"Talk"

'Thought'
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"Please take your number."

A small green creature stood before Claire and Cid Kageno, handing each of them a badge - numbered 406 for the big sister and 407 for the little brother, which they both promptly pinned to their shirts.

"The Hunter Exam should begin momentarily, I recommend resting and preparing before then."

The frog man gave a polite bow before turning away and starting to walk off, leaving the siblings alone together.

"Hmph, I'll go check our competition and gather some information, stay here, don't talk to anyone or cause trouble."

After saying all that, Claire walked off on her own and into the crowd of people, leaving behind her young brother, who just boredly watched as she did so.

"... So you're here too, Alpha?"

Cid glanced behind himself and saw a hooded blonde elf, standing a few feet away, and acting as if she were just another random person in the exam, even having a number badge as well, which read "10".

"I wasn't aware you would be here, Lord Shadow."

However, the hidden elf, who was now known as Alpha, replied to her in a hushed tone so that no one else would be able to hear their conversation.

"My big sis wanted me to do better in life, so she brought me here, thinking this exam thing will do just that, though I don't know why she would think that."

Cid seemed very uninterested in the whole thing, even slightly confused as to why this 'Hunter Exam' was so important to so many people

"You mean, you never heard of the Hunter Exam before? Despite your immense knowledge and wisdom?"

Alpha was honestly surprised to hear his Lord didn't know something, as someone as great as him, it was really hard to believe.

"I only pay attention and do research on things that are actually important to me."

'Like trying to see if I can do underwater poses that won't make me look stupid as Shadow.'

When Cid gave his answer as to why, his follower couldn't help but suddenly flinch and then wear a bit of a conflicted expression.

'So he thinks participating in the Exam is a waste of time then, huh?...'

Alpha couldn't help but feel like they messed up by coming here, for them to do something that their Lord deemed as pointless, it somewhat hurt their pride as His loyal followers, who tried their best to live up to His expectations and earn His approval by following His ways of doing things.

"But since I'm here, why don't you tell me what's up with this place, hm?"

Cid decided to fully turn around and give the hidden elf his full attention; she couldn't help but snap out of her thoughts and look at him with wide eyes.

"M-Me Lord Shadow?!"

Alpha was left a bit surprised, as it was rare for him to ask her for help with anything.

"Of course, you seemed to know a lot, besides, I can always rely on you to help me with something I have trouble with."

Cid gave her a small but kind smile as he said this, which made her blush softly and glance away shyly.

'A-Always rely on?...~'

Alpha's heart warmed up, for the first time ever being saved by Shadow, it had always been her dream, as well as many others saved by him, to be of any use to him, to repay his kindness with her own and to show that she was always someone who he could rely on.

"W-What would you like to know first?"

Alpha, though she felt slightly excited, managed to return to her normal composed self and prepared herself to answer any questions her Lord might pose.

"Let's see, why not start off by telling me the purpose of this Hunter Exam?"

Cid crossed his arms; he was ready to listen and learn from her, mostly to see if there was anything to be gained from doing this, or if it truly was a waste of his time being here.

"The Hunter Exam is a yearly event that an applicant must pass to become a Hunter of the Hunter Association, which are elite member of humanity who explores the mysterious unknown, who seeks to accomplish various goals for the sake of their own interests and for the betterment of society as a whole, and who protect humankind, innocent creatures, and rare goods and artifacts from anything that would threaten their wellbeing."

The more Alpha explained, the more interested Kageno seemed to be, rubbing his chin and nodding as he listened.

'I see, I see, you know, this almost reminds me of an old show I used to watch, Ruby I think it was called? Where it had something similar to this, but from what Alpha just told me, it's a lot more secretive and honestly more interesting in comparison, and not just some boring superhero high-school, I actually feel bad for not looking into this sooner.'

Cid couldn't help but mentally kick himself for missing something that was so cool, and he wondered if it might help improve his Eminence in Shadow role-playing, which encouraged him to ask more questions.

"And what kind of test or challenges does this event hold?"

Cid asks this question not only out of his own growing curiosity, but because he now needs to prepare himself in dealing with this exam, while still being in his Moblin form.

"These exams consist of several tests and stages, which can vary drastically from year to year depending on who is hosting and in charge of each challenge, but if you manage to pass them all, you can get yourself a license, and officially become a Hunter."

Alpha once again explained more about the Hunter Exam, though this time, this piece of information made him a bit disappointed to hear, not only because he was basically going into it blindly without being able to prepare, but also due to what was at the end of this exam.

"Only a license, that's it?"

Cid couldn't help but whine a bit, as he had been hoping for a much bigger reward instead of receiving a piece of plastic that simply tells you are a Hunter.

"Mhm, most risk their lives for a license, since it gives you a lot of benefits and access that most wouldn't have, though most people these days only get them to sell them, which is worth a lifetime of money."

As soon as Alpha said those words, her Lord, who had been bored and even disappointed, suddenly expressed a face that revealed extreme determination and motivation, which surprised her.

'He look so intense, did he realize that having a license would grant him connections with people who might know how to deal with the Cult of Diablo?'

Unfortunately, despite looking up to Lord Shadow, Alpha expected a little too much from him; especially considering what he was actually thinking about when he heard the benefits of getting the license.

'No matter what, I need to make sure that me and Claire gets our license, even if it means I might have to break character a little, I WILL BE RICH!~'

He wore and released a slight excited smile and aura, which made Alpha, and everyone who was skilled enough tensed up; however, he was able to calm down and instantly stop himself. He sighed and shook his head.

"And lastly, why are you here? If you just need someone to get a license for you, why not let me handle it, since I'm already here?"

Cid, after regaining focus, looked back at his loyal followers with a curious expression; even though he had plans to sell it, he wouldn't mind letting them use it if they needed it - he wasn't stupid enough to not consider the benefits she just mentioned.

"Well, I don't wish to trouble you, especially since you mentioned this being a pointless endeavor, besides, I'm meeting up with a few people that are here right now."

Hearing Alpha say that she was meeting up with someone definitely caught his attention; he always knew that she had friends outside of their little Shadow Garden thing, so it actually made him interested somewhat in hearing more about it.

"Some friends? Who are they?"

Before Cid could have his questions answered, the sound of loud and painful screaming could be heard, which made him, and everyone else here, look to see what was happening. And what was happening was a man having his two arms turned into red flower petals, much to the horror and shock of almost everyone here.

"Oh my, would you look at that, his whole arms has turned into flower petals~"

And the one responsible for doing this to this poor guy, was an adult male in a clown outfit, who wore a mixed expression of amusement, excitement, and even lust. This Jester-looking man definitely gave off some very dangerous vibes, even if he hadn't done what he just did to the man; because of this, a lot of people in the area had a mixture of negative emotions toward him, whether it be fear, anger, disgust, or simply a head shake of disapproval. Clearly, no one had positive opinions of him, and his first impression didn't help... well, almost everyone looked at him negatively, all except a certain someone.

'Fucking badass, I wonder if I could do the same to my enemies?...'
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BTW, what should I do with Kurapika? Like besides the PhantomTroupe arc, I can't really think of anything, maybe make him a personal bodyguard to Gamma, whenever she is in her Business Girl disguise, but I'm unsure, also I'm looking for other suggestions for other characters and what to do with them, both from HXH and EIS.

(OH, if you're wondering about Leorio, I'm thinking of keeping him a doctor, maybe be Shadow Garden personal doctor, who looking for a way to cure someone who is possess without magic? Eta new lab partner anyone?~)

/Arc Change And Main Characters\

Hunter Exam: Cid, Claire, Alpha, Iris, Sherry, Killua.

Zoldyck Family: Cid, Epsilon, Lambda.

Tournament Tower: Cid, Killua, Alexia.

Phantom Troupe: Cid, Killua, Kurapika, Gamma, Zeta.

Greed Island: Cid, Killua, Eta, Beta, Sherry.

Chimera Ants: Delta, Rose, Victoria, 664, 665, Iris, Beatrix, Kite.

Meruem And Komugi: Cid, Killua And All Of Shadow Garden

Wishing Girl: I got nothing, any suggestions?