The Wilted Flower ⁀ 𝐤. 𝐳𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐲𝐜𝐤 𝐱 𝐨𝐜

𝓒𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓽𝓮𝓻 𝓽𝔀𝓮𝓷𝓽𝔂-𝓽𝔀𝓸 • 𝓹𝓮𝓸𝓷𝔂

I'm sorryyyyy!!!! I was on an update-every-day streak and I broke it and haven't updated in a while, I'm sorry TwT

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"Applicants, I must congratulate those of you who have made it to the fifth and final phase."

The chairman, Netero, spoke to the last few applicants and explained the rules of the phase to them. They all figured the short questioning they went through earlier would have something to do with it. They were right.

Netero revealed the hidden board after explaining that there would be one-on-one battles, and the only way to win was to make your opponent say 'I give up'. As the cloth fluttered away, the entirety of the applicant's eyes widened. 

A rather nerve-wracking chart was drawn on there.

{-- If you can't see it, I'm really sorry!--}

"What? Does this mean only one of us can pass?"  Dead silence was the only thing that followed the question, until, of course, Netero's laughter filled the large arena. 

"Of course not!"  He glanced behind his shoulder to the group of previous examiners. "Only one will fail, and the rest will pass. It's quite simple."  He continued to explain until all of the applicant's questions were answered. 

"Any more?" he asked. No one moved an inch. "Okay. Well then, the first round will be Hanzo versus Gon."

At the mention of their names, both of them stepped forward into the white stone arena, where a few different guards and referees surrounding the mat. Once the whistle was blown, the two of them immediately lunged at each other, and the battle, unfortunately, did not quite go in Gon's favor. 

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"No. I'm not giving up." the green-haired boy said sternly, looking at Hanzo dead in the eye. Upon hearing this, Hanzo furrowed his brows in anger and punched him, sending him flying across the arena. Leorio, Kurapika, and Hyacinth were shaking, filled with rage and one-hundred-percent ready to kill the bald teen that was hurting their friend.

"That damned bastard," Hyacinth muttered, staring down the pair of them fighting. "Once I get my license, I'll kill him with no legal responsibility."

Kurapika placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll help."

The one-sided battle seemed to go on for hours, with no sound, except for the ragged breathing of Gon and blood splattering on the floor.

Eventually, Hanzo knocked Gon out and gave up in frustration, saying that Gon was too stubborn to give up. Even though there was a slight comedic aspect to it, the trio had to be physically restrained from attacking Hanzo.

The next round was Hisoka versus Kurapika, which Kurapika surprisingly won, after Hisoka whispered something into the blonde's ear. After went Hanzo and Pokkle, the latter quickly giving up after Hanzo used the same methods he had used on Gon. The fourth was Hisoka versus Bodoro. It was a fair fight, but not evenly matched. Hisoka ultimately won, and Bodoro was badly injured. And fifth, Pokkle versus Killua.

Hyacinth knew that the loser of this round would be her opponent, so she paid close attention to the match.

Just as the referee called start, Pokkle gripped onto his weapon, and Killua glanced at his opponent from top to bottom. He nonchalantly said something nobody would have expected, and left everyone shocked.

"I don't want to fight him! He's weak, weak people aren't any fun. I give up!"  He walked off to the side, his hands positioned behind his head.

The entire room seemed to sweatdrop as it was finalized that Pokkle won the match. The next round would've been Leorio versus Bodoro, but since Bodoro was badly injured, Leorio said to wait for him to heal after the next round. Netero said it was fine, so the next pair went.

Killua and Hyacinth.

The two of them slowly walked onto the blood-stained mat and faced each other, each firmly holding their ground on opposite sides. They locked eyes, and each of them had a calculating look in their eyes.

"Ready, set. . ." The ref raised his hand.

"Start!"

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Word Count: 699