's loopholes. Zushi's strength isn't explained by just willpower. There's gotta be something more to it."
Kurapika clears his throat. "I'm inclined to agree. I can't see why Bella would be so confident that a simple change of mindset would increase our chances at Heaven's Arena."
Mr. Wing exhales slightly, but he still has that pleasant smile glued on to his face. "None of what I said was a lie."
"It wasn't the truth either." I say.
"All of you are sharp. I suppose that I'll have to match your pace." Mr. Wing erases some of the marks he's written on the board. "Nen is… not something to be taken lightly."
"But what is it?" Killua frowns in his frustration.
"It can be a source of strength, and it can propel you to new heights. But, when used incorrectly, or for the wrong means, it can become a terrible, terrible weapon." Mr. Wing says, folding his hands together.
"So then we won't use it as a weapon. Just teach it to us already, stupid!" Killua's pretty eyes arch dangerously.
"Now, now, Killua. Don't be so rash." Mr. Wing advises lightly. "How about you all sit down for a cup of tea?"
Huh?
"Hey, wait-you're supposed to be teaching us nen! You said you would teach us how to use nen!" I insist. "We're not here for tea or whatever-"
"Am I not? I am teaching you nen- perhaps it is not the type you are looking for, but it is Nen nonetheless. Nen is an important means of training the soul. That has everything to do with your mindset." He steps away from the board. "Zushi, go and get the kettle."
"Osu!" cries the uniform-clad boy as he rushes towards the small kitchen. I'd almost forgotten he was here.
"Now, I have to go somewhere for a few minutes. Please, take a seat. I'll be right back." With a small nod of his head, Mr. Wing steps out of the main room into the hallway and out of our sight, leaving the rest of us to awkwardly wander over to the seating area. Zushi fiddles around in the kitchen, heating up the water kettle.
"This is bullshit." Leorio says, plopping onto the couch. The rest of us follow, uneasy as we settle into the squishy furniture.
"If anything, it's made me more curious." Kurapika comments, looking behind him to the rolling whiteboard. "As in, this nen is quite mysterious, isn't it."
There's a pause, and everyone turns to look at me. Great, I'm put on the spot- I gulp.
"Uhh… sorry, I really thought… he would teach us." I slump backwards in my seat. "I didn't make this clear before, but nen is like… suuuper-important. I guess it makes sense that he doesn't wanna give us the knowledge that easily."
Even though he said that he would...
"Well, how do you think we can convince him to tell us the truth?" Gon ponders, swinging his small feet off the edge of the couch. "Since he seems pretty determined not to."
Zushi comes back around with a tray of tea mugs, which he sets down on the coffee table in front of us.
"Oi, you." Killua addresses Zushi directly. "Tell us about nen. Real nen."
Zushi looks conflicted. "Well, if my Master won't tell you, then I probably shouldn't. He would get mad at me…"
"Tsk." Killua grabs a cup of tea from the table and gulps it down all at once, even despite Leorio's cry of "hey, isn't that too hot!"
"If it's come to this…" I gaze around at everybody, then at the door that Mr. Wing had left a few minutes prior. It doesn't look like he'll be back soon. "Fine. I'll just have to do it myself."
I stand up from the couch and scuttle back over to the whiteboard, then drag it so it's closer for them to see. Squeaky marker in hand, I get to work drawing a little stick-figure on the board.
"Hey, Bella, what are you doing?" Gon asks.
"If Wing won't teach us, we'll just have to put our five brain cells together and figure it out ourselves, right?" I say. Now I add a little spiky outline around the stick-figure drawing. "Listen up."
But standing there, all small next to the large whiteboard, I feel kind of at a loss. My knowledge of nen is actually quite limited. I have a very distinct memory of blanking out every time the Hunter x Hunter narrator tried to explain any of the nen-related hijinks that were happening on-screen, since it always came off as confusing.
Damn, I should have paid more attention!
But I do remember the basics, so I start at my stick figure drawing.
"Okie-dokie. Everyone, nen is all about your aura. You know, this stuff that sticks around our bodies. It's like our life energy." I point dramatically towards the wiggly outline around the stick figure.
"How do you know this?" Leorio scrunches up his forehead.
I don't respond. "So, the aim of nen is to… manipulate this life energy in different ways. The Four Principles that Mr. Wing mentioned, those are…"
"Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu." Gon recites.
"Okay, let me think. Ten is… building up your aura? Making it stronger. Zetsu is the opposite, that removes it entirely. And then Ren, that's what Zushi was using, and it's kind of like… super intimidating. And then, uh, Hatsu…"
"Porty, your explanations suck." Killua jeers.
I swear, all this kid does is make fun of me. I'm getting used to it, but the "Porty" name still stings. It makes me think of Port-A-Potties. I hate Port-A-Potties.
"Wait, if you knew this all along, why did we go to Mr. Wing in the first place?" asks Leorio. He's squinting at the board, trying to decipher my poorly-drawn stick figure.
"Knowing and doing are pretty different things. Like, I understand the gist, but I don't know how they do it."
"And you learned this… how?" Kurapika inquires. "I can hardly imagine this is covered by that 'excellent guessing skill' you claim to have."
He's still holding on to that? Crap.
"It's a long story." I say. That's not a lie. Hunter x Hunter is pretty long. 148 episodes...
"Everything you ever say is a secret, a long story, or a guess." Killua says. "Stop lying and just tell us the truth already."
My palms sweat slightly. "Well, Killua, you see…"
I clear my throat loudly and slap a hand against the whiteboard.
"That's nen of your business!"
My joke sits in the air for a moment and grows staler than a loaf of month-old Wonderbread.
"Bella, that was really lame." Gon tells me with a serious face.
Killua nods. "Gross."
"No one here appreciates a good pun." I clear my throat, kind of embarrassed. "Well, anyways…"
I've lost my train of thought from that pun sidetrack, so I stare blankly at the whiteboard, trying to think of what to say.
"Um… yeah. So when you get nen, you can do all kinds of cool things. You can punch someone from really far away, or you can make stuff out of thin air, or you can become a magical girl."
Gon raises his hand. "Question!"
"Uh, what is it, Gon?"
"What's a 'magical girl'?"
I go to answer, but Killua is faster. "Magic superhero girls." he says.
I stare at him.
"B-but, I don't watch magical girl anime or anything." He quickly covers, looking slightly flustered. "That's what my idiot older brother watches. And sometimes I watched it too when I was a kid."
"You're still a kid." I struggle to keep my laughter down. Killua Zoldyck, connoisseur of magical girls?
"Shut up." Killua seems awfully defensive, refusing to make eye contact with me.
Before I can say anything else, I hear a smattering of small applause from the hallway. Out of the shadows emerges Mr. Wing, an amused expression on his face.
"Well, Portabella, you have gotten a few things wrong, but I commend your attempts."
I startle sideways. He's come out of literally nowhere. "You… were listening?"
Wing nods.
"Where? Where were you?" Killua demands, standing up. All thoughts of magical girls have fled our minds. "It's like your presence was missing!"
"Excellent observation, Killua. It was."
With these words, Wing has captured the attention of everyone in the room.
"Zetsu." I state, remembering. "You erased your aura…?"
"Correct."
"So that's the truth…" Killua stares intensely at Mr. Wing. "Do it again."
"Of course."
Mr. Wing closes his eyes, and in the next second, its as if his presence has completely disappeared.
We can see him with our eyes, but every bit of his aura has been erased. He stands there like some odd apparition. I close my eyes, and without the visual cue, the spot he stands in feels empty.
What a weird feeling.
"That's crazy." Leorio says in a hushed voice. "And that's…"
"Has everyone had some tea?" Wing says, changing the topic.
I glance at the table, where most of the cups remain undrunk. "Mr. Wing, are you really not going to teach us?"
Mr. Wing takes a teacup off Zushi's platter, swirling it a little.
"It's not so straightforward, you see. Nen isn't learned in a day. In order to access your aura, you need to be aware of your own body, of your own life energy. To find the pores on the body where aura escapes, and to trap it- that is accessed through meditation."
"Surely there's a faster way?" Killua demands.
Wing doesn't answer, only sips his tea. "How about we come to an agreement?"
"What kind of agreement?" Leorio asks. "Didn't we already come to an agreement when you said you'd teach us nen?"
Wing chuckles. "Well… something like that. Three of you are Hunters, correct?"
The Hunters in the group turn to look at each other, Killua and I discluded.
"Yeah, we are." Leorio says proudly. "But what's that got to do with anything?"
"Your Exam hasn't quite ended yet. And so, I'd like to see a little more tenacity before we continue."
"What does that mean, the Exam hasn't ended yet?" Kurapika asks.
Mr. Wing wears a mild smile.
"Please, everyone. Relax a little. There's no reason to rush." He turns to look at Zushi, who has been hanging around awkwardly this entire time. "Zushi, why don't you demonstrate the basic meditation for us?"
Zushi steps forward, and strikes a funny pose, one hand crossed over the other. He closes his eyes, and then breathes a little. In, out, in, out- his breaths are narrow and controlled. The look of intense concentration on his face jarrs me slightly, and I take an unconscious step back.
"Would you like to try it?" Wing faces me directly.
"Try… it?"
"Yes. Take a relaxed pose. Close your eyes."
I follow his instructions, letting my arms hang at my sides. I shut my eyes, settling into the darkness of the back of my lids.
"Then… can you feel it, Portabella? Your life energy, flickering around you."
I wait patiently, but I feel nothing other than the rumbling of my stomach. "Um, no."
"Concentrate."
On what, exactly?
"We'll continue meditating like this. Nen control is a long process. Every step of the way…"
"How much longer?" Leorio asks, shifting around uncomfortably.
Mr. Wing responds innocently. "Let's see… two hours?"
xXxXx
He wasn't joking.
We meditated for two hours.
Two. Whole. Hours.
I wasn't too good at keeping focused- the whole time, my mind wandered, jumping from Leorio's handsome face to Sailor Moon, and then to different dog breeds that I liked.
And at the end of it, I still didn't feel any more powerful than before. No enhanced sense of self- no magic nen powers- absolutely nothing.
Was Wing just trolling us the whole time?
No, I don't think so… but then… why?
At the end of it, he kicks us out of his house with a pleasant "Please come back tomorrow!" Slightly disgruntled, we trundle off towards the arena. The sun arches high in the sky, marking it to be afternoon or so. Zushi tags along with us, and our group is an odd sight as we cross streets, as we're a mix of young adults and oddly-dressed children.
"Aw, man, I'm exhausted." Leorio yawns and stretches his long, sturdy arms. "I feel like we didn't even do anything that whole time."
"Same." I confess, wiggling some of the stiffness out of my body. "I thought we'd get to use nen immediately."
"But if what Mr. Wing is saying is the truth, then…" Kurapika looks absently at his own hands. "Nen could be the answer."
"The answer to what?" I ask.
"To what I'm missing." Kurapika says simply.
"I still think he was hiding stuff from us." Killua grumbles.
It's not too long before the towering arena comes into view. As we approach on the street, I fumble around for the ticket in my pocket. "Floor 10" is printed in small letters on mine. I shudder at the thought of another fight.
Kurapika notices my shudder and turns to me. "Will you be alright?"
"Nope." I say honestly. "I don't have a goddamn clue what I'm going to do."
"Do you remember what I said to you?" Kurapika asks.
"The thing about using surprise?" I ask him, recalling that conversation. The surprise thing had worked once, but I wasn't sure how else I could incorporate that into my fight.
"Yes, that." He says. "If you go into your match with a bit of strategy, I think that would help you out. You're not strong, Bella, but you're definitely not a hopeless case."
I think it's a compliment.
Let's see, strategy. I was never very good at it. Back when I used to try and play J-RPGS in my free time, I would build my teams based on how hot I thought the characters were, instead of taking into account stats or levels. This proved problematic when I would inevitably be shit at the game- but at least I went down confident I had a team of cute anime girls.
Thinking back, I should have put more effort into those things. As a result, I'm terrible at foresight, and that's backfiring on me pretty heavily right now.
"So, Killua, what's this about magical girls?" While I'm pondering, I happen to overhear Leorio and Killua's conversation.
"I told you, I don't watch that kind of stuff, okay!" Killua insists.
"We can put you in a tutu and see what you think then-"
"Shut up, stupid pervert."
Magical girls… An idea comes to me suddenly, and I freeze. I mean, it's risky, and definitely a bit crazy, but it just, just might work…
"Leorio, Killua, Kurapika- thank you!" I squeal.
"For what?"
"I think you've just given me the secret to winning my match!"
xXxXx
On Floor 10, there are only four match rings crowded in the arena. As far as the audience goes, there aren't as many people here watching as there were on the first floor, but that thought helps put me slightly more at ease.
The others have already departed for their floors and respective matches, but this time, I'm glad to be left alone for a while.
The more I think about my plan, the more stupid it seems, but I've already committed to the idea. I turn in my ticket at the waiting room, and go to sit in an empty seat, tapping my shoes anxiously against the floor. In my head I run over the strategy in simulations, trying to comprehend each and every action my opponent may pull on me.
When my number is called, I'm far from ready, but unlike the last few times, I have a small surge of confidence catapulting through my veins. It's not much, but it'll have to be enough.
I'm assigned to Ring B. The referee goes over the same rules I've heard before, so I don't pay too much attention. For my plan, it's crucial that I look confident, so as I examine my opponent, I do my best to exude self-confidence.
As for my competition, he's a bit of a wimpy guy. I'd place him as being in his late teens. He's got this kind of greasy hair that flops in lanks over his forehead and a mismatched outfit. I shouldn't be appraising him based on his looks, but my first impression of him comes off as a very skittish man.
This might just work.
"Fight!" says the referee, leaping away from us.
My opponent doesn't move immediately, and I take that opportunity to plant a foot forwards and clear my throat as loudly as I can.
"Stop right there!" I announce, doing my best to stop my voice from wavering. My opponent, who I've dubbed Mr. Grease in my head, pauses and shivers.
"I am Portabella Mushroom, the champion of justice." I proclaim in the grandest voice I can possibly make. "In the name of the shroom… I shall punish you!"
I strike a pose. Peace sign on one hand, and the other hand rests on my hip. I look ridiculous.
The magical girl strategy: take on the confident persona of a magical girl in order to confuse and bewilder the opponent. And then, when the time is just right...
"Wha- wha?" Mr. Grease seems caught up in confusion.
"Prepare for my special attack! Porty… magic… power!" I'm babbling nonsense at this point, but my words seem to have kept Mr. Grease's attention because he doesn't seem to notice me advancing.
And then I jump and kick. I was actually aiming for the crotch this time, since that attack has been working out for me lately, but I miss and my boot presses into his abdomen. Still, he yelps out in pain, and skids backwards, then topples off the platform.
Once I'm sure he's off, I stagger back and take a deep breath.
"And that was the super heroine, Portabella Mushroom! Serving up justice, cutely!" I don't even know what I'm saying, I just let the words spill from my mouth. My years of magical girl anime experience, from Sailor Moon to Pretty Cure, are coming in handy for this performance.
The audience begins to cheer and applaud, and conversation breaks out. I can only imagine what kinds of things they're saying about the odd match that has just taken place.
Then s stunned referee hands me my winning ticket, and I storm out of the fighting arena triumphantly. Once I'm safely out in the hallway, I do a series of uncoordinated dances in my happiness.
I won, I actually won, I won all by myself!
I can't wait to go and tell Kurapika all about my win, so I start heading towards the elevators.
"Excuse me?"
My gleeful parade down the hallway is interrupted. Mr. Grease stands there, holding his losing ticket in his hands.
"Wha- what do you want?" I frighten away from him. What if he wants to beat me up or something because he lost?
"Actually…" He seems even more wimpy than before. "Can I… have your autograph?"
It takes me a moment to realize what he's saying. "What…?"
"I'm actually a huge fan of magical girls!" His eyes sparkle and he rushes forward, extending his ticket in my direction along with a pen. "You were amazing out there!"
I'm so lost, but the pen and paper are shoved into my hands before I can protest. On the back of the flimsy ticket, I scrawl out "Portabella Mushroom" in my crappy handwriting, and push it back to Mr. Grease.
"Well, um…" I guess I should be grateful he doesn't want to kill me. "But won't they take your ticket when you go to fight?"
"I'm giving up fighting." He says, almost as if he is enlightened. "I think my passions lie elsewhere."
"That's.. Ahem, good for you." I step back a little. I'm starting to get weirded out and want to leave this situation as soon as possible.
"From now on, I will be a full time otaku!" He holds the ticket preciously against his heart and starts to wander off.
Once he's gone, I sink to the floor and lean against the wall.
And I can't help but laugh. The stress which had been building up in my chest melts away instantly, and suddenly everything seems hilarious.
Maybe Mr. Wing was on to something when he said a change of mindset was important. "Ren is the strength of your determination" is what he'd said in his bogus explanation- but I'd just used that, didn't I? In that fight, I wasn't physically any stronger than I was before. But walking into that ring with all the false confidence of an anime magical girl…
Filled with renewed determination, I stand up and pump my fist. Whether it be learning nen or rising the floors of Heaven's Arena- I wasn't giving up so fast. I couldn't. I'd had my first whiff of success, and now I was craving more.
First- Hello!
Second- I'm sorry if you were expecting some immediate nen action, but taking into account Wing's personality- he probably would force the group to take the long method.
It was difficult to write this lesson, since I had to account for Kurapika and Leorio as well. Having them learn nen from Wing and not their respective nen tutors will change a lot of the dynamics, but I'm pretty interested to see where this will go.
Third- nope, computer still not fixed. Had to write a lot of this on my phone, which wasn't really fun.
Fourth- the editing in this chapter is a little rough, so apologies if you notice any small mistakes, but I've decided against delaying this any longer. Also, I just don't like editing on my phone. The next chapter might take me a small while since I want to take my laptop in to get fixed first.
Fifth- the next chapter is in-progress. Hopefully it will be a fun time.
Sixth- I liked the idea of tying in magical girls since Togashi and Sailor Moon's creator, Naoko Takeuchi, are married in real life. Also, who doesn't like magical girls?
Thank you again for the support! It means the world. I read every review :)