Raphael's stuck having to do Bisky's chores.


Even though he knows that woman could beat him within an inch of his life, he despises Biscuit Krueger. She was blackmailing him into doing all her chores. Otherwise, she'll take away his ability to continue to be around them. She was beyond evil…

She was a wicked witch…

He looked at two different frying pans, trying to gauge which one that hag wanted. With a reluctant sigh, he grabbed the more expensive one. He did this with everything, trying to get the best of everything.

Having grabbed the last of her requests, he made his way back to the group.

"~"

Bisky was eyeing one of the cabbages he hand-picked like she was trying to find the tiniest of blemishes.

"Would you like me to get one of those monocle magnifying glasses to see the blemishes better?"

She made no retort, only looking at it a little more carefully.

Raphael's glanced back to the boys taking note of the new rocky formations littering their cage.

Bisky eventually spoke, "You did well."

"Finally, may I leave…?"

"Why, they're almost done."

"Really…?" The teen looked over the ring, even though Killua and Gon were panting, the man looked exhausted. Any noise made him twist and turn in the direction, making him even more agitated whenever he saw nothing.

Even though Killua and Gon were both in a state of Zetsu, they moved around the field in perfect sync, one setting up the other for an easy attack.

Binolt had swung wildly in Killua's direction, the boy retreating out of the way for one of Gon's attacks. Gon had destroyed one of the rocks, sending a shower of rubble in the man's direction. He covered his face in time, protecting himself from most of the damage before he could see the other's next move.

A mop of white hair flew from out the cover, a hand pinning the hand holding a pair of scissors. Fingers poised to strike the man's neck. Before Killua could even land his attack, Gon screamed "Stop, Killua!"

Raphael fumed. They had set the man up for an easy win, yet he was being denied "Oi, what's the big deal Gon?"

The man slipped his free hand to grab a pair of scissors. Before Binolt could even swing at him, Killua was forced to slip away.

"Oh, you're back?"

"Don't answer my question with a question."

"Well, we still have plenty of time. We should be fighting him until we're both able to take him on alone. Stopping now would be a waste because we're on a roll."

"Seriously…" Killua found himself frowning for a moment. That was until he thought about his friend's words. He was right. While they were able to take him on together, being able to defeat Binolt on their own would be beneficial. It means they'll be on par with someone of Raphael's calibre.

They wouldn't need to depend on his strength, nor Bisky's.

"Fools…" Binolt cackled at the situation even though he had almost lost to Killua, he was determined to fight to the very end "It's my turn."

"To get your ass handed to you…" Raphael was quick to call out.

"Huh?"

"Look at you… You look exhausted."

"He's right, you should rest. We should wait until tomorrow. You've been slowing down."

Bisky unconsciously smiled at the idea. It was what she was hoping for, this little teaser to keep them going, fighting until they were able to beat the man on their own. If they kept going, Raphael might not even be able to take them on.

It's what she was hoping for…

"Well, you heard the boys. They want to go for the full two weeks. Can you honestly wait for them?"

"Sure, I've got things to do… Jenny to, unfortunately, earn back. Oh, I should teach you the infinite Contact method so I don't have to waste even more Jenny trying to pull that from a long list of random cards."

"Sure, but I was wondering if you're willing to waste those precious two weeks not training." She offered a sweet innocent smile, but the boy knew better. She was taunting him "Thanks, but no thanks. I've beat him instantly, there's no way to improve myself, from a fight that's going to lead to the same result."

She pondered that excuse. If the boys do fight until they can win, powering through until they can beat Binolt on their own, they'll be strong enough to challenge Raphael. But she had a different idea… if a single person at Binolt's level is too easy, two of them should be more than enough to take him down.

That… will be his incentive "I'll keep that in mind."

"~"

Raphael had unfortunately returned to being a solo player, not that he even had time to play the game. Whenever he got a call from Bisky, even if it was at the most inconvenient of times, he'd have to drop everything and do her chores.

Most of them were usually gathering groceries for her.

He'd occasionally see the others in the thick of the fight as the days progressed. He'd take notice of their improvement and every time, Bisky would tease him about it. He wouldn't relent though. Binolt wasn't a good training partner, for him. Maybe his father, someone who'd hold back to a degree where he could keep up and only get more difficult over time, would be a great training partner…

Even someone like Bisky would be a decent replacement for his father, but she wasn't planning on getting her hands dirty.

She'd just sit all day, idly watching the boys or Binolt get their asses handed to them. Day in, day out.

The only time she did lift a finger was to cook for all of them. Even Binolt. She couldn't risk any of them starving to death.

Other than that, he didn't progress much in helping Tsezgerra. Bisky made certain of that. Her badgering made it impossible to solo the long progression cards and even those which required minimal effort were just as easily disrupted.

The way she ordered him around, it was as though she knew exactly how many spots were free in his book.

There was a specific card that required a free slot card, which was taken up because of what Bisky requested.

Was it the way he talked? How he responded to each request alerted her to how much space he had remaining; he wasn't too certain. But she found that sweet spot that always managed to irritate him.

He knows her actions were deliberate, but he couldn't pin the blame on her. She's too devious with her words.

There were only a couple more days of this hell, so he relaxed into a chair processing his problems. At least a way to get out of his deal while retaining that friendship. Upon opening his book, he looked over his free slots, counting the useful spell cards he had remaining. There weren't many. He'd need to at least earn a couple of monster cards and just roll, hoping he gets something good.

Honestly, that's probably the only thing he could do if earning restricted cards was an impossibility with her…

As he was about to grab a card, the pages shifted, flipping to the last page. Was he seriously going to order him around again? "What is it this time… you ran out of carrots?"

"I have some good news!"

The teen could hear the cheerful sincerity in her voice, but instead of joy, it filled him with nothing but dread "What?"

"Binolt gave up early, which means-"

"He still has four days to go." Something felt odd about the situation. They couldn't have learned to beat him in a little over a week on their own. Was Biskey secretly training them while he was away so that they'd surpass the request at an earlier date…

Or was she planning on using the next four days for something else?

Then there was the other problem, what they couldn't do at the start, they could now do in ten days… five between each of them. But at the same time, hearing this news filled him with excitement. If it's true they've gotten strong enough to play this game, they could go for some difficult Restricted Cards that require groups "I'll be there let me just-"

"Uh, uh… you're running back here."

The teen let out a long, frustrated groan Bisky, unfortunately, heard all of it.

"Chop, chop."

"I'll be there in thirty minutes."

"Make that fifteen."

"Fine…" Closing his Book, he ran back to the boys.

"~"

"You made it in fourteen, you've improved."

"Spare me your taunts…" You evil witch "Everyone ready to play the game?"

"Not… so fast."

The boys looked confused, one of Bisky's hands on her hip while she raised the other to point up.

"Eight!" Everyone called out.

"Raphael was faster, you two drop and give me a thousand."

The two grumbled, Raphael thankful that he didn't have to do that after running from one town to the middle of nowhere "So what's the hold-up? What have you got in mind now."

"Well, they're short a sparring partner…" She shifted the hand to point to the teen standing in front of her, "and I have someone to do my chores."

"I'm not going to be their personal punching bag for four days. I've already delayed my contract four ten days, and I'm pretty sure Tsezgerra thinks I'm dead, which he can prove by checking my in-game status… or he thinks I've breached a part of my contract."

"That's not important." She was quick to dismiss the boy's concerns, "They still have room for improvement and I've yet to determine your strength threshold."

"Stronger than Binolt, able to collect most monster cards. Boom, now let's go."

"If I knew any better… I'd think you're scared to fight them."

Raphael's eye twitched "Even if they could beat Binolt, I'm still the strongest here… not including you."

"That is still to be determined. You won't mind proving that…"

As much as he didn't want to fight his new friends, it looked like it was the only way either of them was going to get to play the game again. He was tired of delaying himself "Alright, but only for four days."

"That's the plan. They must beat you in four days…" She shifted her gaze to the boys, smiling sinisterly "Or you have to beat them."

Raphael shook his head, unable to believe that he was being pulled into this type of game. Bisky is a master in deceptive practices, hiding so much with so little information. Even if the two were stronger now, they weren't at his level "Let's do this." He threw his weapon to Bisky. It wasn't that he didn't need it, it was that he didn't want to use it.

It's bad enough he's already seen a few scars on Killua and Gon that have healed into scabs. Most likely from their constant fights with Binolt.

What Bisky most likely wanted him to prove, was that he was strong enough to beat them with just his skills and his tenacity to overcome the fight. He deemed them to be too easy, she was going to need that proof "I'll go easy on you. I have the advantage in terms of experience. So, I'll handicap myself to make things fair…"

"Who said about making things easier… It's going to be you vs. Gon and Killua."

"That's hardly an advantage." Raphael reaffirmed his position. Ten days of experience won't change the fact he has a year of experience over them. He's played the game long enough to run into different fights and issues that require tact over brawn.

Killua and Gon got up. They were smiling at the position being presented, someone who has more professional experience than Binolt presenting themselves as a challenge to overcome. They'll be able to see how much they've improved, even if they ultimately don't win.

But that doesn't mean they're not going to bother trying.

Killua stretched his limbs, "Your funeral."

"~"

Raphael brought up his hand, aura circling his body. He looked at the two, determined to win the mock-up as quickly as possible. Having been forcing him to run from town to them helped as a warm-up.

The same could be said about the push-up for his friends.

Bisky looked on from above, eyeing the teen's area. He had a consistent flow that came from experience, however, even if she were to factor out his constant remarks about undermining his opponents, she couldn't pick a fault with his defences. He wasn't using Ten like the others were… he was using Ryu.

His trainer taught him well… but had they taught him enough "Begin."

She watched on as the fight transpired. Killua and Gon shifted, splitting up to come at Raphael from both sides. She could see it as a good tactic, but she knew better given what she saw with the teen's fight with Binolt.

He was an aggressor…

Raphael shifted his stance charging directly towards Gon. The action caught the two of them off guard, Killua was being forced to run back to Gon.

Raphael was going in with a quick hook punch to take out Gon as soon as possible. Which was good, he planning on reducing the number of enemies he had at the start, but in her opinion, it would've been wiser to take out Killua first.

Yes, he was a stronger competitor but given two of them were surprised by his initial attack if he managed to knock down that boy for a few seconds, taking down Gon would be much easier.

Gon dodged the attack, which earned a whistle from Raphael. The teen was impressed. But from her advantage point, she saw Killua would soon join the fray. It wouldn't be long before Raphael would be forced to take on both.

That's where she'll notice his weaknesses and his defences crack under pressure.

Gon countered the attack by aiming for Raphael's opening, his unguarded chest.

However, the boy was quicker grabbing onto his fist before he could land a hit. Gon's body was pulled forward, his fist being redirected before Raphael's knee slammed into the boy's chest, causing him to break out into a fit of coughs.

When Killua was upon Raphael, the boy was forced to switch targets. He brought up his hand to block Killua's punch aimed for the side of his ribs.

Killua instead switched targets mid-strike, instead aiming for Raphael's leg.

Raphael winched from the attack, but it didn't look like it would be enough to take him down. Kicking his leg out, Killua blocked it with both arms crossed his chest, before twisting one of his hands around to grab onto the teen's foot.

Raphael used his other leg, kicking off to the floor to slam it into Killua's block.

The act forced the other to let go of his foot, the teen landing safely on the floor.

She was impressed. He was managing to hold his own against the two. He wasn't lying when he said he was a strong competitor.

Even Killua was getting agitated from the loss when he thought he had caught Raphael off guard.

Gon managed to recover quickly, bringing his foot up he prepared to kick the teen while he was down.

When Raphael saw the boy's leg hovering over him, he rolled out of the way. A loud crack followed as the foot was slammed into the ground, chunks of rocks and dust kicking up upon impact. There was a sizable hole where Raphael's head used to be.

The two charged Raphael.

It seems like that attack made Raphael doubt his initial assumption. He was focusing on Gon, blocking the boy's strength instead of trying to tank it while he aimed to take out Killua.

The aura around Raphael's sides and legs amplified buffing up his defences in preparation for any attacks. It was a little early, given that it'll just make Gon and Killua aim for different areas. But maybe he was doing this to redirect their focus and lead them into pre-emptive traps.

Instead of having the desired effect, Killua aimed for the teen's foot, kicking it out from underneath him.

Losing his stance Gon took a swing, punching the teen in the chest with enough force to knock him down.

Raphael fell onto the floor with a heavy thud, the shock evident on his face. He wasn't expecting any of that to transpire, let alone the first to be overpowered.

"You were saying…" Bisky remarks with a cheeky smile, "Are you sure you want to keep going easy on them?"

Raphael's smile grew. He saw this as a challenge, one he was determined to not lose again "Nope!" The teen jumped up, ready to take on both boys seriously "I stand corrected. I'm going all out…" Aura pulsed through his body, both boys took a step back from the new pressure.

It wasn't until Gon took the first step forward that Killua followed. The boy was smiling gleefully from the challenge being presented, a new and exciting hurdle to surpass. Gon wanted to win… he was determined to beat the teen.

The two ran towards Raphael, the teen blocking both.

Aura shifted around Raphael's body, the teen shifting focus between them. When one hit him, he either blocked or redirected their attack before aiming for the other, trying to knock them back.

Bisky was starting to pick up on one of the boy's weaknesses; that fighting multiple people at the same time was difficult for him. It made sense why he tried to defeat one of them so early on.

He knew his weakness better than anyone.

She could see that the boy had a decent level of stamina, given that he wasn't struggling to match the boy's level unlike Binolt was struggling to do so towards the end. But the teen wasn't good at targeting multiple people at the same time.

He'll try to utilize his maximum output to outlast one of them before targeting the other still standing… which won't work.

She was getting irritated because she saw potential in the boy. Like a ruby, he has an unrelenting, fiery passion for knowledge, with the will to move forward even in states of weakness. But he's not without flaws… he's quick to assume and a disaster when it comes to revealing his knowledge to others.

The fight progressed, and both groups refused to give up.

Raphael didn't look tired, but as the fight progressed the gap between them widened. It wasn't looking good on the teen's end. Gon was acting like an iron ball ploughing into the boy, leaving cracks in the foundation Killua would exploit.

While Killua's attacks seemed to act like lingering bruises that refused to heal.

They were working together…

Either Raphael hasn't figured out that he is going to lose if he keeps going down this path, or he has trump cards he has still yet to use that would twist the fight back in his favour.

Aura flowed into Raphael's palm, preparing his ability. He clenched his fist right as he swung the other, a bright flash of light aiming to blind the two. Gon let out a surprised noise when Raphael slammed his fist into his chest.

He knocked the boy back before switching targets, swinging his other fist at Killua. The boy shifted, dodging the strike.

The boy must have noticed by now he had made a fundamental mistake. Those kinds of attacks wouldn't work against the boy. Killua anticipated the attack given that he already knew of the ability's existence, or he planned around the possibility of the teen using it.

Bisky commends his ability to utilise their blind spots when using his ability, but it wasn't enough to beat them.

Raphael swung at Killua, breaking through his defences. He kicked the boy away further from Gon, focusing only on the white-haired boy seeing as he was effectively the stronger fighter of the two.

The two exchanged blows, Raphael thinking he had the upper hand.

That was until Gon slammed his body against the teen, side-tackling him. He was knocked off guard, giving Killua an easy hit.

Punching the boy across the chin, Raphael stumbled across the floor. He was still standing. He refused to go down. Wiping the blood off, he only got more frustrated from his loss.

Aura pooled into the boy's palm, Killua was expecting the boy to launch his ability again, but unlike last time which shined a bright white light, the shade was much darker. It was a different kind of ability "Gon watch out…"

Raphael grinned, swinging his arm out to his side.

Bisky got intrigued, wondering what new kind of trump card the teen was about to play.

"Time to even the odds!"

She frowned, already knowing what the boy was going to do. Grabbing one of the rocks at her side, she pressed the back of her thumb to the edge, launching the rock like a projectile at the mass of aura.

"Sha-"

An object sailed past the boy, piercing the ball of aura. It ruptured prematurely wasting all the aura he had been gathering to summon his second Nen ability. He was about to question what exactly happened, but Bisky's voice cut in "May I remind you that this is a one-on-two fight… It's not supposed to be fair."

The boy let out an irritated click, annoyed that it wasn't something he could use freely. Shadow Mirage

"You try to pull that stunt again and the next rock will be aimed at you."

"Fine…" He kept going, refusing to take a total loss.

"~"

Raphael slammed his fist into the floor, the three panting. They were matching his endurance, but he was the one suffering from the most losses. Just when he thinks he has the upper hand, the other always comes back into the fight.

He's strong enough to beat them, but not both at the same time.

He couldn't be that out of shape… weak.

Bisky sighed. She saw enough to realise Raphael in his current state wouldn't be good enough to assist the boys' training further "I think that's enough for tonight. We'll continue this tomorrow."

Raphael stood up, ready to accuse her of foul play "No way!" He can't let it end here. Pointing a finger at the woman he disagreed with the outcome "I can keep going!"

"Oh, I don't doubt that." Bisky raised her tone, pre-emptively warning the teen to back down. While all three of them could go for a couple of rounds, there's a problem. A huge one brought about by frustration. This was no longer a training session, but rather a budding problem she needed to nip in the bud "I know you're frustrated. I'm starting to get frustrated because I can see it… You're not weak. The problem lies with who trained you."

"Take…" Raphael was ready to explode, to launch a tirade of insults in her direction, "Take that back."

"Or what…" Bisky got down from the cliff, stomping over to Raphael, "You're going to threaten to give up and leave when I've almost figured out why your potential is vapid? I'm trying to help not just Gon and Killua, but you as well. And slamming you against your limitations isn't going to help."

"I don't have limitations… I've taken them down multiple times."

Killua crossed his arms. Raphael was right in a sense. He did manage to one-up them multiple times, but they were gaining ground… right until Raphael broke that foundation. It was a vicious cycle of wins and losses. They were equally frustrated with the teen because Raphael was learning their moves, countering them at random intervals.

Beating him was impossible to do at a consistent pace. He wasn't getting weaker over time and they weren't getting stronger it was like they were on equal footing because there was some arbitrary handicap in place.

He was about to raise his concerns but Gon objected to the struggles "You're really, strong. I just…"

"I'm what…?" Raphael frowned

Bisky pointed at the boy, "Your problem is you're very rough around the edges. What you need is a dedicated trainer… I can see your potential. You pick a target and focus on taking them down, which is a good tactic… but the problem is you become completely fixated on that target, to the point you become distracted. That fighting style becomes problematic when your opponents have good teamwork."

Raphael scoffed at the idea. His problem wasn't that, but rather being out of practice from fighting subpar enemies for most of his time being in this game "I'm out of practice… that's all. I just need to get back into the swing of things. So don't you dare backbench me just because I'm failing to be consistent. After all, I had an amazing teacher who is physically strong and excelled at Nen…"

"Whoever this trainer is, they failed to train you properly." Raphael grits his teeth, Bisky pressing on without a concern "They taught you a tactic that doesn't suit your fighting style. Hmm…" She thought about it for a second, "Or was your ability created to help you manage your fighting style? Either way, a proper trainer wouldn't have made such a terrible mistake."

"Neither!" He didn't design that ability because he sucked at fighting, nor was his fighting tactic to be blamed. It's how he fought… It's how he'll always fight "My father is a well-respected fighter." I just fucked up somewhere…

"Your father?" Bisky broke out into a huge smile "Now we're getting somewhere. Who trained you?"

"Nathaniel Lucas."

"Ah, now I see the problem."

"The problem?!" Raphael shoved a finger against Bisky's chest, "I won't let you put down my father! Nathaniel is an amazing Pro Hunter. One of the best… I've gotten this far with the skills and raw talent he taught me. The problem is-"

Bisky slapped the hand away, "Before you throw a hissy fit and say something you'll regret, you misunderstood me… Raphael." Bisky's expression dropped. The teen was going straight into defensive mode. He should've waited for her to finish "In terms of Strength and battle prowess, he's high up there… easily in the top hundreds. But if we're talking in terms of a dedicated trainer, there are hundreds of trainers above him. He got you to an excellent standard, I won't deny you, or him that. To be able to beat Binolt single-handedly, when it took Killua and Gon's combined force at the start, to overpower him… What you lack, is polishing. You're very rough around the edges."

"W- What…?" He doesn't know whether to be insulted or take the half-baked compliment "What do you mean?"

"You need a dedicated trainer, one who knows how to push you in the right direction."

"And how do you propose that…?" Honestly, he had no clue where she was headed, but she's baited him. He wants to know how he can improve, but given how she's handled the boy's training, he still doubts her ability… even though Killua and Gon had shown some improvement in less than two weeks.

"You see, your particular, fighting style is good when you know how to multitask. You haven't had formal practice on dealing with multiple people at the same time… have you."

"I have…"

"At a similar strength?"

Raphael remained quiet. He's always been training in an environment where one person was stronger than the rest

"I thought so…" Bisky held a finger up, before pointing it at the teen, "You're about to learn to take on multiple people, and we're doing it the best way I know, by getting you used to fighting in unknown styles."

"But…" Now he was really confused. He knows how they fight, and the styles they implement. He just needs to find that sweet spot where he'll get used to taking them both on "I know how Gon and Killua fight."

"But you can't change between their styles, at least… not on a Jenny. We're going to change that. Starting from tomorrow, Killua you're out. Gon, you're in. On the first day, I will show you what kind of expectations I'll be setting. When I say change, the boys will switch. Take notice when I do it because, for the next two days after that, you'll be focusing on switching with one another. Because on that last day, I'm expecting Raphael to take both of you on."

"Four days to improve, huh…" Bisky set the standard for Gon and Killua to be two weeks, but they did it in ten days. Could he really improve that much over a couple of days? He was determined to… but he was partially scared of failing to meet her demands "That's pretty short."

"It's basic muscle memory, that's all. Once you can pick up on their social cues, when they're switching, you'll be able to do the same when they come to assist each other."


A/N: Leave a review, it helps inspire me.