"Come on Jack, it's time for class."

"Finish packing we've almost graduated training school. We don't want to wait for you."

Coming guys, go on ahead and I'll follow." Jack said grabbing his zanpakutō and running after his friends

Running and almost being late to class does help practice flash steps Jack thought as he slid into his seat as the bell rang.

"Today class, we have Ichigo Kurosaki, Commander-General Captain of the first division, here to explain how we've changed the graduation test. Kurosaki-san."

"Thank you." Kurosaki said stepping up to the podium, "In this years graduation test all of you will be asked to fight another one and as long as you show that you can utilize your zanpakutō's shikai without to much trouble. Although winning comes with better recognition."

"Awe man, I haven't even tried to start talking to my zanpakutō let alone use shikai," groaned Jack. His reaction differed from most of the class though. They were perfectly adept in using their shikai.

"Oh and by the way the contest will be tomorrow." Kurosaki said before leaving. This made more of the class worry. But none could be as worried as Jack. Use shikai. How?

While, after a day of straight training he still didn't have it right. To make matters worse Ichigo had parried him with the class valedictorian, Kyle Roman. "What is your name?" he asked his zanpakutō for the millionth time. Still no answer. Oh well, here we go. Enraptured in his thoughts, he accidentally walked into Kurosaki. "Captain Kurosaki, terribly sorry. May I ask a favor though?"

He scowled but nodded anyway, "Sure, What is it"?

"Could I forfeit the match? I still haven't learned my shikai."

"Listen Jack," How does he know my name, Jake wondered, "Never give up until it's to late. Fight until you can't stop." The scowl lessened into something softer but still not quite a smile.

"But I don't know my shikai!" Jack protested

"But there is still time for you to find the other part of you." and Kurosaki left with that.

"Jack Morna and Kyle Roman report to the battle sight." said the voice over the loud speakers.

Here we go Jack thought. At the arena he saw his opponent in his full glory. 6 ft tall with a full time release zanpakutō, just as tall. Even though it was still sheathed, Jack knew what was in store for him. An 8 pronged sword sparkling with lightning. "Begin," said Kurosaki's amplified voice.

Kyle drew his sword and cried almost immediately, "Lightning jolt." With no defense possible Jack did the only thing he could think of. He put his sword up to take the jolt. The blast was so powerful, he still felt a residual charge knocking him back into a . . . forested clearing? There must be something wrong with me. That jolt must have knocked me crazy.

He used this chance to look around. The clearing he had crashed into was about 100 feet in diameter and, despite the forest climate, it was over 100 degrees .

"What's going on here," Jack cried. "Where am I? Answer me whoever you are!"

"Hello Jack." Where is that voice coming from, Jack thought. It sounds like it is coming from behind me and in front of me at the same time. "My name is but you probably couldn't here that. But you might if you can tell me what kind of fruit is my favorite."

"That's impossible," said Jack realizing he was in a field of over 80 trees, each with a different fruit, none of them looked familiar. "How am I supposed to know which one you like?

"Your allowed to taste the fruits if you want," the voice said and Jack could almost picture a body shrugging.

Jack groaned but walked around to each fruit taking a sample of all of them. This one was sweet, this one is sour, this one tastes like dirt, this one is too rough, this one made him throw up. Finally he came up to a beautiful tree that was shinning in the light in a way that made it look as if it made of solid gold. The fruits too looked to be rubies and emeralds.

Looking at this tree Jack could only think these fruits must be his favorite. Jack reached out and grabbed one of the tender fruits and took a bite, only to cough it up and throw the fruit across the yard. "That was horrible." Jack stated (the obvious).

Jack continued through the grove tasting good, but in no way great, fruits. There were only a small handful of trees left to savor fruit from. The strange voice echoed throughout the forest again, "Since you've yet to tell me which fruit is my favorite, you only get to taste one more fruit until you must decide.

"Just great!" Jack muttered as his wandering continued with more urgency. Not really looking he walked straight into a tree. This tree was as decrepit and old looking as the other tree was beautiful and bright. The bark was horribly aged and flaking, well the fruits looked hard and rotten.

"Can't be worse then anything else I've had." Jack muttered as he grabbed a fruit and took a tentative bite, only to have an explosion of taste that far exceeded every other fruit he had eaten.

"This fruit is your favorite," Jack whispered, "Its outside appearance isn't great, but if you look past that, on the inside, where it counts, it is better than anything in the world."

"So now you understand," the same unknown voice from earlier says. From the bite he took out of the fruit, a flame sprouted, starting small, and growing larger, until the flames solidified into a golden red bird. A phoenix, Jack recalled from mythology lessons. Its breathtaking beauty left Jack in a daze. Its beak seemed to curve into a smile.

"Hello Jack, You should here this now my name is . . ."

Jack came out of his daze with his body half way in a wall. No time past through all that? Strange. Well Kyle walked from his position on the other side of the room slowly, as to add to Jack's torment, Jack examined his wounds. No blood, but his body was stiff, and his hair on end. That was the power of Kyle's zanpakutō. No visible damage but tons of force and the electricity makes it harder to move because your brain's electrical signals get slowed down.

"Yo twerp," Kyle said, halfway across the room, "You alright. I didn't mean to hurt you. Just a little blast was all. Anything a normal shinigami could deflect." One second he had been there, but the next he was behind Jack, his zanpakutō held against Jacks chest, expelling electricity. "Tell you what, give-up and I won't kill you." The pressure increased. Jack could barely talk by this point.

Jack finally managed to mutter "His name . . .he said . . . his name . . . was . . . Ooinaru . . . Ooinaru Houou!" Jack screamed "Rise from the ashes of defeat." A cloud of smoke rose around him and it took Kyle a second to realize that he was holding his sword against air. Outside the smoke cloud, to the view of the onlookers, Jack stood there with a curved sword. The sword seemed to be smoking, but it could have just been smoke from the cloud around his opponent, Jack reasoned while looking at his sword. Looking up at the crowd, his look turned serious and he gripped the sword with assurance. "This is where I take control," Jack said rushing at the smoke cloud surrounding his opponent.