THE MONSTROUS RAT-FOX

A wooden sign warns "Attention: Monsters!" with skull symbols. In the dark forest path, Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio walk forward. Someone asks, "A TWO HOURS WALK ...?" Another voice complains, "HOW DARK IT IS HERE!" Leorio shouts, "TWO HOURS? NO WAY! TWO HOURS AGO WE'D ALREADY WALKED TWO HOURS!" A sign repeats the monster warning. Kurapika points ahead and says, "THERE IT IS." The suited impostor waves his arms and yells, "YOU COMING, LEORIO? I NEED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!" and "I'M HUNGRY!" Leorio replies, "AT THIS RATE, DO YOU THINK WE'LL EVER GET THERE?" noticing "ANOTHER SIGN... 'ATTENTION: MONSTERS!'" An old woman with a staff smiles and explains, "IF THEY THINK YOU'RE OKAY, THEY'LL LEAD YOU TO THE TESTING PLACE. THE COUPLE WHO LIVES IN THE HOUSE BUILT BY THE TREE WILL BE YOUR NAVIGATORS."

Gon walks hand-in-hand with the Little Guide across a checkered floor filled with traps, pitfalls, and strange creatures. Text explains: "NAVIGATOR WHERE THE TEST TO BECOME A HUNTER TAKES PLACE CHANGES EVERY YEAR. THOSE WHO KNOW THIS PLACE AND GUIDE THE CANDIDATES THERE ARE CALLED NAVIGATORS. WITHOUT THEM, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO REACH THE TESTING PLACE." Another box reads: "TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS, TRAPS ARE LAIN ALONG THE WAY THAT LEADS TO THE TESTING SITE, A PATH THAT IS DIFFICULT TO FIND."

Under a massive, gnarled tree, a wooden house stands in a grassy clearing at dusk. Leorio approaches the door and knocks firmly. 'KNOCK KNOCK.' The group pauses on the path. 'Are we the only ones to have gotten this far? How quiet... We're finally here!' Leorio calls out. He slides the door open and steps inside, declaring, 'I'M COMING IN!' In the next instant a huge reaction panel shows Leorio and Kurapika staring in shock, eyes wide, as Leorio blurts 'HUH ?!' Gon peeks from behind them.

A towering, grotesque creature with a long beak-like face, massive feathered body, and spindly clawed limbs looms inside the wrecked room, laughing 'HA HA HA HA.' It has seized the Little Guide by the collar; the child hangs limp, hands raised in terror, mouth open in a scream 'AAAAH !' Rubble and broken furniture litter the floor. An injured man lies motionless among the debris.

Leorio, Kurapika and Gon burst into action. 'A MONSTER !!!' Kurapika shouts. Leorio swings his briefcase while Kurapika thrusts his wooden sword forward. The creature lashes out with a powerful wing, the impact marked 'SLAP' as it sends the Little Guide flying and knocks Kurapika and Leorio off their feet. Gon is hurled backward, crashing through a table with a loud 'CRASH,' landing sprawled on the floor.

Leorio, Kurapika, and Gon stand over the injured man lying on the ground. The man weakly raises a hand and pleads, "MY WIFE ... SAVE HER ..." Leorio points forward and shouts, "LEORIO- TAKE CARE OF THE WOUNDED!" Kurapika answers, "WE MUST HELP!" Gon clenches his fist and declares, "YOU CAN COUNT ON ME!" In a flashback panel Kurapika asks, "BUT WHERE, EXACTLY?!" Leorio replies, "HE'S ESCAPED INTO THE FOREST!" The three boys immediately sprint into the trees. The scene cuts to a dramatic close-up of Gon's wide eyes marked with "!!" as two sharp "TAP" sounds echo.

Gon races ahead through the forest, staff in hand, while Leorio and Kurapika follow close behind. Gon yells, "THERE!!" Narration notes that he saw something less visible than a shadow in a very short time. Kurapika thinks, "IN THIS DENSE AND GLOOMY FOREST ..." with a shocked "!!" reaction. Leorio remarks, "HE IS STRONG AND SMALL ..." Small sound effects mark their rapid movement: "MOF MOF", "GATOH", "TAP TAP", and "Hop" as they press deeper into the woods.

A massive fox-like creature with bat-like wings and sharp claws lunges through the trees, carrying the woman in its grasp. Gon leaps between branches, striking at the beast with his staff amid a flurry of motion lines and impact sounds "FUR FUR". The creature snarls with a loud "GIII" as Gon shouts, "RELEASE HER!" The fox-like creature twists violently, sending Gon flying while the woman remains trapped in its talons. Smaller panels show Gon dodging and the creature's gaping jaws.

The massive rat-fox looms over the scene, its body twisting as it taunts the group. "JUST TRY COMING HERE TO GET HER BACK YOURSELF! HEE HEE HEE" it jeers while a loud "ALL TAP" echoes from its movement. In the distance, Gon watches intently. Kurapika stares in shock, exclaiming, "AN ANIMAL CAPABLE OF USING THE HUMAN LANGUAGE... THAT'S WHAT A MONSTER IS !!" Gon reacts with excitement, "YOU HEARD, RIGHT?" and then shouts, "HEY! GREAT! HE CAN TALK !!!" Someone wonders aloud, "HE'S SPOKEN TO THE RAT, BECAUSE HE SUSPECTED WE WOULD UNDERSTAND ?!" Leorio turns and says, "BUT SINCE HE UNDERSTANDS OUR LANGUAGE, WE CAN TALK IT OVER!" Kurapika warns sharply, "HE CAN EASILY TAKE THE APPEARANCE OF A HUMAN! WATCH OUT!" and adds, "HE HAS THE CAPACITY TO META-MORPHOSE. HE'S A RAT-FOX !!"

The rat-fox reacts with surprise, "HUH?" as its head turns sharply. Gon stares in disbelief and yells, "EH! RAT-FOX OF SERIES 2 ?!" The creature's face fills the panel with wide eyes and an open mouth. It lunges forward with blinding speed. Gon, now clinging to its back, cries out, "TOO FAST !!!" while thinking, "HE IS..."

The rat-fox thrashes violently, sending Gon flying with a loud "BANG". Kurapika stands protectively in front of the girl, who peeks out nervously. "HE'S AFRAID OF NOTHING ..." Kurapika notes. The rat-fox is struck and tumbles, shouting, "TH-THAT BRAT!" as it hits the ground with a "TAC". In the chaos, someone yells, "KURAPIKA! THE GIRL !!!" while the creature continues its rampage amid motion lines and impact effects.

In the forest, a woman clutches a small child as leaves scatter around them. A figure plummets from above with a desperate cry. 'WAIT!!!' someone shouts. 'I WON'T FORGET YOU...' another voice calls out. The woman, looking distressed, murmurs 'MY HUSBAND...?' Kurapika leans in close, asking 'ARE YOU HURT ANYWHERE?' She replies, 'I'M OKAY, BUT...' Kurapika presses, 'WILL YOU TAKE ME TO HIM? I BEG OF YOU...' while reassuring her, 'DON'T WORRY, ONE OF MY COMPANIONS IS WITH HIM.' The woman asks anxiously, 'IS HE ALRIGHT?' A close-up reveals the tattoo on her face as she stares in shock. 'THIS TATTOO...' she says, reacting to the mark. 'you...' she whispers.

Leorio adjusts his glasses and states, 'I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY NEED TO WORRY.' He adds, 'HE HAS TAKEN A SEDATIVE, AND IS SOUND ASLEEP.' Kurapika confirms, 'YES. GON IS CHASING THE MONSTER.' Leorio asks, 'AND HER HUSBAND? HE'S OKAY?' and inquires, 'ARE YOU ALRIGHT, KURAPIKA?' Kurapika answers, 'AH, GOOD...' Suddenly, Kurapika strikes the suited impostor with a swift blow. 'CLAP' echoes as the impact lands, sending the man reeling with motion lines flaring around them.

The suited impostor grins wildly, asking 'HOW DID YOU FIGURE OUT THAT I WASN'T YOUR FRIEND?' Kurapika counters with his weapon, 'CLAC' ringing out as he blocks and strikes. 'WHETHER OR NOT YOU'RE LEORIO IS NOT THE QUESTION' he declares. 'I TOLD LEORIO TO TAKE CARE OF THE WOUNDED, AND HE SAID "COUNT ON ME."' The impostor is sent flying with 'SHAA!' Kurapika explains coldly, 'THE REASON I HIT YOU IS BECAUSE YOU CAME HERE, LEAVING THE WOUNDED ALL ALONE.' He adds, 'THAT'S ALL.' The woman watches from the side as Kurapika demands, 'ANSWER ME...' The impostor lies defeated on the ground.

Kurapika grips his wooden sword tightly, eyes narrowed in suspicion as he demands, "WHO ARE YOU REALLY?" Nearby, Leorio smirks and chuckles "HE HE" while watching the scene. The view widens to a nighttime forest clearing under a dark sky with birds flying overhead. In the foreground, Gon stands alert with his own wooden sword, staring across the grass toward a small distant figure standing near the treeline.

Gon stands ready in the moonlit clearing as the fox-like creature lunges forward with a fierce "GRIFF". The creature, a pale bipedal beast with long ears and a tail, speaks menacingly: "TO HIT ME LIKE YOU DID. YOU ARE FAST FOR A KID." It continues, "YOU WILL PAY!" while swiping with sharp claws marked by impact lines and "CLING CLING" effects. Gon braces himself against the attack.

The fox-like creature strikes with a powerful "KWA" impact, sending motion lines and debris flying around Gon. Gon looks up and calls out, "SAY... WHO ARE YOU?" The creature recoils with motion lines and a surprised "!?" as Gon watches intently, his expression shifting to surprise.

Gon stands facing the fox-like creature, his expression firm. "BUT IF YOU BOTHER ME ANY MORE, I'LL TAKE YOU FOR AN ENEMY," he declares. The creature responds, "YOU ARE NOT THE ONE THAT I FOLLOWED AND HIT." Gon presses on: "YOU'RE A PAL OF THE OTHER?" The fox asks, "HOW HAVE YOU FIGURED THAT OUT?" Gon replies, "HOW... BESIDES, YOUR VOICE IS MORE POWERFUL, AND SHRILL, RIGHT?" The creature reacts with surprise: "HUH? YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE EACH OTHER AT ALL!" Suddenly the fox bursts into loud laughter, "HAHAHAHA," with large stylized sound effects filling the panel. It calls out, "HEY! TOCHAN! COME HERE! I HAVE SOMETHING FUNNY TO SHOW YOU!" while tapping its foot, "TAP TAP." Another fox-like creature nearby lets out a small "PFF."

Two large fox creatures react with shock, one exclaiming "AAH." Leorio questions, "NOT AT ALL... DO YOU SEE A DIFFERENCE...?" The fox explains, "IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME SINCE WE'VE MET ANYONE WHO COULD TELL ME AND MY WIFE APART." Kurapika notes, "YES, MAYBE, BUT THAT DOESN'T TELL US WHO'S WHO..." Gon points out, "IN FACT, IT WAS YOU, MISTER, WHO HIT KURAPIKA." The fox continues, "IT GIVES ME GREAT PLEASURE..." Two small children with headbands step forward and introduce themselves: "I'M THEIR SON." "I'M THEIR DAUGHTER." "I'M YOUR NAVIGATOR." The adult fox states, "KNOW, THEN, THAT MY WIFE AND I ARE YOUR NAVIGATORS." The other adds, "GOOD... YOU ARE VERY NICE TO US..."

A young woman with facial markings and an ornate arm tattoo raises her hand, displaying the symbol. Narration explains, "WITHOUT AN EXCELLENT KNOWLEDGE OF ANCIENT HISTORY, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DECIPHER IT. FOR THOSE WHO WEAR THIS TATTOO, THE YOUNG GIRLS OF THE ANCESTRAL CLAN 'SUM' WEAR IT IN WITNESS OF A PROMISE OF MARRIAGE MADE TO A GOD AND TO NO ONE ELSE." Kurapika is shown in close-up as the narration continues: "THE WISE KURAPIKA-SAN WAS NOT FOOLED AND UNDERSTOOD THAT WE WERE NOT HUSBAND AND WIFE." Leorio points upward, saying, "BUT HE KNEW HOW TO GIVE ME FIRST-AID, MAYBE BETTER THAN A DOCTOR." The fox replies, "I WASN'T SURE. HA HA!" while the headband-wearing child adds, "LEORIO-SAN UNDERSTOOD NOTHING UNTIL THE END." Leorio growls in frustration, "BUT ABOVE ALL... HE'S TRYING TO MAKE A DAMN FOOL OUT OF ME, OR WHAT? WHEN I WAS WORRIED AND ASKING FOR NEWS OF MY WIFE, HE STAYED CONFIDENT AND SURE OF HIMSELF AND SPOKE REASSURINGLY."

Gon stands with one hand behind his head, grinning widely as he speaks. "I HIT YOU AROUND A LITTLE WITHOUT THINKING..." A separate narration box continues, "AS FOR GON, HE WALKED STRAIGHT AHEAD, SHOWING EXTRAORDINARY MOVEMENT AND OBSERVATION." In the next panels, Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon appear dazed with swirling stars around their heads. A large winged creature flaps its wings with loud "FLAP" sound effects and declares, "WE WILL TAKE YOU TO THE TESTING SITE." Another voice from the creature adds, "THATS OKAY." The bottom of the page shows a dramatic silhouette against a bright circular backdrop: Gon, Kurapika, and Leorio are being carried through the air by several large winged creatures. A text box reads, "THEY WERE NOT YET AT THE STARTING LINE..." while another states, "GON, KURAPIKA, AND LEOREO WERE THEN TAKEN STRAIGHT THERE, AS AN AMUSING LITTLE RIDE ON THE WIND, BUT..."