Rivals x For x Survival
"How does Hamilton, an arrogant immigrant, orphan Bastard, whoreson Somehow endorse Thomas Jefferson, his enemy A man he's despised since the beginning Just to keep me from winning?" - Hamilton, The Musical
THE ELEVATOR TAKES THEM TO A DARK TUNNEL. The first thing Gon notices is it's filled with different applications of a variety of appearances, young to old, rich to poor looking. All of them with a different badge number attached to them like glue. All of the applicants eye them warily, but Gon tries to play them no mind.
Leorio steps forward first, his briefcase in hand, "Is it me or is the mood here pretty grim?" he asked suspiciously.
Kurapika glanced around, "We saw plenty of other applicants in the city, but these guys are different," he observed out loud. "Each one of them is a master in their own right."
Not seeing them as threats, Gon smiles, "'Scuse' me!" he said with a grin but stopped quickly when he saw the looks on their faces. All of them looked at him, innocent, young, and impressionable, Gon as a threat. As if they were trying to figure out a way to kill him. Gon's eyebrows raised. Tough crowd. "Looks like everybody's really on edge down here."
A man, thing (?), something, whatever it was, had a green head shaped like a bean. He passed out badges to every single one of them, "Please take your number badge. Thank you! Here you go! Be sure to wear this on your chest at all times, please. And be careful not to lose it, okay?" Then it walked off to hand out more badges.
Gon looked down at his badge. 405.
"Don't think I've seen you boys before!" A voice came from above.
"Huh?" Gon furrowed his eyebrows and glanced above. Sitting on a railing was a short, stumpy, fat, man with brown skin and hair, a large nose, and thick eyebrows. He wore a large, blue v-neck shirt with a white symbol resembling a lowercase "I" on its right side, over a matching pair of light, blue-gray sweat pants and a satchel across his body.
The man raised a hand in greeting, "Yo!"
Gon's eyebrows raised, "You can tell it's our first time here?"
He shrugged, "More or less." He jumped down from the railing with surprising grace. "It's getting easier. It's my thirty-fifth attempt, so it comes with the territory."
They all gasped, "You've tried thirty-five times?" they said in shock.
The man smiled sheepishly, "I guess you could say I'm a Hunter Exam veteran."
"No really something to brag about," Leorio commented honestly.
Kurapika nodded in agreement, "Indeed."
Gon only continued to smile at the man.
"Anyway, if you have any more questions, I'd be happy to help. Oh, by the way, the name's Tonpa."
Gon cheerfully shook his hand, "Hi, I'm Gon. This is Kurapika and this is Leorio. You sure have taken this exam a lot. Are you the only one here who's tried a bunch of times or are there others?" he asked.
Tonpa continued to smile, "I might hold the record, but yeah, there are others. For instance...that guy over there. Number 225," he pointed to man-eating fried meat with a fork, "Todo, the wrestler. Probably the strongest one here. And he's smarter than he looks. Over there is 103. Bourbon, the snake charmer," he turned to an older man who wore a head wrap, "He can really hold a grudge, so try not to get on his bad side." Next, he turned to an old man with a gray ponytail, "Let's see now...number 191, Bodoro, the kung fu master. He's getting old, but he's still the best martial artist around. Then there is the brother, Amori, Imari, and Umori. They work great as a team, so they almost always do really well. And 384, Geretta, the huntsman. He specializes in killing all kinds of creatures with his blow dart and club. There are more, but they've taken the Exam the most times."
"Oh wow," Gon said in awe. His hands gripped the straps of his backpack.
Tonpa opened his mouth to continue-
"Ahh!" A man's voice came from the other side of the room, screeching in pain causing them all to look over. Across the room, a pale man with a mohawk and armor fell to his knees as his body started to... disappear in front of him into small particles.
The man next to him said, "My. How unusual," he said nonchalantly. He looked like a jester you saw at a circus. He was tall with white skin and a muscular build. He wore a suit with various symbols similar to those you would find on a playing card. On his face makeup on a star on his right cheek and a teardrop on his left. "Seems this poor man's arms have turned into flower petals. Now you see them, now you don't."
Gon gasped lightly and sweat started to fall from his forehead.
"You should be more careful," the man added. "And do apologize if you bump into someone." People around him started to murmur uneasily. It was clear to see just who had caused that poor man such torture.
Tonpa started to sweat, "Just perfect. The psychopath is back again."
"You know that guy?" Gon asked.
"So, does that mean he tried last year?" Kurapika asked.
Tonpa stared ahead intensely, "Number 44, Hisoka, the magician. He was the number one pick to pass last year's exam until he all but killed an examiner he didn't like."
Leorio's eyes widened nervously, "Then what the hell is he doing here?! They're letting him retake the exam after something like that?"
Tonpa rolled his eyes, "Of course they are. They change the content and examiners every year. And the examiners choose the new material. The devil himself could pass the Hunter exam if the examiners say it's okay. It's how the whole thing works. Anyway, nobody likes the guy. I'd keep my distance if I were you."
They all watched Histoka walk away for a moment before Leorio said, "Well, he definitely looks dangerous."
Internally, Gon couldn't help but agree. Although the guy's appearance was almost comparable to one of a clown it was something about him that was off...something about him wasn't right.
"Oh! I almost forgot," Tonpa said suddenly. "Let's have a toast to friendship. Whaddya say?" He pulled out some cans of soda from his bag.
Leorio smiled, "Hey, thanks! Yeah, don't mind if I do!" He cracked open the can. "I was dying of thirst. Thanks a lot, buddy!"
Gon nodded, "Yeah, thanks a lot!"
"Thank you," Kurapika added calmly.
Tonpa raised his can, "Here's to new friends and good fortune. Cheers!" They clanked their cans together.
Gon gon barely took a sip before spitting it out making Tonpa take a step back. "Huh?"
"I think this juice might've gone bad, . It tastes funny," Gon said sheepishly.
Leorio quickly spit it out, "Seriously? That was a close call!"
"Huh? That's odd." Tonpa rubbed the back of his head, "Real sorry 'bout that, fellas!" He watched nervously as Kurapika also started to pour out his drink. "Please forgive me! I had no idea the juice was bad!"
Gon shrugged, "You don't have to apologize. What about you? Is your stomach okay?"
"I'm all right. I'm totally fine!" Tonpa insisted.
"Oh, good!" Gon grinned. "I've tried all kinds of plants and grasses on the mountain back home. So, I can usually taste when something's bad."
Sweat visibly dripped from Tonga's head, "That's some talent you got there!" He nervously chuckled. "Never seen anything like it! Sorry again. I'll see you, boys, around!"
Leorio rolled his eyes, "Man, I thought he would never shut up."
What a nice guy, Gon thought.
"HEY!"
Tonpa glances over at the sound of a young voice.
It was a boy he had given a can of juice to earlier. Oh right, Tonpa thought. That Kid.
The boy, Killua, remembers his name now. He was odd. He was cheery, much like the Gon boy from before but seemed...off he a way he couldn't put. The boy didn't have any odd behavior but something about him made Tonpa weary. He had spiky silver hair and was almost sickly pale with bright blue eyes. He short and lean body shape. He wore a navy blue turtle neck with a light blue bag shirt on top. and dark jeans reaching just below his knees. In his hand was a yellow and red skateboard.
But it was just the boy who made him nervous, it was also the girl who stood next to him. She seemed to be the same age as Killua, early teens and just turning the age of fourteen. She was a young black girl with dark skin, grey eyes, and dark brown hair pulled into thick bunches, each tied with a string at the tip that vaguely resembled the shape of stars. Her face was soft and round with a small nose and thick full lips. Oddly enough she wore a fitted black butler suit with a teal broach. In her hands was a cane. She stared at Tonpa in such a careless way it made him nervous. He had tried to offer a drink to her but she only stared at him blankly, not a word leaving her lips.
Creepy.
Killua waved him over, "That juice was great. Got anymore? I don't know if I'm just nervous but I am thirsty!"
How is he not shitting his pants right now? Tonpa thought worriedly. He quickly got his act together, "Oh! Of course"
What the hell? That laxative he drank should have taken effect by now! What's up with this kid and that butler of his?
He watched as Killua cracked open another can and hurriedly drank it like a man in the desert who had his first sip of water in days.
It's only a laxative, but still...If the kid drinks that much, he could die of dehydration.
"Worried?" Killua questioned with a smirk making Tonpa's eyebrows raise. "Well, don't be. I'll be fine. I've trained for this. Poisons don't hurt me. Isn't that right, Canary?"
The girl - Canary - spoke for the first time. "I don't agree with you revealing such information so casually, Killua-sama" she started-
Killua sighed-
"-You are correct. But of course, you already knew that."
"Please," Killua scoffed, "I could kill him in my sleep." The girl didn't reply, she just sighed.
Did he just...he just talked about killing me so casually...like I'm not even here! What the hell is going on?
Killua barely spared him a glance before turning on his fear. He sighed, "What a bore? C'mon, Canary." He walked away and the girl followed behind without a second thought.
Tonpa looked around nervously. Impossible. That kid was able to tell what was in the juice? But if he knew...then why the hell did he drink it? Damn. This year's rookies are completely insane. Number 99. Killua. And Number 100. Canary. He smirked. But so what? It kist means crushing them will be all the more satisfying.