At the critical moment, the red-haired youth sensed incoming danger and dodged in time to avoid a fatal hit. The arrow grazed his shoulder as it flew by.
A small wound opened.
Just as the red-haired youth was relieved at having avoided a fatal strike, a sudden wave of dizziness swept over him. His face went pale—he realized he'd been poisoned and that his body was gradually losing its ability to move.
With a thud, the red-haired youth collapsed to the ground.
Pokkle walked forward.
Ron gave a slight nod.
"A bow and arrow can be a big advantage in a forest environment," he observed. "On top of that, Pokkle did a good job hiding his presence."
"No wonder the Hunter Association had their eye on him for the final stages."
"But it's still not enough…"
Ron compared himself, back when he hadn't learned Nen, to Pokkle's current state.
He soon reached a conclusion.
No matter what, Pokkle could never threaten him. Ron would have noticed Pokkle's approach early on, and his chances of dodging the arrow completely were very high. Moreover, that level of poison would have almost no effect on him.
"This skillset doesn't really fit my team either."
Ron gave up on recruiting Pokkle. His bow-and-arrow technique could be replaced by methods Ron already possessed, and in the original story, Pokkle's performance hadn't been impressive. If someone was to serve on the front lines, they needed sufficient combat power, whereas Ron could be more flexible about supporting types.
It was much like how the Phantom Troupe operated. They had strict requirements for combat members, but not as much for support members such as Shalnark, Kortopi, or Pakunoda, none of whom were all that strong in a direct fight—though, compared to ordinary Nen users, they were still formidable.
The Shadow Beasts, for instance, were on a completely different level; they were far too weak.
Currently, Ron alone could easily sweep away the entire Shadow Beast group without feeling any pressure.
He glanced at a corner of the woods.
A green silhouette was hidden there.
In a flash, Ron slipped away.
The figure lurking in the brush was Gon. But neither Pokkle nor the red-haired youth were Gon's targets, so he made no move. Besides, Gon was fully focused on Hisoka and didn't want to be distracted.
He had even trained specifically for this, using his fishing rod as his main tool. Under normal circumstances, Gon had little chance of snatching Hisoka's tag. He was simply betting on the slim possibility that existed in theory.
Ron reached a clearing beside a creek, picked up a stick nearby, and thrust it into the water with a quick stab.
He skewered a fish with one strike.
The fish in the flowing stream weren't especially large, but they should still taste fine.
He made a quick fire to grill them, no complicated seasoning needed.
Catching over a dozen, he placed them on wooden skewers around the fire.
As the heat did its work, the tempting aroma of grilled fish began to fill the air.
Ron sat on a rock, waiting for them to cook.
The smell grew richer. Ron took one fish down and let it cool briefly before taking a small bite.
"They've had little nourishment in the water, so they've grown at their own pace, but the flavor's decent."
Suddenly, Ron set the fish aside and looked toward a thicket.
"You've been watching for a while now—are you not going to come out?"
There was no movement from the brush.
"If you still don't come out, you won't get another chance. You don't really think you're hidden that well, do you?"
All at once, the thicket rustled.
After some shuffling, a girl emerged from among the leaves.
Ponzu took a few small steps toward Ron.
"Have a seat," he said, motioning to a nearby rock.
"You really did notice me? Since when?"
"From the start," Ron replied. "Your hiding skills might be decent against ordinary people, but they won't work on me."
"Looks like I'm not going to pass the Hunter Exam this time."
Ron asked, "Why did you join the Hunter Exam?"
Ponzu looked at Ron but remained silent.
"If you don't want to say, that's your call," Ron continued. "But who knows, if you tell me, maybe I'll feel generous and just hand over my tag. It's up to you."
"I need to get stronger."
She lowered her head.
"My village is in serious trouble. I have to become strong enough to help them. Becoming a Hunter is my best shot at that."
"I also hoped I could hire some of the candidates taking the Hunter Exam. Because my own strength alone might not be enough."
Ron raised an eyebrow. It made sense that, after failing the exam, Ponzu would end up trying to team up with Pokkle, probably for this exact reason.
"So basically, you need power to solve your village's problems."
"I understand. One more question: why were you so scared of me on the boat? Did you notice something? How did you figure it out? Be honest."
"If I answer, will you give me your tag?"
Ponzu took off her hat.
About a dozen bees flew out, circling around her. One or two drifted near Ron, prompting Ponzu to order them back. Then she lifted the hat to show the small hive hidden inside.
In the center was a bee unlike the others.
"I didn't see anything unusual about you myself. But she sensed it."
"She's never been wrong, and I've confirmed it many times."
"When I got close to you, she warned me that you, Hisoka, and Gittarackur were three people absolutely not to be provoked."
"Gittarackur just looks terrifying."
"I've seen enough of Hisoka's performance before the exam and in the Swamp of Discontent."
"But if you set off the same alarms for the queen as they did, you must be similarly dangerous."
Ron studied the queen. He sensed no Nen from it, just a slightly greater vitality than normal insects.
"It's similar to Machi's intuition, huh?"
A gleam flickered in Ron's eyes.
"It doesn't require direct contact and doesn't use Nen, so Nen users can't sense it. That makes it very handy for gathering intel."
Ron made up his mind right then and there.
No matter Ponzu's overall potential…
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