Market X and X Arena

"Come take a look! The most authentic meat skewers in Saba City! Don't miss out!"

"Fortune-telling! Love, wealth, you name it! No charge if it doesn't come true!"

"Piping hot bread, fresh from the oven! Come on over and don't miss out!"

The bustle of the market mingled with vendors' cries from every direction.

Kaya licked his double-scoop ice cream as he walked beside Kurapika.

Gon kept looking around curiously, every new sight catching his eye as he gradually drifted away from their group of three.

"Kaya, I'm going to check up ahead." Gon pointed left at a fork in the road.

Kaya nodded. "Sure. Meet in the inn lobby at seven, and we'll go get dinner. Stay safe."

With Kaya's permission, Gon happily headed down the crowded little street.

Once Gon was some distance away, Kurapika bent down and brushed aside his silky blond hair, revealing his fiery red earring.

"Kaya, look."

With Kurapika's permission, Kaya reached out to feel its texture and found that his own pendant was exactly the same.

Could these be a pair? Kaya wondered.

"Do you think these two crystals look alike?" Kurapika asked.

"Very alike." Kaya nodded, stroking his necklace.

"I think so too. Could you tell me where you got that pendant?" Kurapika asked.

"There's really no special story behind it. My master gave it to me," Kaya explained.

"Your master?" Kurapika pressed.

"Uh-huh. His name's Kite. Do you know him?" Kaya looked at him in puzzlement.

Kurapika shook his head and fell into thought.

"What about you? Where did you get that earring?" Kaya asked in return.

Kurapika didn't answer directly. "Maybe it's just a coincidence."

Without solid evidence, Kurapika chose not to pursue the matter further and instead tried a roundabout approach. "Kaya, do you ever get angry or worked up?"

Kaya hadn't expected someone as smart as Kurapika to ask him such a silly question.

"Isn't that obvious? Why would you ask that?"

"Then what happens when you get angry?"

"Nothing special. I just pick on Gon a little, and then I feel better."

Kurapika laughed at once. He was about to say more when Kaya cut him off.

"Oh, come on. I didn't ask you to come out with me to talk about this. Let's go watch that juggling show over there."

With that, Kaya grabbed Kurapika's hand and pulled him into the crowd without another word.

After watching the juggling show for a while, Kaya felt parched. He bought a large watermelon from a fruit stall, squatted by the roadside, and dug in.

Seeing Kurapika frown, Kaya beckoned to him. "It tastes better when you squat down to eat it. My master and I used to eat it this way. Come join me, Kurapika."

Though somewhat resigned, Kurapika obligingly squatted beside him and accepted the watermelon Kaya offered.

After finishing, they wandered around the market. As they passed a bookstall, an old book caught Kurapika's attention, and he squatted down to read it with keen interest.

Kaya was having the time of his life. Seeing Kurapika completely absorbed in the book, he couldn't bear to interrupt him.

"Keep reading. We'll meet in the inn lobby at seven. I'm going to look around a little more."

Before Kurapika could answer, Kaya darted through an alley and vanished out the other end.

Up ahead, spectators packed the area around an arena beside a fountain.

The crowd was fired up, their shouts rising from every direction.

"Kill him! Kill him!"

"Get up already!"

"I told you to bet on Yuri, but you wouldn't listen!"

As the referee finished his countdown, a brawny man covered in muscle claimed victory.

The host stepped into the arena and continued, "That's our reigning champion Yuri's eighteenth victory today! Let's welcome the next challenger!"

The moment he finished speaking, a punk who looked utterly unimpressive climbed into the arena to challenge him.

Kaya squeezed into the crowd and grabbed an old man's arm. "Sir, what's going on here?"

The old man glanced at the curious kid. "First time in Saba City?"

Kaya nodded.

The old man continued, "This is Harar Market in Saba City, and this arena competition is held every week."

"Who do you fight?" Kaya asked curiously.

"The reigning champion, of course. The champion receives a weekly allowance of two hundred thousand Jenny."

"Challengers have to pay an entry fee of fifty thousand Jenny."

"The longer the champion holds his position, the larger the prize for whoever eventually beats him. The winner also becomes the new champion and receives the weekly allowance."

After patiently explaining, the old man looked around, apparently searching for the kid's parents. "Why are you asking about all this?"

Kaya didn't answer. He pointed at Yuri, who was fighting in the arena. "Then how much would I get for beating this champion?"

"Yuri's been the champion for five months now. If you beat him, you'd get at least five hundred thousand Jenny in prize money."

Kaya rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. "Then how do the organizers make money? The entry fees wouldn't even cover what they pay the champion, would they?"

The old man smiled and explained, "Besides collecting entry fees, they also offer all sorts of bets on the matches."

"Like who will land the first punch, or whether there'll be a knockout."

So that's how it works. Kaya understood.

But that kind of betting was no different from buying lottery tickets. It all came down to luck, and it was even easier to rig.

Kaya had just enough money in his pocket to cover the entry fee. When they left Whale Island, Aunt Mito had given him and Gon a hundred thousand Jenny each.

But he'd already spent over forty thousand after getting off the ship and shopping at the market. Gon had paid for the inn, so Kaya now had only fifty thousand Jenny and some loose change left.

He wouldn't need to spend any money once the exam officially began, but who would turn down more money?

While he was thinking, Yuri had already finished off the young man.

The host continued, "Does anyone else want to enter?"

"I do!" A youthful voice rang out from the crowd.

The host scanned the crowd and finally spotted a boy of eleven or twelve in the front row, raising his hand and smiling at him.

He froze for a moment, then warned him, "Kid, this isn't a joke."

"Whose child is this? Come take him away!" A staff member below the arena looked around and called out.

The old man was surprised too. Turning to Kaya, he urged, "Kid, don't get yourself killed. Put your hand down."

But Kaya didn't care. He ignored the old man's well-meaning warning and raised his hand even higher, standing on tiptoe. "Is there an age limit for entering?"

The host shook his head. "Well, no."

Kaya answered confidently, "Then what's the problem? Why won't you let me enter?"

The spectators around him began whispering among themselves. After all, the more trouble there was, the better the show.

"Let him enter! It's been ages since we had something this interesting."

"Yeah! If you're going to be such bleeding hearts, why bother running an arena? Open a charity shelter instead."

Seeing the crowd grow restless, the host checked with Kaya once more. "Kid, are you really sure you want to enter?"

"I'm sure!" Kaya said firmly.

The host sighed helplessly. "All right, then. Go fill out the form."

After filling out the liability waiver, Kaya took his last fifty thousand Jenny from his pocket and handed it to a staff member without hesitation.

Seeing this, the spectators rushed to place their bets. The outcome was obvious, after all. It was practically free money.

Then a referee wearing a white shirt and red bow tie approached Kaya. "I take it this is your first time entering this competition, so I'll explain the rules. They're very simple. No weapons, and no killing. If you're knocked out of the arena, or if you go down and can't get back up within ten seconds, you lose."

This referee doesn't take me seriously either. Even when explaining the rules, he only mentioned how I'd lose. Looks like I'll have to give him a little Whale Island surprise.

With that thought, Kaya lightly hopped into the arena.

Yuri looked at the kid before him with a contemptuous smile. "Kid, I won't go easy on you."

Kaya ignored him and turned to the referee. "Can we start?"

The referee nodded and officially announced the start of the match.

Cheers rose from the spectators, while only the kind old man remained on alert, taking out his phone so he could call an ambulance at any moment.