Yeah…I have no real excuse for the long wait, beside work getting in the way. When I got back from katsucon school was almost near its end and Transportation kept hopping me from one place to the other not giving me enough time to sit down and work on the story. On the bright side though I finally got contracted to a route back in July! YEAH! Down side the only time that I can work in on the holidays/close school from weather/ and the weekends.

Because I haven't written since I last update…I'm not really impressed on how this chapter turn out. I apologize if it was bad I tried truly I did. It might be like this for the next chapter too till I get back on my game now that I finally now what my schedule will be.

I already know what I'm going to do for the next two arcs. I have plans for them. Though the Yorknew City arc…I have some form of plan but I'm stuck there since it mainly involves Kurapika in this arc. I'll be doing a poll for it and too see what you guys might like. I just want to hear your suggestion about it so it can help me out.

A x Surprising x Challenge Part 2

"Catch a pig and cook it." Leorio said as the group walked together looking around to spot any pigs to catch "This is way easier than the First Phase."

"I hope it will be that simple…"

"I highly doubt it. This is Hunter Exam after all."

…

"GAH!?" Leorio jumped back at the sudden sound as they all whipped around to see Nagisa standing behind them, soaking wet as she rings out the water in her hair.

"Nagisa when did you get here?" Gon asked.

"And why are you wet?" Kurapika added.

"Just now, Gon." I told him "And for why I'm soaking wet. Well…"

Flashback

SPLASH

"GAGHPPP!...*COUGH COUGH* What the hell was that for!?" I snapped at my grinning father, who tossed me in a fucking lake. Where the hell did this lake even come from? There wasn't one anywhere near the wall!? God damn anime/manga/fanfiction logic. Now my clothes are wet! Son of a bitch…

"Now, now Nagisa~ Mind your language."

"Screw you!"

Hisoka sighs putting his hands on his hips "It seems that you came to a dead end."

"You think." I snapped. Yeah…still pissed that he threw me in a lake.

"Hm, I think you should still give it a try though. Who knows you might pass."

"And if I don't…?"

"Then you fail." With that he walks away with a wave.

"What the…HEY WHAT KIND OF ENCOURAGEMENT IS THAT YOU PSYCHOTIC PEDOPHILE! GET BACK HERE YOU DAMN CLOWN I'M NOT DONE YET!

End Flashback

"…My so called loving father tosses me in a lake to snap me out of my shock." I bluntly told them.

"He tossed you…into a lake." Leorio said in disbelief.

I nod my head. "Yeah. What a lovely parent that I have. Tossing me in a lake then ditching me in the forest while I suffer walking around in wet clothes on the high chance of getting sick! Yes my father is the best!" I'm damn positive one can see the sparkles and flowers behind me as I speak about how much I love my Papa-Pedo in sarcasm. "*sigh* Murder plans aside (I ignore Kurapika muttering 'Murder plans?') We need to find some pigs right. To cook."

"Yeah that's right." Kurapika said.

"Oi Gon, wait up!"

We looked over to see Killua jumping down the hill letting out a shout of glee. The three of us share a look before jumping down too…which turn to a bad idea as we all end up slam to each other.

"What was that about, Gon!?" Killua yelled raising his fist.

"Found them." Was Gon's response

"Huh?"

"Pigs!" Leorio exclaimed.

"…Those pigs…are abnormally huge…" I spoke in shock.

Holy shit those pigs are huge! I thought the only abnormally large animals here where those blasted snakes! ….And is it just me or are those pigs eating bones from another animal?

"Uh… They're chewing on bones" Leorio commented. Oh good so I'm not the only one.

"Don't tell me…" Kurapika said "They're carnivores?"

And on que the bones snaps and the pigs glare at us. Well shit…

"Time to run!" I exclaimed as we all quickly got up and book it, while those devil pigs chased us. As we ran I notice some of the other contestants looking over at us in shock. "Run! Man eating pigs are chasing us!" That got their attention as they too began to run away…some…not so luckily as the pigs use their snouts to slam into them.

"These pigs are crazy!" Leorio yelled.

"Yeah, no kidding!" I yell back.

"The Great Stamp, the world's most ferocious pig. They use their large, stout noses to send their enemies flying. If you're too slow, you'll end up as their dinner."

As most of the contestants ran others try to fight back in order to catch them. But as luck would have it…it didn't quite work. Their snouts are too strong and too big to get around. Throwing a boulder will only get smashed. Sharp object barely even pierced the damn things. So how the hell do we beat them!? Gah it's like the tip on my tongue but I don't remember what the answer was.

BAM

"Huh?" I looked over at the pig that had slam into a tree, the one that Gon was targeting. When the pig got its bearings together and turn to make another attack, apples from the tree landed on the pigs head making it squeal out in pain. Wait…could it be that…?

"Just maybe…"Gon mumbled before jumping in the air and slamming his fishing pole on the pigs head. The pig let out one more squeal before dropping dead.

"Oh~ Now I see…" I grin.

"Could their foreheads be their weak points?" Killua grinned

"So, the pigs evolved large, strong noses in order to protect their soft foreheads." Kurapika said.

I cracked my knuckles "Well then, I guess it time to start cracking some heads in!" The three of us are off it kill a pig. Killua killed his with his skateboard; Kurapika used his weapons while I gave mine an axe kick to the head. With that done we gather our pigs and ran back to the site.

'This year's applicants are very talented.' Satotz thought looking down at everyone from his binoculars before putting them down 'However, the difficult part is yet to come.'

"Now eat the pig and send me to the next phase." #255 said arrogantly.

"Okay, it's evaluation time." Menchi hummed. "Taste testing."

Buhara began to dig end while holding up a sign with a red circle saying that he has a pass from him. Menchi on the other hand gave him an x.

"Huh!?" #255 gave him a shock look.

"It's overcooked." Menchi tells him "The tough texture ruins the flavor of the meat."

"What? You haven't even tried it!"

"It's plain as day."

"Damn it…"

#294 comes up next and places his plate down on the table. "Okay…Dive in!" Buhara gives him the 'O' while Menchi gave him the 'X' "Huh? Why?"

"Charred on the outside, uncooked inside." Menchi explained waving her stick side to side. "Your fire was too strong."

After that…it was a repeat of Buhara only liking the food and Menchi hating it. 'Honestly…' Menchi angrily thought her eyebrow twitching at her ire 'All they're doing is roasting the whole pig, like it's all they know how to do…None of them has made any effort!'

"No one's passed yet…" Leorio said as he, Gon and Kurapika watch Menchi yelling at the other contestants.

"And Menchi hasn't even taken a bite…" Kurapika said taking notice of how only Buhara is only eating and not Menchi.

"Hey!" Menchi yelled. "Can't anyone out there satisfy me?"

"That's it!" Kurapika snapped his fingers "This phase of the exam is a cooking test, but they're judging us on originality and powers of observation."

"I see…" Leorio grinned.

Leorio proudly places his pig on the table with a decoration of a flag on top. "How do you like my cooking?"

"Is this supposed to be a kiddy meal?!" Menchi scream throwing the plate in the air…only for Buhara to quickly catch the pig and eat.

"I'm next!" Gon says with his pig being covered in pink bows and flowers.

"It's basically the same thing!" She yells shoving it away.

"I am next!" Kurapika puts his down. And unlike the others he made his into a sandwich filled with from fruit, lettuce and tomatoes. "Please judge my creation."

"Oohh~." Menchi hummed eyeing the pig "Finally, something that resembles an actual dish…" She picks up a fork and cuts in the pig.

'The point is to use the provided facilities and ingredients.' Kurapika thought as he watches Menchi taking a bit of the pig '…to highlight the main feature, the pork. In other words, the taste is insignificant!'

"YUCK!" Menchi yells throwing the plate in the air.

"Huh?" Kurapika gasp.

"Appearance is important, but only if it also tastes good. You're no better than #403!" She gives him an 'X'. While Kurapika feels like he got stab threw the heart by that statement.

"Haha!" Leorio laughs looking over at a dejected Kurapika "Too bad!"

"No better than #403…"

"No luck for you guys either, huh?" I said walking up to them.

"Ah, Nagisa how did you do?" Gon asked.

"Oh…about that…" I gave them a wary smile "Yeah. I failed."

"Huh? What do you mean you failed?" Leorio exclaimed "We didn't even see you go up there."

"Look." I pointed over to my station. The boys blinked at the pile of dust sitting there.

"Nagisa…what happen to your station?" Kurapika asked.

"Hahahaha! Funny story you see…"

Flashback

"Yoish!" I grunted placing the pig over the grill. Stepping back I gave the nob on the grill a wary look.

'Who know you might pass.'

Yeah…right. It'll be a miracle if the pig doesn't burst into flames then turning into ash. I sigh before slowly putting my hand on the nob. "God…or whatever deity out there please let me get through this without screwing up!" I slowly turn the nob to low, better to start from there and see how it goes. The flames start up and slowly began to cook the pig.

"Hah!" I gasp out happily. Yes it not bursting into flames! I can do the happy dance right now. "Okay, guess I can crank the heat up a bit."

And before I could even touch the thing…the damn thing burst into flames. And by 'damn thing' I mean the entire fucking station burst into flames. Including the kitchen utensils and they weren't even on the grill!

"Woah what the hell?!"

"That grill burst into flames!"

"How is that possible?!"

"ha…haha…haaa!" I collapsed on the ground and cried out "DAMN IIIIIIITTTTTTT!"

"Woah her station burst into flames!" Buhara exclaimed.

Menchi blinks "Looks like Lyza was right about her. I'd had a bit of hope when she started the fire."

"Guess that means she failed then."

Menchi sighs "Yeah…shame too, I would have like to see her pass. Oh well."

"Why does this keep happening to me~?!" I cried.

End of Flashback

"Wait…Your entire station burst into flames!" Leorio cried "How is that even possible?!"

I sigh "I don't know…Papa and I are still trying to figure that out. I'm even banned from the kitchen."

"That's got to be rough." Kurapika said.

"No kidding." I nod "At least Papa can cook to a degree…we mainly do take-out the most."

"I see."

"Hehe…That was so much food." Buhara laughs patting his stomach "I'm stuffed!"

"Yeah, I'm stuffed, too." Menchi said getting up from her seat "Therefore, no one passes. We're finished here!"

"It's over?"

"What the hell?"

"Is this a joke?"

"Yeah! No more cooking!"

"I think you're the only who is happy about this…"

'As I expected, she's lapsed back into her old bad habits.' Satotz pulls out his phone and dials a call.

"What should we do, Chairman?"

"I suppose I have no choice. Fine, I'll have to go in person."

"Zero people passed?"

"Are you serious?"

"Does she really mean it?"

"The exam is over?"

"This isn't funny!" #255 snaps smashing his station "I won't accept it… I absolutely refuse to accept this!"

"In the end, you've still failed." Menchi told them.

"Stop screwing around! You asked for pork, so we risked our lives to—"

Menchi cuts him off "I said to prepare the pork in a manner we both found delicious…None of you made anything remotely delicious. You all did almost the same thing. There was no effort made…Just when I thought someone actually tried, they only changed the appearance. No one attempted to emphasize the flavor. I'm positive that none of you took cooking seriously!"

"Pork dishes are all the same…" #294 sigh before letting out a startle yell when Menchi came out of nowhere grabbing his scarf and began to yelled at him.

"Just say that once more." She snaps "Any more crap from you, and I'll shove my arm up your ass and knock your teeth out! Don't you mess with me! I don't want any lip from a bunch of amateurs who can't even roast a pig! Hey! What did you just say? Why don't you repeat it to my face?!"

After her rant Menchi sat back down "In other words, you people don't have the guts to try anything new."

"Shut up!" #255 yells pointing a figure at her "I'm not trying to become a cook or a gourmet…I want to be a Hunter!"

"Yeah! Yeah!" Everyone else began to agree with him.

"My goal is to become a Black List Hunter. I refuse to let a mere Gourmet Hunter decide my fate!"

"Too bad you got stuck with a mere Gourmet Hunter as an examiner…" Menchi said back "Better luck next year?"

"Why, you…" #255 growled.

"Wow…his face is actually turning red!"

"Now's not the time, Nagisa."

"Don't mock me!" #255 charged at Menchi fist raised in the air ready strike and just before he could Buhara sent out an upper cut sending 255 straight through the air making him it the wall before crashing down to the ground.

"Buhara, don't interfere." Menchi spoke.

"Well…" Buhara looked down at Menchi. "If I hadn't intervened, you'd have killed him, right?"

"Heh. Probably." Menchi stood and lo and behold she has to kitchen knives in her hand. When the hell did she get those…much less where?! "Let me clarify this…We frequently venture into the dens of ferocious beasts, searching for ingredients. Every Hunter knows some form of martial art. You lack focus and the willingness to experiment. That alone disqualifies you from becoming Hunters!"

"That said," Huh? Where did that voice come from? Up there? "…it would be excessive to fail every single applicant." Up above a blimp came flying over the mansion.

"That's the symbol of the Hunters Association!" Someone said. "Is it someone from the Selection Committee?"

BOOM

"WAH!?" Something fell from the blimp and landed on the ground causing the ground to shake and dust gather up. When the dust cleared it revealed an old man standing in the crater. Damn…that couldn't be good for the knees…or legs.

"Wh-Who's that geezer?"

"The Chairman of the Selection Committee." Menchi said. Wait chairman?! This geezer? "He's in charge of the Hunter Exam…Chairman Netero."

"Well, I work behind the scenes." Netero said. "I only take action when there's an issue, like now. So, Menchi…"

"Yes, sir."

"You failed all of the applicants because you disapproved of their reluctance to try new things?" Hold it. I saw his eyes going from her breast then back to her eyes. Don't tell me we have another pervert on our hands? Well, at least his not like Hisoka.

"No, sir…" Menchi said. "I lost my cool when one of the candidates insulted Gourmet Hunters. And I made the exam harder than necessary."

At least she admitted her mistakes.

"In other words, you're aware that this exam was unacceptable." Netero concluded.

"Yes, sir. When cooking is involved, I lose control. I'm unqualified to be an examiner. I will resign as examiner, so please redo the Second Phase!"

"Hm. But it would be difficult to find another examiner on such short notice."

"I apologize…"

"Very well. How about this?" Netero began "I'd like you to continue serving as an examiner. But you must also participate in the new test you propose."

"?!" Menchi gasp

"Is that acceptable?" Netero asked "I'm certain that will help the applicants to accept the results."

"That's true…"Menchi grin "Then the new challenge will be boiled eggs!"

"Boiled eggs?" Everyone question.

"Chairman, can you take us to Mt. Split-in-Half in your airship?"

"Mt. Split-in-Half? I see what you're doing. Certainly, I can."

After a two hour ride the blimp finally landed on Mt. Split-in-Half. Never heard of a mountain being called that, till I saw the mountain in person and saw why. Now off the ship we all gather up at the edge of the cliff some of us looking down seeing how deep it goes and damn that is a fall.

"Now, everyone…Look down there." Menchi said.

"Wh-What is that?"

"A Spider Eagle's web." Menchi inform us.

"They build webs down there?" Gon asked.

Then out of nowhere a strong gust of wind shot up.

"Look below the web."

Okay…looking closely at the webs I spotted something hanging from them "Those are…"

"Those are Spider Eagle eggs." Menchi said.

"Spider Eagles build their webs in deep ravines, to protect their eggs from predators. This makes their eggs one of the most difficult ingredients to obtain." Netero explained. "The eggs are also known as dream eggs."

"W-Wait a minute…" 255 began "You don't mean we…"

"I sure do." Menchi says walking closer to the edge before jumping down grabbing onto the web. Everyone let out a gasp of shock.

"Even if she can grab some eggs," Leorio began "how will she climb back up?"

Good question.

"Ah, she let go!" I shouted as we watch her let go of the web and grabbing hold of an egg before disappearing in the fog.

"Is she trying to kill herself?" Leorio exclaimed.

"No, she's not." Kurapika spoke.

"Huh?"

Then out of nowhere that strong gust of wind came back and bringing back Menchi who grinned at us.

"That looks fun…" Killua said.

"This ravine has updrafts that help the hatched chicks fly up to the web." Netero explained.

"There." Menchi lands back on the ground holding out her egg "Now I just need to boil the egg."

"Y-You must be joking." 255 stutter looking at Menchi as if she grown a second head. "No reasonable person would jump down there…"

"I've been waiting for this!" Gon says grin at us as we nodded back. I'm not a big fan of heights but this does look like fun. The five of us jumped off the cliff each grabbing a string of web at the nick of time.

"Okay! Count me in!" 294 says as he jumps off too, which then began a chain reaction as others begins to jump down as well.

"Wait!" Menchi yells "I haven't finished explaining everything!"

"Looks like just about everyone came down…" I mumble looking around.

"Man I was hoping for some to back out." Leorio grumble.

"Hehe. Catch you later." A random person says letting go.

"Let's go!" Leorio says.

"Not yet." Gon told him.

"Why not?"

"Isn't obvious Leorio?" I asked.

"There's no wind." Killua said. "There isn't always an updraft."

"GAAAAHHHHHH!" And that's the screams of the fool who jumped to early.

"When's the next one?" Leorio asked.

"Wait." Gon said.

GRR

"!?" The web that we are holding on dips down. "Shit. There's too many people on here."

"What?!"

"The web won't hold us all!"

"Gon, not yet?"

"Damn, I can't wait for an updraft!" Someone yelled letting go of the web followed by others. But like the first person they all fell to their doom.

"It's gonna snap!" Leorio yells.

"Now!" Gon shouted.

"About time" I yell letting go of the web as each of us grab hold of an egg and fell further down. Then… a gust of wind shot us back up to land.

"And the rest of you?" Menchi asked looking over to the others that didn't go down with the others. "I guess you quit."

"It takes courage to concede, too."

Everyone began to step up some fire while putting pots on top filling it up with water, before tossing their eggs in.

"Nagisa."

"Hm?" I looked over and saw Hisoka waving me over, who was standing next to someone with a lot of pins in their head. How the hell is the comfortable? "What is it, Papa?"

"I don't trust you starting your own fire ("Way to shoot my ego down you damn clown!") so why not toss you're in here?"

"Honestly you give out the greatest encouragements I have ever heard." I grumbled walking over and plopping my egg in the boiling water. "You know, you could have at least help me start the fire back there?"

"Hm, but then that'll be cheating."

"Oh so now you want to follow the damn rules!"

"What are you talking about? I've always have."

"I cry bullshit!"

As Hisoka and I argue back and forth we ignore pinhead reaching in the pot and grabbing an egg taking a bit out of it.

"…Good."

"This is damn good!" 294 says taking a bit out of his egg "Much better than the eggs you buy in a store…"

"I can see why they're called dream eggs." Kurapika said looking at his egg.

"Hey, Todo-san." Gon walks up to #255 Todo, who looks down at Gon. "Would you like a bite?"

Todo take the egg and began to eat a piece "It's good." He says.

"Now you've experienced the joy of discovering how good something can taste." Menchi says walking up to them. "We're risking our lives for that joy."

"I was completely outclassed this year." Todo says before giving a low bow "I'll be back next year!"

The applicants have learned that, whether you're a Black List Hunter or a Gourmet Hunter, calling yourself a Hunter requires an enormous amount of determination. Only 42 applicants remain.

... ... ...*sigh* Yeah...I'm sorry if it didn't turn out well. I had great plans for this chapter but...well after work getting in the way I forgot how i wanted it to be. So yeah I understand if you guys didn't like this chapter as I don't either. I didn't want you guys to wait longer like last time...so I kinda rush it a bit. *sigh* I hope to have a better chapter out before this years end...if not then next year. So Happy New Year to you guys!