Regardless of Ponzu's actual strength, the very existence of that queen bee alone was enough reason for Ron to let her join his team. That was precisely what his team was missing.
Ponzu replaced her hat and double-checked it before putting it back on.
"I've told you everything—all of it's true. Can you give your tag now?"
She looked at Ron expectantly, both hands clenched into small fists, trying her best to appear pitiful. She knew there was no way she could snatch the tag by force, so this was the only thod she could think of.
"Sure," Ron said, tossing his tag to Ponzu.
Ponzu froze for a mont, quickly lowering her head to check if it was real. But before she could even celebrate, Ron had already taken the tag back.
Ponzu looked perplexed.
Ron regarded her calmly. "I did give it to you. But your abilities are too weak; you wouldn't be able to hold onto it. That's your problem."
"But nobody else needs that particular tag except …"
"This exam isn't the final stage," Ron said. "You're too weak. Even if you pass this phase and move on to the next, do you really think you can make it through with your current skills?"
Ponzu fell silent.
"Now I'll give you two choices," Ron continued. "First, play a ga with . If you win, I'll give you my tag and won't take it back. But if you lose, you'll have to agree to one condition from ."
"Second, make a deal with . I might be able to help you get the power you need to solve your village's crisis, but you'll also have to et one condition of mine. Which will it be?"
Ponzu's eyes flickered.
"You want my queen bee, don't you?"
"Yes."
"That's not possible. She can't leave . She's chosen , and if she leaves, she wouldn't survive."
"I'll step back a bit then."
"Step back?"
"Exactly," Ron said. "I have a team, and your queen bee's ability is exactly what we need. So I'll let you join my team as well. That's my condition."
Ponzu thought it over for a mont.
"Can I at least know what this ga entails?"
"Are you sure you want to know? That would an you've already decided to go with the first option."
"No, no…" Ponzu quickly shook her head. "I'll choose the second."
She gave a wry smile, not so much at having to decide but at realizing she had no real leverage at all. Without the queen bee, she wouldn't even have the chance to talk to Ron.
She was simply too weak.
"Congratulations—you've made the right choice."
Ron extended his hand.
"From now on, you're a mber of my team. You can't leave without my permission. Call Captain. After the Hunter Exam ends, I'll introduce you to the others."
Ponzu took his hand.
At that mont, she seed to accept her new reality completely, and her tension finally eased.
They released each other's hands.
"This fish is pretty good. Want so?"
"Yes, thank you… Captain."
Ron handed her a piece of cooked fish. Ponzu took a small bite, and her eyes lit up.
"It's delicious."
Ron's cooking skills weren't especially refined. Back in his previous life, he'd only learned a bit of basic ho cooking. After coming to this world, he never spent much ti on it. The Zoldyck estate had its own chef, and once he left the estate, plenty of restaurants were out there. He preferred investing his ti in training.
What made Ponzu find the fish so tasty was partly the freshness of the ingredients, and partly that she had been crouched in hiding for so long that she was ravenous.
"Ponzu, do you want to beco a Hunter, or do you want power?"
"Power."
"Then stick with for the rest of this exam and watch carefully."
With that, Ron rose to his feet.
"Let's go."
Ponzu followed behind him, her short stature making her look like a child. In reality, she was already an adult, a bit older than Ron himself.
Soon, a figure ca into view: Geretta, a candidate who had ranked among the top in the third exam. he was currently watching Gon from a distance.
Gon had several twigs spread out in front of him, each topped with a piece of fruit bearing a smiley face. He was clearly using them to represent Hisoka.
He knew perfectly well he stood no chance against Hisoka in a direct fight, so he had co up with an idea involving his fishing rod—he had landed a hit on Hisoka before in the Milsy Wetlands. With so distance, if Gon managed to grab the tag, he could flee quickly.
With a flick of his wrist, Gon cast his line.
The hook pierced the piece of fruit cleanly and hauled it back to him.
Ron glanced toward Geretta. The timing was right if he planned to strike at Gon, but for so reason he held back. Maybe he was waiting for a better opening, or sothing else.
Ron took Ponzu to watch several battles, yet never intervened. Ponzu grew curious.
"Captain, what are we doing?"
"You wanted power. I'm showing you different types of strength," Ron answered, casting her a brief look.
"But don't you want to pass the exam? We've had several chances already to grab tags. Even if they're not your direct target, a few tags add up to enough points."
Ponzu couldn't understand. They'd had multiple perfect opportunities—so perfect that even she had felt tempted to move. Yet Ron had stopped her each ti.
"No need to rush. We can handle the tag situation on the last day," Ron said. "From those fights you watched, what do you think of their abilities? Could they help you with your village's problem?"
"They all seem strong," Ponzu replied after a mont's thought. "They each have different traits, but it's still not enough for what I need."
Ron asked, "Does your queen bee sense anything about your village's trouble?"
"Yes," Ponzu nodded.
That answer sparked Ron's interest. So far, the queen bee had only reacted to him, Hisoka, and Gittarackur. It hadn't stirred for Killua, Hanzo, or Pokkle, all of whom were already quite formidable among normal people. Clearly, Ponzu's village must be threatened by soone similarly powerful—a Nen user of genuine skill.
"Let's keep watching."
Ron glanced at the crystal ball before him.
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