"It's mine!" Kaya cried excitedly.
Just as he was about to touch the trout, Gon threw the broken half of his fishing rod.
The rod shot like lightning, striking the back of Kaya's outstretched hand with pinpoint accuracy.
The sudden pain slowed Kaya down a little.
Gon seized the chance to close in on the trout, sticking his tongue out at Kaya.
Just as Gon was about to grab it, Kaya spun around and kicked his hand aside.
Then, with a deft flick of his right foot, he kicked the trout toward the shore.
After steadying himself and changing direction, Kaya lunged straight for where the trout would land.
Suddenly, he felt a weight tugging at his leg. He looked back to find Gon clutching his calf, wearing an innocent yet sly smile.
"Let go, you little brat! That's cheating!" Kaya raised his other foot to kick Gon away.
Gon nimbly dodged the kick and chuckled. "What rules? You're the one trying to steal my fish."
Kaya felt his body plunge downward as Gon dragged him to the ground in an instant.
With a powerful swing of his arm, Gon hurled Kaya away like a sandbag, then rushed toward the trout on the shore.
Kaya regained his balance in midair, bringing his body parallel to the ground. He planted both feet against a tree trunk, bent his knees slightly, and launched himself back.
But he was already too late.
All he could do was draw his long whip and lash it through the air. It flashed past Gon's ear, then whipped the trout back into the lake.
Gon turned to look at Kaya as he landed and pointed at him. "Why are you using a weapon? That's cheating!"
Kaya put his whip away and mimicked Gon's earlier tone. "What rules? Never heard of them! Besides, if I can't have it, neither can you."
The two fell silent for a moment, then pointed at each other and burst out laughing.
But their laughter stopped abruptly ten seconds later.
Their smiles vanished, and they threw punches at exactly the same time.
Two small fists traced straight lines through the air and collided.
Because of the difference in strength, Kaya staggered back two steps, while Gon remained firmly in place.
So strong! Kaya was startled. This boy in green was about his size, yet stronger than him, and that stirred his desire to fight.
"Want to go another round?" Kaya shook out his hand and asked eagerly.
Despite gaining a slight edge through strength, Gon didn't let his guard down. He knew Kaya surpassed him in speed and martial arts.
At that thought, the same eagerness and excitement gleamed in Gon's eyes, like a little wild beast itching to pounce.
"Of course! I'd love to fight you again! But no using your weapon!"
Kite sat beneath a lush tree, leisurely watching the two boys take their fighting stances as he gulped down a mouthful of liquor.
He marveled at how quickly Gon had grown. He had spent less than a month teaching him.
And during the three months Kite had been away, Gon had improved even further. He really was Ging's son.
Still, Kite judged that Kaya's overall abilities should be a little better than Gon's. After all, he had taught Kaya martial arts for three years. Though the brat often slacked off, he was still one in ten thousand.
Not to mention his terrifying talent and potential.
At that thought, anticipation filled Kite's eyes.
Kaya put his weapon away and pointed behind Gon. "Look! A monster!"
Reusing his old trick, Kaya put on a complete performance, from his gaze to his startled expression, as though there really were a monster behind Gon.
Gon instinctively looked back.
The instant Gon turned his head, Kaya secretly rejoiced. Heh, just as dumb as Pokkle.
He immediately dashed up to Gon and drove a punch straight toward his face.
But Gon reacted quickly too. Catching the faint rush of air from Kaya's movement, he immediately darted backward and dodged the attack with ease.
Those beastlike reflexes startled Kaya. He had ambushed Gon at his fastest speed, yet Gon had easily evaded him.
But it also filled him with the thrill of battle, and Gon felt exactly the same.
They were so close in age, ability, and fighting spirit, and both wanted to defeat the other. How could their blood not boil?
"You're really sneaky."
Kaya merely curled his lip, unconcerned. "As long as I don't use a weapon, right? Besides, didn't you ambush me with your fishing rod earlier? So you let yourself off easy but hold me to a higher standard?"
Gon wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Fine, I can't win an argument with you. Here I come."
Kaya crouched slightly, ready to meet him. "I'm ready too."
Gon flashed a bright smile, then charged at Kaya like a tiger rushing down a mountain.
Judging by the rush of air and Gon's speed, Kaya knew that even if he blocked the punch head-on, it would hurt badly.
Since he couldn't take it directly, he would deflect it from the side.
He ducked down, braced one hand on the ground, and deftly knocked Gon's attack aside with his left foot.
At the same time, his right foot chopped toward Gon's neck like lightning.
He figured that even if he couldn't hit Gon, he could at least force him back.
However, Gon's response caught him by surprise.
Rather than dodge, Gon took the kick head-on. Then he quickly reached out with both hands and firmly caught Kaya's ankle.
In that instant, Kaya lost control of his body and was left hanging upside down.
Stunned, Kaya lifted his head and looked at Gon between his legs.
Gon grinned at him, then abruptly kicked him in the chest.
Kaya hurriedly shielded his chest with both hands. Although he blocked the kick, the tremendous impact still sent him flying. He slammed into the ground, throwing up a cloud of dust.
He hadn't expected this brat in green to ignore the usual playbook, taking a hit himself to break Kaya's tactics. As expected of the protagonist-Kaya had underestimated him.
"Are you okay? Want to take a break?"
Gon's question infuriated Kaya. He felt as though he was being looked down on.
"Keep pretending. You took my kick. You're done for."
Kaya's hands were numb, but his mouth was as stubborn as ever. He stood and casually brushed the dust from his clothes.
Kaya's kick really had been powerful. Gon was still aching from it.
"Shall we keep going?" Gon raised his head.
"Obviously!"
Kaya lifted his head even higher, looking down his nose at Gon.
They squared off again. Gon attacked first, rushing toward Kaya and throwing a punch at his stomach.
Kaya was ready. He sidestepped the punch while sticking out a foot to trip Gon.
Gon lost his balance and pitched forward.
Kaya swiftly leaped to one side and delivered a knife-hand strike to Gon's back.
The fierce blow sent Gon's body out of control, and he crashed hard into the dirt.
He got up and fought again!
One behind the other, their figures darted up and down through the forest like two agile cats chasing each other.
Their figures crossed in midair, the sounds of fists and feet colliding ringing out without pause. The prolonged struggle gradually drained both of them.
Unable to win but unwilling to lose, Kaya suddenly felt helpless. The lazy, shameless side of his personality surfaced again.
Although Gon's stamina was also rapidly dwindling, his desire to fight was stronger than Kaya's.
Kaya could tell from Gon's eyes that he wasn't someone who gave up easily. And somehow, Kaya's endurance was worse than his?
That left Kaya rather speechless.
The boy's martial arts were entirely improvised. It was obvious he had never received systematic training.
Although Kaya held every advantage, he couldn't win quickly.
He simply decided to stop wearing himself down in close combat with Gon.
Using his flexibility and rapidly shifting footwork, he calmly evaded the attacks.
This conserved his own strength while draining Gon's faster.
During an opening, he tore a vine from a tree and wound it around his hand.
He seized his chance and lashed it out, wrapping it around Gon's waist. Then he swung hard, hurling Gon into the mud pit by the lake.
Gon had never expected Kaya to play so dirty. Caught completely off guard, he slammed into the mud.
Gon's heart sank. Oh no. Aunt Mito's definitely going to scold me when I get home.
Looking at Gon's bedraggled state, Kaya mocked him. "Nice move. What's it called?"
The corners of Gon's thin lips curved slightly. He grabbed the vine around his waist and yanked hard, pulling Kaya toward him.
Caught off guard, Kaya landed beside Gon, getting equally up close and personal with the mud pit.
They sat up, looked at each other's mud-covered faces, and couldn't help bursting into loud laughter together.
Kaya pointed at Gon's nose, laughing so hard a snot bubble formed. "You really look like a dog!"
Gon showed a row of white teeth through his mud-covered face. "Really? I'd love to be a dog."
Kaya didn't know what expression to make. Though he hadn't read the manga, Gon was still the protagonist, so he took the initiative to introduce himself. "...Uh, I'm Kaya."
"I'm Gon."
They exchanged smiles, knowing they couldn't keep fighting.
Their tense nerves relaxed, and they lay exhausted in the mud, gazing up at the blue sky and gulping down air.
Kaya turned his face toward Gon. "You're pretty strong. Not many people can fight me for this long."
Gon turned his head too, looking thoroughly satisfied. "So are you. Especially your weapon. It's really interesting. Can you let me play with it?"
"No."
Kaya refused without hesitation and turned his gaze back to the sky.
Gon propped himself up into a sitting position and reached out to pat Kaya's shoulder.
"Is this your first time here? I haven't seen you before."
Kaya sat up too and blinked. "Guess."
Then he lunged at Gon and shoved him hard back into the mud pit.
They locked their limbs around each other and rolled wildly through the mud.
Using his flexibility, Kaya kicked Gon away, scooped up a handful of mud, and threw it at him.
Not to be outdone, Gon used both hands and feet to splash mud at Kaya.
The two promptly launched into a mud fight, playing and roughhousing from noon until evening.
Kite quietly watched the two boys from the sidelines the whole time, unable to keep a heavy sigh from rising deep within his heart.
Before you continue