[An:

I'm back people~ Back and away from school~! Er…not really since my art teacher decided to go all, 'OMG! You must do this!' and dump a summer project on me. I have to make paper lanterns with my drawings on them… B-but my work and my stories…! QAQ And when I get home from work, I kick the bucket. I lose all motivation after work…ugh…

I don't even know if I could finish it in time.

So, I don't really have an excuse for why I didn't update in so long. I came up with new stories idea (not part of this) so I jolt them down and read a lot of fanfiction and manga (mostly shounen ai *cough*). I draw a lot and haven't even started my project (blaming the summer). To top it off I have a bit of a writer's block (not to mention no experience in writing fighting scenes it sounds better in my head, by the way. It always does.)

Ah, well, it seems that many readers like the pedo part. I did too.]


Chapter 9: Final Round: The Determination!

"Are you a pedo?"

Hisoka got stabbed with an imaginary arrow that had the word pedo on it.

"M-my, my~, what an accusation. What makes you think that, little phantom?"

"Intuition." Ama deadpanned.

"What an intuition~" Hisoka chuckled, "And what if I am?"

"Just curious." She peered at him, "Is that a yes?"

Hisoka just gave her a mischievous smile.

She pouted slightly (but she would denied that later), "You're not going to tell me are you?"

A loud explosion erupted in the opposite direction.

˹In a while, the fourth round of the trials will end.˼ A female voice rang out, ˹All the participants are invited to come back to the starting point of the test. Those who fail to return in about an hour will be disqualified. See you then~!˼

Ama eyed the jester, "I thought you said the starting point is this way."

Hisoka grinned and shrugged his shoulders, "I lied."

"You..."

"It's not my fault. You're the one that followed me in the first place."

She huffed, not wanting to indulge in this childish squabble of 'it's your fault'. She walked past as she popped a malted milk ball in her mouth, enjoying the crumbling of the treat as she made her way toward the starting point. Hisoka trailed along but thankfully he was silent.

Though, his amused grin was as loud as his barely-hidden aura.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"We meet again, child."

Ama sat down across the chairman as she nodded in return.

"First of all, I would like to ask a few questions to know more about you."

Nod.

"Above all, why do you want to become a hunter?" Netero asked.

"Ah," She thought this was the case, "Well, I could say I wanted to become a hunter because they inspired me but this isn't really the case." She glanced to the side and let out a tired huff, "I never asked to be a Hunter in the first place. My master simply just decided it out of nowhere, saying I need to find my…" She momentary paused for a split second, "Father. But now that I think about it I guess that's my goal for the moment…" She returned her gaze back on the chairman, "That is all."

"I see. Among the 10 other participators, which one retains the most of your attention?"

"#301."

"Hmm…May I ask why?"

"This is mostly intuition but I trust my intuition above all else. There's something off about him that I can't put my finger on." Ama shook her head, "Overall he doesn't give off a very good vibe."

"Hmmm…Well, one last question. Among the 10 other participators, who do you want to fight against the least?"

"#403, because I overheard that he'll become a doctor." She explained, "That's a great career to walk into. This world needs a few more great doctors and it's very convenient to have a doctor as a friend. Saves money." Ama deadpanned as she brought together her forefinger and thumb indicating money.

"Alright then, you may go back now." Netero nodded, having the information he need.

Ama bowed, but the Chairman stopped her.

"Amarante—"

"Please Netreo-san, just Ama would suffice."

Netreo corrected himself, "Ama, what is your father's name, if you don't mind me asking."

"No, I don't. It's…"

A moment later she walked out of the room, leaving the Chairman to chuckle in amusement.

"Your daughter really is a chip off the old block and so is his son. Will history repeat I wonder? Hmm…" Netreo then, stroke his beard, as he called in the next participator.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

"I see, I see…" Netreo was pleased, "It's a bit more partial than I had thought. Look!" The examiners, plus Mr. Bean, turn their attention to the Chairman, "I wrote down some groups."

They all looked at the board, back at the Chairman, back at the board, then back at the Chairman with eyes full of uncertainty.

"President… Are you sure about this?" Burara asked.

"I can't be more sure." The Chairman said with all seriousness.

Mr. Bean sweatdropped at the seriousness.

˹Note for the particapators! Thank you for your patience. We'll arrive at the place where the last round stands.˼

"If you'll win, you'll become a 'Hunter.'"

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Ama stretched lazily as she stumbled into her room and gracefully, as any tired human could manage, thrown herself on the bed. Man, what a week it has been. First being kicked out of the house to go to a hunter exam, then, met some strange people in which some are a bit out of whack. Ahem.

"Heh."

Bubbles of laughter torn pass her lips as she struggled to compose herself. She can't breathe and her stomach hurts.

Death by laughter would be amusing.

Her laughter died when she realized she didn't have a reason for laughing.

"Great, I'm losing my mind."

She should get some rest.

Yep, a nice long rest.

Ah, did Master bring any ingredients home?

Nope. Not a chance.

Okay, shut up now, brain.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

It was three days after the end of the fourth round.

"I hope that everyone had rested well. We are here in a motel managed by the committee. Until the end of the final round this place is yours." The chairman announced, "The last trial would be duels of 1vs1. The groups are the following…" Netero pulled the piece of cloth away from the board, revealing the groups.

Everyone was quiet as they observed the chart in front of them.

"Good, and now the rules in this exam. One victory and you win!" The chairman raise a finger, "In other words, the person who finishes at the top will not pass. Does everyone understand now?"

"So you're saying that only one person will fail." Participate #294 asked. Ama believed she heard he was called Hansel? Hazel? Hanzo? Ah, that's the name, Hanzo.

"Exactly! Consequently, everyone has at least two chances to win."

"Why didn't you use a balanced bracket?" Participate #191 asked sourly.

"That's a logical question." Netero nodded, "This bracket was assembled based on your performances throughout the entire exam. Those who performed better received more chances."

"That doesn't sound right." Netero turned to Killua after his sudden outburst. "Can you explain how you scored our performances?"

"Impossible." Netero said bluntly.

"'Scuse me?!" Killua growled angrily at the man's immediate answer.

Netero chuckled, "Your scores are classified information. So I can't tell you everything. But I can explain our methods." He raised three finger, " First, we consider three major criteria: Physical strength, mental strength, and overall impression. For physical strength, we use an aggregate of agility, flexibility, endurance, and perception. For mental strength, we use an aggregate of resilience, adaptability, judgment, and creativity.

However, this information is only used as a reference point. After all, you were strong enough to advance to the Final Phase. However, we are most concerned with your overall impression. This refers to any intangible factors not previously mentioned. You could consider this an evaluation of your potential as a Hunter."

Oh? Ama glanced around the room, Looks like I'm against #227.

It was a man, who looks just a bit overweight. He had short and dull looking yellow hair with small brown eyes. He looks like the type to lose his temper quickly. She observed him a bit longer before returning her attention at the Chairman.

"The battle rules are quite simple. Weapons are allowed. No cheating. If your opponent admits defeat, you win. However… If you kill your opponent, you will be immediately disqualified. All remaining applicants will pass and the exam will end." Netero suddenly shouted with glee, "On that, let's begin the final round!"

The man in a suit that's acting as a referee announced, "The first match is Hanzo versus Gon. Please step forward."

The acting referee spoke again once Gon and Hanzo were in place, "I will serve as the referee. My name is Masta. Best of luck."

Hanzo turns to Masta, speaking as though they've been friends for a long time, "Hey, good to see you again." The man was surprise at the sudden greeting, "You were tailing me during the Fourth Phase."

Gon was surprise, "You noticed?"

"Naturally... I'm assuming that each applicant was assigned an examiner for the Fourth Phase. Well, I'm sure everyone else noticed."

Kurapika turned around to explain to a flabbergasted Leorio, "I noticed but I didn't know if I should've told you."

"The one who was my examiner is over there." The three, Kurapika, Leorio and Killua, saw another man in a suit with his hair parted to the side. Ama gave him a small wave.

The man noticed and slightly turned pink and bowed as if to apologize. The four stared at him in confusion before Ama had a hint of why he was apologizing.

"Ah. He must have seen me naked." She nonchalantly concluded.

The other three swerved their head so fast she could almost hear the bones cracking in protest at the sudden movement, "Hah?!"

"It's alright." She said. He nodded and turned away.

"Something's wrong with your head." Killua stated.

"I'm sure it's perfectly fine."

Hanzo continues talking with a smug look, "You have my thanks. My rank was higher because your reports on me were accurate. Though, the outcome was never in doubt!"

"Yes..."

"Moving on," Hanzo pointed at referee, "I have a question for you."

"What is it?" He sweatdropped, Such a talkative guy…

"We only win if our opponent surrenders, correct? It doesn't count if we knock them unconscious. No KOs allowed, either."

"Yes."

Hanzo looks down on Gon, "I see."

Masta steps back to begin the fight, "Now then, it's time to begin."

Hanzo stands there like a statue, moving only slightly while Gon steps back to move on the word 'go'.

"Begin!" Masta waves his hands, crossing them as he yelled out the word.

Gon darts off running straight past Hanzo. Although Gon was fast, he isn't as fast as Hanzo who appears in front of him almost instantly, "You must be confident in your legs. You have my respect." A swift chop to the back of Gon's neck almost knocked him out, "You did well for a kid."

Killua winced, "Ouch!"

"Well, this would already be over if it were a normal fight..."

Hanzo helped Gon back on his feet, "Here, wake up." Gon grits his teeth in pain as he struggles to stand, "You must feel terrible. I hit you hard enough to make your brain bounce around. Do you understand? You have no chance against me? Might as well give up now..."

"No way..." Gon growled in pain and stuck his tongue out.

Hanzo smacked Gon across the head. His head rung, "Think about it. If you surrender now, you'll still be in decent shape for your next fight. There's no reason to be stubborn."

Leorio and Kurapika winced as their friend continues to suffer.

"Just surrender." Hanzo casually said as if he was stating a fact.

"Never going to happen!"

A quick kick to the chest sends Gon groveling on the floor.

"Surrender."

Gon forces himself to stand with effort. Hanzo looks up with a sigh. He quickly punches Gon in the gut, making Gon clutch his chest as he struggles to stand.

As Gon tumble back on the floor once again, Leorio yells, "Gon! Don't be silly! You'll still have another chance! You should..."

"Silence, Leorio." Ama quietly interrupted but frostiness in her words silenced him, "Gon is not going to go down so easily. His stubbornness is clear."

Kurapika nodded, "If you were in Gon's position, would you surrender?"

"I rather die! But do you think I can't tell him that?!" Leorio argued, "Talking to him is the only thing I can do!"

"You're contradicting yourself, but I understand how you feel!" Kurapika retorts back. He looks calm but he was just as worried.

"You guys should just be quiet and watch." She shoved hands in her pocket and lean against the wall, "Gon's not going to lose."

"How do you know?!" Leorio snapped.

"Because of his unwavering determination." The phantom answered, "That and because I believe that he can."

Grumbling, Leorio turned to look back at the fight.

Time after time again, whenever Gon tries to get up again, Hanzo beats him down into submission.

Three hours had pasted and the fight have not stopped.

The ninja growled, "Get up." Can't the boy see it's futile to continue like this?

Leorio had enough, "Enough, already... I'm gonna kill you! I'll fight you in his place!" Hanzo turns to look at the doctor in irritation, "If you can't take it, leave. It's only going to get worse."

"What was that?!" Men in suits block Leorio off from interrupting the fight.

"No one may interfere in a one-on-one match. And if you step in, Gon will be the one disqualified!" Masta stated.

Leorio looked at the referee with mortification .

"It's okay... Leorio. This is... nothing... I-I can still fight..." Gon looks up with the raging fire of determination to win burning in his eyes.

Hanzo trips Gon in irritation, dropping him to the floor again. While Gon's down on the floor, he grabbed Gon's arm, resting it against his back, "I'm going to break your arm."

"I'm not joking around, so give up. Surrender."

"Never!"

The sound of bones breaking echoed around the room which was quickly drowned out by Gon's scream.

This time Ama flinched as well.

"There you go. You can't use your left arm anymore."

"Kurapika, don't try to stop me. If that bastard does anything else to Gon... Sorry, Gon, but I can't stop myself."

"Me? Stop you? Don't worry. There's no chance of that happening, Leorio."

"Don't ya dare take another step, ya baffons!" Leorio and Kurapika crouched down holding their pounding heads where a huge bump was forming as the phantom huffed, "You'll do more harm then good if you go. Gon is doing his best."

"Why are you so calm?!" Leorio towered over the phantom, "He's your friend isn't he? Why aren't you angry?!"

"I won't be calm if ya continue to act like some rabid dogs." Ama expression remains indifferent as a murderous aura surrounds her. She unsheathes her sword by an inch, "Understand?"

"Y-yes, madam…" The duo shivered from the iciness.

Hanzo sighed, "I'm sure you're in too much pain to listen, but hear me out." Hanzo does a handstand on one hand "I am descended from the shinobi, a clan of covert agents. From the day I was born, I was forced to endure harsh training in order to master the art of ninpo. For eighteen years, I have trained my body and technique, without rest. By the time I was your age, I had already killed a man." Hanzo moves his hand, pushing himself up on his fingers, "At this point in time," He moves his hand so his balancing on two finger, "You cannot defeat me in combat." He moves onto one next, "I'm trying to be nice. Admit defeat—"

A kick was delivered to the ninja's face making him fly back. Gon drops to the floor again like a sack of potatoes, "Ow..." Gon forces himself back up into a sitting position while he groans in pain, "Damn it!" While Gon clutches his arm, he yells in annoyance, "My head's cleared a bit, after all the pain and that long explanation."

"Yes! Gon, go! Kick him while he's down!" Leorio yelled as Gon pushes himself up to stand again.

"If you're eighteen, you're only six years older than I am. Besides, this isn't a battle to see who's stronger. It's to see who's willing to surrender first."

Hanzo stand up with a stoic expression, blood splattering from his nose, "I let you kick me on purpose."

"Liar!" Leorio shouted.

"Keep your opinions to yourself, Leorio…" Ama sighed softly.

"You don't understand..." Hanzo said as he wiped the blood off his nose, "This isn't a warning. It's an ultimatum. Was it too hard for you to understand? Then I'll make it easier for you."

Hanzo pulled out a hidden blade, "I'll cut off your legs, so that they can't be reattached." He pauses to give a couple of swings of his hidden blade, "A permanent injury should help to wake you up. But first, I'll ask you once more. Surrender."

The ninja grins while he holds the blade up to his face. Gon was silent, weighing his options before yelling, "I won't accept that!"

Everyone looks at Gon with an utterly confused, inexpressive face. "I don't want my legs cut off, but I don't want to surrender. So let's find a different way to fight!"

Hanzo is flabbergasted at Gon, completely lost for words, "Hey... Do you understand your situation?!"

The group starts to laugh at Hanzo's reaction to Gon's statement. Killua looked around in confusion while Ama huffed and tilted her head down to hide a smile.

"You don't get to make demands! Are you trying to insult me?! I'm seriously going to cut off your legs!"

"But I will not surrender." Gon retorted. His expression quickly morphs to a face of pure stupidity, "Besides, if you do that, I'll bleed to death." Peering to the side, Gon looks at the referee, "He'll be disqualified if that happens, right?"

"Oh, yes." Masta responded casually.

"See?" Gon whined as Hanzo gritted his teeth, "Neither of us wants that to happen. So let's think of a better way."

"I think he's okay now. Gon's taken control." Kurapika smiled.

"He's so stubborn…" Leorio blinked in surprise.

Ama patted his back, "What did I tell you?"

Kurapika smirked, "But he's succeeded in convincing Hanzo and the rest of us. Honestly..."

What is this? While looking around, Killua sees everyone laughing and smiling. The situation hasn't changed. Gon hasn't gotten stronger than his opponent. His broken arm isn't better either… But why... why is the brutal atmosphere from before suddenly so much lighter...?

Hanzo grits his teeth and aimed his blade at Gon's forehead, just barely piercing the skin, "You really don't get it... If you die, you'll never get another chance. If I kill you here, I need only try again next year. We are not on equal footing!"

He's right, Gon. You can try all you want to talk your way out of this, but he's far stronger than you. That isn't something you can neutralize on the spot. It all comes down to power.

"Why won't you concede?" Hanzo asked as he started to sweat, "It's easy to do. You can try again next year. You value your pride more than your own life?! You're really willing to die for your pride?!"

Gon spoke up, "I'm going to find my dad."

Leorio, Kurapika and Killua were caught off guard.

"Figures." Ama muttered.

"Your dad?" Hanzo asked.

"My dad is a Hunter. So I'm going to become a Hunter and find him! I believe that I'll find him one day... But I have a feeling that if I give up now, I'll never find him! So I won't surrender."

"If you don't yield, you'll die..." Hanzo pushes the blade forward only to have Gon push back. After a moment he returned the weapon back to its sheath. "I give up. You win."

The doctor and the Kuruta's jaw drop while Killua's eyes widen in shock.

Hanzo shook his head and waved, as he walk away, "I can't kill you But I can't think of a way to make you surrender. I'll take this loss and take my chances in the next Battle!"

"I can't accept that. That's not fair!" Gon points at Hanzo in anger. The ninja became more irritated. "We both have to think of a way to settle this fight!"

Hanzo faked a laugh, "Heh, I knew you would say that." Running back to Gon, Hanzo puts his finger in Gon's face, starting an argument between them like two little children, "You fool! There's no point, because you'll never surrender!"

"But I don't want to win like this!"

"What am I supposed to do?"

"We can work together to figure it out!"

Hanzo stood up straight, his eye twitching in irritation. "In other words, I've already given up on this match, but you want me to try win again, while helping you determine a way to make you feel good about your victory! Is that right?"

"Uh-huh!" Gon smiles widely.

Ama face palmed.

Hanzo uppercuts Gon in anger, knocking him out instantly, "You moron!"

"Hey," Hanzo turns to look at the Masta "Referee, I lose. Let's move on to the next match."

"Understood."

"When he wakes up, he'll probably refuse his license."

Leorio frowned, "That sounds like something Gon word do."

"Only one person will fail this round, right? If Gon fails, wouldn't that make the rest of our fights meaningless?" Hanzo asked.

"Don't worry. Gon has passed. Nothing he says can change that." Netero assured, "If Gon were to throw a fit and kill me, we still wouldn't be able to revoke his license."

"Very well." Hanzo uncrossed his arms, walking away to the sidelines.

"Why did you let him win?" Killua asked.

Hanzo stopped beside him, "Let him win?"

"I'm sure you knew how to make Gon surrender without killing him, given your skills." Everyone, excuding Ama, looked at him in mild surprise.

Closing his eyes, Hanzo faced him, "When I torture someone, I expect that person to hate me for the rest of their life. It's more effective and less stressful."

Hanzo opens his eyes, looking sternly at the albino, "When someone is in pain, their eyes show a gleam of hostility toward the one responsible for that pain. Even with extensive training, it is difficult to suppress that gleam of hate and rage. But there was no gleam in Gon's eyes. Can you believe it? I had just broken his arm. But his eyes had already forgotten about that."

Killua's eyes widen in shock, mouth open wide after hearing that.

"I guess you could say that he won me over. If you need a reason, there you go."

Killua stared at him speechless as he walked away.

"Second Match: Amarante against Que!"

"Good luck."

Ama look back at the kuruta and nodded, "Un. Thanks."

"Heh, don't think just because you're a little girl I'll go easy on you." Her opponent grinned, already looking down on her.

Ama merely bowed, "I hope you can give me a good battle. Although," She straighten, "Seeing that you're underestimating your opponent in battle means that you won't last long with a brain as small as your, ahem, what you males call, precious family jewels."

"Insulting your opponents makes them prone to mistakes." The elder blonde male said, "And keep this in mind, insulting a person's dick is most effective!"

"Master, I don't think you so be saying such a vulgar word in front of a girl and a child no less." The girl with cerulean hair and age of 10, said dryly.

"And for women it's either their breast size or their beauty!" Zen had completely ignored her, "But sometimes it their intelligence."

"…Is this all from experience?"

.

.

.

.

Ama sighed hopelessly, "I thought so."

"T-that's not—"

"Master, you're hitting close to 40 at age 35 and yet you're still single." Ama shook her head in sympathy, "At this rate you'll die single and forever alone."

The single and 35 years old man was brutally stabbed by arrows labeled single, forty and forever alone.

Most of the bystanders laughed at the insult while Que turned red with anger or embarrassment. Or maybe a little bit of both, "Y-y-you…!"

"Yes?"

"Begin!"

Que charged out of anger first but Ama jumped out of the way using his head as a lever to push herself off and landed on her feet. His threw a punch again but it nearly graze her as she dance out of the way. Grabbing her hoodie he swung her into the wall. As she flew into the wall she braced herself and winced. That was going to leave a bruise. He grabbed her again and threw her to the ground and kicked her, making her fly into the wall again.

"Oi, oi, oi, she's going to break!" Leorio shouted

"Are you done?" Ama took off her hoodie and wrapped it around her waist. Then she wipe off the blood from her mouth, "My turn."

She launched off the wall and head-butt him in the chest, knocking him over. When he managed to stand up she jumped and hooked her leg over his neck and brought him down ground hard. She lashed out again hooking her foot under his chin he flew backwards.

"She's strong." Kurapika observed.

"Most of her power is in her legs." Killua muttered.

"Kids these days are so not normal..." Leorio rubbed his face.

"Y-You… are you making fun of me?!" Que asked when he saw her waiting for him to stand up.

She brushed herself off, "Most certainly not. I'm simply just fighting at your level. Unless you want me to fight you at full strength, which is something I really don't recommend, be my guest."

He growled and charged at her swinging his fist, "You're looking down on me, stupid girl!"

She bend backwards, "I am most certainly am not." Once her palms touched the ground she lifted her lower body up, hooking her foot under his chin and swung him overhead. She flipped onto his chest, headfirst, knocking the breath out of him and flipped off him landing softly on her feet, "I'm not underestimating you nor am I overestimating you. Though…" Ama put a finger near her chin, looking thoughtful, "I think it was mostly luck that brought you this far."

"You little brat!"

She used the momentum of his punch to bounce off the wall. Her murderous aura caused the man to hurry backwards but then he tripped and fell on his back.

Big mistake.

Ama rocked towards the man, her kick aiming for the chest. But when he fell, it was too late to change her course and landed there. And the entire male population in the room either flinched or/and felt sorry for the guy.

The poor man screamed.

"…Ah, sorry." But as usual, she didn't sound sympathetic.

"I-I give u-u-up…" Que gasped as he curled up into a ball.

"The winner is Amarante!"

Ama glanced at the man as he half-crawled and half-walked over to the sideline. She raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Why are men so proud of their 'jewels' if they cause so much pain?

[A/n: I just can't imaging Ama saying 'dick' or 'penis.' Ahahaha… Well, I'm done for the day. Good night/afternoon/morning everyone. And thanks for waiting!

P.s. I didn't review this so this probably has lots of mistakes in it. Sorry!]

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