Chapter 21 : Final x And x Brutal

~~~

The airship landed on a certain hotel owned by the Selection Committee. I can pretty much guess that this is where the final phase will occur.

"For the final phase of the hunter exam, I decided to hold a one-on-one tournament." Netero-san revealed the bracket of the battles presented on the board.

We're all surprised at the outline and assumed that only one will pass, that is on the top.

"Seriously? Only one will be the winner?" Hanzo blurted out.

"No. The idea is reverse. You only need a one win to pass and that's it. That means the toppest part will be the loser."

He then next revealed the faces of who will be fighting against. The distribution seems unbalance.

"Why do the others have more chances than the others?" Bodoro asked.

"Your placement is based on your performance from the previous phases. The higher points, the more chance,"

"Eh?!" Everyone seems like disagreeing.

"Certainly, there are criteria set to rate your performance like your physical and mental ability," Netero-san explained.

"Huh?💢do you care explaining it further?" Killua demanded as Netero-san blinked then laughed.

"No, kiddo. It's a matter of confidentiality. But the thought of getting at the final phase does mean that you met those criteria." He has a point, yeah.

"The rules are simple. This is a battle, weapons are allowed. The match will be over once one of you surrenders. However, killing your opponent is strictly prohibited. Whoever kills an opponent, that person will be disqualified immediately, others will pass and the phase will be over."

So the main objective is to make our opponent give up? This will be interesting.

~~~

The spacious room allowed the center part to be the battlefield. Everyone is gathered to the side to watch. I noticed that the previous examiners are also present. There are also men in black suits around like a guardmen.

"I am Masta, and I will serve as your referee." Introduced a one of the black suit men.

The first match came to be Gon vs. Hanzo. I am leaning by the wall as I watch carefully.

'You got this, Gon!' I silently cheered in my head.

"Hah! It's all thanks to you I've got a nice points back then!" Hanzo chitchatted with Masta, the referee.

"E-eh?! You noticed me?" Masta frowned in surprise.

"Of course! I guess each examinee are assigned someone who will record their points, huh?"

Seriously? From the very beginning?

Fuck. I didn't notice that. Yet all my actions are--

Completely embarrassing. I don't even know how I came up with good points. Ugh!

"Let's begin the match."

The match started with Gon jumping away from Hanzo to form quite a distance, but to Gon's surprise, Hanzo was already behind him as he hit his head with too much force, making him paralyzed for a moment. Gon fell down on the ground as his eyes is slowly losing consciousness, yet he fights it back.

I bit my nail in worry. Hanzo must've hit a pressure point.

Hanzo suddenly helped Gon sat back as he stretched Gon's back to regain his senses. Gon gritted his teeth in pain.

"Here, that might help you. Maybe I hit you way too hard that your brain frizz up. You might as well know that you have no match to me, so you better give up now..." Hanzo said calmly.

"N-no way!" Hanzo slapped Gon's head upon hearing his answer. Gon is sweating real hard now. He must've felt like fainting. But knowing Gon, his pride must've keeping him wide awake.

After hearing from Kurapika yesterday about what really happened to Gon on the hunting phase with Hisoka, I knew then that Gon is an image of "giving-up-is-impossible".

"If you surrender now, you will have a chance to fight your next match without having too much injury so think about it carefully,"

"I... I said NO!"

A thud echoed again as Gon crouched in pain. Hanzo stood beside him mightily as Gon tried to stand on his trembling knees, but Hanzo punched him hard on his gut making him fall down again.

"GON! Don't be silly! You've still got to try on the next one!" Leorio couldn't take it anymore, but Kurapika stopped him. "Leorio! Do you think you can also give up if you're in his situation?"

"Of course not!"

"Gon feels the same,"

I can feel Kurapika's seething anger under composure, yet I knew that he agrees with Leorio. I admire the patience, yet how long?

A question for mine, also.

I couldn't feel my knuckles anymore as they turned numb after being balled into fist tight for a long time. Hanzo now kicked Gon as I released a pressure in my chest.

"The chairman really has his crazy stunts. He knew well that examinees who have come this far will be unlikely to give up..." I silently agreed with what Menchi-san said, yet I can't keep my wits together in this match.

This is not even a decent battle, but a one-sided torture.

Gon suffered yet another blow from his back. I shut my eyes in pain as I bit my lip.

It sucks how there are some circumstances where you can't do anything for your friend.

It really sucks.

~~~

-Third Person-

It's already past 3 hours since the first match started, and yet Hanzo is still having a hard time hearing a surrender from Gon. All you can hear in the room is painful thuds and blood stained floor. Gon's friends is slowly losing their patience as the seconds goes by.

As for the dark blue haired lady, the unsightly scene and his friend's grunts of pain feels like an endless torment to her, as she turned her back and face the wall behind with a trembling closed eyes, hugging herself as if holding on tight to the little patience that was left within her.

"T-this... this is more than enough! Fine then, fight me on his place instead!" Leorio shouted in pure anger.

"Better leave if you can't take it," Hanzo replied in a serious tone.

Leorio has really lose it, stepping inside to meddle. But the black suited men blocked him.

"You're not allowed to interfere. Gon will be the one who will suffer disqualification once you force in," Masta, the referee, spoke as Leorio froze back in realization.

"L-leorio... I'm fine. T-this is nothing, I can still fight," the beaten up boy said, triggering Hanzo as he tripped Gon to fall back on his knees.

"I'm going to break your arm..." Hanzo's seriousness upon saying those make Chizumi almost lose her breathing. Her eyes shot wide in terror, as she closed her ears with her trembling hands.

What's happening is killing her inside.

"Surrender now,"

A moment of silence was followed before Gon's scream echoed through the room. "NEVER!!!"

The sound of a cracking bones was heard next followed by a whimper from the poor prideful boy.

"Don't try to stop me now, Kurapika... I'm gonna kill that man if he do anything to Gon once more," Leorio growled quietly.

"Me? Really?" Kurapika spoke through his gritten teeth, his eyes glowing scarlet in furious. "Don't worry... that won't happen,"

As these two are on the verge of ruining the order of the match, Hanzo is busy introducing his origins of ninja. Killua is watching silently in sweat while the others standing either amused or distress.

But the only lady on the line of examinees is slowly losing herself.

As Gon finally regained his balance out of dizzy sight, he kicked the talking ninja in a swift and forceful way, sending the others shock and cheer of hope for his friends.

"Ittai..." Gon grunted in pain of his broken arm. "I've finally cleared my head a bit after all that,"

Gon's light voice sent calmness to the storm inside her, without them knowing.

"For all you know, this isn't a battle to see who's strongest, but to see who's willing to surrender,"

Hanzo stood back as he wiped his bleeding nose. "You still don't understand it, do you? Then maybe this blade will help you wake up in your senses. I will gladly cut you off little by little, but for the last time..."

"Give up, now--"

"I won't. I will not going to accept that!" everyone froze in shock due to the boy's lack of sense for his life's danger.

"Of course I don't want my limbs to be cut off, yet I don't want to give up too! That's why let's settle this match in a fair play, shall we?"

Hanzo grew a tick mark over his forehead as he started bickering with the stubborn Gon.

Unbelievable it may seem, but even Killua noticed how the atmosphere became lighter due to the laughter and sigh of relief, with all the purity of Gon.

But as Hanzo finally reached his limit upon pointing his sharp blade to Gon, making contact on his forehead as it bleeds down to his chin, Hanzo asked Gon for the last time to surrender. Yet Gon's unwavering will to not surrender mirrored clearly in his eyes, Hanzo couldn't help anymore but to give up himself instead. Obviously, Gon would disagree until Hanzo knocked him off and heard off a reassurance from Chairman Netero that Gon's denial of his license will not be allowed once he wake up.

Everything turned smooth beyond their expectation.

All is well...

But not for her.

The more than 3 hours match gave her hell. The scenario brought her back to the lost memory that she's aching to get back.

She's just standing there, at the corner, with her back facing others, as her eyes went dull with all the shivers gone.

It's as if she's definitely on her own world.

As she go deep down her darkest part, a click echoed like something has finally unlocked.

~~~