CHAPTER 34: Playing for Real.
It took three weeks for Gon and Killua to finally capture the last monster on their list in the area, and it had proven to be the hardest. The Bubble horse. While it wasn't exactly known for having many offensive abilities. Its defense had created the barricade for what Biscuit believed would be the hardest for the boys to cross over. And right on her predictions she was. Killua managed to capture one nearly an entire week before Gon did. Both were very enthusiastic to finally have filled their quota; they almost forgot about the bet they made. Not that it mattered as long as their priorities were set.
When the card finally materialized in Gon's palm, he cheered at the top of his lungs. Even while covered in dirt and grime, he looked as if he had a crown placed on top of his head. "I did it!"
"Took us long enough," Killua said, pleased to rain in on his parade, knowing that nothing was going to dampen his spirit.
Biscuit was pleased as well, for a different reason.
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Back at camp, Sakura stretched like a cat in the sunlight, savoring her victory. While she was happy to congratulate the boys for succeeding in their endeavour, she was also happy to remind them, she had reached the finish line first.
"So," she mused, "what should I make you two do?"
Gon and Killua exchanged wary glances. They wanted to set conditions for what they wouldn't want to do, but also knew that would likely be throwing oil on the fire of ideas. They didn't want to catch any sparks. But standing in front of Sakura was like being in front of the shore when a tsunami is about to hit. The water pulled back, and the wave threw a shadow over them.
"Well, the rule was whatever you wanted," Killua gave Gon a heavy kick to the back, and called him an idiot when he whined about being attacked for no reason.
Sakura chuckled, tapping her chin, "Well, I guess I'll give it some more thought then,"
"That's way worse!" Killua exclaimed. She was basically going to leave them in limbo now. "Just ask for an expensive dinner or something."
Sticking out her tongue, she responded with a 'nah'.
Before they could get into a bicker, Biscuit clapped her hands, gathering their attention. "Good work capturing all the monsters. Now we can finally move on."
They gave each other pointed looks.
"Move on to what?"
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The progress her three students were making was exceeding Biscuit's expectations, but she had no intention of slowing this upward trajectory; if anything, it made her want to push them even further. Killua, Gon, and Sakura were devoid of complaints despite not having time to catch their breath. Rather, they were interesting in gathering another victory on their belt.
Biscuit stood in front of the three, holding out her fist. They watched as aura surged around her body, before moving like steam, wrapping around her fist, and becoming a dense mass of energy. So intense it almost seemed plausible that this would be visible to the naked eye.
"This is the technique you've been using, known as Ko. It combines Ten, Zetsu, Ren, Hatsu, and Gyo, focusing all your aura into a single point of attack. This gives far greater power than your regular attacks,"
"That sounds pretty similar to my own power," Sakura voiced, pointing at herself. She jumped, feeling Killua pinch her arm, making her feel a little conscious when he grabbed onto a sliver of her muscles. "What was that for?"
"Just checking,"
"Checking what?"
"Hey, listen up now. I'm not going to repeat myself, and anyone who doesn't understand is going to receive punishment," Biscuit called to them. By now, the three knew, Biscuit did not make empty promises or threats. She held out her fist in front of them.
"I'm going to attack; you must block them. No dodging allowed."
Although she wasn't projecting any malicious intent, a bead of sweat still formed on their foreheads, as Gon, Killua, and Sakura could still feel the power from her fist concentrated in an aura; it was like standing close to a fire, you didn't have to stick your hand into it to feel the heat.
Biscuit's grin sharpened as they gave the reaction she wanted, understanding the stakes. "Good. You noticed. If you use regular Ten to defend, you'll take considerable damage."
Nen was a power that could create geniuses in any field, and turn the human body, that sturdy structure, into fragile glass that could shatter on impact.
"So,what should you do?" Biscuit asked, challenging them to find the answer with what little she had shared. Gon clenched his fist and had it raised in the air, his words matching his exact thoughts in the moment, unashamed or hesitant. "We should use Ko too!"
"Half right," Biscuit said. "If you and your opponent are similar in Nen capacity, Ko will let you escape unscathed. But if you're hit anywhere else…?
"It's an instant knockout," Sakura folded her arms, "One well-placed strike could end the battle."
"Exactly, and more than an instant knockout, it could actually mean instant death."
Killua crossed his arms, frowning. "Then we should just use Ko on our entire body, but that sounds contradictory."
Biscuit nodded. "Which is why there's Ken. It's a combination of Ten and Ren. You cover your entire body with an aura, more than usual. It's not as concentrated as Ko, but it's far more practical."
Who wouldn't want to have full body armor that was slightly weaker than a handheld shield with limited protective range?
"Alright, Sakura come here."
Sakura obeyed, rolling her shoulders as she activated Ren, her aura flaring around her like a second skin. The pressure pushing out a light breeze, something so small that held so much power.
"Now sustain it. That prolonged state is Ken."
Holding the state, Sakura tried to remember what it felt like and keep a grip on that image tightly in her mind.
"Good. Now defend."
Having faced against Biscuit already, Sakura had her standards set high, at the top of the podium wrapped in pikes with a path of glass leading up to it. So she expected this punch to be just as the ones she exchanged with Sakura before; however, this time it seemed Biscuit had switched her currency. To a much slower pace. Nonthreatening and always in her sight. That's what made this off-putting for Sakura, and perhaps that was the reason for what happened next.
Sakura could see every millimeter of the punch's trajectory, the way Biscuit's fist inched forward, the way her knuckles crested the air. It was almost laughable. Until Biscuit's knuckles met her palm. A collision of auras sent a shock-wave ripping through Sakura's body, and the unexpected shift caused her to lose focus for a split second, enough time for the sheer force of that sluggish punch to break through her Nen barrier and send her skidding back. Her boots carved trenches in the dirt.
"You relaxed," Biscuit chided, lowering her fist. "Because you saw how slow I was moving. That was Ko alone. If I added the speed and force of a real punch, you'd have lost that pretty face,"
Wiping the blood from her nose, she grimaced her gratitude, "Thanks for the warning."
"Are you okay, Sakura?"
"Fine,"
While Gon was exhibiting his usual concern for others, Killua was doing his best to keep the vindictive smile from spreading along his face. Though he stopped smiling altogether after Gon rushed over and started patting along Sakura's face to soothe her.
"You know she can heal herself, right?"
"Yeah, but she still got hurt," Gon argued, running his thumb over Sakura's face.
"You're sweet Gon, but I'm fine, promise."
While the scene was entertaining for many reasons, Biscuit chose not to keep the play going, but right now, the main performance was their training, and her priority. Another time perhaps.
"Gon, you're up next."
Stepping forward, he waited patiently for Biscuit to give her instructions. While his expression looked cool, his eyes were burning with ambition and the tenacity of the gem Biscuit compared to him. Diamond. And just like a diamond, his eyes and expression were always clearer than polished glass.
"Alright, let's go!"
"Activate Ken and try to withstand my attacks," Biscuit told him.
His Ren burst out before simmering into a thinly veiled suit of aura. Gon kept his arms raised for defense, like holding up a large shield, eyes locked onto Biscuit. Waiting for her to make a move that she never got the chance to reach him.
Despite never enduring a single hit like Sakura, Gon still collapsed to his knees, dripping in sweat from his chin, his breath escaping while he fruitlessly tried to catch it. As it turned out, holding Ken was like holding up a full-body shield that weighed three times your body weight. Of course, eventually your strength would wane.
But when it came to Biscuit's training, she expected her students to meet with more failures than successes. However, they were meant to take those failures and use them to polish out their edges, until eventually they would win.
She found that to be the most effective teacher when going hand in hand with personal experience instead of textbook methods.
Killua snorted. "Wow, what happened?"
"Ugh…" Gon groaned, pushing himself to stand straight, "It's hard…keeping that up,"
"Because Ken isn't just about defense, it's about endurance. You need to maintain it for at least thirty minutes in real combat, or you won't stand a chance."
"Thirty… minutes?" Sakura questioned wearily. Based on their training, keeping their nen up at that capacity was going to be more than a challenge. For Sakura, she could compare it to throwing punches for thirty minutes straight, filled with chakra in every strike.
Biscuit held up her finger, "That's right,"
"THREE!" Of course, just because there was a new line of lessons in the curriculum didn't mean they were going to slack off on anything. Including Gyo training.
"Gon, you were half a second later in responding, that's 1000 push-ups,"
"Dammit!" Though he complained, he went into position and started enduring the punishment, while listening to his friends' victorious chuckles.
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Another month passed on Greed Island, and the three students with their new mentor had become engulfed in routine. Digging a new tunnel to reach Masadora, except now they were playing this game on easy mode, or rather, their rank had reached high enough for it to feel that way.
And once they broke through a certain distance, they would start practicing Ken. Which, for the most part, was them standing in line waiting for Biscuit to approach and deliver an aura filled punch. This new part of their routine was harder, but they were more eager for the bitter work if it meant sweeter results.
However, it seemed that this was yet a sign for Biscuit to take things up a level.
"Good, you can all now hold Ken for thirty minutes," Biscuit clapped her hands together. "Now then, we'll start practicing real combat today."
They didn't need to know the details to understand that this was going to be brutal.
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"Ken,"
The three followed their instructor's orders, summoning their nen. But this was just the first part; they had to hold their forms. In this state, defense and offensive power were equally split and with that, they wouldn't be able to do much damage. "When two fighters both use Ken, you create a stalemate. Neither can break through the other's defense. So tell me what's the solution?"
Gon's hand shot up, "Use Ko!"
Biscuit's eyebrow arched. "What did I just explain about leaving the rest of your body completely defenseless? "
"Use Gyo?" Sakura and Killua answered together.
"Exactly," Biscuit activated Ken, and continued with her presentation. Pouring more into certain sections of her body, like her fist, as she did that the rest of the aura would deflate like a bubble of air being pushed, directing the air within. "Using Gyo, change the ratio of offense and defense to suit your situation. These are the basics of combat you'll have to learn."
What followed was a good thirty minutes of harsh training, with Biscuit calling out the adjustments for them to make to their aura. Giving certain percentages for them to add or remove from certain parts of their forms.
"More power to your striking limb means less overall protection. A stronger defensive stance means weaker counterattacks. These decisions," she said, suddenly slamming a 90%-charged fist into her own 10%-defended palm with a shock wave that kicked up dust around them, "Will be the difference between victory and defeat. Right hand 60%! Body30%" A few seconds later, a new order came, "Left foot80%! Body20%"
The drills continued mercilessly until the three couldn't hold Ken any longer. Feeling their clothes soak up their sweat, as they attempted to keep themselves strong.
However, Biscuit was far from done, and the day was still young.
Sparring wasn't much better as Biscuit was the only one who could hold Ken for more than a few minutes while they were still learning to adjust the flow of their aura. Which was fine in a practice setting, but to do it while battling was like going from a 10 meter sprint to a 10 km marathon.
'Sakura's better at controlling the shift; she's only a few seconds faster than the boy's, but her stamina with aura is about the same,' Biscuit observed.
"Use Ryu the way I just taught you. When you're on the defensive, determine your opponent's attack power before defending with Ryu."
They were standing now, Gon and Killua facing each other and Sakura and Biscuit, their sparring partners for the next phase of training. What followed was a series of combat moves done in slow motion. A raised kick that would take merely a millisecond to deliver was now taking over five. And the punches that followed were so slow, it would give the opponent a chance to tie their shoes. But that wasn't the main point of this lesson. It was about adjustment and control of their aura in actual combat.
If they went at normal speed to fight, they would likely be unable to progress in Ken and end up forgoing the training just to have a good spar. This way, everything was deliberate and focused.
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Progress gives birth to progress. That was the driving force behind the three friends for the next two weeks that followed. Every day, they filled the desolate area with the sounds of slow clashes, gradually increasing the pace with each passing day. Gon and Killua, Sakura and Biscuit were now exchanging punches and kicks at eye-blinking speeds.
What she had assumed would take two months had been done in weeks. The growth of the three always reminded Biscuit that her appraisal skills for fine 'jewels' were sharp enough to cut diamonds still.
Though Gon and Killua had to focus on their own sparring sessions, it had become a luxury to catch a glimpse of Sakura and Biscuit's spars. Sakura was a match for Biscuit in combat but not in Nen skills. And Biscuit knew that Sakura had a talent for catching the dents in defenses and hitting hard.
"Now we can begin training in your individual categories. This is the final stage," Biscuit announced proudly. She held up her finger, and the three jumped together to call out, pointing at it.
"SIX!"
"It's a tie," Biscuit folded her arms, "Sakura and Killua are transmuters, Gon is an enhancer. You could focus on your own type but you won't have much range in technique . It's not an efficient way to learn, believe it or not. A bell curve is the ideal shape of time spent training the types, with your own as the center. For example," She pointed to Gon, "An enhancer can train the nearby skills of transmuter and emitter in a balanced fashion. Then you'll master your own much faster. Today we'll be training in the Enhancer category."
The stage prepared for this show was a flat surfaced rock, where Biscuit took two fist sized rocks, placing one on the surface and the other she held over her head before smashing it down. The one was covered in an aura, and on impact, broke into the other. This was her demonstration.
"Smash a thousand rocks with a single one in a day and you clear this level."
"Seems easy enough,"
Sakura gave Killua a crooked smile, "Since when?"
Seated at their own base, the three began. And it wasn't long before they realized why Biscuit had ordered a thousand to clear the first level. Every time the rocks would connect was the moment they had to make a shift and enhance it with an aura to avoid damaging the one in their hands.
The three had hit another competitive streak and entered a battle of attrition to see who would be able to hold out longer. Gon was the first one out when his rock entered up shattering in his palm before it hit the next one.
"If the stone in your hand breaks, it's over."
"AWW!"
'It's harder than I thought, but still a lot like when I'm using chakra,' Except this time she wasn't using a part of her body, which was the tricky part to all of this. She couldn't feel, in the same manner, when she was throwing her fist down to break a rock.
"Oh no!" Sakura slipped and accidentally ended up crushing the rock as well, leaving Killua the last one standing. He didn't follow too long after her, though and no one reached the quota for the day. But Biscuit was far from disappointed at the results.
"Let's do transmuter training now!" Killua exclaimed, picking himself up.
"No, only train in one category per day." Again, Biscuit barely had her finger in the air before they had activated Gyo to see the number she held.
"SIX"
"Another tie,"
Killua grumbled with Gon, "We keep getting draws."
"That just means you're getting accustomed,"
"That's not the problem," Sakura explained, running a hand over her head.
"It's no fun if there's no winner," Killua said, and Biscuit nearly balked at the explanation. Despite their close knit group, they held streaks like long time rivals. Even the oldest of the three, who exhibited an experience, let her immature side gleaned through around the two boys. As if she were getting something she longed for.
"Let's decide with rock, paper, scissors!" Gon declared.
They each drew back their hands and called out Rock, paper, scissors! Like all of this, really, was nothing more than a fun game with friends.
"First comes rock! Rock, paper, Scissors! One more time!"
Sakura and Killua drew paper while Gon drew scissors.
"DAMMIT," The two cursed as they got down to start their push-ups of punishment.
Biscuit grinned. "Do you know there's this theory that rock paper, scissors began in martial arts?"
They looked at her curiously. Taking a defensive pose, Biscuit held out her palm, "Paper represents a palm attack that wrecks the opponent's organs. Scissors represent a finger jab, targeting vital points. Rock represents a punch with the first to deal external damage."
Sakura blew up a piece of hair. "Turning the art of combat into a game isn't that uncommon, but I haven't heard about that before."
"Long ago, martial arts were considered evil and destructive and were forbidden. That's when masters found a loophole and started pretending to play while training. And that's how rock, paper, scissors came to be."
"Wow, you're really old." Killua commented casually. Of course, Biscuit didn't let him off easy. Sakura watched as he went soaring through the air like a paper airplane. However, Gon was more focused on his fist, a new gleam on his face.
"Jaken…Evil fist….That's it!"
That's all for now Folks. I hope this read gives you a breather from any tough times, and that 2026 will be your new best year! I've been working on new and old stories, and I'll be sharing them very very soon, so keep an eye out.
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EARLY CHAPTERS FOR MEMBERS NOW: BUYMEACOFFEE
-Kunoichi amongst Heroes chapter (97, 98, 99, 100)
-Kunoichi amongst Pirates chapter (43, 44, 45)
-Crossroads of Fate chapter (34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
-Through the Looking Glass chapter (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50)
- (Bleach crossover) Kunoichi amongst Reapers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
-Commission: Demon slayer x My hero academia (PART 1 & 2)
- Kunoichi amongst Benders (Avatar x Naruto crossover) (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-Kunoichi amongst Heroes WHAT IF SPIN OFF: Dorms and Exams
-(SEQUEL) Through the Spyglass chapter 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,6
-SPECIAL HALLOWEEN CHAPTER: Shinigami amongst Shinobi