HunterxHunter: Reborn With Crazy Potential

Killua's eyes flicker to Hanzo showing surprise seeing that Hanzo's eyes are closed, then to the ground discouragedly. He takes a slow step back, his shoulders sagging slightly. The sweat drips from his face, but there's a moment of clarity in his eyes. He realizes that he can't win. Not this time.

He straightens up, his chest still rising and falling from the exertion. He looks at Hanzo, who is standing there, as relaxed and unreadable as ever.

"I give up," Killua says, his voice steady, but there's no denying the wisdom in his decision he has been quite outmatched ever since I taught Hanzo Nen.

"The second match is over Hanzo wins! Can Gon and Lucas come to the Arena."

Gon murmurs in surprise, and for a moment, there's a heavy silence. Hanzo doesn't say anything, but he nods once, acknowledging Killua's decision. There's no mocking, no pity just respect.

As Killua walks away from the arena, his eyes have a quiet, sad, and calculating look. He approaches Gon and they start talking quietly. Hanzo looks over the moon when he starts to approach me. When he gets close to me he quietly yet excitedly whispers "I used En that whole time!!! I could feel his presence and I could tell what direction he was coming from and where he was going. It was crazy as soon as he entered a one-meter radius from me I knew exactly what he was going to do no matter if he faked a move or went faster than I could normally react."

"Well, Hanzo technically you didn't use En. For it to be considered En it has to be at least 2 meters but we can work on it. After the exams, we have at least a month before we need to get back to doing anything." I explain in a matter-of-fact tone.

After Hanzo stops talking I walk to the arena and wait for Gon. Once he finally stops his conversation with Killua he walks to the arena as well. "Begin!" the announcer says.

Right after he says 'Begin' I immediately give up but Gon doesn't accept it and starts complaining. "No! I hate winning like this let's come up with a way to decide who wins where it's fair so I can win!!" Everyone chuckles at his childishness.

"Sure Gon sure how about rock paper scissors?" I suggest.

"Sure I like rock paper scissors! Best out of 3?" He replies happily.

"Nice how about we begin then." 

Rock is symbolized by the fist and is often thought of as a weapon so more aggressive people usually use it, while Scissors sharp and dangerous can represent controlled aggression or wanting to appear clever but paper; Paper is a passive, peaceful, and friendly move just like Gon. Since Gon is more similar to paper he is more likely to use paper so I will use the same to make sure my hypothesis is correct.

Rock Paper Scissors Shoot!

Just as expected we both choose paper ending in a tie.

Gon is most likely going to pick rock next as it is the next item in the sequence and one you lose in rock, paper, scissors, or tie you will most likely switch items not gaining a dopamine rush from wining with it. So I go against all logic. I pick Scissors.

Rock Paper Scissors Shoot!!

I raise my hand, knowing he'll think he's got me beat. Sure enough, Gon grins and throws Rock. I let him win once again, and his self-assurance grows. I can almost feel the weight of his belief that he's on a streak. It's all about psychology when you let someone win, they don't just win the game, they win confidence, and usually in rock, paper, scissors, they use the same item again.

After winning Gon's grin reaches his ears and he yells "Whoa if I win one more I'm going to win Lucas you should try harder it feels unfair!"

I know he's going to think that I'm finally going to change my approach. He'll expect me to go with Rock to counter his Paper, or Scissors to counter his Rock, so I do the most unpredictable thing of all: I go back to Paper again.

Rock Paper Scissors Shoot!!!

Gon looks a little uncertain for the first time in the entire game. "You went Paper again?" he asks. Gon throws rock again. The moment his choice hits the table, his smile fades to reluctant happiness.

This time, I know I have to play a little differently. I need to keep feeding his ego, but I can't let him get too comfortable, or he might start thinking that he's unbeatable in everything. It's a balancing act.

I'm going to play the psychological angle once again. Gon's energy is infectious he's practically bouncing on his feet, ready to claim his victory. I can tell he's thinking that I'll finally start trying to outsmart him, that I'll go with Scissors to counter his Rock, or maybe Paper to counter his Scissors. He'll be looking for me to second-guess myself.

I raise my hand slowly, almost too slowly, to make him feel like I'm hesitating. He's already convinced he's figured me out, and I can see the anticipation in his eyes. He thinks I'll choose Paper because it's the logical counter to Rock but I'll throw him off guard by doing the exact opposite.

Rock Paper Scissors Shoot!!!!

Gon yells "I got this one!" with half of his normal grin spreading onto his face

As I reveal my choice Rock Gon's expression flickers with uncertainty for a split second until he looks at his hand and realizes that he threw Paper and paper beats rock. He smiles triumphantly, knowing he's got me.

"Ha! Told you I had this one!" Gon beams, having now secured two of the four rounds.

I can see the glint in his eyes, the satisfaction of a win. I've let him feel like he's on top of the world like nothing can stop him. And that's exactly the goal.

I let out a small, satisfied smile. He doesn't realize it yet, but I've already won in my own way.

"Well, since you won two rounds, I guess I lost," I say, keeping my voice light, almost indifferent. "Hey, announcer, I give up. Gon wins."

As we walk back to our spots, the announcer finally announces, "The third match is over! Gon wins! May Killua and Ponzu step into the arena."