Itami || Killua Z.

1.4

"Sometimes, you suck. Other times, you're not so bad."

☆☆☆

"Well gentlemen, and lady. Everyone rested up? Good," Mr. Netero had his hands folded behind him. "Now then, the Exam Committee owns this hotel. So, I want all of you to make yourself at home until the battles have reached their end. For the Final Phase of the Hunter Exam, of course," a board had been wheeled in, the front of it covered in a sheet. "You'll be competing in a one-on-one tournament," he grabbed the sheet and pulled it off, revealing a chart beneath.

"Wait, wait, wait," Leorio said, his own eyes searching the board. "Only the last person standing passes?" His eyes glanced at all the competitors in the room, probably calculating his chances of winning.

"No," Mr. Netero held his hand out in front of him, bringing one finger up. "You only need one win to pass this phase."

"Just one?" Gon asked, taking a slight step forward.

"So, in this tournament," Leorio started.

"The last one standing doesn't pass?" You asked, balling your fists.

"See, it's the winners will drop away and the losers who will continue on," he elaborated. "Which means," he pointed to the very top. "The person who finishes at the top, will not pass," he looked away and back to all of you. "Make sense? Good."

"You're saying that only one person will fail the exam?" Hanzo asked, wanting some clarification.

"Precisely," Mr. Netero nodded. He took a few steps away from the board and grabbed the end of the white tape at the end. "Here is the bracket we've put together," he pulled on it and revealed everyones picture and number.

You looked over to see where you stood, finding your picture right next to Hisoka. You mentally freaked out, hoping you wouldn't have to fight him. Letting your eyes trail upward, you sighed in relief when you saw that you'd only fight him if he lost against Kurapika and Bodoro. If you lost against Bodoro (or Kurapika) then you'd have to fight Leorio.

Your eyes looked to the left of the board, seeing that either Gon or Kurapika would go first. Gon would go up against Hanzo and Kurapika against Hisoka.

'Both incredibly talented fighters, but so are Gon and Kurapika,' You thought, staring at the board.

"Impressive, yes? I'm quite proud of it," Mr. Netero said, obviously impressed with himself, as he said. "Under this format, every competitor has at least two chances to win a round."

"But some people have five chances," Pokkle pointed out. He was the guy who brought a bow and arrow, and was pretty short. "Like numbers 405 or 44," he continued.

You noticed as well, the slight advantage some of them had. Seeing the small advantage you had gained, made you feel slightly better.

"Couldn't you have used a more balanced bracket?" Bodoro asked, his ponytail slightly bouncing. Bodoro was an older guy, seen by his wrinkles and gray/white hair.

Mr. Netero grunted, "Now, that's a fair question. This bracket was carefully assembled based on each of your individual performances throughout the Hunter Exam." He told you, folding his hands back behind his back.

'So that's why I have less of a chance to win. I probably don't have as much potential as, say, Gon or Kurapika. Although, that would mean that me and Killlua have the same amount of potential, which doesn't make sense? Wouldn't Killua have loads of more potential then me? Or is it that he is already so good, that he doesn't have as much potential left to discover? And that Gittarakur guy, he and Leorio have the least potential out of all of us according to Mr. Neteros bracket, but I could've sworn that Gittarakur felt so much more powerful then that,' Your brain was basically talking to itself throughout all this, as Mr. Netero kept talking. You processed his words carefully, adding them to your overthinking.

"I'm not convinced," Killuas voice snapped you out of your thoughts, your eyes snapping over to him. "Could you explain exactly how you scored our performances?" He asked, shoving his hands in his pockets. He seemed to be skeptical about the whole thing.

Mr. Netero hummed and tilted his head. "No!" He yelled, violently shaking his head back and forth. It surprised you, and it definitely surprised Killua.

Killua tensed up at first, before his form trembled with frustration. His hands moved out of his pockets, clenching while they hanged by his side. Mr. Netero seemed to have found his frustration funny, as he was laughing about it.

"I can't say, because your scores are classified," Mr. Netero smiled, composing himself. "I can't reveal your actual scores. However, I can explain the basis we used."

"We start with the basics," he said, his eyes narrowing. "There are three categories," he held up three fingers. "There's physical strength,"

'Thaaat's why I scored lower,' You laughed inwardly at yourself.

"Mental abilities, and lastly, overall impression," Mr. Netero continued, naming off the few things they tested you on. "When judging physical strength, we relied on agility, flexibility, endurance, and perception. The mental abilities test consisted of, resilience, adaptability, judgment, and of course, creativity. But these are only reference points, of course. After all, each and every one of you is skilled in body and mind," he complimented, slightly smiling.

"We're most concerned with your overall impression," Mr. Netero let his hand fall near him, folding it behind him like before. "This refers to any abstract factors that defy basic categorization," he chuckled to himself, making you feel more on edge. "Think of it as our way of assessing your potential as a Hunter. We rounded it all out, by incorporating some opinions made by your peers. That's all." He finished his explanation, ending it with the questions he asked you guys earlier.

It was quite a lot to take in.

As Mr. Netero started explaining the rules of the battle, you kept your eyes focused on Killua.

He looked distraught, he looked like he was overthinking something. You wished you could help him, but you had no idea what to do. What could you do anyway?

Turning your head back around, you watched as they announced the first fight.

Gon V.S. Hanzo.

***
sorry this chapter is so short, ive been going through some things.

Stay safe, stay cool, and please please wear your mask when you go out and remember to social distance