"The battle rules are quite simple," announced Netero. "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. Are we clear?" the applicants remained silent. Another voice echoed in the large room.
"Then, we shall begin the exam's Final Phase." Ronnie looked at the board again. #294 versus #405.
She turned back to the acting referee after staring at the board, not really comprehending what had just been said.
"Please step forward." Green Boy and Bald Ninja Guy (Ronnie's nickname for #294) both stepped forward. Everyone else lined up against the wall. Ronnie leaned back in her seat, tapping her foot impatiently. Tuning out, she ignored what was going on on the makeshift battlefield. Idly doodling in her notebook, she only jumped as a crack echoed through the room. She looked over to see Green Boy on the floor and clutching his arm. Bald Ninja Guy had clearly just broken it. Putting down her notebook and pencil, she watched with mild interest at the scene playing out before her. Why was she being so insensitive, you ask? Well, she isn't really close to these people, and therefore does not feel their pain. Although that does look painful. Ronnie commented mentally, wincing at the thought.
"I'm sure you're in too much pain to listen, but hear me out," said Bald Ninja Guy. He bent over and lifted himself into a one-armed handstand next to Green Boy, who was still trembling on the ground. "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." Ronnie rolled her eyes. Oh come on, I'm sure most of us have been through some kind of tortured past. She thought back to her own. Every time she thought of the moment she had asked her mentor if he would teach her how to fight, she shuddered. I now hate pineapples because of that bum. That atrocious hairdo… Ronnie then tilted her head. But I guess it all paid off in the end. When she turned back to the fight, Bald Ninja Guy was still talking.
"…By the time I was your age, I had already killed a man. At this point in time, you cannot defeat me in combat. I'm trying to be nice." Bald Ninja Guy had his eyes closed, so unfortunately for him, he couldn't see Green Boy getting up and facing him. "Admit defeat-" a green booted foot collided hard with his nose, and the bald ninja flew backward. Green Boy collapsed on the ground again.
"Ouch…" Green Boy squeaked, still clutching his arm. "Damn it!" he sat up fully, making an angry face at the ninja. "My head's cleared a bit, after all the pain and that long explanation." Ronnie started chuckling.
"YES!" shouted one of the other applicants. "Go! Kick him while he's down!" Ronnie snorted loudly and covered her mouth, giggling.
"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." Bald Ninja Guy got to his feet, blood flowing down from his nose, and said with a completely straight face;
"I let you kick me on purpose."
"LIAR!" shouted whom Ronnie had identified as Glasses, the guy in the suit.
"Be a man and admit he caught you off guard, you pansy!" Ronnie shouted. Bald Ninja Guy just wiped the blood from his face.
"You don't understand… 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," he withdrew a hidden blade from his sleeve, and even from against the wall, Ronnie could tell that it was wickedly sharp. "I'll cut off your legs, so they can't be reattached. A permanent injury should help to wake you up. But first, I'll ask you once more. Surrender." Silence was the only thing present as everyone watched the two gazing into each other's eyes, neither of them willing to back down.
"I won't accept that!" shouted Green Boy, making everyone pull identical blank faces. "I don't want my legs cut off, but I don't want to surrender. So let's find a different way to fight!" Ronnie was struggling to keep in her giggles, watching as the ninja fumed in front of his twelve year old opponent.
"Hey… Do you understand your own situation?!" Finally, Ronnie let forth a loud guffaw and a snort, eventually leading into a series of uncontrollable giggles. Out of tear filled eyes, she could see some of the other applicants chuckling or smiling.
"You don't get to make demands!" shouted the ninja, pointing his blade at Green Boy. "Are you trying to insult me?! I'm seriously gonna cut off your legs!" As Ronnie looked up from her fit of mirth, she could see a determined look on Green Boy's face. She furrowed her eyebrows. Have I met this boy before the exam?
"I will still not surrender," said Green Boy. "Besides, if you do that, I'll bleed to death. You'll be disqualified if that happens, right?" he looked over to the man acting as referee.
"Oh… yes." Answered Mr. Referee.
"See? Neither of us wants that to happen. So let's think of a better way."
Bald Ninja Guy's face was showing an expression of utter frustration. Well, if I were in that position, I think I would've already imploded from indecision… thought Ronnie. The atmosphere in the room had lightened considerably, and everyone standing against the wall seemed to have relaxed.
Suddenly, Bald Ninja Guy lunged forward, placing the tip of his blade right at Green Boy's forehead. Almost immediately, everyone stopped giggling, their faces dropping into more serious expressions.
"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!" the tip of the ninja's blade had caused Green Boy's forehead to bleed, making blood run down his face. However, Green Boy stayed perfectly still. Stubborn brat… thought Ronnie. Not a second later, she groaned and put her head in her hands. That sounded just like him dammit! I must be getting old… even though I'm only twenty-two…
Thirty tense seconds passed, and no one made a single move.
"Why won't you concede? It's easy to do. You can try again next year…" grumbled the ninja. "You value your pride more than your own life?!" he shouted, sounding a little hysterical. "You're really willing to die for your pride?!"
Green Boy stayed silent. This is like some crappy book… thought Ronnie, wondering if there was a popcorn machine anywhere nearby. Her head turned to Green Boy once more as he spoke.
"I'm going to find my dad." His… dad…? Ronnie scratched her chin in thought. He wants… to find… his dad… Her stomach began to feel a little constricted and she didn't know why. Why do I have such an uneasy feeling…?
"Your dad?" asked the ninja, looking a little surprised.
"My dad is a Hunter. So I'm going to become a Hunter and find him!" stated Green Boy, still holding his ground with the blade at his forehead. "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…" Bald Ninja Guy's resolve seemed to be crumbling. Ronnie shifted in her seat. Ugh… this is getting boring…
The ninja removed the blade from the boy's forehead and faced the referee.
"I give up. You win," He said, slipping the blade back into his sleeve. "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!" Green Boy looked cheated.
"I can't accept that. That's not fair!" he shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Bald Ninja Guy. "We both have to think of a way to settle this fight!" a vein appeared on the ninja's temple.
"Heh, I knew you would say that. 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!" the giggles were starting to tickle Ronnie's ribcage once again and she suppressed them, shoulders shaking. The ninja stood up to his full height before the twelve year old boy, eyebrow twitching.
"In other words, I've already given up on this match, but you want me to try to win again, while helping to determine a way to make you feel good about your victory! Is that right?"
"Yes!" confirmed the boy, a bright smile lighting up his features. This boy… this selfish little brat… Ronnie mentally grumbled, a disbelieving expression on her face. Bald Ninja Guy acted upon her thoughts almost immediately, giving the boy a vicious uppercut.
"You moron!" Green Boy bounced a couple times before lying still and unconscious on the floor. The ninja turned to the referee.
"Hey, ref. I lose. Let's move on to the next match."
"Understood."
Ronnie tuned out the rest of the conversation, yawning widely.
"Ronnie?" called a voice, snapping her out of her thoughts. She looked up, facing Chairman Netero.
"If you would kindly take him to one of the rooms, he needs to get patched up." She nodded, standing up and hoisting the boy onto her back. Making her way over to the door, she nudged it open with her foot and continued down the hall, making her way toward the closest room she could find.
The boy's wounds had been treated, and now he was lying peacefully in bed, his arm in a sling and a band-aid on his forehead. Ronnie was sitting cross-legged on a chair by the window, engrossed in what looked to be a short novel. Satotz sat by the other side of the bed, nearest the door. Ronnie jumped when the boy on the bed suddenly shot up into a sitting position, panting heavily. Satotz closed the book he had been reading, turning to face the boy.
"You're awake?"
"Where am I?" asked Green Boy, not noticing Ronnie as she idly turned a page, blinking slowly.
"A waiting room, next to the arena for the Final Phase." Green Boy jumped and turned to look at Ronnie, who had turned another page with a bit more strength than was necessary, a loud flapping noise accompanying the action.
"Yeah, I had to carry your ass in here. What the hell do you eat for breakfast, bowling ball butt?" the kid just blinked at the crude language pattern she had used. She sighed, closing her book and tossing it onto the bedside table as Satotz scooted his seat closer to the side of the bed.
"Right. I was in the middle of the Hunter Exam." Said the boy, looking down at the blanket over his legs.
"Your arm will heal quickly," said Satotz. "The break was very clean. In fact, once it heals, the bone will be stronger than before. In any case, congratulations on passing the exam." Ronnie let out a titter at Satotz's words, and he gave her a wry look. She put up both hands in an 'I surrender' gesture. Satotz held out his hand for Green Boy to shake.
"Satotz… I…"
"You can't. Just as someone who has failed the exam can no longer pass, someone who has passed the exam can no longer fail," Satotz said, looking the boy straight in the eye. "The rest is up to you. If you feel you are unqualified to be a pro, you are free to destroy or put away your license. You can even sell it, since no one else will be able to use it. However, a person who has passed the exam will not be allowed to take it again." Ronnie rested her chin in her palm and stared out the window as Satotz continued his explanation.
"Professional Hunters are treated well, largely due to our predecessors' efforts. Hence, there are many applicants who harbor ill intentions. If it weren't for them, we would accept every person who applied," Satotz handed the boy a folder, and once he opened it, his Hunter license was revealed to be inside. "Most professional Hunters consider this card more valuable than their own lives, yet no more than a worthless scrap of paper at the same time. The important thing is what you accomplish once you become a Hunter."
"What I accomplish…"
"It could be anything of notable importance, really," said Ronnie, crossing one leg over the other. "Catching wanted criminals, doing large ecological surveys, finding treasure… you name it." The boy watched as she got up and stretched, hearing a few pops from her back. She turned to Satotz.
"I'm not technically supposed to leave until the briefing for the rookies is over, so I'll be around if anyone needs anything." Satotz nodded and Ronnie exited the room. She wandered around the halls a bit before discovering a door that led to a courtyard. Trees shielded her from the sun, and a few benches were placed here and there against them. Ronnie flopped down onto one of them, relishing in the perfect temperature of the breeze and just the right amount of sun peeking through the leaves.
Meanwhile, half an hour later, Green Boy was sitting next to Satotz on one of the courtyard's benches, only a little ways away from where Ronnie was currently snoozing.
"Forgive me, but I couldn't help but overhear your conversation. I happen to specialize in the discovery, restoration, and preservation of ancient ruins. When I first began, I was only focused on the glory derived from new discoveries. But after watching a certain Hunter at work, I came to feel ashamed," said Satotz, looking down at his clasped hands. "That Hunter would discover ruins, spend his own money to completely restore them, and take steps to preserve the ruins for future generations, thus ensuring that ordinary people would have a chance to see them. I was more impressed by his dedication to his job than by the beauty of the ruins. The work he did to preserve those ruins has been documented in manuals used around the world. And this Hunter, Gon, was Ging Freecss, the man you were asking about."
Gon's face lit up in a smile, eyes shining. Satotz continued his story, looking over at the twelve year old with smiling eyes.
"I wished to meet him, so I did some investigating. However, quite frankly, he is an enigma. I wasn't able to learn anything about him…"
"Really? Figures." Said Gon, still smiling.
"My goal is to become a Hunter like him. My dream is to thank him in person one day." Gon nodded and began to get up, but Satotz called him to wait.
"Even though you've heard at least a little more about Ging, I'm really not the person you should speak to if you want information." Gon tilted his head, confused. Satotz continued when the boy stayed silent.
"While I was trying to find some sliver of information on him, I came across one of his students. Apparently, he had taken her on as a disciple when she was very young." He said, and Gon's eyes widened. "Her name is Veronica Penn. If you're looking for any leads, she's probably the first you should contact." By now, the boy's eyes were shining with determination. "That is all I have to say. Sorry for interrupting your previous conversation." Gon shook his head.
"It's okay. Thanks for everything, Satotz. Bye!" Gon began to jog away, but Satotz called out to wait.
"Oh… Gon…"
"Hm?"
"Oh, never mind. Take care of yourself."
"Yeah. You, too. Bye!" Gon ran back to his friends, the ones Ronnie had dubbed Blondie and Glasses.
Satotz watched the retreating form of Gon Freecss disappear into the lobby and looked over at the sleeping woman on one of the stone benches.
Perhaps I should have mentioned that she was right over there…
A/N: Hark! Another chapter!
