Kurapika, Ruma, Gon, Killua and Leorio and the rest of the applicants that made it exited the tower as all of them saw the clear blue sky along with the open ocean and an island out in the distance. along with The third phase examiner.
"Ahhh, Fresh air." Ruma said
"Yeah you said it" Leorio said
"Congratulations all of you who have made it through the third phase, All that remains is the fourth and Final phase. The Fourth phase which will take place on Zevil Island which is over there. now lets proceed" Lippo said snapping his fingers and as he did an assistance rolled out a box
"To begin with I need you all to draw slots now." Lippo said
"draw Lots for what?" Pokkle said
"For who you hunt and who hunts you, in this box are exactly 26 cards numbered cards, hwich mean that one of the numbered cards will correspond with your badge, now each of you will draw out a card in the order you exited the tower, now which one of you is first?" Lippo said
All of the Applicants then drew out there cards in the order they were told to.
"Now if you would, all of you remove the stickers on your cards" Lippo said
All of them then took off the stickers and looked at the Number
"The Number that you see is your target" Lippo said
everyone then quickly covered there Badges.
"This box has recorded the number that each of you drew, each card was tallied and stored in memory, so your welcome to get rid of your card if you wish.. the objective is to steal your targets badge" Lippo said
"So we don't have to kill each other?" Imori said
"The Method is up to you, it makes no difference...Now listen carefully collecting your targets badge will earn you three points, your own badge is also three points and any other badge is worth 1 point, To Pass the Fourth Phase you will need to collect six points, so during your time on Zevil Island. collect the 6 points you need or you will fail the Exam" Lippo said
(On a Boat to Zevil Island)
All the Applicants were now on a boat heading towards the island, with there guide Kara.
"All right everyone for the next 2 hours your all free to do what ever you like, thank you And i hope you all enjoy the rest of the voyage" Kara said going back into the ship
Hey Gon, Hey Killua" Ruma said
Hey Ruma" Gon and Killua said as she sat down right by them
"So uh who did you two get?" Killua said
"You First." Ruma said
"yeah what did you draw?" Gon said
"Its a secret" Killua said
All of them were silent for a second and then started to slightly laugh
"Don't worry, your not my target Gon, and neither are you Ruma I promise" Killua said
"Thats good You and Ruma aren't my target either" Gon said
"Same here, you guys are safe from me" Ruma said
"You want to show the numbers that we have at the same time?" Killua said
"Yeah" Gon said
"Sure" Ruma said
"Ready, Go" the three of them said showing there badges Gon had 44, Killua had 199 and Ruma had 198
"Wait Number 44? isn't that.." Ruma said
"Hisoka?...Yeah" Gon said
"You got some serious bad luck" Killua said
"You think so?..what about you two, whose Number 198 and 199?" Gon said
"I don't know, I didn't really pay much attention to anybody else when I was waiting for you guys in the tower." Ruma said
"I was hoping you would know who he is?" Killua said
"Nope sorry" Gon said
"If I had just been smarter about it I would've memorized everybodys numbers, but right when he explained it everybody already took off there badges So I wasn't able to, pretty lame huh?" Killua said
Gon then started to tense up a little but with a smile
"Hey Gon are you okay?" Ruma said
"You seem a bit Nervous or are you happy, which one is it?" Killua said
""a Little bit of both I guess If i had a fight with Hisoka one on one I wouldn't stand a chance against him" Gon said
"We already learned that the first time we tried to fight him remember?" Ruma said
"Yeah that's what I mean...but If all I have to do is take his badge, I don't know, might have a shot, but the way it is now all I know is, is that I have a chance. and to be honest is does scare me, but I think its worth it" Gon said
"I gotcha, Well lets all do our best Just don't get yourselves killed you two" Killua said getting up and walking off
"Yeah" Gon and Ruma said
(the Shore of Zevil Island)
"Okay then everyone you will be disembarking in the order you completed the Third phase from the Shortest to Longest..you will go ashore one at a time with a two minute intervals separating the applicants Alright? you will all be on the island for one week that means you have 7 days to collect your 6 points and return to this location first applicant get ready to disembark now" Kara said holding a Timer.
Hisoka then started to walk off,
"Alright the second person" Kara said
3 Applicants later.
"the 6th Person can go" Kara said
"Good luck out there Ruma" said
"Thanks Gon same to you" Ruma said waving bye as she started to Run out towards Woods
"Okay first things first I need to get some distance away from the other applicants and figure out who 198 is" Ruma said
Sometime Later...
Ruma was by a nearby stream filling up her canteen as she took a big drink out of it.
"Man I haven't seen a single person in hours and I still can't figure out who 198 is." Ruma said as she was looking up at the sky and noticed that the sun was going down
"its getting late hmmm, that tree looks safe" Ruma said as she climbed up the tree
"Oh Apples" Ruma said as she took one out of the tree and started to eat it she then took out her journal and started to go through it, but no matter how many times she did she never got tired of it.
"Dad...how did you do it?" Ruma said
it wasn't long until she fell asleep
(Flashback a few years ago in school)
"Alright everyone as you can see here by this Equation" the Teacher
Ruma who was sitting down at her desk, as she was tapping her foot as she looked out the window in boredom as,
RUMA!"
Ruma quickly looked up towards the teacher with shock
"Huh?" Ruma said
"I have asked you a question what is the answer?" the Teacher said
"Well...Uh, could you explain it again?" Ruma said
The entire Class just groaned in annoyance.
RIIIIIIIIING!
"Alright thats it it for today class, remember that your homework is due in two days" the Teacher said
Ruma just about to leave when suddenly she was stopped by her teacher
"Ruma can I talk to you for a second?" The Teacher
"Yes ." Ruma said
"Listen Ruma, you got to start paying more attention in class..I took a look into your grades and they have been slightly slipping, Is everything okay?" Ms Whalberg said
"Yeah everythings fine" Ruma said
"are you sure?" Ms Whalberg said
"I'm fine" Ruma said
"Well even if things are all right, I think it would be best to hold a parent teacher conference so that we can discuss a few things to help you, that will be all" Ms Whalberg said
Ruma just sighed in annoyance as she walked out the classroom
as she was getting her things she then started to hear some commotion coming from the other kids
"what is wrong with that girl?...It was a simple answer" a Kid said
"It was just her zoning out again" another kid said
"is she stupid?" Another kid said
Ruma just slammed her locker and walked off
(After school)
Ruma decided to take a long detour from her house to explore more of the large forest that was in her area, as she looked at the Meira mountains in the distance as she thought back at one of the creatures that she read from the journal
The Canineasaurus a Rare Reptile species, discovered in the outskirts of the Miera Mountains, its features strongly resembles a dog but with Reptilian attributes such as scales and talons and also lays eggs, but unlike reptiles it seems to be a warm blooded creature..."
"I just can't wait to go there one of these days" Ruma said
(A Couple hours later)
"Mom I'm home." Ruma said coming through the door. Ruma could see her mother sitting down on the couch with her head down.
"Mom whats wrong?" Ruma said
"What took you so long?" Rumas Mother said
"Oh uh I just decided to stay after school a little bit, you know just trying to get as much help as I can." Ruma said
"Ruma what did I say about lying to me?" Rumas mother said
Rumas Mother then put the Journal onto the table.
"You went through my Room!?" Ruma said shocked
"How much do you know?" Rumas Mother said sadly
"...Enough." Ruma said
Rumas Mother started to cry a little.
"The person who wrote it, was my dad right?" Ruma said
Rumas Mother just looked down.
"I Think its best I showed you the rest of his things." Rumas mother said as walked off to Grab the box that Ruma found in the Attic a while ago and put it down towards her, she then went through it and took out a Picture of a Man who was standing by a Large Creature that looked like a Scaly Dinosaur/Dog as he had his hand on it like he was petting it. Ruma looked at it with Curiosity.
"Is this..my dad?" Ruma said
Rumas Mother smiled a little.
"Yes and these were his things..When he went out to travel and he ever found something that he thinks I would like he would always send it my way." Rumas Mother said
"Is he still out there exploring finding more of those cool looking things and creatures? it must be so cool to be a Hunter being able to explore and do stuff like that, I Wanna d..." Ruma said in a exciting way
Rumas Mother started to worry what her Daughter was saying.
"...He's Dead." Rumas Mother said in a broken voice
Rumas eyes went wide.
"What?"" Ruma said
"He's been dead for a long time." Rumas Mother said
"How do you know he's Dead? " Ruma said Questioning.
"I just know." Rumas Mother said
Ruma then started to frown.
"How come you never told me about this? Don't you think I had the right to know who my Dad really was? Why did you lie to me?" Ruma said
"I'm just trying to protect you." Rumas Mother said
"PROTECT ME FROM WHAT!?" Ruma screamed
Rumas mother was silent
"FROM BECOMING A HUNTER!? IS THAT IT!?, WHY!? WHATS WRONG ABOUT ABOUT BECOMING A HUNTER?!" Ruma yelled
"YOU WILL NOT THINK ABOUT BECOMING NO SUCH THING!" Rumas Mother Yelled
"WHY NOT!? IS IT BECAUSE YOU THINK I WON'T BE ABLE TO HANDLE IT?!" Ruma yelled
Rumas Mother just kept her head down.
"So..You think I'm Stupid to huh? Just like the other kids?" Ruma said crying
Rumas mother looked up in shock at what her Daughter was saying
"Just because it takes me Longer to do stuff then other people doesn't make me Stupid! I'm capable of doing anything I want! and I want to become a Hunter!" Ruma yelled.
"...No." Rumas Mother said
Ruma angered, quickly snatched the journal from the table and ran into her room and closing the door.
after what seemed like hours Ruma was in the Kitchen cooking dinner mother decided to go and check on her
"Ruma Honey dinner is ready...Ruma?" Rumas mother said as she opened the door but as she did she noticed that some of Rumas drawers were completely emptied and the window open.
"Ruma..RUMA!?"
( 4 Days Later)
for the course of four days Ruma was having trouble trying to find her target
"This is terrible, what if I never find this guy?" Ruma said
"CRACK!"
Ruma quickly turned around with her Bo Staff out.
"Alright, Come on out now!" Ruma yelled
As she said that the figure came out with a sword in hand, the person didn't look to older then she did around Pokkles age.
"Who are you?" Ruma said
"The Name is Rongo, And your Number 406" The Man said
"What makes you so sure I am?" Ruma said
"Don't play dumb with me, I took a glimpse at your badge back at the Tower." Rongo said
"Dangit" Ruma said
" That makes you my target, Now are you going to hand over your badge or Am I going to have to Kill you for it" Rongo said
"Well..." Ruma said she then quickly turned around and Running off
"HEY GET BACK HERE!" Rongo yelled
Ruma was picking up the pace as she sprinted forward, and Rongo was trying his best to keep up with her
"How is she so fast?" Rongo said to her self
it wasn't long until he lost sight of her as both of them ran through some bushes and when he got out from the other end she dissapeared.
where did she go?" Rongo said
as he slowly started to walk around with his sword in hand,
Crack!"
Rongo then heard a noise coming from behind a tree
"I got you now you little brat" Rongo running to the side of the tree but when he did he only noticed a footbag in the leaves
"What?" Rongo said
"Dyah!" Ruma yelled as she jumped out of the tree towards Rongo with her staff, Rongo quickly looked up and quickly dodged out of the way, Ruma quickly twirled her staff and jabbed Rongo in the stomach, as Rongo quickly slashed towards Ruma horizontally and she quickly ducked away from it and jumped back, Rongo charged forward towards her Ruma then quickly kicked her footbag towards him quickly as it hit his head, She then quickly swiped the sword away out of his hands, hit him in the head a couple time and then tripped him by sweeping her staff under his leg, she then pointed the staff straight towards his neck.
"Ow, Okay you win, but sorry to say it I don't have my badge anymore so your out of luck." Rongo said
"I don't care, but can you tell me who this Number belongs to" Ruma said as she showed him the number
"198, One of the Amori Brothers?" Rongo said
"The Amori Brothers?" Ruma said
"Yeah Imori the Younger brother, His two older brothers jumped me and took my badge away from me, I was 197's target" Rongo said
"And I don't suppose you know where they are" Ruma said
"No" Rongo said
"Aw Man." Ruma said
Ruma then hit Rongo on the head with her staff knocking him out, and putting him up against the tree
"Wow your sure showed him"
Ruma turned and saw Pokkle walking towards her
"Pokkle" Ruma said
"Hey Ruma, don't worry its okay I already got my 6 points already" Pokkle said taking out the Badge of his target
"Oh well thats good to know, Well I'm off to find the Amori Brothers, see ya later" Ruma said
"Wait do you even know where they are?" Pokkle said
"Well No, but I still got a few days left to find them so it shouldn't be to hard" Ruma said
"How about I help you out?" Pokkle said
"How?" Ruma said
"Well I so happen to know where they are" Pokkle said
"Really?" Ruma said
"Yeah, so let me help you, think of it as a way of me paying you back for helping me get through the third phase and fixing my leg" Pokkle said
"Alright" Ruma said
Pokkle went to explain how he managed to find them earlier in means of staying away from them, because he was the target of Umori after eavesdropping on a conversation between the two when he was hiding.
"See, there they are" Pokkle said
"Wheres the third one?" Ruma said
"I don't know, but I remember them saying that they were going to go and find him soon" Pokkle said
"Hmm, well thanks Pokkle I can take it from here" Ruma said
"What? are you sure you won't need any help with this one?" Pokkle said
"No I'm good, you can go" Ruma said
"Well okay, See you at the shore in three days?" Pokkle said
"Yep, stay safe" Ruma said
Pokkle then gave her an assuring nod and started to take off as Ruma remained in the bushes waiting for the brothers to make there move.
(A couple hours later)
Ruma was now quietly tracking the two Older brothers Umori and Amori as they were heading to get there younger brother Imori,
"Ugh Come on you guys could you find your little brother a little faster?" Ruma said to herself
"All right if you don't come out I'll just come to you" a voice said
"Wait..That Voice." Ruma said as she carefully started to get closer,
Ruma quickly climbed up a tree and then looked forward and when she got a good look she Noticed Killua casually walking towards a Bush where she saw Imori hiding behind
"There he is" Ruma said
Ruma kept looking on as he saw the two older brothers Confront there other brother and criticize him for not getting Killuas badge yet,
Ruma just stayed put behind the tree as she was witnessing the confrontation, thinking on what she'll do next but before she could think on what to do she then saw her target Kick Killua hard in the gut sending at least 20 feet away.
"ha did you see that right in the gut, That must've hurt" Imori said
Killua then just simply jumped back up not even fazed as he took out a Badge
"Number 198 Huh?" Killua said
"Huh?" Imori said as he frantically checked his pockets
" So I'm Guessing one of you is 199...I'm I right?" Killua said
Ruma Just quietly looked on as she saw the three Brothers getting into formation Circling him.
"I got to do Something...all right as soon as I see an opening I'll knock the the big one right on the head" Ruma said as she slightly peeked to the side with Umori standing close as she was tightening her grip on her Bo Staff.
As Soon as Ruma took her first step to get from Behind the tree Killua suddenly vanished and then appeared behind Amori quikcly kicking him bring him down to his knees with his sharp Fingernails pointing towards his neck, shocking the two other brothers
"Don't move okay, my finger here cut better then any knife" Killua warning the two brothers and reaching into Amoris Pocket taking out his badge
"197?...Damn..Hey you, big guy your number 199 Right?" Killua said looking at Umori
"Yeah." Umori said
"Give it" Killua said
Umori then hesitatingly tossed him the badge.
"There we go...Now for the ones I don't need" Killua said
"This one goes this way" Killua said tossing the 198 badge right past the tree were Ruma was hiding and into the forest.
"And this one...Ugh...goes this way!" Killua said annoyed as he tossed the 197 Badge as hard as he could as it flew through the air.
"Well Good luck you guys, you have 3 days left to find them, Your Welcome!" Killua said with a smile quickly Disappearing
Damn!" Amori said pounding his fist into the ground
Ruma then quickly Ran off towards to where Killua threw the badge, To her luck, it didn't travel all that far but just to get a long distance away from the Brothers and she found it planted right into a tree
"There it is" Ruma said taking it out seeing the 198 Badge
Yes I finally got my 6 points!...Its a bit odd how the way he tossed it over here, almost like he...wanted me to find it." Ruma said as she was thinking
You have 3 days left to find them, Your Welcome!"
"He knew I was there the whole time!?" Ruma said
(two Days Later)
Only One more Day left to go" Ruma said to herself as she was sitting on a nearby tree tossing her footbag in the air as she looked out towards the open water near the shore
Suddenly she started to hear rumbling in a nearby tree
"Oh no" Ruma said as she stayed perfectly still.
and when she looked on she then noticed Gon Quickly appearing.
HEY GON!" Ruma yelled
Gon quickly turned towards her
"RUMA!" Gon said as he jumped towards her
"glad to see your all right" Ruma said
"Same to you, so did you get the points you needed? "Gon said
"Sure did and you?" Ruma said
"Uh..Yeah I got them, So what are you up to?" Gon said
"Just waiting for the day to go by, I was thinking of looking for Leorio and Kurapika to see how there doing" Ruma said
"So am I, you want to come along?" Gon said
"Sure" Ruma said
(Later)
"Do you see anyone?" Leorio said
"No, that is to say no one that can easily be spotted" Kurapika said
Dammit" Leorio said
"Perhaps we should split up and keep looking, but first we should pick a time and place to reconvene" Kurapika said
"And it'll go way faster with four people"
Leorio and Kurapika turned around and saw Ruma and Gon jump out of the trees
"Gon, Ruma!" Leorio and Kurapika said surprised
"Hey Guys!" Ruma said excitingly
"it seems that all of us were thinking of the same thing, we looked from above and noticed alot of people nearby" Gon said
"From Above, why didn't we think of that?" Leorio said
"It wouldn''t have mattered, without Keen eyesights like Gons it would've been pointless...Anyway you two managed to get your points?"Kurapika said
"You Betcha" Ruma said with a smile
"Damn so that just leaves me the only one" Leorio said
"Whose your Target?" Gon said
"Number 103 A man named Bourbon " Leorio said
"Oh you mean that Snake charmer guy?" Ruma said
"Yeah the one that Tonpa told us about when we first arrived at the Exam site..Gon I don't suppose you spotted him did you?" Leorio said
"Sorry but I didn't" Gon said
"I see"" Leorio said
"Alright, there are four possibilities we should consider, hes safe and is still in possession of his badge, hes alive, but no longer has it, he's out of the competition but has held on to his badge or hes dead now and he doesn't have his badge" Kurapika said
"Do you really think it unlikely that he's both dead and still has his badge" Leorio said
"Its possible that he may have gotten into an accident or its possible that he was defeated after hiding his badge somewhere for safe keeping, if thats the case, theirs no hope of ever finding it" Kurapika said
"You know the more you talk, the worse the scenario gets" Leorio said
"Come on there has to be a way to find him somehow" Ruma said
"Hey Kurapika do you know anything else about Bourbon like does he wear some kind of special Fragrance Like Leorios Cologne? 'Gon said
"Unfortunately no, the only thing we know about is that he covers himself with highly trained snakes for Defense and Offense Purposes thats about it" Kurapika said
"Oh" Gon said putting his head down
"Well...What about the snakes?" Ruma said
"Huh?" Kurapika said
" Don't snakes give off Specific Odors? If Bourbon surrounds himself with a large amount of Snakes all the time wouldn't we be able to track him that way?" Ruma said
hmm..Wait thats right, Snakes do give off distinct Odors as a defense mechanism." Kurapika said
"Yeah but what kind of Odor should we look for specifically?" Gon said
"Cucumbers" Ruma said
"What?" Everyone said
"Some snakes mainly venomous ones give off a very Musky Cucumber Scent its something that I learned back when I use to go into the woods a lot, my mother always warned me to stay away from areas with Odors like that, someone like Bourbon must carry a lot of Venomous Snakes like that" Ruma said
"Right and with Gons sense of smell he should be able to Pick up a small confined area of that scent." Kurapika said
"I don't know do you really think it will work?" Leorio said
"I know it sounds like a long shot but its the only thing we have going for us right now" Kurapika said
"Yeah your right, I'll take anything at this point, I hope your right about this Ruma" Leorio said
"Well Gon?" Kurapika said
"right I'll give it a shot, after all its why I'm here" Gon said
as the hours rolled by Gon and his Friends were now traveling Across the island as Gon was leading the way tracking the high concentrated scent of Cucumber, Crossing Grassy Plains, Streams etc. and as the Sun was slowly going down they found themselves by a cave.
"Is he in there?" Leorio said
"Yeah a really strong scent of Cucumbers is coming out of there" Gon said
"A Cave? well it certainly fits a place were snakes would be at" Kurapika said
"All right..I'm going in, I want you guys to wait here, wait until I give the okay and you three can come in" Leorio said as he was walking towards the cave
"30 Minutes, If after 30 minutes we don't hear from you were heading in" Kurapika said
"No Way, If you three don;t hear from me you all head back to the shore" Leorio said
"Thats not an option, we made an alliance and I'm not going to abandon you" Kurapika said
"Then consider the Alliance over from here on out, I know its Selfish considering how much all of you have helped me get this far but this is something I need to do on my own" Leorio said
"No!" Ruma yelled
"Yeah No way!" Gon said
"What did you two say!?" Leorio said
"Were all staying here because we want to, it our choice so is that a Problem?" gon said
"Yeah your not the Boss of us! and If we want to stay to make sure your all right then were going to wither you like it or not!" Ruma said
"errr...fine suit yourselves" Leorio said tossing his briefcase to Gon
"Hold onto that for me will ya?" Leorio said taking out a lighter to light his way through the Cave
Leorio then started to slowly walk down the long Cave as he Carefully traversed it and as he went further he then noticed a Dim light in the distance Leorio then Slowly Took out his Pocket knife and as he got close he noticed Bourbon slumped up against the wall with his head down and legs out with the Lantern Collapsed on the ground.
"Bourbon" Leorio said
"I wouldn't get near him if I were you"
Leorio then turned and noticed a Woman with Large yellow hat sitting down casually on the ground
"Who are you?" Leorio said
"My names Ponzu, and I'm warning you not to get near him, to be frank don't do anything at all" Ponzu said
"What do you mean!? He's my target, I have to get his badge!" Leorio said
"Even if by some miracle you managed to get it, its pointless, your not getting out of here" Ponzu said
"What? Why? What are you talking about?" Leorio said
(Outside of the Cave)
"Okay I'm starting to get worried now" Ruma said tapping her foot
"Yeah me too he's taking to long, What do you think Kurapika do you think he's okay?" Gon said
"Yes, But he's 30 minutes are almost up" Kurapika said
"KURAPIKA, GON, RUMA, DON'T COME IN!" Leorio yelled
"HE'S IN TROUBLE!" Ruma yelled running
The three then quickly ran into the Cave as fast as they could and when they reached the end They Noticed Leorio on the ground covered in Snake bites
"Leorio!" Ruma yelled running to his side
you...idiots" Leorio saids weakly
"He's covered in snake bites" Kurapika said
Gon then Quickly Tried to suck out the poison out of Leorios Arm and spitting it out
"Stop it...one cut in your mouth or even a little cavity..." Leorio said
"Don't worry about it" Gon said
"Ruma then quickly Opened up his briefcase
"come on there must something in here we can use." Ruma said
"Leorio you wouldn't happen to have any antivenom?" Kurapika said
"...No...If i did...maybe...I would've been able to save...you guys at least" Leorio said before falling into unconsciousness
"Leorio!" Ruma yelled
"Quick we need to patch him up and stop the bleeding" Kurapika said
(One Patch up Later)
"That should do it" Kurapika said
"We have to get him to a doctor" Gon said
Gon, Kurapika and Ruma help Leorio up ready to walk out of the closed area of the cave
"I wouldn't advise that, you aren't getting out easily" Ponzu said
All of them turned and saw Ponzu
"what do you mean?" Kurapika said
"what I mean is that were trapped..Look" Ponzu said
All of them looked and noticed a huge Wall of snakes blocking there way.
"If you attempt to get out of here you, the snakes will attack in mass...its a trap set by Bourbon, and if your bitten you'll be paralyzed and then you'll die" Ponzu said
"Kurapika then turned toward Bourbon
"Bourbon your looking for badges right, We''ll give you everyone we have, please just let us out of here!" Kurapika yelled but with no Response
"HEY AREN'T YOU LISTENING!?" Ruma yelled
"Don't bother...Can't you see..He's dead" Ponzu said
all of them looked and noticed that Bourbons eyes were glazed over, and unresponsive.
"Oh No" Ruma said
"So What your saying is the person who set up this is dead!? How did he die!?" Kurapika yelled
"Well I killed him... but my methods are a trade secret" Ponzu said
"Gon, Ruma, Take care of Leorio" Kurapika said letting go of Leorio as he walked towards Bourbons Body and as he did a bunch of snakes jumped out of his Tunic quickly surrounding Bourbons body
"Its no use, I'm sorry but you won't be able to search him I already tried, the snakes are well trained" Ponzu said
Kurapika then carefully looked at Bourbons hands and throat and realized they were swollen and bruised
"These look awful lot like Bee stings...so you fought poison with poison...am I right? So its likely he died from anaphylactic shock " Kurapika said surpirisng Ponzu that he managed to find out her secret.
"Heh, yep thats what happened, you got me" Ponzu said
"Wait so you killed him with bees?" Gon said
"I was Bourbons target... when I managed to get my 6 points by knocking out my target, Number 86 with my Sleeping gas I decided to lay low until the deadline, but unfortunately Bourbon ended up finding me, I Managed to get away but only for a while and out of Desperation I ran into this cave hoping I would be able to get away from him but as you can see I hit a dead end, so I waited, hoping to get the drop on him, and it worked...as soon as he entered this Area I set my bees to attack him." Ponzu said as she tapped her hat as Bees came out of it
"Thats were you keep all your bees!?" Ruma yelled
"Yep. but unfortunately I didn't know that while I was waiting for him he set up his snake trap near the exit in order to have me cornered in here it, I managed to jump away before I got bitten, and before I knew it he collapsed near the wall over there...I didn't expect him to die though, how could I have known he was allergic to bees and his snakes kept me from helping him, well not like I could've done anything anyway" Ponzu said as she signaled her bees to go back into her hat
"So were trapped without any hope of Escaping, so its hopeless I gave up were stuck until the Exam Committee comes and rescues us." Ponzu said
"Exam Commitee?" Kurapika said
"How will they rescue us?" Ruma said
"Don't you know, each of our Badges has a transmitter inside them, its how the Examiners are able to keep track of each applicant, and when the deadline hits, they go out and look for them, however if your badge gets lost or stolen your on your own, luckily theres onyl one more day left, best to just give up and try next year" Ponzu said
"We can't do that, Leorio needs Medical attention now" Kurapika said
"The Examiners aren't going to budge until the deadline hits, its his fault anyway, I tried to warn him before he got himself bitten, All you can do for him is pray that he can mange to hang on until help arrives" Ponzu said
"No theirs another way, one with a good chance of success but if i'm wrong we'll have another fatality on our hands" Kurapika said
"what are we going to do?.. Leorio going to die and its all my fault...we wouldn't be in this mess, If I didn't think of a way to Track Bourbon, I'm so stupid!" Ruma yelled frustrated
" Ruma calm down, its not your fault, theirs still a chance for him to make it!' Kurapika said
"HOW!?" Ruma yelled
"Kurapika, Ruma take care of Leorio" Gon said as he was walkign towards Bourbon
"Gon What are you doing?" Ruma said
"Just trust me I got this" Gon said
"Hey didn't you listen to a word I said your going to get bitten!" Ponzu yelled
Gon then reached his hand towards Bourbon and as soon as he touched him a Bunch of snakes then Attacked Shocking everybody
"GON!" Ruma yelled
"He's out of his mind!" Ponzu yelled
"I GOT THEM!" Gon yelled as he lifted his hands up with a bottle of antidote and two Syringes and in the other hand Bourbons Badge.
"KURAPIKA CATCH!" Gon yelled tosing the item Towards him
Gon then Collapsed to the ground as the snakes slithered away
"Quick give it..to Leorio" Gon said
Kurapika quickly administrated the Anti venom into Leorios arm
"There, Ready Gon?" Kurapika said getting the other syringe ready
"Yeah" Gon said
"I don't believe it, he jumped into a nest of snakes looking for an antidote that he wasn't sure was even was their" Ponzu said
"Yes but the odds were in his favor if you poison someone, you can't bargain unless you have the antidote" Kurapika said
"Yeah but it was still pretty risky" Ponzu said
Ruma then checked Leorio
"He's breathing normally now, I think he's going to be okay" Ruma said
"You all must be really good friends" Ponzu said
Gon then slowly got up as he could feel himself being able to move again.
"Ow" Gon said weakly
"Here drink some water" Ruma said taking out here Canteen
"Thanks" Gon said as he took a big gulp
"Well now all that leaves is us getting out of here in one piece" Kurapika said
"Hey Ponzu" gon said
"yeah" Ponzu said
"I don't suppose you have anymore of that sleeping gas left that you mentioned earlier right?" Gon said
"I do Actually, why?" Ponzu said
"I was thinking, could you use it one more time, you should be able to knock out all of the snakes out with it, then we can escape" Gon said
"What are you talking about? whats the point of releasing the gas in here if were gonna be knocked out with them, it'll take at least five minutes for the entire cave to be filled with it...five whole minutes! thats way to long for someone to hold there breath" Ponzu said
"Nine Minutes and forty-four seconds" Gon said
"What?" Ponzu said
"Thats my record of holding my breath..you can count on me..I'll get you out of here" Gon said
"Why should I trust you? your just gonna leave me here and escape by yourselves" Ponzu skeptically said
"You really believe that? you saw what he did to hellp out Leorio" Kurapika said
"Yeah you can trust him" Ruma said
"I'lll get you out...I Promise" Gon said
"...All right" Ponzu said as she took out her Sleeping Gas and setting it
"its ready to go" Ponzu said
"Wait for my signal" Gon said
Ponzu then nodded
Gon then Took a huge Breath and then Gave Ponzu the Thumbs up
Ponzu then Released the Sleeping gas, it wasn't long until everyone except Gon was knocked out as he was counting up in his head
199, 200,201,202,203,204,205..."
(Outside of the Cave: Nighttime)
as the cave was saturated with Sleeping Gas Gon then ran out of the Cave carrying Ponzu, Ruma, Leorio and Kurapika out
"ALL RIIIIIIIGHT!" Gon yelled
(The Next Day)
Phase four of the Exam is now officially over, all remaining Applicants please return to the starting point at once, you will be give one additional hour to make it to the starting point, if you are not here by that additional hour you will fail the exam, further more exchanging badges at the starting point is prohibited any attempt to do will result in immediate disqualification
"everyone then gathered near the shore as the boat docked near the Shore
"Allright now will check the badges of everyone present, number 44 , number 53 , Number 99 Mr. Killua, Number 301 Mr. Gittaracker, Number 191 Mr. Bodoro , Number 294 Mr. Ganzo so only six applicants have passed?...Oh Wait" the Spokes Woman said looking into the forest, Gon, Ruma, Leorio, Kurapika and Ponzu then walked out of it
"Gon, Ruma!" Killua said surprised
"Killua!" Ruma and Gon yelled
"Whoa five more? You sure are cutting it close..now the last five and they are...Number 404 Mr. Kurapika , Number 406 Ms. Ruma , Number 403 Mr. Leorio, Number 246 Ms. Ponzu, and Number 405 ..So these eleven applicants...Have Passed the Fourth Phase of the Exam!" the Spokes Woman yelled in congratulations as the HA Blimp hovered above them
it wasn't long until everyone that passed Boarded the Blimp to head to the final phase.
"Dammit...I'm so Pathetic..the Whole fourth Phase I relied on you three to do everything for me...I Promise I'll return the favor..so Ugh thanks" Leorio said turning his head away. Leaving Ruma, Gon, and Kurapika to smile
"HEY!"
The Four of them looked and noticed Ponzu walking towards them
"Ponzu?" Gon said
"Look...I...I just wanted to say...Sorry for doubting you back at the cave" Ponzu said kind of embarrassed
"Its nothing, if it wasn't for your sleeping gas we wouldn't have gotten out of there" Gon said
Ponzu then just let out a slight smile and an assuring nod
"Thank you" Ponzu said as she walked off
The four friends then heard an announcement coming from the intercom
Attention Applicants, the chairman wishes to interview you when you hear your number come to the Reception room on the second floor, we'll start wiith Number 44 thank you for your cooperation."
"An Interview with the Chairman?" Kurapika said
"I wonder what its about?" Ruma said
(Reception Room)
" Ruma, please have a sit" Netero said with his open scroll and brush
"Okay" Ruma said as she sat near the table with Netero on the other side
"You did quite well to make it this far" Netero said
" Oh..Um..Thank you" Ruma said
"Now if you don't mind I would like you answer some questions..Why do you want to become a Hunter?" Netero said
"Well to discover new creatures, Ones that haven't been discovered or aren't very well known" Ruma said
"I see...Next question, which out of the 10 applicants you have your eyes on?" Netero said
"That would be Number 191 I heard he's master martial artist like my teacher, Theres also Gon and Killua mainly because were the same age" Ruma said
"Your Teacher?" Netero said
"Yeah the man that trained me...I'm hoping to make him proud by passing this years Hunting Exam" Ruma said
"Interesting...And which out of the 10 applicants you least want to fight?" Netero said
"Hmmm, that's tough, but if I had to choose I would pick Number 301 the needle guy, He gives me the creeps" Ruma said
As Ruma exited out she Sw Killua walking down the hallway
"Hey Killua" Ruma said running towards him
"Ruma" Killua said
"I Never did get to say thank you for helping me get my badge" Ruma said
"It wasn't a big deal or anything" Killua said
"It was, Thank you" Ruma said giving him a hug which kind of startled him for a minute
"Your a good friend...Well good luck on the final Phase" Ruma said smiling
"You do to" Killua said
(The Next Day In the Arena Room)
"Well ladies and gentleman everyone rested?...Good now then the Hunter Exam Commitee runs this Hotel. So I want all of you to make yourselves at home until the fights have been concluded" Netero said as a Tournament board was wheeled in front of them
"Wait so only one person will be able to pass?" Leorio said
"No...You only need one win to pass...You see its the winners that will drop away and the losers will be the ones that will adavcne..meaning the one that finishes at the top will not pass" Netero said
"So what your saying is only one person will fail the exam?" Hanzo said
"That is correct" Netero said
"This is what I set up" Netero said as he took the Sheet off revealing whose fighting who. Gon was up against Hanzo Number 294, Kurapika was up against Hisoka, and Ruma was up against Ponzu
"You see under this format everyone has at least two chances to win a round" Netero said
"Yeah but some have five chances like Number 294, and 405" Pokkle said
"Couldn't you have made a more balanced bracket?" Botoro said
"Now that is a fair question this bracket carefully assembled on each of your individual performances Throughout the Exam to put it simply, those whose performances were rated highly will have the most chances to win" Netero said
"..I'm not convinced, could you explain how you scored our Performances?" Killua said
"Hmmm...NOOOOOO!" Netero yelled in a goofy face
"What!? Why not?" Killua said
"I can't say because its classified..However I can explain the criteria we used in order to to score your performances..we start with the basics there are three Categories, Physical Strength, Mental acuity and Lastly overall Impression, when judging Physical Strength we rely on an aggregate of Agility flexibility, endurance and Perception, on Mental Acuity that consists of resilience, adaptability Judgement and of course Creativity But these are only reference points after all every last one of you was strong enough in mind and body to make it to the final phase, were most concern with your overall impression this refers to any tangible factors that defy basic categorization, think of it as our way of assessing your potential as a Hunter, we round out our assessment by incorporating the opinions of your peers...there you have it" Netero said
"based on my performance I should be ranked higher..,..Do I have less potential the Gon?" Killua thought
"The rules of the battle are quite simple, Weapons are allowed, Cheating is Forbidden, and if your opponent admits defeat you win, however if you kill your opponent you will be disqualified without hesitation, and if that happens the exam is over and the remaining applicants pass, got it!?" Netero said
Everyone then gave an assuring silence
"Let the final phase of the exam begin!" The referee said
The First Fight started between Gon and Hanzo as they took there positions.