On the ship to the exam, Gon and Leorio meet Kurapika. The captain asks each for their reason to be a Hunter. Gon wants to find his father, Leorio wants to be rich, and Kurapika wants to be a force for justice.

Gon, Kurapika and Leorio continue on the test, arriving at a cabin in the woods. A husband and wife say they have been attacked by beasts, when a beast shows up and kidnaps the wife. Leorio stays to treat the husband's wounds as Gon and Kurapika help the wife. In the end it turns out the couple and the beasts are a family and they find the group worthy of continuing to the next test.

The hotel owners leave the examinees stranded on the island. A map is found indicating another island nearby, and part of the group sets out immediately to find it, dying when a storm hits. Hanzo and Kurapika sense danger and are elected leaders of the people who stay. They learn of a storm that comes in daily waves, the second of which will submerge the island, so they have one day to escape.