"Well," a voice comes down from the heavens, slicing through the tense atmosphere of the crowd. "That said, it seems a bit excessive to fail each applicant."
A whirring noise floods the area as a large blimp comes into view. I stare up at it in wonder.
"The symbol of the Hunter's association! Must be someone from the Exam committee," Buhara says.
Out of nowhere, someone leaps from the flying machine. I brace myself as he lands, kicking up a ton of dirt in the process.
That must have hurt.
I brush the dirt off of me, shaking some out of my hair as well.
Out of the dust, an old man with huge earlobes, long eyebrows, and facial hair walks forward. He seems to be the one in charge here.
"Hey, who's the old man?" Someone asks.
I notice that the man in question is wearing interesting shoes which must take a lot of balance to walk on.
"He is the head of the Exam committee and he is responsible for the Hunter Exam. Chairman Netero," Menchi introduces.
"Oh, I just work behind the scenes, it's not all that impressive. I only intervene when little issues like this pop up."
I watch Netero carefully, trying to size him up. Even though he appears to be an old man, I sense a great amount of power lurking behind his façade.
"Now, dear Menchi, you have chosen to fail all of this year's applicants, reason being, as I understand it, their general reluctance to challenge the unknown."
As the chairman talks, I notice his eyes lingering on Menchi's chest. A growl begins to form in the back of my throat as he continues to keep glancing at her chest. Beside me, Hisoka glances at my laid back ears and ridged stance. He inches a bit closer to me as I try to focus on the conversation.
"No," Menchi says, "I'm sorry sir, but I snapped when a candidate insulted gourmet Hunters. I'm afraid I made the Exam harder than necessary."
I think we all knew that.
"I see. And it seems you're aware that you made this Exam completely unacceptable."
"Yes, it's just that I get so emotional when food is involved. I'm not suited for this position,' Menchi admits, hanging her head. "So I must resign as examiner. Please let them retake the second phase!"
I frown. I like her! I don't want another examiner!
"I can't imagine where we would find an examiner on such short notice."
"My deepest apologizes, sir."
"Hold on, I have an idea!" Netero puts up a finger, "You continue serving as examiner, but you yourself must participate alongside the applicants in completing whatever assignment you choose."
Menchi straightens up.
My tail wags. That would be great! Then we can see exactly what she wants from us!
"Well, what do you say? Sound fair? Surely that would make the applicants more comfortable with the results."
"I suppose you're right. And, I have just the thing for the new challenge. We'll all be making boiled eggs!"
I tilt my head in confusion as the other applicants chatter with uncertainty.
Boiled eggs?! What can be difficult about boiled eggs?
"Chairman, since I see you brought your airship, would you mind taking us all to Split Mountain?" Menchi asks, gesturing to the blimp.
"Split Mountain? Oh, I see, yes of course."
Ooh, I fieldtrip!
I grin as I get in line to board the ship, falling in step beside Gittarackur. The man makes strange noises as he walks, but that doesn't bother me.
"Are you excited? I wonder what kind of eggs we have to boil? I wonder why we have to go to the Mountain?" I blabber as we finally get in.
Gittarackur simply looks at me without an expression as Hisoka catches up to us.
"Hello, puppy~"
I glance up at him with a smile, "Heyo. Are you excited?"
"I'm curious about the next assignment but I wouldn't say I'm 'excited'," he answers bluntly.
"Oh, well, I'm excited. Menchi's going to be joining us! She's so cool!"
Hisoka raises an eyebrow as I grin widely, looking out of the airship at the tiny world below.
Then, I realize just how high up we are.
I gulp, stepping back a bit as my heart begins to thump loudly. Now, I wouldn't say I'm terrified of heights, but I would certainly say I'm uncomfortable with being too high up.
Hisoka chuckles, placing his hands on my shoulders to guide me away from the window, "Scared of heights, little puppy?"
Frowning, I shrug off his grip, "No... I just don't like being so far away from the ground."
"Hmm."
Gittarackur observes Hisoka and I with his expressionless face.
"Oh, Hiso-kun, you know Gittarackur, right?"
He nods, "Yes~"
"Ooh, look!" I point to the distance where a large mountain rises from the earth. The most distinguishing feature of the landmark is the fact that it is literally split in half.
"No wonder it's called Split Mountain!"
The blimp lands and everyone walks over to the cliff.
I hesitate to go as close to the edge as everyone else. Hisoka notices and slyly grabs onto my arm, leading me closer. "Don't worry, you won't fall~"
Looking up at his smile, I nod, fighting back my fear.
"This is it. Take a look at what's down there," Menchi orders.
"What is that?"
"A spider-eagles web."
"They build their webs way down there?!" Gon exclaims.
A sudden gust of wind sends #255 backmaking him land of his butt. Hisoka's grip on my arm stops me from suffering the same fate as the wind strikes us.
"Look past the web to what's underneath."
I squint down and see clusters of eggs hanging by threads to the web. Oh, so there at the eggs. How are we going to get them?
Chairman Netero explains about spider-eagles and their eggs.
"Wait a minute you don't mean-"
"You bet I do," Menchi grins before leaping right off the ledge.
I gasp as she falls, hoping she'll be alright. Unconsciously, I latch onto Hisoka's arm as I watch the scene unfold. This brings a wider smirk to his painted face.
She catches the web and hangs there for a minute before a slight breeze rustles her hair.
She lets go, free falling as she snatches an egg.
She keeps falling.
I stare in disbelief until a large gust of wind sends her flying back up and I breathe out a sigh of relief.
Netero explains that the ravine has updrafts which help the chicks learn to fly.
"There, now I just need to boil it."
I clap wholeheartedly as #255 freaks out.
"You really expect us to do that?!"
Meanwhile, Gon and his friends leap off the cliff with no hesitation, "I've been waiting for something like this!"
"Wait, I haven't finished explaining!"
Everyone ignores Menchi's cry as they jump off.
I watch Hisoka jump first, then inhale deeply before following. I catch the web beside Hisoka, safe and sound for now.
Just don't think about the height. Don't think about how I could die if I let go. Don't think about it.
Some poor fool lets go before it's time and screams as he plummets to his demise.
I wince, staring ahead with wide eyes as I forget how to breathe.
Hisoka looks at me, a flash of concern crossing his features. I meet his gaze, thankful for the distraction.
"I'm okay," I manage to say.
He nods.
Everyone waits for Gon to jump, since he apparently knows exactly when to let go. The web jerks, straining under the weight of everyone.
My breathe hitches and my palms get sweaty. Sweat coats my hands, making the web slippery under my grip.
Holy hell, I gasp as my fingers start to slip.
Horrified, I can't find my voice.
A large hand is quick to clamp over my own, securing mine in place.
"Relax, puppy~"
Tears of relief prick in my eyes as they meet yellow ones.
"Thank you!"
A few people get impatient and fall to their deaths, their screams reverberating through the trench.
"Okay, now!" Gon shouts.
Everyone drops.
The wind blows through my hair and fur and it's almost a pleasant experience. I grab an egg as I freefall next to Hisoka. The gust of wind sends us all up to the top of the cliff.
My feet hit the ground and I instantly fall to my knees and scurry away from the edge.
"I am never doing that again!" I exhale, splaying out on the solid ground beneath me.
Hisoka smirks down at me as everyone starts to boil their eggs. He leans down and offers a hand. I reach up with a grin, accepting his help.
"Thanks for saving me back there! I owe you one!" I exclaim.
His smirk widens as he licks his lips.
Once my egg is done cooking I snatch it and devour it without hesitation. Hisoka eats his in silence whereas I cannot contain my enthusiasm.
"Oh my gosh, this is so yummy!"
I observe as Gon shares his egg with the annoying guy who insulted Menchi. Frankly, the guy didn't deserve the egg, but Gon is too nice.
"I wonder what the next Phase will be like?"
I glance at Hisoka and Gittarackur.
Whatever it is, I'm sure I can pass!
Positivity is key.