The Otonari's Last [Draft, Discontinued]

VI - the Start of the Third Phase

"Ah, did I break your jaw? My bad," I teased, giving the man a fake sympathetic look. His eyes grow furious, and he rushes toward me.

Crap, this guy is way faster than the last one! Duck, Ara, duck!

Listening to my instincts, I duck under his outstretched fist in record speed. I grab his forearm and throw him over my shoulder, successfully knocking him out. I crouch, breathing heavily.

"Hey, Lippo-san... Weren't those guys two members of the group of three people responsible for the destruction of an entire city? They killed everyone there before blowing it up, right?"

Lippo laughs. "Yes, that was them." The next door rumbles open, and I move through it. The hallway led to a huge room with two rectangular passages on either side. I was across from a wall without a door, and a bridge led from my door to a large block in the center of the room. I walked across the bridge and stood on the block, briefly glancing at the six figures to my right.

"Lippo-san, what's going on now?" I yell as the door I passed through closes and the bridge retracts.

"You'll be meeting up with five other participants, but they haven't gotten here yet, so you'll just have to wait. Don't worry, the prisoners aren't allowed to attack you yet, and they can't reach you, anyway. Just relax and be patient," he answers. I shrug and sit down on the floor, pulling my headphones on and playing my music. I glance at my watch: '71:19:02.'

After another two hours, I catch a glimpse of movement coming from the left. I turn my head toward it and make out five figures, two short and the other three taller. I shut my music off, pull my headphones down, and stand. The shapes emerge from the shadows that covered them, and I grin.

"Ara!" Gon shouts. A bridge began to reach out from their passage toward me, and I walked across it to get to them.

"So it was you guys that I had to wait for? What took you so long?"

"Stupid Tonpa..." Leorio mumbles. The fat man shoots him a glare, but otherwise stays silent.

"Ah, well, we all found the doors to get in, but we needed one more person to start walking through the tower. It took forever, but Tonpa-san finally fell through, and we could leave," Gon says sheepishly.

"What is this place?" Leorio asks, looking around.

"I don't know. Lippo-san only told me to wait for you guys," I add.

"Look over there," Killua says, nodding toward the opposite side of the room.

"Yeah, those are prisoners of Trick Tower. The only thing I know is that their sentences are reduced based on how long they can delay us," I tell them. "At least, that's what I got from my earlier fight."

"You fought someone already, Ara?" Kurapika asks, surprised.

"Yeah, two people actually," I respond.

"The applicants have arrived," one of the prisoners says. "Remove the shackles." Their restraints detach and fall to the floor, and the man that spoke rubs his wrists. "Jeez... I'm finally free." He pulls off his cloak, and I glance at him before turning back to my companions.

"Meh." The man had very defined muscles, his shirt tight against his torso. His bald head was covered with scars. I can feel his eyes boring into my back, but I keep my eyes on the boys.

"Allow me to explain, lady and gentlemen. Like your friend said, before you are some of Trick Tower's prisoners. The Hunter Exam Committee has also officially hired them as examiners. You will be fighting against the six of them. The fights will be one-on-one. Each person may only fight once. You are free to use any method you like. There will be no draws. A win is declared when the opponent admits defeat. Since there is an even number of opponents, as soon as the prisoners gain three wins, you all fail this phase," Lippo explains over the intercom. My eyebrows raise and my eyes widen.

"You may pick your order," the revealed prisoner tells us. "It's majority rule. So secure four wins, and you may pass. The rules are simple."

"Shoot... Majority rule again?" Leorio mumbles.

"Oh, was that your path or something? You had to have a majority?" I ask, looking back at him.

"Yeah, the Majority Rule path," Killua replies. "Well, I prefer straightforward rules."

"However, the actual fights will not be so simple. Also like what your lady friend mentioned, the prisoners' sentences will be reduced by one year for every hour they delay the applicants here. In other words, their goal is also to buy time," Lippo adds.

"I see..." Kurapika says. "And we must reach the goal within seventy-two hours. So time will be critical during these fights."

"And there is one more thing," Lippo announces. "If your group passes these fights, the little lady will once again separate from you. She must continue on her own path - not yours." The boys glance at me questioningly, and I shrug.

"I am first in line," the prisoner says. "Who is up?"

"What should we do? He said that we can fight with any method. So that means anything goes," Killua says.

"We don't know what they'll try to pull..." Leorio mutters.

"There's too much at stake without knowing what they have up their sleeves," Kurapika agrees. "Given that, I shall -"

"No, I'll go!" Tonpa interrupts, stepping forward.

"Tonpa-san?" Gon exclaims, surprised.

"I'll act as a guinea pig, so we can discover what they're up to. Consider this an apology for before."

"Hey, are you serious?" Leorio asks.

"Of course he's serious," I mumble. "He wants us to put him in there, just so he can surrender and lower our chances of passing this phase." I thought I had spoken quietly enough that no one had heard me, but Kurapika glances at me.

"Sure," Tonpa responds to Leorio's question. "Plus, you guys don't actually trust me, right? Do you really want me to be the one to go when the score is 3-2?"

"I hate to say this, but he's right. I'd rather him go first, even if he will surrender," I say louder this time. The boys look at me, shocked that I would side with someone I didn't particularly care for.

"Then it's settled," Tonpa announces, an tone of finality in his voice.

"Tonpa, you're..." Leorio trails off. The bridge to the middle of the room reaches out again, this time from both sides, and Tonpa sets his bag on the floor. When the bridge clicks into its spot in the center block, the two men walk across it, moving toward each other.

"That was a surprise... I didn't expect Tonpa to volunteer," Leorio mumbles to us as Tonpa walks away.

"Yeah, and I didn't think Ara would agree with him," Gon adds.

"I didn't expect Tonpa to volunteer, either. I thought he would offer to go last, just so he could make us tie if we had a 3-2 outcome."

"He called himself a guinea pig," Kurapika adds, somewhat shocked at this turn of events.

"Will Tonpa-san be okay?" Gon asks.

"I have no doubt that he'll come back without a scratch on him," I assure him, smiling.

"Now let us determine the method of combat," the prisoner says. "I propose a death match." We're all taken aback by the prisoner's words, even Tonpa.

"A death match?" Gon repeats.

"They fight until one dies?" Leorio questions.

"No..." Kurapika mumbles. "Don't let him provoke you!"

"Well?" the prisoner asks.

"Very well... I accept," Tonpa responds. My eyes widen, and I gape at the man.

"Perhaps I was wrong..." I say quietly.

"I commend you for your courage!" the prisoner says loudly. The two crouch into a fighting stance, their hands up to guard their faces. They stare at each other, and Tonpa adjusts his stance.

"Tonpa..." Leorio says worriedly.

"Let the fight begin!" the prisoner announces. He launches himself into the air, pulling back a fist to strike Tonpa.