Episode 6: Gon and Kurapika reach the gate to the next exam site and look for Leorio. Gon feels chills, then sees Hisoka pointing to Leorio sitting under a tree. Leorio is dazed and he cannot remember the encounter with Hisoka and how he got hit in the face. Gon and Kurapika opt not to tell him what really happened. Killua finds them, saying that he cannot believe they managed to come. Gon says they just followed Leorio's unique cologne, which Killua finds strange.
Satotz bids goodbye and the gate opens to reveal a mansion with a sprawling garden that is set up for cooking. Menchi and Buhara introduce themselves as Gourmet Hunters and examiners. Menchi states the Second Phase involves cooking, and the applicants laugh and deride both their profession and test given. Satotz, who is watching from a tree, is worried about the applicants' passing rate. Todo, a wrestler, asks what will they cook, and Buhara tasks them to cook pork from the Visca Forest Preserve around the mansion. Menchi states that they will judge the dishes by its taste and presentation, and that the exam is finished if they are already full.
Upon signal, the applicants dash to the forest, and later discover they are to hunt Great Stamp, the wildest, carnivorous boars in the world. They seem oblivious to most attacks, are deadly and are hard to take down. Gon is trying to catch one whose horns become stuck in a tree trunk, when apples from the tree fall on the boar's head, and knock it unconscious. Discovering its "Achilles' heel," many of the applicants are able to bring back boars, to the surprise of the examiners. Most of them just roast the pig, to the annoyance of Menchi. Kurapika present his pork dish in a different way, but Menchi does not like the taste.
When Buhara and Menchi are full, she promptly fails all of them. The applicants are surprised with the decision, and Todo destroys his workstation out of anger. Menchi explains that they have not exerted effort in creating a pork dish that both examiners find delicious. Hanzo comments that all pork dishes are the same, and he receives nagging from an angry and insulted Menchi. Buhara tells himself that Menchi's bad habit is showing again. Menchi concludes that they are not worthy because they are not willing to take risks and try new things. Todo berates her, but she just dismisses him, prompting him to attack out of frustration. Buhara retaliates by knocking him off with just a large sweep of his hand. Menchi tells Buhara not to interfere, but Buhara merely says that had he not interfered, Menchi would have killed Todo. Menchi stands and juggles her numerous knives while telling them that Gourmet Hunters venture into danger to seek ingredients, and that every Hunter knows some form of martial arts. According to her, the applicants' lack of focus and unwillingness to experiment are enough to disqualify them.
Satotz contacts the Committee about the situation. An airship hovers above the site as an elderly man jumps from it, landing on two feet, creating a crater. Menchi acknowledges him as Chairman Netero. The Chairman asks Menchi if she really failed them because of their unwillingness to try new things. Menchi admits losing her cool after her profession was insulted and making the exam harder. She informs him that she will resign as examiner and asks the Chairman to re-do the Second Phase. The Chairman proposes that Menchi think of another task, and she has to show them how to do it. Menchi requests the Chairman to bring them all to Split Mountain, where Spider Eagle eggs are located. The re-test involves getting the so-called "dream eggs" dangling on webs at the ravine. Menchi even demonstrates how to procure the eggs by jumping onto the ravine and dangling on the webs, getting the eggs without falling, and timing the jump so she would be carried up by an updraft.
The applicants who are not fazed by the task, jump to get the eggs. Some of the applicants fall to their deaths, failing to realize that they should have waited for the updraft. The other applicants rely on Gon's senses, who signals when to release their grips from the webs. They cook the eggs and find them delicious. Gon shares the egg to Todo, who also enjoys it. Menchi tells him that they risk their lives for the joy of discovering delicious food like the dream eggs. Todo is humbled and asserts he will try again next year. The applicants learn that being a Hunter requires a great amount of determination, regardless of type. Only 42 applicants remain.
Episode 7: The examinees and examiners board the airship and Chairman Netero is formally introduced to the examinees. Beans, the Chairman's secretary, announces that the airship will arrive at the site of the Third Phase the next morning at 8AM. The applicants are thus free to dine and rest. Gon and Killua decide to explore the airship and invite Kurapika and Leorio. The two refuse, saying that they would rather rest. Tonpa warns them that the rest time might just be another test for the applicants and that they must still remain vigilant. He wants to prevent them from getting enough rest to impair their performance for the next exam. Kurapika and Leorio sit with the other applicants, and Leorio falls asleep fast. Kurapika believes that it is unlikely that any surprise will come, and chooses to rest also.
Meanwhile, the examiners talk about the applicants over dinner. They agree that the batch is impressive. Menchi cites Hanzo is a dangerous applicant, Buhara mentions it was Hisoka who was on the verge of attacking someone when Menchi initially failed all applicants. Menchi corrects him, saying that Hisoka is already dangerous even before the Second Phase, and it is also the reason why she was edgy from the very beginning. Satotz comments that Hunters seek worthy rivals, but Hisoka is someone who hits the floor running when others would have slowed down already.
Gon and Killua eventually settle in to talk about their families. Gon wonders about Killua's parents and their occupation, to which Killua nonchalantly replies that they are probably alive and they are assassins. Gon is surprised and asks if both of them are assassins. Killua laughs for he finds Gon's reaction amusing and he is the one who has taken Killua's answer seriously. Killua shares that he comes from a family of assassins and he's pressured to perform as the future heir of the family's business. He had to attack his mother and brother in order to leave their home and find his own future. He even says dreamily that he will capture his own family for a bounty when he becomes a Hunter.
Chairman Netero sees them, and plays a trick by making them feel someone else is watching them from the other side of the corridor, and then appearing from the opposite direction. Killua knows that he is the culprit and praises his speed. The Chairman then challenges them to a game that involves getting a ball from him, telling them that they will automatically become Hunters if they succeed. Killua even uses an assassination attack, Rhythm Echo to confuse him with afterimages. Killua also hits the old man's leg, but it is him who feels the pain. Gon also tries to catch the ball, and even teams up with Killua.
Meanwhile, Tonpa discovers that he is not successful in sabotaging Kurapika and Leorio, who are already asleep. Gon and Killua are not able to get the ball from the Chairman. Killua says that he is so skilled he does not need to use all his limbs. Killua is secretly pissed off and decides to quit. Gon is adamant, and vows to make the old man use his right arm. Killua bids goodbye, saying that he will get some sleep when he sees Gon is determined to get the ball. Killua then bumps into two of the examinees along the corridor and they confront him for not apologizing. Killua kills them in an instant, and mumbles that he might have killed the Chairman in order to get the ball had he not left sooner. Meanwhile, Gon is able to make the Chairman use his other arm, to Netero's amusement. Gon lies on the floor in exhaustion and is fast asleep within minutes.
Episode 8: The airship lands on Trick Tower, a prison wherein long term criminals are kept. Beans says that the aim of the third phase of the 287th Hunter Exam is to safely arrive at the bottom of Trick Tower within 72 hours. One of the examinees tries to climb down but is eaten by Six-legged Flying Beasts.
After a while, Gon and the team realize that the number of people is decreasing. Gon finds out that the way in is to flip one of the many large stone tiles. They all pick a tile and enter the tower. All of them end up in the same room. They see five watches in the room with two buttons on each of them: an X and O. The prison warden, Lippo, says they need a fifth person to advance further into the tower. That is because the route they have chosen is "majority rules" where they have to vote to do certain things in the tower when given two choices. The choice that gets the most votes wins. He is also seen telling the prisoners to go to their positions because the test is about to begin.
Two hours later, the final person joins their group and he turns out to be Tonpa. A door appears. They have to vote whether to open it or not. Everybody votes to open it except Tonpa. They walk through the door and end up in another room with one door on the left and another on the right. Subsequently, they get a choice whether to go through the right door or the left. Gon and Leorio chose the right door and the rest chose to go through the left, because most of the votes were for the left door, the left door opens. Kurapika explains most of the time a person will choose to go to the right, so he says it might be a better idea to go left.
The team advances forward and find themselves in a large room with a platform in the middle. On the other side, there are five prisoners. Gon and the rest must beat at least three of them in a challenge to advance in the tower. Lippo explains that there can be no draws and that the prisoners get a year off their sentence for every hour they delay the examinees. The first prisoner is Bendot who has been sentenced for 199 years for robbery and murder. Tonpa volunteers to go first. The challenge is a fight. Tonpa immediately gives up and then informs the team that he doesn't want to become a Hunter but he only wants to screw people over. Leorio is very upset at this.
The next prisoner is Sedokan who has been sentenced for 149 years for serial bombings. Gon volunteers to face him. It is revealed that out of the 40 applicants that started the third phase of the Hunter exam, only 39 applicants remain.
Episode 9: Tonpa promptly gives up even before Bendot lands a punch on him. Leorio is furious at what he has done, but Tonpa tells them that his real plan is to sabotage rookies like them. Gon then faces Sedokan, who proposes a match to see whose candle burns the longest. Gon chooses the longer candle, unaware that it is oil-soaked, and his candle starts to burn faster midway. Seeing that his candle is not susceptible to strong winds, he puts it down and sprints towards Sedokan to blow his candle out.
The next match is between Kurapika and Majtani, who proposes a death match without weapons and with the condition that one must die or surrender to finish the match. Majtani, who relies on scaring and intimidating his enemies to make them surrender, gloats about how many people he's killed and even keeps multiple heart tattoos numbering them. Kurapika notices a spider tattoo on Majtani's back and his eyes become Scarlet. He easily defeats him with a devastating punch, knocking him out, but not killing him. Kurapika tells Majtani to remember 3 things:
A genuine Phantom Troupe tattoo has the member's number inscribed on the spider tattoo's back.
They have murdered so many people that it would be impossible to count.
Do not ever mention the Phantom Troupe again to Kurapika again or he will kill Majtani.
The group becomes frightened by Kurapika's outburst and the others try to figure out if Kurapika has a thing with spiders. He sits in the corner alone while the prisoners think of their next strategy.
Episode 10: Lippo watches the examinees and Leorio demands the beginning of the next round with Majtani's removal from the ring. The next convict steps forwards and tells him that they can't do that since the previous match hasn't ended yet. She tells him that he is still alive and that it was supposed to be a death match. Leorio, Kurapika, and Killua start to argue about what to do, with Killua offering to kill Majtani for Kurapika. Leorio calls for a majority decision whether or not to kill Majtani. They vote as Leorio tries to get support from both Killua, who before seemed to be on his side and Gon, who suggests to wait it out. Tonpa troublesomely states making majority decisions suppresses the minority, which will result in the entire team falling apart. Which is exactly what he wants. The convicts on the other side notice that the atmosphere has changed.
Meanwhile, Hisoka enters a room where a former examiner of the Hunter Exam, named Togari, has been waiting for him. He wants revenge for Hisoka scarring his face in last year's exam. Hisoka calmly calls him an incompetent examiner and tells him that his own inadequacies are to blame for his scars, not him. Togari proceeds to demonstrate his Infinite Quad Wielding curved knives skills, showing it partially before he starts attacking Hisoka. Hisoka, however, easily dodges the knives, getting only slightly wounded. Togari tells him that he has nowhere to run and will be cut until he dies. Hisoka quickly learns the pattern of his attack and gracefully catches two of the blades before they hit him. He admits it would be impossible to stop Togari's attack and that the only way to do so is to grab his blades. It took Togari half a year to learn how to catch and throw those blades. Hisoka tells him that catching the blades was easier than he would have thought and that he appreciates his futile efforts. He quickly dispatches of Togari by decapitating him with his own blades. Hisoka then moves on to become the first to pass the third phase of the Hunter Exam, taking six hours and seventeen minutes.
Back with Leorio and the others, he waits impatiently for Majtani to get up. Gon points something out about Majtani to Killua. They then tell Leorio that he might be dead already, while running towards the ring. Leorio calls out to the convicts that they want to check his body to make sure he isn't already dead. The female convict tells him he is just unconscious, but Leorio doesn't believe her. She suggests they make a bet about whether Majtani is alive or not, using their time as ante. She tells him that they can only bet a minimum of 10 hours out of a possible 50 and that one side loses when they have no more hours left. If Leorio's team loses 50 hours, their time limit will be shortened by 50 hours, however, if they lose, their sentences will be increased by 50 years. If they accept the terms of the game she will check Majtani's body.
Elsewhere, Lippo, in his monitoring room, observes this exchange and comments about the female prisoner Leroute. He states she is serving a 112-year sentence for endangered species trafficking and illegal gambling and that the match sounds like her kind of favorite game. Kurapika tells Leorio to consider things carefully since it will be bad if they lose 50 hours. Leorio gets angry at him, telling him it is his fault for not finishing off Majtani. Gon tells them not to fight while Tonpa enjoys the squabble. Leorio accepts her challenge, so Leroute says the first bet is whether Majtani is alive or not and that he may choose the amount of hours to bet. Leorio bets 10 hours that he is still alive. She agrees and tells him that they will check, as Kurapika tells Leorio that was pretty cautious. Leorio reasons it was the obvious choice since even if he is proven wrong, Kurapika would still have won his match. He flips Majtani over and feels his heart beat, confirming he is still alive, making Leorio win the bet and gaining them 10 extra hours.
Killua realizes that this situation is bad since he might not wake up, which would be preferable for the convicts, since if he doesn't wake up they could subtract 72 years off their sentences. Leroute tells Leorio it is his turn to choose what to bet on. He bets on whether Majtani is really unconscious or not. The inner dialogue of Majtani, confirming he is faking, wonders what Leorio will do and that the note he got telling him to fake unconsciousness, and hide it in his mouth, didn't cover this situation. He understood the plan, but is now worried about what to do.
Leroute bets 20 hours that Majtani is, in fact, unconscious. Majtani realizes that he must keep pretending as Leroute asks Leorio how they will confirm whether he is faking. Leorio simply drags Majtani's body to the edge of the ring, where he will just toss him over the edge. startling Majtani. Leorio reasons that if he really is unconscious he'll just fall to his death. Leroute objects, saying that the previous match isn't settled yet and that they can't accept those terms. Leorio tells her not to worry, that if he falls they will forfeit the previous match, giving them two wins. She agrees to those terms, which freaks Majtani out even more. Leroute then asks to change her wager that he isn't unconscious to 40 hours from 20. Leorio accepts and tells her she has finally shown her real colors and that he will let go of him now. Majtani finally stops his act and wakes up while he started falling. Leorio grabs him before he can fall and pulls him back inside the ring. He tells them they are crazy, he'll take the loss and that he is safer in prison.
Leroute questions when Leorio knew he was alive and he replies from studying to become a doctor. His eye movements gave him away. She tells him now her side gains 40 hours, bringing her total to 80, while they lose 40, bringing their total to 20. Leorio replies that they now have a 2-1 lead. He tells her it is her turn again to choose what to bet on.
Rating: 9/10(Average)
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