Chapter 2
Phase X Two!
Nyoka and her friends walked into the next phase of the Hunter Exam. They were in front of a giant mansion with the examiners, Buhara and Menchi when a large roar was heard.
"What was that?" Gon asked.
"Sounds like you're hungry," Menchi, the turquoise-haired examiner, said as she stood up.
"Not just hungry, famished!" the tall, large-bellied examiner, named Buhara, said.
"Well, good! The second phase...will be cooking!" Menchie said as she pointed the group of examinees.
"Seriously..." Killua sighed.
"Why are we cooking?" a man asked. Menchi looked to Buhara.
"Because we're Gourmet Hunters!" she said. Nyoka had heard of those types of Hunters. Her sister always wanted to be one but was forced to be in the assassin business with her family. Everyone began laughing.
"So...You're Gourmet Hunters? What exactly are you wanting us to make?" the man from earlier asked.
"Buhara," Menchie said as Buhara stood up, stomping his foot on the ground.
"The required ingredient will be pork! Feel free to use any species of pig from Visca Forest!" he said.
"We won't be evaluating taste alone...So take this seriously," Menchi said after Buhara finished explaining.
"Let the exam's second phase...begin!" Buhara said as he beat on his belly, signaling that the second phase had started. Nyoka and the others ran to the forest.
"Gotta catch a pig then cook it, huh? Sounds way easier than the first phase." Leorio said.
"I just hope it's that simple," Kurapika said as he looked around. Nyoka watched Gon jump down a hill and Killua go after him, bumping him in the back. Leorio and Kurapika followed, hitting each other at the bottom. Nyoka slid down on her feet, landing perfectly.
"Show off..." Leorio grumbled.
"Look! I found one!" Gon said pointing to a group of pigs. They were huge.
"They're all big and chewing on bones..." Leorio mumbled.
"Don't tell me..." Kurapika said.
"They're carnivores," Nyoka said, bracing herself as the pigs snorted. It began running towards her but she pivoted to her side, dodging it. They did, however, keep going after Killua, Gon, Leorio, and Kurapika. The four began running back to the other participants while Nyoka jumped over the pigs and got on one's back.
"Ok...didn't think this through...what now?" she asked herself. She watched the pigs disperse to attack the others. Her mouth went slightly agape when she noticed people hitting the pigs on the forehead.
"Looks like they have the same weakness as you, Killua," she said, hearing a sneeze somewhere near her. She leaned down and put her fists together. She then slammed them down on the pig's forehead, causing it to fall unconscious. She then brought it back to the cooking area and roasted the pig.
-X-
"Not one applicant has passed yet," Leorio said.
"And Menchi hasn't even taken a bite yet," Kurapika noted.
"Seriously?! Can't anyone make something that will satisfy my taste buds?!" they all heard Menchi yell.
"That's it! The second phase is a cooking test, but they're judging based on originality and observation," Kurapika said. A lightbulb went off in Nyoka's head. She got to work. When it came time for her to show her meal, she sat down a plate in front of the two examiners. She had taken the pig and made a Huntsman pie on top of lettuce. She thought the name was kind of ironic. Killua had told her it looked good so she crossed her fingers as Menchi and Buhara took a bite. Menchi smiled.
"Now this is what I'm talking about!" she said. She then held up an X, signaling that she had failed the twelve-year-old. Nyoka flinched
"May I ask why?" she asked.
"The pork is too dry. Try being a little easier on it," Menchi said as she waited for the next examiner to come up.
"Well...Looks like you taught me the best you could, Sasha," Nyoka mumbled as she walked back to the cooking area.
"I really thought you were going to get them with that one," Gon said, trying to cheer her up. Nyoka nodded him a quiet thank you.
"You gotta be kidding!" they heard a man yell as he broke his cooking station.
"This is unacceptable, you hear me?!" a man with blonde and black hair yelled with clenched fists.
"I will not except this!" he growled.
"Say what you want, but you still failed," Menchi said.
"Shut the hell up! You asked for pork and we gave it to you!" The man yelled.
"We risked our lives to-" "The challenge was to cook a plate that both examiners would find delicious and none of you came close!" Menchi looked towards Nyoka who nodded a quiet 'thank you'.
"Most of you did pretty much the exact same thing. I mean It's like you didn't even try to figure it out! When it looked like you had tried, it was just fancy plating with no flavoring to back it up!" the examiner criticized them.
"Yeah, but come on. Pork? No matter how you cook it, it's just pork," a man in a ninja outfit said.
"You wanna say that one more time?! If I hear any more crap from you, I'll shove my arm up your ass and knock your teeth out! Got it?!" Menchi yelled. She began reprimanding the man. She finished yelling at him and flopped down onto the couch.
"So, as I was saying, not a single one of you has the guts to be remotely new or innovative," she said.
"Hey, shut up! I'm not here because I'm trying to be some gourmet cook but a hunter! My goal is to become a blacklist hunter! No stupid Gourmet Hunter is going to tell me I can't!" The man from before with blonde and black hair said.
"Then it sucks for you that a stupid Gourmet Hunter is your examiner. Well, better luck next year, I guess," Menchi shrugged.
"Why you...Don't mess with me!" the man yelled as he ran at her. Buhara managed to slap him back to the forest before he could reach her.
"Buhara, please don't interfere," Menchi said.
"I'm sorry but it kind of looked like you were going to kill him if I didn't," Buhara said as he and Nyoka looked at the knives in Menchi's hands.
"Probably...Let's get this straight, we frequently venture into the dens of ferocious beasts in the search for the finest ingredients. Every hunter is efficient in Martial Arts. You lack focus, and the will to experiment with new things. That alone is what disqualifies you all," she said as she twirled the knives around and stood up from the couch.
"Well, that said, it seems a bit excessive to fail every single applicant," a voice said from above. Everyone looked up to see a blimp with the Hunters Association's mark on it and an older man jumping down from it. Some dust rose up as he did so.
"Who's the old man?" Leorio asked.
"He is the head of the exam committee. He is also responsible for the Hunter's exam...Chairman Netero," Menchi said.
"Oh, I just work behind the scenes. It's not all that impressive. I only intervene in the exams when little issues like this come up. Now, dear Menchi," Netero said.
"Sir!" Menchi nodded.
"It's come to my attention that you've chosen chose to fail all of this year's applicants. Reason being, as I understand it, their general reluctance to challenge the unknown," Netero said with his arms behind his back.
"No...I'm sorry sir...But I snapped when a candidate insulted Gourmet Hunters. I'm afraid I made the exam harder than necessary," Menchi said.
"I see, but It seems that you understand this exam was completely unacceptable," Netero said.
"Yes. I'm just so emotional when food is involved. I'm not suited for this position. So I must resign as examiner! Please let them retake the second phase," Menchi said as she looked at the ground then back up to the old man.
"I can't imagine where we'd begin to find another examiner on such short notice..." he said, deep in thought.
"My deepest apologies sir," Menchi bowed.
"Hold on, I have an idea. You continue to serve as the examiner, but you yourself must participate alongside this year's applicants in whatever challenge you choose," Netero said. Menchi gasped.
"I suppose you're right...and I have just the thing for the new challenge," She smiled as she looked up at all the participants.
"We'll all be cooking boiled eggs," She said. The applicants were surprised she'd choose something so easy.
"There's a catch," Nyoka said, crossing her arms and catching Gon and the others' attention.
"Chairman, since you brought your airship, do you mind taking us all to Split Mountain?" Menchi asked.
"Split Mountain? Oh, yes, I see! Of course!" Chairman Netero said. So, they all got on the airship and went to Split Mountain. Nyoka sighed as she walked off the ship when they got there and stood near the edge of a cliff. She hated heights.
"This is it! Take a look at what's down there," Menchi said. Nyoka reluctantly looked over the edge. "That's a Spider Eagle's web," Menchi said.
"They build their webs way down there?" Killua asked as a gust of wind picked up.
"Look past the web to what's underneath," Menchi said. The group looked further and found clusters of eggs hanging off the web.
"Hey, that's..." Gon paused.
"Spider Eagle eggs," Menchi finished for him.
"That's pretty smart actually," Kurapika said.
"How? Won't they fall?" Leorio asked.
"If they build their nests deep in the ravine then predators won be able to get them so easily and risk falling. They made nets around the eggs so they don't fall," Nyoka said as Menchi jumped off the edge and caught herself on the web, swinging a few times. Nyoka watched as she then dropped and a large gust of wind picked up, revealing Menchi holding an egg.
"Woah!" Gon said in awe.
"That looks fun!" Killua said.
"These ravines create updrafts that are crucial to the Spider Eagle's chicks when they hatch so that they are guided upwards to safety," Chairman Netero said.
"There! Now all I have to do is boil it and I'll be set!" Menchi smiled as she held the egg up to show off.
"You've got to be kidding me! You really expect us to do something as dangerous as this?" the blonde man from earlier said.
"I've been waiting for something like this!" Gon yelled as he, Killua, Nyoka, Kurapika, and Leorio jumped down. Nyoka grabbed onto the web and landed next to Killua and Gon. She then noticed something was off.
"There's no wind..." She said as a man jumped off with an egg.
"It doesn't happen all the time," Kurapika said.
"When will we know to go?" Leorio asked.
"Wait..." everyone turned to Gon who had his eyes closed as more people fell. They did as told and waited for him to say when to go. Suddenly, the web began to come apart from the walls of the ravine. Nyoka felt her hand slip, leaving only one hand on the web.
"Crap..." Nyoka said as she adjusted her grip.
"Hold on! Don't let go!" Killua said to her.
"Like hell I am!" Nyoka yelled as she grabbed hold of the web once again, calming Killua's nerves.
"Gon!" Leorio yelled.
"Any minute now..." Gon said as he sniffed and kept his eyes closed.
"The web's going to give out!" one of the other applicants said as many others fell.
"Now!" Gon said as his eyes shot open and they all let go so they could catch eggs. Nyoka grabbed her an egg and kept falling, catching herself on the updraft. She held the egg tightly, noticing Killua right next to her.
"Suprised that actually worked," she said to him.
"I know!" the white-haired boy said as he laughed. Nyoka couldn't help but laugh at his boyish grin as they landed. The rest of the applicants landed with their eggs, except for a few, and they began boiling them. When they were finished, the eggs were served!
"I can see why they're called Dream Eggs!" Kurapika said as he ate his egg. Nyoka began eating the egg and noticed it's extravagant taste.
"You'll have to get Sasha to cook some for us when we get a chance to see her," said Killua.
"Who's Sasha? I heard you mention her once before," Gon asked. Nyoka swallowed her bite.
"She's my sister. She wanted to become a Gourmet Hunter but was never able to take the exam. She's one of the greatest chef's around! I'll get her to make something for us sometime," she said as she finished up her egg. She watched Gon walk away and she walked over to Killua.
"Hey, Kill," she said.
"What's up?" Killua asked. Nyoka looked over at Gon who was offering part of his egg to the man who riled up Menchi.
"He seems like a good kid," she said. They stared at Gon for a bit before Killua looked to her.
"You know, you don't have to be so distant. You've been off lately," Killua said to her. Her expression changed and she went silent.
"You're not alone, anymore."
"Thank's," Nyoka said as she walked away, leaving him wondering if he had said the wrong thing.
"Come on, you three. We're leaving on the airship, now," Leorio said as he and Kurapika walked onto Chairman Netero's airship. Nyoka waited for the other two to move before she moved. She watched Killua and Gon talk.
'You have no idea, Kill...'