"Go!"
That was the signal from the man.
'I'll let the kid tire himself out, like I did with the other guy, then end it. Unlike the last one, I doubt he'll put up much fight. I'll go easier on him—I'm not a monster.'
Those were the man's thoughts as he gave the signal.
'Let's see how many seconds you can last, kid.'
With that, he braced for Gon's efforts.
"Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
'What?!'
But then Gon let out a fierce yell. Like Leorio's, his cry was filled with raw determination and a burning desire to win. The man was stunned to see the boy he'd dismissed as a kid display such grit.
'Still, it's pointle—'
He started to think Gon's efforts were just noise, but then the unthinkable happened. His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped slightly. His arm had been pushed back—not by much, just a few millimeters, but the fact remained: the kid had moved his hand.
Truth was, despite telling Gon he wouldn't go easy, the man had dialed back his strength slightly compared to what he'd used against Leorio. But as the gap grew from millimeters to centimeters, he didn't hesitate.
"I underestimated you, kid," he admitted, ramping up to the strength he'd used on Leorio.
Yet the expected result didn't come.
*How?!* he thought, shocked.
He was certain he was using the same force as before, but his arm couldn't stop Gon's advance.
"Is Gon actually winning?!" Leorio blurted out. He knew Gon was strong, but to think he might outdo him? No way.
"Hey, mister, no favoritism!" Leorio griped, feeling cheated.
"Why say that? Don't you want Gon to succeed?" Kurapika scolded.
Leorio realized the implication of his words and smacked his forehead. 'Crap, what am I saying? It's better for us if he's going easy. Damn it, I hope I didn't screw this up.'
"You're mistaken," the woman interjected, drawing Leorio and Kurapika's attention. "My husband did ease up at the start, but rest assured, he's now using the same strength he did with you, Leorio."
"What?!" Leorio gasped. "You're saying…"
'Gon's stronger than me?'
He kept the rest to himself, his focus returning to the match. Gon hadn't stopped yelling, his young right arm's muscles visibly straining. Slowly but surely, the man's hand edged closer to the table.
The man couldn't believe a 12-year-old was overpowering him. The absurdity made him question his own strength. Without realizing it, he cranked his power up to double what he'd used on Leorio. This time, Gon's advance halted.
Only then did he notice he'd gone beyond the strength he'd set for the test. 'I really underestimated you, kid,' he thought sincerely.
His arm began to reclaim ground—10%, 30%, 70%, 80%. In three seconds, he dominated the match. He glanced at the hourglass: about 20 seconds left.
'I'll drag this out, then end it when time's up.'
With that, he held his position, maintaining the same force. Fifteen seconds left. Despite Gon's efforts, the stalemate persisted. Ten seconds. Still no change. Five seconds. The end was near.
'Time's up, kid,' the man thought, ready to finish it.
But as if Gon had been waiting for this, his yell, which had softened, roared back louder than ever. In a last-second surge, Gon's strength spiked, shoving the man's arm back. In a fraction of a second, the man's hand was millimeters from the table.
'What?'
The man's mind couldn't process it. Defeat was imminent. But then his instincts kicked in—losing to a kid was unthinkable. The air whipped, and the table shattered with a crash. It happened in an instant, leaving most onlookers stunned.
The impact sent Gon flying, crashing a short distance away. "Gon!" Leorio reacted first, rushing to him. "You okay?"
He shot the man a furious glare. "What the hell was that?!"
The man, only now grasping what happened, stared at his right palm before turning to where Leorio knelt by an unsteady Gon. "How is he?" he asked.
Kurapika, still seated, watched calmly. "Not checking on your friend?" the woman asked, surprised by his composure.
Kurapika smiled. "No need. Gon's not the type to get hurt over something like this."
The woman admired his calm conviction. "Leorio?" Gon stirred, sitting up cross-legged and adjusting his clothes.
"You good?" Leorio asked again, relieved by Gon's quick recovery.
"I'm fine, no worries," Gon said.
"What are you talking about? Look at your hand!" Leorio pointed to Gon's swollen, trembling right hand.
"This?" Gon said, flexing it. "I might've overdone it a bit." He rubbed his neck with his free hand, chuckling, much to Leorio's frustration.
Gon turned to the man. "That was amazing, mister! I thought my last push would do it, but you sent me flying!" he said, grinning.
"Hey, that's not something to laugh about!" Leorio snapped.
The man met Gon's sincere, pure gaze and returned his smile. "Gotta hand it to you, kid. You forced me to go all out—doesn't happen often."
Embarrassed at being outdone by a kid, Leorio coughed to change the subject. "Alright, Gon, let me see your hand. Gotta wrap it quick." He opened his briefcase, revealing a stack of medical supplies.
"Aw, man!" Gon suddenly exclaimed as Leorio tended to his hand.
"What's wrong?" the man asked.
"I got thrown so fast, I don't remember where the hourglass was before I lost," Gon said, looking bummed.
The man's eyebrows rose. He hadn't checked the hourglass either. Glancing at it, he saw it had long since stopped. 'Doesn't matter,' he thought. Even if the hourglass had still been running, he'd have passed Gon anyway.
"It's your win, Gon," Kurapika said, grabbing everyone's attention. "The match came down to a grain of sand. You were incredible."
"What? You saying Gon won?" Leorio asked, baffled.
Kurapika nodded.
"Are you blind? I'm not denying Gon's strength, but he got smoked!" Leorio argued, not getting where the blond kid was going.
"Your friend's right," the woman said.
"Can you explain, Jenna?" the man asked, as confused as Leorio but hiding it better.
"When Gon made that final surge and nearly beat you, you countered with enough force to break the table and send him flying," Jenna said. Everyone nodded so far. "But that's when you lost, Vish. Your elbow left the table before Gon's hand touched it."
Her words hit Vish like a bolt. He replayed the moment in his mind, then burst into loud laughter. She was right—his elbow had lifted during his final push. He'd lost.
"Seriously?" Leorio said, stunned by the twist.
He hadn't seen it. All he recalled was Gon nearly winning before getting launched. "I won?" Gon repeated, staring at his bandaged hand, dazed.
"You did, kid. Well earned. Congrats!" Vish said, done laughing.
"Lucky punk!" Leorio said, smacking Gon's shoulder. "Thanks to you, we get that secret exam info."
Gon looked at Vish. "Is that true?"
"Embarrassing as it is, I did promise. Ask me anything about this year's Hunter Exam, and I'll answer if I can," Vish replied.
"Awesome!" Leorio cheered, leaning to whisper in Gon's ear. "Go on, ask what the exam challenges are!"
"Stop trying to sway Gon. If you wanted answers, you should've won," Kurapika cut in.
"Shut it!" Leorio snapped, still urging Gon with gestures.
Gon thought for a moment, then set his jaw. "I'm not interested," he said. "I don't want to know what's coming in the exam."
"What?!" Leorio yelped.
"Sorry, guys, but I want to face the exam in the moment and enjoy every second. Knowing ahead would ruin it," Gon said.
Leorio had no choice but to back off. Vish smiled. "If that's your call, I won't say a thing."
"Looks like I'm up," Kurapika said flatly, drawing everyone's eyes.
"You chose the psychological test," Jenna said, her gaze turning sharp as she locked eyes with Kurapika. "I'll be your examiner. Ready?"
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