A/N with the hunter exam arc done on the main story, we can start adding the perspective of our PTM characters!
Nobara POV
"Hey, look!" I nudged Miu, pointing towards the tunnel entrance where a man and a girl were approaching our little group. "It's a Blue-haired waifu and…some dude."
Zack, with the oversized coffin strapped to his back, which resembled something straight out of a gothic horror movie- why the hell did he ask for something so chuuni?-, glanced up with a flicker of surprise.
Miu, beside him, tilted her head, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"Why does everyone look so surprised?" she asked, confusion in her voice.
"It's because..." I began, my gaze fixed on the approaching girl, my finger pointing accusingly like a seasoned detective, "...she's from an anime I watched. A world filled with suffering despite its bright exterior!"
The girl, Rem, stopped in her tracks, her brow furrowing slightly.
She kept her composure, though, her eyes scanning us with a quiet intensity, probably trying to figure out what the hell I was talking about. "An anime?" she echoed, her voice laced with curiosity. "What do you mean?"
"Re:Zero," I stated simply, enjoying the look of bewilderment on her face. "A story about a half-elf girl named Emilia and her journey to become the ruler of Lugunica. And you," I added, pointing at Rem with a flourish, "are one of her maids, a demon with incredible power and a tragic past AND SOMEHOW NOT TRAGIC FUTURE!"
Rem's eyes widened in surprise, but before she could respond, I continued my exposition. "There's also this guy named Subaru, a tracksuit-wearing loser who keeps dying and coming back to life, trying to save Emilia from all sorts of dangers."
Rem snorted, a hint of disdain creeping into her voice. "This Subaru person sounds like a discount, trash version of Tereda," she remarked, glancing at her companion with a smirk.
The dude, Tereda, chuckled, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "I'll take that as a compliment," he said, winking at Rem.
"Wait," I interjected, my voice laced with incredulity, "do you mean you've never met a loser in a tracksuit who's all upbeat and shit and seemingly solves problems by pulling knowledge out of his ass?!"
Rem shook her head, her expression a mix of confusion and amusement.
"Well," Tereda spoke up, a thoughtful look on his face, "in my first loop, I kinda accidentally knocked a guy in a modern tracksuit into the way of an oncoming carriage, but when I went back in time, he was gone. Poof! Vanished into thin air."
My jaw dropped, my mind struggling to comprehend the implications of his words. "Whoa, time travel? That's some next-level shit!"
"Indeed," Tereda agreed with a sly grin.
He turned towards our group, extending a hand towards Zack. "I'm Tereda Chouju," he said, his voice casual but carrying an air of authority. "Don't bother with honorifics or switching the order of my name. Just call me Tereda."
"And I'm Rem," the blue-haired girl added, her voice laced with a subtle aloofness. "But you already knew that because you watched an 'anime,' did I pronounce that right?"
"You did," Zack confirmed, shaking Tereda's hand with a polite nod. "The name's Zack Hammers. Don't forget it because-" He trailed off, a flicker of confusion crossing his face. "Huh, I just lost my train of thought. Carry on."
I couldn't help but laugh at his sudden forgetfulness. "Classic Zack," I muttered under my breath.
With a dramatic flourish, I activated my Slime Suit, transforming into a dazzling black battle dress, complete with sharp gauntlets and stylish boots. "Magical sorceress, Jujutsu Nobara Kugisaki at your service! The only real magical girl here!" I declared, striking a series of heroic poses.
Miu, her eyes sparkling with amusement, simply smiled and said, "Miu Furinji."
I glanced around, noticing that the tunnel entrance was starting to fill up with examinees. At least three hundred people were already gathered, their expressions a mix of anticipation and nervousness. My eyes fell on a familiar figure lurking near the back of the crowd – Tonpa, the infamous "Rookie Crusher," his trademark grin hiding a malicious intent.
"Oh hell no," I muttered under my breath, my eyes narrowing as I spotted him offering a drink to a wide-eyed newcomer.
Before I could fully process the situation and destroy a bitch, Tereda was already moving.
He snatched one of Tonpa's infamous laxative-laced drinks from his bag, uncapped it, and with a casual "Bottoms up," shoved it into Tonpa's mouth.
A panicked look spread across Tonpa's face, and he sputtered, choking on the vile concoction.
He glared at Tereda, sputtering curses under his breath, then bolted for the elevator, clutching his stomach.
To my surprise, the hall erupted in cheers and applause.
The examinees, who had witnessed Tereda's impromptu act of justice against Tonpa, seemed to approve of his unorthodox methods.
one
I stared at Tereda, my brow furrowed in confusion.
The hall erupted in cheers and applause as Tereda casually strolled back towards us, a smug smirk playing on his lips. I couldn't help but grin; the guy had a knack for causing a scene.
A few examinees, emboldened by Tereda's actions, approached him with a mix of curiosity, admiration and a few lust-filled looks.
A burly man with a thick beard offered a hearty handshake. "That was some move back there," he said, his voice gruff with approval. "Tonpa's been needing a taste of his own medicine for a while now."
Tereda accepted the compliment with a reserved smile. "Just doing my part to ensure a fair competition," he replied, sounding like some kind of noble knight or something.
As the man moved on, a woman with fiery red hair sashayed towards Tereda, her hips swaying with a confidence that screamed 'trouble.' She wore a skin-tight outfit that left little to the imagination, and her eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint.
"Well, well," she purred, leaning in close enough that even I could smell her overpowering perfume. "That was quite the impressive display of strength, Sir Tereda. I wouldn't mind seeing more of your... techniques."
My eyes narrowed. This chick was seriously hitting on Tereda right in front of Rem?
That's some real horribly bad timing and absolute rudeness.
Before Tereda could even respond, his look of disdain clear, the air around us turned icy cold.
Rem materialized beside him, her usually gentle blue eyes now narrowed into slits, her aura radiating a palpable wave of hostility.
The red-haired woman stumbled back, her face paling as if she had seen a ghost. She didn't say a word, just turned and fled back into the crowd, disappearing as quickly as she had appeared.
"Serves her right," Rem muttered, her voice laced with possessiveness. "But you are mine, Tereda, and I won't let anyone take you away from me."
"And you are mine, Rem, and no red headed bimbo is going to take me away from you." Tereda said, like- holy crap, that's some ridiculously romantic heartthrob stuff. Wow. I was so stunned by the romance that I missed what he said next, but it seemed to make Rem melt.
I shrugged, turned away, and whistled a tune.
They embraced, their moment of tenderness a stark contrast to the chaotic energy buzzing around them.
Honestly, it was super sweet.
The applause from the Tonpa incident died down, and I glanced around, surprised to see that the number of examinees had swelled significantly.
There were now over seven hundred people crammed into the tunnel entrance, way more than I had remembered from the anime.
"Huh," I muttered to myself, "guess things are a bit different in this reality."
Just as I was contemplating the discrepancies, a tall, lean man with a stoic expression and a meticulously styled white side-parted haircut emerged from the darkened tunnel.
He was dressed in a simple violet suit, and his aura radiated an air of quiet authority.
"Welcome, applicants," he announced, his voice deep and resonant, carrying effortlessly through the hall. "I am Satotz, your examiner for the first phase of the Hunter Exam."
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the assembled crowd. "The first test is simple," he continued. "Follow me."
With that, he turned and walked back into the darkness, his long strides setting a brisk pace.
The examinees scrambled after him, a chaotic mass of bodies jostling for position, eager to prove their worth and begin their journey towards becoming Hunters.
We easily kept pace with him, our enhanced bodies and Nen awareness making the trek through the underground tunnel a breeze.
I noticed Zack, Miu, and the other red-suited Tojo guy from the ship who I forgot the name of chatting with a spiky-haired kid who was radiating protagonist energy- obviously Gon.
The blonde with the blue tabard from the ship was also there, along with a guy in a ridiculously loud tie-dye suit who seemed to be part of the same group. Did I meet him?
Interesting.
Looks like our little team just got a bit bigger.
I frowned, briefly wondering if the addition of the Tojo clan had changed the world this much- then what else was changed.
But then I shrugged it off.
This was reality now, not some fictional story.
It didn't matter what changes had occurred; we would adapt, we would overcome.
After all, we were Jumpers, weren't we?
This world was our playground for the next 10 years.
—
Zack POV
My legs pumped, my enhanced body effortlessly keeping pace with Gon as we navigated the winding path through the tunnels.
The air increased in humidity as we approached the exit at the top of the stairs.
Miu and Nobara had surged ahead earlier, Nobara's curiosity piqued by the presence of some people who never showed up in the anime and Miu being dragged along.
Nobara was eager to assess the competition and potentially get a glimpse of a real life anime world.
Killua, after a brief conversation with Gon, had vanished into the shadows, his movements as silent and swift as a phantom.
Suddenly, Killua reappeared, his skateboard gliding effortlessly beside me. A confused but hopeful expression flickered across his face as he pointed towards Tereda, who was effortlessly keeping pace with us, his strides long and his posture relaxed.
"Hey," Killua asked, his voice laced with a hesitant curiosity, "who's that guy?"
"That's Tereda," I replied, keeping my voice low and my gaze fixed on the path ahead. "He and Rem are from Meteor City too. They decided to try for the Hunter Exam this year."
Killua's brow furrowed, a skeptical glint in his eyes. "Meteor City?" he echoed, his voice tinged with disbelief.
"But how they hell did they got out of that cordoned off hellhole?! Wait! You guys are from there too?!"
I shrugged, forcing a nonchalant smile. "Meteor City and its inhabitants don't exactly follow the rules, Killua. They have their ways of getting things done."
Killua seemed to accept my explanation, but his gaze lingered on Tereda, a mix of curiosity and apprehension in his eyes.
"He's strong," I added, my voice dropping to a near whisper. "Really strong. I might be able to beat him, but it would be a tough fight. We'd also probably level a few city blocks in the process."
Killua's eyes widened, his jaw dropping slightly as he absorbed the implications of my words.
He nodded slowly, his expression in a tight frown that expressed a mixture of awe and bewilderment.
Without another word, he pushed off on his skateboard, gliding towards Gon, who was engaged in a lively conversation with Kurapika.
I watched him go, a smirk playing on my lips. Killua's curiosity had been piqued, a new mystery to unravel for him.
Maybe I'd unlock his Nen at some point along with his other two friends.
I moved my eyes to a black haired girl in a frilly black dress.
She kinda looked like a 12 year old female Majima.
She seemed to be talking animatedly with Killua and Gon.
I shrugged.
None of my business.