AN: we didn't get to the fight scene but I hope that doesn't annoy people… the end of the hunter exam arc is coming up soon and after that, we might take a short break as I go back and edit some previous chapters as they are not that great in comparison to what I am currently writing. After that, we will move on to the post-exam arc which Magenta will go separate ways from the main cast for a while as he begins to start exploring the world of Hunter x Hunter
*-ep* *beep* *beep* *beep* waking up to the sound of a digital alarm clock I roll around in my bed for a small moment before willing myself to get up.
*yawn* sitting up in my bed I lean over to the nightstand and turn off the alarm clock.
'Well now that I am awake let's get ready for what's coming up today…' getting up and taking a morning shower to wake myself up for the day and make my way down to the lobby where we were told to congregate before nine o'clock. Though before getting there I made sure to drop by the kitchens and grabbed a muffin for my breakfast and ate on my way down to the meeting location.
*creak* opening the door into the lobby gave a slight wine much like every door or hinged object in this place.
'They can afford blimps, manors, staffs, the probably ludicrous legal fees for all the bullshit hunters get into, hiring staff, the fortune that goes into organizing these exams and they can't afford a can of WD-40…' finding a spot to sit in the room while I waited for everyone to meet up in the room as I got here a little earlier than I expected.
{like an hour of uncomfortable sitting in silence later}
While everyone was standing around in silent anticipation the atmosphere slowly got tenser and tenser as the wait got longer. Though when the door suddenly opened and the clacking of wooden sandals filled the room disturbing the silence everyone turned to look at the chairman of the Hunter's Association as he was flanked on either side by men in black suits with sunglasses.
'Like this guy of all people needs bodyguards… heh.' looking at the newcomers to the room and finding the irony in security when the world's strongest man is in the same room I was a bit excited about what was coming.
"Thank you all for coming on time! I would like to once again congratulate everyone for making it this far. In a moment we will be bringing this examination to an end, we will be conducting the final in a format of one on one duels. The bracket for the tournament is as follows…" quickly grabbing the sheet covering a roll-out whiteboard that was quickly positioned behind Netero while he was speaking by one of his 'bodyguards' he unveiled the tournament bracket
*mutter* *mutter* as soon as he revealed the unorthodox and unbalanced tournament bracket everyone began to voice their confusion and displeasure or ask for an explanation about how it was made.
"Ah, and I forgot to add something… the rules for the last round are as follows: one victory and you pass the exam and are removed from the tournament. Essentially whoever ends up at the top of the exam loses!" and being the old troll he was Netero decided to throw some fuel on the fire.
"So only one person will be eliminated in the final?" in the back of the crowd was a bad cosplayer who couldn't decide between a sentai ranger and a Mr. Clean get-up, being Hanzo the ninja who asked about the winning conditions.
"Yes, only one person will not become a Hunter today, and to make things 'fair' everyone has at least two chances to win"
"Why is the bracket unbalanced?" continuing the Q&A session was Bodoro as he asked about the construction of the tournament.
"This bracket was created by taking the culmination of all your exploits during the previous phases of the exam. The people who have better potential or a better showing are given a higher chance to pass than those who were average! Here at the Hunter's Association, we want the best of the best after all!" ending his little speech with a goofy grin he looked around for any other questions.
"I don't like it. Explain how you calculated the positions." looking generally dissatisfied with the explanation Killua stared Netero down with a glare as he waited for some sort of explanation.
"Well, I can't tell you how we exactly do that as its a trade secret! But we mostly account for your strength, mind, and charisma. Strength is self-explanatory, being things like speed, power, the five senses, and flexibility. Mind on the other hand is about how you adapted to new or dangerous situations, skills you brought to the table, creation, or how you have grown in the course of the test. But what truly got you here to the end game was your charisma and that is something that is really hard to quantify but it is truly the most essential part of a Hunter. The bracket was made with all these things in mind and you were placed accordingly, that is all I have to say on that matter." while he slowly explained the criteria to Killua his goofy aura slowly morphed into a more serious and domineering one, his words had a serious weight to them as he deconstructed the three essential parts of a Hunter and how our showing in the exam correlated to each part.
"Tch." seemingly dissatisfied with the answer or perhaps himself for scoring lower than he would have expected Killua seemed to stop paying attention to what the chairman was saying as he began pondering on something.
"The fights rules are simple in comparison, weapons are allowed and anything goes except for killing your opponent which will immediately disqualify you. To win you must make your opponent surrender." finishing off all the rules and information needed for the final to commence Netero stepped back as one of the bodyguards stepped up and took the role of a referee for the following matches.
"Let us begin the final round of the exam! The first match will be between Magenta and Gon!" standing in the middle of the arena he called forth the first two contestants as everyone else moved back towards the wall and waited for the fight to begin. Soon after he spoke the two named contestants walked to either side of the pitch as they prepared for a fight. Seeing that the two contestants were ready as they were going to get the referee raised his hand as he was preparing to call the start of the match.
'Things really did change huh… I wonder if my showing really was good enough to dictate me being this low on the bracket but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth… I guess it makes sense I have a decent physicality even if I am not a skilled fighter, I would like to think I have a good head on my shoulders and that I have learned and adapted to new situations… but I am unsure of the whole charisma thing, I'm just some asshole with meta knowledge… on another note, I probably should have said I didn't want to fight Gon in the interview all things considered as he is too stubborn. *sigh* '