Chapter 297: The Finale! Leorio’s Determination

Looking deep in thought, Leroute studies the fighters, her gaze eventually settling on Bodoro.

“Thankfully, I don’t have to go through this hell,” Leroute comments, sighing in relief, only for Vanessa to smirk devilishly at her.

“Next year... you won’t be a prisoner, but an examinee. But I’ll make sure this pervert won’t be able to put you through this kind of drama,” Vanessa says, half threatening and half reassuring her at the same time.

“Silence!” Netero yells, clearly annoyed. “Well... since Examinee No. 233 is still resting, let’s move on to the last match of the first bracket.”

“Examinee No. 301, Gittarackur, vs. Examinee No. 16, Tonpa!”

“No, no, forget this!” Tonpa yells from far in the back, not even bothering to approach. “I give up on this fight!”

“...”

“...”

Auren claps. “You are smarter than most of these stubborn people here. A wise decision. You might actually pass this year.”

He then looks at Bodoro, who is awake, but clearly not in any condition to fight.

“He... hehe, it’s all strategy... you know me, Auren,” Tonpa says, rubbing his head.

“Yeah, I know your strategies... after all, I personally disqualified you for breaking the rules two years ago,” Auren retorts with a grin. “Though I guess your goal back then wasn’t to win, but just to make others fail. I’m curious what you can do when you actually want to pass.”

“Well...” Netero says. “I’m sorry, No. 403, Leorio. But your fight against No. 191, Bodoro, can’t wait. These are the rules.”

“I can’t fight him like that. He can barely stand!” Leorio protests.

“I’ll fight...” Bodoro mutters, standing up and walking into the middle of the room.

Everyone stares at Bodoro with newfound respect for the middle-aged martial artist. Despite his injuries his eyes are full of motivation and honor, not even thinking about giving up, or using his injuries as an excuse.

I believe... he would have been able to put up a good fight against Leorio. He’s far more experienced and a dedicated martial artist... he’s definitely skilled. But now... this is not a fight he can win.

Still taking up a stance, Bodoro prepares to fight, while Leorio just stands there, his face full of conflict.

“Fight!” the referee yells, and Bodoro somehow, despite his injuries, steps forward and unleashes a beautiful right straight without any windup, hitting Leorio square in the face and making him stumble back, blood running down his lips.

“Hehe... nice punch,” Leorio says, laughing. “I give up!”

“What?!” Masta yells. “You... you are giving up?”

“Yes, I’m giving up,” Leorio says proudly. “I’m sorry... but I want to become a Doctor. I sure as hell don’t want to become a Hunter by beating up someone who’s already in critical condition, and I can tell... you are in no shape to fight. If we fight for real, your injuries will become permanent. Even now, the road to recovery is quite long. I can’t ... no, I won’t do this.”

“You... how can you dishonor me?!” Bodoro shouts, full of anger.

“I want to become a Doctor... not a murderer or torturer! I’d rather die than beat up someone in your condition.” Leorio yells. “Also... there is one more reason.”

He then points his finger at Tonpa. “The risk of failing is nothing if I can knock you out instead. I can’t let someone like you pass this exam. I’ve decided... I’m taking you out... Tonpa!! If I can’t do that, I don’t deserve to be a Hunter. You’re going down!”

“You... you damn idiot!” Tonpa yells, his face pale, realizing that his almost guaranteed ticket to a license has now run into a serious obstacle.

“Come on, referee!” Leorio yells. “I’m ready for the next fight; let’s do this. Give me my next opponent already.”

“You! Examiners! This can’t be allowed!” Tonpa yells, staring at the group of examiners. “This is unfair. He’s just letting him pass like that. During the entire exam, people have been making weird deals. This is not fair!”

“Hoho,” Netero laughs. “While it’s a little strange, nobody here has violated any rules. If you want to pass... you simply have to win against that man... but I believe there is one more fight before that.”

“Uhm... Examinee No. 403, Leorio... against Examinee No. 233, Ponzu,” Masta announces.

Ponzu awkwardly steps into the middle of the room. “I’m willing to fight. I don’t want to pass by relying on pity,” she declares meekly.

“No, I’m giving up,” Leorio says, grinning. “It’s nothing against you, Miss Ponzu. I’m also not looking down on you, but I need to do this... this entire exam I’ve been helped by people. Now I have a chance to finally stand up for someone... and help others like you who deserve it. Unlike you... Tonpa... you don’t deserve to be a Hunter. I’d rather fail than allow that to happen!”

“I... I have to admit, I’m relieved to hear that. It’s my dream to become a Hunter, so despite feeling ashamed and pathetic... I’ll accept your graciousness. Thank you...” Ponzu mutters quietly.

“It takes guts to admit your own weaknesses,” Netero says. “Don’t feel ashamed. You’ve passed difficult trials to make it here.”

“Thank you,” Ponzu says, smiling, almost tearing up. “I didn’t expect that I could pass...”

“Now!” Leorio yells, staring at Tonpa. “Come forward! Tonpa!”

“You... bastard!!” Tonpa roars, his fists tightly clenched. “Fine! I’ll stomp you into the ground like a cockroach while ruining your dream. You’ll just be another one of the people I’ve permanently destroyed. You know... destroying the dreams and ambitions of Hunters was fun... but I believe I’ve found something better. I’ll permanently cripple your hands, so you’ll never be able to become the doctor you desperately want to be... I’ll crush your dreams of becoming a Hunter and a Doctor in one step! This will be my Coup de Grace, the highlight of my career! Then I’ll pass and become a Hunter, becoming rich for life!”

“You are filth... I’m gonna end this once and for all!” Leorio declares.

“Leorio... beat him up!” Killua yells.

“Leorio, be careful. If you remain calm, you can do this,” Kurapika advises him, his eyes filled with concern.

“The last battle... whoever wins passes the exam, whoever loses fails,” Netero says, stroking his beard. “Hoho, how exciting. Show me your passion and determination. Someone who refuses to destroy and wants to heal... and someone who wants nothing more than to crush others. How interesting.”

“No. 16 Tonpa... No. 403 Leorio!” Masta announces, looking at both of them as they stand opposed to each other. “Are you ready?!”

“Yes!” Leorio yells, drawing his knife. “I’ll stop you from becoming a Hunter, once and for all. You’ve ruined enough lives as a simple examinee; you can never be allowed to become a Hunter!”

“Yes... you can try...” Tonpa says, his face twisting into an unexplainable expression, not bothering to say anything more.

Every single examinee watches the fight attentively, everyone mostly in a good mood and enjoying the struggle. Even the examiners are visibly entertained.

Only Bodoro looks terrible... his expression full of regret and shame.

“Fight!” Masta yells.

Leorio darts forward, rushing at Tonpa and stabbing with the knife in his right hand.

Tonpa carefully dodges, only for Leorio to suddenly punch out with his left, revealing the previous attack as a feint, the blow landing right on Tonpa’s face.

Getting blown backward, Tonpa hits the ground, but he quickly crawls forward and wraps his fat, stubby body around Leorio’s leg, trying to drag him down.

Not going along with it, Leorio kicks Tonpa with his other leg, causing his nose to bleed, but when he tries to do it again, Tonpa grabs that leg as well, and the match turns into a ground fight, as the veteran drags Leorio down onto the ground.

“Hehe,” Tonpa mutters. “I’m not beneath dragging this fight into the mud! Mud wrestling is my specialty.”

Leorio’s face darkens. “You had it coming!” He stabs the knife he is still holding into Tonpa’s side, causing the man to cry out in pain.

“Aghhhhhhhhh. NOO! I’m dying! Help!” A hellishly shrill screech echoes through the room, with Tonpa begging for mercy, causing Leorio to tense up and hesitate, his confusion and shock visible to everyone present.

Leorio’s never stabbed someone before... he’s acting. Tonpa’s got him. He tricked him.

Tonpa, however, soon reveals a wicked smile, seeing that Leorio’s hand has relaxed, as he wrestles control of the knife and uses the opening to stab Leorio back, managing to drive it into his shoulder.

His suit slowly turning wet with blood, Leorio’s eyes widen as he wrestles with Tonpa on the ground, headbutting him and then rolling away before getting back onto his feet.

Walking away, he pulls out the knife from his shoulder, while Tonpa is also retreating, still dizzy from the headbutt.

Taking off his suit and shirt, Leorio wraps them around his shoulder, stopping the bleeding.

“This is pretty interesting,” Vanessa says. “They’re surprisingly even. That fat guy is smart.”

“That bleeding is not good...” Auren points out. “He may have stopped it... but Tonpa will rip off his improvised bandage and target that weak point.”

After just ten seconds, Leorio glares at his knife in his hand before throwing it far away.

“Never again... doesn’t suit me. I’ll simply beat the shit out of you, you cheat!” Leorio declares.

“Try it!” Tonpa shoots back.

The two of them charge at each other, and the fight quickly turns into a brawl.

Punches, kicks, grabs, wrestling moves. Two desperate men doing absolutely anything, without false dignity or pride, acting on instincts to beat each other up with everything that comes to mind.

Ten minutes pass, and both of them are bloodied up, with no clear sign of who will win the fight.

Both breathe heavily, their bodies roughed up, particularly Leorio’s right arm.

As the fight drags on, Leorio, thanks to his superior height and longer limbs, lands a lucky punch, yet again with his right arm, directly striking Tonpa’s forehead, making him stumble back, this time clearly hurting him for real. However, a devious and twisted smile appears on the almost defeated man. “He... hehe... that hurt... which means... I’ve almost succeeded.”

Having hit Tonpa’s forehead, Leorio’s expression twists into one full of pain, as he holds his right hand.

“It’s broken... the forehead can be really hard. Tonpa is quite skilled... at the last second, he smashed forward his own head, messing up Leorio’s angle. His arm wasn’t fully stretched out, and he reduced the damage he took by causing him to strike at an unsuitable angle. He used his head as a sacrifice to break Leorio’s hand... It’s like he said. He’s destroying his career as a Doctor. His arm, his hand... if he continues to target it, he’d indeed be in for a long recovery.”

“Damn it...” Leorio mutters. “To take you down... I’ll sacrifice anything!”

Leorio, while looking exhausted and hurt, walks forward, ready to finish it.

Despite being focused on the fight, Auren notices Bodoro moving next to him. He is walking up to the two, but Auren steps forward and blocks him.

“What are you doing?” Auren asks. “Don’t interfere.”

“I can’t... my honor does not allow me to. This man wants to become a Doctor, but this devil is aiming to destroy that! I can’t condone this! On my Honor!” Bodor declares.

Ignoring Auren, Bodoro keeps moving towards the two struggling fighters. “You’ve already passed! Don’t interfere,” Auren commands, grabbing him forcefully, easily stopping him.

“Auren,” Netero says, suddenly appearing next to him.

“Let things play out...” Netero says calmly. “I’m interested in what that man’s intentions are.”

“He’s already passed; it’s disturbing the exam,” Auren points out.

What is he planning to do?!

“Do it, brat. It’s not our job to intervene,” Netero points out.

“Fine, your exam... Chairman,” Auren says, shrugging and letting Bodoro’s arm go.

“You...” Tonpa notes, seeing the now approaching Bodoro. “What are you doing?!”

“I’m taking you out, you nasty parasite... and I’m saving a Doctor!” Bodoro yells. “On my honor!”

Bodoro suddenly charges at Tonpa, his face full of determination, striking him in the face and causing him to crash onto the ground, violently crashing against the hard floor tile, lying helplessly on the ground, obviously unable to continue.

“No, Bodoro!” Leorio yells.

Smiling, Netero steps forward. “Examinee... no. 191 Bodoro... you’ve already passed. Explain yourself.”

Instead of speaking, Bodoro turns towards Netero and kneels down. “I’ve never been this ashamed and humiliated. I know I can pass this exam because of the rules, but I haven’t received my license yet, right? This phase is still ongoing... please disqualify me. If you don’t, I’ll end my life, as I can’t live with this shame. Please... disqualify me for breaking the rules... and let me struggle once again... next year. I sincerely beg you. My honor as a martial artist... is more important than my life!”

Is this guy insane?!

“Please... don’t deprive me of this chance!” Bodoro begs even louder, staring Netero directly in the eyes.

“You can’t do this... he was helping me. I deserve to fail,” Leorio argues. “He was concerned about my hand...”

“I disagree,” Netero says. “You were still at a slight advantage. You could easily have won this fight. This inference can’t be condoned. Since you’ve disgraced this phase... I’ll officially admonish and disqualify you! No. 191 Bodoro... you fail! You’ll be forcefully removed... in a few days, after we’ve taken care of your injuries. You may try again next year.”

He then smiles at Netero, obviously approving of his actions.

“No. 16 Tonpa, No. 403 Leorio. Your fight is over. You, along with everyone else, have passed!”