ɪ ᴅʀᴇᴡ ʜᴇʀ sᴏ ᴡᴇʟʟ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇɴ ɪ ɢᴀᴠᴇ ᴜᴘ ʜᴀʟғ ᴡᴀʏ ᴏɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘɪɢ 😭😂 ᴏʜ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴅɪsᴀᴘᴘᴏɪɴᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ ɪ ғᴇᴇʟ. ʜᴇ ʟᴏᴏᴋs sᴏ ᴅᴏᴘᴇʏ 😭

ꕥ

ꕥ

What was beyond the walls was astonishing; a large mansion stood there embellished with greenery and yet, the gardens had kitchen counters and utensils adorned all over the patches of grass.

Looking over the mansion in awe, Valentine saw two examiners waiting for them and she studied their appearances.

One was a woman, who didn't bother to put on any proper clothes. All she had on were extremely short shorts and a black bra with a see through net-like shirt on top. Her mint green hair was separated into five pigtails and was tied with a ribbon, shaped like starfish.

A small giggle passed through her pink lips and her golden eyes turned towards the other examiner, observing him.

The second one was; the blonde didn't want to be rude, obese and had straight, midnight black hair and his eyes studied all of the applicants.

'Welcome, I'm Menchi; the examiner for the Second Phase',The woman introduced herself and gestured towards the man beside her,'And that's Buhara, the other examiner who will help me'

A loud rumble echoed through the air and the examiner; Buhara, held his stomach with an embarrassed smile on his face.

'Man, I'm starving',Buhara remarked,'I could eat anything right now'

Blinking quickly, Valentine's lips parted and her eyes widened ever-so-slightly; so that meant only one thing.

Standing up, Menchi placed her hands on her hips and her chest was high with confidence.

'For this year's Second Phase, you'll have to cook!',Menchi explained, her voice echoing throughout the crowd.

Looks of disbelief were shown on the applicants faces and it was clear that barely anyone knew how to cook; none of them were expecting this.

Valentine had thought that the Second Phase would consist of some hand-to-hand combat, along with some survival skills but it appeared that she had been mistaken. But growing up, her mother had taught her the basics of cooking and had even taught her some dishes, but she wasn't a pro-level chef.

Biting her lip, the girl wondered if Menchi would at least accept mainly basic foods.

'You heard correctly, your challenge for the Second Phase is to make a dish that will satisfy our taste buds',Menchi continued to speak, friendly and amiable.

'Two dishes? Why do we have to cook?',Someone in the crowd questioned, their face contorted into a form of a displeased expression mixed with bewilderment.

'Because we... are Gourmet Hunters!'

There was a long period of silence, followed by an out roar of laughter, most of them not taking her seriously, causing the female Hunter to clench her jaw in anger and narrow her eyes at those who mocked her status, hanging her head in shame.

The laughter continued on, until a certain little firecracker with blonde hair snapped.

"Hey, idiots!"

Turning at the sound of the young girl's voice, all eyes turned towards her and Valentine narrowed her eyes at the round man that had spoke up, his orange mullet pulled back into a ponytail.

"It's disrespectful to insult someone's profession",Valentine growled out with venom, raising her voice as the once sweet and innocent girl turned into a raging wildfire of anger,"They're hunters and are still leagues ahead of you. Disrespectful pig"

Just as the other applicant was about to open his mouth, Menchi cleared her throat and interrupted the little dispute. It was clear that she was agitated, but she looked towards Valentine and shot the young girl a grateful look, causing her to simply nod her head with a small smile.

Watching as the man, Buhara, stood up to his full height, Valentine stared with wide eyes and tried not to gape at his height.

'Today's required ingredient will be pork',He called out and Valentine stifled a chuckle at the convenience,'Feel free to use meat from any species of pig in Visca Forest. As you see, you'll use these cooking facilities to prep your pork dishes. To pass the exam, you must create a dish to satisfy our discriminating palates'

'But we won't be evaluating taste alone, so take this seriously. Is that clear? When we've both eaten our fill, this portion of the exam will be over'

So it was technically a race against time, as well?

There was no way that they could sample every dish from each of the applicants left. Glancing around, Valentine surveyed everyone's expressions and a wave of bloodlust hit the girl, making her shiver.

'Okay, enough talk. Let's just get to it, alright?',The mullet man voiced, sounding like a child who hadn't gotten their way.

There was no doubt on Valentine's mind that he was going to fail.

'Let the exam's Second Phase..',Buhara slapped his stomach like a gong and the low sound echoed throughout the courtyard,'Begin!'

ꕥ

The crowd had run wild, literally, and everyone was rushing around like a cow stampede. The five had decided to stick together, exploring the forest with one another.

Gon; being the bright ball of energy he was, giddily slid down a grassy slope with Killua and the other's close behind.

'Yahoo!',Killua exclaimed in glee, before his face twisted into horror and torment at the impending doom that was racing at him like a rocket.

Unfortunately, the silver-haired boy took a critical hit and groaned in pain, but what had made the matter worse were the others that had yet to come down.

Following close behind, Leorio, Kurapika and Valentine slid down, doing the same thing; tripling the impact of the collision as the silverette groaned in pain.

Kurapika groaned lowly in pain, before looking over his shoulder in worry of the girl behind him as she rubbed her head, a pained expression on her face.

'Are you alright, Valentine?',The blond asked, causing the blonde haired girl to look at him in surprise and he watched as the baby bird that had clung to Valentine like a leech, slowly peeked his head out from her blonde locks; the bird seeming uninjured from the collision as he looked around, confused by the sudden racket.

Rubbing her head, Valentine nodded and gave the Kurta a small smile, although she was quite confused over his worry.

"I'm alright",Valentine answered, smiling lightly and Kurapika gave her a small smile back.

'What the heck do you think you're doing?',Killua grunted angrily, looking towards Gon.

Looking into the distance, Gon blinked and pointed forward.

'I found the pigs!',He exclaimed pointing towards where he had spotted them and Valentine followed to where he pointed, a silent gasp leaving her lips.

There were big, fat pink-skinned pigs spread out around the area and they were far larger than any regular pig, but that wasn't their main concern.

The pigs were chewing on bones.

'Wait.. don't tell me they're carnivores!',Kurapika exclaimed, causing Valentine's eyes to widen.

A few pigs stopped what they were doing and turned their heads towards the group, causing all five of them to sweat slightly.

'Why did I take the exam this year? Why did I take the exam this year?',Leorio squeaked and trembled in fear.

A smirk graced Killua's face and he turned towards the trembling older man.

'What's wrong, old man?',Killua questioned, a smirk on his lips,'Are you scared?'

'I'm not scared! And I'm not an old man, how many more times do I— ahh!',Leorio shrieked, running for his life and sprinted away from the pigs as they chased him as their dinner.

A close-eyed laugh left Killua's lips and he avoided the pigs as they went after him.

Staring at the pig that ran at her, Valentine heard her little bird companion shriek in fear and she ran away, quickly climbing up a tree for safety; watching as the pig ran by.

The pig had gotten angered even more and started jumping, trying to bite at the girl's legs. Unfortunately, due to how high she was, the pig was unable to reach her.

'Everyone, it's the forehead!',Gon shouted,'The foreheads are it's weakness'

The blonde's eyes widened in realization and a lightbulb had almost appeared above her head.

Breathing out lightly, Valentine gently reached up and waited for the baby bird to climb into her hand before she placed the young bird on the branch, holding up her finger as his eyes looked up at her.

"Stay. there",Valentine said authoritatively and went to jump down, before looking back at the young bird,"I'll be right back"

Jumping off of the branch, she aimed her heel at the pig's forehead and kicked the creature quite hard.

A wail of pain screeched out of the pig's lips, before it fell onto it's back; dead, and Valentine landed on the ground, her eyes full of sympathy for the animal.

But she couldn't help it, she had to do it to pass the exam.

Looking up at the branch above her, Valentine cupped her hands and held them up, looking at the baby bird that stared down at her.

"Jump down, little one"

Anxiously moving back and forth, the baby bird slowly jump down from the branch and hurriedly flapped one of his small wings, before gently landing in Valentine's hands.

Giving the small animal a kind smile, Valentine gently put him on her shoulder and felt as his talons dug into her shirt.

Tucking a few loose strands of blonde hair behind her ear, Valentine struggled to lift up her pig and stumbled around, looking towards Gon and watched as he effortlessly picked up his pig, causing her mouth to drop.

Catching her stare, the boy grinned brightly and waved with his other hand.

'I saw you kill that pig just then, Valentine, you did great!',Gon said, staring at the pig and then the bird atop of her shoulder,'Are you going to be able to carry it?'

Glancing towards the small bird, a frown pulled at her lips and Valentine gently bit her lip.

"As long as he stays by my hair, he should be alright",Valentine stated, giving the green-haired boy a gentle smile.

'Alright!',Gon exclaimed, giving the blonde-haired girl a smile back,'Let's go'

When the two returned, Valentine could see most of the contestants at their stations with their pigs and all of them staring back and forth between their animal and cooking utensils, none of them having any clue on what to do.

Letting out a small chuckle, Valentine picked up a knife and carefully cut into the pig's skin; taking out the largest cut of the loin.

Taking a small bowl into her hand, the blonde grabbed the seasonings she had on the side and put them inside, crushing them up.

Gently she messaged the loin with the seasoning; that consisted of salt, pepper, chopped up garlic, rosemary and thyme, before lighting a medium flame.

Slowly rotating the meat, Valentine made sure the heat of the flames effected each part of it's body and watched as everyone else just spun it as fast as they could.

The fire crackled with heat and slowly roasted the pig, the skin becoming a light shade of tanned brown.

ꕥ

Beginning to plate the pig, Valentine put a small sprig of thyme and chopped up tomatoes on top of the roast, before gently folding her hands behind her back and bit into her lower lip; anxiously.

One by one everyone had presented their dishes and while Buhara had enjoyed every single one, Menchi had not passed a single applicant.

'Number 399!',Menchi shouted, scanning the crowd before her eyes had landed on the blonde girl that had spoken up before against one of the applicants on behalf of the Gourmet Hunters and her eyes softened at the frightened look in the young girl's eyes,'You're up last'

Gulping down the bile that had slowly risen up her throat from anxiety, Valentine clenched onto her plates in fear and watched as Menchi perked up at the sight of actually cooked food; and not a burnt pig, slowly sitting up as the young girl placed the food in front of them.

"A pork roast, though since the time limit was less t-than I had expected, I had to add more heat to the flames a-and it may be a bit crispier than expected",Valentine spoke softly, her tone showing her nervousness and she shifted her weight onto one foot,"I-.. I hope that it fits your tastes"

Quickly gobbling down his plate, Buhara didn't even bother to use his silverware and he licked his fingers, then his lips.

'Pass'

'Finally, something edible',Menchi mumbled, cutting into a small portion of the tender roast, juices from the cooked meat spilling onto the plate as a wonderful aroma filled their noses, and she took a small bite.

Gulping lightly, Valentine watched as Menchi's eyes momentarily widened; even if it was for a fraction of a second, and thoughtfully chewed the roast. Nodding, she glanced down at the plate and her eyes brightened.

'Not too bad, the seasonings are a good blend of herbs and are perfectly balanced, the tastes of the blend bringing out the richness of the juices naturally in the meat',Menchi said, before she cleared her throat and leaned back,'Finally, a decent meal. Applicant 399 passes!'

A bright smile broke out on Valentine's face and her eyes brightened, causing Menchi to open one of her eyes, a small smile twitching at her lips before it left as quickly as it had appeared.

Giving a small bow, the young girl thanked the two and almost pranced down the stairs, barely able to contain her surprise as she went back to her cooking station.

'Congratulations!',Gon cheered, offering Valentine a high-five and a small laugh broke through her lips, before she raised her hand, smacking it against his.

A small chirp echoed through her ears and a feeling of something crawling up her shoulder sent a tickling sensation throughout her body, a small giggle breaking through her lips as the small bird peeked out of her curtain of hair; wondering what had happened.

Gasps and whispers erupted from the crowd as Valentine smiled lightly, her golden eyes looking at the applicants as they turned to look at her and some were a lot angrier than most.

'So, none of you besides applicant 399 passed to the next phase',Menchi stated, a bored expression on her face.

Everyone went quiet and the crowd stared in shock at the examiner as she simply looked at her nails, her face blank of any emotion.

'Only one person passed?'

'Seriously?'

'Does she really mean that?'

'Wait, so the exam's over?'

'You gotta be kidding!'

The crowd voiced their anger, growing more and more infuriated causing Valentine to slowly duck down, hiding behind the table as a drop of sweat fell down her temple.

A loud snap echoed through the air as an applicant broke their cooking station in half and Valentine jumped, her eyes wide before she looked up as someone placed their hand on her shoulder, seeing her four companions standing on either side of her causing a small smile to twitch at her lips.

'This is unacceptable, do you hear me? I will not accept this!',The man with the ponytail shouted and his fists were clenched tightly, shaking with pure rage.

Rolling her eyes at the applicants tone, Menchi simply shrugged.

'Say what you want, but you still failed',Despite her calm appearance on the outside, Valentine could sense the storm that brewed within the woman as her brow twitched.

'Shut the hell up! You asked for pork and we gave it to you! We risked our lives—'

With her eyes narrowed in onto the man in a glare of death, Menchi clicked her tongue in annoyance and placed her hands behind her head.

'Your challenge was to prepare a pork dish that both examiner's would find delicious and none of you; besides applicant 399, even came close to succeeding',Menchi explained,'You all did pretty much the exact same thing. I mean, it's like you didn't even try to figure it out! And when it looked like you had tried, it was just fancy plating with no flavor to back it up. It's clear that none of you took this seriously'

Her words but through the crowd like a venomous snake and every single applicant frowned at her harsh words.

'Yeah, but come on, pork?',The ninja sighed,'No matter how you cook it, it's still pork'

Feeling her eye twitch in annoyance, Valentine slowly stood up and locked eyes onto the applicant.

Watching as Menchi grabbed him by his red scarf and pulled him closer, Valentine's eyes widened before she reached up, shielding the small bird from the view.

'You wanna say that one more time? If I hear anymore crap from you, I'll shove your arm up your ass and knock your teeth out!',Menchi continued yelling at the poor ninja, lecturing him about the importance of fine cuisine.

Releasing her grip on the ninja, Menchi watched as he trembled on the ground, sweating profusely and sat back in her chair.

'So, as I was saying before, not a single one of you; besides applicant 399, has the guts to cook anything remotely new or innovative'

'Hey, shut up! I'm not here to become some gourmet cook, but a Hunter!'

The crowd cheered in agreement and Valentine frowned, what was the problem with cooking? If they'd have just sucked it up, the trial would've gone by a lot quicker.

'My goal is to become a Blacklist Hunter and no stupid Gourmet Hunter is gonna tell me I can't'

'Then it's too bad that a stupid Gourmet Hunter is your examiner',Menchi snapped,'Well, better luck next year, I guess'

The ponytailed man's face reddened in anger as the blood in his veins rushed into his face and he clenched his fists tightly, digging his nails into the palm of his hands.

'Huh? Why you... don't mess with me!',The man shouted, running at Menchi and swung his arm back, preparing to punch the woman.

Before he could even come close, Buhara swung his hand forward and slapped the man, sending him flying into the air. Watching in amusement, Valentine watched as he bounced off of the towers of the mansion and a muffled chuckle left her lips.

'Buhara, please don't interfere',Menchi sighed.

'I'm sorry, but it kinda looked like you were gonna kill him if I didn't step in'

'Probably',Menchi said, a chuckle leaving her lips and she got up from her seat.

Picking up two large knives, Menchi walked down the stairs and many of the applicants gulped in fear; now realizing why she was a Hunter.

'Let's get this straight, we frequently venture into the dens of ferocious beasts, in search of the finest ingredients',Menchi stated, tossing the knives in her hands,'And every Hunter is proficient in at least some form of martial art'

Throwing the knives into the air, Menchi began to spin them around her in a mesmerizing manner.

'You lack focus and the will to experiment with new things',Menchi stated, catching the knives in her hand and pointed them at the crowd,'And that alone disqualifies you from becoming Hunters'

Watching as many of the applicants hung their heads in disappointment, Valentine pursed her lips and felt sympathy run through her veins.

'Well that said, it seems a bit excessive to pass only one applicant',A voice sounded from above.

Looking up, Valentine noticed a large blimp hovering above the mansion and noticed the symbol of the Hunters association labeled the side. A robed figure jumped from the blimp and landed on the ground, dust flying up from the harsh landing and Valentine looked away, shielding her face.

When the dust finally cleared, there stood an older man with ear piercings, a semi-long white beard clothed in a simple robe while wearing wooden zōri sandals. His wooden sandals clicking against the ground was the only thing heard throughout the silent air due to his dramatic performance. But his aura alone sent a tsunami of shivers down Valentine's spine and it was all too powerful, powerful enough to make every other aura surrounding him, dim under his presence.

'Hey, who's the old man?

'The Chairman of the Selection Committee..',Menchi informed the applicants, taking only one step forward as if already succumbing to his silent command,'He's in charge of the Hunter Exam... Chairman Netero'

'Well, I work behind the scenes',Chairman Netero spoke, hushed whispers and rushing gossip spread throughout the crowd like a wildfire,'I only interfere when there's a certain issue— like this'

Despite being intimidated, Menchi stood her ground and faced the repercussions of her unprofessional behavior. Though Hunters are wild and eccentric, she was appointed as an examiner and examiners must judge all of their contestants fairly.

'So, Menchi.. you failed all of the applicants; besides applicant number 399, because you disapproved of their reluctance to try out new things?',Netero asked her, but with a surprisingly airy feel around his aura.

It was hard to tell if the Chairman was angry or uncaring about the situation.

'No sir, I lost my cool when one of the candidates insulted the Gourmet Hunters. And I made the exam harder than necessary',Menchi admitted and lowered her head in shame.

'In other words, you are aware that this exam is unacceptable'

'Yes, but when cooking is involved, I lose control',Menchi told the Chairman, before taking in a sharp breath,'I will resign as an examiner, so please redo the second part of the exam!'

Bowing slightly, the woman pleaded with the Chairman and had her head lowered.

'Hmm.. but it would be difficult to find another examiner on such short notice',Netero pointed out as he rubbed his beard.

Keeping her head bowed, Menchi avoided the man's eyes and continued to apologize.

'How about this. I would like you to continue serving as an examiner, but you must also participate in the next test you propose',Netero proposed,'Is this acceptable?'

Straightening her posture, Menchi nodded quickly and her eyes brightened.

'Chairman, can you take us to Mount Split-in-Half by your blimp?',Menchi pleaded and Netero nodded in affirmation.

'Mount Split-in-Half. Ah, I see what you're doing',Chairman Netero hummed,'Certainly'

ꕥ

ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴀ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ғᴏʀ ᴏᴜʀ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʙɪʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴍᴘᴀɴɪᴏɴ.

ᴅʀᴜᴍ ʀᴏʟʟ ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ!

....

....

....

ᴢᴇᴜs! ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴀ ᴡʜɪʟᴇ ᴏғ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴛᴏ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ᴛʜɪs ᴀᴅᴏʀᴀʙʟᴇ ʟɪᴛᴛʟᴇ ʙɪʀᴅ, ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴅᴇᴄɪᴅᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ɴᴀᴍᴇ ʜɪᴍ ᴢᴇᴜs ᴀғᴛᴇʀ ᴍʏ ᴏʟᴅ ʙɪʀᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛʜᴇ ɢʀᴇᴇᴋ ɢᴏᴅ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴜɴᴅᴇʀ! ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏ, ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ʙɪᴛ ᴏғ ᴀɴ ɪᴅᴇᴀ ᴏɴ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴠᴀʟᴇɴᴛɪɴᴇ's ɴᴇɴ ᴛʏᴘᴇ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ.

ɪ ᴡᴏɴᴅᴇʀ ᴡʜᴀᴛ ɪᴛ'ʟʟ ʙᴇ... ᴀɴʏ ɪᴅᴇᴀs?

ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏ, ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ'ʟʟ sᴇᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴇxᴛ ᴏɴᴇ! ❤︎