Once the arguments died down a bit, Illumi suddenly pointed at Saiki Kusuo, who was watching from the side. "Since it's just a random team without any battle plan, let's let Kusuo decide how to form the teams. He's the most fair-minded one."
"Isn't he a Zoldyck? How is he fair?" Phinks asked.
"He's very fair. Kusuo won't favor the Zoldycks, right?"
Illumi: [If that's the real Kusuo, he's smart and will have a plan. If it's Chrollo in disguise, then it's perfect for him to arrange the Phantom Troupe members.]
So Illumi ignored Phinks's protest and looked straight at Kusuo outside the court.
Everyone else's eyes turned that way too.
Including Razza.
Saiki Kusuo: ...
Illumi, don't mess with me.
Saiki Kusuo shook his sleeves and hid his hands in his clothes.
Hiding the fact that he wasn't wearing the game ring.
He didn't move, just sat in his seat and gave the answer.
He transmitted the words one by one through telepathy to Chrollo's little bear.
[The opponents are really strong, not just the people, but also the Nen beasts. It's probably hard for numbers 6 and 7 to take them down easily. Nen beasts are sometimes better at achieving goals than people because they follow the controller's judgment without hesitation. From the controller's body and movements, you can tell he has tons of volleyball experience. That's exactly what we're up against—his strongest skill.]
[In the whole court, except for Phinks, no one can beat Razza with pure strength.]
[Don't think about fighting alone. There are two people best suited to deal with volleyball here: Phinks and Hisoka. Their abilities will be useful. Team up with them without any bias.]
[So the team is: Phinks, Hisoka, Illumi, Machi, Feitan, Bonolenov, Nobunaga...]
Hey, that's one more.
The thoughtful little bear: [In terms of build, Franklin is too easy to hit. His power is emission type too, but he can't match Phinks's output, and Phinks can't match his either.]
After a moment, he gave the answer: [Shizuku.]
Saiki Kusuo said it and then realized.
Besides Illumi, isn't this the whole Phantom Troupe? You guys are shy or something?
Chrollo: [No choice. Which of your brothers can be useful? We don't know Silk's strength yet, and she said she can just observe.]
[My brothers aren't like you weirdos in the Phantom Troupe.]
[Thanks for the compliment.]
[That was criticism.]
In the court, it ended up being the whole Phantom Troupe plus Hisoka, with Illumi added in.
But everyone agreed with it.
"Heh heh heh~ So that's what letting Kusuo decide means." Hisoka chuckled.
"I accept this. It sounds way better than before." Shizuku said.
"I accept too. He's right." Machi added, "Plus, I feel a bit stronger now. Shizuku and I are guys now, so we should put in some effort."
"Don't get cocky... but I agree too." Feitan said.
"Tch, if the boss... arranges it, Kikyo listens." Phinks crossed his arms and walked onto the court, no objections.
Even though it was Saiki Kusuo's voice, the whole Phantom Troupe had already noticed something off from the way he talked.
This guy is definitely Chrollo in disguise. They didn't know how he hid the Nen beast or faked it, but the boss is the boss—nothing's impossible!
Illumi seemed to think Saiki Kusuo was Chrollo too. He gave Saiki Kusuo a dissatisfied look but accepted the order and walked onto the court.
Saiki Kusuo had a black line on his face.
Hey, I'm a non-player too. If Chrollo wants to disguise himself, why pick me?
[You're being treated like me.] Chrollo's little bear sat on Saiki Kusuo's shoulder, carefree.
Do you have telepathy too?
Everyone took their positions on the court. At first, no one knew what to do, and with eight people, it felt crowded no matter how they stood.
Illumi and Feitan took the corners, Shizuku and Machi stood in front, Phinks and Bonolenov in the back, Hisoka and Nobunaga in the center.
"If you don't use your sword, what other abilities do you have?" Hisoka asked Nobunaga, hands on hips.
"None. I stick to what I'm good at, no extra tricks." Nobunaga had no patience for this traitor and tied his shirt into a knot.
Hisoka puffed his cheeks and looked away. [Hmph~ I was gonna say use the illusion to fix his clothes and cover up.]
Razza started explaining: "Now that you've picked your team, let me explain. We're playing dodgeball, but on a volleyball court with different rules."
"Elimination is based on the buffer zone. Catching it or dodging completely ends a round. If my ball hits one of you and bounces to another before landing, both are out. If a teammate catches it before it lands, the one who got hit isn't out."
"If my ball hits one of you, bounces back, and hits one of my teammates before landing, then my teammate is out, and your hit person isn't. If it bounces back and my teammate catches it, then your hit person is out."
Razza tossed the ball to them. The first serve landed in Machi's hands, so she started.
The others who weren't picked went to the spectator seats.
"Why not just give the first serve to the strongest one, Phinks?" Alluka asked.
"I don't know, but big bro and them are super strong, right? They'll win no matter what!" Milluki put his hands behind his head, not worried. "If I knew it'd be like this, we wouldn't have come. They could've just brought those eight! Seriously!"
"Alluka bro, Milluki bro, big bro says we should watch carefully." Kalluto said.
"Got it, aren't we watching?"
"We have to discuss it properly and write a summary after." Kalluto whispered like a little devil.
"Huh?!"
Nearby, Silk came over to check on these three fun kids: "They're testing the opponent's strength. Showing your ace right away isn't good. With eight people on the court, there'll be plenty of chances."
Chrollo jumped off Saiki Kusuo's shoulder and lay on the nearby seat. [Silk is right, but one thing—Machi's Nen type is between enhancement and transmutation. Her strength isn't weak in the whole court, especially now that she's in a male body.]
Really? Saiki Kusuo didn't have a deep grasp on Nen strength levels.
[She can beat me in arm wrestling... and now she's a guy.]
Isn't that just because you're weak?
Machi tossed the volleyball up, jumped, and smashed it with her palm! With Nen power built up, the ball flew toward the two Nen beasts in corners 2 and 3.
She was going for two birds with one stone!
But 2 and 3 merged into 5. At the same time, on Razza's side, the original 5 and 4 merged into a 9.
5's body got much bigger right away. It crouched in a standard stance, hands at its lower abdomen. It slid back nearly a meter from the hit but steadily caught the incoming ball.
The numbered Nen beasts can merge?
Razza smiled and caught the ball from his Nen beast.
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He knew this fight wasn't to be taken lightly. The opponents controlled their Nen well—they were a rare elite team.
They came to clear the game, so he had to go all out.
Razza was 100% emission type and could control detached power very well. Plus, this volleyball court wasn't ordinary. He hid Nen text under the floor, with a vow that balls inside the court would have enhanced power and weaken outside.
Of course, no one noticed yet.
Razza gathered Nen in his hand, layering Nen power inside the volleyball, making everyone on the other side get serious.
How to respond.
Saiki Kusuo heard most of the Phantom Troupe on the court, without a leader, stick to their usual style—each minding their own survival.
But this time, the usually quiet Bonolenov took the initiative unusually.
Bonolenov walked to the center and raised his hand.
"I'm enhancement type. Only enhancement types can handle this ability." Bonolenov introduced himself.
The bandages on his palm came off, and more started peeling from other parts, reminding everyone of how his whole body unwraps when using his ability.
Saiki Kusuo: [Bonolenov is female now, right?]
Chrollo: [Is this R-rated stuff not broadcastable? But Hisoka was skinny-dipping in the river.]
How do you know Hisoka swam naked?
The one who noticed this too was Shizuku: "No, Bonolenov, you can't unwrap."
Bonolenov: "Why?"
"You're female now. No bandages means it'll show. The boss said to be polite in public."
"Oh..."
"Everyone, I'm serving!" Razza warned before serving, but as soon as he spoke, he one-handed smashed the ball straight at the center.
There were plenty of people in the center. Bonolenov and Shizuku dodged left and right, but Nobunaga in the back wanted to retreat and found his feet stuck, with Hisoka stepping in front of him.
Hisoka stood sideways, arms out, his Bungee Gum ready to stretch and catch.
"Heh heh heh, if you don't wanna get smashed, help me out~"
Bungee Gum had rubber properties and gum-like stickiness. Catching the ball was easy for Hisoka, but with it wrapped, it still went backward toward Nobunaga's face.
Nobunaga dropped into a horse stance and barely dodged the direct face smash.
"Oh..." Hisoka sounded disappointed.
"No one could catch that without warning!"
"Five, six!" Phinks rolled up his sleeves in the back, spinning his Ripples.
Phinks was right behind them, perfectly positioned to catch the slightly slowed ball from Hisoka.
[Too many spins.] Chrollo's little bear said.
[What do you mean too many?]
[Ripples builds power layer by layer with spins. The right amount is best. Phinks just needs to catch it. Canceling the force is tough, but with Hisoka's ability, redirecting to unload is easier. But if Phinks spins seven times...]
"Seven!" Phinks finished the sixth spin, and the ball came to him.
He punched the ball wrapped in Hisoka's ability. The destructive Ripples broke the stretched gum, exposing the ball. Phinks smashed it!
"Bang! Bang!"
Two sounds. Phinks's fist broke Hisoka's ability and sent the ball smashing into two people in the court, knocking them out. Nobunaga fell, Bonolenov fell. The ball flew far out of the court toward Saiki Kusuo.
If he didn't catch it, the ball might wreck the room, and his brothers were nearby. Saiki Kusuo caught it steadily.
"Ruling! Four from the right side out!" The referee in the middle outside raised the sign.
Four?
"I got hit too." Machi fixed her hair. She had been hit.
Razza explained: "By the rules, that tall blond didn't catch it—he bounced it. Only catch or bounce count."
Four out, and the court felt open suddenly.
Phinks got bonked on the head by each Troupe member outside, lively as could be.
The game continued, and everyone looked at Saiki Kusuo with the ball.
Saiki Kusuo hesitated, then just let it roll toward the court. The little bear kicked it lightly to nearby Milluki, who lazily stretched his foot to send it back in.
On the court, only Feitan, Shizuku, Illumi, and Hisoka left.
Shizuku picked up the ball and asked the three: "What now?"
"Give me the ball~" Hisoka said.
Shizuku handed it over obediently.
"Hey, Shizuku, why listen to him?" Feitan spoke up.
"Because he said to." Shizuku's eyes were super clear, leaving no room for argument.
Feitan: "...Let's discuss. Don't just throw and get wiped out."
Hisoka put hands on hips. He let go with the hand holding the ball, and Bungee Gum dangled it in the air: "My ability is key to breaking this. Serve with it, and it should bounce back."
He started swinging Bungee Gum, making the ball spin in invisible circles in the air.
He alone knew the angle to cancel the pull and keep only the stickiness.
"Bang! Bang!"
He threw it, pulled it back—Razza's Nen beasts lost two at once, 6 and 5.
Razza smiled. Now only 1, 7, 9, and himself left. He had 9 and 7 stand together, 1 by his side.
Both sides in defense. Hisoka couldn't sneak attack for a bit.
"What now?" Hisoka swung the ball and asked.
Illumi held up one finger: "Max elasticity boost, then everyone pulls like a slingshot?"
"The wood for the slingshot and the puller would both be a stretch." Hisoka said.
Shizuku was weak in power, Illumi's brute force not as good as Hisoka's, Feitan the same.
Serve power could get a boost from Nen, but basic physical strength was still key.
"What to do? Looks like we're losing." The elementary school observation group discussed nearby.
Saiki Kusuo thought Gon and Killua could pass this, and suddenly respected Gon back then.
"But if Uvogin was here, one super destruction punch and done!" Nobunaga said beside them.
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