Shinigami Savant Quest #112

>>1833331
“So you're saying...”

“Basically any other use for your time would've been better, yes,” you tell him. “I told you I'll begin at precisely nine, didn't I?”

“Yes...”

“Then you get to wait for eight minutes and thirty seconds,” you conclude, shutting your eyes once more.

The beguiled officer simply stands there at first, struggling to come up with a response... which is precisely the point. You'd suspected that Eleventh Division had mostly attracted brawlers under Zaraki's tenure, and Ikkaku's time management seems to confirm it. His technical skills are all there, but when it comes right down to it he fights purely for the love of fighting. As a fighter, all evidence you've managed to glean about him is that he's deliberately inefficient, joyfully reckless, almost devoutly headstrong.

While you certainly understand the sentiment, and despite your own style having been accused of reckless abandon a few times before, there's a point to it in your case. A constant stream of attacks from every angle, using whichever form of shinigami combat seems appropriate at the time, isn't aimed at killing immediately. That's sometimes just a happy side effect of having picked the right tool for the job and succeeded with it beyond your expectation. Instead it's meant to control tempo, to frustrate and overwhelm an opponent nearly at or even somewhat above your own level of power and skill.

That it also happens to overlap your idea of 'fun' is another happy side effect.

Eventually it seems Ikkaku decides to waste five minutes pretending to meditate, as you have been doing. There's zero chance that he'll fall into the right mindset for a long enough time for it to matter, but you allow him to try anyway.

At least until five seconds before nine, that is.

>Announce that you're heading for the Valley of Screams for a little privacy.
>Grab him by the face and take him there yourself, kick it off exactly on time.
>Attack him from a seated position, try to get a better feel for his style and skill.
>Other?

>>1833331
>ignore the spoiler tags
>my mouse has been randomly double and even triple-clicking uncontrollably
>a new one should arrive today

>>1833345
>>Grab him by the face and take him there yourself, kick it off exactly on time.

>>1833345
>Announce that you're heading for the Valley of Screams for a little privacy.

>>1833345
>>Announce that you're heading for the Valley of Screams for a little privacy.

>>1833345
>>Grab him by the face and take him there yourself, kick it off exactly on time.
Gotta establish our dominance as someone who gives zero fucks.

>>1833345
>>Grab him by the face and take him there yourself, kick it off exactly on time.

>writing
I'll also be asking for a roll to see how well it goes off, and what you might learn from Ikakku's response.
>3d10, DC 17, Crit 20

Rolled 8, 5, 9 = 22 (3d10)

>>1833427

Rolled 4, 1, 3 = 8 (3d10)

>>1833427

Rolled 10, 8, 9 = 27 (3d10)

>>1833427

Sooo, Anyway, from Riku's observation, it seems like most of what we have to change in Ikkaku is his mindset? Like, get him to fight efficiently, as well as enjoy it, and we'd be halfway there it seems?

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>>1833441
12 million years in photoshop.
I wish I could figure out what font this pic uses.

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>>1833427
At five seconds to nine you make the decision.

By three seconds to nine you've thrust Tenkotsuki and Kobara no Tachi through your sash where they'll sit comfortably all through the rest of the day.

By two seconds to nine you're on your feet, having swiftly unfolded your legs from under you.

One second before nine you've grabbed Ikkaku by the face, having gotten there just before he managed to draw his own sword to defend himself.

By one second after nine you've slammed him bodily into the sandy beach in the Valley of Screams and stepped clear, not even leaving footprints where you landed.

“I told you, I'd start at nine precisely,” you observe as the Third Seat spits a load of sand out of his mouth.

“You're so dead,” he grumbles, drawing his zanpakuto from its sheath.

“That's the spirit,” you smirk. “That's what I wanna see when it comes time to fight against Aizen and his little minions. No more of this showboaty asshole persona you've got going.”

“Where the hell are we?” he demands, having just now noticed the change of scenery. “How did we get here?”

“I took you on a bit of a trip,” you explain. “This is a Valley of Screams. One hundred years ago I was in the right place at the right time with the right tools to anchor it in place, to stabilize it against the edges of the Soul Society.”

“Yeah, I don't get any of that,” he admits, having already grown bored with your explanation.

“Neither do I,” you shrug. “At least not how I did it or why it worked.”

“This is how you hid a squad of arrancars for the better part of a century?” Madarame realizes. “How you trained in hollowfication under our noses? You had your own little universe to be queen of?”

“Well when you say it like that it makes me sound like an asshole,” you grumble. “But yeah, basically.”

>Show me your swordsmanship. Shikai would be cheating.
>Show me your Shikai, your own unique style of combat.
>Skip straight to Bankai, I want to know how far you've come.
>Show me the highest level kidō you can cast.

>>1833506
>>Show me your Shikai, your own unique style of combat.
Im choosing this because it seems like the form where he mixes the most of his sword and Hakuda in, and that seems to be what hes best at.

>>1833506
>>Show me the highest level kidō you can cast.

>>1833506
>Show me your swordsmanship. Shikai would be cheating.

>>1833506
>>Show me your swordsmanship. Shikai would be cheating.
Start from the bottom and work our way up. We want to get a comprehensive understanding of this guy if we're gonna help him.

>>1833527
This, basically. Sealed, shikai, bankai.

>>1833506
>Show me your swordsmanship. Shikai would be cheating.
We can work our way up. We'll probably have to teach him/get him to learn some kido at some point though. I doubt he knows more than 2 or 3, if that.

>>1833506
>3d10, DC 17, crit 21

>>1833506
>>Show me your swordsmanship. Shikai would be cheating

Rolled 6, 9, 1 = 16 (3d10)

>>1833578

Rolled 3, 9, 8 = 20 (3d10)

>>1833578

Rolled 10, 4, 5 = 19 (3d10)

>>1833578

Rolled 2, 2, 5 = 9 (3d10)

>>1833578

>>1833587
Good, but not quite.

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>>1833595
>In The End plays softly in the distance

>>1833595
“Let's see what you can do with that sword of yours,” you smile deviously, “no Shikai. That's cheating and you know it.”

“Alright, then,” Madarame agrees immediately. “It'll be a match of pure kenjutsu.”

He dashes forward, turning to add momentum to the sweep of his sword, a quick movement but a little on the wide side... instead of being lured into drawing and parrying with your own blade you reach out and grab his arm with your left hand, finding that he's misdirected you and swung with his sheath. He must have switched hands while his back was turned. Recklessness, pure and simple.

You throw out your other hand and catch him under his center of balance before he can follow through with a swing of his actual sword, flipping him into the air to crash in the sand a second time. Now wise to his trick you dart in to close the distance you've just opened and sink to your right knee, crossing Tenkotsuki across your waist and drawing her hilt down towards the grounded Third Seat.

“Shit!” he curses, quickly rolling out of the way and pushing off the beach, backing off to avoid your strike. The force of the blow, amplified by Onibii, is enough to lift a fountain of sand into the air as if an artillery piece had dropped a half-ton shell where you struck.

You use it as cover, returning your half-drawn blade before blowing straight through the cloud of sand with a hirenkyaku. At the end you finally sweep Tenkotsuki from her sheath, her edge biting deep into the sheath that Madarame raises to parry your strike. He immediately feels the weight of the blow and positions Hozukimaru to further brace himself, a look of desperation on his face.

“Iaijutsu following Kuai Jiao,” you explain as Madarame's sandals dig deep into the sand as you begin to slid him backwards.

>Follow through on this blow, sweep him aside.
>Withdraw Tenkotsuki, hit him with a snap kick.
>Cast kidō while your blades are bound like this.
>Use a bala with your free hand.

>>1833696
>>Withdraw Tenkotsuki, hit him with a snap kick.
get punished nerd.

>>1833696
>>Withdraw Tenkotsuki, hit him with a snap kick.
While he did say pure Kenjutsu, I want to see how he deals with someone with a fighting style that isn't simplistic brute force.

>>1833713
Or someone who's not just using kendo. In Korea, China, India, even in most traditional Japanese koryu kicks, throws, and joint locks are fair game.

Hell, the Shinsengumi had a Captain who taught precisely that as his specialty.

>>1833696
>>Withdraw Tenkotsuki, hit him with a snap kick.

>brb, taking new peripheral for a test drive

>>1833696
>Withdraw Tenkotsuki, hit him with a snap kick.
Is the kick going where I think it's going?

>>1833696
>>Withdraw Tenkotsuki, hit him with a snap kick.

>back again
>3d10, DC 17, Crit 20
>>1833756
If you're thinking "in the water like a bitch" then yes, Ikakku's going exactly where you think he's going if Riku succeeds.

Rolled 7, 4, 6 = 17 (3d10)

>>1833830
I was thinking a kick in the dick but that works too.

Rolled 5, 5, 7 = 17 (3d10)

>>1833830

Rolled 8, 1, 8 = 17 (3d10)

>>1833830

>>1833861
>>1833841
>>1833837
Spooky

>>1833837
>>1833841
>>1833861
This is kinda weird.
>captcha Weimar Park
Let's blame socialism

>>1833837
>>1833841
>>1833861
Now that's some uncanny 'lucky' dice.

Ikkaku must wish he'd done his dance.

>>1833837
>>1833841
>>1833861
Well that's... unlikely.
Go ahead and do one more, see what happens, but I'll start writing.

Rolled 4, 5, 4 = 13 (3d10)

>>1833894

>>1833894
This is nothing, I saw a triple nat 20 yesterday.

>>1833972
Link or it didn't happen.

>>1833983
>>>>1832091

>>1833999
Ah, thanks for that. That thread was crazy, so many nat 20s.

>>1833999
>Kancolle
Guess I should've read that

Also, checked.

>>1833894
Instead of continuing the effort of sliding Ikakku across the beach until he hits something, you do what he probably wouldn't expect: you pull back with Tenkotsuki and roll to the side, yielding momentarily to throw the other fighter off balance. Then you strike, spinning on your toe and delivering a powerful roundhouse kick as Ikakku starts to fall forward into the void you've left.

The blow sends him flying out into the water where he comes down with a large splash. But to his credit he's back on his feet again in almost the same instant, having drawn up his sheath to absorb some of the power behind your kick.

“You're certainly going all-out,” Ikakku grunts, taking a moment to crack his neck before wading ashore. “I wasn't counting on you using hakuda.”

“When did I ever say I wasn't going to?” you observe, earning a blank stare in response.

“Huh?”

“I'm saying,” you continue, “that it was you who proclaimed this would be a 'kenjutsu match', not me. Add to that the fact that you're only using your sheath for headgames, and it's no surprise you took a dip.”

“Heh, so you saw through that...”

“If you're not going to use your off-hand weapon, either discard it or never raise it in the first place,” you admonish him, readying your own sword for the next round. “Consider that lesson one.”

“Well then,” he muses, flipping his sheath into a reverse hold. “I guess even if I already knew that I at least learned not to fuck around with a Captain.”

“Now, are we gonna stand around chatting all day or are we gonna get serious here?”

>Meet him with a sword-and-sheath style of your own.
>Sheath Tenkotsuki, meet him with hakuda alone.
>Test his speed against yours, evaluate his responses.
>Release Tenkotsuki. You have no more interest in his kenjutsu technique.

>>1834034
>>Meet him with a sword-and-sheath style of your own.

>>1834034
>>Meet him with a sword-and-sheath style of your own.

>>1834034
>>Meet him with a sword-and-sheath style of your own.
Time to show him how far he has yet to go. Maybe offer some tips on his style.

>>1834034
>Sheath Tenkotsuki, meet him with hakuda alone.

>>1834034
>>Meet him with a sword-and-sheath style of your own.

>>1834034
>Meet him with a sword-and-sheath style of your own.

>>1834034
>Meet him with a sword-and-sheath style of your own.
This is a close vote. I wonder what's going to win.

>>1834065
>3d10, DC 18, Crit 21

Rolled 9, 6, 6 = 21 (3d10)

>>1834113

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Rolled 10, 10, 6 = 26 (3d10)

>>1834113

Rolled 5, 2, 10 = 17 (3d10)

>>1834113

Rolled 2, 1, 8 = 11 (3d10)

>>1834113

>>1834118
>>1834119
2 gud 5 u Ikkaku

>>1834119
Whelp, that dick be hellbound.

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>>1834119
>we have been using sword and sheath probably since before he was born
>today he will learn

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>>1834119
You answer Ikakku by pulling Tenkotsuki's sheath from your sash, facing him down with a similar style to his own favorite sword technique.

“So that's how it's going to be?” he muses. “Alright, let's see how that goes for you...”

His chuckle is cut short as you charge him with a swipe of your blade, which is followed immediately by a kick to his gut. You turn in place and batter him from the opposite side with Tenkotsuki's sheath, then her blade, then her sheath again in a furious series of spinning strikes that test the Third Seat's ability to hold you off. Then, just as he thinks he sees an opening, your sheath meets his wrist and pushes his blade off to the side leaving his ribs totally open for your flat thrust.

“Damn it!” he curses as he's forced to backpedal away from you with a flash step, only to find that you've effortlessly matched the movement with hirenkyaku. Tenkotsuki sweeps up and right followed by a thrust with her sheath that slides off Ikakku's sheath, hitting him square in the sternum and sending him rolling backwards across the sand where he comes to a stop flat on his face.

Your sheath slams into the sand where he was laying a moment ago, but if he thinks a counterattack will work he's underestimated you yet again. His blade slides down Tenkotsuki's curved edge as you allow it to flow past your parry, using the momentum to sweep your foe's leg and send him to the ground again.

He gets to his feet only for you to sweep his legs out from under him a third time with your sheath, by which point you've had enough.

“Extend, Hozukimaru!” he roars, releasing his zanpakuto in a whirlwind of reiatsu that kicks up sand all along the beach. He leads with the head of his new spear in a blind charge, putting all the power his legs can generate behind its point.

“Prohibit,” you reply, raising your own sword to meet Hozukimaru's blade, “Tenkotsuki...”

The blade and the upper third of its shaft slide off Tenkotsuki's edge like ice across ice, and Ikakku grins like a madman as he releases that shaft into three segments linked by short stretches of silvery chain. Just as he gives his own weapon a powerful wrenching twist to swing its head back round towards your face you lower your head, and disappear from his view in the shortest hirenkyaku you can manage.

Your sheath connects with the back of his head with a sickening crack, propelling the Third Seat one final time facefirst into the beach.

He doesn't move.

>Wait for him to wake up.
>No rest. Heal him back up and make him show his Bankai.
>You're done for the day. Go find something else to do.
>Other?

>>1834206
>>No rest. Heal him back up and make him show his Bankai.

>>1834206
>No rest. Heal him back up and make him show his Bankai.

>Fighting a Captain
>A Captain that's been a Shinigami since before the person who's soul became you died
>A Captain that's famous for having 2 zanpakuto
>A Captain who's original zanpakuto has two parts, so technically 3
>Thinking she's not good at using 2 weapons at once

We really need to ask him if he's actually this stupid or if he's acting.

>may be running off for dinner some time soonish

>>1834206
>>No rest. Heal him back up and make him show his Bankai.

>>1834206
>>No rest. Heal him back up and make him show his Bankai.
There are no breaks on this train. Who the fuck said he could sleep?
>>1834225
Agreed. There's being confident and then there's being dumb.

>>1834206
>>No rest. Heal him back up and make him show his Bankai.

"What did I tell you about wasting a Captain's time? Get the fuck up."

>>1834250
Supporting

>>1834206
>>No rest. Heal him back up and make him show his Bankai.

"I didn't allow you to take a break! "

>>1834206
>>No rest. Heal him back up and make him show his Bankai.
Welcome to Kusajishi's Wild Ride.

>>1834206
>No rest. Heal him back up and make him show his Bankai.

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>>1834206
You quickly take a knee next to the unconscious shinigami and check to ensure you haven't broken his neck by mistake, then proceed to heal him using kaidō. After a few minutes he groans, rolling over onto his back with a look that clearly tells you he'd have preferred to sleep that hit off.

“I feel like my head's been shattered like a lightbulb, glued back together, and screwed back on...” he grumbles.

“If you've got time to bitch you've got time to work,” you chide him. “My daughter bounced back quicker than that when she was twelve.”

“You're sick,” he counters.

“And she could eat you for breakfast and pick her teeth with that thing you call a zanpakuto,” you tell him. “Besides, what did I tell you about wasting a Captain's time?”

“Not to do it?”

You nod. “Not to do it. Up.”

The bald shinigami slowly hauls himself to his feet, swaying once before he manages to stand up straight. “Alright, now what you damn sadist?”

“Bankai,” you order. “Now. I want to see it for myself.”

“I guess it's what you came for, right?” he mutters. “Fine.”

He takes a leap backwards, holding Hozkimaru out in front of him.

“Bankai!” he roars, wind first engulfing the ends of his weapon then himself. He vanishes within a cyclone that crackles madly with red arcs, not of natural lightning but from the mass of reiatsu he's releasing. You feel your hair being pulled into it even from here, the winds whipping at your uniform though you manage to stand firm.

When the winds die Ikkaku's polearm is gone, replaced by three massively oversized blades connected by chains. A monk's spade in one hand, a shortspear in the other, each with blades as long as he is tall, with a heavy axe blade floating behind him. On that middle blade is a horimono of a dragon, carved deep into the steel.

“Ryūmon Hozukimaru!” he declares, bringing the two blades in his hands to bear.

“It's certainly big enough to be a Bankai,” you admit.
>1/2

>>1834380
>“It's certainly big enough to be a Bankai,” you admit.
Insert over-compensation joke here.

>>1834380
His reiatsu, though... that seems to have improved remarkably. That's what leads you to believe his Bankai is genuine. However, if that's all it does you'd consider yourself disappointed. It's just a mass of power, and not all that much more proportionally speaking than any other Captain. And since he's started off with less power than any sitting Captain to begin with, you doubt that as things stand he'll do much better than picking off some of the weaker arrancar. If the first arrancar he meets is anything like the one Yoruichi faced for example, he'd be a dead man.

>“Come”. Probe his new weapon and tactics for weaknesses and exploit them mercilessly.
>“Stay.” Attack him with a combination of Shunkō and your Shikai.
>“Come. Let me show you what a Captain's Bankai can do.”
>Other?

>>1834393
>“Come. Let me show you what a Captain's Bankai can do.”
Don't let him get cocky, i want him to feel it up close, like everyone in 9th has.

>>1834393
>“Come”. Probe his new weapon and tactics for weaknesses and exploit them mercilessly.

>>1834393
>>“Come. Let me show you what a Captain's Bankai can do.”
So far he's not impressing us. Push him to the limit, show him where he needs to be. Of course, once we've finished beating him into the dirt and he's gotten serious, we can take some time to get analytical about how to help him improve.

>>1834393
>>“Come”. Probe his new weapon and tactics for weaknesses and exploit them mercilessly.

>dinner calls
>will post when I'm free

>>1834393
>“Come”. Probe his new weapon and tactics for weaknesses and exploit them mercilessly.

>>1834393
>“Come. Let me show you what a Captain's Bankai can do.”
>Try to find out if it does anything beyond be a big weapon, and if there's something he could learn that would give him a chance against Aizen's more powerful followers.

Since it's his true Bankai and he knows how to use it, there's nothing we can do for him beyond give/improve his chances against Aizen's more powerful followers. If we can't, there's no point in Riku training him.

>>1834393
>>“Come”. Probe his new weapon and tactics for weaknesses and exploit them mercilessly.
boys gotta learn how to git gud, i say we let him.

>>1834393
>“Come. Let me show you what a Captain's Bankai can do.”
changing from:
>>1834439

>back, writing

>>1834571
“Since your Captain lacks a Bankai,” you muse, staring down a big mass of power in the form of a Seated Officer's Bankai, “I will allow you to see what a Captain's Bankai looks like up close by releasing mine.”

“Come on!” he practically dares you to do it. “Quit talking and use it already!”

“Bankai,” you command, “Higeki no Ōjo.”

The difference between your release and his is like night and day. Where his release came with a shout your voice isn't raised in the slightest. Where the mass of power he exuded put on a fancy display of whipping winds and flashing light, your power is calm, almost relaxed as it surges forth. The appearance of Tenkotsuki's spectral tails behind you is accompanied only by a gentle breeze that rolls across the beach in a single gust.

“That's your Bankai?” Ikkaku asks tensely, having clearly expected far more of a vulgar display of power than what you gave him.

“Judge for yourself,” you tell him.
>dice+3d10, DC 17, Crit 20

Rolled 1, 9, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>1834594

Rolled 1, 10, 7 = 18 (3d10)

>>1834594
oh man, he legit lucks out by being a pure strength type against us in all honesty.

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Rolled 3, 8, 4 = 15 (3d10)

>>1834594
Prepare yourself

>>1834600
Well I fucked up.
>>1834599
At least this guy has it covered.

>>1834594
With a fierce battle cry Ikkaku falls on you, no faster than before. The blade misses cleanly as you turn out of its way, leaving a shallow slice across his side. He checks the movement and swings the massive blade in his left hand towards you, only to find another slice across his arm right at the elbow.

“Your movements are still slow,” you tell him, having come to a stop practically in his face. He tries to headbutt you but you dance away from that as well, leaving yet another thin red mark across Ikkaku's back.

He thrusts the spade towards you and you kick off backwards, creating a little reishi platform to push against and riding a smooth current backwards several meters.

You raise your arm and cast a spell. “Hyappō Rankan!”

The sliver beam splits into some two dozen in flight, only for Ikkaku to smash them out of the way with the side of his weapon. The white bala coming directly behind it hits him however, as his line of sight was blocked for so long while he parried that he must have never realized you'd sent it his way.

He's not making a good accounting of himself so far. That's two lethal shortcomings in under a minute, and four attacks in the same space which could have been fatal if you'd intended it.

With a low growl he grasps the handle of his central blade, a long space clearly meant for two hands, and begins to spin it over his head. The titanic blades on either end spin along with it of course, building up what you'd imagine is quite horrifying amounts of momentum.

Then you notice the horimono on the head he's grasped, watching it light up as it turns. From tail to head the dragon fills in glowing red, and Ikkaku's reiatsu begins to build. Not much at first, but the more red the dragon becomes the greater his raw power becomes.

So that's it, then?

>Use the shortcomings you've noticed, take him down before he builds up to full power.
>Wait. You'll defeat him at full power to make your point heard loud and clear.
>He's not the only one with far more power to tap into. Use Shunkō as well as Bankai.
>Other?

>>1834666
>Wait. You'll defeat him at full power to make your point heard loud and clear.
>He's not the only one with far more power to tap into. Use Shunkō as well as Bankai.

>>1834666
>>Wait. You'll defeat him at full power to make your point heard loud and clear.
Gotta make sure this lesson sticks.

>>1834666
Hmm. Can we have it both ways?

Like, go forward and make cutting attacks that would be clearly lethal if we felt like it, and announce, "Dead."

And then keep doing it. Over and over, even while he gathers more power, to hammer in that frustration and inability to stop us.

Though, the fact that DC is set at 17 and is only gonna get higher makes me concerned.

>>1834666
>Wait. You'll defeat him at full power to make your point heard loud and clear.
>He's not the only one with far more power to tap into. Use Shunkō as well as Bankai.

>>1834673
This seems fun!

>>1834666
>Wait. You'll defeat him at full power to make your point heard loud and clear.
>He's not the only one with far more power to tap into. Use Shunkō as well as Bankai.

>>1834673
Support.

>>1834673
supporting this.
>>1834666
>Other: "I've noticed your gimmick Ikkaku. Here's a tip. Ramp up your power faster. Your bankai is a slow ass slowpoke. It takes [x] time for you to get to full strength. And in that time I could've killed you [x] times."
>Other: Count out the time it takes for Ikkaku to get to full power. Stop the training when Ikkaku gets to full power. And tell him the time. Then beat the lesson that he needs to ramp up faster and focus his attacks to make his raw power of a bankai more efficient and useful.

>dice+3d10, DC 16, crit 20

Rolled 2, 6, 10 = 18 (3d10)

>>1834744

Rolled 8, 5, 10 = 23 (3d10)

>>1834744

Rolled 1, 9, 9 = 19 (3d10)

>>1834744

Rolled 10, 8, 2 = 20 (3d10)

>>1834744

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>>1834750

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>>1834750
Oh boy. Ikkaku is getting this lesson engraved in his hide with gold filigree.

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>>1834750

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>>1834750
Well done, anon. Your Yoruichi has been wired to the usual account.

>>1834782
>That blush
My heart can't handle this.

>>1834782
>virgin killer
m-muh

>>1834782
“Too slow,” you comment, counting off the seconds as they pass. “Far too slow.”

Before he has a chance to fully power up you swing Tenkotsuki once... twice... three times, each a strike you could have easily landed on Ikkaku had you felt the need. Then, once the dragon fills entirely, you calmly prepare to receive his attack.

Ikkaku is a blur, even to your eyes, moving much faster now than he could before powering up to full but still far from the likes of an Onmitsukidō executive. The strike will either come from the left or the right...

It comes from the right, aimed for your shoulder.

You raise Tenkotsuki's blade to parry it, filling your body with the additional power of Shunkō in a sudden flare of reiatsu. You stop the blow cold with hanki, neutralizing its forward momentum and scattering the power Ikkaku had put behind it where it dissipates invisibly under the weight of Tenkotsuki's shinreiryoku.

He brings his other weapon up to thrust, only to find your sheath falling on his wrist with a crushing blow, leaving him open and vulnerable to a bone-shattering kick to the middle of his chest.

Ikkaku loses his grip on Hozukimaru before he and all three of his blades crash to the beach.

“And that's the difference between a Captain and a Third Seat,” you declare, back turned after following through with the momentum of your own kick. “You'd be able to take some arrancar with that level of attack... had you started with that sort of speed and power to begin with.”

With a smooth step you drop to the sand in front of Ikkaku, sword sheathed and arms crossed. Ikkaku stares at you incredulously.

“Your sheath...”

“Is reinforced for combat, yes” you reply. “Your Bankai took just under a minute to build power after you released it... an eternity in the heat of battle.”

>Can you maintain Bankai for a while longer?
>Seal your blade. Release Bankai again, but do it faster..
>We're done for the day. We'll repeat the process tomorrow.
>Other?

>>1834883
>>Seal your blade. Release Bankai again, but do it faster..
His biggest problem (ignoring his lower level of power) seems to be his lack of speed. If there's one thing I've learned about Bleach, it's that speed is fucking important.

>>1834883
What's Riku got in mind with Ikkaku maintaining his bankai longer? Just more endurance isn't gonna solve his problems.

Also if his sword breaks under his own power or from encountering something that can break it, he's fucked. And I would think Riku has a pretty good idea of what it'd take to fuck up his bank after using hanki on him.

>>1834883
>>>Seal your blade. Release Bankai again, but do it faster..
Gotta go fast

>>1834883
>"Here's a tip. Ramp up your power faster. Your bankai is a slow ass slowpoke. It takes [x] time for you to get to full strength. And in that time I could've killed you [x] times"
>"What you need here is speed. Raw power is nice. but unless you're against Kumamora, your slow reactions will get you killed. Speaking of which... I can think of someone who is the perfect Bankai Partner for you. My nephew.

>>1834883
>Seal your blade. Release Bankai again, but do it faster..
BANKAI-UPS
>Other: Release Bankai again, but hold it in (Calling Bankai, but not the full name) for as long as you can before releasing it fully.
you know that reminds me of Riku when experimenting on how to turn a Bankai into a bomb and getting Akirashi Shunko as a result. Do you think we can teach him how to get his bankai to "explosively release" at 100% red dragon?

>>1834883
>Seal your blade. Release Bankai again, but do it faster..
>You're going to do Bankai-Ups until i tell you to stop.

>>1834922
That would help a lot if we could figure that out. It sounds almost plausible enough to be a thing.

But if Ikkaku fucked it up, he'd be dead.

>>1834932
"Oh shit niger, don't hold in a sneeze!"
The equivalent of a reiatsu aneurysm.

>am write
>will post

>>1834987
“You are as slow as Komamura, but nowhere near as tough,” you explain, putting his Bankai performance into perspective. “Seal your blade and release its Bankai again, build its power up quicker or else you will almost certainly be killed.”

Of course Ikkaku obliges, but his performance is no better the second time. Or the third for that matter.

As he lies spent on the sand, you ponder the issue.

“I have a technique that allows me to release my Bankai more... explosively,” you tell him, seated comfortably in a tree near the edge of the beach. “Perhaps something similar would work for you?”

“How do you do it?” he asks between pants.

“I release it the same way that I'd use Shunkō,” you explain. “So unless you can secretly keep up with Captain Fēng or Lady Yoruichi or myself at hakuda and kidō... not a realistic plan.”

“So how would I even start?” Ikkaku demands.

“All I can suggest is that you listen to Hozukimaru,” you shrug. “I crafted that technique together with Tenkotsuki, after all, drawing on my personal skills.”

“I guess I've got nothing to lose,” he admits. “What the hell, I'll try it. Jinzen, you reckon?”

“Jinzen,” you confirm. “Be back at my Division's training grounds tomorrow morning, same time. I want you to spend twenty four hours in jinzen.”

“A full day!?” Ikkaku exclaims. “You're a madwoman! I've never heard of something like that!”

“First time I performed jinzen I sat on a rock for... three days, if memory serves. Something to that effect, it was more than a century ago.”

“Well... if you did it as a total greenhorn,” Ikkaku muses, seeming to give some honest thought to it. “How hard could it be?”

>>1835050
And this is where I intend to call it for now. I'll be back Monday or Tuesday evening to tack on a little bit more, see where it gets us. Archive's up, thanks for turning out, hope you enjoyed watching Ikkaku get his ass kicked around a bit.

Next time: Ikkaku finds out how hard it could be.

>>1835050
>“Well... if you did it as a total greenhorn,” Ikkaku muses, seeming to give some honest thought to it. “How hard could it be?”
This poor fool.

>>1835050
>“Well... if you did it as a total greenhorn,” Ikkaku muses, seeming to give some honest thought to it. “How hard could it be?”
I guess he isn't acting.

>>1835058
Thanks for running.

How long until Ikkaku realizes he's almost as dumb as Zaraki?

>>1835068
Ikkaku better hope he's some kind of savant and roll really well, assuming he gets one.

>>1835058
Q: If Ikkaku got Bankai through his own means, then how the fuck did he get it without even consulting the Jinzen table? Don't tell me Ikkaku's situation is almost the exact same thing as Renji where his Bankai is actually a pseudo-bankai and that Kozukimaru is withholding some information.

>“Well... if you did it as a total greenhorn,” Ikkaku muses, seeming to give some honest thought to it. “How hard could it be?”

Cue Riku poking the Ikkaku with a stick or burning his head with a magnifying glass to test how well Ikkaku can get into Jinzen. in varying intervals of 30 seconds up to 30 minutes between pokes/disturbances.

>>1833331
>You're not entirely sure how you manage to slip out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen without being noticed, and you're even less sure how you manage to brew a pot of coffee on top of that. By the time you've finished your first cup it's a quarter till eight.

>Teeth brushed, mouth rinsed, face washed.
DID YOU EVEN FLOSS YOUNG LADY?!?

File: A7YlA8I.gif (723KB, 800x438px) Image search: [Google]

723KB, 800x438px

>>1835087
>Brush, gargle, rinse
>A couple breath mints
>My shiny teeth and me

Dropped from reading around thread 80 due to reasons and just caught up again.
Just have to say this is still my favorite quest on /tg/ and /qst/ from all there been.
And I would love to sincerely thank Queen for inner world art back in first few threads and a chunk of inspiration I got for my own unrelated thing because of small insight this threads have regarding presentation shinto and shinigami business this quest have.

>>1836831
Thanks for the kind words, anon. Glad to hear something I did led to something positive for you.

Probably will pick back up shortly on Tuesday, assuming nothing comes up in the week.

>will continue later this evening

>>1841818
It's been several days since you began coaching Ikkaku in the use of his Bankai, and things have progressed. That's about all you can say, because on the first day he was spent after just seven hours in jinzen and refused to talk about what happened during that time, and on the second day he only lasted five.

Your own training and conditioning has gone much more smoothly, having given you several opportunities to bout against Yoruichi and to work on your own kidō techniques. You've even managed to find a way to be helpful in her preparations, giving her a capable opponent against which to test new weapons of various shapes and sizes. Some of these she has decided not to add to her expansive armory, while others seemed much more promising to her. You're not absolutely certain what many of them actually do, but you're looking forward to finding out firsthand.

The Lieutenants and Commandos continue to work hard as well, though increasingly you're left treating this training as hands-off. The notable exception is giving your permission for Mirai to set up a complicated addition to your Division's firing range to give her a moving target to shoot at with her Bankai, which now features a heavier draw than before. The most difficult part of the whole process has been finding a way to construct a backstop durable enough to stop her arrows from penetrating clean through.

Now, you're left with a few new issues that have arisen. The first and most obvious is you haven't seen Ichigo for a while, and you're honestly not sure how his own preparations for winter have been progressing. The second is a rather mixed piece of news: while the Vizards have received an official pardon from the Central 46 for being part-Hollow, their 'crimes' of having 'fled justice' haven't been expunged. This means that while they wouldn't be killed on sight, as if anyone who could do so who remains in the Seireitei would, they won't be accepted back into the Gotei 13 either.

And then, there's Renji.

>Inform the Vizards of the Central 46's decisions.
>Visit the Kurosaki family, see how Ichigo's doing.
>Renji needs to fix his Bankai in time to train with it.
>The arrancar have been continually released all week...
>Other?

>>1842768
>Visit the Kurosaki family, see how Ichigo's doing.

>>1842768
>>Visit the Kurosaki family, see how Ichigo's doing.

>>1842768
>Renji needs to fix his Bankai in time to train with it.

>>1842768
>>Visit the Kurosaki family, see how Ichigo's doing.
>>Renji needs to fix his Bankai in time to train with it.

Throw him at the Berry, two birds one stone

>>1842768
>>Inform the Vizards of the Central 46's decisions.
This has been years in the making, let's get it over with. Even if the 'fleeing justice' charge is kind of bullshit

>>1842768
>Inform the Vizards of the Central 46's decisions.
>Visit the Kurosaki family, see how Ichigo's doing.

Hit two living world birds with one seki stone.

>>1842768
>Inform the Vizards of the Central 46's decisions.
>Visit the Kurosaki family, see how Ichigo's doing.

omake suggestion: riku meets kaizar

>writing

>>1842814
The first order of business is one that's a hundred years in the making, and it's for exactly that reason you head for Karakura town. It's about time you told the Vizards what the Central 46 has decided. You wish it was better news, that it was a full exoneration of something that honestly shouldn't need exoneration at all, but short of forcibly replacing the Central 46 or just abolishing the body entirely and running everything yourself you're not sure what else you could do.

Once more you find the Vizards in their large warehouse, or rather underneath that warehouse which itself is stands empty. This time however you are allowed through the layered kidō barriers without any fuss, either because Shinji's given up trying to keep you out or Hachi just refuses to bother anymore. It's difficult to say.

Down a long flight of stairs you emerge into the underground training chamber to find a familiar scene: some of the Vizards sparring while the others mostly either read, eat, or in Rose's case play guitar.

>3d10, DC 17, crit 20, best of three

Rolled 8, 6, 6 = 20 (3d10)

>>1842858

Rolled 6, 3, 10 = 19 (3d10)

>>1842858
>>1842865
welp

Rolled 5, 9, 2 = 16 (3d10)

>>1842858

>>1842858
You can practically feel her coming before she gets the idea, the diminutive former-Lieutenant is entirely predictable in the straight line she takes towards you. But instead of dodging Hiyori's pointless assault, which would be stupidly easy for a hohō master of your caliber, you begin releasing reiatsu through your face in the most localized version of shunkō that you, Yoruichi, and Suì Fēng have worked on. The Vizard's feet make contact with your flaring aura and she immediately expends all her forward momentum against your face.

Then she falls awkwardly to the dirt, landing on her back.

“The hell are you made out of!?” she wheezes, having lost her breath when she hit the ground.

“Stubbornness,” you reply. “You should've saved that for later, when you hear the news I have to bring you're gonna want to do it again.”

She stares up at you in disbelief. “So don't tell us, dummy!”

“It's from the Central 46,” you explain, and her expression darkens.

“Let's see what the Captain has to say,” Shinji insists solemnly, clearly anticipating what's happened in the Seireitei.

The others gather quietly, Hachi and Lisa stopping their bout to listen in.

“The Central 46 has cleared you of the charges related to your hollow... nature, whatever you wanna call it,” you frown. “But they haven't cleared you of 'fleeing justice', they call it.”

“The hell does that even mean!?” Hiyori demands loudly.

“For once I agree with the loudmouth,” Shinji grumbles. “What does that mean?”

“It means I'm not under any obligation to kill you, which wasn't going to happen anyway,” you explain, “nor will anyone else in the Gotei 13. But as things stand, you won't be allowed to rejoin a Division.”

“Well, I guess that's better than it could have been,” Love sighs.

“It's a slap in the face,” Kensei grumbles. “So basically nothing changes? Barely qualifies as a verdict!”

>Agree with Love.
>Agree with Kensei.
>You don't agree with either.
>Not your business (leave).

>>1842912
It means you can come home, but anything you do will simply be unofficial.
In a way, you have more freedom than you would if you were fully cleared.

Even so, with this i'm sure you'll be able to clear your names properly over time, if that's what you want.
Hell, i don't even think there's a law against having civilians within the seireitei considering we just let recruits from the rukongai waltz in and live with us all the time, so i could probably just get you guys some lodging in 9th if you'd like.

>>1842912
>>Agree with Kensei.
God forbid Central 46 makes a mistake. The whole thing just seems petty.
'Oh how dare you escape a questionable death sentence after being experimented on against your will.'

>>1842912
It's not great, but it does give us some latitude here to work with. Honestly I think it's C46 just being scared of change and trying to spite me at this point.
>The Kido corps is technically not a division though, not is the department of research and development, nor the stealth force.

>writing, btw

>>1842986
“It cuts both ways, in a sense,” you suggest.

“In what ways?” Kensei demands incredulously.

“You're free to come back if you feel like it's still your home,” you explain carefully, sparing a glance at Lisa. It seems that she's starting to understand where you're going with this. “But as you well know the members of the Gotei 13 never retire.”

“And?” Hiyori presses, seemingly the last to catch on.

“And if you were fully pardoned you would be required to come back and take up a position in the Gotei 13,” you clarify.

“So you're saying we are free to pursue our own agenda,” Lisa muses aloud.

You nod in agreement. “It may be something of a slap in the face, but at the same time it gives you a degree of freedom.”

Even the most skeptical among the Vizards seems to contemplate that point.

“And besides, the Kidō Corps and Onmitsukidō are managed separately from the Gotei 13, are they not?” Hachi asks, casting a curious glance your way.

You're honestly not sure whether that work around is actually a valid one, and you admit it. “Sorry, I don't know if that would work. But I guess if that's what you decide you want you can try it.”

“It's a lot to think about,” Shinji frowns, still weighing the reality of the situation in his mind. “Thanks for spinnin' it that way for us. Sounds a lot less bad that way.”

“I try,” you shrug. “You seen Ichigo any time recently?”

Shinji cocks his head at you. “That brat? Haven't seen him in days.”

“He learned Hollowfication and split,” Love sighs. “Guess he's too cool to hang out with us old folks.”

“I'll tell him you said hi,” you nod.
>3d10, DC 17, Crit 20, best of three

Rolled 6, 8, 5 = 19 (3d10)

>>1843007

Rolled 4, 1, 8 = 13 (3d10)

>>1843007

Rolled 5, 9, 10 = 24 (3d10)

>>1843007
Every time we miss a crit by 1, which seems to happen near constantly, it pisses me right the fuck off

>>1843021
Good news then.

>>1843021
The dice just love to fuck with us, don't they?

>>1843007
You immediately feel an annoyance in the form of a hollow finding its way through the Dangai into the Living World, which your nephew is making a beeline for. Instead of allowing him to deal with the beast, as you know he could, you extend your finger in the general direction of his target.

“Hadō #4: Byakurai!”

A single stroke of lighting lances from your outstretched fingertip, and you feel the hollow's reiatsu vanish. Ichigo stops where he is then heads back in the direction of the Kurosaki family clinic.

“Nice shot,” Rosa allows.

“Hey, it's your aim I'm using,” you shrug, taking off towards the Kurosaki home yourself.

>Get there first, speak with Isshin and Masaki about Ichigo's training.
>Hang back, arrive in time to meet with all of them at once.
>You have two nieces you'd kind of like to say hello to while you wait.
>Other?

>>1843049
>>Get there first, speak with Isshin and Masaki about Ichigo's training.

>>1843049
>>You have two nieces you'd kind of like to say hello to while you wait.

>>1843049
>>You have two nieces you'd kind of like to say hello to while you wait.
Family bonding is important.

>>1843049
>>You have two nieces you'd kind of like to say hello to while you wait.

>>1843049
>You have two nieces you'd kind of like to say hello to while you wait.

>>1843049
>You have two nieces you'd kind of like to say hello to while you wait.

>>1843049
>You have two nieces you'd kind of like to say hello to while you wait.

>>1843049
>Where's that stuffed lion animal?

>>1843049
You know... you could meet with your brother and his wife, or you could meet with Ichigo and cut straight to the heart of the matter. But right now, after delivering something of a heavy, complicated message to the Vizards, that's not exactly what you want to do.

Instead you quickly slip through the Dangai and into the Kurosaki household, masking your reiatsu as you do. Then you grab a pitcher of water, a heaping handful of tea leaves, and swiftly boil the water with kidō before pouring the resulting brew into cups.

“Here,” you announce, stepping into the sitting room where your nieces have been relaxing after school and handing Yuzu a cup. “I made tea.”

The blonde girl nearly drops her tea in shock at your sudden appearance, while Karin doesn't give you the pleasure of a response.

“How long have you been in the house?” she asks.

“Long enough,” you shrug, sitting down in one of the open chairs. “So how have you two been holding out?”

“Well, thanks,” Karin nods politely, sipping from her cup. “I mean considering the circumstances.”

“Ichigo's been away from home more and more often,” Yuzu laments.

“Off chasing hollows?”

She nods sadly. “He says I'm not strong enough to help out yet.”

“You're not,” Karin sighs. “You know we'd just get hurt if we dealt with the stronger ones. Menos, I think they're called?”

“I never thought adjuchas would be so common here,” you admit, “but yes, if Ichigo's worried about it I'd guess that's what some of them have been.”

“We'll be strong enough one day,” Karin shrugs. “No sense getting ourselves hurt before then just because we're impatient.”

“Mom always said being a young quincy was dangerous,” Yuzu admits.

>And she's right. Your time will come soon enough, until then leave it to the adults.
>But you've dealt with hollows before, right? At least a few of the little ones?
>My worst fear is probably the same as hers... that you won't have the time to grow up slowly.
>Other?

>>1843172
>But you've dealt with hollows before, right? At least a few of the little ones?
>My worst fear is probably the same as hers... that you won't have the time to grow up slowly.

>>1843172
>>My worst fear is probably the same as hers... that you won't have the time to grow up slowly.

>>1843172
>But you've dealt with hollows before, right? At least a few of the little ones?
>My worst fear is probably the same as hers... that you won't have the time to grow up slowly.

>>1843172
>>My worst fear is probably the same as hers... that you won't have the time to grow up slowly.

>>1843172
>>My worst fear is probably the same as hers... that you won't have the time to grow up slowly.
This is their home too, they should probably be aware of the winter deadline

>>1843172
>My worst fear is probably the same as hers... that you won't have the time to grow up slowly.
>Other: So what tricks did mum teach the two of you?

>>1843172
“You know, I was never actually a kid,” you admit sadly, thinking back on your own origins. “I was a scrappy girl when I found myself in the Soul Society, so scrappy nobody could quite tell whether I was a boy or a girl. Somewhere in my teens by the look of me.”

“Surely you came from somewhere?” Karin asks in obvious surprise, to which you can only shake your head.

“I had no memories,” you explain. “In fact by the time I took in my own son and daughter some fifty years later I didn't even know any games to play with them. Had to ask one of the other Captains.”

“Why are you telling us this, Aunt Riku?” Yuzu asks.

“Because I never got the chance to grow up, to be young,” you tell her. “And I think your parents are afraid of the same thing happening to the three of you. I know that's what I regret about your brother's position.”

“But none of you had a choice,” Karin tries to reassure you.

“And if we fail, neither will you,” you reply calmly, taking a soothing sip of tea to regain your poise. “We're fighting so that you have the opportunity to grow into your powers, to actually be something approaching regular kids for a while, to live your lives in a way we didn't get to.”

“But I also think you need to prepare yourselves, mentally at very least, for the possibility that despite our best efforts you'll have to grow up faster than we'd prefer.”

Karin chuckles to herself, sounding far more grim than you'd think a girl her age would be capable. “You certainly talk like your age sometimes... unlike dad.”

“Don't tell anyone I said this, but I really am going on two hundred,” you admit, “and I spent half that time or more as a Captain. Taking things too seriously is an occupational hazard I guess.”

You're vaguely aware that Isshin and Masaki have both been listening in on your conversation, having probably been alerted by the blur of activity in their kitchen.

>Why don't you two come in here? We need to talk anyway.
>So, Karin. Yuzu. I might be able to convince your parents to let me teach you a few things.
>I'm going to have to borrow your brother for a while. Will you be okay with that?
>Other?

>>1843235
>So, Karin. Yuzu. I might be able to convince your parents to let me teach you a few things.

>>1843235
>>Why don't you two come in here? We need to talk anyway.
Gotta make sure everyone's on the same page.

>>1843235
>“Don't tell anyone I said this, but I really am going on two hundred,” you admit, “and I spent half that time or more as a Captain. Taking things too seriously is an occupational hazard I guess.”
Wow. Riku is so senile and stressed from having to work that it goes around full circle.

>Why don't you two come in here? We need to talk anyway.

>dice+3d10, best of four
>dc 19, crit 23

Rolled 10, 1, 3 = 14 (3d10)

>>1843285

Rolled 3, 4, 10 = 17 (3d10)

>>1843285

Rolled 7, 5, 4 = 16 (3d10)

>>1843285

>>1843285
I don't like this at all.

>>1843295
well we got one more shot

Rolled 5, 10, 7 = 22 (3d10)

>>1843285

Rolled 6, 5, 3 = 14 (3d10)

>>1843285

>>1843301
AYYY

but so close to the crit

>>1843302
Good thing I was late.

>>1843301
Okay, I'll give you one more decision before I get to writing, because I can see this going a couple of ways.
>Settle in to discuss the prospect of training Ichigo to get ready for winter. Isshin and Masaki should at least train the girls to escape if it all goes horribly wrong.
>Ichigo needs to know what's wrong with his "zanpakuto", Zangetsu. The charade has gone on long enough and now it's holding him back.
>Ichigo's needs to re-learn everything. To do that he needs to start over, which means actually BREAKING Zangetsu.

>>1843313
>Ichigo needs to know what's wrong with his "zanpakuto", Zangetsu. The charade has gone on long enough and now it's holding him back.

>>1843313
>Ichigo's needs to re-learn everything. To do that he needs to start over, which means actually BREAKING Zangetsu.

>>1843313
>Settle in to discuss the prospect of training Ichigo to get ready for winter. Isshin and Masaki should at least train the girls to escape if it all goes horribly wrong.

>>1843313
This is gonna be a toughie.
I wanna do a half measure
>Isshin and Masaki should at least train the girls to escape if it all goes horribly wrong. And Ichigo needs to know what's wrong with his "Zanpakuto"

But If pressured, I'll have to go with
>Ichigo needs to know what's wrong with his "zanpakuto", Zangetsu. The charade has gone on long enough and now it's holding him back.

>>1843313
>>Ichigo needs to know what's wrong with his "zanpakuto", Zangetsu. The charade has gone on long enough and now it's holding him back.
Is Oetsu's revelation about the origins of zanpakuto also gonna factor into this talk?

File: 1461886230688.png (51KB, 383x459px) Image search: [Google]

51KB, 383x459px

>>1843313
“Brother, be a dear and fetch that stuffed lion for me?” you request in the sweetest tone you can muster.

A few moments later Isshin walks in with Kon in hand, and Masaki shortly after him.

“We're caught, I guess,” your sister-in-law grins sheepishly. “Stealth was never really my thing, I'm afraid!”

“It's really more your style, sis,” Isshin admits.

“Toss him?” you request, and Isshin obliges. He seems surprised that you'd willingly set yourself up fr what happens next.

“Aaaaah!” the tiny stuffed lion coos joyously, fluffy paws outstretched in anticipation, trying to angle himself in towards your bosom.

Then you snatch him out of the air and ram your hand down his gullet, until you find the candy that's been animating him. He struggles momentarily, then goes limp as you yank the candy out and toss the empty stuffed toy to Yuzu.

“Hang onto that,” you request.

“What are you doing?” she asks you, clearly confused as she stares at the toy lion.

“Just watch.”

The moment Ichigo walks in through the door you step across the room, slam your hand over his mouth, and yank down on his hair with your free hand. He flails wildly and refuses to swallow, so you remove your palm from his mouth and massage his throat until the candy goes down and he pops out of his own body.

“Jeez, like pilling a cat,” you grumble, tossing Kon and Ichigo's body over to Isshin. “Here, hang onto that.”

“What's your friggin' problem!?” Ichigo demands wildly.

“This is my problem,” you say, holding up “Zangetsu” by its wrapped hilt as Ichigo's eyes widen. He pats his hands against his back as if expecting to find the hook-shaped sword still there.

“Hang onto that,” you tell Masaki as you toss her the blade.

“That's dangerous!” she protests, catching the blade anyway.

"Oh, they'll say anything is dangerous these days, Masaki," you gripe.
>1/2

Btw king, i should mention that this "momentous decision" as you put it is taking place at 12:30 at night here in burgerland.

Big choice to put in the hands of so few, innit?

>>1843426
It is, I'm not happy that this is when I finally got to it. Rather poor planning on my part. But the option that got voted for sets up the next thread nicely, so it should be okay.

>>1843434
Don't worry, i'm sure nothing will go horribly wrong, and nobody will make a stupid decision while others aren't around to correct them!

>>1843398
“What is even happening anymore!?”

“No need to yell, boy,” you sigh, rubbing the back of your head. “Least, not yet. This has gone on long enough, so I'm gonna tell you the truth about this 'Zangetsu' thing you've been carrying all this time.”

“Zangetsu?” Ichigo repeats, staring blankly at you.

“That weapon hasn't just changed to 'reflect' anything... because it's not a zanpakuto,” you explain with a quiet glare, your own commanding presence the only thing holding the situation in check. Were you any other shinigami, Ichigo may well have gone right on yelling about how stupid such a pronouncement was. “That weapon which you called Zangetsu was in fact your own quincy power, which manifested during the trial of the Shattered Shaft. The entity which you call your 'inner hollow'... that is Zangetsu and has been all along.”

Ichigo clearly takes a few minutes to grapple with the meaning behind your words, eventually sinking into a nearby chair. “How can you even know that?”

“Because of all the shinigami alive right now, my insight into what makes zanpakuto tick is in some ways the deepest,” you explain carefully, sparing him for now the revelation of the Asauchi's origins and their maker's history. “And your sword is like the mirror of my own situation.”

“How so?” Masaki asks, more curious now than shocked like her son is.

“Because my quincy powers became my 'inner hollow' in a similar way,” you explain, “while my zanpakuto came to the fore... despite having their own origins as a separate spirit altogether. Two separate sources of power came into direct competition after little Byakuya attacked you, Ichigo, and that struggle was never truly reconciled in the following months.”

“I'm here to correct that issue,” you declare, stepping out of your own 'gigai' and resting your hand lightly on Tenkotsuki's hilt. “I wanted to give you time to sort it out naturally, but I fear that time is running out. I want you to have plenty of time to get used to a new situation, to not get in a fight for your life with unfamiliar powers.”

“With your parents' blessing, I'd like to begin at the Urahara Shop.”

>>1843443
And that's it for me. Thread's still archived, thanks for dropping by, and hope you had fun playing/reading!

I'll answer a few questions and such tomorrow, but I think no thread this weekend. Things are going to be unusually hectic.

>>1843460
Thanks for running.

>>1843460

Thanks for running!

File: Yoruichi1.jpg (125KB, 900x1200px) Image search: [Google]

125KB, 900x1200px

>>1843460
Thanks for run, have a cat.

>>1844931
Daaaamn, nice

>>1844931
Cats are always appreciated.

>>1843426
>>1843440
>americans are the only ones allowed to make decisions

>>1846975
They're bigger than everyone else. Thus they are higher on the food chain. All those burgers, y'see.

>>1846979
Burger good, make brain meat the BIG meat

>>1846975
To be fair the US does cover a quarter of the time zones.

>>1846975
The majority of posters.
If everyone who posted and follows this quest was in russia, i'd say wait until they're awake in russia.