Gamble Time

A body lies sprawled face-down on the stone-tiled floor of the arena. A large speech bubble asks, "IS HE DEAD?" Below, five faces react in a row: Leorio stares with wide eyes and an open mouth, Gon looks forward with a neutral expression, Kurapika glances sideways with a calm but serious face, Majitani glares sharply to the side, and Killua watches with a focused, slightly narrowed gaze. In the next wide panel the same body rests far across the dim chamber while Leorio, seen from behind with his hand raised, shouts "DAMN!" Killua crouches nearby and says, "WITH THE LACK OF LIGHT HERE, IT'S HARD TO TELL." Leorio, wearing the number 403 on his jacket, stands tense with one arm extended, motion lines emphasizing his frustration.

From the shadows of a stone archway a hooded figure says, "HE JUST FAINTED. I TOLD YOU A LITTLE WHILE AGO." Leorio yells back, "WE CAN'T BE CONTENT WITH WHAT YOU'RE TELLING US!" and "IT'S ALREADY BEEN SEVERAL HOURS!" Another hooded figure points upward and declares, "WE'D LIKE TO GO AND SEE IF HE'S STILL ALIVE!" A voice answers, "HOW CAN WE BELIEVE YOU'LL OPEN AN EYE SOMETIME? HE MIGHT ALREADY BE DEAD!" Killua reacts with a surprised "!?" In the background a small group of hooded figures stands near a glowing panel marked "1." One hooded figure offers, "WELL, IN THAT CASE, WOULD YOU LIKE TO BET?" The word "TIME." appears as the group gathers on a platform. Leorio exclaims, "A BET?! BUT WHAT ARE WE BETTING?!" A hooded figure replies, "LET'S BET ON IT." The final panel shows a hooded silhouette against a bright flash with the question, "IS HE DEAD? OR ALIVE?"

A hooded figure stands in a dim room as a large screen flickers to life showing the numbers 50 and 50. Voices explain the rules of the game: "LOOK AT THE SCREEN." "AND THE WINNER RECEIVES TIME." "WE'RE BETTING..." The minimum bet is ten hours and the maximum is fifty. A label identifies the hooded one as LELUTO, guilty of trafficking rare species with a punishment time of 112 years. The figure continues, "WE DECIDE THE BET EACH IN TURN." "GAME'S OVER WHEN ONE OF THE GAMERS IS AT ZERO." In the next panel Leorio appears with the number 403 on his chest. He states that if he loses his sentence will be increased by fifty years and the time he has to exit the tower will be reduced by fifty hours.

Leorio stands in profile, sweat on his face, looking into a large chamber where a body lies motionless on the floor and several hooded figures wait on a raised platform marked with the number 1. He offers, "I'LL LET YOU CHECK TO SEE IF HE'S STILL ALIVE OR NOT." and adds, "IF YOU ACCEPT THE GAME..." Killua and another examine the scene. Someone warns that losing would leave only nine hours to exit the tower. Killua tells Leorio not to trust the girl because she is ready to bet her prison sentence. Leorio points at Killua and shouts that he is the one saying this. Killua replies that they were at this point because Leorio did not want to give the final blow. An angry short figure yells "ARGH !!" and "HEY!" while Leorio and Killua continue arguing until Killua says he understands and will not say anything more.

Leorio stares intently as the hooded figure accepts the terms. "I LET YOU CHOOSE THE STAKE, IN HOURS," he had said earlier. "AS I DECIDED THE BET..." The reply comes swiftly: "OK!" followed by "THAT'S OK, I ACCEPT!" Leorio's face tightens with a bead of sweat. In a dramatic close-up, his finger raised and eyes fierce, Leorio declares, "I BET 10 HOURS HE'S ALIVE!" Nearby, Kurapika sits with arms crossed while another examinee questions the decision. "THAT'S QUITE NORMAL, ISN'T IT?" someone remarks. "YOU'RE PRUDENT," another replies. The hooded Majitani smirks and notes, "HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE WANTS... HE WAS THE ONE WHO THOUGHT HE WAS DEAD..." Leorio recalls, "DIDN'T HE SAY HE WOULDN'T SPEAK ANOTHER WORD?" A surprised "!?" punctuates the tense exchange.

Leorio reflects on his strategy. "ON THE OTHER HAND, IF I HAD BET HE WAS DEAD, AND IF HE HAD ONLY FAINTED, I WOULD HAVE WON NOTHING. IF I LOSE THIS BET, THAT WILL MEAN HE'S DEAD, AND SO KURAPIKA WILL BE VICTORIOUS!" A small device beeps with "RECEIVED". Someone asks, "COULD YOU OPEN THE FOOT-BRIDGE?" Another replies, "WE'RE GONNA LET YOU CHECK." Suddenly the platform mechanism activates with loud "Viiiiii" and "Fuuuuuuu" sounds as the bridge extends. The structure shakes violently with impact lines and debris. Below, an examinee falls hard onto the ground with a "TOHAC" while another lies sprawled with "TAP" effects marking the impact. Kurapika watches from the side as the scene unfolds.

Leorio stands with a stern expression, glancing toward the fallen opponent. Majitani lies sprawled on the floor, face battered and swollen, with the onomatopoeia DOM DOM marking the impact. A voice questions whether Majitani has only fainted. Leorio replies with a knowing look, You see.... The large digital scoreboard displays 40 to 60 with a Tic sound effect. Killua, in profile, states it is strongly possible that he won't open his eyes for a long time. Gon reacts with Huh? while another figure says I don't like this.... From the back, someone cheers Yeah! Leorio has taken the lead!

Killua continues explaining that Majitani is lying down on the ground. He recalls asking moments ago if the man was already dead. A massive close-up reveals Majitani's bloodshot eye staring upward. The hooded Majitani speaks from the shadows, Choose the next bet. Your turn now. Killua adds that their sentences will be reduced by 72 years if the opponent stays down for the remaining time. He concludes there is no doubting it: he isn't dead. Leorio's hand reaches forward as a Tic sound plays, and his face appears with a determined look.

The scarred man in the jacket leans forward with intense focus, finger extended as he declares the stakes. "THIS IS THE BET." A large speech bubble questions the situation: "HAS HE REALLY FAINTED? OR NOT?" Below, a hooded figure stands silently in shadow. Nearby, the beaten prisoner with a headband lies sprawled on the floor, eyes closed and face bruised. Another panel shows the prisoner collapsed with a small paper scrap beside him. In a close-up, the prisoner regains awareness, sweat pouring down his face as he realizes the truth. "WHEN I REGAINED CONSCIOUSNESS. THE PAPER WAS CLOSE TO ME..." His eyes widen in shock. "THIS WASN'T WRITTEN ON THE PAPER!!" He stares at the note in confusion. "EH? WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO?!"

A crumpled note is held up, its Japanese writing clearly visible. A large caption orders: "KEEP ON PRETENDING TO HAVE FAINTED!! HIDE THIS NOTE IN YOUR MOUTH!!" The hooded figure communicates silently with the prisoner. The prisoner thinks: "I BET 20 HOURS..." and questions his next move: "WHAT SHALL I DO? KEEP ON OR NOT?!" The hooded figure explains the plan: "I UNDERSTOOD AT ONCE: PRETENDING TO BE UNCONSCIOUS THE TIME PASSES, AND WE'LL HAVE OUR SENTENCES SHORTENED BY 72 YEARS WITHOUT GETTING TIRED." The prisoner agrees internally: "I KEEP ON ACTING LIKE I'VE FAINTED." The hooded figure confirms: "OK, MESSAGE RECEIVED." In the final panels the scarred man stretches casually with a "Zzz" effect and says "THAT'S EASY." The hooded figure asks: "BUT WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO TO CHECK IT?"

A powerful slash and impact SFX echo as the muscular fighter is struck. The opponent carries the now-limp Majitani over his shoulder, grunting under the weight while footsteps tap across the stone. He strides to the edge of the arena platform and declares he will release the unconscious man from there. Majitani hangs slack, eyes closed and body heavy. The opponent plants a foot on the ledge, gripping Majitani's shoulder firmly. From below, an unseen voice warns that the previous match has not concluded and such a method will not be accepted. The opponent asks if the speaker is serious. Another voice states that Majitani will die from the fall if he has only fainted.

The dark-haired man in jacket continues arguing with the unseen voices about recognizing defeat during Kurapika's match and granting two victories. Majitani's face contorts as he protests that his life is being joked about. The opponent questions if the threat is serious. A large empty archway looms in the background. The dark-haired man in jacket accepts a change in the match conditions, betting forty hours until Majitani opens his eyes. Suddenly Majitani awakens in panic, shouting that he is conscious while flailing. The dark-haired man in jacket tells him not to release his grip and notes that his true face is showing. Majitani stands revealed beside him on the platform as a final DOM SFX sounds.

Leorio speaks with the prisoner, who has just woken up. "So did you." "You knew he would wake up." The prisoner replies, "That's ok. I've lost! You'll forgive me, but..." Leorio retorts sharply, "You're dumb! And I'm silly to mix with you!" In his thoughts, Leorio notes his ability to monitor the prisoner's condition: "I'm still able to see if he's fainted or not, looking at his eyes' movement. Even if he's just a cadet doctor... I feel more secure in jail!" A digital timer displays 80:20 and ticks with "Tic." The scene shifts to the group facing the hooded prisoner. Leorio asks, "What do you want to bet on?" The prisoner responds, "Your turn!" Another "Tic" sounds as the number 2 appears. Leorio warns, "You only have 20 hours left." The prisoner acknowledges, "That's true, but the score is now 2-1 for us."

A tall girl with curly pigtails stands confidently beside the hooded prisoner. The prisoner lifts the hood slightly, saying "I..." and "Ah." with a metallic "Clang" as something drops. An onlooker remarks "Cool." The girl declares, "Let's bet on my sex: male or female?" Leorio reacts with shock, "What?" as a "Slat" sound occurs. She continues, "You're free to auscultate me to obtain the answer. With my body." Leorio questions, "How will you prove it to me?" He adds, "I'm ok with this, but..." Gon and Killua react in surprise: "What?" "Yes." Leorio sweats, realizing "Leorio, he's gonna bet it's a male." and "If I fail..." The page ends with the decisive call "Let's go!"

Leorio glares intensely, sweat on his face, as he points and declares his bet. "I BET 10 HOURS YOU'RE A MALE!" Gon and Killua react in shock nearby, with Gon asking "HOW DID YOU KNOW?" and Killua muttering "SUCH A PERVERT..." while another voice notes "THERE WE ARE." Leorio continues confidently, explaining that even if he loses the bet the result will still be appreciable. In the next panel the opponent, a girl with pigtails holding a flaming torch, stands with arms crossed. Leorio demands "ANSWER?!" as Gon and Killua urge him on with "I UNDERSTAND!" and "SO THERE!" The girl suddenly transforms in a burst of motion lines and smoke, revealing her true appearance. She apologizes with "SORRY, BUT I'M A FEMALE." Leorio is left stunned as the revelation hits.

Leorio smiles broadly with relief, raising one hand as he accepts the outcome. "A DEFEAT WITHOUT REGRET....!!" A timer shows 90 10. In the following panels a bald examinee analyzes the situation, noting that during a bet someone incapable of abstraction cannot win after a previous defeat. He concludes Leorio always maximizes damage in bets and has no secrets, so he is going to lose. Leorio, now serious, states he has only ten hours left and cannot afford mistakes. He tells the pigtail girl "YOUR TURN!" and challenges her to do whatever she wants because she won't beat him. The girl replies that it is not the moment to rejoice. The timer remains visible at 90 10.

The pigtail girl stands facing the spiky-haired man across the arena floor. "I bet 80 hours I'll win!!" she declares. "AGREED," the man replies. He thrusts his fist forward and shouts, "WE'RE GONNA BET ON 'ROCK-PAPER-SCISSORS'!!" The girl answers with a grin, "WHATEVER! I'LL JUST USE MY LUCK!" A close-up shows the man's sweating face as he thinks, "HOW CAN SHE BE SO CONFIDENT AT THAT GAME?" The girl responds calmly, "DOES THAT BOTHER YOU? WE BET THE NUMBER OF HOURS WE WANT, ANYWAYS, DON'T WE?" She continues, "YOU HAVE SUCH AN EXPRESSION ON YOUR FACE! IN FACT, I'M NOT PARTICULARLY SURE OF MYSELF..." She then explains the statistics: "STATISTICALLY, THE HAND'S POSITION THAT SHOWS MOST OFTEN THE FIRST TIME IS 'SCISSORS'... AND MORE, TO THE STATISTICS, YOU CAN ADD PSYCHOLOGY. AND IF WE LOOK ONLY TO THE PROBABILITY'S POINTS, I ONLY HAVE 1 IN 3 TO LOSE, AND 2-3 TO WIN! IN FACT, I HAVE CLOSE TO A 70% CHANCE NOT TO LOSE. THIS IS ONLY A QUESTION OF PROBABILITY AND PSYCHOLOGY. ROCK! PAPER!"

Two clenched fists slam together with radiating speed lines as the word "SCISSORS !!!" explodes between them. The spiky-haired man thinks through his strategy: "SO, THE WILL OF PSYCHOLOGIC CALMING DOWN TAKES THE ADVANTAGE, AND WE GENERALLY DO THE SAME THING, OR USE A STRONGER ELEMENT TO REGAIN CONFIDENCE. NEXT COMES THE MOMENT WHEN WE HESITATE, AND WE LOSE CONFIDENCE. WHAT WILL SHE DO NEXT? LIKE SHE DID 'ROCK', SHE'S GONNA CHANGE! NO, SHE WON'T CHANGE! YES, SHE'S GONNA CHANGE! SO, BY DOING 'ROCK,' I INCREASE MY CHANCE TO WIN OR TO HAVE A DRAW..." He concludes, "CONSEQUENTLY, HE WILL BE TEMPTED TO USE 'ROCK' OR 'SCISSORS.'" The girl reveals her hand with "PAPER" while the man shows "ROCK". In the final panel the girl stands with open hands glowing brightly as the man stares in shock, his fist still extended.