The spectators, especially the weaker players who were only there to fill out numbers, were caught off guard. Many were flung backwards by the gust, rolling across the floor like rag dolls. Only a few people, Biscuit among them, stood firm, squinting into the wind while staying laser-focused on the game.
Gon and the others couldn't help but break into a nervous sweat. Razor's strength was far beyond what they'd imagined. His full-power throw was monstrous, maybe even on par with some of the stronger pro-level Hunters they'd seen before. But then again… Larry was just too far ahead.
Only Menchi stood with confidence, watching the scene unfold without a shred of doubt. Larry wouldn't lose. He couldn't.
And then, right at the moment when the devastating ball should've struck Larry dead-on, a shadow stepped forward.
Bang!
The entire gym seemed to freeze as the massive dodgeball came to a sudden stop, caught cleanly in the hands of a steel-like figure.
Tyranitar had stepped forward.
The incredible force behind the ball vanished without a trace. All that remained in its place was a seemingly normal dodgeball, held in Tyranitar's claws. Thanks to Aura reinforcement, even the surface of the ball was untouched. Not a scratch.
"Roooaaarrr!"
Tyranitar let out a deep, earth-rumbling growl, holding the dodgeball as if it weighed nothing. The monster hadn't budged an inch. It didn't flinch, didn't even slide back from the impact. The ball's spin, the friction, the aura, it was all absorbed by its Aura.
Razor's ultimate throw, the one he'd poured everything into, didn't even make Tyranitar take a step back.
"…He caught it."
Razor straightened up slowly, his gaze fixed on Tyranitar. His trademark squint hadn't changed, but the grin he usually wore had disappeared. His expression was hard to read, blank, tense. There was no denying it now.
They always said squinting-eyed guys were monsters. Razor had earned that title more than once. But in front of Tyranitar, even a monster didn't seem like much.
Razor's throw, reinforced with years of skill and Nen mastery, had been shut down with frightening ease. He had anticipated this possibility, but seeing it happen in real-time still made his heart sink.
The pressure he'd felt before turned into cold reality. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, not in amusement but in resignation. His strongest move hadn't even made a dent.
The difference between them wasn't just strength, it was a chasm. A different league.
In the face of such overwhelming power, who wouldn't feel helpless?
"Alright then," Larry said, his voice calm and low. "Guess it's my turn."
He didn't need to shout or make a flashy pose. The way he spoke, the weight in his tone, it was enough to signal that this was the end. That the conclusion everyone expected was about to happen.
"Rooaaarrr!"
Tyranitar suddenly stomped the ground with a thunderous crash. Cracks spread beneath its feet like spiderwebs, forming a crater under the sheer pressure of its strength.
In one hand, it held the dodgeball. A thick, sinister Aura surged up its arm like dark flames, clinging to its muscles and spreading outward.
This wasn't ordinary Aura. It was jet black, sticky, almost alive with malice. Just looking at it gave people a heavy, uncomfortable feeling. The aura oozed corruption and danger.
The inky black Aura surged down to the ball, devouring it in an instant. The transformation was overwhelming.
The sounds it made while wrapping around the ball were deeper and louder than Razor's earlier charge. Within seconds, Tyranitar was holding something far more terrifying, a massive, pulsing black sphere of aura that radiated pure destruction.
Tyranitar lifted its right hand slightly, and the giant Aura bomb hovered there, slowly spinning. It was so huge it blocked out the gym's lights, casting a looming shadow across the arena. Everything suddenly dimmed.
Everyone stopped breathing.
Their eyes were locked on that terrifying sphere, dread flooding their hearts. They could all tell, if that thing was launched, it wouldn't just wreck the gym. It could take out the entire building. Maybe even reach the lighthouse outside.
Back in the control room, Dwun and the others were freaking out.
"Didn't Ging say this guy was a friend?!" one of them shouted, pale-faced.
Is this how he treats friends?! I knew it, we never should've trusted that bastard Ging!"
They started doubting everything. Maybe Ging hadn't sent an ally. Maybe he'd sent someone to wipe them out.
On the battlefield, Tyranitar moved again.
It leaned back slightly, raising its thick arm behind its head. The massive Aura-drenched dodgeball hovered at the ready, the black aura flaring wildly.
Everyone knew what was coming.
Dark Technique – Evil Throw.
"… I give up."
Before Tyranitar could even launch the final strike, Razor's voice rang out from across the court.
His tone trembled slightly, but it carried an unmistakable sense of relief. Facing someone like Tyranitar, surrender wasn't shameful, it was simply the smart choice.
As soon as Razor admitted defeat, the massive energy bullet forming in Tyranitar's hand vanished, leaving behind only a regular dodgeball that dropped to the floor.
Razor's surrender sealed the win for Larry's team, and with it came a batch of experience points.
Since Tyranitar was the only one who had taken action from start to finish, all of the points naturally went to him.
"You're strong," Razor said, his narrow eyes flashing with a mix of admiration and melancholy. "Stronger than anyone I've ever fought. Even stronger than the strongest person I know."
His thoughts drifted to that past encounter, to the man who had once defeated him so thoroughly: Ging.
And now, after all these years, this was the second time he had met someone who made him feel the same.
When facing Larry, it didn't feel like he was up against one man. It felt like several Gings had come at him all at once.
"Ging is pretty powerful," Larry said casually, raising an eyebrow. He knew exactly who Razor meant.
"Huh? You know Ging?"
Razor blinked, surprised that Larry could guess who he was talking about just from that single sentence.
"Yeah," Larry nodded. "Before coming to Greed Island, I actually went on a ruin exploration with him. The game console I used to enter this place? He gave it to me."
Razor's eyes widened slightly. He already respected Larry's strength, but now there was a personal connection to the man he once admired.
'They were... friends?'
"Larry! Wait, did you just say Ging?"
Gon's voice suddenly cut in, eyes wide in disbelief. He had been listening to their conversation the whole time.
"You met my dad?"
"Yeah," Larry said with a smile. "Actually, Kurapika knew about it too. Ging invited me along back then. Hasn't he mentioned anything to you guys?"
Killua raised an eyebrow while Gon's eyes lit up like stars.
"What's he like?" Gon asked eagerly. "What kind of person is my dad, really?"