Chapter 9

A rumbling sound was heard under our feet. "What the-"

I didn't get to finish my sentence- something big and slimy swallowed us whole, making my surroundings pitch black. Suddenly I heard the sound of a soda can opening and I felt my body being pushed forward quickly.

I could finally see again- behind us, there was a giant frog that began to wade away. "Ew, that was so gross," I complained as I stood up and wiped the frog saliva off of me.

"I guess it didn't like the taste of us," Gon said sheepishly. "No, it was this," Killua said and tossed an orange can into the pool of saliva. It was one of the cans filled with laxatives that Tonpa had been giving away.

Huh... a quick thinker. "We should hurry or we'll get left behind," I said and the other two nodded. We began to run ahead through the thick trees.

"Hey... I'm worried about Leorio and Kurapika. We haven't seen them for a while. Do you think they're ok?" Gon asked nervously. "They'll be fine. You know how they are- there's no way they would get tricked so easily. Although... I can't be sure with Leorio..." I muttered. Killua sighed. "That old man can be so hot headed," he agreed, sighing.

"Kurapika can hopefully keep him in check though. They're like polar opposites," I commented. As me and Killua were complaining about Leorio, I turned around to say something to Gon. "Don't you think so too, Go-"

The freaking idiot wasn't there. I groaned. "That idjit, he's gonna get himself killed," I grumbled, doing a face-palm. I can't let the protagonist... and my newfound friend... die. Killua tilted his head. "Idjit? What's that?" I smirked. "Someone exceedingly idiotic and/or stupid," I said, quoting the internet.

Killua snickered. "Arata, He'll be fine- you know how he is. Besides, you don't even know where he went." I sighed and we continued jogging, noting how Killua called me by my "last" name instead of my first. "He'll die either way, cause if he makes it, I'll end up killing him for just leaving like that..." I muttered, Killua smirking from my comment.

"Also, I told you to call me Aki, didn't I?" I said as I playfully smacked Killua's arm. "Yeah yeah, whatever you say," he said, sweatdropping.

Timeskip

"Ow!" Gon whined. A lump formed after I'd punched his head. "What were you thinking, Gon?! That sicko clown pedo could've killed all three of you!" I scolded.

"Ehe... sorry..." he apologized sheepishly. I blinked as I suddenly received a new memory- one of Gon jumping off a ship into a raging sea to save a man he didn't even know. He'd been apologizing to Leorio and Kurapika for being so reckless.

"But we're all fine, aren't we?" he added with an innocent smile. I sighed and pinched his cheek. "Listen here. Just because you're okay now doesn't mean it couldn't have happened. What if the pedo clown decided to kill you? Or injure you? Then it wouldn't have been okay, would it?" I asked with a forced smile.

"Ok, ok, I promise I'll try not to be so reckless anymore!" Gon said nervously, raising his hands in surrender. Meanwhile, the other three- Leorio, Kurapika, and Killua- were watching the scene with amused expressions.

"You're just like Aunt Mito..." Gon mumbled as he rubbed the red mark on his cheek with a small smile on his face. "Aunt Mito, huh? I'd like to meet her one day. Anyways, don't always go off by yourself. You can also depend on us, you know," I said and grinned next to Leorio, Killua, and Kurapika. Gon grinned and nodded. "I know."

Suddenly, a loud rumbling noise shook the ground. The huge gates in front of us opened slowly. "This must be the second phase," Kurapika said. The remaining applicants, including us, walked in. As we walked closer, I could see a young woman with a strange teal colored hairdo and a... was that even a person?

Behind her to her left, there was an unbelievably... large man in yellow, to say the least. He was practically the size of five whole cars. They must be the examiners. "Welcome to the second phase! My name is Menchi, and this is Buhara! We're the examiners for this phase!" the teal haired one said. "As for the second phase, the challenge will be..."

The crowd waited in anticipation. I glanced around, noticing the odd tables around us. According to my vague memory and the clues around us, the next challenge will be...

Cooking.

"Cooking!"

Yep.

"What? Cooking?"

"That's outrageous!"

"We came here to become hunters, not chefs!"

Menchi grew more and more frustrated as the applicants complained. "We are gourmet hunters- and cooking is a worthy challenge. If you don't pass, you don't become a hunter. Simple," she said. The applicants glared at her.

"Buhara, what are they cooking today?" she asked. The man thought for a moment. "Well, I'm kinda craving pork today..."

"You heard him! You're free to find any kind of pig meat from the forest behind you, called the Biska Forest!" Menchi announced.

Buhara slapped his stomach, making a loud booming noise. "It starts now!"

The applicants all rushed towards the forest in search of pig meat, including me. But instead of searching aimlessly, I sat on one of the tree branches and tried to remember how they'd found the pig meat in the show.

If I remembered correctly, the pigs should be... I hopped off the tree branch and made my way through the trees, finding a small hill. Here. A bunch of large pigs chewing on bones- the carnivorous pigs of the Biska Forest.

I silently climbed a nearby tree and jumped off of it, landing right on the forehead of one of the pigs. It squealed and fell over immediately. I grunted under the weight of the huge pig, but lifted it up and hauled it over my shoulder.

I had no time to question my ability to suddenly be able to have this agility and strength, because the rest of the pigs looked over and began to charge towards me.

Hehe, I thought, taking in the situation. I used to be a normal 22 year old woman working at the front desk of a pet clinic. Now here I am, hauling a giant murderous pig over my shoulder with a stampede of them chasing me. So that I can cook it. To become a hunter. Which is from a world that's supposed to be fictional.

I began to see some applicants and my friends. "Run!" I yelled as the dangerous stampede followed me. "Oh, Aki!" Gon exclaimed.

"Gon! Thesepigsarecarnivorous sowatchoutandhittheirforeheads

tokillthem!" I yelled as quickly as possible. I only had a little time to warn them, since they were still chasing me at full speed. He blinked, then seemed to understand what I'd said.

"Ok, thanks!" he called with a grin as I ran off ahead. Soon, I reached the gates and gave a sigh of relief. The pigs weren't stampeding after me anymore, and I'm assuming that the other applicants were already busy getting their own as well.

I went through the gates and to a cooking station. I placed the pig on the table and sighed, rubbing my hands together. I could sense Menchi and Buhara, and... one other person? I wonder who...

I have no idea what I'm doing, I though as I grabbed some spices from a drawer. Sure, in my previous life, people always said I was pretty good at cooking, but... that was desserts... I don't really know how to full on cook a freshly killed pig.

I mixed some spices together and made a rub for the meat. It was supposed to be a smoky barbecue type rub. I'd seen Chef Ramsey do this on TV. Don't fail me now, Gordon Ramsey, I thought as I moved on to making a sauce.