Tusk in HXH

The soft hum of the blimp's engines fills the air as I wheel myself around the spacious cabin, idly watching other examinees mill about. The walls are lined with padded benches, and some people are already sitting, catching their breath or napping after the ordeal at Split Mountain.

A speaker crackles overhead, and a cheerful voice announces, "We are now en route to the next phase of the Hunter Exam. Please remain inside the cabin and enjoy the ride. The next phase will be revealed upon arrival."

I sigh, leaning back in my wheelchair. The smooth floor under me seems to tilt ever so slightly as the blimp sways i locked the wheels sure but it's annoying.

I spot Kurapika and Leorio sitting on one of the benches near the windows. They're chatting about something. After a moment of hesitation, I wheel over to them.

"Hey," I say, breaking into their conversation.

Leorio looks up first, then Kurapika. "Oh, it's you," Leorio says, his tone neutral but curious. "The wheelchair guy. Johnny, right?"

I nod, smiling faintly. "Yeah, but you can call me JoJo."

Kurapika shifts slightly, making room for me to join their little group. "What brings you over here?" he asks, his tone polite but reserved.

I shrug, leaning my elbows on my knees. "Ive got nothing else to do. You and leorio seem like decent people."

Leorio smiles. "Decent? Why thank you very much."

Kurapika smirks. "Leorio and decent in the same sentence? Impossible, maybe ive misheard you."

Leorio scowls. "What did i even do! Genuinely you were talking to me just fine 5 seconds ago!"

The banter draws a small chuckle out of me, and I settle in more comfortably. "So, what do you guys think about this blimp? Think it's part of the exam? Like theres cameras here watching our every move."

Leorio groans, running a hand through his hair. "Don't even say that. What if they're testing us right now, and we don't even know it?"

Kurapika shakes his head. "I doubt it. The examiners have been upfront about the challenges so far. I don't see why they'd suddenly change tactics."

I nod in agreement. "Yeah know that I think about it I don't think this is the exam either. Probably just transport."

Leorio crosses his arms, muttering something about "trusting nothing" before glancing at me again. "What about you? You've been pretty quiet since Split Mountain. What's your deal anyway?"

I hesitate for a moment, my fingers tightening slightly on the armrests of my wheelchair. "My deal? Uh… it's kind of complicated."

Kurapika tilts his head, his gaze sharp but not unkind. "Complicated how?"

"I-ill explain later, but for now I'll ask a little question, what's your stories? I said mine to you a bit before so could you reciprocate? If you don't wanna that's completely fine too." I say trying to act like I'm curious but I already know, it's just that I don't have a fully fledged backstory ready yet.

nor do I have any motivations other then getting the saint's body parts because I was dropped into this world like yesterday.

Leorio leans back, a grin spreading across his face. "Me? I'm gonna be a doctor. A damn good one. And to do that, I need the resources and connections that come with being a Hunter. Plus all the money, ill give operations and medicine for free."

"A doctor, huh?" I say, raising an eyebrow. "I wouldn't have guessed."

He laughs. "Yeah, well, I get that a lot. But hey, someone's gotta take care of all the idiots who get themselves hurt doing crazy stuff like jumping off a mountain with no warning."

There's a comfortable silence for a moment before I clear my throat, feeling awkward. "Hey, uh… can I ask you guys something?"

"Shoot," Leorio says.

I glance between them, feeling uncharacteristically nervous. "Do you… I mean, would you guys be okay with being friends? I don't really… have a lot of those."

Fuuck that was so cringe why did I ask them that! It's gonna be so awkward when they decline my God i can't believe-

Leorio bursts out laughing. "Friends? Of course, man! Why not?"

Kurapika smiles faintly, nodding. "If that's what you want, then yes. I'd be honored to call you a friend."

A genuine warmth spreads through me, and I can't help but smile. "Thanks. That… means a lot."

The blimp sways again, and I instinctively grip the armrests to steady myself. "But I swear, if this thing keeps tilting, I'm gonna lose it."

Leorio laughs. "You'll get used to it. Just don't roll out the door or anything."

"Very funny," I mutter.

As the conversation drifts to other topics, I find myself relaxing for the first time in a long time.

We chat about the Hunter exam, whats going on and other stuff until eventually I get tired.

"Hey guys, I'm beat. I'm going to sleep. See you." I say yawning.

Leorio and Kurapika nods in agreement and walk to the private quarters. And I roll over to a corner and lock my wheels, nodding off to sleep

...

...

...

The blimp jerks slightly as it's engine starts again. waking me up, and a mechanical voice announces over the intercom, "Last warning, please disembark the blimp to the third phase."

The doors are open, showing a massive stone tower rising out of the mist. Its sheer size and the large flatlands surrounding it make it feel like something out of a fairy tale, or a nightmare. The air is thin at this altitude, I'm not really used to it.

Shit I'm late, half of everyone else is already gone. Probably going down different paths in the tower as we speak.

I wheel myself out onto the stone platform with the other candidates, taking in the dizzying height. The top of the tower is a wide, circular area with no apparent entrances or exits, just a flat, featureless surface. Everyone's wandering around confused.

"What the hell is this place?" someone mutters.

I roll a little further, the wheels of my chair clattering against the uneven stone. Suddenly, the ground shifts beneath me, and I feel the back wheel of my chair tip dangerously close to the edge of what appears to be a hidden trapdoor.

"Whoa!" I use spin to pull myself back just in time. The trapdoor snaps shut beneath me, and I stare at it, heart racing.

I glance around and spot Gon, Killua, Leorio, and Kurapika standing in a small group near the center of the platform. Gon is gesturing animatedly about something, while Leorio has his arms crossed, looking skeptical. Kurapika is as calm as ever, but Killua's sharp eyes scan the area like he's already dissecting its secrets.

I decide to join them. Better to stick with people I've already talked to than wander alone in a place like this.

"Hey!" I call out, wheeling over.

Gon turns and waves cheerfully. "Johnny! Over here!"

As I approach, the ground shifts again, and the leorio falls through a trapdoor. Killua and the rest shrug before walking to the other trapdoors. Damn I'm so late that they already figured it out.

"Guys!" I shout, startled, but it's too late. They're gone.

I stare at the trapdoor for a moment, if I remember correctly they need a fifth person.

So there's probably another trapdoor for me somewhere.

I roll carefully across the platform, scanning for any sign of a hidden entrance. Sure enough, I feel another slight shift beneath my wheels. This time, I let the trapdoor open, and I fall through, gripping the armrests tightly as the air rushes past me.

I brace for impact, but the wheelchair absorbs most of the shock as I land on a stone floor below. For a second, I just sit there, catching my breath.

"Johnny?"

I look up to see Kurapika, Leorio, and Gon standing a few feet away. Killua is leaning casually against the wall, smirking.

"Took you long enough," Killua says.

"Yeah, yeah," I mutter, wheeling over to join them. "I like to make an entrance."

Gon grins. "Glad you made it!"

Kurapika nods. "It seems we've been grouped together for this phase."

"Lucky us," Leorio says, though he doesn't sound entirely convinced.

A mechanical voice echoes through the room, cutting off any further conversation. "Welcome to the Trick Tower. Your goal is to reach the bottom within the time limit. However, you will need to work together to proceed. As this is the path of majority decision."

A panel slides open in the wall, revealing five small devices. Each one is a wristwatch with two buttons: a green circle for "yes" and a red X for "no."

"Take a device," the voice instructs.

I strap one onto my wrist, testing the buttons. Simple enough.

"The first decision," the voice continues. "Do you wish to proceed?"

The watches light up, and I press the green circle without hesitation.

"All five votes received. Proceeding."

A section of the wall slides open, revealing a long, narrow hallway. We move forward cautiously, the tension palpable.

"This seems easy enough," Leorio says, his voice echoing slightly.

Kurapika shoots him a skeptical look. "Don't be so quick to assume. This is called the Trick Tower for a reason."

We reach a fork in the path, one corridor leading left and the other right. The watches light up again.

"Choose: left or right," the voice says.

Leorio immediately presses the button for right. Kurapika hesitates before doing the same, while Gon presses left. I glance at Killua, who shrugs and presses left as well. That leaves me.

I press right.

The voice announces the results: "Three votes for right, two for left. Majority rule: right."

Leorio sighs in relief. "Well, that's that. Let's go."

As we start down the right-hand path, he turns to me. "Why'd you pick right?"

"Because in a pinch, most people instinctively go left," I say.

Kurapika raises an eyebrow. "That's… actually correct. I was going to say the same thing."

Leorio groans. "Great. Now we've got two know-it-alls. You know i went to a private high school, so dont go thinking that your better then me."

The hallway opens into a circular arena, and a heavy gate slides shut behind us. Across the room are five figures, each shackled and wearing prison uniforms.

A voice echoes from the ceiling. "This is a battle of majority rule. Each of you will face one prisoner. For every hour they delay you, a year will be taken off their sentence. You must win to proceed."

The prisoners grin, their eyes gleaming with malice.

"Fantastic," Leorio mutters.

The first prisoner steps forward: a bald, muscular man with a scar running down his face. He looks like he could snap someone's neck with one hand.

"I'll take this one," I say before anyone else can volunteer.

The others stare at me.

"Are you sure?" Kurapika asks, his tone cautious.

"Positive," I say. "Trust me."

The bald man smirks, cracking his knuckles. "You sure about that, kid? I don't go easy."

"I wouldn't want you to," I reply evenly.

"I respect your courage, very well. I choose a battle to the death for our little competition, so one of us either dies or surrenders. Got it?"

The moment i mutter yes, he lunges at me, moving faster than I expected. But I'm ready.

I fire a nail bullet straight at his throat., the sharp crack echoing through the arena. The bullet strikes true, and the man's head flies off him, instantly killing him.

The room falls silent.

Leorio is the first to break it. "What the hell was that?"

"A nail bullet," I say calmly, lowering my hand.

Killua chuckles. "You're pretty good with those. But what made you act so fast?"

I glance at the headless man. "Guys like him don't waste time. He was probably ex-military, trained to go for the throat. If I'd hesitated, he'd have crushed my windpipe and made sure I couldn't surrender. Then he'd spend the rest of the time torturing me. Better to end it quickly."

The others exchange uneasy looks, but Killua nods. "He's got a point. Good call."

I wheel myself back to the group. "Well time for the next one."