We were now outside the Trick Tower when we heard a familiar voice coming from the speaker—no, wait, it wasn't the speaker this time. It was Lippo himself, finally showing his face. He congratulated us with a proud smile. He had a mohawk and wore glasses.
Max (thought):He looks like the kind of guy who listens to rock music while studying.
Lippo: "Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on escaping Trick Tower. Only the Fourth Phase and the Final Phase remain."
Hanzo: "Only two more..."
Lippo turned and pointed to an island in the distance.
Lippo: "The Fourth Phase will take place over there, on Zevil Island. Let's proceed."
Max (thought):You sure it's not Devil Island?
Lippo snapped his fingers, and workers rolled out a large box filled with something.
Lippo: "Now, I'll need each of you to draw a lot."
The participants began murmuring in confusion.
Geretta: "Lots?"
Pokkle: "For what?"
Lippo: "To determine who will be the hunters… and who will be the hunted."
Max: "Oooh, so we'll be hunting each other on that island?"
Lippo: "You could say that!"
Gon: "Does that mean we'll be fighting each other?"
Max: "Yup. Pretty sure."
Gon: "How do you know that?"
Max: "Come on, Gon. Hunter… Hunted… Exam! Get it?"
Everyone went silent at Max's joke. Even his friends didn't laugh.
Gon: "Oh… I think I kinda get it now."
Lippo (clears throat): "May I continue? Inside this box are twenty-five numbered cards. These correspond to your ID numbers. I'll now ask each of you to draw a card, in the order you exited the tower. Will the first person step forward?"
Hisoka moved forward, and everyone stared at him. Gon, in particular, stared at Hisoka's wound. The next was the needle guy, who grabbed his card roughly. I could only pray as they picked.
Max (thought):Please not me, please not me, please not me…
Next was the bald ninja.
Hanzo: "Guess I'm up."
Then came Geretta, the black guy who looked too cool to care. After that, it was our turn.
Max: "You guys better pray neither of them got our number… and that we don't get theirs."
Everyone nodded. Leorio gulped and started muttering a prayer. We walked up and drew our cards.
Max looked at his card—it was sealed shut.
Max (thought):Looks like they don't want us knowing right away. Makes sense.
One by one, the remaining participants stepped forward and drew their lots until everyone had one.
Lippo: "Has everyone taken a card? Good. Now, remove the seal from your card."
Max: "So we do reveal it early. Then what was the point of sealing it? Ah, I guess it's so no one else can see what number we picked while drawing."
We all peeled off the seals from our cards.
Max (thought):Target 198... That's one of those brothers—blue shirt guy. Lucky!
I glanced around at everyone's reactions. Most looked pretty neutral. Except for Gon—he looked shocked, eyes wide, sweat forming on his forehead.
Max (thought):Oooh, I bet he got number 44. Judging by that face, yeah... he's cooked. Then again, this isn't a straight-up fight—just stealing a tag. He might have a tiny chance. Plus, he's the protagonist... so make that chance double.
Lippo: "This box has recorded which card each of you drew. That means you're free to get rid of the cards if you want. The objective is simple: steal your target's ID tag."
Max (thought):You could've just said that from the start. Too late now, I already know who my guy is.
The brothers nearby were talking. The one in the blue shirt—my target—spoke up. What was his name again? Imori? Yeah, Imori. Those three had some cool hats. I'll be taking those, too. Heheheh.
Imori (relieved): "Oh, so we don't have to kill each other."
Lippo: "Naturally, you're free to use any method you like to steal the tags. That includes killing your target and taking the tag off the corpse."
Imori started shaking at that.
Amori: "That sounds like the fastest way."
Imori: "S-So that's what this is about…?"
The big one—Umori—put a hand on Imori's shoulder to calm him.
Umori: "Don't be scared. We've trained for worse."
Lippo: "Listen carefully! Your target's ID tag is worth three points. Your own ID tag is also worth three points. All other ID tags are worth one point each. You need six points to move on to the final phase. That's the condition to clear the fourth phase of the Hunter Exam. Any questions?"
Max: "Yeah, I got one. Is it okay if I ask?"
Lippo: "As long as it makes sense."
Max: "What happens if we get more than six points?"
Lippo: "Nothing happens."
Max: "Alright, next question—can we break someone else's ID tag if they're not our target?"
Lippo: "Allowed."
Max: "What if someone draws a card with the same number as their own ID?"
Lippo: "Did you get that?"
Max: "No."
Lippo: "Then why ask?"
Max: "Just curious. You know, what if?"
Lippo: "Don't worry. That would never happen. That's all I'll say."
Max: "Alright, fair enough. I'm good now."
Lippo: "Then let's move on. All participants, board the boats. They'll take you straight to Zevil Island."
We all boarded the boat, ready to head to Zevil Island. As it started moving, a guide appeared on deck.
Khara (Guide Girl):"I'd like to commend everyone for their excellent work during the Hunter Exam's Third Phase! I will serve as your guide—my name is Khara! It will take two hours to reach Zevil Island. All twenty-five applicants remaining are automatically qualified for next year's exam, so if you fail this year, don't be discouraged!"
Most participants ignored her. Looked like I was the only one actually paying attention. Oh wait—Gon too. Khara looked absolutely devastated.
Khara (thinking):Th-this is so depressing...
Kurapika:"The battle has already begun."
Leorio:"Yeah. Everyone's already removed and hidden their ID tags."
Max (thinking):So the battle really started the moment we stepped into this exam, huh?
Khara kept talking, even though no one listened.
Khara:"You're free to do as you like during the boat ride. Please enjoy it."
Then she walked away.
Leorio:"Speaking hypothetically… If you were my target, I wouldn't show any mercy."
Kurapika:"Naturally. I'd say the same if you were my target."
Leorio (alarmed):"Wait—am I your target?"
Kurapika (smirking):"I was speaking hypothetically."
Leorio (sighing in relief):"Oh… right."
Kurapika:"Don't worry. You're not my target."
Leorio:"I—I see."
Kurapika walked away. Leorio then shouted:
Leorio:"And you're not my target either!"
Kurapika just waved back. I walked up to Leorio.
Max:"Guess what, The Oreo."
Leorio:"It's Leorio."
Max:"Never mind that. Guess what—you're my target."
Leorio:"Haha, very funny, Max. Another one of your jokes?"
I kept a serious face.
Max:"No, really. Want me to show you?"
As I reached for my target card, Leorio started sweating.
Leorio (thinking):Is he serious? That look on his face... Why is he even telling me? Is it because he's that confident? Makes sense—he's strong. No... please no... Aah, I'm dead.
His face went pale. But when I showed him the card, the number didn't match his. Then I smirked and burst out laughing.
Max:"Haha! You should've seen your face! That look of pure despair—classic!"
Leorio (grabbing my shoulders and shaking me):"You scared the hell out of me! I thought I was done for! Don't do that again—I nearly had a heart attack!"
Max:"That's what makes it funny."
Leorio:"NOT AT ALL!"
Max:"Alright, alright. I'm heading over to Gon and Killua. Later."
Leorio sighed while I walked off and joined Gon and Killua, who were sitting and looking at the sky.
Max:"Hey Gon, Killua. Mind if I sit here?"
Gon:"Sure, go ahead."
We sat in silence, just listening to the sound of birds in the distance.
Killua:"Hey... What number did you guys draw?"
Gon:"How about you?"
Killua:"Secret."
Max:"Then why even ask?"
We were quiet for a moment. Then Killua and Gon both chuckled, and I just sat there, confused.
Killua:"Don't worry. You guys aren't my targets."
Gon:"And mine isn't either of you."
Max:"But my target is one of you."
They both stared at me.
Max:"Kidding. Obviously."
Killua (thinking):Knew it.
Killua:"How about we show each other our numbers at the same time?"
Max (thinking):I already know Gon's number... but not Killua's. Sure, why not.
Gon:"Okay!"
Max:"Yeah, I'm in."
All Three:"One, two, three—go!"
We all revealed our target numbers.
Gon had #44, Killua had #199, and I had #198.
Killua:"#44, seriously? That's just bad luck…"
Gon:"You think so?"
Max:"You're screwed. You gonna get scrambled like an egg then folded like an omelette."
Gon:"I don't know what that means exactly,"
Max:"Basically, you're gonna get wrecked."
Gon:"Can you give me some words of encouragement instead?"
Max:"Well… since it's not a fight to the death, just stealing an ID tag, you might have a chance. A really small one."
Gon:"That helps… a little, I guess. By the way, do you guys know who 199 and 198 are?"
Killua:"You don't either?"
Gon:"Uh-uh."
Killua:"I didn't bother memorizing everyone's numbers. After the explanation, I tried checking tags, but people had already hidden theirs. Lame. Oh yeah—our numbers are pretty close, Max. You recognize them?"
Max:"Of course. It's the three brothers—That Fat Bastard Tonpa told us about them. What were their names again…? Oh yeah—Amori, Imori, and Umori. Amori's 197, Imori's 198, and Umori's 199. The one in blue is my target, and the one in yellow is yours!"
Gon:"Now that you say it, I remember! Tonpa did mention them. They had those sharp markings under their eyes."
Killua:"Can't believe you remembered. You impressed by them or something?"
Max:"Nah. I just have a good memory. The only thing impressive about them is their hats—I want them. I'm stealing it."
Gon:"Max, stealing is bad."
Max:"Haha, too bad. One of them's my target, so I don't feel bad at all. Don't worry—I'm not gonna kill them."
Gon:"Just… don't go overboard."
Max:"If they don't resist, sure."
Killua:"Fair enough."
Max:"Hey Killua, wanna team up? They're not that strong, but I'd rather finish this fast."
Killua:"Nah i rather doing it alone"
Max:"Well ok then."
Then they stopped talking for a while. Killua glanced at Gon, who was sweating and smiling nervously.
Killua: Gon...
Gon: Huh? What?
Killua: Are you happy? Or scared?
Gon: Both, I guess... Just like Max said, in a straight-up fight, I wouldn't stand a chance. But if it's only about stealing his ID tag, then I've got a real shot.
Killua: Yeah.
Gon: Right now, I might actually have a chance. That scares me a little... but I think it's worth it.
Max (thought): Well, he's braver than me, that's for sure.
Killua: I see. Well, let's do our best.
Killua turned to walk away and moved to a different spot. While walking, he called back to Gon:
Killua: Make sure you stay alive, Gon.
Gon: Uh-huh. You too.
Max: Well, I'll be going too. See you later.
Max then walked off to find his own spot.
[Time Passed – Arrival at Zevil Island]
Eventually, the boat arrived at Zevil Island. Khara, the guide girl, spoke again.
Khara: Thanks for your patience, everyone. We've finally arrived at Zevil Island! Now, please disembark in the order in which you cleared the Third Phase.
Leorio: Tsk… This again?
Khara: After each person disembarks, we'll wait two minutes before the next one goes.
Killua: Thank god we finished it fast. We won't have to wait too long.
Gon: Yeah.
Khara: You will stay on this island for exactly one week. During that time, you must collect six points worth of ID tags and return here. All right then, the first person may begin!
Hisoka was the first to disembark. As he left, Kurapika spoke up.
Kurapika: I understand now… Those who disembark earlier have the advantage.
Leorio: Yeah, they can hide and observe their targets' movements.
Two minutes later, the needle-haired man disembarked, followed by the bald ninja, then the dart black dude. Finally, it was our turn.
Max was the first among us, sprinting ahead the moment he hit land. After him, the others began disembarking one by one.
To be continued...