𝖌𝖚𝖒𝖚𝖘𝖘𝖊𝖗𝖛𝖎

s e v e n t e e n

"at this door, select o to open, x not to open," gon read aloud.

"forcing us to majority rule already? the answer should be obvious," leorio muttered, the five looking down at their watches to select an answer.

obviously, the answer's x.. wait, x?

the door slowly opened, the sign showing four had chosen o and one had chosen x. leorio screamed.

"who did that?!" leorio questioned, in a state of stress.

"m-me.."

leorio twisted his body to face [name], who awkwardly chuckled.

"sorry.. i accidentally pressed x.."

the male flinched at her posture and expression, knowing she meant no harm to the group. he huffed, face flushing slightly in embarrasment.

"it's okay, just try not to make any more mistakes.. we need to get to the bottom of the tower together so if one of us mess up, all of us mess up," he muttered, making some of the three other males irk.

"if it weren't [name], you would've yelled at us, right?"

"yes. i mean no! let's just hurry up!" he cried, marching into the next room.

the five followed suit, to face another door.

"seriously.. another question so soon?"

"which way to do you want to go? o for right, x for left."

the five, once again, looked down at the watches, selecting one of the two options. they look up to find majority want to go right. leorio screamed again.

"huh?! wh-why would you choose to go right?! normally, you should left..!"

"that is true. studies have indicated that people who are lost or stuck at forks unconsciously tend to go left," kurapika claimed, making killua announce of hearing something similar.

"wait! the numbers don't add up! which button did you guys press?!"

"right."

"right."

the two walked off confidently, making leorio grumble. he moved his gaze over towards [name].

"which one did you press, [name]?"

"right."

"seriously?!"

"well.. i didn't know about whatever kurapika and killua said, but.. right's right, right?" she said, giggling and walking off.

the two black haired males look at one another.

"keh! guess we're just simple-minded!!"

"we..?"

~

turning a corner, the hunter exam applicants arrive at a strange arena-like area where a block of area stood between the entrance and the exit. they gawk at the sight.

"wh-what is this place..?"

"..look over there."

the five look over at the exit to find four figures standing in shackles. their ominous appearance makes a few of the five shiver. the shackles on their wrists drop heavily to the floor.

they watched as the figure at the front began to remove the cloak-like fabric from their body. they stepped forward into the light to reveal a masculine build and scars on his hairless head.

"i'm finally free.."

"allow me to explain, gentlemen," a microphoned voice called from above. "before you are some of trick tower's prisoners. the hunter exam committee has also officially hired them as examiners. you will be fighting against the five of them."

[name] narrowed her gaze to behind the man to find a single prisoner seated on the floor, legs crossed and still in shackles.

"the fights will be one-on-one. each person may only fight once," lippo explained. "you are free to use any method you like. there will be no draws. a win is declared when the opponent admits defeat."

"you may pick your order. it's majority rule. so secure three wins and you pass. the rules are simple," the main prisoner claimed.

"tch.. majority rule again..?"

killua shrugged, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"well, i prefer straightforward rules."

"i see.. and we must reach the goal within seventy-two hours. so time will be crucial during these fights.."

"okay, i'm up first. choose your combatant!" the prisoner yelled from across the arena.

"what should we do? he said we can fight with any method. so that means anything goes," killua asked.

"we don't know what they'll try to pull," leorio whispered.

"there's too much at stake without knowing what they have up their sleeves.. given that, i shall-"

"no, i'll go," a voice announced from behind the four males.

the eyes of the four widen in surprise.

"[name]?"

"i'll act as a guinea pig, so we can discover what they're up to. we wouldn't want to waste kurapika's efforts, would we?" [name] said, smiling confidently at the boys.

"are you serious..?"

"yes. just don't be surprised when i admit defeat. i don't want to go up when the points are at 2-2 since i admit defeat easily," [name] explained, laughing awkwardly at her confession.

suddenly, a long, metal runway emerged from beneath the slab of concrete the five applicants were standing on, connecting to the middle.

[name] inhaled, placing her hand over her beating heart. she chuckled nervously.

"i'll get going. wish me luck!"

the girl huffed, marching onto the runway and onto the square-shaped concrete area. she looked up at the man, crossing her arms behind her back glaring at him when he smirked.

"will [name] be okay?"

"i'm sure she'll be fine. she has all those weapons after all. i'm sure she can at least fend him off for a few," killua claimed, staring at the girl's back.

on her back was the katana, which was usually seen on her hip, straight down her back. he noticed a hand slowly reach for her back pockets, retrieving a small, round object.

"now, let's determine the method of combat. i propose a death match," the man boldly announced, making the surprising the five hunter applicants.

"a death match?"

"they fight until one dies?"

"no.. don't let him provoke you!"

[name] stared at the male, eyebrows furrowing in thought. she shook her head.

"if it's fight to the death and no other option, i refuse! i wish for a win through both the option of death or verbal. other than that, i have no objections or questions," [name] announced, her stern gaze unmoving from the prisoner's face.

the man laughed.

"alright, i'll give you two options. we'll begin the match then!"

[name] bent her knees, preparing to run. her hands were lifted in fists for defence.

"... let the fight begin!!"