AN: Hey everyone, I'm back with a new chapter. Admittedly not one of my best, but not every chapter is going to have an epic battle, as there is a need for plot and transition.
A New Player
Chapter 10
"I like what you've done with the place. A little over the top, but still nice." Gaia told me as she looked around my newly created throne room, a single massive room with a giant mirror for a ceiling that reflected all that was beneath it, seemingly supported solely by a pair of parallel giant painted ivory carvings of the Legion Zombie and the SN Triumvirate Ghost after it had eaten the ashes of the other two ghosts. As I defeated more of the ID bosses, giant carvings of them would appear and begin supporting the room alongside the bosses already there.
A long red carpet with golden trim began at the giant oak door and continued across the flawless marble floor until the middle of the room, where the red of the carpet split to become a large circle with a ying-yang symbol in the middle before reforming as one and continuing on until it reach the elevated platform upon which the couch-like platinum throne I was currently sitting on was located. Running alongside the carpet were meter high poles with flat tops, over which my Shunko flames blazed an inch above the metal tops.
"What can I say, I believe in the phrase 'If something's worth doing, its worth over doing'." I smiled as I leaned on one of the cushioned arms of my throne. When I originally created my throne I made the standard pure metal throne with a single cushion. Turns out that those things are absolute hell on the ass no matter how big and fluffy the cushion is, so I tossed it off the side of the castle island. Now it just slowly floats around the sky in random directions like the other masses that were already populating azure backdrop.
"You mean like how you made the ceiling a mirror so you could look down my dress?" I snorted a bit at Gaia's accusation.
"Oh please, I'll look when you give yourself something to show off." I recently learned that Gaia could change her physical body into whatever she wanted, including but not limited to giving herself boobs that made Rangiku look flat. Hell, when she first showed up to greet me today, she had changed her hair from long and green to short and purple, turned herself into a seven year old, and was wearing a child-sized kimono with flowers on it. "Besides, you wanted the floor to be a mirror. At least my idea isn't so blatantly obvious."
A sudden sensation at the back of my head halted my words as I sensed Jinta coming to wake me up. It was an odd sensation, like someone gently poking you from inside your own head. "Huh, looks like that's the wake up bell."
I shut my eyes for a moment before reopening them to find Jinta with his mouth open and about to yell at me, only to stop as he realized I was awake. We simply stared at each other for a moment, before finally my desire for food defeated my desire to win my impromptu staring contest with the red-headed boy.
WHAM!
XxxxXxxxX
Two minutes later
XxxxXxxxX
"You've gotten better. I only hit your forehead instead of square in the center of your face this time." I complimented Jinta as I chewed on my breakfast, a combination of rice and a few vegetables and meats in a single bowl. Jinta only growled a reply as he rubbed the bandage on his head. "Oh lighten up; I'm taking you and Ururu into the ghost ID so stop grumbling."
Jinta and Ururu both perked up before the boy started shoving as much food in his mouth as he possibly could, resulting in him choking and Ururu lightly slapping him on his back repeatedly until his face returned to normal. He then proceeded to keep shoveling food into his mouth until there was nothing left and bolted into the back room where the hatch to the training room was located, followed closely by Ururu who thanked Tessai for the food and tried to catch up to her friend.
Eating my meal as slowly as I could just to piss the boy off, I eventually made my way down into the training room and used ID Create: Ghost after informing the two kids about how to defeat the ghosts. Hopefully the advice will stick with them.
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Not even five minutes later
XxxxXxxxX
"How the hell do you kill these things again?" Jinta yelled as he swung at another ghost, only for it to phase right through his club and almost get him with its claws.
"You have to push your Mana or Reiryoku into your weapon Jinta; it's the only way for physical attacks to hurt them." I told him with a sigh as I used Mana Drain on the unfortunate ghost that was bound by my chain. The kid has the strength to lift a giant club of solid iron, but couldn't remember a damn thing about anything that didn't fall under the category of 'Smash the enemy'. "And stay close to Ururu, I don't want you two straying too far away!"
Jinta grumbled a reply that I couldn't really hear but nodded his head as he fell back beside Ururu as she fired another shot from her cannon, a faint glow wrapping around his hammer. I returned to siphoning the Mana from the ghost on the ground, my chain pinning its arms as my Shunko shrouded foot kept its face planted into the ground. I wasn't truly paying attention though as I remembered Ichigo's stats from when I used observe on him in the park.
Ichigo Kurosaki
Lv: 20 Exp: 95.30%
HP: 900/900
MP: 400/400
RP: 1460/1460
STR: 34
VIT: 36
DEX: 26
INT: 16
WIS: 16
LUK: 18
Status: Level up 'Observe' in order to view other beings Status, Attribute Buffs, Equipment Buffs, and to see exactly how much Exp is needed before target levels up.
Jumping sixteen levels in less then four days, that is such bullshit. Then again, the fact that Ichigo absorbed Rukia's power and only jumped sixteen levels could be considered bullshit from the other end of the spectrum. Rukia had been level 36 and Ichigo was only half that level. Huh, I guess Ichigo is the one who should be complaining. Oh well, it'll work itself out. Probably.
"Kyle, help!" My mind was ripped out its musings as my head snapped towards the sound of Jinta and Ururu's cry only to see that the two of them were surrounded by ghosts, all of which were preparing to attack. Not giving any thought as I shunpo'd in front of the two I unleashed my Reiatsu, and forced the ghosts into the ground.
"Back off." I growled out as I increased the pressure I was exerting. Whether or not the ghosts understood the actual words I'm not sure, but they seemed to get the message as they began pushing themselves away from me. So this is what it feels like to pressure someone into fleeing. I could get used to it.
Raising my hand to the sky, I used ID Escape before turning to the pair behind me, who were both looking at me with stars in their eyes. "That was awesome, Big Bro!"
Ururu nodded her head as I raised my eyebrow. "Big Bro?"
"Yeah, the way you made those ghosts run away was awesome. All you did was say 'Back Off' and they ran with their tails between their legs! You've got to teach me that! Please, Big Bro?" Jinta exclaimed as he imitated what I assumed were my facial expressions, while my mind began to wonder.
"Please, Big Brother?"
I closed my eyes and shook my head as I pushed old memories to the back of my head. The past was in the past, the present is what I should concentrate on. "Maybe I will Jinta, but not until you get your stats a bit higher."
Jinta nodded furiously as a grin stretched across his face. "Alright then, make a new ID and let's get started!"
I chuckled a bit. "Actually Jinta, you don't have to level up to gain stat points. It's actually best if you…just….train…them." My voice strained as I reached the last few words. "Excuse me for a moment."
I turned around and walked up to one of the boulders that littered the training room, grabbed on to it as best I could, brought my head back and…THWACK.
"Ow."
THWACK.
"Ow."
THWACK.
"Ow."
I don't know how long I kept smacking my head against the solid stone, the headache I was getting kind distorted my sense of time, but apparently it was long enough for Jinta and Ururu to inform the other residents of the shop, if Urahara's voice was anything to go on. "How long has he been doing this?"
"About five minutes." Only five? I thought for sure it was at least ten.
"And you didn't bother stopping him?"
"Nah, it's too much fun to watch." Without stopping my head whacking, I kneeled down and picked up a stone about the size of an orange before throwing it over my shoulder as best I could.
WHAP.
"YOW!" Bull's-eye.
"As amusing as it is watching Jinta being justifiably punished, I must ask why you're doing that." Urahara told me. I turned around and looked at the group before sighing to myself.
"As you already know, when ever I level up with my powers, I gain stat points that can increase my stats. Not only that, I can do things like manual labor and studying to increase different stats without needing to level up. But what I forgot was that using the non-leveling up method of obtaining stat points becomes harder as the stats grow." I jumped up and latched onto the shoulder straps of Tessai's apron like in cartoons and started trying to shake him, though I only ended up looking like I was unsuccessfully trying to head butt him. "But now that I'm higher level it's going to be hell to increase them! I've gone and screwed myself over because I was too damn stupid to remember one of the basic rules of gaming!"
Letting go of Tessai, I looked up at the giant of a man. "Thank you for letting me do that Tessai, I needed to blow off some steam."
"It is fine, I'm glad I could be of service. Would you mind staying still while I heal your head?" I simply nodded as his hand glowed a bluish green before he placed it over my forehead. Within a few seconds the dull pain of my head subsided.
"Again, thanks." I nodded to the large man, who simply nodded back as steam came out of his nose.
"So, can you think of anything that could help me?" I asked as I turned to Urahara, who tapped his fan against his chin for a moment before looking up at me.
"If what you said is true, why don't you just do normal exercises and go to a library?" the moment the words left his lips, the sound of glass shattering filled the room, or at the very least my head. I stood still for a moment before turning around and walking back to the boulder.
"Ow."
THWACK!
"Ow."
THWACK!
"Ow."
"Kyle, would you please stop denting that boulder? Those things aren't easy to come by."
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A few minutes (and a few Shunpo steps) later
XxxxXxxxX
I stood outside what I assumed to be Karakura's main library, or at least I assumed it was the main library from the size of the building and the rows of book-filled shelves that could be seen through the window. Either that, or someone was really proud of their book collection and felt the need to show it off. Walking through the double doors and taking note of the librarian at the front desk just off to the side of the entrance, I began trekking through the expansive shelves, taking note of any books that seemed interesting or 'unusual'. After all, how many stories begin with the main character going through a library and somehow managing to pick out the one book in thousands, nay, tens of thousands that holds some life altering secret or unbelievable ancient power?
I stopped in front of one shelf and randomly grabbed hold of a book before flipping it open… and I forgot I can't read Japanese. Well, that makes this trip absolutely worthless.
I growled and forced myself not to beat my head in with the book in my hand before returning it to the shelf. I was about to turn back towards the librarian at the front to ask if they had any books in English when something in my mind clicked.
Urahara hadn't known I couldn't read Japanese characters when he wrote down instructions on how to fight using Hakudo, so it's more then likely that he wrote them down in Japanese, yet I could still learn the skill associated with the instructions, which means my ability to learn skills from books wasn't limited by my ability to actually read the language the books were written in. While this didn't help with the whole 'studying to increase my INT and WIS' plan, it did give me some useful information on my powers.
For thinking carefully about your situation, your WIS has increased by 1.
Feeling a bit better with myself, I walked to the front desk and faced the librarian. "Excuse me, but do you have any books in English, or any translation books?"
The librarian looked thoughtful for a moment before she gave me a light smile. "If we do, they will be in the third shelf to the left. Also, if you're looking to buy a standard English-to-Japanese translation book we have them on sale today for only 4000 yen, and a more extensive one for 9000 yen. Would you like to buy one?"
I nodded my head and breathed out a command to bring up my Inventory before quickly swiped my hand over my money and flicked my wrist, allowing me to mimic a magician pulling a card or coin out of thin air. Of course, I was literally pulling something out of thin air where as they were just palming the object out of their sleeve, but it still looked the same. Either way it impressed the librarian as I handed her 9000 yen. Reaching below the top the desk, she pulled out a mid-sized book that, judging by its thickness, was meant to go in a high school student's back pack rather then a tourist's pocket. I was kind of upset when I grabbed the book and no windows popped up to tell me I could simply learn the Japanese language automatically, but I would get over it. I was about to move away and pick out a few books when a thought popped into my head and I turned to the librarian. "Hey, do you have any books about the occult or books about ancient spells and stuff?"
The librarian gave me a surprised look, probably not expecting me to ask something like that. "I believe you can find them near the back on one of the right hand shelves."
Magic and occult in the back, how cliché. Still, I might be able to find something of use in there. Walking away from the librarian, I began scanning across the various books while looking at my new translation book. After a half hour of looking and translating I managed to pick out a few small books and find a nice place to sit, vowing to check out the occult books after I raised my INT, and hopefully WIS, a few points.
An hour later, I closed the third book with a satisfied smile. It had been a little strange constantly switching between translating and reading the books, but it was fun nonetheless. The extra two points in INT didn't hurt either. I looked up at the clock to find that it was getting close to noon. Almost time for my next visit with Ichigo.
Getting up from my seat, I returned the books to where I found them and trotted over to where the occult books were supposed to be. Picking them up one after another, I grumbled when no boxes popped up, my agitation growing each time I put back a book.
Grabbing onto one last book before heading out, I smiled when a box popped in front of me, a smile that grew even bigger when I read what was written in the box. "Oh, this is going to be fun."
XxxxXxxxX
3rd person POV
30 minutes later
Karakura High rooftop
XxxxXxxxX
Ichigo found himself tuning out whatever it was that his friends were talking about as his mind repeated the words Prosus had told him yesterday. Was the guy going to start a war? If so, with who? The shinigami? Why would Prosus do that, and what about him being a 'deciding factor'?
All these questions tumbled around in his head, but the one that kept him up during the night was the last part. "Don't try to back out or you'll lose more then you could possibly imagine."
Was that a warning, or a threat?
Ichigo scowled deeper as the thought crossed his mind. Warning or threat, the way Prosus spoke more then subtly implied he didn't have much choice in the matter. The weird feeling he was getting from the bird Chad brought with him didn't help with his worries. He raised his head and looked to the other people occupying the roof, all of them with exception of Rukia, Chad's bird, and Prosus being his close friends…wait.
Ichigo whipped his head towards where the hooded man was standing a top the fence that surrounded the rooftop, who gave him a short wave in response. Glancing to Rukia, Ichigo saw how she was also looking at Prosus, albeit more subtly then Ichigo himself.
The pair stiffened as Prosus reached behind his back… and then he pulled out a trio of rubber balls and began juggling them while standing on the fence, causing the two of them to nearly fall on their faces.
Mizuiro seemed to notice as he looked to where Ichigo had been staring only to find nothing but thin air. "Hey Ichigo, you alright?"
"I'm fine, just lost my balance for a second." Ichigo grumbled as Prosus reappeared the moment Mizuiro turned his back and began dancing on top of the fence. Ichigo could feel his teeth grinding against each other as Prosus disappeared again as everyone else looked to where he had been staring.
"Are you sure you're okay Ichigo? You seem grumpier then usual." Keigo asked as he turned to look at the orange haired boy.
"I just didn't get much sleep last night." Ichigo growled as Prosus flickered in existence yet again, this time holding up a crumpled ball of paper. Ichigo couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as the man tossed it towards the group and vanished before it hit the ground, in front of Ichigo.
"Huh, where did that come from?" Keigo wondered out loud as Ichigo picked up the ball and unfolded it. Ichigo didn't notice whoever spoke next as his mind was to busy processing what was written on the paper.
In some ancient cultures, liars had their tongues carved out so they could not speak again. Beware the forked-tongue and his minions.
"What does it say Ichigo?" Ichigo snapped out of his thoughts as Rukia spoke to him. Ichigo looked around to find everyone was staring at him. Heaving a sigh, Ichigo crumpled the piece of paper and tossed it over his shoulder and through the fence.
"Nothing, just a bunch of scribbles." Ichigo didn't know who he was trying to convince, his friends or himself.
XxxxXxxxX
Nearby
XxxxXxxxX
Kyle chuckled as he finished putting away his costume and mentally thanked the librarian for selling him the translation book; it made delivering his message so much easier. Sure he could have just told Ichigo about Shrieker, but where would the fun in that be?
Shunpo-ing away and into an alley, Kyle smirked as he activated his new spell.
XxxxXxxxX
6 Hours later
XxxxXxxxX
Ururu slowly swept the front of the Urahara store as Jinta lazily slept on the steps. Hearing a rustle from some nearby bushes, Ururu looked towards the sound to find a kitten with pure white fur save for a single black haired paw padding towards her. Stopping in front of her, the kitten let out a cute little meow that caused the young girls' heart to melt
Putting the broom down, Ururu cautiously picked up the small cat and cradled it in her arms while lightly scratching the top of its head, receiving a light purr in response. Momentarily forgetting the chores Jinta had forced on her, Ururu hurried into the shop and presented the kitten to Urahara as he sat at the table. "C-can we keep him?"
Urahara looked surprised at the girl's request, largely from the fact that Ururu never asked for anything. Ever. She didn't even ask for anything for her birthday, yet got presents for everyone on theirs. Honestly, he wondered if Ururu was even capable of being selfish. Still, he wasn't exactly enthused about having a pet in his shop, but much like everyone else he hated seeing Ururu cry. "I don't know Ururu, it seems very well behaved, it might be someone else's pet. It wouldn't be fair to take him away."
Ururu saddened for a moment, before looking up again. "T-then, can we keep him until someone comes for him?"
"Hmm, I suppose we can, but he's your responsibility. That means feeding him, cleaning up after him, and keeping him clean." Urahara told her, receiving a surprisingly fierce nod from the girl. "Now that that's out of the way, what are you gonna call him?"
Ururu looked down at the sleeping kitten in her arms, for a moment. "I'll call him Kuroashi [1]."
Smiling down at the kitten, Ururu ran quietly to her room and placed Kuroashi on her pillow, content with lightly petting him as she laid down next to the kitten, slowly falling asleep herself as she listened to the slight breathing of her new friend.
XxxxXxxxX
1 hour later
XxxxXxxxX
"I'm back." Kyle called as he entered the shop.
"Welcome back. How did it go?" Tessai asked as he cleaned the few dishes were in the sink.
"It went alright. I managed to up my INT and WIS, so I think I'll go back tomorrow to do it again. Anything new happen while I was gone?" Kyle asked as he sat down near the table and accepted the tea that Tessai placed in front of him, thanking him before gulping down the contents of the cup.
"Ururu picked up a stray kitten while you were out." Tessai answered as he returned to his previous task.
"Really? Didn't think Urahara would let her keep a pet." Kyle's eyebrows rose as he sipped at his tea.
"It was the first time Ururu really asked for anything that wasn't needed. I don't think anybody could have said no to her." Tessai told the brown haired teen, who only nodded in return, a gesture that the giant somehow managed to pick up despite facing the other direction.
AN: And that is the end of chapter 10. I know it was a weak ending, but as the story goes on it will be easier for me to end chapters as I get more comfortable with the transition. Now for markers.
[1] Pronounced Kuro-aa-shee, it means 'Black Paw'