MORE THAN A TOURNAMENT
Tamotsu sat and watched intently at the competitors in the rings. He had gotten through his first and second rounds easily, and nobody had dared to cross him after the incident with his first opponent. The third round had begun, and nearly all the inexperienced amateurs with false hopes of winning were eliminated. It seemed that each round was calculated for efficiency, in order to weed out the weak. And each time, it seemed that the Tournament's organizer, Takeo Saegusa, always chose the strongest opponents.
He couldn't help but feel there was something more with Takeo. He seemed to try lagging on to the experience, but at the same time trying to prove himself to be superior. There seemed to be something more to this whole experience, but Tamotsu couldn't place it. He could feel something in the air.
The crowd erupted in cheers as Tatsuki won her third round. Tamotsu was up next. It was odd that he hadn't been placed directly with Tatsuki yet, as their skills were compatible with one another even if they did use opposing techniques. There were only a few more rounds left, and he felt like soon it would all be revealed to him. All he had to do was hang in and stay in the tournament.
Donning his red sparring gear, Tamotsu entered the ring. His opponent this time was a male, wearing white gear with a customized logo. It was clear this one wasn't going to be easy. Glancing outside the ring, he happened to see Takeo looking directly at him. There was a look of anticipation in the man's eyes. And something else stuck out. He felt as if Takeo was warning him not to disappoint.
Tamotsu approached the line for the starting position. At the judge's command, he bowed to his opponent and assumes his starting stance. The other man assumed a similar stance. But unlike Tamotsu, who was relaxed, this man seemed quite tense. He could see it in the man's eyes. A fury and determination to win. This one isn't going to be easy, Tamotsu thought.
The judge gave the cue to begin and immediately the other man charged in and threw several combinations of kicks and punches. Tamotsu blocked and dodged the first wave and countered with a roundhouse kick that made its way past the man's guard.
"Point Red," the judge called. Tamotsu had scored first point, but he also had shown his technique for battle. His opponent had quickly realized this as well, smiling as he made it back to the starting line.
The judge motioned for the next round to begin. Again, a flurry of techniques. Rather than stopping after a few combinations as he had last time, the white fighter continued in a barrage of techniques. He was all about offensive technique. Finding a couple of openings, Tamotsu fired off a few quick kicks and punches but was quickly drawn back by his opponent's aggression.
The round lasted about forty-five seconds, quite long for a sparring round in martial arts, but the opponent prevailed when he broke through Tamotsu's guard and landed a punch to the side of his head.
"Point White," the judge called. Again, the two opponents moved to their starting lines.
At the cue, the third round began. Instead of charging in, the White held back. Tamotsu understood after a quick second. The opponent had seen his defensive techniques and was impressed. Now he wanted to see Tamotsu's offensive maneuvers.
Using a couple of quick false jabs and kicks, White made it clear that his own defensive maneuvers were on par with Tamotsu's. Another quick jab and White countered. Knocking the counterstrike away, Tamotsu threw a flurry of kicks and punches that caught the opponent off guard. A triple-kick combination proved successful and Tamotsu landed his second point.
White was smiling now. At the signal, the next round began. Switching back to his aggressive tactics, White used a new style of flying and spinning kicks. Showing off now, but still skilled, one of the kicks landed on Tamotsu's head. Two more points for White. White was in the lead by one, the score being three to two.
The next round went quickly, as White snuck in with a strike-counterstrike combination with his fist. Tamotsu grimaced. One more point and White would win.
When the next round began, White was bouncing on the balls of his feet, fully pumped and ready to score the winning point. Tamotsu held firm as a flurry of spinning kicks flew at Tamotsu. An outward right crescent kick, followed by a left roundhouse kick. White continued spinning and Tamotsu saw his opportunity. He had used this combination himself, and he knew what was coming next.
Jumping up high, Tamotsu was three feet off the ground by the time White came in with his spinning side kick. It was intended to power through Tamotsu's defense and score the winning point. Except Tamotsu was already extending his own kick. By the time White realized what was happening, it was too late to block or dodge.
Tamotsu's jumping kick landed squarely on the part of White's head gear that protected his forehead. It was strong enough to make White stumble, but soft enough not to knock him down. Three points, Tamotsu thought. I win this round.
The judge declared Tamotsu the winner and he removed his head gear. White had a look of disappointment on his face, but it quickly turned into a smile as he removed his own head gear.
"Well done," White said. "I allowed my confidence to cloud my judgment and you found my weakness. An excellent match my friend. I wish you luck in the finals!"
Before he could do anything, White grabbed Tamotsu's wrist and held it high. The crowd cheered at the show of sportsmanship and Tamotsu allowed himself a smile. Looking over to where Takeo was, Tamotsu saw the man smile. It wasn't so much a smile of congratulations, but something else. What Tamotsu read from it was that Takeo really wanted to fight with Tamotsu.
There was definitely something more to this tournament. There was no way this could just be random. Tamotsu wanted to fight the man Takeo as well, but not for the sake of winning the tournament. He felt there was something about the man that he could only learn in close quarters. Something about him he could only learn in battle.
GAMES AND TRAINING
Hinohebi walked with Inoue along the upper level of the mall. They had mostly been window shopping, neither of them having much money to spend. It wasn't until Hinohebi stopped in front of the arcade that she showed genuine interest in something.
At the entrance of the arcade was a crowd gathered. There were two younger men dancing on a platform with lights and arrows. "Hey, Inoue," Hinohebi said. "What's going on there? Another kind of tournament?"
"No, they're just playing a game," Inoue answered. "Its called Dance Dance Revolution. They have to match their movements with the arrows that are set to different songs."
Hinohebi worked her way through the crowd. At the front, she could see clearly the platforms. The two players were keeping in sequence with the various arrows that appeared. Sometimes one of them would make a mistake and the crowd would be disappointed.
But Hinohebi saw it in a different light. This wasn't just some game. It seemed that in order to win, the player had to be in good physical condition. Coordination and agility played a key factor as well.
When the song ended, the screed declared a winner. The crowd cheered as he took a victory bow. Hinohebi applauded, appreciating the aspects of training this game showed.
"Now," the winner announced. "I would like to issue a challenge. Just like the tournament downstairs, I would offer the chance for any one of you to compete. The winner will be declared the best this side of Tokyo and will receive a complimentary dinner to the restaurant of their choice!"
The crowd looked away. It sounded like a great prize, but nobody dared challenge the Champion.
"I'll do it," Hinohebi said.
"What?" Inoue said surprised. "But you've never played it before!"
"It seems simple enough. Speed, accuracy and coordination."
The champion smiled. "We have a competitor then! Right this way, young lady."
Hinohebi removed her jacket and gave it to Inoue. She jumped onto the platform and quickly examined the buttons on the floor.
"We'll start out simple," the Champion said. "Both of us, to ensure fair play. Each round will get more difficult. Also, to ensure fair play, each of us will begin on Medium difficulty. Agreed?"
Hinohebi smiled. "Okay. Just don't be too disappointed when you lose. I've got more experience with coordination than you think."
"Ha! You couldn't be older than eighteen, girl."
"I'm older than I look." Hinohebi readied herself. The Champion scrolled through various songs. Hinohebi didn't recognize any of the names, but that didn't matter. She could adapt. They had a fast tempo but the beat is what seemed to matter.
The music started and arrows appeared on the bottom and moved up. Hinohebi caught on quickly, matching the arrows as they hit the top of the screen. It became more difficult as the song progressed, but she was able to keep pace.
Hinohebi actually enjoyed it. It took a lot of coordination, but so did working with Tamotsu while in her zanpakuto form. At least if she messed up here nobody would be in danger. But she never messed up.
When the song finished, each player had gotten a 100% score.
"Well, well," the Champion said with a smile. "You look like you're a natural at this. I was going to take smaller steps up, but since you've got some great natural talent I'm gonna go ahead and step this up a couple notches. Difficult mode on the next song, and make it a bit harder tempo."
"You're on," Hinohebi said, smiling herself. She was enjoying herself. She only hoped Tamotsu was as well.
Tamotsu blocked the kick from his current opponent, this one wearing blue pads. The kick was up high, intended for Tamotsu's head. But the kick left Blue open for a quick strike to the ribs. Using the opportunity, Tamotsu went forward and scored his fifth point.
The judge called victory. It was close, the final score being 5-4. He had almost lost that one. If he was to face Takeo and find out the truth behind this tournament, he would have to abandon his normal style of sparring and be more aggressive.
This was the semi-final round. He would make it to the Finals, that much was certain. Takeo had been fighting Tatsuki in that round, so he wasn't able to see the victor. But after removing his head gear, Tamotsu found Tatsuki sitting on a chair outside the taped off ring. She was sweating, breathing hard and shaking from adrenaline.
"He won," Tatsuki said when Tamotsu approached. "He won…"
"What happened?" Tamotsu asked.
"When I fought him, I felt a power coming from him. It was a power like what I feel when I'm around Ichigo. And a power I feel around you as well. And I lost…"
Tamotsu turned to see Takeo removing his own head gear. He was sweating as well as he took a drink of water. Not shaking like Tatsuki was, but clearly it had been a tough match. It was clear now. Tamotsu would face Takeo Saegusa in the final round.
A two minute rest was issued for the finalists to prepare themselves. Tamotsu meditated. Tatsuki had said that there was a power surrounding Takeo. It was similar to what he had. Knowing exactly where to look, Tamotsu opened his senses. A moment later the world he saw was filled with light of various colors. The lights were surrounding people, most of them dim. But when he looked at Takeo, the light was a bright green that drowned out some of the other lights closer to him.
Tamotsu opened his eyes. So that's it, Tamotsu thought. You have a strong reiatsu about you.
The judge called for Tamotsu and Takeo to enter the ring. The two competitors stared at each other intently. It seemed they knew what to expect from each other. They bowed and the judge gave the signal to begin.
Circling around, each opponent was waiting for the other to make the first move. Tension built. As if on some unseen cue, Tamotsu and Takeo lunged for each other. Kicks and fists flew. Takeo was fast, much faster than Tamotsu had anticipated.
A punch narrowly missed Tamotsu's head gear as he dodged and fired a counter punch, to which Takeo also dodged. Unable to move fast enough, Tamotsu saw the other gloved fist approaching. A flash of green light appeared as the glove made contact. The judge called for a point and the opponents made it to the center of the ring again.
Tamotsu understood now. Takeo was using his reiatsu to increase the speed and power of his attacks. If that were the case, he could do the same.
The judge called for the next round to begin. Rather than circling each other, the two came full speed. Tamotsu held off, using his own speed and waiting for the opportunity. It presented itself soon enough as he felt a burst of reiatsu from Takeo. Waiting for the last possible moment, he fueled his own reiatsu into a block and counterstrike.
The punch landed on the side of Takeo's head gear, the judge calling a point for Tamotsu. Takeo's eyes widened at the unexpected event. The secret was out. Neither of them would be able to hold back any more.
Moving back to their starting lines, Takeo looked as if he were about to ready himself but then stopped. He removed his hand and head gear and walked over to the judge. He didn't make out any words that Tamotsu could hear, but rather made gestures with his hand.
"Are you sure, sir?" the judge asked. Takeo nodded. "Very well then. Takeo Saegusa has asked that points not be scored for this match. Also, it will be a free for all with no gear and no restrictions on space. The entire area is to be used."
Tamotsu's eyes went wide. Was this serious? No gear, no points and no restrictions? He would have to use his abilities to the greatest degree, combining his skill with his reiatsu if he were to stand any chance against Takeo.
Moving to the center of the middle ring, the judge signaled them to begin. Without the sparring gear, the two combatants were able to perform several more types of maneuvers, but at the risk of greater injury should one of these strikes land on their bodies.
It began with large swinging punches, to which were blocked and countered with expert precision on both sides. Takeo punched with his right hand to which Tamotsu blocked and swung the blocking hand into a knife hand strike. Takeo ducked and grabbed Tamotsu's other hand.
Recognizing the technique, Tamotsu jumped up so he could bend the elbow and swung his right leg around in a round house kick. Takeo ducked and came up, just as Tamotsu was continuing the spin for a second kick with his left leg. Takeo blocked and Tamotsu landed now free of being held. The entire sequence only took three seconds, but to the combatants they were able to see and analyze everything. Both of them were using reiatsu to sense each other's moves and act accordingly, while at the same time increasing the speed of their own attacks.
The first flurry over, each competitor stepped back into a low stance and displayed their flexibility. Takeo was smiling, and Tamotsu understood. This man was a Reincarnate. This tournament was set up to find someone else with strong Reiatsu. Someone who could match the technique of merging reiatsu with their own physical moves. And he seemed to be enjoying the fight.
Rangiku was in the middle of signing a calendar when she felt the disturbance. Even though her reiatsu resonated with Tamotsu's, she was able to instantly recognize that her brother was fighting.
"Hey," the man standing in front of Rangiku said. "Don't stop, finish the signature."
"Oh, sorry," Rangiku said. After finishing the signature, she pulled out a small sign and placed it on the table. "I need to take a break for a few minutes, I'll be back later." She smiled broadly at the line of disappointed faces. She did like the attention, and she was being paid for each calendar that she sold and signed. But this was more important. Her brother was fighting and releasing a high degree of reiatsu. She had to make sure he was all right.
Finding him was no trouble. There was a large crowd gathering around the edge of the upper level. They were looking down to where the impromptu martial arts tournament was being held. Working her way to the edge, Rangiku looked down. She could see Tamotsu fighting with someone else, but the sight worried her.
"Kiyoshi…" she said softly. "Kiyoshi, is that really you?" She remembered the five years while he served under her in Soul Society. He was unable to perform physical techniques with any real skill. Yet there he was now, executing perfectly advanced techniques that she had never seen anyone from Shino Academy use.
Jumping, spinning kicks with extreme precision. Punches and blocks with such perfect timing that if she didn't know any better Rangiku would claim that this was a practiced routine. What was more, she could sense a large amount of reiatsu emanating not only from her brother, but the man he was fighting as well.
Hinohebi and the Champion were on their fourth song together with the gaming platform. The difficulty was now set to extra-hard and the skill required to perform these advanced maneuvers would have to be world class. Two opposing cues was difficult enough for most players, but this current song had three and even four cues they had to hit at the same time. This involved dropping down and hitting the markers not only with their feet, but their hands as well.
It was clear that the Champion was going all out in an attempt to prove himself superior, but he was quickly getting tired. He had already outperformed several competitors previous to his challenge. And he was only human. Hinohebi, on the other hand, was the spirit of a zanpakuto in a physical body. She did not tire easily and, if anything, was eager for something even more difficult.
The movements became faster as the song was reaching its climax. Hinohebi saw there was a difficult move approaching. All eight of the panels would be used, the four straight directions and the four diagonal ones. But it was only to hit them in a clockwise pattern.
Seizing the opportunity she held herself up with one hand and swung her legs around in a spin, hitting each of the markers on cue. The Champion, however, attempted the same maneuver and ended up tripping over his own hand. He collapsed on his back and could only stare as Hinohebi finished the song.
Hinohebi's score was still at 100%, while the Champion had missed some steps and had a final score of 94%. At the final sound, Hinohebi struck a victory pose. Lights flashed all around her and the crowd cheered.
Hinohebi looked down at the Champion and smiled. "That was fun," she said. "Thanks a lot!" Jumping over the rail, she took her jacket from Inoue and started walking out among the several congratulations she was receiving.
"Wait a minute!" the Champion cried out. "I lost the bet. What about your prize?"
"Oh, keep it. I just wanted to have some fun, that's all. Thanks for letting me play!" With that, Hinohebi and Inoue left the arcade. The two girls hadn't gone too far when they were approached by a young man from the crowd.
"That was incredible," the man said. "I haven't seen anyone get 100% on that level before. Where'd you learn to play like that?"
Hinohebi turned and looked at the man. He was about Inoue's age with short black hair and pale skin. "Oh, I never learned to play," Hinohebi answered with a smile. "That was my first time playing it actually."
The man was shocked. "You've never played that before?"
"Nope. Hey, we should probably go see Tamotsu. He should be in the Finals now."
"Tamotsu. Is he a friend of yours?"
"Yep. Tamotsu's my Master."
The man's eyes bugged out, as did Inoue's. Covering Hinohebi's mouth, she cut into the conversation. "She means her martial arts Master," she said. "Tamotsu is in the tournament going on downstairs right now."
"Oh, okay," the man said. "By the way. My name is Makko. Makko Tsubuya."
"I'm Inoue Orihime," Inoue said.
"I'm Hinohebi," Hinohebi responded.
"Hinohebi?" Makko asked. "What is your surname?"
"Oh, I don't have a surname."
Grabbing Hinohebi by the arm, Inoue stepped between the two. "Uh, we should probably head over to see how Tamotsu is doing," she said. Pulling Hinohebi close, Inoue whispered into her ear. "Be careful of what you say. Remember you're not in Seireitei so these people don't know about Shinigami or zanpakuto or spirits. They're just human."
Hinohebi frowned. "Aww, now I feel like I'm hiding again," she said.
It wasn't long before they found the crowds gathered around the second level staring down at the tournament.
"What's going on?" Inoue asked someone close by. "There weren't this may people watching at the beginning."
"You're really missing out," someone else said. "That Tamotsu guy and Takeo are really wailing on each other!"
Looking down, the group saw two figures fighting each other. No gear and no restrictions on area, they were performing maneuvers that one would think impossible outside of the Matrix or glorified martial arts movies. Moving at full speed, they executed techniques with such speed and accuracy that it appeared that everyone in the mall was watching a spectacle.
Tamotsu jumped and spun around, executing a triple kick combination and landed in time to block as Takeo moved in with punches and speed kicks. Punching and blocking, both contenders were now covered in sweat. They had been going all out against each other for nearly five minutes, but with their advanced senses analyzing each technique it seemed to them to be a lot longer.
Takeo jumped in with a flying side kick to which Tamotsu dodged, only to find another kick coming in. Bending backward and placing his hand on the ground behind for support, he dodged once again. Using the momentum from the dodge, he continued backward and performed a near back flip and landed on his feet some distance away.
Takeo moved in once again, but Tamotsu blocked and issued a number of counterstrikes. Both contenders increased their speed, not allowing each other time to think of any strategy. A final strike was issued by both of them, stopping only an inch away from their target. They stood, breathing hard as sweat dripped from their brows.
There was a moment of silence as the two contenders stood motionless. All at once, the entire mall seemed to cheer for the spectacle they had just witnessed. Bowing to each other, Takeo too Tamotsu's arm and raised it high, declaring him the winner. To this, the crowd cheered louder.
There was no doubt in each others' minds. Both of them had fought well, and each was able to use their reiatsu to increase the speed and power of their attacks.
"Thank you, Takeo Saegusa," Tamotsu said. "I'm sure I was the one you were looking for."
Takeo nodded, then motioned Tamotsu to his makeshift office. Once inside, Takeo removed a covering and revealed Tamotsu's painting of Captain Kenpachi Zaraki.
"I see," Tamotsu said. "But I wasn't on the Eleventh Division. I was from the Tenth."
Takeo looked surprised, but said nothing. He nodded and then motioned that Tamotsu could leave.
"If you would like, you can come see me at this location," Tamotsu said as he wrote down the address for Urahara's shop. Takeo took it and nodded.
Stepping outside, Tamotsu was met by Rangiku who embraced him strongly. "Kiyoshi!" she said. "I've never seen you do anything like that before. That was incredible. Were you holding out on us?"
"I don't know," Tamotsu responded. "It just sort of came to me."
"Whatever the reason, you should probably head outside. That outburst of reiatsu the two of you expelled is sure to attract Hollows."
"Sheesh… I just get back from Seireitei where I fought Hollows then dragged here and give the fight of my life and now I'm supposed to take care of Hollows again?"
Hinohebi put her hands on her hips. "Its your own fault for whatever comes out," she said.
"Okay, fine," Tamotsu said as he sighed and lowered his head. "I'll need you out of that gigai and back in the zanpakuto then." Hinohebi looked disappointed at that statement. "Hey, that's the way it works. I'm a Shinigami and you're my zanpakuto."
"Oh, all right."
"Shinigami and zanpakuto?" Makko asked. "Never heard of that type of martial arts before."
"Who's this?" Tamotsu asked.
"This is Makko," Hinohebi answered. "We met at the arcade."
"I see… Well, sorry to break this off but I'm going to need Hinohebi for a bit." Taking Hinohebi by the arm, Tamotsu led her out of the mall. Looking back, Hinohebi waved goodbye.
Takeo sat looking at the paper that Tamotsu had given to him. He had heard about Kisuke Urahara, or rather remembered hearing of him back in his days as a Shinigami. If this was where he needed to go for him to become a Shinigami once again, he would do so. But there was something more to Tamotsu Toshiyuki than what he could see. He knew that much.
With his fighting skills, he could easily have been accepted into the Eleventh Division. So why go for Ten? Or was there something else?
It didn't matter now. He could soon return to his Captain. But first, he wanted to see what else the painter/Shinigami could do.