"One… two… three!"
Pokkle's pupils contracted as his focus reached its limit. Seeing that Hisoka was only a few meters away, he knew the moment had come and immediately gave the signal.
The three of them shot off like rockets, splitting into three separate directions at incredible speed. In less than a fraction of a second, all traces of them vanished. This was without question the fastest they had ever moved in their lives.
"Not bad. A very smart decision."
Hisoka praised their choice to flee separately. Wanting to make things more entertaining, he decided to raise the stakes.
"I'll give you ten seconds as a reward.
One… two… three… four… five… six… seven… eight… nine… ten."
Even though all three had already disappeared, Hisoka wasn't in the least bit anxious.
Hisoka was enjoying himself immensely.
Meanwhile, Lu ou was also having a great time.
Walking through the dense forest with the man-faced ape, it seemed the magical beasts of the wetlands were quite territorial. With the man-faced ape nearby, no reckless monsters dared come forward to cause trouble.
This gave Lu ou the chance to spot quite a few edible items along the way. He didn't know exactly what they were, but that could be tested slowly. Letting so many materials go to waste would be a crime.
"Try this."
"This really is thanks to you, Leorio. Go help pick that one—we can let Gon and the others try it later."
"And that one over there looks good too. Didn't you say you're great at climbing trees? We can bring it back for Kurapika and the others to taste."
"Leorio..."
The man-faced ape Leorio was utterly dumbfounded.
He had half a mind to turn hostile, but they still hadn't reached the planned ambush point. Turning on Lu ou now would be far too disadvantageous. Remembering the misery of being force-fed until he nearly vomited, he decided to endure it.
After all, enduring long enough eventually turns you into a turtle.
So the man-faced ape obediently followed Lu ou's instructions, leaping up and down to gather ingredients.
Though agile for a man-faced ape, he was mentally exhausted. Why was catching a single prey so difficult this time?
But thinking of the food he would soon devour, his mouth—still traumatized by vegetarian suffering—began producing saliva on its own, filling him with renewed motivation.
"We've gathered quite a pile of decent ingredients. This laborer isn't half bad."
Watching the man-faced ape's performance, Lu ou judged it passable.
Seeing the ape drooling from time to time, Lu ou calculated that they were nearly at the planned ambush site. He weighed the empty bag he had brought specifically for this purpose and decided it was about time.
As for the man-faced ape, he could be dealt with during the makeup exam later.
"All right, Leorio. Gon and the others are probably getting impatient. Let's go."
Lu ou's tone remained familiar and warm as he turned and slipped into the forest, weaving through the trees and vanishing in moments.
The man-faced ape stood there in a daze.
What kind of move was that?
Where did the prey go?
"Leorio, hurry up! Or we'll miss the exam!"
Lu ou's voice drifted back from afar, as though guiding him onward.
Though this direction differed from the ape's prepared trap, letting such a prize escape after so much effort was unacceptable.
"I've already won anyway. I'll catch up, subdue him while he's off guard, and eat him directly. Better to end it quickly."
Muttering to himself, the man-faced ape followed the direction where Luou had disappeared.
Unfortunately, he didn't know that the moment his disguise slipped, his grand ambitions had already become impossible.
Dreams are dreams precisely because they cannot be fulfilled.
"All right… who should I play with first?"
After leisurely counting to ten, Hisoka began considering which target would make the game more entertaining.
Crunch.
A faint sound reached his ears.
Hisoka turned toward it, realizing he might need to change his approach.
Sure enough, footsteps drew closer.
Dragging a thick wooden club behind him, Leorio calmly walked back into Hisoka's view.
"Oh?"
Hisoka was mildly surprised. Running away only to come back—how curious.
"I can't do it."
Leorio spoke quietly. To him, losing without a fight was something he simply couldn't accept.
"So you've given up? You don't want to run anymore?"
Hisoka sounded displeased. A prey going off-script was intolerable.
"No. It's the opposite. My self-control isn't good enough to let someone trample all over me. I can't swallow this."
Leorio shouted as he raised the club, taking an attack stance.
"AAAH!"
With a roar, Leorio leapt into the air and swung the club at Hisoka.
"Leorio!"
Hearing his shout, Kurapika—still running—came to an abrupt stop.
"That idiot!"
Pokkle cursed.
Leorio's full-force strike was effortlessly dodged by a light jump from Hisoka.
But Leorio didn't give up. He immediately launched another attack.
A playing card flashed past.
The thick wooden club—thicker than Leorio's arm—split into several pieces on impact.
Leorio's eyes widened as he realized Hisoka was already behind him. Reacting instantly, he swung what remained of the club backward.
He missed.
Thud.
Hisoka sidestepped and drove a punch into Leorio's stomach. As Leorio doubled over in pain, Hisoka grabbed his chin with one hand.
"A wonderful expression."
"Behind that intense anger and fighting spirit lies fear—the shadow of death."
"But this is as far as you go. Farewell."
A playing card rested between Hisoka's fingers as he aimed it at Leorio. He had lost interest in playing.
"Shi—"
Smack!
A fishing rod came flying through the air and struck Hisoka squarely on the forehead, the force strong enough to make him release his grip on Leorio.
"Huff… huff… huff…"
Gon clutched the fishing rod tightly, panting heavily as he stared at Hisoka like a cornered animal, not daring to blink.
"Not bad, kid."
Hisoka didn't mind at all—he even smiled in praise.
"A fishing rod? What an interesting weapon."
"May I take a look at it?"
Hisoka stepped toward Gon, clearly intrigued.
Gon held his ground, gripping the rod without moving.
"Come."
Hisoka advanced step by step, as though genuinely curious.
"Look at your opponent—it's me!"
Leorio finally snapped out of his shock at Gon's sudden appearance and saw Hisoka closing in on Gon. He clenched his fists and attacked from behind.
But Hisoka might as well have eyes on his back.
He turned and punched Leorio away in a single blow—sending even his ever-present glasses flying.
With a shout, Gon charged forward with the fishing rod.
But Hisoka caught him by the throat with one hand.
"You ran all this way back to save your companions. Such a good boy."
Hisoka smiled as his grip tightened. Gon was on the verge of suffocating.
"…All right. You pass."
In an instant, Hisoka's demeanor changed. He laughed and released Gon.
Gon stood there completely stunned, unable to comprehend what had just happened.
Lu ou chose not to participate because—even knowing the plot—there was no guarantee he would survive.
No matter how great one's ambition may be, without life, it means nothing.