Sommy, who had been waiting impatiently for Tonpa's arrival, eventually gave up waiting with his pet monkey and decided to start hunting on his own.
The real battle had now begun.
First off, apart from Ronnel, the first to secure a six-point number badge was Pokkle. This kid got lucky, facing an opponent who wasn't too tough. With an arrow tipped in paralytic poison, he swiftly immobilized his target and claimed six points.
Next was Killua. His luck wasn't bad either, running into the three Amori brothers in the jungle.
What happened after was inevitable.
After taking Amori's badge, Killua noticed someone tailing him. Instead of keeping both extra badges, he tossed them away. One of those badges was caught by his stalker, who initially felt proud of his stealth. However, when he checked the number plate... it was No. 198, not the 197 he was after. The realization hit hard—Killua had tricked him, and all hope faded.
The 197 badge, meanwhile, disappeared into the underbrush. Finding it would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.
This meant that Hanzo, already determined to outperform the other two examinees, could still make up the six points needed. Even though there were 32 examinees instead of 24, the challenge wasn't insurmountable for him.
Killua's move didn't just fool Hanzo, it also marked the end of the road for the three Amori brothers in the Hunter Exam.
Meanwhile, that elusive 197 badge landed on the head of an unsuspecting man wearing glasses.
"A badge from the heavens?"
Leorio glanced at the plate, startled, then looked up.
"What? No. 197? It's just one number off from the 198 I needed!" Leorio muttered, slightly annoyed, though he tucked the badge safely into his coat anyway.
Due to the increased number of examinees, Leorio, unlike in the original timeline, hadn't encountered Ponzu and her bees. So, her fate was sealed—seven days spent in a cave and a den of poisonous snakes.
"Come on, Leorio!"
"I'm coming! Hey Kurapika, have you found your target yet? That monkey handler, Sommy?"
The seven days of waiting soon passed, and the time to gather arrived.
On the distant coastline, Ronnel was the first to arrive after the boat's horn sounded.
During those days, he had looted a few useful items from the bodies of fallen examinees, gathering corpse poison and a few other treasures—quite a haul.
Soon after Ronnel's arrival, the other examinees began to trickle in: Hisoka, Illumi, Killua, Hanzo, Pokkle, Bodoro.
Along with Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio, the total number of remaining examinees came to ten.
Gon and his group first chatted briefly with Killua, before moving over to Ronnel.
Since Kurapika was on good terms with everyone, Gon, relieved that there was no tension between them, led the way over to Ronnel.
Leorio, Killua, and even Kurapika silently followed.
"Ronnel, you were probably the first to collect all six points, right? Who was your target?" Gon asked, trying to spark a conversation.
"Tonpa, the rookie killer."
"Tonpa? That old guy?" Gon scratched his head, trying to recall him, since it had been so long since they'd last met.
From there, the group began swapping stories about their experiences during the exam.
Gon shared some things as well, though he omitted the more unsettling parts, like his encounter with Hisoka. Sometimes, the boy could be a bit stubborn and secretive.
Ronnel listened carefully, catching some intriguing bits of information that he hadn't seen from his vantage point. For instance, the details of Kurapika and Leorio's adventures, and Leorio's unexpected encounter with Hanzo.
Kurapika's target had been Sommy, the monkey handler, who in turn had Leorio as his target. This poor guy had unknowingly walked into Kurapika and Leorio's trap.
After being beaten senseless, Sommy and his monkey were tied up and hung from a tree.
In an amusing twist, Sommy also happened to be Hanzo's target, as Hanzo needed the badge to get his final point. However, Kurapika and Leorio had already taken Sommy down, so Hanzo was left with no choice but to move on.
Not that Hanzo was worried. He only needed one more point, and with so many examinees still around, it wasn't hard to find another target.
Under Kurapika and Leorio's watchful eyes, Hanzo casually shrugged.
"If it weren't for that silver-haired brat who beat me and threw away badge 197, I'd already be done with this phase..." Hanzo grumbled.
Leorio's ears perked up at that, and he stopped Hanzo from leaving. After some back-and-forth, they realized that each of them had the other's missing badge.
Laughing at the irony, they quickly exchanged badges.
Having made up his six points, Hanzo no longer needed the extra badge from his earlier victory, so he gave it to Leorio as thanks for the helpful exchange.
Not long after, the group's conversation was interrupted by the distant whistle of the boat as it drew closer to shore.
Moments after the whistle blew, the young lady responsible for overseeing the phase announced the results.
The original nine, plus Ronnel, made ten examinees in total.
As she spoke, she revealed that the next stage was the final test.
Gon, Hanzo, and the others exchanged glances. They had finally made it to the last hurdle.
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