The sound of splashing water echoed throughout the blank, dreary tiled hallways.
The pool rooms stretched into an endless expanse of grey tiles, filled with shallow and deep pools. Water splashed once more, followed by a chuckle. Two young voices rang through the empty space, belonging to boys who seemed to have little fear of their surroundings.
"Say, Killua, do you really think this place is made with nen?"
A young boy, no older than thirteen, muttered. He sat on the edge of a shallow pool, idly splashing his feet in the water. He wore a black shirt and green shorts, while his hair remained as spiky as ever.
Another boy, around the same age, hummed thoughtfully. He stared at the wide expanse of the partially darkened, grey-tiled ceiling. He wore a white shirt and black shorts, his white hair unkempt as usual.
"Of course, it has to be. Think about it, there's no other explanation." The young boy named Killua Zoldyck answered, placing both hands behind his head. His expression remained impassive, as though their current predicament hardly bothered him.
Killua sighed and adjusted his shorts, his signature pajama wear. "I just wished we wore something better other than this. I don't even have my skateboard or your fishing pole."
Their voices echoed through the empty hall for a while. The place was truly deserted. Even with Gyo, they couldn't sense or see anything out of the ordinary.
"We can't help it, we were whisked away the moment we went to bed." Gon Freecs agreed, now splashing the water with his hands.
"First, that scary office place. Now a swimming pool place. I'd rather face the phantom troupe again rather than explore this place."
Killua said with a soft shudder. They had only just escaped the back rooms, which they had found creepy and unsettling. The humming buzz of the fluorescent lights, coupled with the sound of their damp footsteps, had done little to ease their nerves.
Not only that, but almost everywhere they went, the persistent sensation of being watched followed them. No matter where they hid or how fast they ran, the feeling of being prey refused to leave them. It wasn't until they took a wrong turn that they both ended up in the pool rooms.
The two boys looked up at the towering ceiling again. They didn't feel any fear emanating from the place, nor did they sense any eyes trained on them. There was only a strange sense of peace and solitude.
"It kinda is still scary, right? I mean, what if there are piranhas under the water now?"
Killua said, scanning their surroundings. They took a break next to the pool after swimming and rinsing off, sampling the water as they moved. Gon confirmed the water was safe and clean with just a quick sniff.
Gon's stomach rumbled. He was hungry, though he could hold on for a while longer.
"There are no piranhas in a swimming pool, Killua. Besides, swimming pool piranhas wouldn't be tasty if they exist. Anyways, how long do you think we've been here?"
"Tasty?" Killua hummed, placing a finger on his lips. "Nearing two days."
With that, the two boys rose to their feet, slipped on their slippers, and continued down another hallway. Their footsteps echoed through the deserted passageways. They remained on guard, but heard nothing beyond the persistent ringing in their ears.
They pressed on without stopping, exploring one unfamiliar room and hallway after another. Eventually, they stumbled upon a vending machine stocked with cold beverages. However, when they shattered the glass to take everything inside, they discovered that the cans were empty.
It was as though the vending machine existed solely for display.
"Now, someone is really messing with us." Killua, the white-haired boy, muttered through gritted teeth.
Despite everything, the two friends remained remarkably calm. With every new room or landmark they encountered, their reactions rarely went beyond a simple wow or woah.
Eventually, Killua snapped out of his amazement. The longer they spent gawking at every new discovery, the more time they wasted.
The two eventually stumbled upon an enormous room containing a vast, shallow pool. The chamber was large enough to comfortably accommodate an entire stadium. Its sheer size, combined with the emptiness and the perfectly contoured surroundings, left both boys staring in amazement.
The overwhelming sense of their own insignificance struck them both. They stood motionless, gazing across the seemingly boundless space. Killua's uneasiness grew as more questions formed in his mind, none of which he could answer.
However, another detail soon caught their attention: a massive hole to their left. They could see it from a distance, and within a minute, they had reached the unnatural opening. It looked as though something had violently burst through the wall. The hole was wide enough to accommodate several trucks and tall enough for a giant to pass through.
"A battle took place here." Killua said, crouching down.
"You think?" Gon replied, looking through the enormous opening.
"Yeah, look at the ground." Killua said as Gon glanced down.
Gon could make out shoe prints that had been forcefully imprinted into the tiled floor. He crouched down and ran his fingers over the impressions, examining their depth and shape.
"They're very powerful and have impressively graceful yet powerful footwork. Quite strange." Gon muttered, somewhat impressed.
"It is strange, the more explosive your footwork is, the less refined you become on principle. Whomever has done this has clearly mixed both perfectly and is quite adept at it."
Killua said with a degree of familiarity. As an assassin, he understood the importance of efficient movement, where speed and precision were expected to go hand in hand.
"That's putting it lightly." Gon said as he walked forward, examining the path beyond the massive hole.
The adjoining room was in an even worse state of disrepair. Cracks spread across the ceiling and floor, leaving the entire chamber looking as though it could collapse at any moment.
Although significantly smaller than the room they had just left, it was still considerably spacious.
Despite the extensive damage, the impressions of knuckles remained visible on the walls. Whatever had thrown those punches possessed enough strength to bring down sections of the structure.
"Can you sense any residual nen? I cannot." Gon asked.
"I cannot. Let's continue exploring. We might learn some clues or at least, find a dead body that we can poke for information."
Killua said as he walked forward, entering the next set of pool rooms. Gon followed shortly afterward, raising an eyebrow before letting out a sigh.
"That's mortifying, Killua."
"What does that word mean?" Killua questioned.
(The next chapter is gon and killua...doing...s...)
(I apologize for the late update. I spent the last week joining a protest - 'Human Rights for Drunk Drivers.' We are an oppressed group. Support our cause, please.)