Nodding to the Chairman, Nicolas left the room and headed toward a room assigned to him by the Hunter Association.
On the way, he crossed paths with Hanzo, who had just been called in to meet the Chairman. The ninja still seemed wary of Nicolas, casting him a long look before continuing on his way.
Not wanting to start a conflict, Nicolas ignored him and continued to his room.
The room was very large, although still smaller than the one he had in his family mansion. Satisfied with the Association's treatment after all the trials, Nicolas took a shower and collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.
Even after so much training, maintaining full Zetsu was difficult. It did enhance physical recovery, sure, but the mental exhaustion remained.
He closed his eyes and fell asleep instantly.
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Three days later — Hunter Association hotel
Gon, Killua, and Nicolas walked side by side, following the Chairman through the luxurious hotel hallways.
The small group, made up of the three children as well as Kurapika and Leorio, had taken full advantage of the three days aboard the airship to rest and get to know each other better.
Eventually, Netero led them to a massive empty room and spoke.
"You'll all be staying in this hotel until the end of the exam. Now, without further suspense, the final trial will take the form of one-on-one duels."
Smiling, he walked toward a board covered by a sheet. "The matches will follow this setup," he said as he unveiled the bracket, showing the candidates' numbers.
Nicolas quickly spotted his number, he would fight in the second match against the loser of the Gon vs. Hanzo battle.
He immediately felt Hanzo's gaze settle on him before the ninja turned his attention to Gon.
"Alright, here are the conditions for passing this final test…" the Chairman began. "It's very simple. Win just one match, and you pass!"
The shock was visible on the candidates' faces, but Netero continued.
"The point of these duels isn't to pick a winner... but a loser. Any questions?"
A few complaints echoed, but Nicolas ignored them, not listening to the rest of Netero's explanation.
His position in the bracket was favorable. He had up to four possible matches in case of a loss. If events unfolded as in the manga, his first fight would be against Hanzo.
Soon, the Chairman stepped aside, replaced by a suited man wearing sunglasses.
He approached and motioned for Gon and Hanzo to come forward.
"First match! Hanzo versus Gon!" he announced loudly.
Nicolas paid close attention to the fight, his next opponent would be the loser, giving him an advantage by observing them in action.
From the start, both fighters rushed at each other, but within seconds, Hanzo demonstrated his superior speed and landed a powerful blow to Gon's neck. Gon couldn't react in time and collapsed to the ground, though still conscious.
"Give up. The gap between us is far too big for you to have even the slightest hope. In a real match, you would've already lost," Hanzo declared coldly, looking Gon straight in the eyes.
But Gon just stuck out his tongue and shook his head.
Smack!
Hanzo slapped Gon hard, making him cough up blood. But Gon continued to resist.
Whack! Smack! Crack!
Hanzo kept beating Gon for nearly thirty minutes before stopping, staring deep into the boy's eyes.
"You're not going to give up, are you?" he asked in a whisper, briefly glancing toward Nicolas.
Suddenly, he pulled out a hidden blade and held it to Gon's throat, drawing a drop of blood.
"Give up or die," he stated coldly.
Watching from beside Killua, Nicolas frowned. This wasn't how things had gone in the manga… Hanzo was supposed to beat Gon more brutally and break his arm before resorting to death threats.
This was the first noticeable butterfly effect caused by his possession of Nicolas's body. Seeing events diverge from the manga, Nicolas felt his transmigrator advantage begin to fade.
Still, it wasn't a major issue. Nicolas had always known his presence would disrupt the world's course. He just hoped the major events would remain relatively unchanged.
Back in the arena, Gon stared fearlessly at Hanzo, refusing to surrender even under the threat of death.
Tension grew until Hanzo suddenly turned away, stashing his blade back into his sleeve. "I lost," he announced calmly, to everyone's surprise.
"I refuse! Let's find a fair way to decide the winner!" Gon declared, shocking everyone again.
Nicolas saw Hanzo's face twist with a mix of anger and resignation. The ninja turned to Gon and delivered a harsh blow, knocking him out cold.
"Let's move on to the next match," Hanzo said as medics carried Gon away.
The referee nodded, calling out Kurapika and Hisoka for the second match.
After a brief exchange, Hisoka approached Kurapika and whispered something in his ear before surrendering with a smile.
Everyone was confused, except Leorio and Nicolas, who noticed Kurapika's eyes glowing a deep crimson.
"Victory goes to Kurapika! Congratulations on becoming a Hunter! Now, onto the third match: Nicolas versus Hanzo!" announced the referee.
Leorio put a hand on Nicolas's shoulder. "Don't push too hard. Even if he gave up against Gon, don't take risks. If it gets too intense, just surrender, you still have plenty of chances."
Nicolas gave Leorio a meaningful look. "Haha, thanks for the advice, but I don't plan on losing."
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Hey,I wrote this chapter quickly because I'm going away for a few days. Since I saw several comments asking for longer chapters, I'll make them longer when I return. However, that will reduce the release pace of the chapters.