Living in the depths of Meteor City with nothing but their companions to pull them away from the harsh truths of reality. Their last hope for a break from reality was soiled when they were all slaughtered by the mafia, always preying on the ones on...
As the doors flung open, anticipation caused some to rush to stations, while others calmly trotted over. I stood silently, waiting for a command commencing the start of the second phase. The examiners appeared, soon beginning their introduction.
"Hello everyone, my name is Buhara, the woman to my left is Menchi! For the second phase, you will be cooking!" Buhara said, drooling at the thought of food
"Cooking? Cooking, are you serious?! I didn't take the exam to become a chef!" an examinee yelled, a "yea!" chiming in the background
An outrage broke out among the crowd at the request to cook, annoying the teal-haired women.
"Everyone be quiet!" she demanded, "Buhara and I are Gourmet Hunters, in order to proceed you must make a proper meal! The first meal will be pork, the next sushi."
"Now begin, I'm famished!" Buhara said, rubbing his stomach
The examinees began to hustle into the forest, searching for something to make a meal. A cry erupted as a swarm of boars charged among the ground, many being flung and killed. Me and the others made it up upon a tree, hiding as the boars scattered the area. Gon swung his fishing rod, striking on the head, the boar soon collapsing to the ground.
"Guys, the weak spot is their heads!" Gon exclaimed to us, allowing us to strike them down with one blow
Soon enough, the other caught on the tacktick. We all flew in the doors once again, rushing to prepare our meal. I knew nothing about cooking, however, I tried my best to make at least a decent meal. With what was provided I made my meal, presenting his order to him, he approved of mine such as everyone else who had brought his order to him, deeming it as 'delicious'.
Now to make sushi, something I had never heard of and by the looks of it not many knew what it was or consisted of either. Hanzo, while getting into a quirl with Menchi, the examinee, blurted out the correct way of making nigiri sushi, as this happens to be a traditional dish from his homeland. Me and others made our way to a lake, collecting fish for cooking. With the information given about the foreign food, I used what I interpreted to make a dish to the best of my abilities, glancing at the enthusiastic ninja once in a while. A dish sat in front of me, a lump getting stuck in my throat as I watched the line to her, as each person got rejected my heart quickened in pace. However, I joined the line, joining in the rejection of others as she took a bite of my dish and deemed it 'not flavorful enough'.
A wave of rage engulfed the mind of examinees, shouting obscenities and the unfairness of failing every contestant. While we sulked, Kurapika pointed out a blimp in the sky that was making its way towards the ground. A man jumped out, landing on the ground with a smash, dust flying in all directions. I coughed, attempting to rid my lungs of the dust that seeped in my mouth, shooing it away with my hand. As the dust cleared I saw an older man with white, long eyebrows and a long, white beard. He looked among the crowd then proceeded to walk to the woman, pulling her to the side.
After a moment of silence he walked before us, parting his lips to speak.
"Hello! I am Chairman Netero, the Head of the Exam Commission. I was expecting to make myself known to you all at the last phase of the exam, but due to this occurring we meet now! I was told my examiner Menchi had failed you all, so we have decided that you all get a second chance." Netero spoke, clapping his hands together
The atmosphere lightened up, a smile creeping its way up on everyone's faces at the thought of another chance. The next thing I knew I was up upon a place titled 'Split Mountain' that the rest of the participants rode to on a blimp. I stared out the window, greenery clouding my vision, the blueness of the sky complementing its bright color.
"Wow, look how high we are!" Gon cheered, scanning the area
I hummed, staring out the window as well. I felt a gaze upon my face, causing me to turn my head to face the brown-eyed boy. He looked at me as I did him, a smile painting itself on his face. As his, I served him a smile back, a comfortable silence filling the air around us. The vehicle stopped, a voice soon making its presence known on the intercom.
"Hello everyone! We have arrived at our next destination so please regroup at the exit, good luck!" Netero spoke, amusement laced within his voice
Our eyes broke apart as we left the area, soon making our way to the exit of the blimp. On our way we met up with Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio who had ventured to other parts. The exit was spotted, a wave of people forming around it to which we joined. Netero made his way to the front of the crowd, the door opened at his command. We all followed the older man out, the clattering of uncoordinated footsteps was the only source of sound as the realization of the next task was shown at the split of the mountain. Menchi accompanied the man, the two soon stopping in sync, the rest following in suit. Menchi turned on the heel of her foot, parting her lips to speak.
"For this we will jump down into the split of the mountain and retrieve the eggs of the Spider Eagles! I will demonstrate, so pay close attention. A gust of wind will come up, use that to make your way back to the surface." she explained to the crowd
"We have to jump down there..?" a examinee mustered, his voice fading out
"Yep! If you wanna pass"
As those words were said, she jumped off the edge of the cliff. All eyes stuck on her form as latched on the web as well as the egg. Soon enough, she rose with an egg in her arms now ready to be boiled and eaten. As a que, others began to jump from the edge of the cliff as well, some failing to get a grip on the sturdy web. The five of us leaped, the wind rushing through our hair, our voices mustering out cries of shock mixed with thrill.
The sticky substance that was the web connected with our fingers, soon plucking an egg with a free hand. Screams erupted in the dark crevice as applicants began to fall into the darkness. The web began to go thin, worried expressions coating the faces of some.
"Gon! When do we jump?!" Leorio questioned to the boy, attention turning to him
His eyes shut, waiting for a signal from the pit below. Others fell to their deaths as parts of the web snapped, fearing building up in our chests.
"Now!" Gon said, the rest letting go of the stand of web just before it broke
My fingertips grazed the web as it broke, still clutching onto the egg. A gust of wind came, blowing the survivors to the surface. We all looked at one another, soon breaking out into cheers and laughter. After the giggles subsided we approached the area to cook, beginning the process of boiling the eggs.
I watched them boil, the aroma clouding my thoughts of the delicacy that was the taste of the egg. We all sat patiently, chatter circling the five of us to stall time. Once they were ready the two boys, Gon and Killua, shot up from their spots, rushing over to retrieve their freshly cooked eggs. Leorio, Kurapika, and I calmly approached, secretly suppressing our hunger. As we sat, I took a bite, quickly melting at its delicious flavor, the others having the same reaction once the boiled egg hit their taste buds.
"Now I understand the meaning behind their famous name "dream eggs" Kurapika said with a mouthful, causing us all to laugh in agreement
We talked and laughed, soon getting the signal to proceed to the next phase. We all stood up, boarding the blimp with the rest. As we got settled, a feeling built up in my chest as I hung out with the four. I couldn't quite place it. I believe it is the feeling of benevolence, I am happy?
