HxH : Pokemon Master-Chapter 71: Dragon-type Pokémon? Maha Zoldyck

Akira snapped out of his contemplation as the exam was nearing its end.

After Akira victory, it was the first match from the original story, Gon vs. Hanzo.

As expected, it played out just like the plot, with Hanzo being forced to concede defeat.

Poor him, after years of training in a secret organization and honing his top-notch skills, he still couldn't deal with the stubborn Gon.

The following events unfolded much like the plot. In front of Killua, Illumi removed his disguise.

As the nails fell one by one, Illumi revealed his true face and unleashed a wave of malicious aura toward Killua, causing his expression to change drastically. In the end, Killua voluntarily forfeited.

Since Bodoro had been sent away by Akira earlier, Killua next opponent was Leorio. After some hesitation, Killua still didn't kill Leorio.

Instead, with a gloomy expression, he declared his forfeit and left the scene alone to return home.

Thus, the 287th Hunter Exam came to a dramatic conclusion. It ended with one forfeit and eight passing candidates. Then, it was the story of Gon waking up and along with Kurapika and Leorio, going to find their companion Killua.

Coincidentally, Akira next destination was also the Zoldyck family, though he wouldn't be traveling with Gon and the others.

He had no interest in the experience of finding companions, he had more important things to do.

The Zoldyck family had a powerhouse who was very likely in the S-tier range!

That was Maha Zoldyck, the great-grandfather of the current family head, Silva! As the eldest member of the Zoldyck family, he was Killua great great great-grandfather. He was extremely short, and from the silhouette photos of the Zoldyck family, Maha was the shortest among them.

He didn't appear in the new version, but he had made an appearance in the old version.

In the Yorknew City arc, the Ten Dons hired Silva and Zeno to kill Chrollo, but Chrollo also hired Illumi to kill the Ten Dons.

In the old version, when Chrollo killed the Ten Dons, Maha was present in the scene!

If another S- tier were to appear, Tyranitar would likely advance to the next minor stage.

At the same time, the Zoldyck family would probably have corresponding Pokémon!

....

The Zoldyck Estate

Within the Republic of Padokea, in the Kukuroo Mountain region, Mount Kukuroo is a dormant volcano with an elevation of 3,722 meters, its summit perpetually shrouded in black mist. It's one of the most famous tourist attractions across the six continents!

Not because of its beautiful forested landscape, but because of a family that resides here—a family of assassins for twelve generations!

It's quite bizarre, really, that a family of assassins could lead to the formation of a famous tourist spot. But this is the world number one assassin family in Hunter x Hunter—the Zoldyck family!

"Huh, so this is the Zoldyck family? Quite impressive." Akira stood at the entrance of the Zoldyck family estate, hands in his pockets, observing his surroundings.

It felt quite nice.

Especially the towering gate, which added an air of majesty to the Zoldyck family, making anyone standing before it seem much smaller. Surrounding it was a continuous wall, to enter the Zoldyck estate, one had to pass through here.

The gate's material was unclear, but it faintly emitted a metallic sheen, with numbers from the Hunter world inscribed from bottom to top. On either side of the gate were dragon-shaped statues.

"Dragons, huh?" Akira could roughly guess what kind of Pokémon might be nurtured here...

It's said that the Zoldyck family keeps a few rare draconic magical beasts, and even Zeno Zoldyck Nen ability is called Dragon Head Painting and Dragon Meteor.

If Akira were to guess which Pokémon might appear here, it would likely be a Dragon-type Pokémon!

Most Dragon-type Pokémon are quite powerful, so it's hard to say which one it might be.

The gate, referred to as one, is actually a set of seven gates, each requiring different amounts of strength to open, increasing in weight from the smallest to the largest. The smallest gate weighs two tons on each side!

The largest gate weighs a staggering 128 tons on each side!

It is said that only the master of the house can open all of them, as there are no keys to these gates. Due to these stringent conditions, the gate is known as the "Gate of Trials," also called the "Gate of the Underworld!"

However, despite its daunting nature, there is a small door in the lower right corner of the gate. It seems as if it was deliberately prepared for someone.

In fact, it was specifically prepared by the Zoldyck family.

Known as the world's foremost family of assassins, the Zoldyck family often attracts all sorts of people who come to cause trouble or challenge them. Those who can push open the gates on their own strength are greeted by a butler. But most are unable to even open the smallest two-ton gate.

Such individuals usually head to the guardhouse nearby to forcibly take the key to the small door. Faced with these people, the janitor only puts up a token resistance before handing over the key. It's worth noting that everyone employed by the Zoldyck family is no weakling.

The minimum requirement is the ability to open the smallest gate. The janitor, Gotoh, drinks from a 20-kilogram teacup every day to train his strength.

As for why Gotoh, who works in the guardhouse, is called a janitor, it's quite obvious.

What does he clean?

Naturally, he cleans up the remains of those who, thinking themselves clever, enter through the small door and are devoured by the family beast!

Looking at the towering gate, a glint of mischief flashed in Akira eyes. He was someone who loved to defy expectations. For example, in the case of the Trick Tower, where he was supposed to clear each level one by one to reach the bottom?

He simply blasted through each floor of the Trick Tower and still made it to the end!

This time was no different.

You want me to exert myself to push open the gate? I'll just teleport inside!

In an instant, Akira vanished from his spot, leaving only a gentle breeze behind.

Gotoh, who had been watching the area, quickly rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was getting old and seeing things.

By then, Akira had already appeared on the inner side of the gate, strolling leisurely forward.

The moment he stepped inside, a low growl echoed from the dark forest nearby. Followed by heavy footsteps, indicating the presence of a large creature.

A few moments later, a massive beast emerged from the shadows. It resembled a wolf but was exceptionally large. This was the Zoldyck family's guard dog—Mike!

If someone enters by pushing open the gates, they are greeted by a butler; If someone enters through the small door, they are devoured by Mike!

Mike hadn't seen the gates open, so it followed the scent to Akira. Its crimson eyes locked onto Akira, who was walking leisurely ahead, and it licked its lips, as if already considering Akira its next meal.

Just as it was about to pounce, the situation took a sudden turn! Akira glanced at it sideways, and that casual glance completely intimidated the beast!

"You want to eat me?!!"

It was an utterly terrifying gaze!

In that gaze, Mike vaguely saw a colossal beast roaring at the heavens, as if it could tear the sky apart!

"Whimper..."

It quickly lowered its body, wagging its tail frantically like a pug, signaling that it meant no harm. In its nervousness, even its voice unconsciously became higher-pitched.

Cold sweat broke out all over Mike body. It knew that if it had taken just one more step forward, death would have been its fate!

The biggest difference between magical beasts and ordinary beasts is that magical beasts possess higher intelligence, and some can even speak human language.

The secretary, Bean Face Man, is a rare plant-type magical beast with extremely high intelligence. Just from the faint aura of Tyranitar in Akira movements, it knew that this person before it was someone it could never afford to provoke!

He was even stronger than the family head, Silva!!

Akira merely glanced at it before looking away, continuing to walk forward. To him, this magical beast that had devoured countless thieves was nothing more than a little dog wagging its tail in surrender!

Seeing that Akira paid it no mind, a look of relief and lingering fear appeared in Mike large eyes, displaying a very human-like expression. Rich emotions are also one of the characteristics of magical beasts.

Mike immediately bolted deeper into the forest, fleeing the area as fast as it could, terrified that it might die if it lingered even a moment longer. As its massive body ran, the ground trembled with each step.

Such a commotion naturally caught the attention of the butler. The one who came to greet them was the head butler, Tsubone!

...

In the main residence of the Zoldyck family, Akira sat in the dimly lit hall, with the current head of the Zoldyck family, Silva Zoldyck, seated directly in front of him.

"So, exorcist Akira, what brings you here this time?" Silva rested his chin on his right hand, sitting on his throne as he looked at Akira, his expression unreadable.

Silva wore a loose black training robe, with a thick mane of white hair and sharp eyes, giving him the appearance of a lion at first glance. It is said that the talent of Zoldyck family members can be discerned from their hair color.

Those with relatively ordinary talent usually have black hair. Those with special talent have white hair, such as Zeno, Silva, and Killua. The Zoldyck family has few members, and in each generation, if a child with white hair is born, they are essentially preordained to be the next family head.

This generation is Silva, and the next will be Killua.

Silva personality is also somewhat unpredictable. From Killua behavior and expressions, one can sense that he is very afraid of his father.

Yet, in the original story, when Silva speaks with Killua, he comes across as a very authoritative yet kind father.

"I didn't expect even the current head of the Zoldyck family to know of my reputation?" Akira was somewhat amazed.

Just how far had his deeds spread during this time? It seemed like every Nen user knew of him!

In truth, Silva had been keeping an eye on Akira for a while, not just because he had slain Wrath and Envy, but also because he was an exorcist! And an unprecedented top-tier exorcist at that!

This was crucial for their family! Because they had a monster in their household! A monster from the Dark Continent! The fourth son of the Zoldyck family, Alluka Zoldyck.

In normal circumstances, he is an ordinary person, known as Alluka. In certain circumstances, creatures from the Dark Continent appear, known as Nanika. The two exist in a symbiotic relationship.

[Alluka Gender is confusing so im gonna refer to him as a male]

The original work does not reveal what this creature is, only confirming that it comes from the Dark Continent. Some readers speculate that this mysterious creature might be one of the Five Great Calamities, the "Beast of Enlightenment, Pap."

This is because Togashi, the author, describes the Beast of Enlightenment, Pap, as "the equivalent exchange of joy and life." This aligns perfectly with Nanika wish-granting ability! Of course, whether this is true or not remains uncertain.

As for why a perfectly normal child would form a symbiotic relationship with a creature from the Dark Continent, Silva has his own speculations.

One of their family elders, Zigg Zoldyck, once traveled to the Dark Continent alongside Chairman Netero. Although he returned successfully, he might have brought something back with him, which could have affected the births of subsequent generations.

Despite the family efforts to find solutions, including hiring exorcists, nothing has worked. In the end, they had no choice but to confine Alluka in a specially designed room, restricting contact with others.

Now, with the emergence of a top-tier exorcist, perhaps they can finally resolve their family issue?

During the Hunter Exam, Illumi, in disguise, felt a sense of familiarity upon hearing the name "Akira" because Silva had mentioned it at home!

"I've come here to find someone, to meet an old elder" Akira said calmly.

"Oh? My father happens to be out and isn't here at the moment" Silva replied, his brow furrowing slightly. Since he might need to ask for a favor later, his tone wasn't too cold.

"No, I'm not looking for Zeno Zoldyck." Hearing this, Silva breath hitched, and a seemingly impossible thought flashed through his mind. Could it be...?

"I'm looking for... Maha Zoldyck!"

When Akira uttered this name, Silva usually composed expression finally showed a hint of surprise.

"How do you know his name?!" Silva couldn't help but ask directly.

In his view, Akira shouldn't have known the name of his great-grandfather. Did Chairman Netero tell him?

Only a handful of people, including Netero, who are still alive, know Maha name!

"You don't need to worry about that. I know quite a lot, including even more mysterious information," Akira said calmly, casually picking up a cup of tea and taking a sip before continuing.

"You can think of it as meeting an old elder, but you could also see it as making a deal with him."

"I'll pay, don't worry about that."

Akira wasn't lying, that was indeed his plan.

After all, directly picking a fight with someone would be somewhat inappropriate, making it seem like he was deliberately causing trouble.

Coincidentally, the Zoldyck family operates on the principle of prioritizing money, and after looting two ruins, Akira wealth had accumulated to an extremely high level. For him now, something that could be resolved with money was as simple as it gets.

"I can't promise you anything yet. I'll need to ask him first" Silva said, his expression slightly conflicted, before going alone to seek Maha Zoldyck opinion.

After Silva explained the situation, Maha only response was.

"Hehehe, let him come then. I'm quite curious to meet this young man..."

What Maha didn't know was that this casual act would leave him regretting for a long time.

...

When Akira met Maha, he couldn't help but marvel at the imagination of the old fox Togashi.

Who would have thought that a world-class powerhouse would be an old man who loved to stay in his room watching cartoons all day?

Standing before Akira was none other than Maha Zoldyck!

His stature was as small as a child, with a bald head, wearing the same old tracksuit and shorts, and flip-flops on his feet. If it weren't for the wrinkles that symbolized old age on his face, one might have mistaken him for a child.

This attire also reminded Akira of 'The Beast' from the movie "Kung Fu Hustle," as the two were quite similar.

Could it be that all these reclusive masters dress the same?

"Young man, what kind of deal are you here to make with this old man?" Maha asked while watching a childish cartoon, his voice slightly low.

Even with a guest arriving, Maha still kept his eyes glued to the cartoon, seemingly deeply engrossed for some reason.

"I'm here to seek advice from an elder and to buy some information."

"Some information about the Dark Continent!"

Maha narrow eyes squinted slightly as he slowly turned his head to look at the calm Akira.

It wasn't until Akira stated his purpose that Maha began to take him seriously!

Akira main objectives for this trip were threefold.

The first was to challenge the elder Maha and gain his experience.

The second was to see if he could breed a Pokémon.

The last was to obtain some information about the Dark Continent!

Akira had set his sights on the Dark Continent a long time ago!

It was because the more bizarre and ever-changing environment of the Dark Continent was likely to breed powerful Pokémon! Even those legendary beasts might not be out of the question!

So what he wanted was information about the terrain of the Dark Continent!

Simply put, a map.

Although Akira knew that the Zoldyck family probably didn't know much, it was certainly better than knowing nothing at all. This was just his first stop in gathering information.

Later, he would also inquire with Chairman Netero, and even seek relevant information from the V5 Navigation Hall!

Knowing the terrain and environment of different locations would help Akira decide where to head first on his journey to the Dark Continent.

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