3 Drama X Fight
Chapter art
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Inside the bridge of the ship that is carrying all of the Hunter Applicants, stood seven people. Five of them stood frozen as they look shell shocked at one person who stood with both arms open as he stare intensely at the Captain with a big grin. While the last person desperately holding the steering wheel of the ship, trying to navigate through the storm, fighting the gigantic wave that seems to keep getting bigger every wave.
The Captain comes back to his sense, shaking his head and taking a deep breath before looking at the eyes of the person who just declared his insane ambition to everyone in the room.
"What is your name, boy? Your full name." The Captain asks the boy in front of him in a neutral tone.
"Manfred, Manfred Richtheim," Manfred answered the captain in confusion as he lowered his arms.
"Manfred Richtheim, huh? I will make sure to remember you kid. Oi, Katzo! Tell the examination board that only two applicants pass my test!" The Captain said as he bows down to pick up his fallen pipe.
The four applicants, including both Kurapika and Leorio who were still lost in their thought, immediately focused their attention back on the Captain, stunned.
"Oi, oi, oi, what the hell do you mean by that old man?! You're only the bus driver, you don't have the right to eliminate us from the exam!" Leorio points at the man, face full of confusion and anger.
While Kurapika just stare at the Captain, frowning deep in thought.
The Captain hearing that only continues to blow his pipe, trying to clean it from the dust it got from the floor.
"I see that you haven't understood your situation yet. The exam has already begun!"
Hearing that Kurapika opens his eyes wide in realization, while Leorio's face becomes more confused.
"Eh? It has already begun?"
"Huh?! It did?!"
Both Gon and Leorio said at the same time. Gon scratched his head in confusion and Leorio exclaimed in bafflement.
"I see. So that's how it is."
Kurapika said that fully understood the situation he is in. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Manfred who also seems to have come to the same conclusion as him.
Leorio and Gon turn their head to Kurapika after hearing what he said.
"Oi, mind explaining to us what's happening here?!" Leorio asked in annoyance to the blond boy, the person who has been ignoring him since the beginning.
Kurapika said nothing as he continue to stare at the captain, knowing that the captain will explain it himself.
Leorio gritted his teeth as he stare at the blonde boy, eyes filled with anger for being constantly ignored.
The Captain lets out a puff of smoke while looking at the rising tension between Kurapika and Leorio. Deciding that it was time to break them off, he opens his mouth to explain what he said.
"Do you know how many people sign up for the Hunter Exam every year?" The Captain said calmly while he lets out another smoke.
That took the attention of the four applicants. Leorio takes a deep breath to regulate his emotion as he puts his attention on the Captain.
"Millions." The Captain answered his question in a matter-of-fact tone to them.
"There are as many people who want to own Hunter's License as there are stars in the night sky. You think the examiners have the time and resources to review them all?"
The Captain said derisively as he sweep his gaze upon the four applicants, keeping his gaze longer at Leorio.
Seeing that, Leorio is offended by the stare. He closes his eyes while taking a deep breath regulating his emotion to calm down. Trying to not lose his cool to the man who holds his fate in his hands.
"That's why the Examination Committee hired people like me, who not only act as a bus driver but also screen out the applicants. The applicants who are not currently in the room are all drop-outs and have been reported as such to the committee. Even if they somehow manage to reach the site of the exam by different routes, they will be turned away."
The Captain explains in a calm voice.
"Whether the four of you qualify is my call too. So you better keep that in mind. Now, about my question earlier..."
The Captain ended his explanation while looking at the blond boy Kurapika
Kurapika let out a breath as he starts to explain his reason.
"I'm... the last of the Kurta Clan. I want to become a Hunter so I can capture the Phantom Troupe. That gang of robbers who killed my brethren four years ago."
Kurapika clenches his fists as he thought back to the day he comes back to the Village. His once beautiful and peaceful village has turned to ashes and rubles. Blood splattered all over the place as his Clansmen's bodies were littered all across the road. Many of them died with their eyes gouged out and face contorted with rage.
Manfred, hearing that frowned as a memory from 4 years ago resurfaced, thanks to his monstrous eidetic memory.
He was in Brilanta Province, located in the North West region of Suda Stelo Federation. A minor country that has a good relationship with the United States of Saherta (U.S.S.) due to the area it is located. Directly bordering the U.S.S. on the north and the Nestor Kingdom on the Southeast. Acting as a Buffer State between the two hostile nations.
He was staying in Sunlumo city, trying to track down one of the targets who was involved in the destruction of his former family.
While he was investigating the target's trace, he found out that one of the most famous information brokers in the underworld who goes by the nickname 'White Hare' is trying to find traces of the Kurta Clan.
He doesn't know what exactly happened as it wasn't important to him at the time, but exactly a few weeks after that, the news of the Massacre of the Kurta Clan was broadcasted.
A female traveler who coincidentally has managed to stumble upon the secret village that many people have tried searching for with no result. Many people from the underworld in that area who hears about the news, immediately know, that the infamous White Hare is somehow involved in the incident. After all, the Kurta Clan is not the first victim of the White Hare, and they surely won't be the last.
'But to think I manage to meet a survivor of that Clan here in the exam.'
Manfred thought as he looked at the last member of the Kurta Clan with sadness. He knows that The Phantom Troupe will not be the end of the blond boy's road to revenge. If he were to find out about the involvement of the White Hare, he would stop at nothing to hunt them down.
And doing that is the same as poking at a Hornet's Nest. There are too many parties involved with the Infamous Organization. If they manage to find any kind of sign of the boy trying to hunt the broker down, then he will immediately be branded as a Class A - international criminal.
Manfred close his eyes as he began to ponder whether he should tell this news to Kurapika or not.
"You're out to be a Black-list Hunter, then. The Phantom Troupe is a class A - Bounty. Even seasoned hunters cower when they heard that name. The few who tried to hunt them are now laying somewhere, six feet underground."
The Captain said while taking the rum bottle tied to his waist to take a swig.
"I do not fear death. What I fear is that the flame within my heart withers and fades away."
Kurapika said, as his eyes turns into a beautiful scarlet, but that beauty is hidden under his contact lenses.
"So, you're out for revenge? You don't need to be a Hunter to do that."
Leorio asked Kurapika, feeling sorry for the irritating younger boy's past.
"Don't be as stupid as you look, Reolio."
Kurapika replied closing his eyes to calm down his emotions as he continues to speak to Leorio
"The places you can't go, the information you can't access, the actions you can't take unless you're a Hunter, would obviously boggle your tiny mind."
Leorio clenches his fist and grits his teeth as he was angry at all of the disrespect the blonde has been giving him from the start.
"And you, Leorio?"
As he was contemplating whether he should throw his fist at the boy or not, the Captain spoke, turning his attention to the last applicant who hasn't given out his reason yet.
Taking a deep breath, Leorio opens his arms wide as he began to explain his reason with a big, near idiotic, smile.
"MONEY!" Leorio shouts at the Captain as he began to speak his reason maniacally.
"I want money! Lots of money!! Money gets you everything!
A big house!!
A cool car!!
Top grade booze!!"
"And not a lick of class."
Kurapika remarked from behind Leorio with distaste for his greedy nature.
Leorio's eyebrow twitch as he finally couldn't keep in his anger any longer. His face turns stoic as he turns around to face the blonde.
"That's the last straw."
He stares at the blonde coldly before making his way to the door.
"Step outside, Kurapika. I'll make sure you're the last of the Kurtas."
Kurapika's face immediately darkens as his eyes shrink with rage.
"What did you say?"
He asked as he stares at Leorio with pure unbridled rage.
"You hear what I said."
Leorio glanced coldly at Kurapika
"Let's go" Said Leorio as he walks through the hallway with one hand in his pocket, and Kurapika following close behind.
"Hey, we're not finished here! Are you withdrawing from the test?!"
The Captain yelled at them, trying to stop them.
Hearing the Captain's yell brought Manfred back from his pondering. He looks around to see Leorio and Kurapika gone from the room with the Captain looking through the door frowning. Confused, he decided to ask Gon what was going on.
"Hey, Gon, what's going on? I was kinda distracted earlier."
Asked Manfred with an awkward smile.
"Etto... Leorio and Kurapika are about to fight because Kurapika won't stop insulting Leorio."
Gon explained while scratching his head to which Manfred's eyes widen wondering how things could've escalated so quickly.
"But I think it's good that they have this fight." Gon said seriously while looking down.
Both the Captain and Manfred look at Gon, wondering why the boy said those things.
" 'If you want to know a person, find out what makes him angry.' One of Aunt Mito's favorite sayings. Something serious is bugging those guys. They need to work it out."
Gon said as he looks at the captain and Manfred seriously.
The Captain let out a hum in acknowledgment of the boy's words.
*thump* *thump* *thump* *thump*
The sounds of hurried footsteps broke the silence as one sailor comes through the door wet with rain.
"Cap'n!! The wind's gustin' somethin' fierce!!"
The sailor informed the Captain in a panic while pointing outside.
The Captain frowned before he hurried outside to see what was going on with Manfred, Gon, the sailor, and the forgotten Katzo following close behind.
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On the main deck of the ship, two people stood facing each other in the storm, One person stood straight while his robe are fluttering wildly in the wind, and the other one stood with his hands in his pocket. Around them sailors are pulling a rope to shorten the sails, desperately trying to prevent the ship from capsizing.
*Wooosh* *Rroaarrr*
A big wave crashed onto the ship splashing sea water on board in the middle of the two opposing people wetting the clothes they wear on their bodies.
"Take it back, and I'll forgive you... Rioleo!"
Kurapika said his whole body wet from the rain, staring intently at the man who had just threatened to erase his entire bloodline.
"Take it back yourself... Kurapika! I've said what I said"
Leorio said, drenched in rain, looking stoically at the blonde boy in front of him. He knows what he had just said. He knows that he shouldn't have said those cruel words to the miserable boy in front of him. But, he couldn't help it, when the boy in question has been getting on his nerve ever since they met. Who wouldn't be angry when you are insulted continuously by the same person over and over again?
But even then, he knew that what he said was completely out of line. He has always been like that, saying and doing stuff in the heat of the moment, completely disregarding the consequences of his action. And ever since the loss of his best friend, this bad trait of his has gotten worse.
Leorio watches as the blonde boy in front of him take out a pair of chained bokken sword from behind, hidden underneath that big robe of his.
The blonde boy held one of the Bokken swords pointing at him, and the other in a reverse grip.
"Are you ready?"
The boy blond asked, Leorio replied by taking out the pocket knife he kept hidden in the back pocket and getting into a low stance.
"Bring it!!"
'I'm sorry for what I said, Kurapika. But still, I won't apologize because it was you who keeps pushing my buttons and getting on my nerves. So the least I can do for you is to give you this fight to let out all of your frustration.'
Leorio said in his mind as he watches Kurapika starts running at him at full speed.
*Crack*
*Swoosh*
*Snap*
Manfred along with Gon and the Captain who has been watching their confrontation for a while now saw one of the wooden poles on the mast break off, flying into a sailor who is pulling at a rope, hitting him hard enough to knock him unconscious.
Katzo, who had gone down to help the previous sailor to pull the rope immediately get his whole body thrown around since he was not strong enough to hold the rope alone.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
The scream of terror brought the attention of Leorio and Kurapika who was just about to strike to the sound of the scream.
The ship was then struck by a wave, making the ship tilt at an angle throwing Katzo completely out of the boat, heading towards the dark and cruel sea.
Leorio seeing that eyes widen as he immediately runs into action hoping that he is fast enough to catch Katzo's foot with Kurapika following behind.
Time seems to slow down as both Leorio and Kurapika rushed to Katzo. Leorio with red eyes hops to the other side of the railings, with one hand holding the railing, and the other stretching out his arms to catch Katzo's foot, with Kurapika following a step slower.
Leorio and Kurapika grit their teeth as they stretch out their arms as far as possible trying to grasp Katzo's feet, but alas, Katzo was already thrown too far off the ship, their action was all in vain. But suddenly, they watched as a shadow rushed pass them, jumping from the railings, succeeding at catching Katzo's feet.
They watch in slow motion as the shadow managed to catch Katzo's feet, revealing the shadow turns out to be Gon! The spiky-haired boy had recklessly jumped over the railings without any plans whatsoever to save Katzo! They tried again, stretching their arms, but this time to catch Gon's feet. But to their despair, they found out that they are still out of reach because they had reacted too slow, they had missed the best chance to hold onto Gon's feet.
They watch with wide eyes as they desperately stretch their arms to their target which seems so close, yet so far away. But just as they were about to give up, they felt a second shadow who jumped off the ship managing to get a hold of Gon's feet. Unlike before, they immediately catch the shadow's legs without discerning its identity.
Both Gon and Katzo who are the furthest away slams into the sea, completely engulfed in the raging waves of the ocean. Seeing that, they both immediately tried to pull themselves up onto the boat but found out that the rails had become slippery from the rain. The sailors who finally managed to shorten the sails, immediately run to them, helping them up and bringing them back onto the boat.
"Guys!! It seems that Katzo had drunk too much water!!" Gon, the reckless, death-seeking, little devil cried out in alarm to everyone.
Hearing that, Leorio as an aspiring doctor immediately goes to check on Katzo's body. He first opens Katzo's mouth and put a finger on Katzo's neck to check for any kind of breath or pulse. Once ten seconds pass and finding there were no signs of life coming from the body, he ripped Katzo's shirt showing his bare chest.
He put both his hands on top of Katzo's chest, and then he began performing CPR. He uses a CPR compression rate of 100 per minute, in cycles of 30 compressions followed by two rescue breaths.
Everyone watches as Leorio, continues to do CPR on Katzo's cold body. There are no sounds other than the pitter-pattering rains hitting the hardwood deck and the sound of Leorio performing CPR.
Everyone watches with bated breath as the minutes pass by, no one realizing that the rain had completely stopped, until finally...
*cough cough* *Bleurgh*
Katzo woke up coughing, as he vomits the seawater he swallowed onto the deck.
Seeing that, Leorio helped him turn around as he start patting Katzo's back.
"*huff* *huff* It's ok... Just let all of the water out... *huff*" Leorio said breathing in exhaustion, as he continue to pat Katzo's back.
Leorio looked up, to see a beautiful blue and cloudless sky. The previous fierce storms had resided, as the sun replaced its place to shine brightly over everyone on the deck giving them warmth and comfort after the cold rain.
Leorio closes his eyes as he thinks about his late best friend.
'Pietro... Did you see that?... I... I managed to save a life today... And I swear that this won't be the last life that I will save. I will keep on doing this, saving more life, to atone for my uselessness in helping you..."
A tear manages to slip away through the slit of his closed eyes, traveling down his cheek until it finally falls onto the wet wooden board.
"I... Wished to become a Hunter for money... Money... Is the only thing I'm looking for... If I had the money back then, then my best friend wouldn't have died"
Leorio said calmly still closing his eyes, not knowing to whom these words are intended.
"It was a treatable disease. But because we didn't have any money, I could do nothing but to watch him die. Day by day, I see him slowly but surely succumbing to his illness, he tried to comfort me, saying everything will be ok. And I, being a complete fool, believe his words."
More and more tears manage to find their way out of his closed eyes.
"Until finally, he stopped breathing when we are playing with a ball in our old decrepit courtyard. I watch him, as he stopped breathing and falls to the ground... I had to bury my own best friend, with my own hands... Because I did not have any money to pay for his funeral!"
Leorio screams at the last word gritting his teeth as he continues with his story.
"And so I thought I could also become a doctor. I wanted to cure the kids who have the same disease and be able to tell them that it was free of charge! Then I could've told his parents, too. That was my dream..."
Manfred, Kurapika, and the other sailors closed their eyes, knowing where the man is going with his story.
Leorio opened his eyes as he look at the sky with pain.
"What a joke! It turns out that to become a doctor, you need even more money!"
Leorio shouted. As he looks over at Kurapika.
"Don't you get it?! It's all money, money, money! The world runs on money! For me to keep saving more lives I need to earn more money!"
Leorio points at Kurapika, body soaked wet from head to toe with a face full of tears.
"So that's why, next time I hear you mocking my dreams again, I will pummel your face to the ground! You got that, bastard?!"
Kurapika stares at the man who's pointing his fingers at him. He looks at his face, full of tears with snot dripping out of his nose, looking like a complete and utter fool. But he didn't know why, even despite all of that, he could feel his heart beating once again when he looks at the eyes of that man.
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