"Hello, everyone. I'm Gon Freecss, ranked 9th after the first round of voting. Are you all actually sane, trying to make a twelve-year-old the head of an entire organization?"
"Anyone calling me a total loser who lost to his own kid or a deadbeat middle-aged failure better step out to the roof. I haven't been this pissed off in a long time."
On a stage overlooking the grand auditorium filled with over six hundred Pro Hunters, the top sixteen candidates from the first election sat in a row. It had been decided that the candidates would give their campaign speeches starting from the lowest rank. Ging, sitting in the 16th and final spot, led the charge by holding up his middle finger and provoking the crowd.
"Shut up, you deadbeat!"
"It's a fact that you lost! Stop being a sore loser!"
"You're a disgrace to Double Hunters everywhere!"
"The Great Chikuwa Deity!!"
"Who said that?!"
"Fine by me! I'll kick all your asses right here!"
Insults flew back and forth, and a riot was on the verge of breaking out. However, Netero—sitting at the very back as a special guest—let out a sharp, authoritative shout. Under his pressure and the glares of the Zodiacs who wanted this over quickly, Ging was literally tied to his chair so the proceedings could continue.
Eventually, it was time for the rookie everyone was watching: the miniature powerhouse sitting on a tiny throne placed atop the table—Gon.
"Uh… my dad—I mean, Ging—is sorry for the trouble. I'm Gon Freecss, from the 287th class."
Standing up from the miniature throne Pyon had prepared as a prank, Gon bowed while clutching a microphone that was nearly as big as he was. His adorable appearance drew high-pitched cheers from the female Hunters and a certain eccentric clown.
Gon waited a moment for the auditorium to fall silent before bowing again. He chose his words carefully, speaking with blunt honesty.
"First, I want to thank everyone who voted for me. But I'm sorry… to be honest, I really don't want to be the Chairman. I still want to spend my time being free. Most of all, I don't think this is a job for a kid."
While many Hunters nodded in agreement, those who knew Gon personally disagreed in their hearts.
Despite his lack of basic general knowledge, his understanding of Nen was terrifyingly deep. He possessed a sincere honesty that allowed him to listen to others, yet he held an iron will that could never be bent. Above all, he boasted an overwhelming strength that inspired hope, envy, or despair in anyone who witnessed it.
Led by Biscuit, people hadn't voted for him as Netero's successor, but as a talent that surpassed even Netero himself. Their 9th-place votes were a collective prayer to shove him into the Chairman's seat just to force him to settle down a bit.
"The Q&A is at the end, so I don't have much else to say. Please think carefully before you vote in the next round."
Despite his refusal to be Chairman, his speech was met with loud applause and whistles. Meanwhile, Ging—still gagged and tied up—was relentlessly mocked by the crowd.
After another shout from Netero restored order, the speeches proceeded smoothly. Finally, Pariston, who had taken first place, finished a speech filled with the kind of empty platitudes that made everyone's skin crawl. Then, it was time for the Q&A.
Serious questions were asked, and the candidates gave their prepared stances on policy. As the long session neared its end, Gon raised his hand.
"Since we're finishing up, I have one last personal matter. Dad… no, that doesn't feel right. Ging Freecss. I came here to see you, so let me punch you."
The crowd erupted. "YEAHHH!!"
"Go for it! Do it!"
"Punch that deadbeat right in his smug face!"
"Goodbye, Ging! Try not to die!"
Ignoring the roaring Hunters, Ging skillfully undid his restraints and grabbed a microphone.
"Fat chance. You didn't find me on your own, and you used someone else's power to get here. You haven't earned the right to punch me. Besides, what the hell did I even do to deserve a hit?"
"For making Mito and Grandma worry, for abandoning me, and because the Greed Island Game Masters asked me to. Most of all, that cassette recording… that's what really pissed me off."
As the crowd booed Ging for refusing, Gon hopped onto the table and walked right up to his father's face.
Even standing on the table, Gon had to look up. He wore a rare, mischievous smirk that made Ging's brow furrow. Gon pointed a finger directly at his father's face.
"Are you scared? Scared of me, even though I'm weakened from my ability's recoil? You know how strong I really am, and you're shaking, aren't you?"
"…Huh?" Ging growled.
"You just don't want to look pathetic in front of everyone. I get it. I'll let you off the hook this time."
"The hell did you just say?"
Ignoring the jeers and cheers from the audience, the atmosphere between the two became explosive.
"Hey, kid. You're small, but your ego's massive. I was being nice because I didn't want you to be the one looking pathetic, and this is the thanks I get?"
"Wow, how kind. If that kindness didn't come from a place of fear, I might actually respect you a little."
"You're really pushing it. What, do you have a reason for needing to hit me right now? Oh, I see. You don't have the confidence to find me again later."
Ging, a Hunter to his core, observed Gon and judged that his current state wasn't that of a top-tier Hunter. He felt a flicker of internal disappointment that someone carrying the Freecss blood was in such a sorry state.
"I have no intention of going out of my way to find you. I'm not that bored, and I'm not that interested."
It was because Ging misread Gon's essence—his inner "asura"—that he stepped into a trap.
"I want to hit you now because I'm weakened. Because if we meet by chance when I'm back to normal… I'll end up killing you."
Gon's eyes held no doubt. They were filled with the resolve of someone who would not hesitate when that moment came.
The auditorium fell into a momentary, heavy silence. Having seen Gon's true resolve, Ging scratched his head under his hat and sighed.
"Tch. Fine, whatever. If you're gonna go that far, I'll let you hit me now. But no 'one more time' or any of that crap later."
At Ging's surrender, the Hunters reacted like a wild football crowd, and the auditorium exploded in cheers once again.
"I'm not crouching down for you. If you want to hit my face, reach it yourself."
"Of course!"
Ging stood tall as Gon jumped down from the table. As he looked down at the small body radiating intense fighting spirit, he noticed a few strange sights.
Cheadle was looking at him with eyes full of deep pity. Kite was crossing himself and praying to a God he shouldn't even believe in. Several other Hunters he didn't know well were giving him the same "final farewell" look. Most concerning of all was Netero, who was grinning like a maniac at the back.
Try not to die, kid—
Ging tried to send a questioning look at the Chairman's moving lips, but in that instant, a ridiculous amount of aura erupted from beneath his feet.
(What the—?!)
The auditorium was forcibly silenced by the sudden surge of inhuman aura. Those who knew Gon's power closed their eyes as if to look away from a coming massacre.
"First comes rock…"
An amount of aura equivalent to several pro Hunters combined gathered in Gon's right hand, compressing further into a mantle of pure violence.
(Hey, wait, you brat! Nobody told me it was THIS much!)
Ging had done his research on Gon, but his findings only concluded that he had become "absurdly strong." Since even those who had seen Gon's power couldn't properly describe it, his investigation had been insufficient. As the saying goes, "seeing is believing," and Gon had reached a realm that could only be understood by experiencing it. Ging had miscalculated.
"Rock… paper…"
(Should I dodge?! No, dammit, I can't do something that pathetic!)
Ging suppressed his survival instincts with sheer pride. He pushed his aura to its absolute limit, focusing everything into a "Hard" defense on his jaw where Gon was staring. He grit his teeth.
"ROCK!!"
A small missile was launched. It impacted Ging's lower jaw with a crisp, terrifying sound.
There was a split second of equilibrium as their auras clashed, but Gon's fist swung through without hesitation. Ging was launched upward like a firework.
Released from the shackles of gravity, Ging didn't slow down. He pierced through the ceiling and disappeared into the hole, continuing his ascent.
(...Uh...)
"He's totally dead, isn't he?" someone whispered.
The Hunters who had been excited to see Ging get punched turned pale. They stared up at the hole in the ceiling as if trying to visualize his final destination.
"Whew! That felt great!!"
"Are you kidding me?! You went way too far! Is he actually alive?!"
Leorio, shouting at the beaming Gon who was celebrating the "flight," leaped toward the ceiling and climbed into the hole to check on Ging.
"Wait, I can't see his legs? How deep is he buried? Wait, he's stuck in the ceiling of the floor above this one! Uh, holy crap, he's alive?!"
The news of Ging's disastrous state echoing from the hole made everyone shudder. Only Netero's booming laughter, as he clutched his stomach, rang through the auditorium.
"Okay, so now it's time for the second round of voting, right? Everyone, let's finish up quickly so we can go get dinner."
"How can you act so normal in this atmosphere? And you're just going to leave Leorio behind?!"
Gon hopped onto Hisoka's shoulder and led Killua and the others out of the auditorium. The remaining crowd stood there in stunned silence, listening to Leorio's voice calling out to Ging from the ceiling.
Pariston, who had previously viewed Gon as being on the same level as Ging, grimaced deeply at the display of sheer violence. Eventually, Gel, the Snake of the Zodiacs and the moderator, "rebooted" and prompted the assembly to vote.
Aside from the absence of Ging, who had been taken away by ambulance after receiving emergency aid from Leorio, the second vote concluded without further incident—though the debate surrounding Gon was reaching a fever pitch.
+++
In a cafe within the Hunter Association lobby after the second round of voting.
In a corner of the fairly large shop—which was also used by the staff—a group of veteran Hunters, led by the Double Hunter Biscuit, had gathered. They were a motley crew with different specialties and ages, but they shared one thing in common: they had all voted for Gon in the first round.
"Alright, most of us are here, so let's get started. It's time for a strategy meeting to get that muscle-brain into the Chairman's seat."
Biscuit Krueger, the most experienced and decorated of the group, took the lead. Knov stood by a whiteboard acting as the support and secretary.
"I'm fine with the discussion, but is it okay to do this inside the Association building?" Morel asked. "Pariston has eyes everywhere."
"It'll be the same if we go outside," Bisky dismissed his concern. "Nowhere else has facilities this good. Don't worry about it."
She handed a paper to Knov and had him write the contents on the whiteboard.
"These are the results of the second vote, just given to me by Beans. It should be on the website by now, so it's not confidential."
1st Place: Pariston Hill – 249 votes
2nd Place: Gon Freecss – 92 votes
Cheadle followed in third. Gon's increase in votes was an anomaly. While Pariston's numbers remained stagnant and other candidates saw their votes drop, Gon alone had gathered more than eight times his original count.
Considering that Gon's biggest drawback was his age, it was easy to predict that many people had refrained from voting for him simply because he was a child. To the members gathered here, the gap between Pariston and Gon didn't feel like an impossible distance.
"Anyway, I've already personally recommended Gon to the people who voted for me this time. I'm 8th, so I'll say it on stage during the next speech too," Morel added.
Morel had wanted to recommend Gon during this session, but he had held back because their joint operation against the Phantom Troupe and the Chimera Ant crisis hadn't been officially publicized yet. However, since Gon had demonstrated his presence through the most easily understood form—violence—everyone decided to move forward with the recommendation without hesitation.
"I have mixed feelings as Ging's disciple, though," Kite remarked. "He brought it on himself, but I didn't think that kind of disaster would actually gather votes."
Ging, who had been turned into a "filthy firework" by Gon, had been diagnosed with a cracked jaw and severe whiplash. Thanks to Leorio's emergency treatment, he was expected to be discharged tomorrow. Without Leorio, he would have likely suffered a shattered jaw, cervical spine damage, and a brain contusion. Even so, Gon's strike had reached the world-class Ging.
If Gon hadn't been weakened, or if Ging hadn't been one of the five best Nen users in the world as Netero claimed, things would have definitely turned out more gruesome.
"As Kite said, it was his own fault. It was good publicity, so don't worry about Ging," Bisky said. "The problem is how to gather the votes currently split among the other Zodiacs."
"True," Knov agreed. "Right now the votes are divided, but they will likely consolidate behind Cheadle in the end. If we can win her over, the victory is essentially ours."
As Knov pointed out, the biggest obstacle to gaining a majority was the Zodiacs—specifically Cheadle Yorkshire, whose temperament was most suited for the role of Chairman. Between her looks and her status as a Triple Hunter, she was even more troublesome than Pariston, whose fixed vote count of 37% couldn't reach a majority.
"Uh, sorry. I have a basic question," Knuckle cut in. "Even if Gon becomes Chairman, won't he just give the job back to Netero? Almost all the Zodiacs promised in their speeches to reinstate Netero as Chairman."
Knuckle's question concerned the common promise made by almost all candidates (with Ging being the exception): the restoration of the charismatic Isaac Netero. Gon hadn't said anything about it, but since it was clear he respected Netero, it was a logical conclusion.
However, Bisky, who had known Gon for a long time as a mentor, believed the situation the others feared wouldn't happen.
"That boy usually does whatever he wants, but he's incredibly serious about responsibility and duty. If he's elected, he'll do his absolute best. That's exactly why we're going to chain him to that seat—to keep him from running wild."
Bisky looked slightly apologetic, but her eyes were filled with absolute determination. Following her lead, the other members reaffirmed their resolve. Morel spoke up to close the meeting.
"As an adult, I feel a bit bad about pushing a heavy responsibility onto a kid, but I agree that we can't just let Gon roam free. Our final goal is to beat Pariston and Cheadle and get Gon inaugurated. Let's do this."
"Understood!"
Thus, the adults' conspiracy began in earnest, moving forward in a way that Gon's muscle-brain could never have anticipated.
The Rat and the Dog had completely miscalculated. The election was proceeding exactly as the former "Bodhisattva" had intended.
Who would have the last laugh? For now, at least, there was already one victim.
***
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