"I see. I see. That settles it, then. So you are the real one."

"The Examiners are Hunters. Each hand-picked by the Exam Committee to do this job without pay. Anyone who holds the title we're vying for ourselves could have deflected that attack, and quite easily, I might add."

"I shall take that as a compliment. Thank you. Still, should you choose to attack me again for any reason, I will have no choice but to report you for attacking an Examiner and have you immediately disqualified. Is that clear?"

"Of course."

~~~~

The 368 applicants who made it through the underground tunnel find themselves in an unexplored land teeming with strange creatures, known as the Milsy Wetlands. The group ran after Satoz, their feet sloshing in the wet grass of the wetlands. Idris panted as she ran next to Kurapika and Leorio. Leorio still had his suit top off, still tied around his waist. Gon and Killua were in the middle of the pack of people. The fog was getting thicker, making it harder and harder to see. 

"Now, everyone, please make sure to follow close behind me." Satoz called out. The land around them got darker as the fog grew thicker, making it feel eerie and off putting. 

"The fog is getting thicker as we go." Kurapika said. Idris squinted slightly. 

"I can hardly see in front of us." She panted. Leorio grunted. Idris caught Hisoka's bright red hair in the group. Her ears picked up some chatter between some of the applicants. 

"Guys, here's our chance. I say we take advantage of the fog and get rid of him." One of the applicants said, referring to Hisoka. Idris sighed. 

'I wouldn't do that if I were you. Hisoka doesn't seem like the type of man who will be taken down by a simple group of applicants.' Idris thought. Killua glanced behind him and Gon, his senses on overdrive. He could smell it on Hisoka. The smell of a killer. 

"Gon." Killua said. The green haired boy looked at Killua.

"Uh, yeah?" 

"Let's try to move up to the front." Killua said. Gon nodded. He was still carrying Leorio's brief case on his fishing pole. 

"Right. The last thing we want to do is lose sight of the examiner right now." Gon said.  

"I just want to put a little more distance between and us. Staying too close is dangerous. I can smell it." Killua said. Gon glanced at his new friend. 

"Smell huh?" He sniffed the air. "Huh? I don't think he smells." Gon said, clearly not getting what Killua meant. Gon glanced back behind his shoulder. "Hey Leorio, Idris, Kurapika! Killua says we should all move up to the front of the pack!" Gon shouted to his friends behind him. Killua glanced at Gon. 

"Hey, calm down. Don't you feel the tension in the air?" Killua said, trying to keep their plan a secret. He didn't quite understand yet what it meant to have friends, or the fact of having each other's backs. Leorio growled. 

"You idiot! If I could reach the front, I'd be there!" Leorio shouted back. Idris panted. 

"You both keep going! We'll meet you there!" Idris shouted to Gon.  Gon pouted. 

"Aww!" Gon whined. Killua looked at Gon. 

"Come on. Let's go." Killua urged. Killua continued forward. 

"Wait! Hold on!" Gon shouted, running after his new friend. As Idris, Kurapika and Leorio ran through the wetlands, the fog got thicker. Idris could barely see the person in front of her. Her senses were on high alert. Kurapika panted as he ran, Idris in the middle of the two boys. 

"This is bad. With this fog, we can't tell which way we're going." Kurapika said. Idris panted as she ran next to the two boys. 

"It's okay, as long as we don't lose sight of the guys ahead of us." Leorio said. As if on cue, the heads of the people in front of the three friends, seemed to slide right off. Idris' eyes widened. Leorio let out a shriek. "What in the hell is going on right now?!" Leorio shouted. Idris growled and moved one arm out straight, the other bent at her waist. Her right hand's fingers were splayed out. Her left hand was angled towards the ground, ready to draw the water up from the ground in an attack if need be. Suddenly, strawberries seemed to float out in the middle of no where. Idris' narrowed her eyes. 

"What the hell?" She murmured. 

"Woah! What is that?" Leorio asked. One of the applicants walked forwards. He suddenly disappeared.  The man was suddenly swallowed up by a tortoise with strawberries on its shell. The applicants stared screaming and running away. More tortoises appeared, swallowing up more and more applicants. Idris' eyes widened. Leorio, Kurapika and Idris all backed up, their backs touching as they stood together. The beasts surrounded the three friends. Idris raised her arms, ready to protect her friends. Further in the forest, more applicants were running through the forest. Multicolored mushrooms lay on the ground. As the applicants stepped on them, the mushrooms burst, sending out a sort of dust. As the dust settled on the applicants, the suddenly started sprouting mushrooms of their own on their heads, killing them. Further across the field, applicants were running through the fog. Suddenly, purple glowing lights appeared. 

"Huh? What's that?" An applicant asked. They were butterflies. As the butterflies moved around, the applicants followed its movement, suddenly falling to the ground. Imori, Amori and Umori were lost in the fog as well with some other applicants. 

"Damn! Which way are we supposed to go?" Imori asked. 

"Did we lose sight of him?" Amori asked. A voice called from within the fog. 

"Now, everyone, please make sure to follow close behind me." The voice called. It was Satoz. Umori turned to look to where the voice was coming from. 

"He's over there!" Umori shouted. The brothers and the applicants rushed towards the voice. The applicants in front of the brothers suddenly fell, screaming as they did. The brothers stopped. Ahead of them, was a hole in the ground with spikes. Most of the applicants had been impaled. A crow flew overhead. It spoke in Satoz's voice. 

"Now everyone, caw! Be sure to follow close behind me! Caw!" The crow called. The brothers watched the crow. 

"It can imitate human speech?" Amori wondered aloud. 

"That sure was really close." Umori said. Far up ahead, Killua and Gon were running together, not close to the back, but not close to the front either. 

"I wonder what's happening. I can hear people screaming all around us." Gon said, looking around nervously. 

"That's why we need to be careful." Killua said. Gon's mind wondered to Leorio, Kurapika and Idris, wondering how his friends were doing, if they were any of the people who had screamed. 

"I haven't seen Idris and the guys in a while. I just hope they're safe." Gon said, his worry getting the best of him. As they kept running, something felt off. Suddenly, the ground below them gave way, causing both boys to scream. A giant frog snapped its mouth shut, swallowing the two boys. The frog walked out of its hiding place, stomping through the forest. Meanwhile, Leorio was holding onto a log that was lodged between a tortoise's mouth. He screamed as he was flung this way and that. Idris' eyes widened. 

"Leorio!" She shouted. As the tortoise tried to close its mouth, the log was threatening to break. Idris growled. "Kurapika!" She shouted. She stomped on the ground and raised her arm, her hand curled into a fist. A piece of earth shot up, launching Kurapika into the air. Midair, Kurapika grabbed his weapon, aiming for the tortoise's eye. Grunting, he jammed his weapon into the beast's eye. The tortoise let out a pained roar, dropping the log and Leorio. Idris' eyes widened, and she rushed over to Leorio, helping him sit up. "Leorio! Are you okay?" She asked. Leorio let out a pained grunt, looking at the woman. 

"Y-Yeah. I'm okay." He said through gritted teeth. Kurapika jumped down from the tortoise, looking at the two. 

"Leorio, Idris, now's our chance! Come on!" Kurapika shouted. Pulling Leorio up by his arm, the three friends ran further into the fog. 

The giant frog stomped its way through the wetlands, holding the two now swallowed boys in its stomach. The frog paused, then suddenly threw up, spewing the boys onto the ground. After vomiting, the frog continued on its way, ignoring Killua and Gon. Gon chuckled nervously. 

"I guess he must not have liked the way we tasted, huh?" Gon said, rubbing the back of his head. Killua picked up the can of juice that Tonpa had given him before the start of the first exam. 

"It was this stuff." Killua said. Gon looked to his friend. 

"Oh! The drink Tonpa had. I guess that's what saved us." Gon said. Killua threw the can onto the ground. 

"Yeah. Probably so, but I could've escaped without it." Killua said nonchalantly. Gon looked in a different direction. 

"I'm still pretty worried about Idris, Leorio and Kurapika." Gon said. Killua stood up. He glanced at the green haired boy. 

"Forget about 'em. We need to keep moving. We can still make it if we start now." Killua said. Without a second thought, Killua started running again. Gon stood up as well, looking to Killua as he raced off. Gon started off after Killua as well. He then paused. His stomach sank with worry. He couldn't just abandon his friends. He thought about each one of his friends' dreams. Leorio, wanting to get money so he could heal every child that was sick free of charge. Kurapika, wanting to avenge his clan and take back their eyes. And Idris, wanting to become stronger for her clan, and to find Hama. If they died during the exam, they wouldn't be able to complete each of their dreams. And Gon wasn't about to let that happen. He had to turn back and find them. 

Idris, Leorio and Kurapika raced through the wet lands. 

"It looks like we've lost sight the front-runners." Idris said, worry in her voice. She and the boys looked around, trying to see if they could spot Satoz or Gon. Leorio growled. 

"Damn it. Which way should we go?" Leorio asked. Suddenly, Leorio caught sight of Hisoka, surrounded by other applicants. Leorio's eyes widened. Leorio gasped. He held his arms in front of Idris and Kurapika. "Hold on." He said quietly. Idris looked at the older male. 

"What is it, Leorio?" She asked quietly. Leorio pointed to Hisoka. 

"Look over there." He said. Kurapika and Idris turned their gazes towards the man. Applicant number 76 seemed to be the leader. Hisoka didn't look worried at all that he was surrounded by other applicants. 

"You're not Hunter material." The applicant said. Idris narrowed her eyes as she watched. "I've been thinking that ever since we met last year." He said. Applicant number 67 pointed his weapon at Hisoka. 

"We'll spare your life if you promise you'll never take the Hunter Exam again." He said. Idris narrowed her eyes. 

"They're playing examiner." Idris whispered. "This can't be legal." She said. Kurapika looked at her. 

"You have to remember that there are no rules when it comes to the applicants against each other. If there were rules, Tonpa wouldn't have been able to trick us like he did before." Kurapika whispered. Idris sighed. There were so many things about the Hunter Exam that didn't sit well with her. Hisoka smirked. 

"Sure, why not?" Hisoka said. Idris' eyes widened. 

'There's no way he would just give up like that.' She thought. 

"I intend to pass, so there's no need to retake it." Hisoka said. One of the applicants stepped forward, brandishing his weapons. 

"Oh yeah? You idiot. Just look at this fog. Do you really think you can figure out  which way the main pack went in all this?" The applicant asked. 

"He's right. We all failed this year. No way we can catch up with everyone else. " Another applicant said. Hisoka chuckled confidently. Idris narrowed her eyes, interested in seeing what he would do next. 

"That's it, then?" Hisoka asked. "You failed, so now you want to play examiner? Hunters require prey, so why don't I play examiner then? All of you gentlemen claim to be Hunter material, but I'll be the judge." Hisoka said. With that, he pulled out a card. With that, the other applicants rushed in to attack him. Immediately, Idris knew this wouldn't end well. In a perfect circle, with just a swipe of his hand, the applicants fell to the ground dead. Idris' eyes widened and a bead of sweat slipped down her cheek. 

"Such speed and accuracy." She said quietly.  The applicant who had started the mess in the first place, was gasping in fear. Hisoka turned to the man.

"Now then," Hisoka said. The applicant fell back, then started crawling away, begging for his life. Hisoka walked calmly towards the man, making his death inevitable. 

"Help. Help me." The applicant begged. His pleas were cut off when he was stabbed in the back of the head by a single card. The applicant fell face first into the wet grass. Leorio, Kurapika and Idris all stared in shock at what had happened. Hisoka had killed all the applicants with no remorse. It was shocking to Idris how a man like that, who had attacked an examiner last year, and nearly did this year, was able to return and retake the Hunter Exam. Hisoka reached down and pulled the card out of the man's head. 

"Well?" Hisoka glanced in the direction of the three friends, his yellow eyes piercing right into Idris' soul. She gulped. Out of instinct, she gripped Leorio's wrist. Neither paid attention to the action, too focused on the man in front of them. "How about you three? Care to play examiner?" Hisoka asked. Idris gulped, her grip on Leorio's wrist tightening slightly, but not enough to hurt him. For the first time since she left her home, she felt genuine fear for her life. For her friends' lives. There was no doubt in Idris' mind, this man would kill them if given the chance. 

Further up ahead, Killua had found the rest of the group. He chuckled. 

"Alright. We caught up with the man group, Gon! Look!" Killua said. When he got no response, he looked behind him, seeing that his new friend wasn't with him. "That's weird. He was right here a minute ago." Killua said. Back with Idris and the boys, Hisoka walked slowly towards them. Leorio grunted, sweat dripping down his cheek. His hand and Idris' hand had now moved to holding, Leorio tightening his grip on her hand. Idris narrowed her blue eyes, gulping, but trying not to show fear. Kurapika stood, ready to run a moment's notice. 

"Okay, Leorio, Idris, wait for my signal." Kurapika said quietly. Idris glanced at the young boy. 

"I hope you've got a plan." She whispered. Kurapika nodded. 

"I do. When I give the signal, we run in opposite directions." Kurapika said. Leorio looked at Kurapika in confusion. 

"We what?" Leorio asked. 

"The fact of the matter is he's far more experienced in actual combat situations. The three of us won't stand a chance against him." Kurapika said. Idris nodded. 

"Kurapika's right. Even with my powers, I'm no match against him." Idris said. Hisoka continued to walk calmly towards the three. "And we're short on time and we can't afford to waste more on a fight we can't even win." Idris said. Leorio turned his gaze back towards Hisoka, surveying the dead bodies that were left in the man's wake. Leorio growled. He tightened his grip on Idris' hand. Kurapika let out shaky breaths, waiting for the right time to run. Kurapika's eyes watched Hisoka's every movement. When the man slipped a card between his index and middle finger, raising it up to his body. 

"Now run!" Kurapika shouted. The three took off in opposite directions, Kurapika running to the left, and Idris and Leorio running to the right, still holding hands. Hisoka smiled. 

"Hmm. I see. A wise decision." He said, chuckling to himself. 

As Leorio and Idris kept running, Leorio growled, coming to a stop. Idris looked at the man, panting. 

"Why'd you stop? We need to keep going. We're going to run out of time for reaching the second phase." Idris said. Leorio growled, letting go of Idris' hand. Idris furrowed her brow. "Leorio?" She asked. Leorio looked at her. 

"I can't do it. I can't leave knowing what Hisoka did." Leorio growled. Idris looked at him. 

"Leorio, don't be stupid! Hisoka will kill you. You saw what he did to those men. Please, let's just think about this." Idris pleaded. Leorio looked up at her, determination in his eyes. 

"You keep going, Idris. I'll meet you at the second phase. Promise." Leorio said. With that, he picked up a broken branch and started walking back. Idris stared at Leorio in shock. 

"Leorio! Leorio, please! Don't! This isn't your fight! You're going to get yourself killed!" She shouted. Her words fell on deaf ears. Idris growled and clenched her hands into fists. She glared up at the spot where Leorio was once standing. "You're not dying. Not if I can help it." She raced back to the place they had run from. 

Hisoka looked into the mist, seeing the form of Leorio walking back, holding a broken branch. 

"I just couldn't do it." Leorio said. Hisoka's eyes narrowed and he smiled wider. "This may not be my fight, like Idris said, but I can't sit back and pretend nothing happened. That's not my style." Leorio said. "See the thing is I can't run away! No matter how much she may want me to!" Leorio shouted. Kurapika glanced back. 

"Leorio!" He shouted. With a yell, Leorio ran at Hisoka. Idris got to the edge of the spot where Leorio and Hisoka were. Her eyes widened. 

"Leorio!" She shouted. Hisoka stood still as Leorio ran at him. 

"Hmm. I adore that look." Hisoka said, smiling and licking his lips. Leorio continued to run towards Hisoka. As Leorio moved to strike Hisoka, Hisoka's form suddenly vanished. Leorio stared in shock. As Hisoka moved behind Leorio, he reached a hand out to grab the man. Idris growled. She rose her arms up, the water bending to her will from the wet grass. Moving her arm back and forward, she struck Hisoka in the back of the neck, getting the man's attention. Hisoka let out a surprised gasp. He turned his attention to Idris, who growled, staring at Hisoka. 

"Leave him alone, creep!" She shouted. Hisoka looked at her, a look that shocked her to her soul. Hisoka chuckled. 

"My, my. Coming to defend your friend?" Hisoka asked. "How adorable." 

Idris growled, raising both arms and taking an attacking stance. 

"I said, leave him alone." She growled. Hisoka chuckled. He started walking slowly towards her. Leorio's eyes widened. 

"Idris!" Leorio shouted. Idris growled and started moving her arms around rapidly, creating sharp blades of water, sending them towards the approaching man. To Idris' surprise and horror, Hisoka managed to dodge each and every one of the water attacks. Idris' eyes widened. With a crazed look in his eyes, Hisoka lunged at the girl. Just before she could raise her arms to defend herself, the red end of a fishing hook struck Hisoka in the temple, drawing blood. Idris' eyes widened. Idris turned to look behind her in shock. The form of Gon was seen in the mist. He was panting heavily, having run all the way back to make sure his friends were okay. 

"Gon!" Both Idris and Leorio shouted. Gon gripped his fishing pole handle. 

"Did I make it?" Gon asked. Idris looked at Gon in shock. 

"Gon, what are you doing?! Get out of here!" She shouted. Gon kept his glare on Hisoka. 

"Not going to happen, Idris. I came back to make sure that you, Leorio and Kurapika were alright, and that's what I'm going to do." He said. Idris' eyes widened. A fire of determination burned in Gon's eyes. There was no way Idris would be able to talk him out of leaving. Hisoka turned his attention to Gon. He wore a smirk. 

"Not bad, little boy." Hisoka said. Gon gripped his fishing pole tighter. "Is that a fishing pole? How original." Hisoka started walking towards Gon. Idris, who was standing to the right of Gon, glared at Hisoka. Hisoka held out his hand. "I'd like to see it. Do you mind?" Hisoka said. Gon tightened his grip on his fishing pole. 

"Leave him alone." Leorio said, now standing up. He moved to attack Hisoka again with the broken branch. "Your fight's with me!" Leorio shouted. Idris' eyes widened.

"Leorio, don't!" Idris shouted. Before Leorio could make a hit on Hisoka, he was uppercut in the jaw, sending him flying. Idris' eyes widened. "Leorio!" She shouted. She was about to run and help him, but a card went flying and struck her in the shoulder. Idris cried out in pain, falling to one knee. Gon's eyes widened. With Hisoka's back turned, Gon tried to attack the clown again, swinging his fishing line at the man. Hisoka disappeared in a gust of smoke again. Gon's eyes widened. Gon landed on the ground, resting on one knee. Gon looked around for any sign of Hisoka. 

"Did you come here to help your friends?" Hisoka asked from behind the boy. Gon gasped, seeing Hisoka sitting behind him, chin resting in his hand. Idris grunted as she looked up at the boy, gripping her bleeding shoulder. 

"G-Gon!" Idris cried out, her voice laced with pain. Gon launched himself back with a jump, putting some distance between him and Hisoka. Hisoka appeared behind Gon again. 

"Such a good boy." Hisoka said. Gon swung his fishing pole again, watching as Hisoka vanished into smoke again. Hisoka appeared a few inches away from Gon, his arms crossed. Hisoka smirked. "Hmm. I adore that look." Hisoka said. Gon gasped, and continuously swung his fishing pole, trying to strike Hisoka. The clown dodged ever strike sent his way. "Well done. Very nice." Hisoka commented, continuing to walk towards Gon. A crazed look took over Hisoka's eyes. "I'm beginning to get excited." Hisoka said, an excited shake to his voice. He continued to dodge Gon's attacks. Gon grunted. 

"Right." Gon swung his fishing line again. This time, he angled it down, striking the ground before Hisoka, creating a distraction. Gon appeared behind Hisoka, preparing to swing his fishing pole with a yell. In an instant, Hisoka's hand reached out and gripped Gon's throat. Gon grunted, loosing his air. Idris' eyes widened. 

"Gon! No!" She shouted. She tried to stand up to help, but stumbled to her knees. Gon's fishing pole clattered to the ground, the boy gripping Hisoka's wrist, trying to make him let go. "Let him go, you creep!" Idris shouted at Hisoka. Her shouts were falling on deaf ears. Hisoka let out a chuckle, excited look flashing in his eyes. 

"It's so delightful." Hisoka's eyes rose, squinting in delight. "I love that look." Hisoka said. In a moment, Gon stopped struggling, falling limp. Hisoka's excited expression fell, and he released Gon. Gon fell to his knees, coughing. Hisoka knelt down to Gon. 

"Don't worry. I didn't kill your friends," Hisoka glanced back at Idris. She glared at Hisoka. "They're going to be just fine." Hisoka said. He smiled at Gon. "And that's because, they passed." Hisoka said. Idris' eyes widened in surprise. 

'Passed? What does he mean by Leorio and I passed?' Idris thought. Hisoka chuckled. 

"And yes, you pass as well." Hisoka said to Gon, giving him a closed eyed smile. "Now you and your friend go and become good Hunters." Hisoka said. A radio suddenly started beeping. Hisoka picked it up and answered. 

"Hisoka, you should get back here. We've almost reached the site of the second phase." A man over the radio said. Hisoka sighed. 

"Okay. Be right there." Hisoka said before hanging up. He pocketed the radio. "It's good to have friends, isn't it?" Hisoka asked, picking up Leorio and putting him over his shoulder. Hisoka looked back at Gon. "Can you find your own way back?" Hisoka asked. Gon hesitantly nodded. Hisoka smiled. "Good boy." Hisoka said. With that, Hisoka started walking off, with an unconscious Leorio over his shoulder. Hisoka's form disappeared into the fog. Gon sat there, still on his hands and knees. He let out shaking breaths. Idris grunted in pain as she yanked out the card in her shoulder, dropping it to the ground. She rushed over to Gon. 

"Gon! Are you okay?" She knelt next to the boy. Gon kept staring at the spot where Hisoka had been, letting out shaky breaths. Sweat beaded down his cheek. Idris looked at Gon in worry. "Gon?" She asked. 

"Gon! Idris! Are you alright?" Kurapika's voice sounded. Idris and Gon looked back, seeing Kurapika's form com running back from the fog. Kurapika knelt next to Gon, on his other side. Kurapika looked to Idris. His eyes widened, seeing the cut on her shoulder. Her shirt had been ripped, exposing the bleeding gash from the card Hisoka had thrown. "Idris, you're hurt." Kurapika said. Idris looked to her shoulder. 

"I'll be fine. I'm more worried about Gon." She said. Gon looked at her, sitting up on his knees. 

"I'm fine, Idris. I promise." The boy said. Idris looked at him, unconvinced. She sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to get through to him. She stood up. She brought her arm up, bending her wrist and bringing her fingers together. A stream of water from the ground followed her movements. Clenching her hands into a fist, she made the water surround her hand. Her eyes began to glow white, the crescent moon on her forehead glowed white as well. She brought her hand to her wound. The water glowed, surrounding the wound. When Idris pulled her hand away and her eyes stopped glowing, the wound was healed. The water stopped glowing as well. She threw her hand to the side, sending the water into the grass again. She looked to the boys. 

"We should start heading back. The first phase is about to be done, I'm sure of it." She said. 

The rest of the applicants had reached the site of the second phase, including Killua. Killua looked around for Gon. 

"Aw, man. Where is he? I was sure Gon would be here." Killua said to himself. Killua looked around. He spotted the brothers, and Tonpa. Satoz looked down at his watch, keeping an eye on the trial to the second phase. 

Further within the forest, Gon, Idris and Kurapika were rushing along the path, apparently following Gon's nose. 

"This way!" Gon shouted, leading his two friends. Idris looked at Kurapika. 

"So he can really tell by the way it smells?" She asked him. Kurapika shrugged. Gon answered Idris' question. 

"Leorio's always wearing this very unique kind of cologne. I can smell him from a few kilometers away." Gon explained. Idris hummed. 

"Huh." 

"Hey, I've been thinking," Gon said. "What do you think Hisoka was talking about when he said Leorio, Idris and I passed?" Gon asked. Idris looked down. 

"I was wondering the same thing." She said. 

"I'm not sure, but I think he might have been playing judge." Kurapika said. 

"Judge?" Gon asked. Idris looked at Kurapika. 

"So, just like how those men before, Hisoka was talking about them playing examiner." She said. Kurapika nodded. 

"Yes. However, not quite like that. Hisoka must have his own benchmarks for evaluating a person's power. It's possible that he was measuring the strength of each applicant. Apparently, you, Idris and Leorio met his standards, whatever those happen to be. He might also just be interested in Idris' powers, and knowing that Gon is friends with her, might be a means for him to get closer to Idris for her powers." Kurapika said. Gon hummed. 

"Okay. Right. That makes sense. But I was powerless to do anything to stop him." Gon said. Idris looked at the boy. 

"You landed your first hit on him. That's something, right?" She asked. 

"That's only because I surprised him. You also got a hit on him too, Idris." Gon said. Idris hummed. 

"What I don't understand is, Leorio didn't win his fight, but Hisoka passed him anyway." She said. Kurapika hummed. 

"Hmm. I wonder. He could have sensed that the three of your were sort of kindred spirits." Kurapika said. Gon glanced at him. 

"He sensed it?" Gon asked. 

"It's possible that Hisoka could qualify as a Hunter, but I sincerely doubt it." Kurapika said. "However, I must admit that I'm impressed by his superhuman agility and the gracefulness of his technique." Kurapika said. Idris hummed. 

"There's something my Grandmother always told me before she passed. 'Those who are blessed with unique talents are often drawn to others with unique gifts of their own.' It's likely that, based on Hisoka's intuition and experience, Hisoka could tell that all three of us had the skill and potential to become Hunters." Idris said. Kurapika nodded. 

"Idris is right. So, from Hisoka's perspective, killing all three of you now would have been a waste of time. Especially for Idris and her powers." Kurapika said. Kurapika's eyes widened. "Oh, no. Sorry. That must sound horrible." Kurapika said. Gon shook his head. 

"Mm-mm." 

Idris smiled slightly. 

"It's fine, Kurapika. Before our journey, the Navigator said that I should keep my powers hidden, least someone want to use my powers for evil intent." She chuckled slightly. "I guess I haven't done a very good job of that, huh?" She said. Gon chuckled. 

"I've gotta say, it was actually pretty exciting back there." Gon said. Idris looked down at the boy. 

"Exciting?" She asked. 

"I was so scared that all I wanted to do was run away, but I couldn't. Not only could I not leave Idris behind, it was because I was excited at the same time." Gon said. He looked back at Idris and Kurapika. "Isn't that weird?" Gon said. Idris' eyes widened. She then chuckled. 

"You really are something, Gon." She said, making Gon laugh. The three friends continued to run down the path, getting closer and closer to the second phase. 

Gon and Idris had experienced mortal fear for the first time, and although the unfamiliar feelings that accompany that fear are quite confusing, at least to Gon, Gon cannot help but give in to his growing curiosity. Idris wonders if she will continue to use her powers, or, like the Navigator had advised, keep her powers a secret from the rest of the applicants in the Hunter Exam, especially from Hisoka. At this stage, 220 candidates have withdrawn from the exam, and 148 remain.