Chapter 4

Walking to the unoccupied seat, Luffy sat down in front of Netero, who was currently dipping his biscuit in his warm cup of tea before placing the entire piece inside his mouth.

" Well, I hope you're comfortable. " Netero said, picking up a brush and parchment. " You're only task is to answer the questions I ask you, nothing more. Any questions? "

" No. " Luffy said, sitting patiently in his seat, Netero hummed at his performance.

" First question. " Netero announced, " Why do you want to become a hunter? "

" Never had the intention to. " Luffy admitted, " I got to the exam by accident, but then started to enjoy it. It's been... fun, so far and... I feel so relaxed, weirdly enough. "

" Ho. It must be quite the experience from what you were doing before. " Netero said, his tone full of joy.

" Yeah, it is. I used to work at a tech company that specializes in software. " Luffy stated.

" Interesting. So, then why do feel like continuing, you've had your feel didn't you? " Netero asked.

" Not even close. " Luffy said, a grin on his face. " I haven't had enough of this excitement, this rush. I want more. "

" HoHo. Well then, I hope you enjoy the final phase. Next question, Out of the other 9 applicants, which one are you keeping a close eye on? "

" None of them. " Luffy answered. " I haven't really been taking this as a competition seriously, so I don't have much of an opinion on who I should watch out for, maybe 44, but it's only because of his vibe. "

" Well, one last question, and we're done. Which of the other 9 applicants would you want to fight the least? " Netero asked.

" In an actual fight, number 44. " Luffy responded.

"Okay. That'll be all. " Netero said.

Luffy got up and walked out of the room.

...

" Which of the 9 applicants are you keeping an eye on? " Netero asked the murder-charged magician sitting in front of him.

" Number 99. " Hisoka said. " Number 405 as well, but I find myself wanting to fight number 99 more in the future one day. Yet, number 33 was a surprise, a nice surprise, however. Depending on what he does, I may find some fun fighting him. "

...

The next day, all 9 applicants gathered in a large room, and all the examiners stood inside with the executives of the hunter exam.

" Well gentlemen, I hope you all are well rested. This hotel is owned by the hunter association and is the location for the final phase of the exam. Make yourselves at home till all the matches are finished." Netero said as a whiteboard with a cloth draped over it was rolled into the room.

" Take a close look. " Netero said, before removing the cloth to show the tournament bracket. " For the final phase, it will be a one-on-one tournament battle. However, if you win your match, you will become a hunter. If you lose, you will move on to the next round, until there's only one loser, who fails the hunter exam.

Do you understand? "

" In the end, only one person fails the exam. " Hanzo said.

" Exactly. " Netero confirmed, raising his hand to grab the cover, hiding the contestant's faces for who would face who, and ripped it off. " Take a good look, these are the matchups. "

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______ | | | _________ |

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33 405 294 53 99 301 191 404 44 403

" Impressive, right? Each of you has at least 2 chances to become a hunter. " Netero said.

" Yeah, but some have more chances than others, like 33 and 405, having 6 chances. " Pokkle said.

" Couldn't you have used a more balanced bracket? " Asked contestant 191.

" A fair question. These brackets were prepared based on your performances during the entire exam up till now. As you can see, those who performed better were given more chances. " Netero explained.

" I'm not convinced. Can you at least tell us how you graded our performance? " Killua asked.

" Hmm... No!! " Netero yelled exaggeratedly, before stopping. " I can't reveal that, those are classified. But, I can tell you what we took into consideration. First, we have physical strength. Agility, endurance, flexibility, and perception, that's what we observed.

Second, we have mental strength. Resilience, adaptability, judgment, and creativity. In the end, these are just reference points. All of you made it to the final phase, and so, you all have strong minds and bodies.

What we were most concerned about is the impression you've left on us. This relates to any factors that go against the other two points. Think of this as us testing your worth as a hunter and our final act of assessment is by taking the opinions of your peers. That's all. "

' If that's how they graded us, then... does this mean I have less worth than Gon. But even more so... him? ' Killua thought, glancing at Luffy's picture on the chart next to Gon's.

" The rules of the battle are simple. Weapons are allowed, and cheating is forbidden. If you cheat, you are disqualified, and the rest pass. In order to win, you must make your opponent admit defeat. However! If you kill your opponent, you are immediately disqualified and after that, the exam ends. Got it?" Netero said as silence rained over the applicants.

" Let the final selection begin. " One of the executives said.

Making space, everyone edged towards the ends of the room, some sitting, others leaning against the wall and some simply standing. Gon and Luffy walked onto the field, upon the announcement of the referee, "First fight. Gon vs Luffy. "

"Begin. "

" Luffy. "Gon called out. " I don't want to fight you. But I also don't want to lose this match. "

' Typical Gon. But what will you do? ' Killua thought, his gaze focused solely on Luffy. 'Will you actually try and fight Gon? If you do, you'd lose easily. '

" Figured. " Luffy answered. " I don't really want to fight hand to hand either, so we'll just fight in another way. "

" Eh? Weren't we supposed to fight and make our opponents admit defeat to win? " Gon asked.

" Yes. But of all the rules he mentioned, the only rule we really should focus on is the no killing or else you lose rule. Other than that, it's fair game. You need to make your opponent admit defeat, which means you can use any method you want as long as you don't leave the arena.

So, with those rules in place, we can simply play a game. " Luffy explained before raising his hand to Gon.

" We're going to play rock paper scissors, a best-of-three match. Losing is the same as admitting defeat. "

Surprise emanated from the applicants and audience, and Netero started to chuckle in amusement.

'Wait... what?! ' Killua thought.

" Wait. Is that allowed? Can we actually do that? " Gon asked.

" As long as both of us agree, then yes. " Luffy said.

" Is this okay, Mr.Netero? " Gon asked.

" Hoho, in order to win you must make your opponent admit defeat. That's all. " Netero said with a smile, causing Gon to smile as well, while Killua dropped his jaw in surprise.

" Alright! I accept the challenge! " Gon proclaimed.

" Same here. " Luffy said.

" They are actually going to play. " Killua said in surprise.

" Well, at least they aren't going to punch each other. " Leorio said, sighing in relief.

" That's a really good way to do things. Even we can apply the same concept in our matches if we want to. As long we win the game, it's an automatic defeat. " Kurapika said.

" But I don't have to say it right, even if I lose? " Killua said.

" No, actually. He specified that losing is the same as admitting defeat. If you lose the game, you lose the match. " Kurapika said.

" Oh yeah. He did say that. "Killua said, crestfallen. ' The hell, his chances of winning just shot up drastically. He could realistically beat Gon considering how he did yesterday! Couldn't you have just fought in a fistfight instead? '

" I'm so using that. " Leorio said.

The match itself was a rock-paper-scissors match, but it went on for a long while. The first round finally ended at attempt 169, with Luffy beating Gon by placing down paper vs Gon's rock. In the match, they tied with 94 rocks, 45 papers, and 29 scissors. While not as action-packed as a fast-paced fistfight, the audience could only watch with bated breath as the two masters of the game, tied over and over, the intensity boiling even higher after each tie.

The release after the tie was broken made everyone give a standing ovation at the incredible performance. Gon and Luffy took their time recuperating before heading into round 2. The round ended at attempt 207, 96 rock ties, 78 paper ties, and 32 scissor ties. However, the winner of the round is...

Luffy!!

Placing down scissors vs Gon's paper, Luffy ends the match, winning 2-0.

" Luffy wins. Gon moves on. " The referee announced.

' He... won. ' Killua thought.

" Dang it! " Gon yelled, lying on his back, " I wanted to win that so badly too. "

" It was a great match though. " Luffy said, smiling, contagious as it made Gon smile as well.

" Yeah! " Gon said, getting on his feet. " I had a lot of fun! No one has lasted this long against me back home. "

" That right. " Luffy said, putting his hand out. " Good game. "

" Good game. " Gon repeated, shaking Luffy's hand.

" Next match. Hanzo vs Gon. Contestant Gon, can you continue or do you want some rest before the match? " The referee asked.

" Oh, no need. I'm good to go. " Gon confirmed.

" Very well then. Hanzo, please come up. " The referee announced.

As Hanzo walked up to face off against Gon, Killua in a lowered tone, standing close to Luffy, asked, " Does it frustrate you? That you couldn't beat him in a fistfight.

All you've done up till now has been the result of luck and smart thinking. You wouldn't last a second against someone who has superior fighting skills. "

" That... was an interesting rant. " Luffy commented, tilting his head towards Killua.

" Answer me. " Killua demanded.

" Frustrated. I'm not frustrated, because I'm not even at the starting line. I told you before, didn't I? I had never intended to become a hunter in the first place, yet I ended up here, and I don't want to leave!

I'm now a hunter after that match, so I'll use the resources to get better. Whether I get frustrated or not, will be felt when it happens.

That's all. " Luffy explained.

" Though, this question was for your sake, wasn't it? " Luffy said. " You believe that you don't compare to Gon, having less potential than him and by comparison, me. All because of the matchups. "

Killua clicked his tongue in annoyance, his frustration seeping out, Luffy's words hitting their mark. Though part of his mind was surprised that he even showed the emotion to another.

" You're only focused on strength. " Luffy said. " Strength is not everything, after all, one's mentality is also a factor. A strong person, may not be a hunter, and a hunter, may not be a strong person. "

" How the hell did you come up with that? " Killua asked, shortly after.

" What are you talking about? I'm an old man, shouldn't I give cryptic messages? " Luffy asked sarcastically. Killua chuckled in response.

" You little brat!! " Hanzo yelled, punching Gon high into the air, his scream catching Luffy's and Killua's attention as Gon landed on the ground with a thud, knocked out.

" He's knocked out? " Killua questioned, blinking in confusion. " Is the match already over? "

" Yes. Hanzo decided to forfeit, but Gon... refused his forfeit and Hanzo punched him. " Kurapika recapped while Leorio was chuckling.

" He refused Hanzo's forfeit. " Luffy repeated.

" Yep. " Leorio said, wiping away a tear.

" Wow. " Killua said.

...

" I'll get him back. " Gon declared to Illumi, his hand firmly clenched on Illumi's wrist, crushing it, something Illumi found surprising.

" If Killua left on his own, then there is no problem, but if you manipulated him, then we have a problem. " Gon said.

" That's just what we're going to discuss. " Netero said, gaining Gon's attention.

" Before you barged into the room, Kurapika and Leorio made a statement regarding Killua's action in the final phase. " Netero stated.

" Yes. Killua's actions after Illumi revealed himself were quite strange, allowing us to think that under his influence during that match. Even when using hypnotism, it's generally impossible to ask someone to kill, but to Killua, killing is a daily act. " Kurapika explained.

" However the problem is the fact that the one he killed was my opponent, so we can take it as him helping me by disqualifying himself, so the one who should fail is me. " Leorio said.

" That's entirely possible, but there is no proof he was hypnotized or asked to kill anyone and regarding the match between Leorio and Bodoro, I don't think there are any problems, either one of them had a chance of success, they are that close in strength when combining physical and mental. " Netero explained.

" It doesn't matter anyway. " Luffy spoke up, bringing himself into the spotlight. " Killua said it himself he didn't necessarily want to be a hunter, and if he wants to, he can always take the exam next year. "

" Yep." Gon agreed, nodding his head. " There's something more important to do. "

" Oi Netero, is there anything we need to know about or is this all? " Luffy asked, standing up.

" Hmmm...ah, there is one thing. For some of you, a hunter will be coming to give you training on being a hunter in the next couple of days. That's all, you can go now. " Netero said, making a shooing motion with his hand.

" Thanks. " Luffy said, walking towards the door. Gon let go of Illumi's arm and ran up towards Luffy, walking side by side as they left the room.

Leorio and Kurapika grabbed their things and quickly left the room to follow them.

" Oi Luffy. What was that about? And Gon why did you agree with him? " Leorio asked.

" Simple. Manipulation was clearly involved, but no one would consider it a possibility unless you actually knew what you were talking about.

Illumi showed this multiple times, not trying to hide it with his main weapon of choice. " Luffy said.

" Needles. " Kurapika uttered, his mind coming to the only weapon Illumi had used so far.

" Needles? " Leorio asked.

" Yes. When Gittaracker or Illumi in disguise, removed the needles from their body, the disguise was undone. He also used needles to learn about Gon's location by putting them into that employee. " Kurapika deduced.

" Eh? What are you talking about? Are you saying Illumi has some super special ability or something? " Leorio questioned.

" Something like that, Yes. " Kurapika said, to Leorio's surprise.

" But that sounds ridiculous! Even if it makes some amount of sense. " Leorio exclaimed.

" That's the point. " Luffy stressed. " It's a ridiculous concept, yet somehow it's a literal possibility. "

" Eh? " Gon uttered. " I didn't think about that. I mean, once we get Killua back, he can just the exam next year anyway, so... "

" That's right. " Luffy said.

" Well anyway, where are we supposed to go? We don't necessarily have his house address. " Kurapika stated.

" We can go ask Illumi. " Gon suggested.

" Gon, no. " Leorio said.

" We don't have to. We already know their house address. " Luffy said, handing his phone to Kurapika.

" Kukurroo Mountain. " Kurapika said astonished, " Their address is public knowledge. A tour bus has it as one of its stops. "

" Seriously?! " Leorio exclaimed.

" Woah. Killua's family must be really strong. " Fon said.

" Considering their house is in the open, absolutely. " Luffy said deadpanned. " Anyway, I'll go book tickets for the flight. "

" Okay. We'll join you in a bit. " Gon said.

...

" It seems, you're ready to leave. "

Luffy turned in his chair, looking up at the tall stature of Hisoka towering over him, a smirk on his face.

" I am.." Luffy said. " But why are you here? "

" To tell you something beneficial. " Hisoka said with a smile. " You're quite interesting and have been propelled up in my rankings of people I wish to fight. So, a suggestion, come to Heavens Arena, a place where you can fight to your heart's content while learning and using the interesting stuff as well. "

" Interesting stuff? " Luffy repeated, eyes narrowing.

" That's right. Very interesting stuff. You've already shown interest in it with your quick deductions and are hungry to obtain it for yourself. " Hisoka said, an eery look in his eye that can read Luffy like a book.

" Do tell me if I'm correct once you learn, but I'm going to guess that you are a manipulator. " Hisoka said, a smirk plastered on his face before he walked away.

' Manipulator? ' Luffy thought, his eyes trailing Hisoka as he left. ' What does he mean by that? Does he mean in the literal sense, me being someone who's able to control others, or is talking about something else?

Deductions? Then he must have overheard the conversation talking about Illumi's actions between me, Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon.

Then he already knows what's going on with Illumi. He may even have it as well. But what is it?! '

Luffy clenched his teeth in frustration, memories at the for front of his mind when Illumi first showed himself. He could never forget that moment, the second time he felt...

Astounded.

Somehow, a man could use needles to change his body structure to transform into another person, transfigure another person so his head would cave and make him spill out information.

It was incredible to witness.

Luffy wanted that. Whatever it was that allows him to do something similar. Perhaps his luck was greater than he imagined, all happening because of that day.

' A hunter will come soon enough. ' Luffy thought. ' That's what Netero said. Once they arrive, I'm going to take everything they know! '

____________________________________________________

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