ONE MORE ADVERSARY

Gon tumbles headfirst through clear water, arms and legs outstretched with a wide smile on his face. Bubbles trail behind him as he swims downward. In the background a large sunken ship rests on the seabed amid coral, seaweed, and scattered shells. A massive fish with an open mouth swims in the foreground, its tail fin raised.

A vast grassy plain stretches under a bright sky with distant hills and a few trees. A large crowd of people stands gathered in the open field. Below, the scene shifts to an indoor corridor where the same crowd waits in line. Speech bubbles show "CLAC" and "Vuiiiiu" along with startled reactions "!" and "AAH". In the foreground Leorio, wearing a suit and tie with slicked-back hair and a mustache, smiles confidently while speaking. His dialogue reads: "THE PREDATORS WHO FIND A PREY, RUSH AT IT: THAT'S IT, THE ECOSYSTEM... AND THAT'S WHY THIS PLACE IS CALLED 'THE CROOKS' NEST'." Another speech bubble continues: "THE LIVING BEINGS IN THE MARSH ARE GOING TO DO ALL THAT IS POSSIBLE TO HAVE FUN AND MAKE A GOOD LUNCH." Onomatopoeia "Fiuuuu" appears across the panels.

Hisoka stands tall in his dark suit, one finger raised as he addresses the gathered examinees. "DO YOUR BEST TO FOLLOW ME," he says with a sly smile. "TAKE CARE NOT TO BE SURPRISED." In smaller panels, Gon, Killua, Kurapika, and Leorio watch intently while a bald man glares. Leorio, sweating, declares, "FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED, WE CAN'T BE SURPRISED NOW," as a small voice adds, "THIS GUY IS FUNNY!" Mph Mph sound effects punctuate the tension. Suddenly the scene shifts as a burly man with a mustache shouts, "HE'S LYING TO ALL OF YOU GUYS!" Another candidate yells, "THAT'S FALSE!" Reactions ripple through the crowd with sweat drops and shocked faces. At the bottom, a spiky-haired man glares fiercely with "SHIIN" effects, then bursts into loud "BROHAHA" laughter as the group stares toward a doorway filled with silhouettes.

The spiky-haired man lunges forward, eyes wild, pointing dramatically. "BECAUSE THE REAL JUDGE IS ME!" he roars. "HE'S AN IMPOSTER! HE'S NOT A JUDGE AT ALL!" Motion lines explode around him as he advances. The view cuts to a tiny distant figure of Hisoka standing calmly amid radiating speed lines, a large pointing finger in the foreground. Hisoka's face appears in close-up, mustache and hair framing his calm, knowing expression. Below, the spiky-haired man continues yelling "LOOK AT THIS!" with "TOHAC" sound effects. The surrounding candidates react in confusion: "SO... WHO IS HE?" and "AN IMPOSTER? WHAT DOES HE MEAN?" Sweat and tension fill the panel as the group processes the accusation.

A grotesque monkey-man with a long tongue and wild hair lunges from above, "ZAT" and slashing effects marking its attack. The spiky-haired man is struck and sent flying. "IT'S A MONKEY-MAN! ONE OF THOSE THAT LIVE IN NUMELLE'S MARSH!" someone shouts. Hisoka watches from the side with a slight smile while other candidates stare in shock. A narration box explains: "THEY LET THEMSELVES GET TAMED BY MEN, THEY KNOW HOW TO USE OUR LANGUAGE SKILLFULLY, AND MANAGE TO TRICK MEN IN THE MARSH, WHERE THE OTHER MONSTERS, THAT GET ALONG WITH THEM, ARE WAITING TO CAPTURE THEIR PREY ALIVE!!" Another box adds, "THE MONKEY-MEN LIKE FRESH FLESH. THEY HAVE LONG THIN LIMBS, BUT OVERALL THEY'RE WEAK." The spiky-haired man recovers and points, declaring the creature's purpose: "HIS ONLY PURPOSE IS TO GET RID OF ALL THE CANDIDATES IN ONE TIME!" "TADAN" impact lines and motion effects fill the chaotic scene.

A man's face is covered in playing cards stuck to his skin, his eyes bulging in shock as more cards slice through the air around him. Sharp sound effects cut across the panel: SHLAC and Fiuuu. The cards whip past with violent motion lines. In the lower panel the same man clutches at his face, cards tumbling away as he gasps in pain. "GAH..." he manages, his mouth twisted and sweat flying from the impact.

Hisoka stands in a black tuxedo, smiling calmly while fanning playing cards between his fingers. Large impact lettering explodes: ばん!! TOHAC. Close-ups show narrowed eyes and a sudden violent VLAM as the scene erupts. The injured man lies sprawled on the floor, mouth open in agony. Hisoka, now holding a stack of cards, looks down and says "I see." A small chuckle escapes him: "HE HE." Onlookers stare in stunned silence as the confrontation ends.

Multiple panels capture the aftermath. A spiky-haired man screams with mouth wide open. Another figure is blasted backward with arms flailing. A bright flash and Fiuuu mark a distant figure being struck. Onlookers gasp "THE MONKEY WASN'T DEAD...?!" A grotesque monkey-like creature stands upright, arms raised, chattering "COUE COUE." Hisoka's profile appears, a star marking his cheek, as he remarks with a slight smile, "WITH THIS, IT'S ALL CLEARED."

The mustached examiner smiles and points while speaking to the crowd. "HE'S REALLY THE RIGHT JUDGE." A tall suited man stands dramatically in a spotlight as the audience watches from the stands. The examiner continues, "SO THERE'S NOTHING ODD ABOUT A HUNTER, EVEN FROM SECOND ZONE, STOPPING THAT KIND OF ATTACK. IN FACT, JUDGES ARE HUNTERS THAT DO THIS FREELY AT THE JURY'S REQUEST." He adds, "HOWEVER... I'LL TAKE THIS AS A COMPLIMENT." In a close-up the examiner asks with a smirk, "AM I UNDERSTOOD? THE NEXT TIME YOU USE SUCH INTERVENTION AGAINST ME, WHATEVER THE REASON, YOU'LL BE DISQUALIFIED." The scene shifts to a dark forest where a swarm of bats descends on a screaming man. "THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO LOSERS." The bats engulf the figure with loud "HAR HAR" cries as another participant stares in horror.

The bats continue their assault on the fallen man while onlookers react. "IT'S THE LAW OF NATURE..." someone mutters. The mustached examiner appears in close-up, calmly adjusting his collar. "YOU HAVE TO BE VIGILANT: SURVIVAL HERE IS AN INSTANT-STRUGGLE. I AM CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU BELIEVED THIS IMPOSTER, AND WERE READY TO FOLLOW HIM...?" The group moves into a lush jungle path. "LET'S GO TO THE SECOND STAGE OF THE TESTS!" one says. Another replies, "WELL, AND WHAT IF WE GO?" A third questions, "HOW MANY OF US...? AREN'T YOU INSINUATING THAT WE WERE PART OF THESE GUYS?" The examiner watches them depart as sound effects of movement fill the air.

A massive title splash shows the suited examiner running at the front of a huge crowd of examinees charging forward. "NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS ENTERING NUMELLE'S MARSH : 311" is displayed in a box. The examiner's long strides lead the pack down a wide path with motion lines emphasizing speed. Behind him participants shout, "WHAT A MESS!" and "HERE WE ARE? WE'RE ONCE AGAIN LEAVING FOR A NEW MARATHON?" The view widens to show the entire group running across an open marshland bordered by palm trees, dust and footsteps trailing behind them under the words "DODODODODODODO".

Leorio peers ahead and mutters, "SOME HAZE?" Gon and Killua stand nearby, reacting to the sudden mist. The landscape ahead is hazy with trees barely visible. Gon suggests, "WE SHOULD KEEP AN EYE ON THE JUDGE!" Killua replies, "YEP." Leorio adds, "LET'S GO TO THE HEAD?" In the background, Hisoka's face looms large with a star and teardrop mark. Killua notes, "I JUST SAY IT'S MORE PRUDENT TO GET AWAY FROM HISOKA..." A small panel shows Leorio looking surprised as someone explains, "HE WANTS TO KILL SOMEBODY, AND HE BECOMES IMPATIENT." Hisoka smirks and concludes, "NO DOUBT HE'LL USE THE FOG."

Killua stares ahead and says, "I CAN FEEL IT, IF YOU PREFER..." Gon turns and replies, "IF I KNOW, IT'S BECAUSE HIM AND I ARE OF THE SAME RACE!" Killua warns, "YOU SHOULDA SEEN YOUR FACE!" Gon asks, "AH... DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Killua explains, "YOU SHOULDN'T RELY ON APPEARANCES. OF THE SAME RACE? I COULDN'T TELL..." Leorio bursts in shouting, "IMBECILE! IF WE COULD GO, WE WOULD GO! KILLUA SAYS IT'S BETTER TO GO TO THE HEAD!! LEORIO!! KURAPIKA!!" The fog thickens with repeated "FLAC" sounds. Leorio asks the others, "THE FOG IS GETTING WORSE AND IT'S SPREADING. ARE YOU KIDDING...?! YOU'LL BE ABLE TO MANAGE ON YOUR SIDE, WON'T YOU? THEY DON'T SEEM TO BE SO STRESSED..."

Leorio and Kurapika react with shock as "PORO" sounds echo and shadowy figures appear in the fog. Leorio yells, "YEAH, OR IT'S OVER FOR US! WE MUST NOT LOSE THE GUYS IN FRONT OF US!" A close-up shows a man with a scar growling "PORO..." Suddenly an impact hits with "TAC" and Leorio exclaims, "A STRAW-BERRY?!" In a violent splash panel, figures are sent flying amid debris and motion lines as massive "WAAAAH!!!" and "VLAM" "HOPP" sound effects erupt. Leorio and another examinee brace against the attack.

Gon and his companions hear strange noises coming from behind them in the fog. Gon wonders aloud what those noises are, while someone suggests the group ahead might have been trapped. Leorio questions how there could have been at least a hundred people when the group behind them has disappeared. Suddenly a massive, slug-like creature with tufts on its back looms over the examinees. A text box explains: THE SEGAME : "FOG-MAN" ONLY MOVES ON FOGGY DAYS. IT USES THE STRAWBERRY-MEN THAT GROW UP LIKE TUFTS ON ITS BACK TO FOOL SOME MEN IN THE FOG, AND THEN ATTACK THEM. Panicked examinees scatter as the creature strikes.

The Fog-man swallows several examinees whole with a loud GLURP and WAAAAAH. Nearby, a giant frog-like beast called the Attentive-patient lies motionless with its mouth open, camouflaged by vegetation, waiting for travelers. A text box reads: THE ATTENTIVE-PATIENT : PARTICULARLY SLOW WHEN MOVING, IT BURIES ITSELF WITH ITS MOUTH OPEN. IT HIDES THE OPENING WITH VEGETATION, WAITING TRAVELERS. Elsewhere, the Soporific butterfly makes living beings fall asleep so its larvae can be placed on the captive bodies. The Crying crow leads men to impale themselves on spikes while delighting in the corpses obtained. The Mine mushroom explodes when stepped on, eating the decomposition of the bodies in the ground. Examinees run in terror as butterflies flutter and crows attack.

Leorio panics, shouting that all his weapons are in his suitcase and that the groups behind them have been led in different directions without realizing it. Gon calls out to Leorio and Kurapika, wondering if they are there. Killua tells Gon not to act stupid, saying it is not the time to worry about them. Gon agrees with a quiet "yeah...". A voice warns that the best thing to do is not hear friends crying, because taking eyes off the glues in front for just one second means it is over. Examinees scream and flail as they are attacked in the fog.

A massive impact erupts across the top panel. Gon and Killua are caught in a violent clash as a huge opponent looms on the right, mouth open in a roar. Sound effects explode: SLAT, FLIT, FLIT, FLIT, and a massive KRAK. Gon shouts "Ouch!" while the big man yells "AAAAAH!" and "KIS-". Debris and motion lines fill the air. Below, Gon stares in shock with a sweat drop and "!!". Next, Leorio (number 403) grips a weapon and yells "AIIIE !!!". Killua appears on the right, sword drawn, with a sharp "TOCHAC" sound and motion lines. At the very bottom, a pair of narrow eyes glare from the darkness.

Leorio sprints across an open field carrying Killua, who still clutches his sword. Bodies lie scattered on the grass behind them. Leorio screams "WAAAAAAA!" while Killua cries "HIAAAAA". A voice from off-panel taunts "He he he he!!". In the next panel Leorio, now facing forward with Killua beside him, demands "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" as Gon charges in from the right shouting "GON !!!" with a "TAP" sound effect. Hisoka appears below, eyes closed in a smile, declaring "I'M PLAYING THE JUDGE" and "SLAT" while another voice laughs "HE HE HE HE".