End Of Third Exam

50 hours later...

"Come on guys, we have to hurry!" Leorio shouted to the gang.

They finally reached an end to the path only to end up back at the arena with Jones' body still laying on the floor. "Runinng 30 minutes just to come back here," Leorio was crest-fallen.

"Should've gone downstairs," Killua merely shrugged.

"This majority rule is going to kill us before we ever make it half-way down," Mel sighed.

"Come on, we've still got eight hours left!" Gon promoted optmism as they made their way back to the stairs.

They suffered various traps from the Majority Rules law that was limiting them and frustrating everyone, even Melancholy. Finally, they reach a door. As expected by now, there was a sign above the steel door reading:

Open this door?

O for yes

X for no

Everyone immeadiatly pressed O and it swung open. It opened out into another room, but this time, there were two large steel doors, with a statue of the upper half of some goddess in between them. On the left was the X, on the right was the O. A sign below the Goddess read:

Last Junction.

Now is the time for your last choice.

Are you ready to be acknowledged of it?

"Ready?" Leorio exasperated. "Does this question really matter?" They made their decision. O: 4, X: 1.

Suddenly the Goddess' mouth opened and more than likely a speaker from within spoke these words. "Choose one of the two doors. There's two roads: The first allows 5 people to go but its long and difficult. The second only allows 3 people but its short and easy. Concretely, it's impossible, even hurrying to exit the first road in less than 45 minutes. Taking the second one, you reach the end in 3 minutes. Push O for the long and difficult way, push X for the short and easy way. If you push on X, the door will open when 2 of you agree to be prisoners until time runs out."

"Well, its better to tell you this now," Leorio sighed. "I'll push on X, without having any intention of stayin' here. No matter the way, I'll be one of the three that goes on. The judges have planned everything. They prepared weapons from all over the world on these walls. They want us to choose by fighting."

"I'll push on O," Gon told everyone. "We came here together so I want us to exit together."

"Gon," Leorio muttered.

"Even if that's risky," Gon continued. "My choice will be the same."

"That's not only risky, that's impossible," Killua argued. "We don't even have an hour. We have no other choice than the short way. The question is who's gonna pass. Obviously, I count on being one who'll pass. So if none of us have the intention of giving up, I see the only solution by combat."

Everyone looked at each other as feelings of suspicion rose up. Silence fell heavy on everyone before Gon broke the silence.

"I've got a plan," he raised his hand as if he were in school. "Why don't we just pick the long way and then bust through the wall to the short way?"

Everyone looked at each other in stunned silence.

"Gon, you're a genius!" Kurapica cheered in delight. "That's a great idea! Come on everybody! Press O!"

Everyone gave a loud cheer as they mashed the button on their wrist timers. The door on the right swung open and they eagerly ran in side, but looked over to the left. Kurapica put his hand on the wall and knocked it. "This wall must be at least two meters thick," he said. "How are we supposed to get through this?"

"I've got an idea," Leorio smirked. He dug into his pocket and pulled out a photo of Killua sleeping soundly. "Look what I've got here!"

Melancholy perked up from her sulking. She leapt at the speed of light, reaching for the photo, which she snatched from Leorio's waiting fingers and crashed through the wall.

"Where did you get that?!" Killua shouted, red in the face.

"I downloaded it from the official Killua Fangirls Website," Leorio laughed evilly.

"Stop fooling around, guys," Kurapica chastised them as he climbed through the whole in the wall. Gon had already hopped through and helped the unconcious girl up. "We don't have time for that!"

The two boys rolled their eyes and hopped through the hole also.

They arrived in the finish room with only a minute left to go. They fell on the floor, catching their breath, but Stasy was already at the other side of the room.

"ASPARAGUS-NII!" she squealed, already latched onto the annoyed magician. "It feels like its been forever!! I missed you!!!"

"I didn't miss you, though," Hisoka sighed.

"TIMES UP!!" A speaker box on the wall shouted. "Third Round, Number of participants who have reached the goal: 24!"

A door on the east corner of the room opened swiftly, and the examinees filed out into the open air. The bright sunlight blinded the participants for a while before their eyes adjusted to the outside air. They stood on a cliff with a short man near the edge, smiling at them. He had only a tuft of black hair sticking up on his head and large, round glasses to conceal his thin eyes. His attire consisted of a simple button up shirt and trousers with brown loafers.

"Congratulations to all of you for exiting the tower," he announced. "You have only two more trials: the fourth Round and the Final Round. The Fourth Round will take place on Zebiru's island. Well! Let's hurry!" He snapped his fingers. A bald man brought out a decorative box with a single hole at the top.

"A Lottery?" one examinee questioned. "What for?"

"To determine the hunter's and their prey," the examiner answered. "Inside the box are 24 numbered cards. These numbers are each persons Examinee Number that you were given at the beginning of the exam. You will all pick a card. We will begin the selection in the order from who finished the Third Exam first and so forth."

Hisoka detached Stasy from himself and walked to the box and selected a card. They all continued, with Stasy being the last. Everyone looked nervously at their number on their card and suspiciously at everyone else, wondering which of these participants could have their number.

"Everyone has a card?" the examiner asked. "Good. Now, you're personal number and the one you have just picked have been recorded into this machine." He patted the lottery box. "Consequently, you're free to do whatever you want with this card. The participant corresponding to the number you've picked becomes your target from now until the end of the 4th exam. What you have to grab is the numeral sheet of your target. If you succeed in taking their number, you get 3 points! If you keep your own number, that's another three points. The others are just one point. You need 6 points at the end to pass, all within the time limit."

Just as he finished, another, high-pitched, female, voice chimed in. "All aboard, everybody!"

Everyone looked over the edge of the cliff to see a flight of stairs leading downwards towards a harbor and an awaiting boat. On the boat, the source of the noise was waving happily at the curious hunters-to-be.

"Well, you have two hours until you reach Zebiru's island," a peechy girl in a pink shirt with the Hunter's logo on it said cheerfully, despite the intense atmosphere. "You can spend it however you want! See ya!" She walked off, and the examinees were left in their suspicion.

Gon sat near the edge of the boat, looking out to sea. He turned his view to his left when Killua came by.

"Yo!" He greeted his friend. "Which number did you pick?"

"What about you?" Gon parried.

"Secret!" Killua smiled.

They smiled at each other in nervous silence.

"Don't worry," Killua sighed. "My number isn't 405."

"And mine isn't 99," Gon answered back.

"We count up to three and we show our sheets," Killua decided.

Gon nodded. "1..."

"...2..."

"...3!"

They simultaneously flipped their cards over. Gon had number 44, and Killua had 105. "Wow, you've got some bad luck, getting Hisoka," Killua whistled.

"And you, who'se number is that?" Gon looked at his card.

"You don't know either?" Killua sighed. "How could I've remembered everyone's number? After the judge's explanation, I looked around me, but everyone had already hidden their cards by th-huh?" He stopped as he saw the fierce expression on Gon's face. He was smiling and quivering all at the same time. "You're happy? Or you're afraid?"

"Maybe both," Gon sighed. "If it was a classical confrontation I could never envision winning, but since I only have to steal his number, that means there's still a way. Even I have a little luck, but thinking about it doesn't reassure me. I have a revenge to take."

"Well, we won't let the others worry us," Killua said, getting up. "Try to stay alive, Gon." He skated away on his board.

Once Killua was out of sight, Gon turned to his other side as a dark figure came out from it's hiding spot. "You only got to be Stasy for a few moments before Fate turned on you," Gon smiled piteously.

"Thanks for not ratting me out, Gon," Melancholy muttered, not looking at the boy, but at the floor.

"No problem," Gon smiled sympathetically. "I'm sorry that you had to get Killua's number."

"I..." Mel sniffed as the waterworks came down. "I..don't know what to do, Gon. I'm..scared. I don't want to go against Killua, but if I don't, I will fail the exam, and I'll probably never see him again. I only have a short time left until we'll all have to split up."

"Don't worry, Mel," Gon reassured her. "You can still get three other people's plates."

"Even I'm not that strong, Gon," Mel chuckled bitterly through her tears. "Supposing I did manage to capture three number sheets, that would mean three more hunters after me, not counting the one who has my plate. I don't think I can last until the end of the Exam."

"Then maybe you should wait a while," Gon suggested. "Scope out the others till you find three you know you can take down. Then, when the moment is right, you strike, and only have to fend yourself off for a little while."

"That..sounds good,:" Mel smiled pathetically. "Hey, you want to be partners? I'll help you with Hisoka."

"Nah," Gon refused. "I don't want to get you hurt, plus...I want to get him on my own."

The girl smiled fondly at the boy, her tears wiped away. "Thanks, lil' bro," she smiled as she ruffled his hair affectionately. "I want to remain as Stasy for the time being. I need a positive outlook now more than ever. Let's make a promise..." she held out her little pinky finger "to meet each other again at the Final Round."

Gon stared at her pinky, before he smiled and interlocked it with his own. "Promise."