The three of them test each other's limits on day four.
An explosive force rocked the mountainside, boisterous laughter echoing among the thunderous impacts. He was getting used to the boys' opposite fighting styles. And as the hours passed, he became more comfortable with his situation.
The teen shifted between the two. He was finally good enough to take each attack head-on, no longer trying to shove one of them away during the fight. He didn't need to give himself space to focus on one person at a time, not when they were evenly matched.
Killua's kick came in fast, hitting Raphael in the shin. But the direct contact was countered by refocusing his aura on the area buffing his defences in time. At the same time, he had crossed his arms, withstanding a direct hit from Gon's punch.
Bisky watched all of this happen with intrigue, laser-focused on Raphael's fluttering aura watching it shift from location to location. He was skilled with Ryu, more comfortable with the shift between body parts now that he's grown accustomed to having to deal with two skilled fighters on par with himself.
His En was also accelerating at a rapid pace.
It wasn't a huge difference, but considering he only had at best, two centimetres yesterday night. Almost having ten was considered a huge difference. He was easily anticipating each attack before the boys were within hitting distance.
She didn't need to stop them for a break given that the boys were completely fixated on beating each other.
At this point, they'll keep fighting for sixteen hours on their own. They probably wouldn't even notice sixteen hours had passed at that point.
"~"
Bisky watched the teen grab Gon by the collar, flipping his body around before he knew what was happening.
"Wha-"
Given the move, the boy's response, and the confusion evident on his face, Gon hadn't expected to be grabbed or used to stop Killua in his tracks. His arm was twisted around his back, his shoulder being used as a stabiliser. He was caught completely off guard. The boy didn't have time to question the action, not when his body was being used as a shield by Raphael, the teen charging towards Killua as though he was a battering ram.
Her eyes shifted to Killua. How did the boy plan to respond to the attack? He could counter it by targeting Gon, kicking his friend out of the teen's grip. The other option would be to go for Raphael's back. Killua had speed and acrobatics on his side, something that the teen was proficient in, but not to Killua's degree.
Killua distanced himself, most likely trying to gauge how he was going to disarm the teen and free Gon. He wouldn't let Raphael have his way… not with his friend. He was going to free him no matter what.
Running forward, he jumped at the last second, moving to get behind the other. What he hadn't expected in response, was for the other to throw his friend at him.
Killua shifted his stance, catching his friend in his arms.
Raphael smirked, launching a ball of neutral aura at the two "Blash Bang!"
"Close your eyes!"
Right into my trap… Raphael thought moving towards the two to close the distance.
Bisky's smile grew from his childish reaction. He was on a spree of constant wins but for how long? One wrong move and he could end up losing. Once they realise it was a fake-out, it won't be long before they catch on to his tricks. Raphael needed to act fast.
Gon did as he was told, the boy closing his eyes, waiting for the flash of bright light.
Raphael dug his knuckles into Gon's chest, punching the boy squarely in the chest. The boy's eyes flew open just in time for him to see him using his real ability. Aura pooled into his palm.
Given the impact, he might be able to pull off his plan. All he had to do was wait for Killua's eyes to open. Hopefully, that's before Gon could close his eyes. The boy should've realised his plan by now. He should be warning Killua to keep his eyes closed.
If he does that, then Raphael's plan will be up in smoke. The other would've caught on, but Gon and Killua were vastly different when it came to observation skills. It's probably why the two were skilled when together. They weren't butting heads about who was right with their observations, Gon puts his complete trust in his friend…
Killua would do the same for Gon's shenanigans, his off-the-cuff plans.
Maybe Raphael knew that too. He was playing into their teamwork, by abusing their trust. Given the plan, at worst, Raphael will completely miss his attack on the two of them.
Raphael's smile grew, the pulse of aura exploding in Gon's chest. A bright flash of light hits the two individuals.
"Shi-"
Looks like your plan worked… Given Killua's response, he was hit by the ability too. Raphael had successfully delayed his ability, flash-banging him and Gon at the same time.
Raphael pulled back his fist to kick the two, delivering a heavy kick to Killua through Gon, knocking them back again.
Killua couldn't defend himself and Gon at the same time so he shoved his friend to the side. It didn't help that Raphael was using him as a brace to hold Gon still.
Seeing Gon pushed to the side, Raphael targeted Killua while his vision was blurred. The other would be down for a while since he took the brunt of the teen's attack by acting as a cushion for his friend.
Killua would need to rely on his other senses given he couldn't use En like Raphael. Killua raised his guard, trying to gauge the teen's location as he took a deep breath. He missed the first blow, a fist connecting directly with his face.
Killua stumbled back, once more putting up his guard in preparation. He must have heard a subtle crunch of gravel, an indicator of Raphael's location. He blocked one hit followed by a second before his ribs were met with a fist. Gritting his teeth he shifted his guard, blocking several more hits before he was hit in the chest.
He coughed as the wind was punched out of him. But with that blow, he could start to pick up on subtle movements with his eyes.
He saw the swing of the next fist, barely dodging it. His vision adjusted when the next punch followed, Killua grabbing onto Raphael's arm.
He twisted him around to slam him against the ground. Bringing up his hand Killua swung downward, intending to chop him in the back of the neck.
As Raphael broke out of the hold, Killua's palm whipped against the floor, kicking up gravel and dirt in the process.
The teen backed away in hopes of dodging any further attacks. What he hadn't expected was for Gon to recover so soon. Gon knocked him back towards Killua, the boy already prepared to punch him in the face.
Given his radius of En, the teen must have felt Gon coming in from behind. Seeing the two boys' trajectory, it could end badly for Raphael… or them.
He ducked at the last two seconds, Gon and Killua accidentally punching each other. Raphael burst into laughter. He must have thought they'd pull back at the last second. But neither of them probably believed Raphael had time to dodge. It was a small misjudgement on their part.
"And here I thought I was your enemy…"
Killua recovered quickly, already gritting his teeth You set us up. I'm taking you down for that. He uppercut Raphael before he could avoid it, knocking the teen on his ass.
Raphael was shocked for a second. Before Killua or Gon could hit him while he was down, he flipped back onto his feet to block his first attacker. Sliding against the ground he prepared himself to take on the duo.
The group continued to exchange a flurry of blows, Gon and Killua winning a few more times. Raphael got sidestepped, his feet kicked out by Killua. As he was falling, he kicked Gon's hand away, avoiding the oncoming attack.
Using one hand to push off the ground, he flipped backwards, distancing himself.
Bisky's smile grew, enjoying the fight for what it was. A major success. They were growing together, matching each other's strengths.
But the thing that stood out the most was Raphael's improvements. A burning ruby, passionate and unrelenting now. She didn't know if he'd come out on top, but he was way better now.
A swift kick knocking Gon back, made her believe the teen had a chance.
Killua's follow-up attack was rebounded like two weapons clashing. The boy grits his teeth, shifting his momentum to instead kick Raphael.
He was blocked again, this time the two were forced into a locked position given neither of them were prepared to back down.
The two pulled back to clash once more, but Gon came in, knocking Raphael away.
With a smile he rubbed at his lip, removing a bit of blood from his now busted lip.
He charged his ability, Killua calling out to get ready.
Releasing a ball of aura, Killua closed his eyes at the last second.
There was no flash of bright light. He was fooled again.
Flinging his eyes open, Raphael had caught him and Gon by the shirt, lifting them up. He immediately slammed them back into the ground.
Gon and Killua fought back, but the guy only redoubled his attack, slamming them into the ground a second time.
Killua hit Raphael in the chest, the teen letting go to back away.
Killua and Gon flipped back up, rushing the teen before he had time to recover.
"~"
The three panted heavily, the cool biting air of the night being ignored. Raphael smashed his fist into Gon's side, smiling giddily when he scored a successful hit. Killua attacking him from behind only made him bring his guard up, defending against the first impact before going for a counterattack.
They clashed fists, one smiling while the other glared.
Raphael didn't know what he did to deserve Killua's ire. He was just glad he'd gotten used to being able to defend himself from the boy's budding rage. When Killua hit him in the ribs, he grits his teeth before returning the attack, landing a kick to the boy's side, which only earned a counterattack in response.
The two went at it, ending with the two of them punching each other in the face.
Killua's eyes widened, coming back for a second hit, but Raphael only blocked it again.
He slammed his fist again into Raphael's ribs, but the boy was prepared, gripping the boy's arm tightly. He lifted the boy slamming him into the ground before sliding him across the floor to launch him into one of the nearby walls.
Raphael panted heavily, almost falling to the floor from exhaustion. Shouldn't we have had a break by now…?
He didn't get time to ponder the question, not when Gon was slamming his fist into his back. He winced but he used the strike to roll forward. He twisted his body as he slid across the floor, using the momentum to face Gon once more.
He rushed towards Gon. With a loud crash, the teen kicked Gon in the chest, ready to get in another hit.
But he caught Killua moving in his peripheral vision.
He took a step back, tightly gripping his fist to get ready to have another throwdown with Killua.
Gon watched as his friend tackled Raphael, punching him several times in the face before he could be pushed off.
When the teen got up, he was panting heavily, looking too exhausted to continue. It wasn't like he or Killua were doing any better.
He was bruised and battered, Killua having similar wounds littered across his clothes and skin. The boys still had a chance to beat him. The boys just needed to time their attacks.
Killua went after Raphael, scratching at the wall with his nails when he managed to back the other into the wall.
Raphael whistled at the sound they made as they slid across the surface behind him, "Looks like kitty's got some claws." A faint blush adorned his friend's face, an act that made him pause. Why is Killua blushing…? He didn't have much time to ponder his statement, let alone apologise to compliment him about his incredibly sharp nails.
Within a twist of a moment, Killua brought his hand down, forcing Raphael down onto his knees. He held him in place.
If Raphael lets go, Killua could do serious damage with those claws. It didn't help that he saw Gon charging toward them. He could either get shredded by Killua's nails or kicked, possibly punched in the face by Gon.
Neither of which he wanted to suffer from right now. Not when he's so close to beating them. At the last second, he grabbed Killua's wrists to pull him forward. They were uncomfortably close, faces mere inches from each other. It didn't help that from his action it slightly hiked up Killua's shirt, exposing a little of his stomach. The other problem was… when he pulled the boy's body forward, it also pulled Killua to be seated on his thighs. The new position was… quite compromising.
The heavy thud resounded. A dazed, distant expression crossed Killua's face.
Raphael quickly shoved the boy off him, turning to kick Gon's feet out from underneath him.
Grabbing onto Gon's shirt he threw the boy over his shoulder at Killua like a cannonball, effectively knocking the two down to the ground. Falling to his knees he panted heavily, over-exhausted from their prolonged fight.
Killua groaned as he rubbed at the side of his head, slow methodical claps sounding like loud ringing 'pings' in his ears.
"Fourteen hours and thirty-five minutes…" Bisky smiled gleefully at the trio "A new record. So how do you feel?"
Killua groaned loudly, "Like I got punched in the side of the face."
The older woman offered a smile to the younger boy. Although she knew the boy's response was sarcastic, he deserved an honest response "You did…" Killua groaned in response, tilting his head from side to side.
As Gon apologised several times, the older woman continued "I tallied the score. Raphael got the most hits."
This brought Killua out of his dizzy state "Wait, what? We clearly got more hits in."
"Combined? Yes. But in terms of individuals… no. It wouldn't be fair since it's two against one. I wanted a score that would best represent your individual progress. Raphael was the highest. The lowest…" She looked between the boys before pointing at Gon "You got the lowest. Drop and give me a thousand."
"Aww…" Gon dropped to the floor to perform push-ups even though he was still exhausted. As he did that, Bisky pointed to Killua "While you're still second place, you still lost. So, give me… five hundred."
"What's the score?" Killua defied her request. He doubts she was tallying the score by their differences. There was no way Raphael scored a thousand more hits against Gon and five hundred against him.
"Before you even challenge how I got the amount of hits, I counted those that were blocked as well. A hit is still a hit, even if you receive no damage. For Gon, he got about 870. Killua, you settled at nice 953. Raphael was almost a hundred points more than you. 1042."
"That's not fair…" The boy pouted. He was so close to beating the score. Surely, she must have miscounted "What would you have done if Raphael failed? I highly doubt you would've kicked his ass to the curb."
"Two thousand push-ups… which I'd gladly make you do if you don't drop and give me five hundred." Killua dropped to the floor out of annoyance, Bisky now turning to the winner, "You're still rough around the edges. I see a lot of places you could improve. But given how far you progressed in four days; I'd consider that a success. Well done…"
"Do I get to rest…?"
"Nope, we still have work to do before any of you can be ready to play the game."
When Raphael raised an eyebrow, given that he had already been collecting cards before either of them joined the game, Bisky held up her hand to stop the teen from objecting "I'm talking fundamentally. You have room for improvement… especially for those high-risk cards you haven't run into yet, that you wouldn't have been able to get before your training."
Raphael felt a little insulted. But given his loss to Killua and Gon before he started to train with them, he could see her statement as valid criticism, "Alright. Where do I need to improve?"
"Let's start simple. Your new technique you learned."
Gon perked up at the information, "New technique?"
"Did I say you can stop? You still have two hundred and thirty-five push-ups to go. Get to it." As Gon whined, the older woman continued "Given your range of En, I'd say its maximum is about…" She pondered the teen's situation, mentally gauging the best possible outcome "Ten centimetres. But it mostly ranges between five to eight. Given that you just learned En a couple of days ago that's a pretty decent distance, so far. But the variation can become problematic for you if it isn't dealt with soon."
"What do you propose?" The teen crossed his arms. A part of him is glad he learnt so much, so quickly. But hearing there's issues with his implementation so far is a pain.
He supposes it comes with learning something new in so little time…
"The obvious route…" She offered a sweet smile, "Practice makes perfect as they say."
"So, more training…" He let out an exhausted sigh from the news.
"Nothing as intensive as your four-day training. But, given that you boys have a proclivity to ramp up your training… I suspect it won't be long before it gets intensive."
"Says the woman who egged it on." Raphael fired back with a sweet smile dipped in a hint of sarcasm, "You know what they say. If the shoe fits…"
"Keep it up and that shoe will be going across your face."
Hearing that, the teen's expression hardened, leaning in closer so he could be a little more serious "What about Killua and Gon? Was I able to help them improve?"
"I say you did. But only time can tell…" She casually pointed a finger towards Killua, "He has definitely improved from your fight. I'd say you benefitted from each other; your styles complement each other. As for Gon…" She shifted her gaze, "His simplistic fighting style isn't good against yours when you have someone like Killua backing him up. To me, it feels like it's too telegraphed for you when you're used to dodging and blocking Killua.
I'd say he needs more experience fighting, but not from you… from Killua. They meld better together than when apart. I'd say once they start learning Ryu by using you as a training dummy, I'll pull you out to give them time to grow together. That way Gon can improve."
Bisky shifted her attention to the boys, noting how Gon was almost done. "Alright, let's get ready for the second phase."
Gon jumped up in excitement. What did Bisky have in plan for them next? "What's next?!"
Bisky smiled in glee, fists pressed against her hips "Let's head for…" She slowly points her finger towards the town "Masadora."
"Great!" Raphael goes to hold out his hand "I've got an Acc-"
"And we're running there since it's only seventy kilometres away!"
"Seriously!" The three yelled in unison, Raphael continuing to argue against the idea "We just beat the ever-loving crap out of each other and you expect us to run… Seventy-two point three-five if I'm going to be pedantic about it."
"Yup…" The three boys groan in unison, Bisky joyfully prancing along, uncaring of the misery she was inflicting upon them, "We should arrive there in about three hours, just in time for the shops to open. So less complaining and more walking."
"I'm taking the lead!" Raphael moved ahead of the woman "Because unlike you, I know how to not get ourselves any more exhausted."
Bisky moved ahead at the challenge "A bit of exhaustion wouldn't get you killed."
"Says the woman who sat on her tush and observed us like ants."
Bisky raised her fist "How about I knock you out instead and drag you there myself?!"
Raphael ran ahead, ignoring the threat "If you follow me, I'll give you an early copy of Blue Planet."
"Plu-chan…" Bisky's eyes gleamed at the prospect, "Deal!"
A/N: Leave a review, it helps inspire me.