Bisky finally gets to put the boy's training to the test.
Sometime during Bisky and Raphael planning the order of who fights first, Gon and Killua returned with shovels in tow. Casually chatting as though they hadn't just dug out three kilometres worth of tunnels.
They had; it's just they hadn't shown any sign of being exhausted. That could be a good thing… or bad for him.
Bisky eyed the boys' aura, accessing for any flaws. They had expended some of it, just not as much as she'd hoped. They'll be lucky if they added a minute, maybe two at best before getting exhausted during Ken training.
It looks like she's going to need to get a little creative with the digging idea.
Maybe she'll make them dig out mountains and make new ones from the dirt they had just dug out. Then again it could always wait. They'll exhaust themselves soon enough with the fight to come "All right, let's do a little bit of monster hunting."
Having heard the news, the boys cheered loudly. They finally get to do something a little more impactful than digging out holes. They get to hunt monsters.
"But we're doing it one at a time and in a specific order. Understood?"
"Osu!"
"Good, now to the first one! Lead the way Raphael-san."
Raphael found himself smiling from the little bit of respect he received from Bisky. But it probably won't be all the time. That, and it's probably because he had spilled his guts out to her not too long ago.
Either way, he was glad to have earned the teacher's respect. "We're going to be travelling a little out of the Badlands. Follow me. Oh, and try not to get ahead. The first monster we're dealing with is a little bit trigger-happy."
"~"
Raphael stopped abruptly, putting out his hand to stop the others from proceeding further. Ahead of them was the outskirts of the town still in ruins, signs of scaffolding remaining around the perimeter. Some of it was destroyed, but most of it remained intact "Gon, you're up. But before you go, I have two pieces of advice."
"We agreed to one only."
"Well, the second is more for us than him."
"Oh, well carry on."
"First up, make sure he doesn't lose track of you. He tends to attack who he sees and not who's hit him the most." When Gon gave a nod, he offered the actual piece of advice "Never deal with the Berserker head-on, he'll demolish you."
Gon's eyes lit up like Christmas lights. He saw it as a challenge, not a warning.
"Considering you're giving us advice I'm assuming you've already run into these monsters?" He's guessing the teen had already beaten them as well but he's only assuming so because he's offering advice.
"I have. It took me a few tries to figure out their mechanics though. None of which I'll spoil." He gestured to Gon, letting him know to go ahead. When Gon left to enter the town, Raphael held up his hand "Wait for the first impact."
Silence loomed over them, minutes feeling like hours.
"Are you sure the monster will appear when you're this far-" A loud crash shook the area, forcing Bisky to immediately close her mouth.
"And there he is. We'll go into the trees so we can watch the fight a little better."
"~"
Gon had been walking cautiously through the town, eyes scanning the area for anything abnormal. It was silent, with tools and a few bones lying about the area. It was the hunting grounds of a beast.
Wasn't it supposed to attack on sight…? Maybe he wasn't close enough. He stepped further into town, getting closer to the larger piles of bones. When he was a few metres away from the pile he heard something in the air, soaring towards him.
He jumped back out of instinct, the pile of bones in front scattering around the area. One going as far as to sail past his face. It nicked his skin in the process leaving behind a small cut. But that didn't concern him…
It was the large figure standing before him. Even though they were hunched over, it still stood at an impressive seven feet tall. It breathed heavily, staring ahead rather than at him. Cautiously Gon took another step back, the crunching of a bone causing the beast to turn around.
White eyes peered at him, a human chin jutting out from underneath the fur it used to cover its face and body. It wasn't a beast, but rather a large bulky man. They moved their arms and legs like gorillas, heavy stomps following as its large hand grabbed at the dirt and grass.
When they reached out to grab Gon, the boy let his aura course through his body, swinging his fist at the hand to punch it away. He winced as his aura connected with theirs, the human beast's aura outmatched his.
Never deal with the Berserker head-on, he'll demolish you…
Letting out an inhuman roar, it lifted its hands to bring them back down, slamming against the ground where Gon once stood. He watched as the next swing of a hand came towards him, sailing through the air. Aura fuelled every attack, something he won't be able to take on in a head-on collision given the first time he tried to knock it back.
He moved back once more, the wave of air surprising him.
He needed to be careful of their heavy hits.
"~"
The group watched the boy, Raphael's eyes remaining glued to the fight to come. He knew the attack pattern off by heart. Punch, punch, kick, punch, and one final kick before repeating the pattern.
While it has a variety of different types of attacks, the pattern is consistent.
It'll never deviate…
The clue to beating it was hinted at by its very pattern. It doesn't have weak points like Killua's fight will have. But what it does have is a level of exhaustion.
When the beast's aura dims, you must hit it anywhere but its hands and legs. It will always be able to go toe-to-toe with Enhancers because of their mechanic.
They use an aura that's always one level ahead of the monster's attacker.
However, the same mechanic can be cheesed if you know what you're doing. Ken or Ten works best.
Reduce the aura around your body to the minimum, not so that they're in a state of Zetsu. That makes the fight dangerous, like playing a game in hardcore where a single hit is considered instant death.
No, the player needed just enough to handle their physical attacks that would reduce the creature's maximum damage output.
He doesn't see Gon cheesing the fight though.
He likes a bit of a challenge. If Gon can handle this, he'll be able to take on almost every monster with zero help.
"~"
Gon saw the creature lift its foot, swinging its whole body into the kick. He ducked out of the way but it was already swinging its hand back to smack him.
He brought up his guard flowing aura to his side.
He saw it, its strength rising to match his.
He winced when he got knocked aside. But he didn't let that deter him. He got back up, concentrating on their next move.
They jumped up like monkeys, trying to kick him down.
But he moved out of the way, fuelling aura into his fist. He struck it in the back causing the creature to stumble forward.
Rather than acting like it had just received any damage, they waved their hand around to strike his body.
He moved out of the way, the creature once more moving forward to smack him. He saw an opening, moving forward to slam his fist into the creature's chest.
The impact knocked it down. But unfortunately, it grabbed at the floor getting up like it received zero damage.
Gon prepared for the next attack, the beast raising his foot.
"~"
Killua eyed the beast, "Is Gon even hurting it?"
"He is…" Raphael gave a small nod before addressing the situation, "The beast is inhuman. It doesn't react to pain. But unlike other games there is no health bar, so we need to gauge its remaining health through other means."
"What's your estimate?"
"I'd say they have about eighty per cent remaining."
"That's pretty easy for two hits in…" Killua hummed at the news eyeing the creature for any visible indicator.
"That's for three hits. When he punched their hand, that counts."
"But it didn't look like he did any damage."
"Believe me, it counts…"
Killua pouted. So far, he's only gauged the pattern and the best area to hit the beast. But not the timing. It's odd…
It seems to be random, not predictable. It isn't a straightforward fight.
So why would this monster be best suited for Gon?
There wasn't any specific timing when the monster had such a wide opening to exploit "Is there a timed strike or counter opportunity to hit it?"
"No. Well, not technically. It depends on how they're attacking, not the pattern.
Killua thought about the response. There were going to be opportunities. There had to be a straightforward way for Gon to beat it "Then… there is a way to lure it into an opening."
"Sure, but you need to know the-" Bisky's glare made it obvious, that she didn't want him to spoil any more than he already had.
She wanted Killua to find out for himself by watching the fight.
"How about this? If you can't figure it out by the end of the fight, I'll spoil it. We have no reason to come back to beat this creature. I'm sure Bisky will have no qualms about that?"
The older woman stared at the boys for a moment, questioning the action. Would it be okay for him to say anything if Killua never figured it out on his own?
She thinks otherwise… but they don't have any intention of coming back to this fight "If Killua misses something, sure. I'd let you get away with that. But if you must explain anything past that… I won't allow it. Understood?"
The boys agreed with the terms.
Killua looked back at the fight, observing how it was going to pan out. No doubt that Gon would be the victor, but the question is will he struggle a bit before securing a win… or will it come with ease once he understands the pattern of winning?
"~"
Gon gets another easy strike in when the berserker goes in for a kick. He's coming to understand their attacks, and how it moves.
If he's just far enough to the side, to force them to close the distance through their attack, that's when he can get the easiest hit in.
But he really wants to try to hit it with Ko, to prove that the impossible is possible.
He understands the fundamentals of Ken to know it can be possible. But with his current level of training, it'll be difficult to pull off.
One wrong move and he could become exhausted… At worst, it'll be an instant death.
He really wants to try it though… maybe when the monster gets weaker, more sluggish. Although he highly doubts that. Their pattern hasn't changed since he initiated the fight. They haven't shown signs of slowing down.
Gon darted between the beast's fists, slamming his foot into their chest. They stumbled a bit before moving to continue with their pattern.
He thought the creature was going to throw a kick, but instead, they fell to one knee.
This was his chance.
Gon funnelled aura into his fist, watching the power grow in the beast's hands.
Then it moved, getting up once more.
Now or never…
The beast brought up a hand, preparing to strike the boy before him.
Right as it swung their hand, Gon was digging his fist into the Berserker's stomach, hitting it with enough force to knock them down.
He panted heavily as the beast landed on their back, laying down for a moment.
Gon swallowed thickly, stilling when he saw the monster moving once more. It clawed at the ground, standing slowly.
Just as it stood, moving towards the boy.
Gon prepared for the long haul. He knows even if the worst were to happen, if he manages to pass out from exhaustion, his friends or teacher will come to protect him.
But he won't allow that to happen. He was determined to beat the monster on his own.
They had already taken a couple of steps towards him. It was or never. Preparing Ken he moved towards the creature.
He only managed to get a couple of steps in before they fell onto their knees, crumbling under their weight.
Their hands grabbed at the air and dirt, struggling to keep their body from lying limply against the floor.
In one desperate move, it tried to get up once more, only to fall, laying limp against the dirt.
They could no longer move, a puff of smoke suggesting he had won.
Gon's expression grew wide, the boy cheering triumphantly at the win. It was a hard battle for him, but he was glad his last hit was enough to beat it.
When Bisky came to meet the boy, he was expecting praise for his triumphant win. Instead, he got his ears chewed off for his reckless actions.
After apologising, and honestly, almost having his ear ripped off. His eyes widened in shock. He failed to pick up the card.
He turned to the spot, expecting the beast to be lying there.
Instead, he saw Raphael with his binder opened with the card in his binder.
Kholgar, the Ravaging Beast
751 B - 15
A powerful human beast known for their ability to use Ko. This creature is a relentless creature that will attack anyone on sight.
Gon was ecstatic when Raphael handed the card over to him. He felt giddy knowing all his hard work had come to fruition. Beating the Nen monster was no easy feat.
He also managed to do it on his first try, which was something Raphael hadn't.
He cheered, now proudly holding the card he obtained.
Even though Gon was reckless with his actions. He still managed to beat the odds stacked against him.
He may be strong, but there are a few things she needs to know. She wanted to know which traits Gon had, that Killua lacked. She wanted to see what each boy was capable of.
Where the boys' strengths truly lie.
She pressed her hand to her hips, expecting something from Killua, "Now answer me honestly. Did you figure out when and how Gon would have had an easier time?"
Killua frowned, "How to beat it, yes…" But he questioned the other part. What exactly did she mean by making the fight easier? No matter what Gon did, the beast's Ko would always be stronger.
She can't mean his weaknesses either. The Nen monster was wide open for attacks all the time, he wasn't blind "He can't make the fight any easier than it already is. Sure, if Gon had reduced the aura in his hands and feet to a defensive level, they wouldn't have had overpowered attacks… Again, it's hard to tell when they're made entirely out of aura."
Bisky flashed a small smile, "That's one way to deal with their strength. What else?"
Killua raised a finger, smiling, "Oh, their pattern was predictable. Punch, punch, kick, punch, kick, rinse, and repeat. The type of attack, however, was different."
Bisky frowned, "Is that all you learned from their fight?"
He questioned the woman. It couldn't be stun-locked, nor could it be knocked out. What was she expecting out of him "What else was I supposed to learn?"
"Raphael, explain it."
"The beast has a gauge of strength, the longer the fight goes on, the weaker he gets. The reason he failed to show it is because Gon needed to be off to their side. The opposite side they intend to attack with. Case and point, they charge you if you're too far. If you're too close, their attacks are precise. However, if you managed to stand in the corner of their blind spot at a decent distance, the beast would always swing their attacks, that's what causes them to become exhausted. When you knock them back or down, it resets the counter."
"Correct. With enough distance and at a slight angle, they'll always swing their body with their next attack. You need to time your attack, to hit them hard when they're the most exhausted."
"Yeah, I guess you could make the fight easier that way." Killua fumed. Positioning could've sped up the fight. But, not in the way he thought Bisky was asking.
He thought she saw a way to reduce the difficulty. Like if Gon were to control his aura through Ken, he'll be able to tank their hits while still being able to deal some damage.
Another option he thought may have been possible, was if Gon could knock it down, it should've been possible to stun them by continuously knocking them down.
But it couldn't be done, no matter how hard he hit it with physical attacks, "But there's something I want to know. How was it so tanky? It could be knocked down, but not endlessly."
"The best way to explain it is that they react only on impulse. They don't feel pain like you and I. They are always enraged and focused on killing you. You can't crowd-control them into an endless stunned phase. If Gon had chased them after he knocked him down, they would've attacked him right on the spot. This fight is all about having a consistent flow of battle."
His expression shifted slightly, unreadable "Although, Gon was very lucky. Had he attempted to try that stunt earlier, it would've been risky."
"I know…" Gon gave a firm nod, "I understood the risks, but I wanted to prove I could do it."
"Sure, but don't take serious risks. This game has hidden mechanics that can be death sentences. Now…" He turned to Killua to smile at him, "You ready to get your ass handed to you?"
Killua smirked at the challenge, "Bring it!"
A/N: Leave a review, it helps inspire me.