After a long moment, Larry finally spoke. "President, you're exaggerating. I only barely won." His tone was casual, almost playful, but there was an unmistakable glint in his eyes. Because the truth was— He had never been in danger.
Sure, it looked like a tough fight, but in reality, Larry had been holding back. If he had truly fought with everything—if he had used all of his Pokémon's abilities, if he had fought with the intent to kill— Netero would have died. And that wasn't arrogance. It was simply fact.
For one, his Gengar alone could have ended the fight with Destiny Bond—a technique that guaranteed mutual destruction. In a real fight, Netero wouldn't have stood a chance. Of course, Netero himself knew this. That was why, despite his loss, he didn't seem particularly upset. If anything, he looked thoughtful. Larry, on the other hand, was busy focusing on something else entirely. Because in the back of his mind, he could feel it— The experience points from the battle had already been distributed. Since only Tyranitar had participated, it had absorbed everything. Netero's defeat had given him an enormous boost. Enough to almost push him into S-Class. But not quite. There was still a small gap left to fill.
Larry exhaled, dragging his attention away from his internal calculations and back to the present moment. His gaze swept over the stunned faces of those around him, then drifted toward the window of the airship. The battlefield he had left behind was still visible in the distance. A scarred, broken island—its once-verdant landscape completely eradicated. The sheer scale of destruction was almost surreal. Larry leaned back slightly, hands tucked in his pockets, as a single thought crossed his mind. 'This is just the start….'
Seven days passed in a flash. When the remaining eight candidates boarded the airship, the first thing that greeted them was the sight of Larry, already lounging comfortably inside. While they had spent the last week struggling, fighting, and strategizing just to earn their six points, he had been enjoying himself, eating well, sleeping peacefully, and waiting for the next phase of the exam.
Even among monsters like Hisoka and Illumi, who were undoubtedly strong enough to breeze through the exam, neither of them had been granted this level of privilege. No matter how powerful they were, the Hunter Association still required them to follow the standard procedures. But Larry? He had bypassed everything. He wasn't just a guaranteed pass—he had completely transcended the structure of the exam itself.
Strength was everything in this world, and with the level of power Larry had demonstrated, there was no longer any doubt. He was already standing among the world's strongest Nen users. With him on board, the final list of examinees had shifted slightly from what it was meant to be. Bodoro, the veteran fighter, had been knocked unconscious before he even had a chance to compete in the fourth phase. Because of that, he had been disqualified, leaving only nine participants to move forward to the final test. Gon, Kurapika, Leorio, Killua, Hanzo, Hisoka, Illumi, Pokkle, and Larry.
The candidates gathered in a spacious room to rest, exhaustion settling in after the grueling trials they had endured. Leorio, glancing around and realizing that only nine of the original 405 candidates remained, let out a heavy sigh. "The Hunter Exam really isn't easy…"
Everyone still standing had either immense skill, sheer luck, or both. The 400-plus candidates who had started the exam weren't just random participants—they were the ones who had already passed the brutal preliminary screenings. If they counted all the people who attempted to take the Hunter Exam each year, the number would easily be several times higher. But here they were, the final nine, the ones who had survived every challenge thrown at them.
Three of them were already proficient in Nen, while the remaining six had relied on nothing but their physical skills, instincts, and intelligence to make it this far. They all shared the same sentiment—the exam had been brutal, and it wasn't over yet. Now was the time to rest before facing the final test. Their brief reprieve was soon interrupted by a voice over the speakers. "Attention, candidates. When your number is called, please proceed to the meeting room." The announcement repeated once more before the voice continued. "Candidate number 403, please proceed first."
Larry. Without hesitation, he followed the directions and made his way to the meeting room. Inside, a simple table was set in the middle of the room, with Netero sitting across from it. He was back in his usual blue-and-white robes, exuding the same sage-like aura as always. That is, if one ignored the fact that half of his beard was still missing. Larry sat down across from him without hesitation, folding his arms as Netero tapped a pen against the table with an amused expression. "Well, even though you and I both know this is just a formality, I still have to ask you a few questions," Netero said with a tone of mild exasperation.
Larry nodded, signaling his understanding.
"First question—why do you want to become a Hunter?"
Larry paused for a moment before giving a simple answer. "I guess… to get stronger."
Netero's eyebrow twitched slightly. 'To get stronger?' Hearing this answer from anyone else would have been reasonable. But coming from Larry—the person who had just defeated him—it was almost absurd.
For a moment, Netero mulled over what he meant. Did Larry mean that the battles he had experienced during the exam had helped him improve? Perhaps even his own fight had given him some kind of insight?
Since he had no way of reading Larry's thoughts, Netero settled on that explanation. He had no idea that Larry's true motivation for taking the exam had been something much simpler—getting access to the mystery Pokémon reward and showing off in front of the original cast. Netero moved on. "Next question—who is the person you care about most? And who do you most want to fight?"
Larry didn't even hesitate. "No one."
Netero blinked. "No one you care about. No one you want to fight."
"…Yeah."
Netero sighed. This was probably the most anticlimactic interview in Hunter Exam history.
The next day, after a full night's rest, the candidates were gathered once again. They were now standing in a hotel booked by the Hunter Association, listening as Netero explained the final phase of the exam. "In other words," Netero declared, gesturing toward a large challenge bracket, "the final exam will be a one-on-one elimination tournament!"
The candidates tensed as they looked at the table. Leorio frowned, confused. "Wait… only one person passes the exam?"
That was how elimination tournaments worked, right? If it was one-on-one, then the only possible winner was the person at the top. If that was the case, then there was no point in even competing. They could skip the whole thing and just hand the license to Larry right now.