The Trap of the Majority's Choices

In a vast tiled arena, a body lies motionless on the floor. Leorio stands in the foreground, shouting with determination, "I'M GONNA END IT!" while pointing ahead. Gon and Killua look on from near the stairs. A voice calls out, "AND HURRY UP PICKING UP HIS BODY! WE'RE WAITING FOR THE NEXT PRISONER!" Below, the scene shifts to a brick-walled area where a hooded prisoner stands bound. A man in a white coat aims a gun and says, "THE MATCH HASN'T ENDED YET." Another hooded figure replies, "BE-CAUSE..." Leorio reacts in shock, "WHAT?!" A close-up shows a hooded prisoner saying, "THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE." and another chuckling, "HEHE-HE."

A striking full-page silhouette fills the frame with a tall, imposing figure standing upright against a stark white background. The man has spiky hair, round sunglasses, and wears a sleeveless dark outfit with loose pants and heavy boots. The chapter number appears in a small box on the left while the title stretches across the bottom in bold lettering: THE TRAP OF THE MAJORITY'S CHOICES.

The scene opens on a raised platform where a hooded figure stands over a fallen opponent. A small sound effect reads TAP as the hooded examiner steps forward. Two voices from the stands shout WHAT DO YOU MEAN? and HOW CAN THE MATCH NOT BE OVER YET? Below, Leorio, Gon, and Killua watch tensely. Leorio wears a shirt marked 403. A speech bubble states HE HAS ONLY FAINTED. The hooded figure looms over the unconscious muscular man lying on the stone floor. In a dramatic wide panel the hooded examiner declares HE'S STILL ALIVE, AND I'VE NEVER HEARD HIM SAID HE QUIT. YOU CHOSE A DEATH MATCH! THE COMBAT SHOULD HAVE LASTED UNTIL ONE OF THE TWO DIES OR QUITS. The defeated fighter groans ARGH ... from the ground.

Leorio stands over the defeated opponent, shouting that they should finish him off with one last shot. Killua flatly refuses. Leorio insists the game is over for him, but Gon reacts with shock. Killua turns away, explaining he cannot strike a man who has already lost consciousness and renounced the fight. He adds that he hit his adversary only while the opponent had surrendered. Leorio presses further, warning not to count on him for anything more if the man wakes up. The unconscious fighter groans on the floor. Leorio snaps that it depends on the man himself. Killua asks what Leorio wants to do instead.

Killua stares at the floor in silence. Gon asks if he is scared. Killua replies that he has never killed anyone and has never asked himself whether killing would frighten him. He notes that fighting the opponent was simply between the two of them and he does not need help. Gon reminds him he is not alone and that it is not the time to be egotistic. Leorio appears, urging them to think of others and suggesting they vote. He explains that those who agree to kill the man should push the O button while the others push X. The group prepares to vote as Leorio counts down.

In a tense room, Gon and Killua stand near a small monitor while two others debate. "Maybe we did that in our own initiative..." one says as another asks, "Why didn't it light on?" A large panel shows a blank black screen with a bold "TADAN" sound effect. Below, a hand rises dramatically as someone declares, "The ones that agree for killing him. Rise their hand!!" and another replies, "OK, I understood! Let's vote with our hand!!" The scene shifts to a group including Killua, Gon, and others. A voice calls "HOP!" as the group discusses. "Because convictions and situations are different for everyone," states the man marked 16. "We don't have to use the force. We just have to wait until he wakes up," Gon adds. Another warns, "His adversary was on his way to recognize he's lost... It's useless." Someone shouts, "Traitor!!!" while a small figure notes, "He said he wouldn't change his mind."

Gon watches as the man marked 16 walks away down a tiled corridor, declaring, "Fine! I understand!!!" and "Do as you wish!" while another notes, "He's sulking." In a close-up, the man smirks and thinks, "..." A dramatic panel shows his intense face as he states, "That's the purpose of the majority's choices!!!" and internally adds, "What an idiot... He's fallen into their trap." Diagrams illustrate group divisions with crossed-out figures and text explaining, "But it's the best way to create divisions in a group!" and "We think it's the best way to respect each one opinion!" A final box warns, "In fact, that's a dangerous trap!!!" and concludes, "When people that do not know each other have to make decisions... We surely thinks it's the best method make progresses but..."

Mistrust... opposition... destruction. And finally, with a feeling of frustration, of anger, of loneliness!! The one that's several times in a row in the minority falls one by one. Leorio glares forward, brows furrowed, as he declares, 'We have to fold to the other's will, this become unbearable, and the situation's end is futile! If we were friends since a long time, this wouldn't matter. Not only is that not the case, but more we now rivals!' He continues, 'There are two things not to do at the time of decisions taken by the majority!! He's now at the bottom of the trap! He fall in the game of majority's choices! The best would be that everybody acts like he wants. And he proposed that solution while it wasn't necessary.'

A massive starburst panel declares 'TALKING AND VOTING WITH OUR HAND!' Leorio's head appears in a panel as narration continues: 'But in a situation where there's only 60 hours left, what happens when the opinions are different? And if finally, after a difficult choice, we're mistaken? Debate is only ok when we have enough time left. That seems rational and perfect... Inquiring each other's opinions, talking and finally agreeing...' The text warns, 'The group will inevitably be lead to division!! However little we're in disagreement with the same people, and it's always the same person whose opinion is denigrated... There's no more anonymity! And the ones in minority have no dispute's right. And that, even if we know well our partners. Voting with our hands is a big mistake!' Leorio concludes with a stern face, 'The disqualification of the whole group!! And the separation means...'

In a tiled brick room under harsh ceiling lights, Leorio sits slouched in the foreground with a scowl, his jacket marked 403. Nearby, Kurapika sits against the wall with arms wrapped around knees. Gon stands watching while a short examinee crouches in the background. A tall man labeled 16 stands with arms crossed, a speech bubble above him. The scene shifts to a close-up of the man with number 16, hand near his mouth, declaring the split is only a matter of time. A body lies sprawled motionless on the floor in the next panel. At the far end, a heavy door rattles as unseen figures behind it laugh with a sinister "HE HE HE!!" while two examinees react in surprise.

Hisoka steps through a heavy metal door into a long stone corridor, the door swinging shut behind him with repeated "TAC TAC TAC" and Japanese SFX. Footsteps echo on the tiled floor as he walks forward. In a side chamber, a hunched figure wrapped in rags sits on the floor. Hisoka stands facing the figure. The ragged person looks up and calls out "HISO KA!" and "I WAS WAITING FOR YOU!" A close-up shows Hisoka with a star and teardrop mark on his face, eyes half-closed. Beside him, a spiky-haired man with a scar glares and declares he is here to avenge himself this year, not to judge Hisoka.

The tall fighter in the fur coat stands tall, gripping a bill-hook in one hand while the other is clenched. He declares, "AND TODAY, THESE WOUNDS. SINCE LAST YEAR'S EXAM, I CAN ONLY THINK ABOUT ONE THING: KILLING YOU." Below him, a smaller figure with similar spiky hair but a star mark on his cheek swings two bill-hooks rapidly, creating motion lines and "FLIT" effects as he shouts, "ARE GONNA SHUT DOWN !!" The tall fighter watches with a stern expression. In a close-up, the star-marked fighter smirks and says, "I DON'T HAVE THE IMPRESSION THAT YOU'VE MADE ANY PROGRESS." The tall fighter responds with a grin, "YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ALL," followed by "HE HE HE !!" as he swings his bill-hook with a loud "TCHA6" sound effect, his eyes intense.

The star-marked fighter questions, "TWO BILL-HOOKS ...?" as the fur-coated fighter launches a fierce assault. Multiple "SHUT" sound effects and heavy impact lines fill the panel while the tall fighter swings his weapons wildly. Close-ups show the star-marked fighter's shocked expression with a sweat drop. The fur-coated fighter then stands with arms raised, bill-hooks floating or positioned around him in separate panels. In the final wide panel he extends both arms outward, bill-hooks flying toward the sides with "TCHA6" effects as he maintains a fierce glare.

A towering muscular man with wild long hair and a thick fur coat looms over the scene, hurling weapons with a fierce grin. He shouts "TAKE THIS!!" as four massive billhooks spin through the air toward his opponent. A bold text box declares "FOUR BILL-HOOKS UN-BEAT-ABLE !!!". Below, a spiky-haired young fighter in a sleeveless outfit marked with a cross emblem desperately maneuvers a large round shield, body twisting under the assault. Impact sounds "SLAT" and "SHUT" explode across the panel as the blades slice past, one billhook grazing close while a small furry creature tumbles in the background amid motion lines and debris.

The muscular long-haired fighter continues his assault, body twisting as he sends countless spinning blades after his target. Close-up panels show the spiky-haired young fighter's intense expression with sweat flying, narrowly avoiding the strikes marked by sharp "SHLAC" and "TAC" sounds. The attacker declares "MY COUNTLESS BLADES ARE GONNA CHASE YOU AND CUT YOU! YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHAT PAIN IS! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO AVOID MY ATTACKS!!!" while the blades curve from multiple angles. The spiky-haired fighter remains in motion, eyes narrowed, as the blades pursue relentlessly from top, bottom, left, right, front, and back.

A ferocious horned beast-man leaps high in the air, hurling spinning discs with deadly force while yelling "AND YOU'LL DIE!!" The discs slice through the air accompanied by sharp "Flit" sound effects. Below, a spiky-haired fighter with face markings stands with his back to the viewer, narrowly avoiding the projectiles. A close-up reveals the beast-man's furious, sweat-drenched face twisted in rage. In the next panel the spiky-haired fighter, now facing forward, crosses his arms and blocks the incoming discs with his own curved blades, the impacts marked by "Tac" sound effects.

Hisoka continues deflecting the discs with rapid "Tac" and "Tac" sounds, his shirt clearly marked with the number 44. The beast-man, now on the ground, exclaims in shock "NO..." while thinking "BUT IF YOU ACHIEVE BLOCKING THEM ONE TIME" and "I RECOGNIZE THEY SEEM UNBEATABLE." He recalls needing "MORE THAN 6 MONTHS BEFORE I MANAGED TO CONTROL THEM!!!" Hisoka smirks and remarks "IT'S EASIER THAN I THOUGHT" and "WELL." A close-up shows a different smiling face saying "GOOD BYE" with a heart symbol, followed by "NICE EFFORT, BUT SO USELESS ..." The beast-man reacts in horror, screaming "Noooo!!" and "BUT ..."

A close-up reveals a man with wild, unkempt hair and a heavily cracked face, his mouth stretched wide in a silent scream or roar of agony. The view widens to the bottom of the Shrewdness Tower, a vast circular stone arena lined with torches and floating platforms. Hisoka stands in the foreground, number 44 visible on his chest, a calm smile on his face. Large text declares: "THIRD ROUND. FIRST ARRIVED : #44, HISOKA!!" Another burst reads "TIME USED : 6HR 17MIN." A caption box states "BOTTOM OF THE SHREWDNESS TOWER."

In a stone corridor, Gon, Killua, and Leorio sit playing tic-tac-toe on the floor while Leorio checks a digital timer reading 58:57:03. Leorio looks up with a tense expression. Gon and Killua stand and walk into a large tiled hall. Gon asks "WHE-THER ..." while Killua replies "TELL ME ..." They stop and stare at a body lying face-down on the floor. Speech bubbles read "ALREADY DEAD?" and "HE WAS ..."