"That is just too interesting!" Seeing this, Hisoka trembled with barely contained excitement.
Whoosh!
While Hisoka was momentarily distracted, a red sphere shot out, striking him on the head. Looking over, they saw it was Gon, who had come back.
"Gon!" Everyone was stunned by Gon's sudden appearance. Kurapika called out his name.
"That was well done. Is that a fishing rod? What an interesting weapon." A red mark appeared on Hisoka's head. Evidently, Gon's fishing rod, seemingly imbued with some form of energy, had pierced through Hisoka's casually maintained Ken, leaving a mark.
"However, this is a fight between him and me. Would you mind not interfering?" Hisoka said, then released a wave of malicious intent toward Gon. Feeling this, Gon felt as if plunged into an icy abyss. He trembled uncontrollably, only able to stare at Hisoka in terror.
"Time's almost up, Hisoka," Takeru reminded him calmly.
"I know," Hisoka replied, shifting his intense gaze back to Takeru. He then charged at Takeru with a crazed laugh.
But the onlookers saw Hisoka, wielding a playing card, about to strike Takeru, yet Takeru remained motionless.
Then, to their shock, the moment Hisoka touched Takeru, his figure dissolved into smoke and vanished. At the same time, Hisoka's real body appeared behind Takeru, another card stabbing toward him.
Only then did Takeru turn, effortlessly catching the card between his fingers. Sensing his attack couldn't pierce Takeru's arm, Hisoka instantly abandoned the card and leaped back several steps, putting distance between them.
Takeru, however, held the discarded card between his index and middle fingers. Armament Haki flowed over it, instantly turning the paper as hard as steel.
Then, holding his shield in his left hand and the hardened card in his right, Takeru launched his own attack at Hisoka.
Seeing this, Hisoka drew a fresh card, coated it with his Nen, and met Takeru's assault.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The sound of metal on metal rang out repeatedly. Simple paper, in the hands of Takeru and Hisoka, was now like steel.
After several rapid exchanges, Takeru finally halted.
The brief skirmish had given Takeru a rough gauge of Hisoka's strength. While he wasn't sure how much power Hisoka was holding back, for now, there was no urgent need to decide a victor. The primary goal was passing the Hunter Exam...
With that in mind, Takeru released the Armament Haki from the card. He flicked it with force, sending it shooting toward Hisoka like an arrow. However, without Haki reinforcement, Hisoka easily caught it.
"What does this mean?" Hisoka, who had been enjoying the fight, frowned as Takeru discarded the card.
"Time's running out. Any further delay and we risk elimination. Due to certain reasons, I absolutely must obtain a Hunter License this time," Takeru explained calmly.
"That puts me in a difficult position. I was just starting to have fun," Hisoka replied, unwilling to stop.
"Haha. We can always spar another time if you wish. Besides, I'd like to propose a trade," Takeru said, addressing the visibly excited Hisoka.
"What do you mean?" Hisoka looked at Takeru, even more intrigued.
"Simple. You teach me that, and I'll teach you this." Takeru smiled lightly, then drove his fist, now sheathed in black Armament Haki, into the ground. A large crater appeared beneath him.
"Oh ho ho! Interesting. I agree," Hisoka couldn't help but laugh, nodding immediately.
While Takeru and Hisoka reached their agreement, Gon and the others were still processing events. Since their discussion had been quiet, Gon's group remained unaware of the deal.
Beep beep beep!
As soon as the agreement was made, Hisoka's special phone rang. He casually answered.
"Hisoka, it's about time you rejoined the group. Looks like we're nearing the second test venue," A voice came through the phone.
"Understood. I'm on my way," Hisoka replied promptly to the voice, which was Illumi in disguise.
"Well, I should get going too. You can find your way, right?" Before leaving, Hisoka squinted at Takeru.
"Of course, no need for your concern," Takeru replied casually with a nod.
"In that case, see you soon." With a sinister smirk, Hisoka swiftly headed into the distance.
"Takeru, are you alright?" Umaru, Kurapika, and the others quickly gathered around him.
"I'm fine. Alright, someone just called Hisoka saying the group is almost at the second test venue. We need to hurry," Takeru said, smiling reassuringly at Umaru's concern.
"Right!" Hearing Takeru, everyone readily agreed.
"Gon!" Kurapika called out to Gon, who was still standing dazed in the distance.
"I know!" Though still curious about the terrifying aura Hisoka had released, Gon understood the Hunter Exam was the priority.
"Follow me." Glancing at the still-immature trio of Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio, Takeru led the way in the direction Hisoka had gone.
The group quickly followed, their minds racing with different thoughts...
They were all puzzled by the strange power Takeru used against Hisoka and why the fight had suddenly stopped. However, considering their relationship with Takeru wasn't as close-knit as their own bond, they held back from asking directly.
Takeru, of course, wouldn't volunteer the information. While he suspected teaching them Nen might trigger a hidden side quest, he couldn't teach what he himself didn't know yet.
Meanwhile, outside the wall of the second venue, Satotz waited with the assembled examinees. He checked his watch periodically and glanced back at the dense fog behind them, as if ready to call an end at a certain time.
"Pick up the pace! We're almost there!" Takeru led Umaru, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio. They were now within five hundred meters of the second venue.
Soon, as they ran, they finally saw the crowd of examinees and the most prominent feature: the wall...
"Looks like we made it just in time," Takeru said with a slight smile.
"Thank you so much, Takeru!" Seeing the distinct wall, Kurapika let out a sigh of relief.
"Thanks!" Leorio added sincerely.
"No problem," Takeru replied with a smile and a shake of his head.
Among the crowd, Takeru also spotted Hisoka, who was watching him with a sly smile. Takeru responded with a confident nod.
"Gon!" Killua, noticing Gon's arrival, quickly waved.
"Killua!" Seeing Killua, Gon's face lit up with excitement.
"You're amazing, making it here. I thought you might not make it in time," Killua remarked.
"We only got here because of Takeru," Gon admitted sheepishly.
"Oh, Takeru, huh? Really interesting," Killua mused, his eyes involuntarily assessing Takeru once more.
"Examinees, you have worked hard on your journey. This Visca Forest Preserve is the venue for the second phase. I shall now take my leave. I wish you all success in passing," Satotz announced after confirming the count of 150 remaining examinees.
With Satotz's departure, the large gates slowly creaked open. Inside, the examinees saw a vast area filled with numerous outdoor cooking stations, massive grills, and barbecue pits...
And the most eye-catching sight of all: two figures sitting in front of a house...