Main cast members +2

The docks of Whale Island smelled of sea salt and dried fish, just as they always did.

Luo Ye and Gon stood on the swaying deck with their modest packs on their backs.

"Aunt Mito, we're off!"

Gon waved hard, his smile as bright as the sun.

Aunt Mito stood on shore without a word, her eyes reddening as she waved back.

Leaning against the rail, Luo Ye lazily raised a hand in farewell.

As he watched Aunt Mito's figure grow smaller, he felt a rare pang of sadness.

But the feeling passed as quickly as it had come.

"Tch, you'd think we were never going to see each other again."

Muttering to himself, he turned to inspect the ship taking them to the Hunter Exam site.

The ship was small, its deck packed with people whose faces practically screamed, "I'm an expert," their eyes wary and appraising.

"Interesting."

Luo Ye's radar for entertainment went off.

With so many tough-looking people gathered in one place, there was bound to be a good show.

While he was thinking that, Gon had already struck up a conversation.

One of the people was a tall man in a suit and sunglasses who looked like a third-rate salesman.

The other was a handsome boy in traditional clothing, his blond hair covering his ears, quietly reading in a corner.

Luo Ye zeroed in on the pair at once.

One was loud and boisterous, the other quiet as a mouse.

A match made in heaven.

"I'm Gon, and this is my childhood friend, Luo Ye! Are you going to take the Hunter Exam too?"

Gon introduced them as though they were already friends.

The tall man adjusted his sunglasses and grinned, showing a row of white teeth.

"I'm Leorio!"

The blond boy merely looked up from his book and gave a slight nod.

"Kurapika."

Luo Ye was delighted.

Here they are. These must be members of the main cast.

He moved closer, studying the two with interest.

"Why do you want to become Hunters?"

Gon curiously asked that classic question.

"I want to find my dad! He's an amazing Hunter!"

Gon's answer was as straightforward as ever.

When Leorio's turn came, he puffed out his chest and loudly declared without hesitation.

"Me? For the money, of course!"

"With money, you can buy anything! Mansions, fancy cars, fine wine! Hahaha!"

He spoke smugly, as though he could already see himself surrounded by mountains of wealth.

Listening beside him, Luo Ye kept nodding inwardly.

Yeah, a very realistic, down-to-earth wish.

But that wish had clearly struck a nerve with someone else.

"Money cannot buy character."

Kurapika closed his book, his voice cold as ice.

"The people I despise most are those who sell their souls for money."

A suppressed flame burned in his brown eyes.

"What did you say?"

Leorio's smile froze.

"You're a clueless little brat, and you think you can lecture me?"

"Money saves lives! Money is everything! A pampered rich kid like you, born with a silver spoon in his mouth and never knowing hardship, could never understand!"

"The honor of the Kurta Clan cannot be bought!"

Kurapika rose as well, their gazes clashing in midair, sparks flying.

Luo Ye watched with relish.

Here it comes. The classic scene.

He even wanted to pull up a stool and grab a bag of sunflower seeds.

Caught between them, Gon was sweating with anxiety.

"Stop fighting. We're all friends here..."

"Who'd be friends with a money-grubbing scumbag like him?!"

"Who'd be friends with some sheltered little rich kid like him?!"

They roared back in unison.

Just as the tension on deck reached its peak-

Boom!

The sky suddenly darkened.

Without warning, fierce winds howled and enormous waves surged.

The ship was like a leaf, flung high into the storm before slamming back down.

The deck instantly descended into chaos.

The candidates who had been swaggering around moments ago were now vomiting or collapsing, not one of them able to keep their footing.

Only Luo Ye and the other three remained rooted to the spot.

"Hey! You four! What are you standing around for?! Get over here and help!"

The Captain stuck his head out of the wheelhouse and shouted at them.

"The wind's going to tear the sails apart!"

Gon reacted first, scrambling up the swaying mast like a monkey.

"Seriously? Now I'm part of the show."

Luo Ye grumbled, but his body was already moving.

He grabbed a rope whipping wildly in the wind, planted his feet on the deck, and hauled it back by sheer force.

The strength he displayed left the nearby sailors staring in disbelief.

"Lower the sails!"

Kurapika shouted and rushed over as well, nimbly helping the sailors take in the sails.

Leorio was still angry, but he knew what mattered most right now.

When he spotted a sailor who had fallen and split his forehead, he immediately took bandages and medicine from his diamond-shaped bag and expertly dressed the wound.

Without discussing a thing, the four worked together in perfect harmony.

With their help, the ship finally steadied amid the raging storm.

The storm passed as quickly as it had arrived.

When the clouds dispersed and sunlight spilled over the deck again, the Captain emerged with a pipe between his teeth.

Looking at the wreckage scattered everywhere and the young men still standing, he smiled.

"Congratulations. You've passed the first test."

The Captain puffed out a mouthful of smoke.

"Hunters need more than strength. They also need the ability to set aside their differences and work together in a crisis."

"All of you managed that."

Silence fell over the deck.

The candidates who had been vomiting moments earlier wore expressions of regret and resentment.

Leorio and Kurapika exchanged a glance, then awkwardly looked away.

"Um... sorry about earlier. I got carried away."

Scratching his head, Leorio spoke first.

"No, I was in the wrong too."

Kurapika's voice had softened considerably as well.

"I was too extreme."

As he looked at the sailor Leorio had bandaged, a trace of approval entered his eyes.

Perhaps this money-grubbing man was not as awful as he had thought.

"That's more like it!"

Gon smiled and patted both of them on the shoulder.

"We're teammates, aren't we?"

Leaning against the rail, Luo Ye watched the scene, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

Tch.

One storm, and we've picked up two companions with completely different personalities.

A melodramatic kid carrying a bloody vendetta.

A future doctor with a sharp tongue and a soft heart.

Throw in a hot-blooded idiot of a protagonist.

What a lineup.

The rest of this journey definitely won't be boring.

He looked toward the distant horizon, his eyes full of anticipation.

The curtain had only just risen on their grand upheaval.