THE SECOND DAY

Chapter title "N°025 THE SECOND DAY" appears at the top. A large black silhouette of a bird in flight spreads across the upper half, flanked by two smaller bird silhouettes. Below, three small panels show a sequence: a fish leaping from the water with motion lines, a bright sunburst effect, and a close-up of a bird's eye. A wider panel depicts a bird snatching a fish mid-air with the words "CATCH" and "FLIT" in balloons. The bottom splash panel shows an intense close-up of a bird gripping a fish, wings spread wide amid speed lines, with the large onomatopoeia "SLAM" and motion effects emphasizing the impact.

Gon stands triumphantly atop a grassy hill under a blazing sunburst, fishing pole raised high in one hand. A bird is hooked on the line and pulled through the air toward him. In the foreground, a close-up shows Gon beaming with excitement, sweat drops on his face, as he shouts 'PERFECT!' and 'YEAH!!' The background radiates with speed lines emphasizing his success.

Gon speaks while raising his blood-covered hand, noting he has not released his pole for two days and has reached a perfect catch rate by training on birds in flight. He stands at night facing a flock of birds silhouetted against the dark sky. In profile, Gon thinks that if he can apply this skill he will be able to take Hisoka’s sheet. He then wonders how to do that and declares he only has to find him now, clenching his fists with determination as birds fly in the distance.

Gon stands in a dark, twisted forest on the island, staring ahead as he thinks, "THIS ISLAND ISN'T SMALL AT ALL..." Suddenly a swarm of butterflies flutters around him. "WAH?! WHAT'S THIS?" he exclaims in surprise. Close-ups show the insects landing on his face and hair while he wonders, "WHY ARE THEY ALL AROUND ME...?" He decides, "WHATEVER, I'M GONNA TRUST MY NOSE AND BEGIN MOVING," and starts forward with his weapon. The butterflies continue to follow. Gon raises his left hand, revealing a bloody wound, and realizes, "THEY'RE ATTRACTED BY THE SMELL OF MY BLOOD?" He watches the insects gather around his injured palm in alarm.

Hisoka stands calmly in the forest with a large butterfly perched on his shoulder near a star-shaped wound on his chest. He holds another butterfly delicately between his fingers. A voice addresses him: "HISOKA? HAVE YOU TAKEN THE SHEET YET?" Hisoka replies with a smile and a spade symbol, "HELLO." and "NOPE, NOT YET." Elsewhere, a man carrying a large sign marked "GOAL 99" runs through the woods. From behind a tree, another examinee watches and thinks, "NO, IT'S NOT NECESSARY," while noting, "YOU WANT TO KNOW WHO IT IS? THAT'S TRUE... HOW COULD YOU HAVE DONE? I BET YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO YOUR TARGET IS... BECAUSE AT ANY RATE, I'M GONNA HUNT THREE GUYS."

Gon recalls that Hisoka was injured inside the tower. Holding his fishing rod, he swats at a cluster of white butterflies fluttering through the tall grass while thinking, 'Hurry up before his wound heals...' A soft 'Suu' sound reaches him. Gon freezes, eyes wide with two exclamation marks above his head. Ahead in the clearing lies the bandaged examinee who was shot by the archer. The wounded man groans 'Ah...' as Gon stares in recognition. Gon’s face fills with shock at the sight.

Gon watches the butterflies drift away. The wounded examinee sits up and calls out mockingly, 'Good luck for next year!' A black panel shows a butterfly silhouette against torn leaves. Gon is suddenly struck and falls backward into the grass, rod still in hand. Large butterflies with patterned wings hover over flowering plants nearby. Gon lies on the ground staring upward. In close-up his eyes widen again with shock lines. He stands up and walks forward through the forest, rod over his shoulder, while the injured man remains behind.

Deep in the dense jungle foliage, Gon peers through thick leaves and flowering bushes at a figure lying motionless on the ground ahead. Butterflies flutter around the clearing. Sweat beads on Gon's face as he stares intently. Suddenly his eyes widen in recognition. "THERE HE IS!!!" he exclaims. He immediately forces himself to calm down, repeating "CALM DOWN..." as his heart pounds loudly with "DOM DOM DOM". Gripping a wooden pole tightly, he hears a low "GRRR" from the strain. A small panel shows Gon still sweating and focused.

Gon remains hidden among the leaves, a large sweat drop forming as he watches. A sound effect "SLLL..." appears near him. He resolves to stay patient. "I JUST HAVE TO WAIT..." he thinks, followed by the emphatic continuation "FOR HIM TO MOVE...!!!" In the lower panel the prone figure rests against a tree trunk in the forest clearing, surrounded by butterflies, hands clasped over knees, appearing completely still.

A round-faced examinee with slicked hair and badge i grins broadly, raising both hands in a placating gesture while facing a furious spiky-haired man who grips a small knife. The spiky-haired examinee glares with narrowed eyes. "PROVE IT..." the spiky-haired man demands. "I ASSURE YOU, YOU'RE NOT MY TARGET!" the round-faced man replies. A smaller examinee nearby pleads, "WAIT! WAIT! CALM DOWN!" The round-faced examinee continues, "LET ME THINK! PERHAPS I'M YOUR TARGET!" but then states, "UNFORTUNATELY, NO." The spiky-haired man explains, "I DIDN'T TOSS IT, JUST IN CASE, I SEE I DID WELL." He suddenly reacts with "HUH..." and "LO-LOOK !!" as the round-faced examinee holds up his badge clearly marked 191.

Examinee 246 reacts with surprise, saying "EHH..." and "WHY? YOU DON'T?" while looking toward Examinee 191. A voice calls "ZAG... PONZU ?" and another says "LOOK..." as Examinee 191 holds up badge 246. Examinee 246 asks, "YOU KNOW WHO IT IS?!" Examinee 191 inquires, "WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE, WHAT HIS WEAPONS ARE, HIS WEAK POINTS...?" and offers, "YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW?" With his back turned, Examinee 246 hears Examinee 191 declare in a loud stylized voice, "PROUUUUUT GOROGORORO GRUUU SSSS" then states, "THERE'S ONE CONDITION : WE DO A TRADE." Examinee 191 raises a finger and adds, "BUT..."

In the forest clearing, the large examinee with spiky hair turns to Leorio and asks, "Wouldn't you have medicine for me?" Leorio replies, "You want to be a doctor, right?" Nearby, the same examinee sits among the trees clutching his stomach and mutters, "I even have problems staying standing. That must be because of the wood nuts I ate..." Leorio holds up his checkered medicine box and explains, "During a trip, it's indispensable. Against diarrhea, stomach-aches, etc..." Gon stands nearby and says, "Stay where you are!" The examinee answers, "I understand." Leorio then demands, "Start by telling me what you know." The examinee responds excitedly, "Really?! Ah, thanks!" In the woods, Gon walks forward while narration states, "According to what I know, of the 24 candidates, 5 use medicine as a weapon." A caption reads, "Ponzu is one of them. (She kind of looks like this.)" A small panel shows the silhouette labeled "Ponzu is a girl." The large examinee sweats and says, "I understand," as a sound effect "ZAT ZAT" and "PFF..." appear.

The large examinee continues explaining with a serious expression, "But her use of it is very simple: expectation." A close-up shows a hand holding a spatula labeled "SPATULA NO. 2" with a question mark. He adds, "She uses medicine and everything connected to it." Gon and the examinee are shown from behind as the examinee warns, "You have the best chance of winning. If you openly confront her... Apart from this, there's nothing in particular to fear. She prepares a trap and waits, even a long time if necessary, for her prey to fall in." Leorio listens intently and replies, "Yes." The examinee continues, "Because she's perfectly aware that somebody is following her. If you find her, be careful of the wind's direction and of your footsteps." In the forest, the large examinee sits on a rock marked "TAP" and says, "Move back, we never know..." Leorio reaches out and insists, "Give me the medicine... I can't stand it!!!" Gon reacts with shock, "OK! That's the basics."

Majitani kneels desperately on the ground, clutching his stomach and pleading with a strained expression. 'PLEASE HURRY! I CAN'T STAND IT!' he cries out while growling in pain, 'GRUII GRUII GRUII'. He begs, 'THROW IT TO ME, I DON'T CARE!' as Leorio sits calmly on the checkered box in the background. Leorio commands firmly, 'SIT DOWN.' Majitani responds with realization, 'I SEE...' A loud 'GRUII' sound effect echoes. In a close-up, Leorio's hand rests on the box as a small 'CAO' appears. The scene shifts to a wide forest clearing where Leorio sits cross-legged on the checkered box, looking up with a serious gaze. Standing over him, Majitani swings a thick wooden club down toward Leorio's head, his body twisted in the motion.

A close-up shows Leorio's intense profile with sweat drops flying as motion lines streak behind him. Majitani leaps forward and smashes the checkered box with both hands, sending its contents scattering violently with a large 'VLAM' impact. The box bursts open, cards and items flying everywhere. Majitani's body is shown mid-air upside down from the force. In a small panel, Majitani's face twists in frustration as he shouts 'DAMN!'. The box lies shattered on the ground with cards and debris scattered, accompanied by 'BAM SHLAT' and 'FLUT' sound effects.

Leorio's eyes widen in shock as a bizarre, long-limbed furry creature with wild hair explodes into the foreground, limbs spread wide and a number tag 403 glowing on its chest. Motion lines radiate outward while another examinee is hurled backward through the air. Leorio stammers 'WHA...' in the side panel. The scene shifts to a forest clearing where Leorio stands holding up the number sheet marked 403, declaring 'AND ONE SHEET, ONE!' The same grinning creature clings to him, cackling 'HI HI HI!!!' A distant narration notes 'I WAS SURE OF THAT : HIS SHEET WAS IN HIS SUITCASE.' Other examinees watch from the treeline as the creature's bizarre appearance dominates the foreground.

Tompa's face fills the panel, sweat flying as he roars 'TOMPA!!!!' In the forest, the vested examinee points accusingly while declaring 'EH, YES!' and 'YOU WERE HIS ACCOMPLICE!!!' Tompa snaps 'DON'T LOOK FOR THE MEDICINE ANYMORE, I'VE FOUND IT.' A flashback shows Tompa explaining 'IN REALITY, MY TARGET WAS YOU!' and 'I'M GONNA EXPLAIN THE TRICK TO YOU.' Close-ups reveal the sheet swap: Leorio states 'THAT WAS MINE' while holding 403, and the vested man admits 'WE JUST EXCHANGED OUR SHEETS.' Tompa's enraged close-up ends the page with 'DUMB-ASS!!!' as Leorio stands confused in the background.

A massive applicant with a sword leaps forward dramatically, fist raised, shouting at the top of his lungs. "TOMPA! LETS MEET AT THE LANDING STAGE!" he bellows while a small figure hangs limply from a tree branch in the background. Another voice yells "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!!!" as a spiky-haired man on the ground raises his fist in response. "OK!" comes the reply from the large man. In the next panel the large applicant leans in close with a smug grin, declaring "TAKE A LESSON OUT OF THIS, 'NEWBIE.'" The spiky-haired man snaps back "WELL!" and "SHUT UP!!!" while pointing accusingly. "HEY! IT'S THE OTHER GUY WHO HAS YOUR SHEET!" he continues. The large applicant then turns, motion lines flaring, and launches into a lecture: "MOREOVER, EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT TO PASS THE HUNTER'S EXAM, YOU HAVE TO WORK AS A TEAM, DON'T THEY?" He adds "DON'T GET EXCITED! THE FAULT GOES TO THE ONE WHO'S BEEN HAD!" as the spiky-haired man dashes away in the distance amid heavy impact SFX.

The large applicant reacts with surprise, eyes wide, muttering "HUH?" as he glances over his shoulder. In the background Kurapika stands with fist clenched, declaring "I AGREE WITH THE SECOND PART, NOT WITH THE FIRST!" The large applicant is then struck violently from the side, body twisting under a powerful blow marked by "VLAM" and heavy impact lines. Kurapika's voice continues explaining "BECAUSE IT'S OBVIOUS THE FAULT COMES TO THE ONE WHO SET THE TRAP." In the foreground Killua watches with a serious expression. Kurapika asks "WOULD YOU BE MY TEAMMATE?" while in the final panel the spiky-haired man calls out "KURA-PIKA !!" as Kurapika walks away with his back turned.