Rebirth in HxH World With Gardevoir

At his command, the massive stone door that connected the underground tunnel to the wetlands rumbled as it began to sink. Within moments, it was completely sealed shut. "Wait! Hold on!" Several unlucky candidates, exhausted and crawling toward the finish line, reached out in desperation—only to fall short. The door closed before they could make it through. Then again, if they had struggled this much in the first exam, they likely wouldn't have survived the later ones. 

Satotz turned to the remaining candidates and began his explanation. "This is the Numere Wetlands, also known as the 'Swindler's Nest.'" His voice carried across the group, making several candidates tense up. "Every creature here is a master of deception. Many lure their prey with elaborate tricks, disguising themselves as harmless animals or even humans. Some will mimic voices, while others will manipulate your senses. From this point forward, be extremely cautious. This is the only path to the next phase of the exam, and if you let your guard down, you won't make it out alive." He let the warning sink in before adding, "Stay close to me, and don't wander off."

A heavy silence fell over the crowd. The weight of his warning sank in, and most candidates adopted serious expressions. Except for one. Leorio, ever the skeptic, scoffed and crossed his arms. "Come on, really? If we know everything here is trying to scam us, how hard can it be to avoid getting tricked?"

Before anyone could respond, a voice suddenly shouted from nearby. "Don't listen to him! He's lying!"

The candidates whipped their heads around to see a disheveled man with brown hair stumble into view. He was dressed in red, his clothes torn, his face covered in scratches—injuries that looked just bad enough to be suspicious. In his hands, he clutched an unconscious monkey-like creature. The man pointed an accusatory finger at Satotz. "He's not the real examiner!" he declared. "I am!"

Murmurs spread through the crowd. "This thing I'm holding is a human-faced ape, one of the creatures native to Numere Wetland!" the man continued, shaking the unconscious creature for emphasis. "Look closely—this guy looks exactly like it! He's an imposter!"

The crowd hesitated. Some candidates started exchanging uncertain glances, while others immediately fell into debate.

"Wait… does that mean this guy is the real examiner?"

"I mean, they do look pretty similar…"

A bald ninja and Leorio nodded in agreement, clearly struggling to tell the difference. 

Satotz, however, simply watched in silence. Rather than intervene, he let the scene play out. This was the perfect opportunity for the candidates to experience firsthand why Numere Wetland had its infamous nickname. Larry, meanwhile, was holding back laughter. The human-faced ape really did look like Satotz. The resemblance was uncanny. "Hahahaha—oh man, Satotz, you and this ape could be twins!" Larry couldn't hold it in anymore. He burst into laughter, slapping Satotz's shoulder as he wheezed.

The level of detail in its disguise was insane. It had to be some kind of innate ability that let it mimic human features so accurately. There was no way this was a coincidence. The ape had definitely transformed itself to look like Satotz on purpose. Satotz, for his part, simply sighed and rubbed his forehead. There was no point in arguing—Larry wasn't wrong. Even he felt a little weirded out seeing a perfect copy of his own face staring back at him. The fake examiner, noticing the reaction between the two, seemed to sense an opportunity and opened his mouth to speak. But before he could say a single word—

Whoosh!

Two playing cards sliced through the air at high speed. The next instant, the fake examiner's eyes rolled back, his breath caught in his throat, and he collapsed backward like a puppet with its strings cut. At the same time, Satotz casually lifted his hand, revealing several playing cards he had caught mid-air with little effort. The difference in skill was glaring. A slight chuckle echoed from within the crowd. Hisoka leaned back, smirking as he shuffled his deck of playing cards with smooth, precise motions. The sharp flicking sound filled the silence. "Well, that settles it," Hisoka mused, his voice slow and teasing. "Our real examiner wouldn't go down to a couple of playing cards so easily, now would he?"

Hisoka's scarlet eyes narrowed as he gave Satotz an exaggeratedly amused look. Satotz didn't even blink. He simply flicked the playing cards aside and spoke with his usual even tone. "Consider this a warning," he said. "If you attack the examiner again, I have the authority to disqualify you from the exam."

"Fine, fine," Hisoka replied breezily, tucking his deck away. His gaze, however, flickered toward Larry with interest. He seemed to be sizing him up, already making calculations in his mind. Larry, meanwhile, recalled something from the previous Hunter Exam. If he remembered correctly, Hisoka had attacked an examiner back then too. Probably because the examiner annoyed him. The guy just couldn't resist stirring up trouble.

While Larry was lost in thought, the second "unconscious" human-faced ape suddenly twitched. Realizing its partner had been exposed, it immediately sprang to its feet, turned tail, and bolted. The candidates barely had time to react before a flock of massive vultures swooped down from the sky. Within seconds, they tore into the fallen human-faced ape, reducing it to nothing more than scraps.

Leorio paled as he watched the brutal feeding frenzy. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and muttered under his breath. "...I know it's just nature doing its thing, but damn, that was fast."

After this eerie display, the candidates finally understood—Numere Wetland's reputation wasn't an exaggeration. If anything, it was an understatement. The candidates hardened their resolve, reinforcing the thought in their minds—they had to stick close to Satotz. If they didn't, they'd end up just like that human-faced ape… or worse.

After a quick scan of the group, Satotz suddenly stepped forward. "Stay close to me," he instructed in a calm, commanding tone. Without hesitation, the candidates pushed their fatigue aside and forced themselves to follow. Rest could come later. Right now, their only priority was keeping up.

For most of them, Satotz was their only lifeline. If they lost sight of him in this mist-filled deathtrap, survival was not an option. Meanwhile, Larry, still riding his Arcanine, moved leisurely beside Satotz. It didn't take long for him to notice something strange—not a single creature in the Numere Wetland dared to come near him.

At first, he thought it was just a coincidence. But after observing the thick fog shifting around them, he realized the truth. If someone could see through the mist, they would notice that every single monster was avoiding Larry and Satotz. Instead, the creatures were scattering to the sides, rushing toward the helpless candidates trailing behind. For Larry and Satotz, the journey to the second exam site was completely unimpeded. But for everyone else? Hell was just beginning.

The deeper they ventured into the wetlands, the denser the fog became. Visibility dropped significantly, and one by one, exhausted candidates started falling behind. Then, a voice rang out in the mist. "Huh? What the hell? Why are there strawberries this big?" A candidate gasped, eyes wide in astonishment.

Right in front of him, swaying gently in the mist, was a massive, ripe strawberry—easily the size of a human head. The man had never seen anything like it before. Instinctively, he took a step closer. He hesitated for a moment, remembering Satotz's warning. Everything in this place is trying to trick you. He was just about to turn away when BOOM! The ground erupted beneath his feet.