Lu cast Leorio a sidelong glance, half-smiling, but said nothing.
"Come on, help me out here," Leorio urged impatiently. "Standing around like this isn't solving anything. We've already wasted plenty of time."
"Villains die because they talk too much," Lu replied casually, then fell silent, waiting for the classic scene—Hisoka challenging the examiner—to unfold.
"I have a way to tell the real one from the fake," Kurapika said, stepping forward. He, too, wanted to put an end to this farce. "If he's truly a test examiner, then he should possess an official Hunter License."
"A Hunter License?" Gon repeated, hearing this for the first time. It sounded fascinating to him.
"Only Hunters are qualified to test whether someone has what it takes to become a Hunter," Kurapika explained.
This was common knowledge for most examinees. But everything had happened so suddenly—people were busy doubting, panicking—no one had the presence of mind to think it through calmly.
Kurapika, however, had the ability to stay composed even in dangerous situations, so it was only natural that he would arrive at this conclusion.
Gon, coming from rural Whale Island, wouldn't know such things.
As for Leorio, with his rough, unconventional background, it was even more understandable that he didn't.
"So you're saying he's a Hunter? That's amazing—a real Hunter!" Gon exclaimed excitedly. It was the first time he'd encountered one in person, and it felt completely different. Instinctively, his gaze landed on Satotz.
"A terrifying intuition," Lu muttered after noticing where Gon was looking.
"We'll be Hunters too," Lu said confidently.
Gon nodded enthusiastically, clearly unable to calm down for the time being.
After all, the first time Gon ever learned about Hunters was from Kite, when Gon was ten years old—long ago now. Back then, he hadn't even known Kite himself was a Hunter.
In the original events, Kite came to Whale Island searching for Ging and encountered Gon in the forest. At the time, Gon was being attacked by a fully grown Foxbear, barely surviving, until Kite rescued him at the last possible moment.
The Foxbear had left behind a cub. Though Kite intended to eliminate it, Gon saved the cub instead—that cub later became Kon.
After learning that Ging was Gon's father, Kite left Gon a card and told him he could take the Hunter Exam. That was what set Gon on the path to becoming a Hunter the moment he turned twelve.
Now, after all this time, seeing a Hunter again—one step closer to his father—it was only natural that Gon felt overwhelmed with excitement.
"My Hunter License was stolen by that guy," the man in green clothes suddenly shouted the moment Kurapika finished speaking. He pointed furiously at Satotz, his face full of anger and helplessness as he accused him shamelessly.
He reacted quickly—too quickly.
"I see," Kurapika murmured, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He already understood what was going on and planned to expose the scheme shortly.
"So even if there was a license, it still wouldn't prove he's the examiner?" Leorio said, completely confused. "This is ridiculous—every solution just gets overturned!"
"Lu, what's really going on?" Leorio asked desperately, feeling like he was about to go bald from stress. He couldn't find a flaw no matter how hard he tried, so he turned again to the ever-composed Lu.
"Look at the one on the ground," Lu said. "There's one obvious difference between it and our examiner. Take a good look."
Lu had already noticed that Hisoka was getting restless—and in the original events, this was exactly when Hisoka made his move.
"A difference?"
Leorio studied the Man-Faced Ape on the ground, then compared it with Satotz. This time, he really noticed something.
"…The tongue?" Leorio asked, looking at Lu.
Lu nodded. His attention shifted entirely to Hisoka now, eager to see how he would strike.
"I get it!" Leorio suddenly shouted. "This thing is the liar! Our examiner doesn't have a mouth—but this magical beast does. It has a mouth and a tongue!"
At last, Leorio got his moment to shine. Even if it was with Lu's help, it was still his spotlight.
He seized the chance and announced it loudly.
Unfortunately, that was as far as Leorio's spotlight went. What followed was Hisoka's performance.
Three playing cards shot toward the man in green.
Three more flew toward Satotz.
They were thrown at the same time and arrived at the same instant—but the outcomes were completely different.
The examinees, who had just begun to waver after Leorio's declaration, didn't even have time to react before they were stunned by what they saw.
The man in green sensed danger and tried to retreat—but it was too late. Three cards pierced his body. One sliced cleanly through his throat.
He collapsed to the ground, never to rise again.
Satotz, meanwhile, calmly caught all three cards with ease.
The difference in skill was unmistakable.
Even though Lu had been watching Hisoka closely the entire time—careful to remain discreet—he still couldn't see the exact motion. All he caught was a white streak flashing from Hisoka's fingertips before the cards reached their targets.
"Making an agreement to save face beforehand was the right choice," Lu reflected inwardly. "That decision was truly wise."
He knew himself well enough to admit it—he wouldn't have been able to dodge that.
"I see," Hisoka said casually, already understanding everything. He shuffled his cards deftly and pinched one between his fingers.
"You—what do you think you're doing?!" Leorio protested. His moment had been cut short, and the frustration was unbearable—even if Hisoka was a dangerous individual.
"Isn't this method faster?" Hisoka replied lazily.
Leorio thought about it… and had to admit it was far more direct and efficient. He had no choice but to back down.
The Man-Faced Ape that had been lying on the ground pretending to be dead realized its accomplice was gone. Sensing disaster, it sprang up and tried to flee.
But it had already entered Hisoka's hunting range.
Escape was impossible.
The card Hisoka had been holding flew out, killing the ape after it had taken only two steps.
"The correct answer has been revealed," Hisoka announced. "That gentleman over there is the real chief examiner. Naturally, a chief examiner is also a Hunter. A true Hunter—our goal—wouldn't be defeated by my attack just now."
"I appreciate the compliment," Satotz replied, discarding the cards in his hand. His tone hardened as he addressed Hisoka. "But next time—no matter the reason—if you attack me, it will be considered defiance against an examiner, and you will be disqualified."
"Yes, yes," Hisoka answered lazily.
"He did it on purpose," Killua said quietly.
"Huh?" Gon blinked, clearly not understanding.
Lu understood exactly what Killua meant—but he didn't explain it to Gon. Some things had to be experienced firsthand to truly be understood.