Gon is first seen at his home of Whale Island, fishing for the Master of the Swamp—a fish that five grown fishermen pulling together couldn't land. Gon made a wager with his aunt Mito that if he could catch the fish, she would allow him to take part in the Hunter Exam. After a week of work, Gon finally succeeds and his aunt signs his application. Gon proceeds to go visit his friend, a grown-up Foxbear named Kon, who Gon had raised since he was a cub. Gon tells Kon that he's going to become a Hunter and that he will do things the animals of the forest won't like. Since Kon is the king of the forest, he can't talk to Gon anymore. Kon walks away from Gon to a gathering of other animals.
Gon returns home and speaks to his aunt. She asks if Gon always knew his father's trade, and also tells him his father left Gon with her when he was still a baby; Gon replies being a Hunter must be an important job that family comes only second and that it's time for him to meet his father. He is then seen preparing to board a ship heading for the Hunter Exam. Everyone in the town comes to say bye and wish him luck. Aunt Mito comes and tells him his father didn't abandon him; she made him give up Gon through the courts. Gon says he knew because she never looks at him when she's lying. He gets on the boat and yells back to her that he will return as a great Hunter.
The first night on the boat, there is a huge storm that tosses about most of the would-be Hunters. After the storm, the ship's drunkard of a Captain walks around to see only three candidates still able to move (one of them being Gon is running back and forth trying to take care of the sea-sick). Later on, Gon is standing on the front of the boat where he predicts they will be hit by another storm, but this time it will be three times the size as the previous night. The captain knows he is correct and not guessing; he sees Ging in Gon. He asks who Gon's father is, and finds he is correct. The captain shows Gon how to steer the boat, he also announces that the next storm was coming and anyone who wanted to get off should right now.
All but Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio leave. The Captain asks why they all want to be hunters. Gon answers while the other two don't. Leorio asks why they should tell him when he just steers the ship. The Captain replies he screens applicants and it is up to him whether or not they pass. The remaining two tell him. While explaining, Kurapika annoys Leorio to the point they go out into the storm to fight. When a crew member jumps in to stop them he falls overboard and Gon jumps after him, narrowly missing falling into the ocean thanks to Kurapika and Leorio grabbing his ankles in time to pull them both back on board. When they reach land, the captain gives them a hint to head to a lone cedar tree outside of the city to find their navigators. Gon decides to go, and Kurapika decides to tag along. Leorio stays until he finds that there was another trick to weed out the weak. And he runs off to join the other two.
Later they reach a village that seems to be deserted but Gon says he can hear them and so can Kurapika. Then the whole population of the village comes out to start The Mind-Boggling Two Choice Quiz. The leader of the village asks two questions and all they can say is 1 or 2. The man who heard the clue walks in and says he'll go first. She asks him, "Men have taken your mother and your true love captive. Who do you save?" He chooses 1 thinking that's what she wants him to say. She says he may go. Leorio starts yelling because of the preposterous question. Kurapika tells him to be quiet seeing Gon has heard something. She asks another impossible question and Leorio attacks her. Kurapika blocks it stating they passed, since silence is the answer. He adds he heard the other man scream, meaning he was killed, but no one knows how.
After a short walk, the trio reaches a house and find the navigator couple being attacked by a magical beast called a Kiriko. The beast takes off with the lady followed by Gon and Kurapika, with Leorio staying behind to take care of the man. While chasing after the creature Gon pulls ahead of Kurapika, closes in on the Kiriko, and bashes him in the head. The Kiriko drops the wife, who is caught by Kurapika. The creature still manages to get away from Gon, who continues chasing it. Soon he comes to clearing where the creature attacks him. Gon merely greets it and asks where the one he hit went to. It is revealed that both the Kiriko and the couple are a family and the ones who would take the three to the Hunter Exam.
The next day, they arrive at a small restaurant. The disguised magical beast orders a specific meal, then the cook sits them in a room and delivers the meal. The room is actually an elevator that starts to drop. As they make their way down, Kurapika and Leorio try to find out whether Gon is taking the test for the wealth, or for the adventure. He doesn't answer.
Gon's Hunter Exam begins with him getting targeted by Tonpa, the Rookie Crusher. Tonpa first introduces himself as a friend trying to help Gon. Tonpa then introduces some of the other regulars, Such as Bourbon the snake charmer, Todo the wrestler, The Amori Brothers, Cherry, and Geretta the huntsman. While doing the introductions they hear a bloodcurdling scream, and they look to see a man missing his arms courtesy of Hisoka the magician who maimed him only because he bumped into him. Tonpa fills the others in on Hisoka, recalling that last year, Hisoka was assessed by most as a favorite to pass and become certified; however, Hisoka was determined to have failed the exam when he injured a proctor.
Realizing that Hisoka was permitted to try again for his license, those listening question whether someone as wicked as Hisoka should be allowed to become a Hunter. Tonpa shrugs and suggests that the Hunter Association is morally unbiased. Since the examiners are newly drafted every year, Hisoka's slate would effectively be wiped clean, regardless of the fact that he had earned the prejudice of a previous administrator. Tonpa then offers Gon and the other two some juice. Gon, being the first to taste it, spits it back out saying it tastes funny, leading to Kurapika and Leorio dumping theirs on the ground. Afterwards Tonpa makes a hasty apology.
Satotz, the first examiner, begins the 287th Hunter Exam with an extremely long run down a tunnel. A kid on a skateboard ends up next to Gon, and he asks how old Gon is. Discovering that he and Gon are the same age, he decides to run too, and jumps off his board. The kid introduces himself as Killua. Gon looks behind to see Leorio heavily fatigued and on the verge of dropping out of the exam. Gon and Killua pause to wait for Leorio, who then gets his second wind and runs past. After running for 80km, they come to a set of stairs and start climbing, while Satotz starts to pick up the pace.
At this point, many applicants have failed the exam, due to sheer exhaustion or succumbing to extreme mental strain. Kurapika notices that Leorio was able to continue the stairmaster challenge by going topless. He decides he should follow Leorio's example and removes some of his outer garments, possibly storing them in his shoulder-bag.
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