The train to Central Crossroads swayed gently as it cut through open farmland, the morning sun turning the fields gold. Inside the car, the air was warm with the smell of instant noodles someone had heated in the small galley at the rear.
Gon sat by the window, legs swinging, pointing out every cow and windmill they passed. Leorio sprawled across two seats opposite them, briefcase on his lap, flipping through a dog-eared medical textbook and occasionally muttering about "ridiculous tuition fees."
Akira sat beside Gon, back straight, eyes half-lidded but alert. He had already mapped the entire car in his mind: twenty-three passengers, four exits (two doors, two emergency windows), five people whose breathing patterns and posture marked them as likely Hunter applicants. The faint hum of aura signatures from three of them confirmed it.
He kept his own aura wrapped tight in Ten — a thin, even layer that made him feel like a ghost among the living. No one glanced twice at the quiet boy in the corner.
Leorio slammed his book shut with a sigh. "This is taking forever. How long till we get there?"
Gon shrugged. "The ticket lady said a few hours."
Akira spoke quietly. "Central Crossroads is just a transfer point. The real exam location is hidden. They'll make us work for it."
Leorio raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you've done this before."
Akira shook his head. "Just thinking ahead."
Leorio studied him for a moment, then grunted. "Smart kid. That'll help. Most people here are gonna crash and burn because they didn't think."
Gon tilted his head. "Like what?"
"Like not knowing when to run," Leorio said. "Or when to fight. Or who to trust."
Akira listened without comment. Leorio's words were accurate — but incomplete. Trust was a tool. So was running. So was fighting. The key was knowing which one to use in which second.
The train began to slow.
An announcement crackled over the speakers: "Approaching Central Crossroads. All passengers for inland connections, prepare to disembark.
This is the final stop before restricted routes."
Gon pressed his face to the glass. "Look! It's huge!"
The station was massive compared to Midway Junction — multiple platforms, overhead walkways, a sprawling concourse lined with shops, restaurants, and glowing signs advertising everything from weapons to survival gear. Hundreds of people moved through it like a living river.
They stepped onto the platform into controlled chaos.
Akira immediately felt the shift in atmosphere. The air carried the sharp tang of anticipation — and danger. His scanner lit up.
[Scan: 214 individuals within range. 41 probable applicants. 9 with significant aura. 2 extreme signatures — one concealed, one barely restrained.]
He didn't need the system to tell him who the extreme ones were.
Hisoka was somewhere in the crowd. And another — colder, more precise. Illumi, most likely.
Gon bounced on his toes. "Where do we go now?"
Akira pointed toward a large digital board overhead.
Hunter Exam Applicants – Proceed to Gate 12 for Final Instructions
Warning: Unauthorized access beyond Gate 12 prohibited
"Gate 12," he said. "That's our path."
Leorio adjusted his briefcase. "Let's move. I don't like standing around in crowds like this."
They pushed through the throng. Akira stayed close to Gon, eyes constantly moving. He noted:
Pokkle buying arrows at a weapon stall, haggling aggressively.
Kurapika standing alone near a pillar, hood up, watching the flow of people with cold precision.
A short, bald man in a tracksuit doing push-ups on the floor — Tonpa, the infamous "Rookie Crusher," already smiling at a group of nervous applicants.
Akira filed every detail away.
They reached Gate 12 — a heavy metal door guarded by two Association staff in black uniforms.
One held out a scanner. "Tickets."
Gon and Akira presented theirs. The guard nodded.
"Through the door. Follow the corridor to the assembly hall. Do not stop. Do not speak to anyone until instructed."
Leorio went through first. Gon next. Akira last.
The corridor was long, concrete, lit by harsh fluorescent lights. Their footsteps echoed.
Halfway down, the lights flickered.
Then went out.
Darkness swallowed them.
Gon tensed. "What the—"
Akira's hand found Gon's shoulder — firm, steady.
"Stay calm," he whispered. "It's a test."
Leorio's voice came from ahead. "Everyone alright?"
Before anyone could answer, the corridor filled with a low, grinding sound.
Metal panels slid open along the walls.
From the darkness stepped six figures — tall, masked, dressed in black tactical gear. Each held a short baton crackling with electricity.
[Scan: Armed Security Personnel. Non-lethal weapons. Intent: Filter / Intimidate. Threat: Moderate.]
One of them spoke, voice distorted through a modulator.
"Applicants. This is an unscheduled security check. Present your tickets again. Anyone who resists will be removed from consideration."
Gon started to reach for his pocket.
Akira stopped him with a gentle squeeze.
"Wait," he murmured. "Watch."
The lead guard stepped toward Leorio.
Leorio raised his hands slowly. "Easy. I've got it right here."
He pulled out his ticket.
The guard scanned it — then swung the baton in a sudden arc toward Leorio's ribs.
Leorio twisted — barely dodging.
"Hey! What the hell?!"
The other guards advanced.
Gon's eyes widened. "They're attacking!"
Akira's mind raced — calculating angles, speeds, openings.
He stepped forward, placing himself between Gon and the nearest guard.
"Hold on," he said calmly.
The guard swung at him.
Akira moved — smooth, precise. He adapted the guard's swing pattern in an instant, sidestepped, and caught the wrist with a firm grip. He twisted — not hard enough to break, just enough to redirect the momentum.
The guard stumbled forward.
Akira released and stepped back.
The other guards hesitated.
Leorio stared. "Kid… you just—"
The lead guard snarled. "Restrain them!"
They charged.
Akira exhaled.
Ren.
He pushed — a short, controlled burst of aura that rippled outward like a shockwave.
The nearest two guards staggered, batons dropping as their muscles locked from the sudden pressure.
Gon flipped forward, fishing rod whipping out to trip a third guard.
Leorio roared and tackled another — massive frame slamming the man into the wall.
The last guard swung at Akira.
Akira ducked, adapted the motion, and countered with a palm strike to the solar plexus — Ren-enhanced, but restrained.
The guard folded, gasping.
The corridor went quiet.
The lights snapped back on.
At the far end of the hall, a man in a gray suit stepped forward — Satotz.
He clapped once — slow, deliberate.
"Very good," he said. "You pass the preliminary filter."
Gon blinked. "That was… part of the exam?"
Satotz inclined his head. "The Hunter Exam begins the moment you receive your ticket. This was a test of awareness, composure, and ability to respond under pressure."
He looked at Akira for a long moment.
"Impressive control for someone so young."
Akira met his gaze evenly. "Thank you."
Satotz turned to the group.
"Follow me.
The real Phase One awaits."
He walked toward a set of double doors at the end of the corridor.
Gon looked at Akira, eyes shining. "We did it!"
Akira gave a small smile — genuine this time.
"Yeah," he said. "We did."
But in his mind, the calculations continued.
The exam had begun.
And he was already three steps ahead.