HunterxHunter: Reborn With Crazy Potential

Through Nicholas's body, I speak up, forcing my voice through the strain of doing it for the first time. "Hey, guys, it's Lucas. How y'all doing?"

The room goes completely still. The kind of stillness that makes your skin crawl. Then, like a dam breaking, questions hit me from all sides.

"Is that really you, Lucas?" "How are you talking through Nicholas?" "Wait how?"

"Yeah, it's me," I say, forcing my voice to sound normal, even if I'm not quite feeling it. "Don't freak out, alright? I'm still in control. Just… using his body for now."

A beat of silence follows. The air feels thick with disbelief, but I can hear the relief starting to trickle in like they're starting to believe me.

Gon's voice cuts through the quiet. "Whoa, this is... crazy."

"Right?" I say, trying to keep things light, but my hands are sweating. "I know it sounds insane. But I can explain later. Right now, focus. Yall got a course to survive."

I can feel their eyes on me trying to make sense of what I just said. They'll ask more later, I'm sure, but for now, they need to keep moving. they can't afford any distractions.

We step into the dark corridor, and immediately, arrows shoot out from hidden dispensers, their sharp tips glinting in the faint light.

I extend out Nicholas's En, focusing hard. I can barely feel anything around compared to my own En's full range. Just six meters of En really? It's not much, but it's enough. Behind the walls, I spot them hidden dispensers, their mechanisms ready to fire.

"Looks like we're not done dodging arrows," I say, my voice low. "There's more ahead, behind the walls. We need to be quick."

Leorio, slightly out of breath, frowns. "You're controlling his body. That's insane, Lucas."

I nod, my mind still working, pushing outwards, trying to keep track of what's ahead. "It's not easy, but yeah, I can do it. Just focus, alright?"

I feel the walls shift in my mind, and I spot something a way out. A metal slide, barely visible to the eye but clear as day in my head. It's about ten meters down. That's their fastest chance.

"I found a way out," I say, pushing the words out quickly. "There's a slide ahead, well its under the floor below us about 10 meters. You can escape through that."

"Are you sure?" Killua asks.

I meet his gaze, my voice firm. "Yeah, I'm sure. You've got no choice. Either that, or you can stay in these traps for another 18 hours. Nobody argues further. Still, they trust me enough to follow my lead. I stretch Nicholas's Nen to the limit, pushing it harder than before, forcing a shadow drill to emerge from the ground. The drill spins, tearing into the stone wall as if it's nothing, and I can feel Nicholas's energy start to drain.

"Go down the slide," I say through Nicholas's mouth, my voice tight with urgency. "I'll meet you down there and take Nicholas with you."

Before anyone can ask what I mean, I pull my consciousness out of Nicholas's body. It's like the world pulls away from me, leaving me gasping. 

Once they slide down and pass through the door, the speaker crackles to life.

"Gon Freecss, applicant number 405, is the nineteenth to pass. Killua, applicant number 99, is the twentieth. Leorio, applicant number 403, is the twenty-first. Kurapika, applicant number 404, is the twenty-second. Nicholas, applicant number 187, is the twenty-third."

I step forward, the exhaustion from the conscious switch and controlling of a body for the first time still weighing me down. But I can't let it show.

"Hey, there you are," Gon says, smiling at me with that wide, innocent grin of his, but his eyes are sharp. "I was wondering how you'd manage with all that crazy stuff."

I shrug it off, trying to seem casual. "It wasn't pretty, but I pulled it off. Don't worry about it. We're good."

Leorio crosses his arms, giving me a look that's half impressed, half skeptical. "You seriously just took control of his body? That's... kind of terrifying, Lucas."

I laugh, but it's a nervous sound. "Yeah, I guess. But hey, it worked, right? You all got out way faster and now I have company to talk to for the next 24 hours"

Kurapika tilts his head, studying me like he's trying to figure me out. "You've always been a little unpredictable, but this is on another level."There's a pause as Gon looks at me, his eyes narrowing with curiosity. Finally, he asks, "How did you take control of Nicholas's body?"

I look at them, each of their expressions mixed with curiosity and caution. I take a breath and let it out slowly, gathering my thoughts. "I know it's a lot to process and I'll explain everything."

I exhale, leaning against the wall as I gather my thoughts. "It's a... skill I've learned over time. I can temporarily take over someone's body and move it like it's my own. I tap into their energy, their essence whatever you want to call it, and use it to make their body do what I need. If you want I can show you a few tricks then the exams finish."

I glance at Nicholas, who's still recovering from the strain, and continue, "It's not easy, though. It requires a lot of focus, and the person I take over has to have a certain amount of... strength, I guess. Otherwise, it doesn't work very well."

Kurapika's eyes widen, and he interrupts asking. "But you can still use your own abilities, right?" he asks, voice full of intrigue.

"Yeah," I say, nodding. "I'm still in control of me. But using someone else's body limits what I can do. It's like trying to drive a car that's not yours. You get the feel for it, but it's not as smooth as when you're behind the wheel of your own."

Gon's expression shifts. He's clearly thinking it over, weighing it in his mind until finally, smoke comes out of his ear and he overloads from the stress of thinking in more than the second dimension.

When Gon wakes up he asks in a very childish tone "Lucas if you can use that on anyone can you try it on me so I can see where my mind goes when you do it?"

After I reply with "No" in a deadpan tone our conversation stops and we just stand there, the silence between us growing, the weight of the tension between candidates palpable.

Once again the speaker crackles to life, breaking the tension. "The third phase of the exam is now over. Twenty-seven candidates passed, including one deceased."

The door slides open, and we step through it, one by one, onto the next phase of the exam.

Outside, a small man with a bright purple mohawk, dark sunglasses, and no eyebrows greets us with a wide grin. His voice booms over the open space.

"Ladies and gentlemen, congratulations on surviving Trick Tower! The fourth and final phase awaits. This will take place on Zevil Island. Let's proceed. Draw lots!"

He's followed by a bald man in a yellow-green shirt, pushing a cart with a box that looks suspiciously ominous. We start to ask questions, but the purple-haired man silences us with a sharp gesture and that smile that never fades.

"These lots will decide who hunts and who is hunted," he says, his voice dripping with amusement. "There are 26 cards. Each one matches your ID number. You'll draw in the order you exited the tower. Who's first?"

Hisoka steps up first, his usual calm demeanor unshaken. One by one, the others follow, drawing cards with an intensity that's hard to ignore. When it's my turn, I step forward, my hand steady despite the pounding in my chest while I'm wondering what would happen if I draw Gon or maybe Nicholas. I draw and to my luck, the number on the card reads 'Number 198'.

The purple-haired man explains, in his annoying energetic game host-sounding voice. "The number you draw determines your prey. You need six points to pass. Your ID badge is worth three points, your prey's badge is worth three points, and every other player's ID is worth one."