บท 15: Chapter 15: Leaving Heaven's Arena

After hearing that Machi was feeling ill, Soren felt it was a bit strange, as Nen users had quite the high tolerance for sickness and disease due to the massive amount of vitality flowing and gathering within their bodies, as Soren had even theorized that it was almost impossible to catch a cold or stomach ache.

'Was it due to her fight with Gunther, that she has been infected with some kind of after effect from the poison gas that had been released?': soren

As Soren began theorizing what could have been the cause for Machi's sickness, Machi herself had gone to the in house clinic as she registered for a physical check up, and after waiting for what seemed to be hours due to how frequent people would come in with injuries that needed treatment due to fighting in Heaven's Arena, Machi's name was called as she followed a young nurse to the exam room where the nurse began taking some vital measurements before asking for an in depth reason for her visit.

"So, what seems to be troubling you today?": nurse

"Well, I had fought someone who used a poison gas as an attack, and it was absorbed through my skin, and although it wasn't deadly, I feel a bit sick as I feel my stomach churn before throwing up": machi

"Oh?... And how long after your fight did you start experiencing this sickness?": nurse

Machi began thinking about a time frame before answering.

"My fight was 4 days ago, and I began feeling sick about 2 days ago?": machi

Hearing her testimony, the nurse began writing some things down before looking back at Machi with a smile as she spoke.

"Thank you for your cooperation, the doctor will see you shortly!": nurse

The nurse then left the room while holding the clipboard with all the personal information as she passed it off to the doctor and went to the next room to continue her job, and after 15 minutes, Machi's exam room door was opened, as an older woman in a white coat had come in while holding Machi's information on a clipboard.

"Hello, Machi!... My name is Dr. Jessica Wickovich, but you can either call me Jessica, or Dr. Wickovich… Hmm, it seems here that you are suffering from a stomach flu?": jessica

"Mmhn, yes… I've been throwing up for the last 2 days, but it only lasts for a few hours during the morning, and sometimes after I eat… I also get these cravings for chocolate and pickles… Do you think chocolate covered pickles would taste good?": machi

Hearing Machi ramble on, Jessica, being a mother of 3, had fully understood what was going on as she put the clipboard down and started asking more questions.

"I don't know, I've never tried them before… Machi, do you have a boyfriend?": jessica

"Y-yes… I have a husband, why do you ask?": machi

"Oh?... And would you say that you both spend a lot of time having sex?": jessica

Hearing the random questions, Machi began to feel uncomfortable, and seeing this, Jessica began to ease up her posture as she tried to come off as a friend that Machi could talk about personal matters with without feeling embarrassed, and the change in posture worked, as Machi became more open as she started speaking with a bit of a blush.

"I-I guess you could say that… We do it at least once every night": machi

Hearing this, Jessica raised an eyebrow as she thought to herself.

'Were they trying for a child?... That much sex would most definitely get someone pregnant without contraceptives': jessica

"Machi, I have some good news!": jessica

Machi was confused hearing such words after having explained about her personal life.

'What good news?... How does knowing how much time I spend with my husband have anything to do with my current situation?': machi

"Oh?... And what is this good news?": machi

"Okay, so you aren't actually affected by any sickness that you should worry about, as this is completely natural with what you are going through": jessica

"And 'what' exactly am I going through, right now?": machi

"Congratulations, Machi!... You're going to be a mother!": jessica

Hearing such words, Machi went silent. Her eyes had seemed to lose focus as she began to go into a state of thought, thinking of just exactly what this meant, as Jessica tried to pull her attention only to get no response.

"Oh no… I went too fast for her, and now she's broken… Hais, she will need some time to think about this": jessica

Jessica decided to do some other check ups while Machi was in thought, as she put the stethoscope up to Machi's belly as she began searching for a heartbeat no matter how small, but surprisingly, there was a strong heartbeat, as every pulse seemed to be filled with power.

"What the hell is going on?... Such a strong heartbeat, almost as if a king will be born": jessica

Jessica soon finished her check up before leaving the room to let Machi process.

'I'm going to be a mother?... What is a mother?... Will I be a good mother?... What should I tell Soren?... Will he support me?... Does he want a child?...': machi

Tons of questions began to fire off inside Machi's mind, as she didn't really have the capability to answer them seeing how fast a new question would appear, but the one question that rang the most was.

'Are we ready to be parents?': machi

Machi understood what the concept of a parent was, but being raised in Meteor City with no parents and nobody to give you warmth left you with a void in your heart even if you don't want to admit it. The idea of being there for a child was hard to understand, as they never had parents there for them, so Machi didn't know what the proper response to taking care of a child was.

'I have no idea what a mother should be like, but I want to give it my best shot!... But will Soren want to be a father? I know he said he wanted a family, but would he want to learn how to raise a kid with me?... I think I should keep it a secret for now, as I don't want to distract him from fighting in the arena… But if I want this child to grow, I can't be doing any fighting': machi

After Machi came back to reality, she realized she was left alone in the room, and after getting up from the exam table, she walked towards the door to leave, but before she could go, Jessica stopped her.

"Hey! Wait up a moment… I want to give you some advice, as I'm a mother myself, and I had to learn this by myself… Make sure you eat a proper meal… You're eating for two, now, so you need good food to make the baby stronger": jessica

'Make the baby stronger?... What if I feed my Nen into the child during pregnancy?': machi

Machi then put her focus on using Zetsu as she stored her Nen inside her body, and after paying some medical fees, Machi left the clinic and went back to her room where she saw Soren meditating on the bed.

"Machi, you're back!... But why are you suppressing your Nen?... Were you being followed?": soren

Machi shook her head in denial as she walked over to the fridge and began looking for something to eat.

"So?... What did the doctors say?... Why were you feeling sick?": soren

Machi thought about how she should answer before she came up with a good excuse.

"That poisonous gas had a lingering effect, and using Zetsu is helping me purge its after effects": machi

"Hmm, I see… Well I'm glad you're okay": soren

Soren was a bit suspicious, as he could tell that Machi was hiding something from him, but he didn't know what it was, but he knew if she wanted to tell him she would.

"I'm thinking of signing up for a few more battles to help refine my techniques, as I'm at a stage where I lack experience rather than raw power": soren

"Do you think that will help?": machi

"Of course it will!... Imagine that you have two Nen users who practice the sword… One of these users has a massive power to feed off of, but lacks experience in using this power as well as lacks experience using the sword… While the other Nen user has a power half as strong as the first user, he can utilize the power more efficiently, while his swordsmanship is top notch… Who would win? The Nen user who uses brute force, or the more skilled and experienced fighter?": soren

"Hmm… The more experienced fighter?": machi

"Yes!... But there is also a 2 out of 10 times that the brute strength fighter could win, so I want to use this time to control my brute strength and make it more refined while increasing that brute strength at the same time!... That way I can win 10 out of 10 times!": soren

Machi only began to chuckle as she listened to how crazy Soren had begun sounding, but their attention was quickly brought to an emergency broadcast as in the headlines, a very familiar name was brought up making the two turn up the volume.

{So as you may have just heard, but the Phantom Troupe has just destroyed the crime syndicate of Yorknew City, and have officially begun raiding safe houses and underground auctions before trafficking the stolen goods to wealthy buyers!... This action has brought a lot of attention to their group, as the Hunters Association has listed the group as A list criminals!}

Machi and Soren were surprised upon hearing the news, as neither of them thought Chrollo would be so open, but then a big burly figure appeared in their minds.

"Damn you, Uvogin!... You just had to be flashy!": machi

Soren could only shake his head in disappointment, but other than that, he didn't care what they did as long as they weren't killing innocents, and even if they were, he wouldn't care, as he himself wasn't being forced to do such actions. Soren then went back to his meditation while Machi went off into the bathroom to clean off before going to bed. Over the course of the next 2 months, Soren had made 6 challenges, and out of all 6, only 3 of them became actual fights, and out of 3 fights, Soren had lost 2 of them, setting his win/loss count to 3 wins and 2 losses, but Soren didn't care much, as he was using these matches to sharpen his skills, and in the end, his opponents just fought better than he did.

Over the last 2 months, Machi had been challenged by a few people, but she rejected each challenge, as she refused to fight anyone, as she still had 30 days to fight someone. Her stomach began to show small changes, as a small bump had begun to form, leaving Machi to try and hide these changes, but Soren didn't seem to notice, or it was possible he didn't care about the slight change.

{Breaking News!... The Phantom Troupe strikes again!... An entire clan has been murdered for their eyes as they turn out to be black market treasures!}

"Soren!... Quick, come look!": machi

Hearing Machi call for him, Soren came and looked at the news, and when he did, he seemed to be a bit angered, as it appeared Chrollo broke his promise.

"What's going to happen now?": machi

"We're going to go home and ask what they are doing": soren

"Back to Meteor City?": machi

"No… We're going to Yorknew City… This will be where Chrollo and the others are staying… Otherwise they wouldn't have bothered purging a syndicate": soren

Hearing that they were going to a new place, Machi was a bit excited to see more of the world, but then she thought about Soren's position in the tower.

"But what about Heaven's Arena?... If we leave now, you might miss your chance to battle and be disqualified": machi

"I have 3 months, but you only have 30 days to register… What do you want to do?": soren

"Hmm… If I'm being honest, I don't want to fight anymore… I got board here, so I'll just drop out here": machi

"I see, then I will do so as well": soren

Machi wanted to stop Soren from making a final decision, but hearing that Machi wanted to leave, Soren's mind was already made up, as the both of them returned the room key to the receptionist as they were made to sign release forms that stated all previous status was being abandoned, and if they were to ever come back, they would start from the lower floors.

"It's sad to see you leave… Take care, and make sure to come and fight again!": rep

After leaving the tower, both Soren and Machi booked tickets to Yorknew City and left on the earliest ship as they spent the next 12 hours flying while Machi rubbed her belly with a smile on her face.