Hunter × Hunter Chapter 334: Complete Defeat

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In front of a towering modern building, Leorio stands tall in a black suit and tie, facing a crowd of reporters. A voice from off-panel asks, "IF YOU BECOME CHAIRMAN, WHAT WILL YOU DO?" Another reporter presses, "NOW THEN, CANDIDATE LEORIO!! PLEASE TELL US ONCE MORE!!" Leorio clenches his fist and declares, "I'LL MAKE EVERY HUNTER WORK THEIR HARDEST TO SAVE HIM!! THAT'S ALL!!!" A separate bubble echoes, "SAVE GON!!" The scene shifts to a quiet hallway where a small figure with curly hair stands near closed doors, observed by a distant silhouette. A close-up reveals a young face with a serious, downturned expression. From behind, the striped-suited figure watches a massive cheering crowd filling the hall below. Narration reads, "I'M NOT EXACTLY 'GOD' SO..." and "THIS WOULD BE PERFECT TIMING, BUT..." Vertical text along the left edge questions, "WHAT'S GOING THROUGH PARISTON'S MIND...?"

Pariston, wearing glasses and a dark suit, questions Leorio about future plans. Leorio snaps back, "I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY I'M STANDING HERE RIGHT NOW, HONESTLY!!" and "OF COURSE NOT!!" Pariston smiles and replies, "THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION." A monstrous close-up of Pariston's face with a wide grin appears as he thinks, "IT'S USELESS, PARISTON. EVERYONE ALREADY KNOWS THAT, AND THEY STILL VOTED FOR LEORIO!!" In the background, two suited men stand in a hallway while Leorio and Pariston converse. Pariston continues, "THEY INTEND TO COMPLETELY SUPPORT HIM, THAT'S WHY THEY CLAPPED...!!" Leorio raises his hand and declares, "I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE AN URGENT MOTION!!" Pariston responds, "NO, COME ON!! LET'S JUST FINISH THIS ALREADY!!" and asks if Leorio has any questions for him. Leorio answers, "ALRIGHT THEN!! NOW THEN," while holding a microphone.

In a vast auditorium packed with seated Hunters, a massive stage stretches across the front beneath towering windows. A lone figure stands at the center of the stage while three distant silhouettes remain near the back. Large bold sound effects rumble across the foreground as the crowd reacts with a heavy murmur. Below, a horizontal row displays the tense faces of multiple Hunters. Pariston, in a pinstripe suit, stands on the stairs holding a microphone and gestures toward the audience. He declares, "CHOOSE YOUR VOTES ACCORDING TO THE 8TH AND 9TH HUNTER COMMANDMENTS!!" and continues, "I WOULD LIKE EVERYONE TO NOW". Cutie Beauty, dressed in a bunny outfit, reacts with surprise, exclaiming "HUH?" and "UMM, WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?". An unseen speaker shouts "AN EMERGENCY MOTION!!". The crowd below erupts in motion lines and chaotic reactions while another figure in the foreground raises a hand. The theme caption reads "THE THEME HERE IS...".

Pariston leans forward with an intense grin, his face filling the panel as he speaks. He states, "I WOULD FIRST LIKE TO REQUEST THE ABOLITION OF THE CURRENT HUNTER EXAM REGULATIONS!!" and adds, "RETHINKING THE 10TH COMMANDMENT AND THE HUNTER EXAM!!". Bold impact SFX burst beside him. In the next panel he smiles confidently, raising one finger while saying, "HOLD ON A MINUUUUTE!!!" and "ALL THOSE WHO AGREE WITH THIS ABOLITION, DRAW A CIRCLE!! ALL THOSE WHO ARE AGAINST, DRAW AN X!!". An angry spiky-haired Hunter in the foreground glares with gritted teeth and clenched fist. In the background, three figures stand near a doorway: a suited man, a woman in a striped suit, and Cutie Beauty in her bunny outfit.

A stern man in profile declares "NO." Another voice shouts "YOU SHOULDN'T BE BRINGING THIS UP RIGHT NOW!!!" while a small figure stands atop jagged rocks, insisting "WE ZODIACS ALREADY DECIDED IN A MEETING THAT THE HUNTER COMMANDMENTS ARE ABSOLUTE!!" A girl with round glasses snaps back "YOU'RE WRONG → STUPID TIGER." Pariston, the smiling man in a pinstripe suit, leans forward with a microphone and explains that if Cheadle and Mizaistom were still on stage he would have upheld the agreed rule, but now that both have lost he can speak freely as vice-chairman. He points directly ahead and confirms "YOU'RE EXACTLY RIGHT!! IN THE MEETING, IT WAS 11 TO 1!! I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO AGREED WE SHOULD CHANGE THE COMMANDMENTS, CORRECT?" In a smaller panel Leorio sits with arms crossed beside Cheadle, both looking tense. Pariston concludes with a wide grin, "NOW IS PERFECT TIMING FOR ME! DO YOU UNDERSTAND NOW, KANZAI?!"

Pariston continues, admitting he did not want to use the 8th commandment but now sees an opportunity because the Zodiacs are no longer a unified bloc. He declares he will finish the matter efficiently without trouble. A rabbit-like attendant and a cloaked figure stand in a doorway while Cheadle glares. Pariston points at the crowd and states that commandments 3 and 4 have severely harmed the exam. From the audience a voice asks what Teradain and Bushidora insist is true. Leorio, in profile with cap, mutters that Pariston is not thinking about winning. Pariston smiles and explains that the man can stay cool because he does not need to worry about victory or losses. Someone off-panel calls Pariston an asshole; Leorio agrees.

A shadowy figure points upward dramatically while declaring that their opponent chooses to do the things they hate the most, controls others' emotions, and abuses the rules. In the next panel, Cheadle leans forward with intense focus and promises that if candidate Leorio wins the election, she will act as his advisor and drastically improve the Hunter Exam. A small figure in the audience calls out, asking for a minute from the rabbit. Leorio stands at the podium with a microphone, his face flushed with determination, and vows to support the motion even if it means leaving the Zodiacs, promising to stifle all counter-arguments and Teradain's floating votes. He shouts that he just wants to save Gon as fast as possible and dismisses concerns about the procedural motions.

The hall erupts as a massive stylized "LEORIO!!!" shout echoes across the chamber. A blond man in a striped suit holds a microphone and looks toward the stage. In the background, a figure stands in the doorway with arms outstretched while another character with glasses watches from the side. The scene cuts to a close-up of a long-haired man wearing sunglasses, tears streaming down his face as he gives a firm thumbs-up with a determined expression amid radiating speed lines.

Two close-up panels capture stunned reactions: a round-goggled face with wide eyes and an open mouth, followed by Leorio in sunglasses, sweat drop visible, mouth agape. The main panel explodes with radiating speed lines as Gon stands tall and smiling at the center, one hand raised to his head. Surrounding him are several figures in formal attire, including a spiky-haired man with crossed arms, a bald man, a girl in a wide hat, a woman in a dress, a long-haired man with sunglasses, and a capped man. A massive jagged speech bubble in the foreground shouts "GON!!!!" while bold impact lines and debris effects streak across the bottom of the scene.

Leorio charges forward with arms outstretched and mouth wide open, tears flying, as Gon floats or leaps toward him with arms spread wide and a joyful grin. A large speech bubble from Leorio reads "YOU HAD ME WORRIED SICK, GODDAMNIT!!!!!!!" while another bubble near Gon says "LEO-RIO!!" and a massive "GON!!" dominates the right side. Speed lines and starburst effects fill the background. Below, four close-up panels show Gon beaming happily, the goggled character screaming in shock, Killua with a gentle smile, and a capped man with closed eyes and a slight grin.

A spiky-haired man in a striped suit dramatically clutches his chest and shouts with relief as massive impact lines radiate outward. "DID I REALLY LOOK THAT BAD? YOU WERE IN A CATEGORY BEYOND BAD! BUO HHH! I'M SO GLAD! I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE ALRIGHT!!" Below, Ging Freecss stands at a microphone, calmly clapping. Nearby, Leorio yells "LEORIO!! STOP!!" while another man insists "HE'S FINE, SO JUST GET OVER IT!! YEAH, YOU'RE RIGHT!! YEAH!!" Gon watches with wide eyes as the crowd erupts in thunderous applause. Leorio, now composed, smiles and tells Gon, "EVERYONE ELSE WAS WORRIED ABOUT YOU TOO." Gon bows deeply toward the audience, repeatedly saying "THANK YOU" and "AHH" amid the continuing roar of claps that fill the hall.

A young woman in an ornate dress and hat declares that Pariston wanted to save Leorio for last. She continues that with Pariston's support for becoming chairman, Leorio has lost both his motive and his reason to run. Leorio reacts with shock, asking "HUH?! WHY?!" while Mizaistom warns him not to tell Gon that Killua was the one who healed him. In close-up panels Leorio promises "I PROMISE" and "I MEAN IT!!" A bald man in the background yells that the next chairman should be the bald guy. Ging Freecss later asks "WHEN?" as the woman mentions Pariston again amid continuing applause.

Pariston stands with a wide grin, hands raised as he declares, "THINGS JUST HAPPENED TO TURN OUT THIS WAY!!" He laughs loudly, "HAHAHA! OH, NO, I DON'T HAVE ANY SORT OF ABILITY LIKE THAT!!" In the next panel, Cheadle stands holding a small creature while surrounded by floating symbols and the sound effect "SFX: CLAP". She asks, "THAT THINGS WOULD GO THIS WAY?" and "WHEN DID YOU START TO IMAGINE..." An unseen voice responds "HAM?" Below, a torn panel shows a desperate plea: "I REALLY WANT TO KNOW...!!!" followed by "PLEASE...!!!" Cheadle's face fills the frame with wide eyes as she cries, "BUT I'VE COMPLETELY LOST NOW, SO...!!!" and "IT HURTS..." Pariston appears again in profile, recalling, "SAID HE'D BECOME A CANDIDATE." and "WHEN GING..." His expression turns serious with a small ellipsis bubble. At the bottom, Cheadle's large shocked eyes stare forward as she exclaims, "WHAT...?!"

Pariston continues speaking with the clap symbols still visible, saying, "THIS WHOLE SCENE..." and "THAT'S WHEN IT ENTERED MY MIND." In a dark panel, three speech bubbles appear: "DIDN'T HE?" "GING SAID 'GON WON'T DIE,'" and "WHEN I PROVOKED HIM AFTER HE SAID THAT," while showing Ging's intense close-up face with the word "GO." Cheadle's glasses reflect in a small panel with an ellipsis. Pariston stands in profile, explaining, "AND THAT GING WOULD BE THE ONE TO WIN, THOUGH..." and "I FIGURED THAT IT'D BE GING AND I STANDING HERE," followed by "I KNEW RIGHT THEN AND THERE THAT THERE HAD TO BE A WAY TO HEAL GON." A close-up of Cheadle's eye appears as Pariston adds, "IT WAS REALLY...JUST THE FACT THAT GING SAID GON 'WOULDN'T DIE' THAT DID IT." Cheadle's face shows realization as she thinks, "I WOULDN'T WIN." and "THEN I KNEW...THAT IF I TRIED TO WORK GON INTO THE ELECTION," ending with "AT THAT TIME, I HAD ALREADY 'COMPLETELY LOST.'" and "UNDERSTAND?"

Narration fills the upper panels as the scene recalls recent events. "And the picture finally came together. Please! I heard him say that 'My friend's risking his life to save Gon.' And Leorio appeared and punched him. But then Ging dropped out of the election, DIE!!" The chaotic panel shows Leorio striking Ging amid shocked onlookers. "When I felt that aura. It was just a few moments ago that I realized I'd win." A close-up reveals the young man with light spiky hair and striped collar, his expression thoughtful. "I thought. 'His friend saved Gon.'" In the lower panels the fox-eared character reacts sharply. "You mean you believed in someone you didn't even know, someone you've never even seen?! You?!" The girl with glasses replies, "That's the only information you had...?! Oh, by the way, I retract my motion. Don't worry about it. Then I knew I just needed to drag things out until Gon himself came here..." SFX: CLAP as the two figures stand in the background.

A dramatic wide panel shows the suited man and the masked girl standing against radiating lines. "As an enemy. I trust Ging," the suited man states. Close-ups follow: the fox-eared character asks, "Who Ging thought 'good enough' to trust his son to, correct?" The girl with glasses answers, "This was a friend." The light-haired young man appears in a large close-up, smiling confidently. "Of course I do!! I believe in him!" Final panels focus on the girl with glasses, her eyes widening then narrowing in realization.

On stage, Leorio stands with arms raised, overwhelmed by the roaring crowd. "WOW, I CAN'T BELIEVE MY EARS!" he exclaims as voices from the audience shout "SPEECH, SPEECH!", "SAY SOMETHING ON THE STAGE!!", "I'LL VOTE FOR YOU IF YOU DO!!", and "BECOME A CANDIDATE NOW!!" SFX: CLAP echoes. Leorio turns to look toward the brightly lit stage where a lone figure stands amid the massive audience. His eyes widen in shock at the sight. In the crowd, a curly-haired man waves enthusiastically while two children watch intently—one with light hair and freckles, the other wearing a cap and scarf. The audience erupts in cheers, arms raised high.

The massive crowd chants wildly as Leorio, now in a tank top, grins toward the stage. Beside him stand a child in a cap with arms crossed and a light-haired child looking on. A lone figure descends the stairs under a brilliant spotlight while the audience erupts in excitement. In close-up, Leorio's eyes widen as he gasps "GING...?!" Sweat drops form on his face. Another close-up shows a bearded man in a cap muttering "THIS IS BAD....!!" and "OHHHH MAN." Narration reads: "THE ONE MEETING... EVERYONE'S BEEN WAITING FOR!!" and "THOUGH I THOUGHT IT'D PROBABLY HAPPEN..."