Japanese Honorifics used in this chapter:

"-chan": Used for close friends and relatives, usually female ones. "-chan" implies feminity, so it can also be used for younger boys/younger brothers.

"-san": A title of respect typically used between equals of any age.

Some people fear the unknown.

Others embrace it.

There is a small society of people in this world; people who have dedicated their lives to discovering the unknown and proving the impossible. They are researchers, travelers, businessmen, scientists, bounty hunters and even assassins.

To become one of them is to gain unimaginable wealth and respect, along with more privilege then normal people could ever dream of. This includes being able to travel to places normal people could only dream of; and the permission to take others' lives at will.

Millions of people compete with each other every year to join this society. Most die trying.

Who is this society of people, you ask?

They are known as Hunters.

Whale Island, Riolu discovered, was a wonderful place.

Crystal clear waves lapped up on the cliffs, which were rich and full of minerals. Rolling green hills were dotted with colorful houses sporting chimneys that puffed smoke every now and then. Enormous ships were docked at the harbor, trading fish and other goods. And at the very back of the island lurked a luscious forest, with crystal clear springs and some of the tallest trees Riolu had ever seen.

All in all, Whale Island was definitely Riolu's dream vacation spot.

She wondered why there were only a few people that lived there – after all, had they seen that gorgeous view? I could get used to this, Riolu marveled, fantasizing about making a life there as she leaned over the ship's railing.

But of course, she couldn't stay long. The ship she was on had only stopped here to gather more applicants for the Hunter Exam, so Riolu doubted it would remain here for more than an hour. Thirty minutes, probably.

Scrutinizing the crowd of Whale Island natives, Riolu wondered who would board the ship. Whoever her competition was, it was safe to say that compared to her, they didn't stand a chance. Riolu had spent practically her entire life preparing for the Hunter Exam, and the Exam wasn't a test she planned to fail.

Riolu grinned, feeling completely and utterly free as the sea breeze wafted up towards the ship. Heck, once she got her hands on a Hunter License, there wasn't a thing in the world that could stop her.

There were only a few people from Whale Island who boarded the ship; mostly grown men. No women, Riolu realized with a roll of her eyes. Typical.

The only person that did catch her eye was a boy dressed from head to toe in green, with spiky black hair that stuck up at odd angles and an optimistic, utterly naïve smile on his face. In his hands he held a red fishing rod, which seemed almost too big for him to carry. Riolu smirked. He didn't stand a chance.

Well, maybe she was being a hypocrite; this boy looked to be around Riolu's age. Underestimating him would be like underestimating herself.

"Hi!" a bright cheery voice greeted her. "I'm Gon Freecss. What's your name?"

With a start, Riolu realized the boy in green had walked right up to her and was currently addressing her. "Oh," she said, offering him a small smile; maybe he'd be a useful ally in the future. "I'm Riolu. Riolu Navitas. Nice to meet you," she added as an afterthought.

The boy named Gon beamed at her. "That's a nice name! So are you going to the Hunter Exam too?" Riolu nodded hesitantly, prompting Gon's smile to widen. "That's so cool!"

This boy talked way too much, Riolu decided. Maybe if she ignored him for a bit, he'd go away. Pointedly turning in the other direction, Riolu gazed out at the ocean. Gon, however, was unfazed. He continued to talk, making his voice even louder so she could hear him better. Riolu groaned to herself; her plan had backfired.

"All these other guys are so old." Gon imitated one of the other applicants' droopy-eyed expression, startling a laugh out of Riolu. "It's nice to meet someone my age."

Riolu offered him another small smile, but this time it was a real smile; probably the first genuine smile she'd given since boarding this ship. She'd never met anyone who'd so readily complimented her.

"Oi!" Somewhere during their conversation, the captain had come up on deck and began screaming his lungs out at the ship's occupants. "More hands on deck! This ship won't run itself! You there!" The captain roared, pointing at Gon and Riolu. "Get over here! No lazing around on my ship!"

"It was nice meeting you, Riolu-chan. I hope we can be friends!" Gon offered Riolu a cheery wave, running off towards the mop and water buckets.

Riolu stared at him, mouth parted slightly. Nobody had ever called her Riolu-chan before; that would imply that she was their friend. And nobody had ever wanted to be her friend, either; she'd always been that strange girl who didn't attend public school, who spent her days training while locked up in a residence that resembled a fortress more than a house. Despite herself, Riolu felt strangely flattered by this strange boy in green.

But in the long run, friends didn't matter. That was a lesson that had been drilled into her head countless times by her father, and she practically lived by those words now. Acquaintances were expendable. The only thing that mattered was whether or not you made it to the top. And Riolu would definitely make it to the top; her motivation boiled in her blood.

Because Riolu had a secret; a secret that was both her greatest weakness and a deadly weapon.

And how she utilized that secret would either make or break her.

"There's a storm coming," Gon announced.

"That's preposterous," an older, potbellied man with a curly black mustache and narrow black eyes scoffed. "The skies are perfectly clear and blue!"

Kurapika blinked. If it had been anyone else, Kurapika would've scoffed along with the other applicants, but something gave him a feeling this boy knew what he was talking about. As he scrutinized the other boy, another applicant caught his eye; a younger girl, probably the age of the other boy, dressed all black except for her light blue shirt, mostly concealed by her black jacket. As she moved, her jacket blew back slightly to reveal a gleam of metal on her black belt.

A gun? Kurapika shuddered involuntarily; opponents with guns were difficult to beat. Upon closer scrutiny, he noticed the hooklike claw protruding from the gun's barrel; it wasn't a gun at all. It was a grappling gun.

That made sense; Kurapika had no doubt that a grappling gun would probably be of good use sometime during the Hunter Exam. He felt a momentary pang of regret for not bringing any weapons for the Hunter Exam other than his bokken swords, but abruptly pushed it down. Kurapika could manage just fine with his swords, his extensive knowledge and his bare hands.

"A storm's coming!"

"Those storm clouds are enormous!"

"Well, whaddya know? The boy was right!"

Kurapika looked back at Gon, noting with surprise that the boy didn't have even a trace of smugness in his eyes after being right. There was, however, a small smile on his face that betrayed his pleasure. He was a genuinely good kid, Kurapika decided. Almost like Pairo had been.

Pairo. Kurapika pushed down an overwhelming wave of remorse as he was assaulted with memories of his old best friend.

Now, Pairo was dead, along with the rest of the Kurta Clan; killed by ruthless criminals who only cared about scavenging their most prized treasure. And Kurapika planned to avenge them. Oh yes, he thought savagely, picturing the faces of those who dared to harm his people.

Kurapika would avenge them; he would avenge them all.

As he turned away, burying his face in one of the many textbooks he'd brought along, only one person noticed his eyes, burning scarlet with a crimson fury, flashing shades of red brighter than the sun. The girl called Riolu looked away, realizing with a start that Gon Freecss was not her only competition on his ship.

There were four of them, the captain determined. Four likely candidates for the Hunter Exam.

One was the boy with the blonde hair and blue tribal garb, sitting serenely on a makeshift hammock and delving into a complicated-looking textbook.

Another was an older man, maybe in his twenties, who was nonchalantly fixing his tie in a nearby mirror and wiping his rectangular spectacles on his spotless suit jacket.

The third one was a much younger boy dressed in green. He was kindly offering water to the rest of the ship's occupants, who moaned, groaned and retched on the floor from the ship's constant tossing and turning on the waves.

And the fourth candidate was a girl dressed in black with two grappling guns strapped to her waist, gazing out at the storm excitedly with a look that hungered for adventure.

"You four," The captain said briskly, gesturing to all four applicants. "Come with me to my cabin."

In a minute or two, all four of them were gathered in the captain's cabin, standing patiently at attention as they waited for the captain to explain why he had summoned them. The captain grunted, chewing on the end of his long red pipe. "What are your names?"

"I'm Gon!" said the young boy in green, smiling brightly at the captain.

"My name is Kurapika." The older boy – not a boy at all, but rather a young man in his mid to late teens – answered in a voice much more subdued than Gon's.

"Riolu." The girl dressed in black, about the age and height of Gon, responded in a soft voice underlain with caution.

"It's Leorio." The older man wearing the suit jacket and tie kept his hands in his pockets, staring unimpressed at the captain.

The striking thing about all of them was that all four candidates, even seemingly gullible Gon, possessed steely eyes that gave nothing away. The true mark of someone to be reckoned with.

"Why do you want to become Hunters?" The captain stared them down, waiting for an answer.

It was Gon who answered first, beaming brightly at the captain as he gave his response. "My dad is a Hunter. He left me on Whale Island to become a Hunter, so I want to know what's so desirable about being a Hunter that made him leave his own child behind."

If it had been anyone else, there would probably be a sense of bitterness underlying those words, but Gon seemed perfectly happy, brown eyes burning bright with determination. Riolu, the captain saw, had noticed as well.

Whale Island, the captain mused. So this is Ging's son. The legendary Hunter, Ging Freecss.

Riolu, who'd been scrutinizing the captain for a while, gasped in realization before turning to Gon. "Gon… is your father's name Ging, by any chance?"

Gon looked at her in surprise, brown eyes wide. "Yeah… how did you know?"

Riolu shrugged and shook her head, but the captain now gazed at her suspiciously. How strange… almost as if she read my mind. But that couldn't be possible… could it?

"What about you?" The captain turned to Kurapika and Leorio. "What are your reasons for wanting to become Hunters?"

"I do not wish to reveal my intentions." Kurapika's voice was as calm and collected as ever, his cool gray eyes impassive.

Leorio crossed his arms, scowling. "Neither do I."

"Very well." The captain turned to Riolu. "What about you?"

Riolu blinked, wide-eyed like a deer in headlights. Her plan had been to remain silent and hope the captain overlooked her, but no such luck. Her hesitant gaze flickered over to Kurapika and Leorio before flitting back towards the captain. "I don't wish to reveal my intentions either." If Kurapika and Leorio didn't answer, neither would she.

The captain nodded in acceptance, turning to the man behind him. "Tell the Hunter committee that we have three more dropouts."

Leorio's jaw dropped. Kurapika and Riolu stared wide-eyed at the captain, astonished. "Wh-what?"

"You four were the only candidates for the Hunter Exam left on the ship." The captain met their shell-shocked gazes with a calm one of his own. "If the others can't handle a measly storm, there's no way they'll be able to handle the Hunter Exam."

"But… why?" Leorio looked both outraged and genuinely confused. "This isn't even part of the Hunter Exam!"

The captain sighed. "There are as many Hunter wannabes as there are stars in the sky. That's why the examiners hire people like me to trim the fat. At this point, there's only one candidate left." The captain's eyes settled on Gon.

For a few moments there was deathly silence, before Kurapika gave a weary sigh.

"I am the last survivor of the Kurta Clan." Kurapika faced the captain with a challenging glare, silently daring him to comment. "Four years ago, our clan was assassinated by a band of criminals. I wish to become a Hunter and hunt down that band…"

Riolu held her breath in anticipation; this would be interesting.

"… the Phantom Troupe."

The captain's gaze was impassive. "So you want to become a bounty hunter? The Phantom Troupe is a Class-A bounty. Not even the most grizzled Hunters can touch them." He closed his eyes. "You'd be throwing away your life."

"I do not fear death." Kurapika's grey eyes held no emotion. "I fear only that my rage will fade over time."

Kurapika's gray eyes flashed crimson with rage for only a moment; so quickly that the captain wondered if he'd simply imagined it. But Riolu, scrutinizing Kurapika closely, knew that his scarlet eyes were no trick of the light. It seemed she wasn't the only one with secrets.

Riolu spoke up next. "My father trained me to take the Hunter Exam all my life. His greatest dream is for me to become a Hunter. Those are my reasons for wanting to become a Hunter."

She'd told the truth; she hadn't dared lied, since she didn't put it past these people to do thorough background checks. However, she'd only given them part of the truth; a less personalized version. Unlike Kurapika, she had no intentions of revealing any more of her past then she needed to.

Leorio smirked. "Well, I only have one reason for wanting to become a Hunter." The lenses of his glasses flashed as a bolt of lightning illuminated the cabin. "Money."

"Oh, the things you can buy with money!" Leorio continued, spreading his arms. "Good liquor! A fancy house! A stylish car!"

Kurapika gave him a deadpan look. "You can't buy class with money, Leorio."

Leorio looked thoroughly offended, but he kept his cool. "Aren't you younger than me?" He looked down at Kurapika scornfully. "That's Leorio-san to you."

"Oh, please…" Kurapika nearly rolled his eyes, but refrained from doing so; it was much too childish. "…Leorio."

Leorio glowered at him. "That's twice now." He gestured towards the cabin door. "Step outside. I'll end the filthy Kurta bloodline here and now."

Riolu watched Kurapika closely, but to her immense disappointment, his eyes didn't flash scarlet this time. "Take that back, Leorio!" he yelled.

Leorio narrowed his eyes. "That's Leorio-san to you." He opened the door and disappeared onto the deck of the ship. Clenching his fists, Kurapika stalked after him.

The captain moved towards the door. "Hey, boys! I'm not done yet!"

"Let them go," Gon said passively.

The captain looked at him, surprised.

"My aunt Mito-san once told me that if you want to get to know someone, you need to make an effort to learn why they're angry. It's important to understand why they're mad. So we should let them settle it themselves."

The captain nodded at this, a new respect shining in his eyes as he looked at Gon.

This kid was either terribly naïve or truly insane, Riolu decided. "Are you crazy?" She shouted. "During a thunderstorm?! They'll kill themselves, and possibly destroy the ship in the bargain!"

"No they won't." Gon blinked at Riolu, brown eyes wide.

Riolu narrowed her eyes. "How naïve are you? Or are you just doing this to get your competition out of the way?"

This was, admittedly, quite unfair of her. Riolu knew Gon's intentions were nothing of the sort, but she did plan to get her point across, one way or another.

So the girl wasn't as quiet as she seemed. The captain blinked, surprised; he had not seen that coming.

"C-captain…" The helmsman's voice trembled. "Look!"

All three of them turned towards the windows, Riolu and Gon gasping as they took in the sight. The waves seemed to be as tall as skyscrapers, and a gigantic waterspout was quickly moving towards them. "If we hit that waterspout, we'll all drown!"

"Lower the sails." The captain's voice was grim. "I'll take the wheel!"

"Aye!" The helmsman shouted, running on deck to deliver the news. Gon and Riolu ran after him.

The deck of the ship was chaos. Waves crashed onto the slippery wooden planks, and men splashed through water to grab the ropes. Gon and Riolu joined them, pulling as hard as they could to lower the sails.

Meanwhile, Kurapika and Leorio faced off, amidst the crashing of waves and torrents of rain. "Take it back, Leorio!" cried Kurapika. "Take back what you said, and I'll forgive you!"

"That's Leorio-san to you!" Leorio held his ground, glaring daggers at the Kurta boy. "I won't take it back until you show some respect!"

Riolu and Gon tugged as hard as they could at the ropes, but to no avail. The stormy winds robbed the sailors of their grip on the ropes, and Riolu and another sailor (the unlucky ones hanging onto the back of the rope) were flung into the air.

If she'd been a civilian, Riolu would be dead. But thankfully she wasn't, and whipping out one of her grappling guns in a flash, she shot the deadly metal prongs towards the crow's nest of the ship, swinging around the mast on the iron cord of rope that connected the metal prongs to the gun and landing safely on the ship's deck, skidding to a stop on the slippery wooden boards.

The other sailor, unfortunately, was not so lucky. He was sent flying into the ocean, screaming at the top of his lungs. Kurapika and Leorio, catching the movement out of the corners of their eyes, dashed towards the ship's railing to catch him – but they were too slow.

Gon Freecss launched himself off the deck, soaring over the railing and catching the sailor's hands in his own. Kurapika and Leorio each caught one of Gon's feet, and together they pulled them onto the deck. The sailor lay unmoving on deck, unconscious from his ordeal but thankfully alive. Kurapika and Leorio stood by the railing, staring incredulously at Gon, who wore an enormous grin on his face as he looked back at the sailor.

They were insane, Riolu finally decided. Suicidal, heroic idiots, and truly insane.

Maybe they weren't so bad after all.

"What were you thinking?" Kurapika exploded at Gon. The storm had cleared out, and now that they were safe, Kurapika was positively livid. "If we hadn't caught you, you'd be dead!"

"But you did catch me." Gon beamed at him. "Both of you did catch me, didn't you?"

Kurapika was speechless, and Leorio's cheeks were a faint red from embarrassment. "Yeah," Leorio mumbled, "I guess we did…"

Turning to Leorio, Kurapika gave a weary sigh. "I'm sorry for my misconduct…" He offered Leorio a small smile. "…Leorio-san."

Leorio's mouth opened and closed as he stared at Kurapika incredulously. "Hey, w-what's with the sudden change?" he stuttered. "We sound like strangers."

Riolu lingered in the background, watching the group with a small smile. She wished she could join in the conversation, but the nasty words she'd spewed at Gon still rang in her head. Riolu doubted the boy would ever want to befriend her now, and despite herself, Riolu felt a pang of remorse. Even though she knew that even the greatest of friends would betray her in the end, Riolu still felt sad; she really had wanted to become friends with Gon.

"Hey, Riolu!" Riolu winced; he'd left out the "-chan" on purpose. "Why're you all the way back there? Come here!" Gon beamed at her.

"Gon… I'm really sorry for everything I said –" Riolu started, but Gon cut her off.

"That's okay, Riolu-chan! I know you didn't mean it. Friends?" Gon held out his hand for her to take, still smiling brightly at her.

Was Gon being sarcastic, or did he actually mean it? Riolu stared into his eyes, probing his mind before realizing that Gon wasn't mad at her at all. What was more, he'd never been angry at her in the first place. Was that even possible? Riolu hadn't known good people like that even existed in the world. Her hand hovered hesitantly before moving in to grab his. "Friends," she affirmed.

Her first friend. Riolu had no idea having a friend felt this good. Despite herself, Riolu felt a huge grin spreading across her face, lighting up her eyes and washing away her stoic posture.

Kurapika, Leorio and Gon stared at her in surprise and awe; when she was smiling, Riolu seemed like a completely different person.

"Hohoho!" A hearty laugh boomed from towards the captain's cabin. Turning around, the four Hunter Exam candidates found that the Captain himself was eyeing them approvingly. "I like you guys! You have some real potential for rookies!"

Riolu laughed a little; when he wasn't staring them down with that ominous glare, the captain wasn't that bad of a person either.

"Land ahoy!" The sailor Gon had rescued before called down from the crow's nest enthusiastically, pointing at a large stretch of land that was growing closer and closer by the minute.

"Yahoo!" Gon cheered. "Hunter Exam, here we come!"

Yep, Riolu thought, face still sporting that bright smile. Hunter Exam, here I come.

Author's Note: So how do you like it so far? Is Riolu an interesting OC or what?

My goal is to write an interesting, realistic story that keeps the readers (you guys) hooked. So the moment you feel like this is becoming a Mary-Sue, please let me know; that's the absolute last thing I want to do.

I know my character description of Riolu only covered her clothes and not her actual appearance, and hopefully I'll fit her actual appearance in next chapter. If you can't wait until then, check out the cover. Next chapter will introduce Killua, and the Hunter Exam will begin!

Please review! Constructive criticism is welcome; I love hearing how I can improve my stories!