[BiTPR2] Bleach in The Playground: Renewed Revolution Thread I

[5a Violista]

[Soul Society] Sparring Rings

Even Suou's breathing follows her heartbeat - eight beats to a breath. This is how she was trained; a calm, clear mind can react more quickly than a hot one.

Her uncle, her aunt, and her poor, dear, dead father - they all taught her the same: technique over raw power, timing over speed, strike quickly then watch how they react. Her style is slightly different than most Shinigami, but it's effective nonetheless. Obviously she's not the best fighter, but she does have some training under her belt.

Since Kiba kindly gives her the first attack, she takes it. She nods to show that she understood what he said.

The girl quickly closes the distance, finishing with a lunge at Kiba's left side of the waist. Before she finishes the strike, a flick of the wrist feints the blade so it'll come in at a different angle.

Obviously, immediately after the lunge (regardless of successfully striking or not), Nicole's back half of her body pulls her back out of counterattack range. It also does this so she can more effectively watch his reaction, looking for any unguarded points.


[Hueco Mundo] The Streets

Valentina smiles.

She's so glad that she doesn't have to fight the other Espadas. If she had do, she could probably overcome some of them. However, an ally's worth so much more than someone you can only halfway trust. That's why she loves the Hollow King's regime, and why she pledge undying loyalty to him. Without question, without hesitation. Now, if only these new recruits would do the same, and she'd be ecstatic.

"How was your week?" she asks, changing the subject slightly. "Or, better, how are your preparations for the strike against that Soul Society?"


[Mortal World] Physics Classroom

"Alright, bye," she says to Sawada before he leaves.

Oh, great. Now what can she do? It's so... "You did?" Tsukamoto Miya perks up, and turns around to look at Naito. This is the highlight of her day!

...I know, the day's just starting, but this is definitely the most important thing that's going to happen at this school today. "He won? I knew he would! He's the best," she praises.

"I love the way that Hiryu fights," she converses. "How he lets himself get hit, so his crouching roundhouse kick comes at an unprepared opponent. It's so great!" Miya smiles. Now, this definitely has to be the coolest guy in class.

"My name's Miya. What's yours?" she asks him.

[Dorizzit]

[Mortal World]
Physics Classroom

Naito's face shifts into a small smile at Miya's enthusiastic reaction to his description of the event. It looks like he is also happy to have someone to talk to about it.

"It's impressive, but risky. I think he mostly uses that technique to make his fans happy. Its been his signature since the match with Vladimir Aleksandrov last year. The problem with Hiryu is that he essentially has a perfectly trained body; since he's both stronger and faster than most of his opponents, he can get away with more than he should be able to. If he ran up against someone who could match him and stayed a bit more focused, I don't think he could win."

"I'm Naito. A pleasure to meet you."

[DiscipleofBob]

Soul Society (Sparring Rings)

Kiba didn't go one-on-one with new recruits often. He'd fight them in large numbers, but only to slightly even the odds. He could tell which ones were fresh out of the academy by how they all moved the exact same way in perfect unison and formation, like a marching band. Then when Kiba would scatter their formation in one attack, they would panic and act as if they'd never been in a real fight before, which they probably hadn't.

Then there were the hotheaded types. The one who'd been in far too many fights with too little discipline. They'd run in charging and yelling with at least a dozen unguarded points that Kiba could notice without even trying. The more obstinate would keep trying to fight despite their lack of any chance of winning. It usually took at least a week in the med ward for them to heal.

Finally, there were the ones with obviously formal training. They had a competent teacher, and maybe actually experienced live combat before. The feint was a dead giveaway that Nicole was this last one. It meant that in a one-on-one with the other recruits she'd most likely fare better than the rest, but it also meant there could be a lot of misconceptions that would have to be drilled out of her in the future.

One of the first things Kiba learned when he first joined the division was the Blade-Catch, an absolute necessity for a hand-to-hand fighter when dealing with armed opponents. He had perfected it to the point where using one hand was viable to block a sword even against his seated officers.

Even with the feint, Kiba's hand closes around the blade in such a way that the edge would never make contact with his skin. The difference in power between a vice-captain and a new recruit was such that even a direct hit with the katana probably wouldn't have even pierced his flesh, but Kiba this wasn't about letting the opponent get free hits.

This was teaching a lesson, the most important lesson to be learned in the Combat Corps.

In the blink of an eye, Kiba's demeanor went from gruff and stoic to a feral bloodlust, his features contorted in a combat rage and his eyes glaring directly at Nicole with a fierce killing intent. Kiba whips his leg around instantly above Nicole and swings his heel down directly where her head is.

Kiba had several followthrough attacks in mind, which one depended on Nicole's action.

Somewhere in Hueco Mundo

Victor Vicente laughs triumphantly and applauds Mikael's endurance. There wasn't one hollow in his army who could survive one of his Cero blasts, and now he found a MORTAL of all things who could walk away from, albeit apparently very badly burned. He would make a wonderful hollow. Perhaps he could even become an arrancar as fast as Victor Vicente did. He would make a fine general.

But the execution was already overdue. The time for admiring Victor Vicente points his hand fires off another blast, but this one is smaller than the previous, and with far less buildup. Firing off several Bala Disparos in quick succession, he means to finish the job as each blast fires one after another, trying to keep his aim trained on Mikael should he survive another blast.

[CMOTDibbler]

[Seireitei] Combat Corps

Dosan rolls his eyes.

Hanare, you've known me long enough to know that I don't shirk my duties. Although, the first place I was going to look was going to be the bars...

[Mortal World] The School; Top Floor

Higure, thinking he sees an opening, gets up the a crouch, the moves as fast as he can, hoping to slide under the creature and stab up into it's underbelly.

[Hueco Mundo] The Streets

Azmus shrugs.

It's been boring, as usual. Toying with the recruits here has been the highlight of it. I have little to prepare, as I am without Fraccion.

[Orzel]

Combat Corps

Hanare grumbles. He hates his first name and hearing it.. It sounded girly. Mostly because people used to call him "Hana" when he was younger. But to not start trouble, he allows seated to call him by name. "Fine. Let's go to the rowdiest one."

And Hanare headed off with Dosan to find the missing bash brother.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Somewhere in Hueco Mundo]

Bullets. The man in white is shooting bullets. How he's doing it without a gun...? Nevermind. Mikael dives forward, trying to shield himself in a small depression in the sand. First five miss him by mere inches, punching holes through the dune behind him. But apparently, a thin barrier of sand is not enough to deflect these missiles. Even as he cowers in the tiny pit, few bullets punch through the ground and hit him in the shoulder, causing him to flinch. There's a sound like a bullet ricocheting off of metal, and the missiles veneer wildly off course, some exploding in the air above Mikael, some burrowing deep into the ground.

But hey, bullets are something he can understand. They're something he's trained against too. Trying to recall how charge tactics were taught in FDF, Mikael rolls to the side in his cover - then sprints madly ahead for three steps before diving into another depression and rolling to the side again, this time to the other direction and for slightly longer so that his diabolic man would lose his aim. Mikael can't move faster than bullets, but he should be able to move faster than the hands directing them! The ground next to him is torn asunder just as he springs into motion again, bright sparks striking from his heels.

The distance between him and his adversary is only a hundred meters or so. He should be able to close it in few seconds - if his opponent won't retreat, that is...

[5a Violista]

[Soul Society] Sparring Rings

Oh, no! Nicole's sword has been grabbed. Either she lets go of her sword, or she stays within attacking range without use of her weapon. What would her brother say?
Oniisan - Don't drop your sword, stupid! We're supposed to practice!
Nicole - But, Oniisan, I want to go play 'House.' You can be the soldier going off to war, and I'll be the young bride-to-be.
Even as Kiba counterattacks, an audible "Ha!" (laughing sound) escapes Nicole's mouth. What a cruel ironic twist - the favored pupil, her oniisan, is the first to be massacred, while the Daughter of Low Expectations becomes a Shinigami.

Luckily, her flashback memory tells her what to do - not to let go of her sword hilt. Since getting heel-stomped is slightly painful, Suou ducks down instinctively. Of course, just ducking would cause her to be hit, so she twists herself underneath her own sword, contorting her wrist as she goes so that she maintains a hold on her blade.

This way, if Kiba is too lazy to use any of the many follow-up moves that he has, he'll just end up bringing his own leg down on Suou's blade, and not on her head.

Now, if she could just free her katana and move back, she could use her Shikai. Against a hand-to-hand fighter, it should be slightly effective than it usually is.

Following up her dodge, she moves her right hand (the one that doesn't have the sword) in a near-spiral pattern, before moving her wrist up to her sword blade and saying, "Kurai Honoo" - to show that she's using fire-type Elemental Magic to heat up her sword. (It'll take a few seconds to heat up hot enough, though.)

This is also a risky move. On the one hand, the blade will heat up faster, possibly making Kiba lose the desire to continue holding on. On the other hand, Nicole just might end up with a 2nd degree burn on her own sword hand.


[Hueco Mundo] The Streets

The recruits still stand at attention.


"Me, too. I mean, I have some; it's just that I haven't seen them in ages." Valentina looks around as if they'd just appear out of nowhere at any time. They are so going to be punished when they appear.

What to do, oh, what to do? Valentina purses her lips as she looks around, wondering what to do.


[Mortal World] Physics Classroom

"Naito's a very manly name," she compliments.

Then:
Miya objects, your honor. "I actually don't see how being the strongest and fastest is a much of a problem. There might be one or two almost as strong or quick, but Hiryu is definitely the best fighter all-around," she says with her completely biased opinion. "I think he does these risky moves just to surprise his opponents, though. Because it's unexpected, that basically guarantees that it'll hit."

Then, Miya reveals a secret desire that she hasn't ever revealed to anyone else. (Mostly, because she never had the opportunity to tell anyone.) "I would do anything to meet Hiryu no Ken. Jianjun, too." Jianjun is, of course, a Chinese man who does televised Kung Fu, and who has recently moved to Tokyo.

[Dorizzit]

Spoiler

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[Mortal World] Physics Classroom

"Naito's a very manly name," she compliments.

Then:
Miya objects, your honor. "I actually don't see how being the strongest and fastest is a much of a problem. There might be one or two almost as strong or quick, but Hiryu is definitely the best fighter all-around," she says with her completely biased opinion. "I think he does these risky moves just to surprise his opponents, though. Because it's unexpected, that basically guarantees that it'll hit."

Then, Miya reveals a secret desire that she hasn't ever revealed to anyone else. (Mostly, because she never had the opportunity to tell anyone.) "I would do anything to meet Hiryu no Ken. Jianjun, too." Jianjun is, of course, a Chinese man who does televised Kung Fu, and who has recently moved to Tokyo.

[Mortal World]

Naito simply blinks at the compliment to his name, not quite sure what to make of it.

"...Thanks."

On to the more important things!

"It's not a disadvantage, that's my entire point. Ken has the greatest strength to speed ratio in his class. That makes him cocky and he takes stupid risks. Taking hits to score hits is viable as a surprise tactic, but he uses it almost every match. He's probably the best showman in the UFC, but his technical skill is average by their standards." He folds his arms as he concludes his argument. "If he ran up against someone who knew to look out for his tricks and could match him physically, he would get flattened. There is a difference between being an effective fighter and being a skilled fighter."

He smiles.

"That said, I wouldn't mind meeting him either. And Jianjun...now that is a skilled martial artist. I'd really like to meet him at some point."

Considering for a moment, Naito changes the subject.

"Do you practice any martial arts yourself?"

[DiscipleofBob]

Soul Society (Sparring Rings)

Kiba's downward heel drop continues, only a micro-adjustment needed mid-attack. With Nicole's guard position, she could avoid a direct hit, but Kiba was likely to tag and possibly critically injure a shoulder or arm, which could also potentially cut off her Kido before it can reach fruition.

One leg standing, one leg swinging down, one arm grabbing the sword. That left one arm free to swing below Nicole's guard, a devious left hook. As his arm moves to strike, his grip on Nicole blade loosens just enough that either strike should have significant knockback.

Hueco Mundo

Each "bullet" explodes in a storm of darkness on contact, much like the Cero but on a smaller scale. Victor Vicente keeps his sights trained on his target, attempting to adjust his shots to compensate for his target's movements. His amusement at Mikael's endurance is beginning to fade.

But the fox is cornered, and now the prey makes a desperate attempt at the predator. Victor Vicente stands his ground, confident that he is far superior and that a mere mortal, no matter how special, would be able to actually hurt him. That being said, even as one arm fires Balas Cero Disparo, one after the other in quick succession, he raises his machete Zanpakuto to prepare for melee combat, perhaps completing the execution with one strike as Mikael approaches.

[AnimeKid]

(Sorry for taking so long guys. Was doing stuff for classes.)

Mortal World

Kenzan had indeed made things easier for Tamaki as he jumps to the side to escape the webbing. He notes Higure headed to try and stab the beasts belly. Not wanting a repeat performance of what happened to Kenzan Tamaki fires his plasma-like projectiles as the beast once more to draw it's attention from his teacher.

Soul Society

Hanare and Dosan find Naijeru and his men without much trouble. They are extremely loud and having the time of their lives. Thier actually singing together. Very badly and off key, but they are doing it together. Except for Naijeru who seems to be trying to hit on the bar lady once more. She humored the 'ladies man' most of the time unless he tried to get too grabby, which rarely happend.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Somewhere in Hueco Mundo]

One of the blullets impacts Mikael's chest and knocks him down, but he manages to roll asides before the next two or three hit him. One more leap. Just one more, and he has him! That's Mikael's only thought as the man in white stays put, instead of falling back. His attention fixed on the devil's "shooting hand", Mikael darts up, tumbles under his aim, and the pounces up, his right hand aiming to grab the man-in-white's wrist, while his left shoots an uppercut towards his jaw. "Muere, hijo de puta!"

[Orzel]

Soul Society

The noise of the bar hurts Hanare's ears. It ring horribly. A sour grimace creeps up his face as the seated officer waves for a drink of his own. The other hand presses on Naijeru's shoulder once he and Dosing get close. "Naijeru. Come on. Kiba wants us."

[5a Violista]

[Soul Society] Sparring Rings

Fortunately for Suou, her reflexes are good enough that Kiba's heel only slightly grazes her shoulder. Unfortunately, they aren't good enough to dodge the fist.

Kiba's fist pounds against her ribs. It sounds painful, but Nicole won't worry about any injury until after the battle. After all, that's how she got all the way here, in the first place.

First of all, the punch makes Nicole's right hand recoil, stopping the heating process at a mere "warmed." Second, because she's pretty light and skinny, she gets knocked back further than most people would. She has also fallen to the ground, on her backside. Her deathgrip on her sword allowed her to keep her sword with her.

Suou figures that she's far enough away to use her Shikai. Still in a sitting position, she runs her blade across her right hand, as she says, "Kyuuketuki, Thirst in the Dark Heavens!"
Her blade turns a dark red, with the appearance to be constantly dripping blood. The fresh cut on her right hand has blood on it, but less so.

That definitely gives Kiba time to do a follow-up attack.
Just so you know: Every time Suou's sword touches Kiba, Suou's Spiritual Pressure will slightly go up (draining it from Kiba at the same rate - a very small rate, however). (Relevant limitation: If he holds it in a hand, it still only counts as one touch.) If her hand touches him, she temporarily gains some of his 'powers' - her skills will start to match his and, if he's good at Kido or is currently using a Shikai, she'll be able to use a lesser version of that. (Relevant limitation: This is dependent on time touched, not number of times)


[Mortal World] Physics Classroom

Miya nods in reply. Her black ponytail bobs as she nods. She does, in fact, do martial arts! Her mother started to teach her them 'to protect herself', and, since then, she has been training and learning all that she can to get better. Her dream is to become a famous martial artist, like Jianjun. It would be cool to be in movies, too.

"I've trained in Aikido, Jiu-Jitsu, and Kendo," she says, counting them off on her fingers. "I prefer Jiu-Jitsu, though. It's much funner."

Then, Miya returns the question. "Which martial arts do you practice?" Notice that she doesn't ask if, but which. She assumes that nearly everyone does it.

[DiscipleofBob]

Soul Society (Sparring Ring)

Kiba's punch is a lot more powerful than one would expect. A direct hit to Nicole's ribs would result in some sickening cracks. Even some of the larger, more durable recruits would be thrown into the nearby walls out of the ring, with enough force to leave a crater. With Nicole's light frame, she would likely fly even farther. The graze from the heel drop would probably do significant damage even on a graze, as his heel smashed into the ground, shattering it into large, jagged stone pieces, yet another testament to Kiba's raw power.

But Kiba wasn't the type to let his opponent recover even after knocking them away. If he was fighting a group like this morning, some of his targets might have gotten the chance to use a Kido or Shikai. After his heel plants itself in the ground, the attached leg springs itself as he instantly launches himself in Nicole's direction. He could have very well sprinted past her before she hit the ground/wall. Instead he thrusts his shoulder towards Nicole's gut in midair, throwing his weight behind the attack, but simultaneously leaving his limbs free to attack. "Kyuu-" Nicole starts before Kiba's shadow already envelops her as the vice-captain continues his attack.

If Nicole manages to glance at Kiba's face, she won't see the face of an instructor or an official, but the enraged, feral features of a beast. To her, it would likely seem that this wasn't just a training session. The leader of the Pack could very well kill her now if she wasn't careful.

Mortal World

The spider-hollow howls in pain as the blade rips into its underbelly and spiritual bullets riddle its hide. It raises one of its bladed limbs to strike at the interloper beneath it, but Kenzan scrambles back up and grabs it with his bare hand. By all logic he should no longer have a hand, but instead sparks fly from the friction. The spidern hollow is bewildered by the reaction, and Kenzan would probably be equally confused if he wasn't temporarily distracted by not dying.

The confusion creates an opening. The wounded hollow is distracted, its bleach-white arachnid mask exposed.

Hueco Mundo

Victor Vicente makes no move to dodge, only to finish off his prey at point-blank range, either with a Cero or his Zanpakuto. After all, surely this lowly mortal, as superior as it was to other specimens, would not be able to hurt the great and mighty arrancar, Victor Vicente...

Spoiler

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((Direct Hit, but I didn't want to make any assumptions about Mikael's strength levels at this point, so go for it.))

[CMOTDibbler]

[Soul Society] Rowdy Bar
Dosan stands next to Hanare, arms crossed.

I thought we'd find you here.

[Mortal World] The School; Top Floor

Seeing an opening, Higure leaps up and attempts to stab the hollow directly in one of the eye holes of it's mask.

[Hueco Mundo] The Streets

Azmus looks up and down the street, and begins pacing.

I have yet to find anyone worthy enough to be fraccion to me. No one here seems to share my... virtues.

[Dorizzit]

Spoiler

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[Mortal World] Physics Classroom

Miya nods in reply. Her black ponytail bobs as she nods. She does, in fact, do martial arts! Her mother started to teach her them 'to protect herself', and, since then, she has been training and learning all that she can to get better. Her dream is to become a famous martial artist, like Jianjun. It would be cool to be in movies, too.

"I've trained in Aikido, Jiu-Jitsu, and Kendo," she says, counting them off on her fingers. "I prefer Jiu-Jitsu, though. It's much funner."

Then, Miya returns the question. "Which martial arts do you practice?" Notice that she doesn't ask if, but which. She assumes that nearly everyone does it.

[Mortal World]
Physics Classroom

Naito nods as Miya lists off the martial arts she practices. He isn't particularly fazed that she assumed he practices martial arts, as they have always been a strong interest for him. He pushes his sunglasses up a bit on his nose before answering.

"Well, I've trained in Taekwondo and Sambo, but the one I'm most familiar with is Muay Thai."

He pauses for a moment, as if considering his next move.

"You're a pretty new student, right? Have you considered joining the school's martial arts groups?"

[Frozen_Feet]

[Somewhere in Hueco Mundo]

The man's last barrage of energy attacks is send flying into the sky as Mikael grabs his hand and wrenches it aside. Mikael expected the man to at least block, or step aside, but he just stands there, letting his punch connect. The punch would easily be strong enough to shatter teeth and jawbone of any ordinary man and send them reeling backward, but apparently punching the white-clad devil is more like hitting a steel trash compactor than a living being. Of course. It figures that if he really is like Mikael, a simple punch won't cut it, right?

In panic, Mikael knees the man in the groin to save his failed offense, seeing his defense is wide open. Maybe Mikael can't harm his body, but he should be able to harm his pride. Afterall, if he is like him, then the kick should hurt him.

It should hurt quite a lot, actually.

[5a Violista]

[Soul Society] Sparring Ring

If Kiba was using his sword, Nicole would already have ten liters of blood spurting from her. (Because that's how it happens in the animé.)

Because of Kiba interrupting her, the only thing she succeeded in doing was putting a fresh cut on her hand. No cool sword abilities for her, unfortunately. At least now she has some fresh blood on her.

[Math calculations: (Nicole's weight)*(Nicole's speed) + (Force behind Kiba) = Definitely enough to break clean through the first wall.]

Suou's mind flies even faster than she does, as she tries to figure out what to do against this Vice Captain. Speaking of Vice-Captains, they're an awful lot stronger than her uncle said they were. If she wasn't already so exhausted, she could use Shunpo. If she had just thought of using Shikai before attacking, maybe things might be a little different. If only...

<Unless Kiba decides to change the direction of the momentum,>
*CRASH* *crash* - They leave a hole in the first wall, and a small crater in the next.

Suou Nicole has skipped her turn, trying to figure out what to do.


[Hueco Mundo] The Streets

Valentina slightly follows Azmus's pacing, though not too much to invade on his personal pacing space. "What kind of virtues are you talking about?" There's so many different kinds.


[Mortal World] School - Physics Classroom

Miya nods; she respects those styles. They're pretty fun to watch. She hasn't tried them out yet.

"Yes, I am," she confirms. She's pretty new.

Upon being (basically) invited to joining the martial arts groups, her smile goes even wider. "I would love to participate! I've been thinking about that since I moved here. I just don't know what to do to sign up."

[Dorizzit]

[Mortal World]
Physics Classroom

Naito smiles, with more than a little bit of smugness.

"Well, then. I think I might be able to help with that. I am, after all, the Martial Arts Club president. Most of the time we splinter up depending on what martial arts we know, but we're having our monthly full attendance meeting today. If you stop by room 108 after school, we can get you registered for membership and I can introduce you to the heads of the Aikido and Jiu-Jitsu groups. The Kendo Club, I'm afraid, is independent, but I know the club head, so I can introduce you to her at some point, if you'd like me to."

[DiscipleofBob]

Soul Society

Smashing through the first wall and cratering through the next, Kiba follows through. With just as much ferocity as if he were fighting a hollow, he thrusts his knee into Nicole's gut, preparing both free hands to either parry a blow or deliver a barrage of punches, all the while still in midair from the momentum.

But as he continues his assault, he does actually speak, though in a snarling growl. "Follow your instincts if you don't want to die here! Not your training! Not your pride! Just your instincts!"

Hueco Mundo

Victor Vicente laughs as the punch clangs off of his chin like armor. Truly he was the greatest, the most powerful...

*CRUNCH*

Pain.

Actual pain.

Although hitting down there was just as durable as the rest of him, perhaps moreso, even a thick layer of armor couldn't completely shield him from that kind of blow.

Victor Vicente doesn't move or double-over, but his face slowly contorts from his triumphant smile to wrinkled rage, his visible skin turning beet red in contrast with his uniform as an enrgage grimace covers his face.

"PENDEJO!"

He swipes at Mikael with his sword arm as his other hand twists around to point at Mikael and charges up another Cero to fire at point-blank range should Mikael remain in melee and not find a way to stop Victor Vicente.

[Frozen_Feet]

Mikael catches the man's knife hand by the wrist, while his other shoots to grab him by the shoulder, in a plan to throw the man in white to the ground. But then he hears the sound again, and stumbles. Is the man really planning to fire that thing off at melee range?

Panicking, Mikael's hand leaves the man's shoulder, and instead shoots to grab the black sphere that's getting dangerously close to his side. Without much thinking, he encloses the orb within the palm of his hand and shouts the first thing that comes to his mind.

REDUCE.

Next second, a terrible explosion blooms between the fighting pair, threatening to throw them away from each other, but Mikael's grip of the man's wrist stays firm, and he remains at melee range. Dazed, he reaches back towards the man with his free hand, aiming to grab him bu the throat.

What just happened?

[5a Violista]

[Mortal World] School - Physics Classroom

Miya makes a surprised sound. That's so awesome! This is great luck. Now, she's glad that she came to school only a few minutes late.

Before speaking, she's at a loss of words. Her open mouth evidences this. "Tha-that'd be great," Miya finally says. "I'll love that. I'll be there."


[Soul Society] Training Grounds

That's a great idea, Nicole! You should listen to your Vice-Captain. Don't think about what your brother would do, 'cause he's dead. He won't do anything now.

It takes the knee to the gut and a few more punches and bruises before this registers in her mind. (Took her long enough.) She just needs to stop thinking about what she's going to do before doing it.

First thing's first - she needs to stop getting punched. Still cratered in the wall, she brings her right hand forward in order to deflect one punch enough that it'll barely miss her.
With her other hand, still grasping on the sword, she swings her katana at the Kiba-in-close-range's shoulder.

[Dorizzit]

[Mortal World]
Physics Classroom

Naito smiles, seeming rather pleased.

"Excellent. I'll be looking forward to it."

There is brief pause in the conversation before Naito speaks again.

"So where did you live before coming here? If you don't mind me asking."

[DiscipleofBob]

Soul Society

The training session had been taken well outside the sparring ring at this point, several walls had been damaged. Then again, the walls of the Combat Corps saw a lot of abuse on a regular basis so this was nothing new.

The problem with the new recruits that had any sort of familiar training was that the first lesson was often the most difficult to learn, as it most likely contradicted their entire life's training from whomever their sensei happened to be.

One of Kiba's arms quickly deflects Nicole's latest attempt at an attack at the wrist, while his other arm lunges at her face, continuing the assault.

Despite the continued barrage, at several small intervals there seemed to be openings. Not in Kiba's guard, but chances for Nicole to break away and retreat. They could be bluffs or traps though, and it probably wouldn't take much effort for Kiba to pursue her.

Hueco Mundo

The Cero didn't seem to work as expected, not only producing a much smaller blast than usual but somehow not obliterating his opponent, but Victor Vicente paid no mind. The details were starting to become more of a nuisance than anything.

<"I grow tired of this."> Since his free arm is still grabbed, he swings his Zanpakuto to block and possibly sever Mikael's hand before it can reach his throat. Victor Vicente had been going easy out of pride, now he just wanted to end this. His other hand, still grabbed at the wrist, prepared to fire off another Cero.

Mortal World

The hollow shrieks in pain as its form starts to waver before the stab through the mask seems to finally finish it off, the creature finally dissolving the way hollows do when they've been purified by a Zanpakuto.

Spoiler

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I think the Plus soul in question is just automatically sent to Seireitei when a hollow is dispatched this way, hence why you never see innocent ghostly remnants of hollows when a dozen or ]so are dispatched.[/i]

The webs instantly dissolve with the hollow, and soon it's like there was never anything at all. Well, except for the damaged floor thanks to Kenzan. Speaking of which, now that the battle is over, Kenzan's mind is racing. At first he thought he was the only one able to see these strange creatures, that they might be the figments of a bored imagination. Now he finds that there are others who can not only see the creatures, but have strange powers to fight them as well? Life may have just gotten interesting again. Unfortunately, he's too distracted by what to ask first to say anything quite yet.

At that moment one of the classroom doors bursts open and one of the other teachers, the gruff Takahashi-sensei, looks to see what all the commotion is. He sees Kenzan, a rare presence on the school grounds, as well as the damaged floor and his mind immediately jumps to the obvious conclusion. Still, one of his fellow faculty members is here, so it was best to probably get all the facts first. "Iwamori-san, just what is all the commotion out here? Is someone causing trouble?" He glares at Hakuto Kenzan, all ready to drag Kenzan down to the principal's office.

Somewhere else in the Mortal World

"Experiment 18-A has resulted in minimal results. Too many extra variables have corrupted the experiment from producing any viable data. For now, different test sites will be used for experiments, sites with a far more controlled environment. Considering the possibility of the test site of 18-A as a means of disposal or high stress factors for future test subjects, but for now, new data must be gathered to determine an appropriate site for controlled experiments."

The figure scrawls the last note into the page of his heavy tome as on the opposite page a drawing slowly materializes, that of a spider-shaped mask.

[CMOTDibbler]

[Hueco Mundo] The Streets

Well, loyalty, for one. My past fraccion were always looking for a way to take my place, or were much to eager to retreat. They must both be loyal to me and the King if they are to serve under me.

Azmus chuckles coldly as he continues pacing.

[Mortal World] The School; Top Floor

Higure, having sheathed his wakizashi, turns to his fellow teacher.

Ah, Takahashi-san, I heard the commotion as well, so I came up here and found some of my students fighting. I was just taking them down the the principal's office. But first, students, apologize to Takahashi-sensei for interrupting his class.

He turns to the students, attempting to communicate "play along" with his expression.

[Frozen_Feet]

[Hueco Mundo]

The knife swats Mikael's hand away from the man's throat - but there's something more to it. While the strike obviously didn't do what the man intended and sever the mortal's limb, this time Mikael notes that the pain doesn't go away quite as fast as before. As he brings his deflected hand back to control the man's knife hand, he notices something unexpected - blood.

It's but a nick, a tiny scratch on his skin - in other conditions, it might have gone entirely unnoticed - but as Mikael exterts his muscles to keep the man from slashing him again, the faint line turns vibrant red and a few drops squeeze out and trickle down his arm.

This new development almost makes him miss the new globe of darkness the man is creating, but the awful sound makes him reflexively jerk the man's hand away from them, and the blast goes wide, turning a nearby dune of sand into a glass-rimmed crater.

Mikael has been thrown, yanked, punched, slashed and shot at by what is apparently equivalent to field artillery, but so far he's escaped with mere bruises. But now, the game has changed. The man can cut him. There is a limit to what he can endure.

But! It should go the other way too! Mikael should be able to hurt the man too! With new-found fervor, the mortal seeks to firmly grip both of the man's arms so that he can neither slash or shoot at him, while at the same time doing his darnest to knee the white-clad man in the groin, stomach, solar plexus - anywhere he can just reach!

[5a Violista]

Soul Society

As Suou continues to get bloodied and bruised and hit in the face, she tries to get as many of her own attacks in on Kiba. Sooner or later, one's got to hit, right?

What she really wants to do is get away and activate her Shikkai. At this rate, she won't stand much further in a battle against this Vice-Captain. She notices the opening but doesn't act on it.

Not the first one, nor the second...it's as if she's waiting for the right opening to get out. Fleeing on the first opening would just ensure that he chases her immediately. She's seen her pet dog do that with rabbits enough times to know that would happen.

On the third opening she tries to dart away. Being smaller has the advantage of being able to flee better than the average person.

When (if) she gets out, Suou Nicole will try to activate her Shikkai (no need to cut her hand this time). Just activation by the command phrase.

Her hideously long Shikkai activation.


Mortal World Physics Classroom

"Venezuela," replies Miya. "I have cousins that live there. We went there to live with them when my father lost his job."

It's a very short, quick answer, as if she had been practicing answering this question a hundred thousand times on the airplane trip back to Japan, when she wasn't looking out the window and watching the sun shimmer on the ocean.


Hueco Mundo The Streets

"Hum," says Valentina. "That is a predicament."

She thinks, and watches him pace about.

"I'm sure you'll find someone in one of these groups."

[AnimeKid]

Mortal World

Having de-transformed after Higure finished off the hollow, Tamaki pushes his glasses up his nose as he says, "Gomenasai, Takahashi-sensei. The behavior I have exhibited today is unacceptable, it won't happen again." With that Tamaki gives a respectful bow of apology.

Soul Society Rowdy Bar

Naijeru looks up, surprisingly soberly at the two new arrivals as he says, "Eh? Ah! Hanare, Dosan how are you guys. Me and the boys and girls here were just doing a little team bonding. After all, good will equals good cooperation in battle. You should always trust your packmates with your life. But NEVER with your beer or girlfriend, AM I RIGHT BOYS? AHAHAHAHA!"

Naijeru knocks back his last drink as with relish. Once he finishes he stands up as he says, "So, Kiba wants to see us huh? Wonder what were gonna get chewed out for. HEY BOYS, I'M LEAVING AND PAYING THE BILLL! IF YOU WANNA DRINK MORE IT BETTER COME OUTTA YOUR POCKETS AND NOT MY TAB, ELSE HEADS ARE GONNA ROLL!"

Come on Hanare, Dosan. Lets find Kiba."

With that said he would follow the two fellow platoon leaders lead to Kiba's location.

[Orzel]

Soul Society Rowdy Bar

Outside, Hanare stretched his shoulders and legs. "Kiba is sparring with a recruit. Let's get back to watch." The thin man short hopped twice before taking a runner's stance. All his hands and feet hit the floor. "Last one has to go back and get snacks."

[DiscipleofBob]

Soul Society

Nicole darts through the opening and flees, but Kiba is right behind, keeping pace, both arms ready to strike should he catch up. If she were to stop and activate her shikai or use a kido, he would most certainly catch her before she could finish. But so far he wasn't gaining ground. If she kept fleeing, she could be safe.

Hueco Mundo

The first time this mortal tried a groin strike, Victor Vicente wasn't expecting it. He had expected a more... noble... approach from what he considered his future lieutenant.

<"You fight like a child,"> he spits in disgust.

Mikael's current strategy being so familiar, Victor Vicente's arm resists being jerked and tries to continue to maintain the angle most likely to mortally wound Mikael. Victor Vicente blade after deflecting the arm spins downward to also slice at Mikael's knee. The spinning dervish style of the machete should also make it difficult to simply grab his arm

But just in case either fails, just after his Cero goes off, and assuming it misses, Victor Vicente will thrust his head forward to butt his opponent in the face, the tough crown of Victor Vicente's skull potentially colliding with the center of Mikael's face.

Mortal World

"Hm... Very well. I'll let maintenance know about the damage." He immediately locks eyes with Kenzan, blaming the delinquent over the teacher or ace student. You and I will have words later," he promises threateningly. For now though, he leaves the students and their punishment to Higure-san.

That more mundane threat now taken care of, Kenzan breathes a sigh of relief. His mind is racing. He has tons of questions, especially now that he knows the white-masked monsters aren't just figments of his imagination. But he isn't sure what to ask first or who to ask it of.