Hope x And x Ambition
Fearsome monsters… Exotic creatures…
Vast riches… Hidden treasures…
Evil enclaves… Unexplored lands…
The word "unknown" holds magic.
And some incredible people are drawn to that magic.
They are known…
….as Hunters!
"The Hunter Exam will now begin! I am Satotz, the Phase One examiner. You must follow me to Phase Two. This is the exam's First Phase," He informs the applicants, and they soon begin running.
Two hours have passed since the start of the exam.
The applicants have travelled over thirty kilometres from the start.
None of them knows how far they must go.
They are forced to run at the leader's pace, with no goal specified.
It's a monotonous course with no end in sight.
And many applicants have already dropped out.
The Hunter applicants continue to run, and though many of them have fallen from exhaustion, there are still many left. "Extrapolating from historical data, this exam type usually involves a forty-kilometre course," Nicolas guesses, feeling confident in his data collection. "My calculations suggest that we are nearing the goal…." He runs at the front of the pack, making an irritated noise.
"I underestimated the Hunter Exam," Leorio groans as he runs nearer the back. "Every person here is a monster. It's a gathering of monsters…." Killua rolls past on his skateboard, agitating the older teen. "Hey! Wait up, kid!"
"Hmm?" Killua looks at Leorio.
"You should show the Hunter Exam some respect!" He yells at the silver-haired kid.
"What do you mean?" Killua questions.
"Why are you using a skateboard? That's cheating!" The older teen shouts, pointing at the object.
"Why?" The kid asks him.
"Why… This is an endurance test!" Leorio snaps.
"No, it isn't," Gon argues, surprising him.
"Gon, what are you saying?" He asks his friend.
"The examiner only told us to follow him," The dark green-haired boy reminds him.
"Whose side are you on, eh?" Leorio sneers.
"Gon's!" Gigi jokes.
"Not funny!" He yells, and Killua, intrigued by the twins, slows his skateboard down and looks at them.
"Hey, how old are you?" Killua asks.
"We're twelve years old," Gon answers.
"Hmm…" "We're the same age," Killua ponders as he studies the twins and comes to a decision. As he jumps off his skateboard, flipping the board into the air as he jumps, impressing the twins as he lands on the ground and runs alongside them. "Guess I'll run too."
"Wow! That was cool!" He praises him as he runs up alongside the silver-haired boy, and Gigi does the same.
"I'm Killua," He introduces himself.
"I'm Gon," He introduces.
"I am Gigi," She introduces herself, and Gon goes to open his mouth, but Killua nods, seeming to understand her, making her smile.
"Damn it… Making a fool out of me…." Leorio groans as he watches the three twelve-year-olds in front of him, seeming to have the energy to continue running, though Nicolas is losing the stamina to continue; his data has been wrong.
"Impossible," Nicolas gasps as he tries to keep up with the runs at the back of the pack. "My calculations are never wrong! So why… Am I…going to fail? For me to fail… That's absurd. Unthinkable!" He tries to keep running. "I won't accept that!" He shoes and the three brothers in front of him smirk, seeing him falling behind as he drops his laptop, smashing it to the floor, and the brothers slow down to run along with him.
"Hey, rookie!" Amori calls out.
"You're a mess," Umori comments.
"It's rare to see someone out of steam so early. You must be a hell of an incompetent," Imori adds.
"People like you are doomed to fail the Hunter Exam. " Amori comments.
"So don't come back, snotrag!" Umori sends the final blow, and Nicolas falls to his knees with a cry as he gives up.
"Here. Thanks," Tonpa thanks the brothers, handing over a few bills. "Great work," Imori takes the cash, pocketing it.
"He won't recover from the abuse we just dished out," Amori informs him.
"I doubt he'll ever take the Hunter Exam again," Umori adds.
"Anyway, Tonpa…" Imori says. "You really do love crushing rookies."
"I live for it," Tonpa replies with a smug grin and up ahead at the front of the group that grows ever smaller, Satotz runs a little faster with no end in sight.
"It's been about four hours since the exam began. We must have travelled at least sixty kilometres. How much farther do we need to go?" Kurapika ponders as he runs, aware that Leorio is beginning to lag behind, growing tired.
"Only one rookie, every three years, passes the Hunter Exam. So for a normal human like me, it isn't even worth dreaming about… Damn it," Leorio groans as he tries to keep up, but he grows slower as a few other runners pass him. Finally, he drops his briefcase, coming to a stop, breathing heavily with sweat dripping from his nose. Gon stops, seeing his friend in trouble, and Killua stops, seeing why he stopped. Gigi continues to run, unaware of her brother stopping, though she looks around, seeing her brother missing, and looks back to see why and jogs to join her brother and Killua.
"Hey, forget him," Killua tells him. "Let's get going," But Gon doesn't move.
"Give him a minute," Gigi tells the silver-haired boy, and Leorio catches his breath.
"Screw that…" Leorio grits his teeth, finding a burst of energy. "I'm gonna become a Hunter! Damn it all!" He races past the tweens, Gon uses his fishing rod to grab the fallen briefcase, and Gigi catches it.
"Cool!" Killua compliments them, and they run to catch up with the group. "Let me try that later."
"If you let me try your skateboard, okay?" Gon bargains.
"I want to try too!" Gigi signs as they catch up with the other Hunter applicants and find they are nearing the end of the tunnel as they come to a set of stairs that doesn't seem to end.
"We've reached the eighty-kilometre mark." Satotz remarks as he looks over his shoulder at the remaining applicants. "It is now time to pick up the pace a bit," He starts taking the steps three at a time.
"Wait, are you serious?" Todo groans as he watches the examiner speed up.
"That guy's insane. He's prancing up the stairs, as if they're not ever there," Hanzo comments.
"If he keeps up this pace, tons of people will fail," Geretta groans.
"Gon, Gigi, wanna race to see who finishes first?" Killua asks the twins as they come to the bottom of the stairs.
"Sure," Gon agrees.
"The loser has to buy dinner," Gigi tells them.
"Okay, you're on!" Killua agrees.
"Ready… Go!" The boys shout and race off, leaving Gigi behind for a second, and she runs after them. Leorio, having regained his energy back a little, keeps on running and catches up with Kurapika in the middle of the group.
"Leorio, are you okay?" Kurapika asks him.
"Sure! Just look at me. I realised that I can keep going if I don't worry about how stupid I look!" Leorio replies and picks up the speed.
"I should probably follow his example," He smiles and takes off his blue tabard, putting it in his bag and picks up speed, matching Leorio. "Leorio… I have a question."
"What? Is this too easy for you, Kurapika? Talking just wastes energy!" He replies.
"Are you really trying to become a Hunter for the money?" The blond asks, and the grin gets wiped off the taller teen's face. "You aren't, right? We've only been together for a few days, but I know you better than that. Sure, you have a nasty attitude, and you aren't very bright," Leorio makes a funny noise of anger. "But you're not a shallow person. I've seen many who live for money. You're nothing like them."
"You and your logic…." Leorio groans and continues to run; the blond teen looks at him.
"Scarlet eyes," He says, and the older teen looks at him. "That's why the Kurta were targeted. We Kurta are known for our unique scarlet eyes. When our emotions are heightened, our eyes turn scarlet, as though on fire. The eyes in that scarlet state are considered one of the seven most beautiful colours in the world. They command high prices on the black market."
"Thats why the Phantom Troupe attacked you?" The older teen asks.
"They took every single eye from my brethren's corpses. I can still hear their darkened eyes crying out in anguish… I swear I will capture the Phantom Troupe! And I will reclaim the eyes of my clan!" Kurapika vows, his anger never wavering.
"That's why you want to be a Hunter?" Leorio asks him.
"Yeah, if I become a Hunter with rich clients, I'll gain access to black market information," He replies.
"But you'll have to swallow your pride and become the kind of Hunter you despise!" The older teen warns him.
"The blow to my pride is nothing measured against the suffering my clan endured," The blond replies, not minding the work as long as he achieves his goal. The twins and Killua race up the stairs together behind the older teens.
"Sorry, but I have no noble cause," Leorio tells him, surprising the Kurta. "I'm just after money."
"Don't lie!" Kurapika snaps, not believing him.
"I'm not lying!" He argues.
"You really believe you can buy everything with money?" The blond asks him.
"You bet!" The older teen agrees. "For the right price, you can buy not only treasures, but dreams, hearts, and even people's lives!"
"Take that back, Leorio!" Kurapika warns him. "If you're insulting the Kurta, I won't forgive you."
"Why? I'm telling the truth. If I'd had money my friend wouldn't have died!" Leorio snaps, having gotten worked, he realises he's revealed too much and grows quiet, but Kurapika sees him in a different light.
"An illness?" The blond asks him.
"It was a treatable disease…." He replies, remembering when he was a child, and he watched his friend die. "The problem was that the operation cost a fortune. I was naive! I thought I could become a doctor… I wanted to cure kids who have the same disease and be able to tell them it was free of charge! Then I could have told his parents, too. That was my dream… What a joke. Turns out that to become a doctor, you need even more money! Got it? The world runs on money… So I want money!" Kurapika looks at him in admiration, and he spots the twins and Killua running up past them.
"See you at the goal, Kurapika," Gon says to the blond.
"Catch you later, old timer," Killua teases Leorio.
"I'm not old!" Leorio shouts back. "I'm a teenager, just like you guys!" This gets the others.
"Huh?"
"No way!" They gasp in shock.
"Can't take another step…." Another applicant gives up, the endless stairs littered with failures.
"Th-This is it…." Yet another Hunter applicant cracks and falls onto the steps, but the three tweens run up with no problem.
"I'm impressed that you both can keep up with me," Killua compliments them.
"Really?" Gon smiles bashfully.
"Thank you, I think?" Gigi replies.
"Or maybe it's just that everyone else is too slow," Killua comments as they continue to run past more people that have fallen due to exhaustion. "Man… The Hunter Exam is gonna be a breeze. That's no fun."
"Hey, why do you want to become a Hunter?" Gon asks him.
"Me? I'm not really interested in becoming a Hunter," He reveals, and Gigi looks at him confused. "I heard the exam was supposed to be really hard, so I thought it'd be fun. But this is disappointing. What about you two?"
"Well, our dad's a Hunter," Gigi explains as she runs ahead, turning around and running backwards, though she watches as the boys move to their right to avoid fallen applicants. "So we want to become Hunters, like our dad."
"Hmm… What kind of Hunter is he?" Killua asks.
"We don't know," Gon replies, making the silver-haired boy laugh.
"That's kinda weird," He chuckles.
"Really?" The younger twin questions.
"You want to be like your dad, but you don't know anything about him?" Killua questions.
"We were raised by Mito, so we've only seen our dad in pictures," Gon explains.
"Who's Mito?" He asks.
"Aunt Mito," Gigi answers.
"Oh…" The silver-haired tween nods.
"When he was twelve, our dad took the Hunter Exam. He passed and became a Hunter. Then he left the island. We wanted to find out why he chose to be a Hunter over being with us." Gon explains, and Killua seems to understand their reasoning and looks ahead, seeing the light at the top of the stairs.
"The exit!" One of the applicants yells.
"Whew… Finally, I can get out of this dark tunnel!" Another applicant shouts, and the boys pick up their speed, leaving Gigi behind as she plans to upstage them.
"Now, let's see how many made it this far," Satotz ponders and makes it to the top of the stairs when the boys jump past him, unaware that Gigi beat them.
"Goal!" The boys cheer with a chuckle.
"Yay! I win," Gon exclaims.
"What are you talking about? I was faster…." Killua argues.
"I was," He argues back as Satotz looks at them, and Gigi stands up his long legs with her arms crossed with a huff.
"No, I was!" The silver-haired tween argues.
"I was faster, so you have to buy dinner!" Gon replies.
"Nope! I was faster! So you buy me dinner," Killua argues.
"But I was faster," He argues back. "Hey, who was faster?" He asks the examiner.
"I believe that she crossed the finish line, while you both crossed the finish line simultaneously. A second later," Satotz informs the boys, who look at Gigi as she sticks her tongue out at them.
"Oh…" Gon ponders.
"You both have to buy me dinner," Gigi tells them, surprising the examiner. "Then you both can buy each other dinner."
"I don't get it," Killua questions.
"Hey, Mr Satotz. Is this where the Second Phase of the exam takes place?" Gon asks him.
"No, we still have quite a way to go," Satotz answers and the rest of the applicants join them; even Leorio and Kurapika make it though one of them is badly breathing.
"Hey, Kurapika!" Gon greets him.
"Is this our destination?" Kurapika asks after waving them hello.
"No, it isn't," He replies.
"I see," The blond sighs and looks around. "The fog is fading.
"Really?" The younger twin beams and gets to his feet, knowing if Gigi runs in those conditions, she'll struggle.
"The Numere Wetlands, also known as Swindlers Swamp," Satotz announces as the fog rolls away, revealing the landscape. "We must cross these wetlands to reach Phase Two of the exam. This place is home to many bizarre animals, many of them being cunning, insatiable creatures who deceive humans and prey upon them. Be very careful. If you let them fool you…you're dead," The shutter for the door that they all came from begins to close, and all of the applicants look in shock as another tries to reach the top before they are locked inside.
"Wait for me!" The failed applicant cries, but the shutter completely shuts, leaving them in the wetlands.
"These wetland creatures will use every trick in the book to fool their prey," He explains, gaining the applicants' attention. "An ecosystem in which creatures obtain food through deceit… Hence the name Swindlers Swamp. Stay close to me so you won't be deceived," The examinees all look in shock.
"What a joke," Leorio says. "How can they fool us when we're expecting it?"
"Don't let them fool you!" A voice shouts from behind the large group.
"I just said that they can't," He argues, turning to see a beaten-up man walk out of the shadows.
"D-Don't fall for it…." The man warns the examinees. "He's lying to you!" He points at Satotz. "He's an imposter! He isn't an examiner… I'm the real examiner," All the examinees look around in shock, but Gigi tilts her head, not buying it and looks down at her shoes; Killua follows her as she takes them off.
"An imposter?" Leorio gasps.
"Then who is he?" Hanzo questions, looking at Satotz.
"Look at this…." The dishevelled man says, pulling out a strange-looking beast.
"He looks just like Mr Satotz!" Gon exclaims.
"It's a Man-Face Ape, one of the creatures that dwell in the Numere Wetlands!" The man informs the group.
"A Man-Faced Ape?" Leorio repeats.
"Man-Faced Apes love the taste of fresh human flesh. However, their limbs are long and thin, so they're quite weak. That's why they disguise themselves as humans. They trick humans into following them into these wetlands, where they team up with other animals to kill and devour them. He intends to trap every single applicant!" The imposter points his finger at the examiner, who doesn't say a word, wanting to see what the applicants will do on their own.
"Bastard…" Leorio grumbles.
"He certainly doesn't walk like a human…." Hanzo agrees, but Gigi opens her eyes, having felt the steady rhythm of Satotz's heartbeat, but the imposter is erratic; she goes to tell her brother when several playing cards hit the man in the chest and more fly toward the examiner, who catches the cards. Everyone looks shocked and turns to the clown in the middle of the group playing with his cards.
"I see, I see… That settles it… You're the real one," Hisoka confirms, to the shock of everyone as Satotz throws the playing cards away.
"What? He's the real examiner?" Hanzo gasps, and the Man-Faced Ape looks around; seeing that they've been found out, he jumps up and runs away.
"Examiners are Hunters selected by the committee to perform this duty without pay. Any Hunter, bearing the title we seek, would have been able to block that attack," Hisoka explains.
"I shall take that as a compliment. However, should you attack me again, for any reason, I will report you for turning on an examiner. And you will be immediately disqualified," Satotz warns the clown. "Are we clear?"
"Sure," He replies as vultures come down to feast on the dead body of the imposter.
"Nature really can be brutal to watch…." Leorio remarks.
"So he was a Man-Faced Ape, as well," Kurapika comments.
"He was attempting to confuse the applicants, to lure some of them away." Satotz tells them.
"We cannot relax our guard," Killua says as the examiner walks through the crowd.
"Yeah," Gon agrees.
"You will be encountering such deception on a regular basis. I believe that a number of you were fooled into suspecting my identity?" Satotz guesses, making Leorio and Hanzo blush in embarrassment, but Gigi shakes her head. "Do you understand? If you lose sight of me in the Numere Wetlands fog, you will never reach the exam's Second Phase. Do bear in mind. Then let us be on our way. Please follow me," They set off into the wetlands.
Satotz leads the way through the foggy wetlands, with the applicants not far behind as they go further into the fog. "Tsk, another marathon," Leorio groans.
"And we're running through marsh this time," Kurapika remarks. "Running on wet ground requires more energy."
The applicants have finally escaped the long, dark tunnel.
This far, 36 candidates have withdrawn from the exam, leaving 368 remaining applicants.
Their next challenge is the Numere Wetlands, also known as Swindlers Swamp,
The brutal Hunter Exam continues.
Hisoka x Is x Sneaky
The 368 applicants who made it through the long underground tunnel find themselves in an unexplored land teeming with strange creatures known as the Numere Wetlands.
The Hunter applicants continue to run through the foggy wetlands behind their examiner Satotz. "Pay attention now," The examiner warns them. "Be sure to stay close behind me," The group runs towards the thickest part of the fog, which will make it harder to see.
"The fog is getting thicker," Kurapika says as he runs along with Leorio.
"All right…" One of the applicants says to some of the others, all of the men dressed similarly. "This is our chance. We'll take advantage of the fog to get rid of him!" They look at Hisoka, who runs in front of them, and Killua senses their intent.
"Gon…" Killua tells the boy, and he pokes Gigi's arm. "Let's move up," He tells them.
"Okay. We don't want to lose sight of the examiner," Gon agrees.
"I'm more concerned with increasing the distance between us and Hisoka," The boy corrects him. "Staying too close to him is dangerous. I can smell it in the air."
"Smell?" Gigi asks, and Gon tries to see what he means, and Gigi feels a tingle down her spine. "I get it."
"I don't think he smells," Gon argues, looking behind him. "Leorio! Kurapika! Killua says that we should move up!"
"Hey…" Killua warns him. "Can't you feel the tension surrounding us?"
"Dummy!" Gigi scolds him.
"Moron!" Leorio shouts from somewhere behind them. "If I had the strength, I'd already be there!"
"Don't worry about us!" Kurapika assures the tweens.
"What?" Gon questions.
"Let's go, Gon," Killua tells him, speeding up, and Gigi matches his speed.
"Ah, wait!" He runs after them, and the two older teens run, unaware of what is happening around them in the thick fog.
"We can't even tell which way we're going," Kurapika complains.
"It's okay," Leorio assures him. "As long as we don't lose sight of the guys ahead of us…." He sees the running figures in front of him disappear one by one and come to a stop. "What's going on?!" Out of the fog come floating strawberries, surrounding the group of runners. "Wh-What?" A brave applicant walks ahead and falls with cries of pain as he gets eaten by a strange creature with a hard shell, like a turtle with berries growing out of its body. The beast is called the Noggin Luggin' Tortoise. The remaining Hunter applicants run in fear from the strange beast as it attacks, swallowing them as more surround them.
Another group of applicants run through wetlands, stamping on strange-coloured mushrooms that burst with a deadly toxin. They are called Claymore Mushrooms. Finally, the applicants fall down in the swamp because of the poison.
In one of the groups of applicants, they see a bright pink butterfly fluttering around in front of them. "Huh? What?" The men question as it flies in front of them. The Hypnosis Butterfly sends them to sleep on the wet grass as the others run ahead.
The Amori brothers are in another group of Hunter applicants, seemingly lost. "Damn! Which way are we supposed to go?" Imori questions as he looks around the thick fog with other lost applicants.
"Did we lose sight of him?" Amori asks.
"Pay attention now," The voice of Satotz calls out, gaining their attention, and they see something moving within the fog. "Be sure to stay close behind me."
"Over there!" Umori shouts, and the other applicants run towards the figure, but the brothers stay at the back, wanting to be sure, and the applicants fall off a cliff with spikes below. The brothers see it in time, stopping at the edge. "Pay attention now!" They hear the voice again. "Caw! Be sure to stay close behind me," They look up to see a bird flying overhead called a Ruse Raven. "Caw!"
"That thing can imitate human speech?" Imori questions.
"Close call…" Umori replies.
"Yeah…" Amori agrees.
Gon, Gigi and Killua run within the fog, hearing all the people around them fall prey to the Swindlers Swamp. "I hear people screaming all around us," Gon says.
"Just stay on your guard," Killua warns him.
"I wonder if Leorio and Kurapika are okay…." He wonders, and Gigi stops, feeling something strange as the boys run ahead; they stop as they notice something when the ground underneath them falls, and a giant frog pops up from under the dirt. Gigi looks at the beast called Frog-in-Waiting in shock as the enormous frog moves out of its hole and stomps away.
"Gon! Killua!" Gigi worries for them and runs after the gigantic frog, jumping on its back.
"Leorio!" Kurapika shouts as he watches the taller teen hold onto a piece of wood in the mouth of the beast as he rises high into the air. The Noggin Luggin' Tortoise swings its head around, trying to take the piece of wood from its mouth, and Leorio tries to hold on, and Kurapika jumps to help, getting out his wooden swords and poking the beast in the eye. The tortoise cries, letting go of Leorio, who falls on his ass on the ground hard.
"Ouch," Leorio winces.
"Leorio, here's our opportunity," The blond tells him and runs.
"Y-Yeah…" He agrees and runs with the Kurta.
The Frog-in-Waiting continues to stomp through the forest and suddenly turns blue, spitting up Gon and Killua and stomping away. "Guess he didn't like the taste of us," Gon laughs.
"It was this," Killua shows him the can of juice.
"That was from Mr Tonpa," He exclaims. "Guess he saved us.
"Well, I could have escaped," The silver-haired tween says, dropping the can to the ground.
"Where's Gigi?" The younger twin wonders, looking around and spots a not-happy Gigi.
"You both are stupid," Gigi tells them.
"Sorry Gigi," The boys apologise.
"I'm still worried about Leorio and Kurapika," Gon says.
"Forget about them. Let's get a move on," Killua tells them, getting to his feet. "We can still catch up to the examiner," He runs off, and Gon goes to join but stops.
"What is it?" Gigi asks her brother.
"Stay with Killua," Gon tells her.
Leorio and Kurapika continue running, trying to find the leading group. "We've lost sight of the front-runners," Kurapika sighs.
"Which way should we go?" Leorio wonders and looks over to his right and sees Hisoka. "Stop," He warns the blond, coming to a stop. "Over there…" He points over to Hisoka, who is surrounded by martial artists.
"When I saw you last year, I knew you weren't Hunter material," The leader remarks.
"We'll spare you if you swear not to take the Hunter Exam again," His right-hand man adds.
"Sure," Hisoka replies, not seeming bothered, surprising them. "I'm passing the exam this year, so I won't need to retake it."
"Passing? Idiot. Look at this fog. It's impossible to determine which direction the main pack went!" The leader sneers.
"Meaning we've all failed the exam!" The nunchuck user exclaims, making the clown chuckle.
"So that's why. Having already failed, you wish to play examiner. Hunters require prey. Why don't I play examiner… And judge whether you are Hunter material?" Hisoka challenges them and holds up one of his playing cards.
"Shut up!" The martial artists shout as they attack all at once, but they are no match for Hisoka as he slices around in a circle, getting each of them in one strike. The leader looks in fear at the clown as he quickly kills all of his men, and Hisoka turns to look at him.
"Now, then…" He looks at the quivering man as he falls on his ass and crawls away, with Hisoka following calmly behind him.
"H-H-Help! Hel-" The leader cries out and goes quiet as Hisoka stabs him in the back of the head with the same playing card. Leorio and Kurapika watch in shock and fear at what they just witnessed.
"Well?" Hisoka looks at the older teens, who stand alert. "Care to participate. In my little game of examiner?"
Killua and Gigi come to a stop as they finally find the primary group. "Cool… We've caught up to the main group, Gigi, Gon," Killua signs in relief, and he sees Gigi but no Gon. "Huh? Where'd he go?"
"To find Kurapika and Leorio," Gigi answers, and they run towards the group, joining back up with them.
Leorio looks on uneasily as Hisoka walks towards him and Kurapika, who also feels uneasy at what is to come as he grows closer. "Leorio. On my signal, we run in opposite directions," The blond tells him in a hushed voice.
"What?" He questions the Kurta.
"He is vastly more experienced in real combat," Kurapika warns him. "The two of us won't stand a chance against him. We cannot afford to squander time in a pointless fight!" Leorio looks at the fallen martial artist, and Hisoka gets out his playing card; Kurapika watches him as he stops, feeling a change in the wind. "Now!" The pair run in different directions, leaving Hisoka alone.
"I see… A wise decision," Hisoka chuckles and steps away but stops seeing someone moving in the fog.
"I just can't do it…." Leorio remarks as he walks back towards the clown with a stick he found. "This may not be my fight, but I won't close my eyes and make a break for it!"
"Leorio?!" Kurapika shouts, hearing him as the older teen runs to attack the jester.
"Mm, I adore that look on your face," Hisoka muses as Leorio grows closer, and he swings the stick but misses. The clown moves behind him and goes to attack, but Gon jumps on the scene, swinging his fishing rod at Hisoka, and hitting him on the cheek with the float.
"Gon?" Leorio questions, seeing the tween.
"I made it in time…" Gon sighs, trying to catch his breath.
"Not bad, little boy," Hisoka compliments, looking at him, and Gon clutches at his fishing rod, ready. "Is that a fishing pole? What a fascinating weapon," He walks towards the tween, who doesn't flinch. "Allow me a closer look."
"Your fight is with me!" Leorio shouts at the end as he gets to his feet and rushes at the clown with his back to him, but Hisoka swirls around, punching the dark-haired teen clean off his feet. Gon grows angry and jumps, swinging his fishing pole down at Hisoka, but he seems to disappear and reappear behind him as the tween lands on the ground and turns to look for the clown, but he disappears again.
"You came to rescue your friend?" Hisoka asks him, appearing behind him and Gon jumps away to create some distance, but it does no good as Hisoka reappears behind him again. "Such a good boy," Gon swings his fishing rod at the red-haired creep, but he seems to disappear again and reappear behind him. "And that expression…." Gon jumps to his feet and starts swinging the pole around, trying to keep a safe distance from Hisoka. "Nice… Very nice," Hisoka compliments as he walks towards the boy as dodges the swinging hook. "I'm getting excited now…."
"Okay!" Gon growls as he takes a step back and swings his fishing rod at Hisoka; the redhead thinks the float will come towards him but is mistaken as it falls onto the ground, creating a wall of dirt which Gon uses as a diversion as he jumps, behind the clown as he goes to strike Hisoka. But Hisoka sees through it and grabs Gon around his neck, choking the young boy, holding him high in the air, and watching him struggle for breath.
"How wonderful… I really do love that look," Hisoka smiles creepily, and Gon's face grows lack, which upsets him, and he lets the boy go, who falls to the ground, couching. "Do not fear," He tells the tween as he crouches in front of Gon. "I will not kill your friend. He passed," He chuckles. "Yes, you pass, as well. Grow up and become a fine Hunter." A beeping comes from Hisoka as Gon looks at him, too stunned to talk, and the clown gets out a radio, answering it.
"Hisoka, you should get back here," The voice warns him. "We're nearly at the Phase Two site."
"Okay, I'll be right there," He replies into the radio and ends the call, getting up. "It's always good to have friends," He walks over to the unconscious Leorio and picks him up, placing him over his shoulder. "You can find your own way back, yes?" Gon nods. "That's a good boy." He walks away without another word into the fog, leaving Gon to his thoughts.
"Gon!" He hears Kurapika call from within the fog as he runs towards the heavily breathing boy. "Are you all right?"
Gigi and Killua walk around the new area where the Second Phase will take place, unaware of Gittarackur putting the same radio in his pocket. "Huh? Gon isn't here…" Killua signs as he looks at the tired applicants.
"He will be here," Gigi tells him and sees Satotz looking at his wristwatch as he stands at the winding path scattered with failed applicants.
"This way," Gon tells Kurapika as they run down the dirt path.
"You can really tell?" Kurapika asks.
"Uh-huh. Leorio's cologne is very unique. I can smell him from a few kilometres away," He replies and thinks of something bugging him. "Say, Kurapika… What did Hisoka mean when he said that we passed?"
"Hisoka was acting as a judge," The blond answers.
"A judge?" The tween questions.
"Yes. He must have his own benchmarks for evaluating power. It's possible that he was ascertaining each applicant's strength. Apparently, you and Leorio must have met his standards," He explains.
"I see. But I was powerless to do anything against him," Gon argues.
"Didn't you land your first hit on him?" Kurapika asks him.
"Only because I surprised him," The younger twin answers. "Besides, Leorio passed, even though he lost…."
"Hmm… Perhaps he sensed that you were kindred spirits," The blond guesses.
"Kindred spirits?" The boy asks.
"I seriously doubt that Hisoka could qualify as a Hunter. However, I must admit that he did impress me with his superhuman agility and graceful technique. It's quite common that those possessing special talents are drawn to others with unique gifts. Most likely, Hisoka's instincts and experience told him that you had the skill and potential to become Hunters. Killing you now would have been a waste… That was his perspective," Kurapika explains his theory and receives silence. "Oh, I'm sorry! Was that insensitive on my part?"
"No… But I was pretty excited, as well," Gon reveals. "I was so scared, I wanted to run away. But I couldn't. And at the same time, I was excited. Isn't that strange?" He smiles back at the blond.
For the first time in his life, Gon has experienced mortal fear.
Though the unfamiliar feelings accompanying that fear confuse Gon, he cannot restrain his growing curiosity.
At this stage, 220 candidates have withdrawn from the exam, leaving 148 remaining applicants.
A x Surprising x Challenge!
Gon and Kurapika finally make it to the site of Phase Two, seeing all the tired applicants scattered around. "Looks like we made it in time," Kurapika says as they look around, trying to find Leorio, Gigi and Killua. "Leorio…" Gon feels eyes on him and looks around to find Hisoka staring at him and points over to his right; following the clown's direction, he spots a beaten-up Leorio leaning against a tree, looking somewhat dazed.
"Leorio!" Gon cries and they rush over to his side, and the boy places the briefcase on the grass.
"Man, that stings… Why am I all beat up?" Leorio questions, surprising the pair. "My memory is kinda hazy."
"We probably shouldn't tell him what happened," Kurapika whispers the the young twin.
"Yeah…" Gon agrees.
"Gon," Killua calls as he and Gigi walk over to join them.
"Gigi! Killua!" He greets them.
"We can't believe you actually got here…" Gigi signs. "We thought you were done for."
"I just tracked Leorio's cologne," Gon replies.
"Cologne?" Killua questions in surprise. "That was how? You definitely are weird."
"He is like a dog," Gigi jokes.
"So are you," Her brother counters, making her shrug.
"Excellent work, everyone," Satotz calls out, gaining the Hunter applicants' attention. "Phase Two of the exam will occur here, in the Biska Forest Park. So, I shall take my leave. Best of luck to all of you." With that said, he walks away, leaving them behind and the doors open to reveal a lovely large mansion with wooden work benches littered along the grass.
"Will all applicants who passed the First Phase please enter?" A woman with green hair, similar to Gigi's in shade, asks the candidates as she sits on an oversized chair in front of a massive man in a yellow top. "Welcome. I'm Menchi, the Second Phase examiner."
"And I'm Buhara, the other examiner," The large man introduces himself, the Hunter applicants walk inside the lush mansion garden, and they hear a loud rumble.
"Wh-What was that sound?" The wonder.
"You must be hungry," Mench comments, looking up at her partner.
"I'm starving…." Buhara replies downheartedly.
"There you have it. Phase Two will involve…" She announces, leaving a tense moment amongst the candidates. "...cooking!"
"C-Cooking?" Hanzo stutters in surprise.
"Wait! Cooking?" Todo asks. "We're here to take the Hunter Exam!"
"That's quite right. Your challenge for the Second Phase is to produce a dish that will satisfy our palate," Menchi explains.
"Why do we have to cook?!" He yells back.
"That's because we are Gourmet Hunters," She explains, and the man looks stunned for a second before laughing, and some of the other applicants join in with the laughter.
"They're Gourmet Hunters…" The candidates tease them.
"The Gourmet Hunters Menchi and Buhara… Their selection as examiners could prove problematic," Satotz muses as he looks through his binoculars in a tree that overlooks the lush lawn. "Only fifty applicants… No, depending on the task, it's possible that fewer than ten applicants will pass Phase Two."
"So, Gourmet Hunters, what are we supposed to make?" Todo asks them.
"Buhara," Menchi says, already having enough of them, and the large man gets to his feet with a thud.
"The required ingredient is pork," Buhara announces.
"Pork? As in pig meat?" An applicant asks.
"You're free to use meat from any species of Biska Forest pigs. You must use the cooking facilities here to prepare the pork. And you only pass if we both find it delicious," He explains.
"And we will evaluate more than just the taste. Don't underestimate the intricacies of cooking. Got it? When we've both eaten our fill, the exam will end," Menchi explains more.
"We get it. We get it," Todo replies, dismissing her. "Let's just start."
"Then, the exam's Second Phase," Buhara slams his tummy like a gong, "begins now!" And the applicants run back out of the garden into the forest.
"Free to use meat from any species of pigs?" Mench asks her partner. "You have a real nasty streak."
"Choosing the ingredients was my job," Buhara argues.
"Only one species of pig lives in the Biska Forest, correct?" She asks him.
"I hope they don't get themselves killed," He replies.
All the applicants look around the wood on the hunt for their main ingredient. "Hey, little piggy?" Hanzo calls.
"Catch a pig and cook it," Leorio remarks. "This is way easier than the First Phase."
"I hope it will be that simple…." Kurapika replies as they look around, and Gon jumps down the small hill, skidding on the grass to the bottom, followed by Killua, who crashes into his back, then Leorio, and then kurapika. Gigi giggles at the top and slides down the hill on her feet, stopping next to the four boys.
"What was that about, Gon?!" Killua asks him.
"Found them," Gon answers to his surprise.
"Pigs?!" Leorio exclaims and looks at the large pig hogs. "Uh… They're chewing on bones."
"Don't tell me… They're carnivores!" Kurapika gasps and the beasts notice the humans, one of them letting out a squeal before chasing them towards the other Hunter applicants.
"What's that?" One of the candidates' questions and turns to see a stampede of pigs chasing the group of friends and begin running, getting hit by beasts, sending the applicants flying.
"These pigs are crazy?!" Leorio shouts.
"The Great Stamp, the world's most ferocious pig. They use their large, stout noses to send their enemies flying. If you're too slow, you'll end up as their dinner," Buhara muses as he thinks of the Hunter applicants struggling within the forest.
"Take that!" Todo shouts as he lifts a rock over his head and throws it at the oncoming pig, but it breaks the hard rock with its snout as it continues to charge towards him. "What?!"
"Huh?!" Hanzo exclaims as he looks at the stampeding pig as his shurikens fail to stop the beast. Gon jumps into the air, raising his fishing pole over his head as he falls towards the pig, hitting the beast's nose, but it does nothing. He leaps away, landing in front of a tree. However, he dodges out of the way of the oncoming pig, which runs into the tree's trunk; still feeling nothing, just a shiver and turns to attack Gon again when dozens of apples fall from the tree onto the pig's head. One hits its forehead, making it squeal in pain, giving Gon an idea.
"Just maybe…" Gon wonders and jumps into the air, spinning around and whacking the beast on the forehead; the pig lets out a deafening cry on its hind legs before falling on its back, dead alerting everyone.
"Could their foreheads be their weak points?" Killua ponders.
"So, the pigs evolved large, strong noses in order to protect their soft foreheads." Kurapika guesses, and everyone hears and begins attacking the pigs. Gigi looks around as everyone returns to the examiners at the mansion; Gon looks at his sister.
"What's wrong, Gigi?" He asks her, and she looks at the pig, having missed what happened, having been looking for a few choice ingredients. "Oh! You just need to hit them on their foreheads!" She nods, runs past him towards one of the remaining pigs, jumps into the air, and stomps on their forehead with her thick and heavy shoes, making the beast cry out before dropping dead. She turns to them with a smile, surprising some of the other candidates, and they pick up their dead pigs and run back to the mansion. Gigi picks up hers with ease and runs with her friends.
Buhara and Menchi spot the Hunter applicants coming back with their main ingredient. "Oh, my. They caught a lot," Menchi comments and the applicants begin cooking their dishes for the examiners; Gigi looks around and decides against cooking it the same as everyone and gets out some of the ingredients from the bowl supplied.
"This years applicants are very talented. However, the difficult part is yet to come," Satotz muses as he watches from his perch, and the applicants finish their cooking and begin lining up to show off their dishes.
"Now eat the pig and send me to the next phase," Todo tells the examiners, being the first to finish.
"Okay, it's evaluation time," Menchi states as she sits next to Buhara. "Taste testing." Buhara eagerly begins eating the boar.
"Tastes good!" He announces, still eating, but Menchi fails him.
"It's overcooked," She announces. "The tough texture ruins the flavour of the meat."
"What? You haven't even tried it!" Todo argues.
"It's plain as day," She argues, though her partner continues to eat.
"Damn it…" He scowls and walks away, and Hanzo places his dish in front of them though it looks the same as the previous dish.
"Okay… Dive in!" Hanzo beams, feeling pleased with himself, and Buhara happily munches on the boar, but Mench fails him too. "Huh? Why?"
"Charred on the outside, uncooked inside," Menchi replies. "Your fire was too strong." Another candidate places their dish in front of them, and again Buhara passes them, Menchi fails them, and it continues through everyone. "Honestly…" She grows tired of it. "All they're doing is roasting the whole pig like it's all they know how to do… None of them has made any effort!" The boys watch as, yet again another applicant fails.
"No one's passed yet…." Leorio says.
"And Menchi hasn't even taken a bite…." Kurapika agrees.
"Het!" Menchi shouts. "Can't anyone out there satisfy me?"
"That's it!" The blond clicks his fingers, having come up with an idea. "This phase of the exam is a cooking test, but they're judging us on originality and powers of observation."
"I see…" Leorio nods, and Gon follows, the older teen placing his roasted hog on the table in front of the examiners next. "How do you like my cooking?"
"Is this supposed to be a kiddy meal?!" Menchi shouts as she throws the roasted pig into the air, and Buhara jumps up to catch it.
"I'm next!" Gon places his roasted pig in front of her, decorated with flowers.
"It's basically the sme thing!" She yells, slapping the food away with her partner catching it before it falls to the ground.
"I am next!" Kurapika announces, placing his strange creation in front of them. "Please judge my creation."
"Finally, something that resembles an actual dish…." Mench comments and uses her fork to take a piece.
"The point is to use the provided facilities and ingredients to highlight the main feature, the pork. In other words, the taste is insignificant!" Kurapika thinks to himself, and the female examiner throws his dish.
"Yeck!" She shouts, and her partner catches the food and starts eating, but the blond just looks at her in surprise. "Appearance is important, but only if it also tastes good. You're no better than #403!" She fails him, and Kurapika walks away, joining a laughing Leorio.
"Too bad!" Leorio teases him.
"No better than #403…." Kurapika sighs, hanging his head.
"Huh?" Gon looks at his older sister as she pokes him in the arm. "Haven't you had your turn yet?" She shakes her head. "Oh? Do you want me to come up with you?" He asks her, and she nods; the twins walk up, Gigi holding a large bowl, and Menchi goes to open her mouth, but Gigi places her dish in front of them. Menchi looks at the plate, surprised to see something completely different. "Wow! It's Gigi's famous Pork Cutlet and Egg Rice Bowl! You're so lucky!" Gon exclaims, and the female examiner takes a fork full of the dish and chews on it for a second; Gigi watches her in anticipation, hoping to pass, knowing that Buhara will pass her, seeming to love food no matter what.
"How did you make it?" Menchi asks her after finishing eating.
"I found some bird eggs in a tree while everyone was hunting the pigs, and I always carry rice because Gon likes it. You supplied the rest." Gigi answers and Gon translates; Menchi looks at her and nods, Buhara happily eats her food, passing the little girl and everyone turns to the woman, wondering what she will say.
"It's different from everything else, I'm glad there is someone who can cook," Menchi says and holds up her little sign, also passing Gigi, her being the only one to pass with flying colours. Gigi laughs, running down the stairs with Gon and over to her friends to celebrate.
"That's great, Gigi," Kurapika compliments and pulls him along to her workstation, showing four more bowls and passing them to her friends, who happily eat. Unfortunately, some of the other candidates get a little jealous as they seem to enjoy their food.
"That was so much food. I'm stuffed!" Buhara happily taps his even larger stomach.
"Yeah, I'm stuffed, too," Menchi agrees and stands to her feet. "Therefore, only one of you passes. We're finished here!"
"It's over! What the hell?" The applicants all grumble amongst themselves.
"As I expected, she's lapsed into her old bad habits," Satotz sighs, getting out his phone from his inside jacket pocket and calling someone a little higher up to stop her antics.
"What should we do, Chairman?" Beans asks on the airship after receiving the call from Satotz.
"I suppose I have no choice," He replies, getting up. "Fine, I'll have to go in person."
Back on the ground at the Second Phase, the Hunter applicants are unhappy with the news. "One person passed?"
"Are you serious?"
"Does she really mean it? The exam is over?"
"This isn't funny!" The applicants all grumble, and Todo grows evermore angry, slamming his fist down on the workstation, crumbling it to pieces.
"I won't accept it… I absolutely refuse to accept this!" Todo shouts.
"In the end, you've still failed," Menchi replies.
"Stop screwing around! You asked for pork, so we risked our lives-" He argues.
"I said to prepare the pork in a manner we both found delicious… Only one of you made anything remotely delicious. You all did almost the same thing. There was no effort made… Just when I thought someone actually tried, they only changed the appearance. No one attempted to emphasise the flavour apart from one of you. I'm positive that none of you took cooking seriously!" Menchi snaps at them.
"Pork dishes are all the same…." Hanzo comments, and she grows angry, grabbing him by his neck scarf and pulling him close to her.
"Just say that once more. Any more crap from you, and I'll shove my arm up your ass and knock your teeth out! Don't you mess with me!" Menchi shouts in anger. "I don't want any lip from a bunch of amateurs who can't even roast a pig! Hey! What did you just say? Why don't you repeat it to my face?!" Menchi growls as she shakes him; too scared to talk, Hanzo waits until she lets go of him.
"There's Menchi's bad habit again… After all, only a handful of chefs in the entire world can satisfy Menchi," Buhara thinks and looks at Gigi as her brother covers her eyes, not wanting his sister to see anything. Then, finally, Menchi grows bored of threatening Hanzo, lets him go, and sits back in her seat, crossing her legs.
"In other words, you people don't have the guts to try anything new," She tells them.
"Shut up!" Todo snaps, pointing a finger at her. "I'm not trying to become a cook or a gourmet… I want to be a Hunter!"
"Yeah! Yeah!" The other applicants shout in agreement.
"My goal is to become a Black List Hunter. I refuse to let a mere Gourmet Hunter decide my fate!" He adds.
"Too bad you got stuck with a mere Gourmet Hunter as an examiner… Better luck next year?" She replies, making Todo grow even angrier, going red in the face.
"Why, you…" He races towards you. "Don't mock me!" He goes to hit her, but Buhara knocks Todo away, sending him flying over to the stone walls, smacking into one of the towers, and falling back to the ground.
"Buhara, don't interfere," Menchi tells him.
"Well… If i hadn't intervened, you'd have killed him, right?" Buhara asks his partner.
"Probably," She laughs, getting up, holding two large knives as she walks down the steps to join the applicants. "Let me clarify this… We frequently venture into the dens of ferocious beasts, searching for ingredients." She throws her knives into the air. "Every Hunter knows some form of martial art," She expertly juggles and spins the sharp blades around fast. "You lack focus and the willingness to experiment," She catches all four of the knives in one hand. "That alone disqualifies you from becoming Hunters!" There is silence amongst the applicants as they take in her words, and Hisoka raises his arm, showing one of his playing cards, ready to attack.
"That said," A voice says over them, making them all look up, "it would be excessive to fail every single applicant." They see an airship fly over their heads as someone talks over a tannoy.
"That's the symbol of the Hunter Association! Is it someone from the Selection Committee?" An applicant questions, and something falls from the airship, hitting the ground hard, crashing a cloud of dirt as they shield their eyes and cough from the sudden action. Then, finally, the dust clears, and they see an elderly man in white standing there and walking towards the candidates.
"Wh-Who's that geezer?" Another candidate questions.
"That Chairman of the Selection Committee. He's in charge of the Hunter Exam… Chairman Netero," Menchi introduces him.
"Well, I work behind the scenes. I only take action when there's an issue, like now," Netero explains. "So, Menchi…"
"Yes, sir," She replies with a nod.
"You failed all of the applicants because you disapproved of their reluctance to try new things?" He asks her, trying to stop himself from staring at her breasts.
"No, sir…" She replies. "I lost my cool when one of the candidates insulted Gourmet Hunters. And I made the exam harder than necessary."
"In other words, you're aware that this exam was unacceptable," He questions.
"Yes sir," Menchi answers. "When cooking is involved, I lose control. I'm unqualified to be an examiner. I will resign as examiner, so please redo the Second Phase!"
"But it would be difficult to find another examiner on such short notice," Netero tells her.
"I apologise…" She bows her head in shame.
"Very well. How about this? I'd like you to continue serving as an examiner. But you must also participate in the new test you propose," He offers, surprising her with his idea. "Is that acceptable? I'm certain that will help "
"That's true… Then the new challenge will be boiled eggs!" Menchi announces.
"Boiled eggs?" The applicants murmur amongst themselves.
"Chairman, can you take us to Mt. Split-in-Half in your airship?" She asks, pointing up to the airship above their heads.
"Mt. Split-in-Half? I see what you're doing. Certainly, I can," The Chairman agrees.
The airship flies towards a large mountain, landing with all the Hunter applicants filing out. Menchi walks to the edge of the split, and the candidates look down at the drop to the bottom. "Now, everyone… Look down there," Menchi tells them.
"Wh-What is that?" Hanzo asks.
"A Spider Eagle's web," She answers.
"They build webs down there?" Gon asks, and a strong updraft spooks Todo, who galls on his ass.
"Look below the web. Those are… Those are Spider Eagle eggs," She explains some more.
"Spider Eagles build their webs in deep ravines to protect their eggs from predators. This makes their eggs one of the most difficult ingredients to obtain," Netero explains and steps towards the applicants. "The eggs are also known as dream eggs."
"W-Wait a minute… You don't mean we…." Todo stutters.
"I sure do," Menchi answers.
"What?!" He watches as the female examiner jumps off the side of the cliff down into the ravine, and she grabs onto one of the webs that hang above the collection of eggs, spinning around before turning as she waits for the updraft.
"Even if she can grab some eggs, how will she climb back up?" Leorio wonders as they watch as Menchi feels the right timing and let's go, falling towards the eggs, grabbing one as she falls. "Hey… She jumped down! Is she trying to kill herself?"
"No, she's not," Kurapika corrects him, and he looks as a strong updraft pushes her up to the others.
"That looks fun…." Killua comments as the three tweens look on happily.
"This ravine has updrafts that help the hatched chicks fly up to the web," Netero explains as Menchi lands next to him.
"There. Now I just need to boil the egg," Menchi announces as she holds the large egg.
"Y-You must be joking," Todo steps away from her. "No reasonable person would jump down there…."
"I've been waiting for this!" Gon exclaims, and the group of friends jump off the cliff into the ravine; Gigi looks around, confused for a second, looking at Menchi.
"Okay! Count me in!" Hanzo exclaims, jumping off, followed by Geretta and more follow.
"Wait!" Mench shouts as more continue to jump off. "I haven't finished explaining everything!" But no one listens as more join the group of friends, the upper level of the web, which won't hold for much longer with all the added weight. "At least one of you listened," She looks at Gigi. "Though you did pass the first test." Netero looks at the young girl as she looks down at the other applicants.
"Catch you later," One of the applicants says before jumping off.
"Let's go!" Leorio suggests.
"Not yet," Gon tells him.
"Why not?" He asks.
"There's no wind," Killua tells him.
"There isn't always an updraft," Kurapika explains, and they watch the applicant fall through the fog at the bottom of the ravine.
"When's the next one?" Leorio asks, not expecting an answer.
"Wait!" Gon tells him, and the intelligent Hunter applicants look at the little boy and wait as the twins close their eyes, waiting for the right time, but the web isn't holding with all the weight as it begins to come close from the face of the cliff.
"What?" Leorio yelps.
"The web won't hold us all!" Kurapika shouts.
"Gon, not yet?" Killua asks his friend, and the web continues to peel away.
"Damn, I can't wait for an updraft!" An applicant shouts and drops down, with others following.
"It's gonna snap!" Leorio shouts as he watches it.
"Now!" Gon shouts suddenly, and they let go of the web, falling towards the eggs, snatching one before descending towards the fog. Gigi feels the change and opens her eyes as she steps off the side of the cliff as the others fall through the mist. Gigi grabs one of the webs, spinning around and jumps towards another before free-falling, catching an egg as a powerful updraft blows through the ravine, sending everyone back to the top.
"And the rest of you?" Menchi asks, looking at the other applicants that weren't brave enough. "I guess you quit."
"It takes courage to concede, too," Netero adds as the passing applicants land on the rock and begin boiling their eggs in a large saucepan and soon enjoy their boiled eggs.
"This is damned good," Hanzo mumbles as he eats. "Much better than the eggs you buy in a store…."
"I can see why they're called dream eggs…." Kurapika agrees as they eat.
Hey, Todo," Gon says, gaining his attention as he holds his boiled egg. "Would you like a bite?" Menchi catches the exchange as Todo takes a bite of Gon's boiled egg.
"It's delicious…." Todo gasps.
"Now you've experienced the joy of discovering how good something can taste. We're risking our lives for that joy," Menchi tells him as she walks over.
"I was completely outclassed this year," He admits. "I'll be back next year!"
The applicants have learned that, whether you're a Black List Hunter or a Gourmet Hunter, calling yourself a Hunter requires an enormous amount of determination.
Only 42 applicants remain.