Kenpachi looks down at Hoshi who glares at him. He chuckles slightly.
"I see you still have that spirit of yours," the captain remarks. "Get a bokken."
Hoshi flash steps out of sight and returns momentarily with a bokken, leering at the captain. His brow muscles lift before he grins.
"So you're fast. Good, you'll be interesting," Kenpachi says.
Irk appears on Hoshi's face. "Interesting? Interesting!" Hoshi exclaims. She points the bokken at the man's face, declaring, "I'm going to kick your ass!"
She disappears and reappears in the air, about to slam the bokken onto Kenpachi's head when a streak of lightning slams into the bokken. It knocks Hoshi off course, sending her spinning to slam into the ground. Moriko follows the trail to find Masaru hurrying forward, one of his hands smoking.
"Yeah! Bolty made a boom-boom!" Yachiru cheers. She claps her hands and looks up at Kenpachi. "He did really well, didn't he, Ken-chan? They usually explode in his face!"
Masaru arrives panting between the girls and the captain. Sweat trickles down his face. The young man looks up at Kenpachi.
"Fight me first," Masaru says.
"What!" Hoshi exclaims. The hot-tempered girl leaps to her feet, casting aside the smoking remains of the bokken. She goes to stand before Masaru, jabbing her thumb at herself. "I called dibs first!"
Masaru looks up at Kenpachi. "Captain, they don't know what they're up against if they fight you. I do. I did what you said and stuck with them."
"But Captain Zaraki wants to fight all three of us," Moriko interjects.
"All three?" asks Masaru.
"I meant it separately, but you three on me would definitely be a challenge," Kenpachi says. He grins, adding, "That's how I spar against my subordinates in my division."
"That sounds better," Banku says. He gives Hoshi a stink eye, stating, "Today's lesson is another revisit on teamwork. Something I know that Hoshi-san doesn't do well at."
Hoshi glares at Banku. "Teamwork is stupid," the tiger eared girl complains. "It's so slow. If I can take him on alone, then I should!"
"If you don't agree to work with your friends, I'll forbid you from participating," Banku states.
"What'ya gonna do?" taunts Hoshi.
Banku shifts himself onto his good leg swiftly before his cane moves in a fast series of blows on Hoshi. The green-eyed girl plops onto the ground, supporting various eggs on her head.
"A few more strikes like that, I could have disabled you," the sensei informs the girl.
Hoshi shakes her head and gets back to her feet. "Fine," growls out the hot-tempered girl.
A few moments later, Moriko, Masaru and Hoshi stand in a small circle. Each of them has a bokken. Their classmates are sitting on the dojo decking while Kenpachi stands with his bokken on his shoulder. Banku stands beside the captain with Yachiru bouncing happily on her feet.
"Why can't we just rush him?" demands Hoshi. "Three of us on him would be overkill."
"Don't get cocky," Masaru warns her. "He's not stupid, and he's strong enough to repel each of us. We have to be smarter than him."
"What if we did the switch spar exercise," Moriko tentatively proposes. "It could allow each of us to gauge his strength and let Hoshi have some one on one with the captain."
"That's a bit too obvious with each of us calling switch," the blue-eyed boy answers, shaking his head.
"Hurry up!" Kenpachi barks.
"Come on, don't lie and say you don't want to see how you hold up against the captain," Hoshi exclaims. "You're the one who said he'll be strong enough to take Kenpachi down with one blow!"
Masaru grits his teeth. He sparks his yellow electricity briefly before he takes a deep breath and visibly simmers down.
"Okay, we'll go with the switch spar. Okay if I ask Sensei Danno to give the calls?"
Moriko nods while Hoshi cracks her knuckles, grinning. Masaru nods. He goes over to the sensei and whispers in the man's ear. Banku nods first at Masaru and then at the two young women.
"Take your positions!" Banku barks.
Moriko takes her bokken in both hands, squatting down. Hoshi stands with her bokken held up like she is about to swing at someone. Masaru returns to their group where he holds his bokken as if he is ready to stab it. Kenpachi holds his bokken to the side. He grins sinisterly while his spiritual pressure starts rising. Banku lifts his free hand, holds it in the air, and then slices it down.
"Tank, advance!"
Masaru charges forward with his body sparking with yellow electricity as his spiritual pressure rises. The bokkens clash between the pair. Moriko has a hard time keeping track of the blows exchanged, but none of them make contact on either combatant.
"Disengage! Striker, advance!"
Masaru does a handless backflip while Hoshi charges, snarling with her black spiritual pressure evident. Kenpachi gives one whack on Hoshi's bokken. She yowls when she goes sailing out of the courtyard and out of sight. There is a distant 'CRASH' that makes Moriko wince on behalf of her absent friend.
"She's a feather weight for all her talk," Kenpachi remarks. He leers at Moriko. "Show me what you got."
Moriko looks to Banku, nodding. The sensei hesitates before he nods.
"Cannon, advance!"
The young woman jumps into the air, spinning into the air. She grips her bokken in both hands, taking a deep breath as she approaches her target. Moriko swings her bokken down just as Kenpachi swings up. Their bokkens clash, and Moriko finds herself sailing back in the air. She is about to go back in when Hoshi flash steps past her.
"Hoshi, you—"
"Screw teamwork!" growls Hoshi. She leaps up into the air before she brings her bokken crashing towards Kenpachi's head. His bokken easily intercepts it. The crushing feeling of spiritual pressure makes Moriko take a step back. Ripples of energy pulse across the ground. Around Kenpachi's feet is a crater forming. Hoshi grins despite the sweat and trembling of her arms.
"You're like me," chuckles Kenpachi. "You charge head on with everything you got despite the overwhelming odds. You would like to rip the odds apart, eh, Kitty-chan?"
A sinister aura gathers around Hoshi while her black spiritual pressure gathers around her.
"Uh-oh," Moriko murmurs.
"DON'T YOU CALL ME KITTY-CHAN!" roars Hoshi. She jumps up into the air and goes down for another blow. This time, Kenpachi's feet sink a bit more into the ground. Kenpachi pushes Hoshi off. Growling, Hoshi lands on the ground and charges straight on. Kenpachi grins before he sweeps his bokken to send her flying out of sight again. Another 'CRASH' makes Moriko wince for her friend before she goes to attack.
Kenapchi meets her bokken with his own with a strong thud. She can feel his pressure pressing hard against her. Sweat drips down Moriko's face to maintain the pressure of her bokken.
"The girl isn't very good at listening," Kenpachi remarks. "But at least her blows are consistent."
Kenpachi shoves Moriko aside. She twists herself in the air to land on her feet and quickly goes in. Moriko launches several bokken strikes at Kenpachi who effortlessly blocks them all. The captain goes to smack Moriko's head with his bokken hilt, but she tilts her head aside, guiding the blow to her shoulder.
A pained howl escapes Moriko at the blow. She is momentarily stunned by the pain while Kenpachi lifts his bokken for a downward strike. However, Masaru appears between Moriko and the captain, blocking the strike with his bokken. His movement makes Moriko take a few steadying steps back.
"Shake it off, Moriko!" Masaru orders. Masaru brushes aside the captain's bokken before he jabs the hilt of his bokken into Kenpachi's cheek. It connects with the older man's face, turning it ever so slightly.
"Eh?" Masaru asks, shocked.
Moriko sees a slight but proud grin on Kenpachi's face. Sensing an attack, Moriko sees Hoshi flash stepping towards them. The black-haired girl grabs Masaru by the scruff of his clothing and flash steps them out of the way.
"Hey!" Masaru exclaims.
Hoshi stands where Moriko and Masaru vacated with her bokken. She throws a series of wild strikes at the captain which he counters with his brow muscles lifted and a downturn of his lips.
"I wasn't done yet!" yells Hoshi over the hard thwacks of bokken against bokken. It takes a few minutes before Kenpachi moves with a blinding speed to strike Hoshi's midsection. It sends her flying into the Academy wall, creating a hole into the building. Hoshi lies in a huddle in the corridor, groaning.
"If she was not done then, she is now," Moriko remarks. She covers her throbbing shoulder with a whimper. The whimper makes Masaru turn towards her.
"Oye, you okay?"
Moriko nods, gritting her teeth to keep the pain from her head and her shoulder from escaping her in more whimpers.
"Disengage! Tank, advance!"
Masaru hesitates a moment before he charges the captain. Once again, it is difficult for Moriko to keep track of the blows.
"You caught me for a moment. That's improvement," Kenpachi tells Masaru. "But you got a long way to go before you can defeat me with one blow."
"Then I'll be in it for the long haul!" Masaru answers. The next clash of their bokkens sends Masaru flying backwards. He stops himself on the ground, creating skid marks in the grass.
"Disengage! Cannon, advance!"
Moriko grimaces when her stomach growls but charges at Kenpachi. At the last second, she flash steps to the side, but Kenpachi's bokken blocks hers. They enter a stalemate where Kenpachi's spiritual pressure rises. Moriko's knees quake from the intensity.
"What's holding your resolve back?" asks Kenpachi. "Your two friends showed theirs. Where is yours?"
Moriko hesitates. Her legs give out, making her go to her knees. Kenpachi swiftly disarms Moriko. His bokken goes for Moriko's head, but Masaru intercepts it with his.
"Just because she doesn't increase her spiritual pressure doesn't mean that she doesn't have resolve!" Masaru exclaims. He looks back at Moriko. "Don't do anything you don't want to do, Moriko."
She looks at her sandy blond friend before she smiles. Moriko walks to her bokken on the ground.
"Tank, disengage!" Moriko calls to Masaru. "Cannon is taking aim!"
"What?! But you can't do it! You'll—"
"This is what I want! I want to measure my strength!" Moriko shouts. She changes her position and gathers her spiritual energy within her. "I will only have enough for one blow, Captain Zaraki!" Moriko calls to the captain. Her white moon flame energy glows around Moriko.
Moriko grimaces, feeling the aching pain in her stomach but persists in pulling on more of her spiritual energy. She feels the warmth of the white flame wolf forming behind her out of her spiritual energy.
"She's made a Wolfie out of fire!" Yachiru cheers.
"So you're stronger than you let on," Kenpachi remarks. He touches his eyepatch briefly before he lets his hand down, adding, "Not quite there yet though." Kenpachi's spiritual pressure increases until yellow spiritual energy spreads out around him in bands of power. Moriko feels her feet slip back from the sheer force of his spiritual pressure. Masaru flies back a few inches before he catches himself. The wolf eared girl winces as her stomach pains increase. Kenpachi grips his bokken in both hands, grinning manically.
"If you want to measure your strength, put it to the test!" declares Kenpachi. He charges her.
"Hai!" Moriko answers before she charges the captain. Their feet tear up the ground in their charge. Her wolf and his yellow bands of spiritual pressure race to each other before they meet in an explosion of white flames and yellow shards. The pair enters a stalemate before their bokkens snap beneath the pressure, causing an explosion. Kenpachi takes a step to balance himself while Moriko flies back in the air, her vision alternating between blurring and clarity.
It…It seems I have more growing to do… I am out of strength…Captain Zaraki, Moriko thinks to herself, bracing for the impact.
However, familiar arms catch her in a bridal style position. Moriko yelps softly in surprise. A moment later, Moriko nestles against the warmth and strength, feeling the usual cold, weakness and nausea from pulling out all her spiritual energy. For the briefest moment, Moriko sees gray eyes gazing down at her before her vision turns black.
To Be Continued…