ANIMOSITY | hxh

thirteen

It was now time for the final phase of the exam. The Chairman and all other previous examiners had gathered the ten applicants in a room with a small arena. The were facing a covered board, while the Chairman explained the rules.

"For the final phase, we will be holding a one-on-one tournament." He began. "So the last person standing passes?" Leorio asked worriedly. Netero shook his head, "No. One win is all you need to pass." He held up a finger. "Then in this tournament..." Leorio clicked his tongue.

Netero nodded. "The winners are removed from competition, while listed continue up the bracket. In other words, the person who finished at the top will not pass." He explained, gesturing to the top of the bracket. "Does everyone understand?" The group nodded.

"Just to confirm, only one person will fail?" A tall, bald man asked. Tsuno recognized him as the ninja known as Hanzo. "Exactly. And here is the bracket." The principal stepped aside to to rip off the covering. The applicants searched to find their opponent. Tsuno saw that she would facing Gittarackur. She blinked as she tensed slightly. She didn't know why, but her flight response was constantly triggered when he was near. She shook herself off and chalked it up to his creepy appearance.

She observed the rest of the bracket. Gon and Hanzo, Kurapika and Hisoka. Those were the starting matches. Everyone else depended on who won those matches. "Pretty nice, right? After all, everyone had atleast two chances to win." The Chairman bragged subtly.

But some people, like #294 and #405, get five chances." The archer, Pokkle, noted. The lavender-headed girl creased her brows when she realized she had two chances. "Why didn't you use a balanced bracket?" An old man, Bodoro, pressed on. The Chairman didn't falter. "A question that must be on everyone's mind. This bracket was assembled based on your performance throughout the entire exam. Simply put, those who performed better received more chances." He explained. That only made Tsuno's frown deepen.

She didn't get it at all. She completed the exam with ease, which surely proves she capable of being a hunter. "I'm not convinced." Killua interjected, sharing her feelings. "Can you tell us how you graded us?" He asked, looking at Netero with a frown. The Chairman hummed in thought for a moment, before shaking his head wildly screaming no, scaring Killua.

Netero laughed. "Your scores are classified. I can't reveal your actual scores. But I can explain the methods," He said, holding up three fingers. "There were three main things we were looking for: mental acuity, physical strength, and overall impression. For physical strength, we use an aggregate of agility, flexibility, endurance, and perception." Tsuno nodded as he listed the categories, she felt she was well versed in all those aspects.

"For mental acuity, we use an aggregate of resilience, adaptability judgment, and creativity. However this information is only used as a reference point." He revealed. Tsuno could admit she wasn't the most mentally adept, but in most cases she didn't have to be. Her score couldn't have been that bad to the point where this was her result. "After all you were all strong enough to advance to the final phase. We were most concerned with your overall impression, which refers to any intangible factors that can't be categorized. You could consider this as assessment of your potential as a Hunter." He narrowed his eyes. Tsuno grit her teeth, this wasn't making sense, none at all. Considering how the brackets were formed, she should've had more chances. She huffed, it didn't truly matter. As long as she passed she'll got what she came for. And nothing would take that away from her.

Still, it hurt her pride to be ranked lower than some of these candidates. Netero continued with the rules, "It's simple really, weapons are allowed, no cheating, and if your opponent gives up then you win. However! If you kill your opponent then your immediately disqualified and the rest of the applicants will pass the exam. Is that clear?" The silence in the room signified their agreement. "Then let the final phase, begin!"