Following the Kirikos to Zaban City is easy thanks to Koraidon, who easily keeps up with their flying speed. Thanks to this shortcut, the trip to Zaban City only takes around an hour or so. A part of me is worried how the citizens of this world will react to Pokémon, but I try not to think about it. For me, it's just a natural part of life.
We land just outside the city, one of the Kiriko guides changing their shape and guiding me into the city while the others hang back. As I expected, Koraidon gets some glances, and some people are wary. Luckily it's nothing too severe, but it makes my anxiety spike nonetheless. As we head for the exam site, the Kiriko guides me through busy streets full of food vendors and shady merchants. A part of me wonders if anyone else around us is taking the exam. What's the exam like? What kind of tests will I have to complete to become a Hunter?
I fiddle with a pokeball on my belt as we pass a large office building, stopping in front of a little hole-in-the-wall hibachi restaurant. I raise an eyebrow as the guide leads me inside the restaurant. Surely such a place was too small for an exam with a large crowd of people. The guide walks over to the counter and places an order.
"The steak combo, grilled over low flame", the guide orders.
The look on the chef's face changes from one of boredom to one of realization. His eyes narrow and nods, then tells us to head to the back room. The guide brings me to the back room, and leaves me there, telling me to wait. Koraidon and I look at each other and I just shrug.
As I sit down in one of the chairs, the room shakes slightly and it feels as though the whole room is moving. I cautiously sit up and ask out loud, "Is t-this room an elevator?! Man that's a heck of a surprise. Imagine if an actual restaurant guest came back here?"
Koraidon growls as the elevator descends, suddenly on edge. I frown at this, knowing it means trouble is near. I rest one hand on Koraidon's side, another moving to grip a pokeball on my belt.
"What the hell is waiting for us down here?", I wonder out loud.
The elevator gradually comes to a stop, and my grip on the pokeball tightens. I move my other hand from Koraidon's side to grip on of the handlebar-like protrusions on his shoulder. Last thing I need is him to jump on someone with how wound up he is now. The door opens and I cautiously step out, immediately wincing at the intense barrage of flares that greet me. Koraidon's tail lashes, and I whisper to him to calm him down. The people before us are every shape and size imaginable, the only thing uniting them being their numbered badges.
Speaking of, a small, green man with a bean-shaped head walks over and hands me a badge with the number 406 printed on it. He tells me to wear it at all times and not to lose it before walking away with no further explanation. I slowly blink and put the badge on, just trying my best to keep calm and ignore the swarm of angry eyes glaring at me. Koraidon settles after I pet his shoulder for a few seconds.
"What the heck is that thing?!", a voice shouts, and I wince. I sheepishly glance over to see a man wearing a suit and glasses pointing at me, an angry and baffled look on his face. Koraidon snaps his head in the man's direction and snarls, and I quickly step between them.
"Easy bud, easy", I say, soothing the giant lizard by petting his head.
"Leave them alone, Leorio, there's no rules against animals anyways", a teen with blonde hair scolds the man.
"Don't worry, he's not very dangerous", I assure them, noting a boy in green with spiky hair among the group as well, "Uh, I'm Brody, and this is my partner, Koraidon."
Luckily by now most of the glares have gone away, and I breathe a sigh of relief.
"Talk about a tough crowd", I joke nervously.
"The name's Gon. It's nice to meet you", the spiky haired boy greets, extending his hand for me to shake. I do so, glad not everyone here seems to want to kill me. "These are Kurapika and Leorio", he says, pointing to the blonde teen and then the suited-up man.
"Nice to meet you", Kurapika greets, remaining formal. He seems stiff but he's friendly enough. Leorio meanwhile is still freaking out over Koraidon.
"What the heck is this thing? Some kinda overgrown iguana?!", Leorio shouts, approaching Koraidon and poking him directly on the snout. Koraidon let's out an 'AGIAS', making Leorio stumble back. Gon raises a hand for Koraidon to sniff, which the lizard does before licking the boy's face in greeting.
"See, mostly harmless, unless you're a sandwich", I joke.
"Oh, another new face", a new voice adds. I look to see a short, fat man with a big nose approaching me. Koraidon immediately starts growling and steps forward. The man chuckles nervously and holds his hands up in surrender.
As he's talking to Gon's group, a sudden scream of agony pierces the air, catching the attention of everyone in the room. We turn to the scream and I'm immediately horrified to see a man whose arms have been cut clean off above the elbow. Koraidon starts growling and his tail lashes violently, smashing into the floor and leaving a small dent in the concrete. Everyone close to the man backs away, leaving only a man dressed similarly to a clown in the center. The clown man has white clothes and bright pinkish-red hair, with curly blue shoes, and a star and teardrop painted on his face. His golden eyes are squinted as he casually says, "Now you see them, now you don't", in reference to the fallen man's arms.
I move as close to Koraidon as I can, feeling my anxiety shoot up to full blown panic. Koraidon is still growling, and moves in front of me protectively, refusing to budge even as the man walks away.
"Great, the psychopath is back again", the fat man remarks with audible disgust and fear, "Number 44, Hisoka the magician. He damn near passed last year, till he attacked and nearly killed an examiner he didn't like."
"K-killed?", I stammer, gulping as I started to sweat. What the hell had I gotten myself into coming here? I could die?!
As I struggle to control my breathing, I feel eyes on me again. I turn to the crowd of people and see a man dressed in green staring at me, his entire body pierced by needles. His skin is a VERY unhealthy shade of greyish-purple, as though all of his circulation has been cut off. He doesn't blink once as he stares, and he starts moving closer. Before I can descend into a full blown panic attack, a loud buzzing alarm catches everyone's attention. Standing at the front of the group is a strange man with no visible mouth wearing a purple suit several shades darker than his fancy curled hair.
Once he has everyone's attention he shouts, "The Hunter Exam will now begin! Is everyone ready? Good! Please follow me!"
He then turns and starts walking in a strange fashion with his limbs fully stretched out, like a cross between a march and a skip. I take a few deep breaths as we start walking, following the man as we travel down the tunnel. To make things easier I hop on Koraidon's back, easily keeping pace. As I move up to the front, I make sure to keep a healthy distance between me and the two resident psychos. The examiner introduces himself as Satotz, before increasing his pace to match a light jog. I can feel multiple glares aimed at me, no doubt due to my advantage of using Koraidon. Plus Im not the only one with a ride, as there's a white-haired kid with a skateboard.
...
Throughout this phase of the exam, Satotz periodically increases his pace, making it harder and harder for the others to keep up. Koraidon and I, as well as the likes of Hisoka and the needle guy, have no trouble keeping up though. Unfortunately for me, this puts Hisoka right next to me. I keep my eyes forward, refusing to acknowledge his presence as I try not to think about the man he maimed hours earlier.
"What a strange creature", Hisoka comments, dashing my hopes and dreams.
"Y-y-yeah, h-he's a little strange, but he's my p-partner, ehehehe", I chuckle nervously in response.
Thankfully Hisoka only hums and doesn't engage with me any further. As we reach an impossibly long and tall staircase, I can hear Leorio shouting behind us, and within seconds he's dashing right past us! He's shed his shirt and is now wearing his tie like a scarf, how funny. Kurapika is right behind him, having shed his outer robe. I decide to join them, leaving Hisoka behind in favor of safer, less murderous company.
"Hey guys, need a lift?", I ask, willing to let them hitch a ride on Koraidon.
"No thanks! I can do this on my own!", Leorio declares, dashing ahead and breakneck speed. He seems upset, like he's been crying.
I frown and ask Kurapika, "What's wrong with him?"
"It's better to ask him yourself, once he's settled down anyways", Kurapika advises, "As for me, I'll take you up on your offer."
I chuckle and pat Koraidon's back, saying, "All aboard!"
Kurapika hops on behind me with ease, Koraidon unfazed by the added weight.
"Alright buddy, let's head for the finish line!"
...
Once we cross the finish line, I'm a little disappointed to see that Gon and the white-haired kid, named Killua, beat me to it. Still, I'm just glad to be out of that musty tunnel. Immediately upon stepping outside though, I'm hit with a dense cloud of humidity, coating my skin in a thin sheen of sweat. Mosquitoes buzz all around us, with Koraidon snapping up several with glee. As Kurapika hops off, I can hear the ground squelch under his feet. Looking around, I can see we're surrounded by vast marshlands.
"Ugh, can't stand this humidity", I complain, swatting away another, larger than average mosquito, "Don't tell me we have to cross this swamp. If so, Koraidon and I are booking it straight for the other side."
As the remaining applicants trickle out of the tunnel, I spot Hisoka, and Koraidon immediately backs away with a growl. The needle guy is close behind, are they friends or something? Satotz doesn't move an inch, casually standing with his hands behind his back. Once everyone is here, the door to the tunnel starts closing behind us. I see several applicants rushing, practically crawling towards the door, but it shuts before they can cross the threshold.
"Now then, onto to the second half of the first phase. We must cross this stretch of land known as the Milsy Wetlands, also known as Swindler's Swamp", Satotz explains calmly, "Please note that there are many crafty and voracious creatures that inhabit the wetlands, all with a taste for human prey. Follow me and stay focused, for if you are deceived, you're dead."
Despite the chill his words send down my spine, I find this scenario far more comfortable than dealing with human threats. I'm used to dealing with dangerous Pokémon, so this shouldn't be difficult.
"THAT'S A LIE! HE'S LYING TO YOU!"
The sudden panicked shout catches me off guard. The whole group turns to see a disheveled man stepping out from behind the wall of the exit, his clothes tattered and face and arms covered in scratches. The man raises a hand and points at Satotz, shouting angrily, "He's an imposter! He's not the examiner, I'm the real examiner!"
Most of the group looks stunned, but I can immediately call his bluff as Koraidon starts growling at the stranger.
"Probably a monster that mimics humans, like a Zoroark", I think to myself.
The fake examiner pulls out from behind him a long-limbed, thin creature, a primate of some kind, with a face like Satotz's.
"Let me guess, this guy's one of those creatures too", I deduce, glaring at the fake examiner and his likely cohort, who I can still see breathing. The fake examiner explains that the creature is a man-faced ape, a creature that prefers human prey but is too weak to catch it alone. Therefore it works with other creatures in the swamp to lure humans to their deaths. As the fake declares that Satotz is trying to fool us all, multiple playing cards fly past us and pierce the fake examiner's face, instantly killing him. Several fly at Satotz as well, who catches them with no trouble. As the dead fake falls back, his disguise slips, revealing a long tongue and razor sharp canine teeth. The other ape, who had been poorly feigning death, tries to run, but is struck down by a card to the back of the skull.
"There you have it, he is the real one", Hisoka declares, casually shuffling his cards with a mischievous grin, "Examiners are all skilled hunters who do this job without pay. A real examiner could have stopped that attack, and quite easily I might add."
"Thank you, I shall take that as a compliment", Satotz says, easily tossing the cards aside, "Still, should you attack me again, I will have no choice but to disqualify you. Understand?"
"Of course", Hisoka replies, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.
As we stand there, a group of vulture-like birds swoop down and begin tearing into the dead ape, starting with the face and gut. One even pulls out an eyeball to snack on.
"As you can see, losing isn't pretty", Satotz reminds us, "Now then, follow me, and don't get lost."
As we start jogging, I'm internally thanking Koraidon for sparing me from having to run through this atrocious humidity and thick mud by myself. Plus his snapping jaws helps keep the nearly 2 inch long mosquitoes away, which is always a plus. Unfortunately it can't keep the Hisoka away, as the man ends up jogging right next to us again.
"You could tell it was a fake too, right from the start", he notes.
"W-well yeah, how would such a weak creature have been able to make that long trek through the tunnel in the first place? Besides, I'm used to monsters trying to play human. Not only that, but Koraidon could tell too by the scent of that thing", I explain to Hisoka. I then ask, "Still though, did you really have to attack Mr. Satotz? What if you were disqualified?"
Hisoka only grins and shrugs. I can only stare in bewilderment at him, before sighing, shaking my head, and going to guide Koraidon away. Unfortunately, he doesn't make it easy for me.
"Aww, leaving little ol' me all by myself?", Hisoka jests, feigning sadness, "How cruel. I would just love some company~"
"Ehehe, why not that needle guy, you two seem close as it is?", I joke, thinking to myself, "Come on, just go away already. My anxiety is already through the roof!"
"Oh? I suppose we are, but he's not much of a talker, so I'd get bored quickly", Hisoka complains, "Besides, I have so many questions about you, and your little pet~."
This makes both Koraidon and I uneasy. As we run, a thick fog rolls in, obscuring my view of Satotz and most of the other applicants. I lose sight of Gon's group and Hisoka as well. Several minutes later, the screaming starts. Horrific, bloodcurdling screaming as people are killed all around us by the local wildlife. One creature, a giant tortoise with strawberry-like protrusions on its shell, attempts to grab us, but Koraidon quickly leaps out of the way. The beast roars as it gets a mouthful of sopping mud and algae for its efforts. A few feet away, I spot Kurapika and Leorio trying to fend off another tortoise.
"Shit, they need help!", I shout, pulling a pokeball from my belt and throwing it, "Velvet, I need your help!"
The ball goes flying, opening and releasing a flash of light that takes the form of an insectoid monster resembling a bee. The lower half of the Pokémon resembles a hornets nest, and it's arms are capped off with wicked claws. Leorio and Kurapika gasp in shock and take a step back from the Vespiquen, while the Tortoise growls a warning at the bug type. My Rotom phone flies in front of me, showing me my pokemon's stats and move layout, and providing the option to swap them around.
"Alright Velvet, let's put these guys out of commission! Attack Order, aim for the face!", I command.
Velvet raises her abdomen so the honeycomb is facing the tortoises. A green light shines from the combs as a swarm of bees comes flying out like miniature torpedoes. They twist and turn through the air before shooting straight at the tortoises. They slam stinger first into the faces of the giant reptiles before exploding on impact, causing the tortoises to roar in agony and thrash wildly, slumping over unconscious afterwards.
"Are you guys okay?", I ask as I ride over to them.
"Yeah we're fine, but what the hell is THAT?!", Leorio demands to know, pointing at Velvet who just hovers in front of him.
"Oh, that's my friend, Velvet", I say, introducing them to my Pokémon, "She's really friendly."
"What exactly is she though?", Leorio questions.
"She's a Vespiquen, a bug and flying type Pokémon", I explain, returning Velvet to her ball. This confuses them both even further, forcing me to explain how Pokémon work. As I'm explaining things, Kurapika seems genuinely invested in what I'm saying, while Leorio just kinda nods and hums.
"So basically you can train monsters?", Leorio asks, to which I nod, "And you keep them in those balls?"
I nod again, and Kurapika asks, "Can you catch one of the tortoises then?"
I shake my head and respond, "Nope, it only works on Pokémon. Other life forms are unaffected."
Before they can ask anymore questions, playing cards go flying, striking down around 12 other applicants around us, one even striking Leorio in the arm. We all turn to see Hisoka standing about 3 meters away, shuffling his cards and chuckling deviously.
"Bastard, what're you doing?!", Leorio shouts angrily, pulling the card from his arm and gripping the injured limb.
"Hehehe. Playing 'Examiner'", Hisoka chuckles, licking his lips, "I meant to hold off until the second phase, but this first phase is unutterably boring. So, I thought I'd assist in the selection process, and judge your acceptability."
Hisoka's eyes focus on me, and he grins deviously, practically purring, "Especially you, my dear~".
Hisoka begins slowly stalking over to us, moving like a predator on the hunt. Kurapika and Leorio decide they want to run, but I can't bring myself to, and whisper to them, "You guys go, I can handle this."
"No, you can't! You'll be killed!", Kurapika warns.
"This is insane!", Leorio shouts, obviously worried.
"I've got this, I know I do!", I declare, looking back at them, "I've been in similar situations before, believe it or not. You guys go, I'll meet you at the finish line."
Koraidon gives a cry of agreement, shaking his head wildly in a threatening display. The duo reluctantly take off, leaving me to face off against Hisoka. I pull a pokeball from my belt, tossing it up and catching it.
"A one-on-one match? That's rather bold, coming from the woman who was trembling with fear earlier~", Hisoka taunts.
"I admit that the mere sight of you makes my skin crawl, and it's even worse now that we're alone", I confess, eyes narrowing. I grit my teeth, then throw the pokeball, shouting, "BUT I'M NOT GONNA STAND BY WHILE YOU HURT INNOCENT PEOPLE!"
The ball explodes open with a flash of light, revealing a green and white humanoid Pokémon. Hisoka flings several of his razor cards at us, and I shout, "Psyshock, Percival!"
The Gardevoir's eyes glow blue as ten purple and pink orbs of energy form above his head. The orbs shoot off as sharp energy bullets, purple energy tailing behind each one. The bullets fly through the air, piercing the cards and striking down each one. Three of the bullets keep going, with Hisoka managing to dodge two, but getting hit in the side by the third. He jumps back, smirking.
"Tougher than I thought. A regular person would be badly hurt after a hit like that", I think, gritting my teeth as I glare, "The people of this world are pretty strong. Still, if he keeps taking hits like that, he should go down."
In a split second, Hisoka is in front of Percival, aiming a punch at the Pokémon's face. The punch lands before I can give a command, sending Percival skidding back a few feet. He recovers quickly, thankfully.
"Aura sphere!", I command.
Percival holds his hands in front of him, palms facing inward. A blue orb of energy swirls between his hands as it forms, growing larger and larger as he spreads them. Once the orb is the size of the basketball, Percival fires it, aiming for Hisoka's midsection. Hisoka jumps up, flipping over the attack. Once he lands on the ground, I smirk, catching him off guard. The aura sphere redirects, slamming into Hisoka's back with enough for the snap a tree trunk. His eyes are blown wide open as he is bent around the orb. It explodes, sending him tumbling to the ground.
"Sorry pal, but Aura Sphere never misses its target", I think deviously to myself. I'm caught off guard when Hisoka manages to stand up. I narrow my eyes, completely stunned that he's still able to stand. A normal person would be paralyzed by a blow to the spine like that. Before I can order another attack, I hear the distinct sounds of footsteps in the mud. We all turn to see Leorio walking towards us, a large tree branch in his right hand.
"Sorry, but I can't just run away, not without a quick payback!", Leorio shouts, running towards Hisoka as he raises the tree branch.
"Don't do it, Leorio!", I warn, "This guy's not normal!"
My cries fall on deaf ears as Leorio swings the branch down, aiming to smash Hisoka's skull. Despite his injuries, Hisoka dodges with ease, moving so fast he seems to disappear into the fog. Leorio is left dumbfounded, unable to move as Hisoka appears behind him with a hand raised to strike. Before he can, and before I can order Percival to counterattack, Hisoka is struck in the face with, of all things, a fishing lure. I follow the path of the fishing line and see Gon emerging from the fog.
"GON!?", Leorio shouts.
"Get out of here, it's dangerous!", I warn.
Hisoka slowly turns his head to face Gon, grinning deviously. He drawls, "Not bad. Is that a fishing pole? How original. May I see it?"
As he walks towards Gon with a hand outstretched in front of him, Leorio jumps up and goes to swing the branch at his head again. Without blinking, Hisoka whips around and uppercuts Leorio straight in the jaw, knocking him unconscious and taking him off his feet. Gon lunges as soon as Leorio hits the ground, only to get grabbed by the neck by Hisoka.
"Damnit, I'll have to rely on Koraidon for this. If I have Percival attack, the kid will get caught in the crossfire", I think, recalling Percival and having Koraidon dash forward. This catches Hisoka's attention, allowing me to snatch the kid from his grasp. Koraidon skids to a stop and growls at the magician.
Hisoka's smile turns from devious to mimicking genuine friendliness.
"Don't worry, your friend is alive, and he's passed, as have you two~", Hisoka states, "You'll both make good Hunters."
A beeping sound catches my attention, and I watch as Hisoka pulls an older looking phone from his back pocket. He answers a call from a voice I don't recognize, then walks over to the unconscious Leorio and easily hoists him over his shoulder.
"Can you two find your way back on your own?", Hisoka questions. Gon and I both nod, to which Hisoka grins before walking away with Leorio. As we watch Hisoka disappear into the fog, Koraidon perks up, and I hear the voice of Kurapika calling out to us. Gon continues to watch where Hisoka disappeared, until Koraidon turning around to face Kurapika snaps him out of it.
"You okay?", I ask him as he hops off Koraidon.
"Yeah, just shaken up", he responds, "thanks for saving me."
I smile and give a thumbs up.
.........