Hunter × Hunter Chapter 148: Beginning of the Exam

Biscuit, in her true form with pigtails, explains the difference between Emission and Reinforcement to Gon. She notes Gon is already better at Reinforcement than Emission. Gon practices maintaining the aura ball's shape while Biscuit watches from behind. She emphasizes that keeping the ball's form during Ten allows it to fly through space. Gon successfully sends the aura ball far across the plain. Biscuit praises his speed and tells him to continue practicing the throw. She decides to return to the basics of Ten and Ren. Gon points forward, focused on the next throw.

Gon leaps high with a powerful punch, aura flaring around his fist as he shouts 'HO!' while Biscuit watches approvingly from below. 'YOU SHOULD MANAGE TO FINALIZE YOUR SECRET TECHNIQUE AS PLANNED. THE PROGRESSION IS EXCELLENT.' In the open savanna landscape, Gon stands facing the horizon while Biscuit sits on a rock. 'EVEN IF SOMEONE ENTERS YOUR FIELD OF ACTION WITH AN OFFENSIVE SPELL, YOU'D SPOT HIM IMMEDIATELY. HERE, YOU CAN EXERCISE WITHOUT ANY RISK.' Biscuit holds up several cards and explains, 'FOR MORE SECURITY, I USED THE “BLACKOUT CURTAIN” CARD, BUT NO ONE HAS REFUSED IT WITH A “STEAL” OR “FLUOROSCOPY” CARD YET.' Gon replies, 'YES. BUT, OH WELL, WE HAVE PLENTY OF DEFENSIVE CARDS, WE DON'T NEED TO WORRY. I HAVE THE IMPRESSION WE'RE BEING OBSERVED... EXACTLY LIKE WHEN WE FIRST ENTERED THE GAME...'

Gon enthusiastically shouts 'YEAH!' as Biscuit remarks, 'NOW ISN'T THE TIME TO BE OBSESSED WITH THE CARDS. WHAT MATTERS NOW IS PSYCHIC PROGRESSION!!' while thinking 'WELL...' and 'she should speak for herself.' Gon wonders how much he will get selling the cards. A large hand reaches forward in close-up. The scene shifts to a city square where Gon shakes hands with two robed, masked figures. One says, 'IT WAS NICE TO MEET YOU. GOOD LUCK.' Gon replies, 'YEAH, THANKS.'

Gon stands before a tall apartment building and presses the intercom button for room 603. He asks through the speaker, "AM I AT MIHAERU-SAN'S?" A voice replies "YES?" and confirms "MIHAERU LIVES AT #603." Gon is told to go to #503 and ask the same question. A large mustached man in a dark uniform appears on the phone, instructing Gon to follow the provided directions. Gon enters the building as a chime sounds. Inside, a girl with dark hair hands him a card and explains, "WHEN YOU PAY, USE THIS CARD, AND YOU'LL BE ABLE TO GO TO THE EXAM ROOM." She adds that he should go shopping at the store "DIC CAMERA" in front of the train station. Other people move through the exam facility in the background.

Gon walks alone down the center of a vast, brightly lit hall carrying a box. Hundreds of people stand or sit in long lines along both walls, waiting silently. Some examinees sit on the floor while others remain standing. Inset panels show close views of stern-faced men with scars and headbands among the crowd. Gon’s face appears in close-up on the right, his expression serious and eyes wide as he surveys the room.

In a crowded hall filled with examinees, Gon stands among the throng, his spiky hair visible as someone remarks, "THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE THAN LAST YEAR?" Close-ups show Gon turning slightly as a voice calls "YO." Nearby, a spiky-haired man with a headband wonders aloud, "I WONDER IF THERE'S ANYONE I KNOW." Another examinee with a striped hat asks a bandaged man, "SO YOU FAILED TOO?" The bandaged man replies, "BUT IT'LL BE DIFFERENT, THIS YEAR." A stern-faced examinee tells him, "YOU REALLY GOT US, LAST YEAR." In the background, Gon and others react with surprise as the same spiky-haired man declares, "SINCE THEN, WE'VE TRAINED LIKE MANIACS. YOU'RE GONNA BE SURPRISED." A door opens with a loud "GACHA" as silhouettes gather before it.

A tall man in a decorated vest and glasses stands before the massive crowd and announces, "THERE ARE 1483 PEOPLE WHO HAVE REACHED THE EXAM ROOM THIS YEAR. WELCOME EVERYONE." He continues, "BUT BY THE SECOND TRIAL, THERE WILL BE ONLY 300 REMAINING." Smaller panels show worried and intense faces of the applicants. The man muses, "HOW WILL THIS PROCEED... WE DIDN'T THINK THERE WOULD BE THIS MANY." Close-ups capture stern glares and one applicant’s question mark. From below, a voice wonders, "WHAT IF WE WERE TO FIGHT EACH OTHER?" while another simply utters "HM."

A stern man with glasses and multiple rings on his raised hand declares, "YOU WILL FLOOR FIVE PEOPLE." He adds, "ANYWAY, WE STILL HAVE PLENTY OF TIME... TWO HOURS BEFORE LUNCH... DURING THAT TIME..." Nearby, a short-haired woman in a patched outfit stands ready. A group of intense fighters glare forward with focused expressions. The man continues, "I WILL BE WAITING FOR YOU AT THE STAIRS OF THE EXIT. YOU WILL TAKE THE TAGS OF FIVE PEOPLE THAT YOU WILL HAVE FOUGHT. WHEN THIS IS DONE, COME BACK TO SEE ME." In a wide panel, numerous contestants charge through a doorway amid heavy motion lines and impact effects. The man states, "UNDERSTOOD? I WILL PASS THROUGH THIS DOOR... AND WHEN IT IS CLOSED, THE TRIALS WILL BEGIN." SFX like "ギィ" and "バタン" mark the door and movement.

Massive stylized SFX "ウオオオオオオオ" explode across the top as the short-haired woman dashes through the doorway into a corridor. Below, the man with glasses crouches and adjusts his rings while speaking. Narration boxes read: "ONLY THE STRONGER ONES WOULD BE ABLE TO WORK, AFTERWARDS." "IN THE END, IT'D BE NICE TO HAVE ALL THE TRIALS LIKE THIS ONE." "THIS WAY, THERE SHOULD BE ONLY ABOUT 150 TO 200 PEOPLE LEFT TO START THE SECOND TRIAL." SFX such as "ギャアア", "WA", "DOKAA", and "BAKI" punctuate the scene. At the bottom, a close-up shows a spiky-haired young man lying face-down in a puddle of liquid, eyes closed and mouth slightly open.

In the crowded Hunter Exam hall, participants suddenly react in panic as a mysterious presence cuts through their ranks. "A shadow... I saw a shadow..." one man shouts. Narration explains: "It went through the participants... running... like a needle attached to a thread, flooring them." An older man in a suit turns with surprise, exclaiming "Eh? Huh?" while addressing a spiky-haired boy: "You came here too? Too bad for you..." The boy, Killua, smiles faintly as an internal note reads "(I understood this shadow was Killua (long afterwards, but oh well...))". A large speech bubble declares: "This year, there will only be one winner: me..." The scene shifts to defeated examinees reflecting on their training. "We trained really hard, repeating our exercises constantly. Our combined three attacks were perfected," says a muscular man with a headband. "We were confident that it would be fine with a bit of effort," another adds. Scattered fighters lie on the ground as narration continues: "It's really incredible to be able to touch a sensitive point of the neck at that speed, and with such precision... that's what a doctor told me. One of my friends who practices combative sports told me, 'that technique isn't human.'"

A close-up reveals a battered face with sweat drops and the SFX "PLIP". Narration states: "Some kind of monster, beyond the common imagination... However, our lack of realism resulted in our defeat." Further reflection continues: "We saw what someone born to be one of the best possible hunters was..." The defeated man recalls: "Was nothing to him. All the effort we made during the last year... It gave us the impression of going 100km/hour on the highway, passed by someone going at 300km/h..." In the final panel, the same man lies sprawled amid debris with the line: "It's the last time I'll take the Hunter Exam. And I doubt I'm the only one..."

Gon stands alone in the doorway of the trial room, his expression calm. A bespectacled official raises a microphone and announces, "HERE'S THE FIRST CANDIDATE TO WIN A PLACE IN THE SECOND TRIAL. DAMN! I DOZED OFF." Nearby, an armored man hunches over a small object on the floor. Close-up panels show shocked faces reacting to the announcement. Someone remarks, "THEY'RE SOUND ASLEEP." The official exclaims in disbelief, "WHAT?! IT'S BEEN OVER AN HOUR AND A HALF SINCE IT STARTED!! WHAT ARE THE OTHERS DOING?!" Other voices stammer, "HOW..." and "WHAT...?" In the final panel Gon walks forward dragging an enormous bundle of tags tied with rope, the bundle scraping loudly across the floor with the sound effect "ズルズル". He says, "IT TOOK ME SOME TIME TO GATHER ALL THE TAGS."

From a high angle the floor is covered by a sprawling mass of unconscious contestants lying in every direction. A tiny figure of Gon stands far above the pile and says, "I DON'T THINK THEY'LL WAKE UP FOR AT LEAST HALF A DAY." In the foreground a close-up shows Gon's face with a slight smile as he asks, "WE START THE SECOND TRIAL ?" A speech bubble replies simply, "SO?"

An elderly examiner with a long ponytail and earrings addresses Killua directly. "KILLUA, INHABITANT OF THE DARKNESS... YOU CAME BACK AFTER PROGRESSING WELL." He adds a small "congrats!" The examiner continues with a hearty laugh, "THAT WON'T BE NECESSARY. YOU'VE PROVEN YOUR SKILLS QUITE WELL. HO HO HO!" Killua appears in profile, sweat visible on his face. A small panel shows a raised hand as someone exclaims, "YES, THAT'S ME!" The examiner acknowledges, "AH... CANDIDATE #1219, KILLUA!" The page erupts into a massive celebratory spread. Gon stands centered in his numbered exam shirt (#1219), surrounded by bold starburst effects declaring "PASSED !!!" and "Hunter exam..." A tiny suited figure on the right pumps a fist in excitement. Gon replies softly with "thanks." A large stylized sound effect "ばん!" dominates the lower left.