The four rookie Hunters finally arrived at Zaban City. One of the Kikiros, Janero, led them through the city to the front of a large, glittering building. It stood several hundred floors high, an extravagant display of luxury and grandeur.
"This is where the exam will commence," Janero called from a distance.
"Wow..." they all said. The four of them looked around at each other, eyes bright with anticipation.
"This is where people from all over the world come to take the official Hunter Exam," Kurapika said in awe.
"It's huge!" Gon concluded.
"Uh-oh, not there guys, over here," Janero said, pointing to a small restaurant next door.
They all turned to look at a small but cozy restaurant. Kurapika and Y/n eyed each other.
"Oh... right. We knew that," Y/n said.
They entered into a crowded restaurant. There were lazy clouds of smoke from some sleazy customers and the heavy aroma of greasy food coated the restaurant's atmosphere, making all four of them fall in love with the air.
"Smells good, huh?" Y/n said, looking at Gon who stared at the dishes. "How about we all get a huge, delicious meal together once we pass the exam?"
He nodded gleefully and they high-fived excitedly.
"I can't wait, Y/n!"
She beamed. Kurapika caught a glance and couldn't help staring. Leorio nudged him a little. "Could you quit gawking and pick up the pace?"
Kurapika shook him off, irritated.
Janero ordered a special meal combo and a cook nodded in response.
A passcode... Y/n thought.
"Combo for four, huh?"
Finally, Janero led them to a backroom.
"You know, I really hope... I get to help you all next year. Good luck."
Janero said and closed the door.
"I can't wait for that food he ordered!" Gon said.
Y/n smiled at Gon's naivety.
"That was just a code to get us inside, Gon," Kurapika said.
"Oh, well... alright, so what now?"
"Now we wait-" y/n said before the room started shaking and moving.
"It's an elevator!" Leorio said.
"I can see that," Kurapika replied.
"Rad. I'm gonna take a rest," Y/n said, taking a seat next to Gon.
Leorio scowled. "I bet that guy was betting on us failing!"
"Once every four years... that's how often a rookie passes. Most can't handle the physical and mental pressures."
Y/n raised her brows and whistled a little.
"That must be who people will risk it all to become a Hunter," Gon said.
"Exactly!" Leorio exclaimed, standing up. "Being a Hunter means making more money than anyone in the world!"
"Wrong!" Kurapika shot back. "People become hunters to join the most noble profession!"
"Shut up, brown-noser!"
"Selfish money hog!"
Y/n only chuckled, which Leorio hated when she did.
"What about you, Y/n?" he said angrily.
"Yes, you don't agree with him, do you?" Kurapika added.
She laughed gleefully.
"You don't know that... I'm a mystery."
Kurapika placed a hand on his hip and huffed.
"Anyway, I don't want to get in an argument..." Y/n said. She leaned into her chair and crossed her arms. Leorio swatted in her direction.
"Arghh, well nevermind you! I'm right okay, Gon?! You can't do anything without money. With enough cash, you'd live so comfortably!"
Y/n's brow furrowed.
"Hunters come in all shapes and sizes, but what they have in common is the fact their job is to maintain order in both society and nature. Hunters have many important responsibilities, like catching crooks, apprehending rogue Hunters, and preserving artifacts like Y/n wants to do."
He eyed Y/n, whose goal was exactly that. A small smile grew on her face as she traced the swirls on the wooden table with her finger. She tried to stay out of it, keeping a straight poker face.
"So you're doing it for revenge, what's that gonna get you?! Of the top richest people, Hunters are always more than 50% of the people on the list!"
Y/n growled quietly, then slammed a palm on the table. "Neither of those reasons! Hunters become hunters to travel the world! To discover new things! Meet new people! You only live once, so have a little fun. Explore. Aside from my tribe's artifacts, that's what I wanna do, if I may humbly add. Besides, it's what your dad did isn't it Gon? Makes sense you'd want to do it for that reason too!"
"Fame and Fortune!"
"Conviction and profound knowledge!"
"Self-discovery and adventure!"
"Gon! Which one of us is right? What kind of hunter will you be?" they cried in unison.
Gon stammered nervously.
Y/n's eyes widened and she patted herself off, embarrassed. She was done arguing.
She sighed.
"We're all equally right. Just like during the quiz, there's no right answer. You do what makes you happy, Gon. Don't listen to us. Our motivations get the better of us, that's all."
Gon considered this. Kurapika and Leorio looked at each other and loosened their stiffened postures.
"Eh, yes. I suppose you will search for your own path," Kurapika added.
"Yeah, it really is up to you. But if you had to choose it'd, of course, be better if you tried to get the most money."
Kurapika scowled at him and they nearly began arguing again when the elevator door opened.
"Oh! We're here!" Gon said, relieved.
The four exited into a large, dingy underground tunnel.
"Well isn't this something," Y/n said, staring at their competition.
A bunch of tough-looking examinees glared at them. Grown men and women, of all different shapes and sizes scattered throughout the entrance of the tunnel.
"Is it just me or is the vibe in here pretty grim?"
"It's not just you," Y/n whispered.
"It seems only the most seasoned applicants make it this far," Kurapika said.
Leorio and Gon nodded.
"Hey, I guess that makes us one of them then, since we've made it this far," Y/n said, trying to lighten the mood.
The boys smiled and looked at each other.
"I suppose you're right," Kurapika said.
A small green man walked up to them.
"Here you go, you're 406. Please keep this on you at all times."
"Uh, thank you," she said, placing the tag on her clothing.
"Well," Y/n said, stretching. "I'm gonna go check this place out."
"Huh? Sounds good to me," said Leorio.
Y/n began to separate from the boys.
Y/n looked down to see her shoes needed adjusting and she crouched down to fix them.
"I've never seen you here," a voice called from above.
Y/n looked up to see a pudgy man in blue sitting at the edge of the walls. He jumped down. She stood up from adjusting her shoes.
"I, uh, it's nice to meet you."
Y/n had remembered Kurapika had advised her to not leave any more notes that could identify her or give out her name to strangers.
"It's nice to meet you. It's not every day we get a girl, much less a first-time rookie."
"How did you know that?"
"Oh, I've taken the exam plenty of times. In fact, I've taken it more than anyone else here. Thirty five times so far."
"Is that so..."
"Yup. Now that we've introduced each other, would you like a soda? We can even take the exam together, and form a beautiful friendship."
Y/n's eyebrows dropped irritably. Huh? Is this guy serious?
"No thank you." Y/n said, walking away. "Hold on! Please! It's a token of friendship. I'd like to assist you on your journey to become a Hunter, he said, extending his arm once more with the soda. "I'd be of much help to you!"
He sounds like one of the scammer salesmen that tried to sell junk off to the elders at the home, she thought.
"Sorry, soda is unhealthy. I assume we could do some physical work here, so I'd rather not."
"Uh-no it's not!" he said, pushing a soda into her hands.
A voice rang in Y/n's head, fighting made you the weakest at the dojo, Y/n control it.
"It says high in high fructose corn syrup right there," she said finally.
"If you're to become a Hunter, that shouldn't really faze you right?"
Kurapika came slowly up to the both of them, curious and concerned, and placed a hand on Y/n's shoulder. "Hello again, Y/n."
Gon and Leorio followed suit. "Hey, guys! Would you like some soda too?! Y/n's eye began to twitch. Instead of taking out the frustration, she turned to her Mind Training. Simple mind tricks should work on this guy to shut him up.
"You wanted to become a Hunter one time right?
"HUH?!"
"You once came in here as wide-eyed as Gon or with a cause as noble as Kurapika, huh? What happened? When did you decide you were never going to become a Hunter?"
"I- uh-"
Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon eyed each other cautiously.
"In fact, the only reason you'd want to be so kind, if my deduction is correct, is that you're trying to slow us down. This soda is probably old and chock-full of preservatives."
"I assure you-"
"Either way, this way of living is pathetic." She kneeled down and spilled the contents onto the dirt gently. "And this soda is dirty. Such a shame."
She sniffed apathetically.
Tonpa reddened at first because what she had said was partly true. But he quickly recomposed himself.
"No need to be so hasty..."
Gon sniffed into the drink, "She's right, I think you're soda's gone bad, Mr. Tonpa."
Leorio spat out what he had already been drinking.
"Blegh, that was close!"
Kurapika closed his eyes, irritated at having to have gone through the trouble. He spilled the liquid onto the rusty floor below.
"I am so sorry!" Tonpa clamored.
Kurapika, Leorio, and Y/n stood with bothered faces.
Little ways beyond them, a man bumps a mysterious stranger while passing him.
Then, a cry of agony echoed in the room. The screams' origin: a man kneeling on the floor, with his arms... disintegrated into lustrous red petals, released into the air like tiny spiders in the wind.
Y/n took a step forward. "Holy..."
"My, how unusual..." another man said. He stood at over six feet tall with bright magenta-colored locks swept up like a woodpecker. His face was decorated in face paint, a little tear, and star dotting each cheek like a clown's. Below that, a wicked smile played at the culprit's lips.
"Seems this poor man's arms have turned into flower petals. Now you see them, now you... don't. You know, you should be more careful and apologize when you bump into someone..."
"Great, the psychopath is back," Tonpa said. "He almost killed an examiner last year."
Leorio's jaw dropped. "And they let him retake it?!"
"Anyone can retake it because they switch the examiners and the material every year. The devil himself could pass the exam if the examiners say it's okay. Nobody likes him, anyway. I'd keep my distance if I were you."
"Well that's great news for us," Y/n said.
They all turned to her in surprise.
"How's that?" asked Gon.
"We are not going to be spied on for good behavior. We can pass this exam by any means possible."
"That's cold, Y/n" Leorio said.
"Why does it sound like you're planning on doing something immoral?" Kurapika edged.
"I'm not. But wouldn't you do everything in your power to pass, I mean, within reason?"
"I suppose..." Kurapika replied.
Y/n stared coldly ahead.
"I don't plan on taking this exam again."
"Me-either!" Gon agreed. "Let's all try to pass it together, okay?" he said, patting Y/n's arm.
She grinned at him.
"Well, sorry again about the juice, see you around!" Tonpa said, walking away.
"Man I thought he'd never shut up," Leorio said, annoyed.
"Tell me about it, " Y/n agreed.
All of the sudden, the shrill cry of a bell rang throughout the room from somewhere in the front. Then, the front wall rumbled open, revealing an interesting looking man in a short purple bob and a mustache that made his mouth completely disappear.
"The exam begins here. I must warn you that this part of the exam is very rigorous and if you are lacking in skills or luck, it could leave you seriously injured or even dead. If you would like to be exempt, you may do so by leaving through the elevator in the back."
No one moved a muscle.
"Alright then. All 405 applicants will participate in Phase One of this year's exam."
And with that, the man swiveled on his feet and turned to walk briskly into the tunnel.
Slowly, he began to pick up the pace, and the applicants had to begin running.
"I neglected to introduce myself, I am Satotz, your examiner for the first phase. It's my responsibility to guide you to the second phase of the exam."
Someone inquired about the first phase, to which he responded was already underway.
"All you have to do is follow me."
"I see," Kurapika said.
"This exam is weird," Gon said.
"Seems like an endurance test," Leorio said.
"Who knows," Y/n said. "All we know is that we don't know for how long we'll be running for. I can see how this phase could be mentally taxing, as well as physically."
"This is a test of mental fortitude as well," Kurapika agreed.
Y/n placed one foot in front of the other, staring up at the grungy tunnel encasing the crowd of scuzzy participants.
Now the real test... has begun, she thought.
✨Did you know?✨
Kuraipka is an INTJ. (Though he is classified differently depending on what website you're on lol) What's your MBTI category?