Hello everyone, it's so nice to be able to see you all again. Finally, after 8, long months, I finally managed to get the next chapter written and pre-read for you all. However, before we get into the couple of reviews I have gotten in the past months, there are a few important notes that I would like to put out there for you.
First, regardless of the promises I made multiple times to you all, after 8 months of literally nothing, I am sure at least a few of you have thought that the story had indeed become abandoned, or at the least gone on a long hiatus. Well, I will say it again, both for your relief and my encouragement. This story will not be abandoned. It will get finished, even if it takes me longer than I had planned. So please, rest assured that this story will come to its ending.
Second, I feel you all deserve to get at least a basic explanation as to why the story has not been updated for months. The truth is, there are multiple reasons. One of these has been mentioned before, being the craziness that the Covid virus has caused. Second reason is because I have starting going to college again to finish my degree, so that took up even more of my time.
And finally, and sadly, the family had suffered the passing of a loved one a few weeks ago, and so we have all been recovering from that as well. Please do not worry, as, while it is sad, we have doing as well as can be.
And so, those are the reasons for my 'disappearance' these past 8 months. I can't thank you all enough for the patience you all have had with me. So, with that out of the way, I'll give a response to a review I had received since my last posting, then we'll get into the reason you're all here.
Thesaiyan21: Thanks for the two reviews, and I am glad that you have enjoyed the story so far. I like how you broke down your thoughts about certain aspects of the story as a whole, such as characters, fights, and such. I'm not gonna go into too much detail, since it would take forever, but I agree that some of the characters are a bit OOC, but there are two reasons for this; either it's a hard character to visualize and 'get into their mind', such as Byakuya; or there really hasn't been much of a chance to show the character's true nature, like Yoruichi's seriousness. As far as the amount of talking and banter during fights, it's… kinda my thing, I guess. It sort of makes it easier for me to help progress the story a bit.
So, finally, with all the important stuff out of the way, I'll let you all get on to the next chapter that you've all been waiting on.
(I DO NOT OWN BLEACH; ITS CHARACTERS, NAMES, LOCATIONS, OR STORY! THAT HONOR BELONGS SOLELY TO TITE KUBO AND HIS TEAM! ONLY THE OC, AND RANDOM NAMES NOT MENTIONED IN THE BOOKS OR ANIME ARE MY OWN!
Chapter 51
(His True Name: Part 1)
Flashback, Timothy's Inner World, 9 Days Prior
Timothy let out a long breath of air in relaxation before opening his eyes to an all too familiar scene. The few houses, the large cathedral, all sitting within a large, open field of grass. Up above the sky was a nice, crisp blue with a few sparse clouds offering occasional, brief nips of shade from the bright sun.
However, unlike last time, where the buildings still bore minor traces of damage that had yet to be repaired, and a few tufts of weeds amongst the grass, now the buildings were restored to pristine conditions, and the prairie free of any weeds. Looking up at the steeple of the cathedral, Timothy saw that the massive clock was fully repaired and in working condition. The man didn't really know that much about clocks, such as the styles, mechanics, the kind of things that set them apart from other timepieces; but he was able to recognize that the time face was one reminiscent of centuries past.
Listening in through the silence around him, Timothy was just able to make out the 'clunk' sound the brass second hand made with each tick. It was that mechanical sound that confirmed Timothy's suspicions that something wasn't right. He wasn't quite yet sure what that something was, but something about that clock just felt… off.
"Looks cool, doesn't it?" a female voice asked with an amused tone.
Broken from his observations, Timothy looked down to the doorway of the cathedral and saw both Kitsune and 'Johnny' standing at the entrance side-by-side; Kitsune with her arms crossed and a smirk on her face, and 'Johnny' in his usual, emotionless stance. Both of the spirits were watching him closely as his gaze returned to the clock.
"Yeah. You and I have seen a few old clock towers in the past, but nothing as old as this one is; or at least as old as this one looks. Remember that big one that was up top of city hall back where we lived as teens?" he asked in return.
Kitsune chuckled through her nose and nodded. "Oh yeah, I remember. The third tone on the hourly chime was a key or two too high, made it sound funny as hell." she said, snickering at the memory.
Timothy snorted and shook his head. "I always wondered why no-one ever bothered to fix it."
"Who knows." she responded with a shrug. "But we're not here to talk about clocks, Tim." she added with a, now serious, expression.
He brought his gaze back down to the pair and nodded, matching the expression. "I know. You said 'Johnny' was going to train me, right?"
"That is… correct… It shall… be I who… trains you… this time." the male spirit confirmed.
Timothy nodded again in understanding. "Sounds good. So, what will we be working on? Improving my spirit energy, stamina, or something else?" he inquired.
"None of them." Kitsune answered, making him raise a brow in wonder.
"It is time… for you… to learn of… my powers." 'Johnny' added.
Timothy's eyes widened in surprise. "What? You serious? You're going to teach me your powers?"
The spirits both nodded once. "Yes… You will… learn to… harness… and utilize… my powers… However… first… you must pass… my challenge." the male spirit stated with a narrowed eye.
The Lieutenant blinked twice in confusion. "A challenge? To learn a shikai? I don't think I've heard that one before."
'Johnny' nodded again. "A zanpakutō's name… may be learned… through different… means… Most… through training… others… through desperation… at a time… when the master… needs his partner… the most… However… if you wish… to learn my name… to learn my powers… you must… discover them… yourself."
"Myself? What do you mean?" Timothy asked.
Kitsune took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Most times, soul reapers learn the names of their zanpakutōs after they've trained hard enough that the zanpakutō sees them as ready. And like 'Johnny' said, sometimes the zanpakutō will come forward if its partner is in serious trouble. But for you it's going to be different, Tim. This time, you have to prove to 'Johnny' that you're ready for this."
Timothy nodded in understanding. "Alright. So… what's the challenge?"
A frown came to her face then. "It's simple… fight him."
He raised both brows in shock. "Hold up a sec… 'fight him'? You want me to just… fight him?"
She nodded firmly. "Yes. But, this isn't like any other fight, Tim. It's different this time around."
The soul reaper scratched the top of his head. "Okay, care to enlighten me?"
A whisp sound then came to his ears from above, but before he could trace the sound with his eyes, a standard-sized zanpakutō matching his sealed version dropped from the air and sunk into the ground at the tip right before him. He looked down at the blade for a moment, then back up to the two spirits.
"In order… to win… and earn… my powers… you must... learn my name… Only then… may you… make use of… my powers." 'Johnny' instructed, Kitsune nodding in affirmation.
"You have until it's time for the team to head for Hueco Mundo. If you can't learn 'Johnny's' name and gain his powers by then… well, then it's pointless to even go, Tim. The simple fact is that you won't be strong enough to last long there." she instructed further.
Timothy looked towards 'Johnny' for a moment before turning back to her. "You say all this like his powers and abilities are much stronger than yours, Kit." he stated in concern.
The furry spirit nodded once. "A bit, yeah. But, to be honest with you, it's not that his abilities are stronger than mine, but more along the lines of more suited to the task at hand." she corrected.
The man snorted and smirked as he crossed his arms. "So I guess you're not going to give me any hints into what those abilities might be?" he teased.
Kitsune grinned widely and shook her head. "Nope. Sorry, Tim, but you're on your own this time. Besides, it takes away from the entertainment value if I gave you any hints."
His smirk fell instantly. "What entertainment value?" he asked in worry.
Her grin turned to a fanged one as she chuckled darkly. "Of you getting your ass handed to you over and over again." She gave a powerful leap into the air, landing on the roof of the cathedral and sat cross-legged against the steeple. "Have fun." she sang with a wave.
Timothy's shoulders slumped with a pitiful moan. "Oh great… just great. One of these days I'm going to skin that witch and turn her into a coat." he grumbled. "Do I at least get to use your abilities, Kit?" he asked aloud.
She sighed sadly and shook her head. "Sorry, Tim, but I can't get involved in this in any way. This is between you and 'Johnny' only. All I can give you is a 'good luck'."
He nodded in understanding and turned back to 'Johnny', pulling the zanpakutō out from the ground and holding it to the side. "So, I just fight you to learn your real name, 'Johnny'?" he asked.
The spirit nodded once. "Engage me… until… you are able… to learn my name."
Timothy nodded back and assumed a stance. "Any special rules or the like I need to know about?" he inquired.
"No… You are free… to do as… you wish… Defeat me… and discover… my name."
The Lieutenant nodded once more and vanished, reappearing only feet away from 'Johnny' in a whisp, his blade held high. A matching blade materialized in the spirit's own hand then, where he raised it up and easily blocked the Lieutenant's attack. They came face-to-face, only an inch of distance between their noses as they pressed against each other.
"In that case, I hope you don't hold it against me for going all-out on you, 'Johnny'." the man said through his teeth.
The spirit actually chuckled in what Timothy decided was very slight humor. "I expect… nothing less." he returned, pushing back against Timothy's blade and forcing him back.
The roles switched when the spirit dashed forward after him, swinging twice. Timothy deflected the first attack and locked blades again on the second, finding himself struggling under the spirit's impressive strength as his blade was slowly pushed back into him. The Lieutenant gritted his teeth and put more strength in pushing back, but to little effect.
Knowing he was losing the battle of strength, Timothy tilted his blade, allowing his opponent's to slide off to the slide, and bent at the knee to swing his other leg out in an attempt to knock the spirit's legs out from under him.
But 'Johnny' expected this from his partner, and reacted by hopping over the swinging limb and kicking up his own leg under it, forcing it up. Timothy's eyes went wide in surprise as his body lost its balance and fell backward. His surprise turned to mild horror when he saw the spirit raise his blade again to cut at him as he was falling.
Thinking fast, Timothy kicked up both legs, increasing his backward speed, and rolled along his back and shoulders. Placing his palms back and on the ground on either side of his head, he pushed his rolling back up and further back, narrowly missed by 'Johnny's' strike, and landed on his feet again a few feet away.
He stared at the spirit in a moment of disbelief. "Holy shit. Gotta admit, you're much faster than I expected." he commented.
'Johnny' turned to face his partner and raised his blade again. "You are… holding back… Do not… dally in… our fight… Otherwise… you will… never learn… my name… Now fight!" he hissed, charging the Lieutenant again.
Reacting quickly, the man raised his hand, palm towards the spirit. "Hadō #31, Shakkahō!" he chanted.
But to his shock and horror, nothing happened; he did not even feel the flow of spirit energy through his body in preparation for the kidō. He drew in a gust of air in surprise when 'Johnny's' face was suddenly an inch from his, his dark, red eye staring coldly into his.
"Your kidō… will not work… in this fight… Tim… I… forbid it." he growled.
Timothy's eyes went even wider before he was sent flying back from a fist to the gut. The man grunted loudly when his body hit the ground again, rolling head over heel twice before landing on his stomach. 'Johnny' held up his clenched fist to him and opened it to reveal that his nails were now short claws.
"You must… fight me… with your strength… alone… Nothing else… Now… come at me… again."
Grunting in mild soreness, Timothy pushed himself back up to his feet, staring down the spirit while rubbing his stomach soothingly. Growling in anger, he snapped his gaze over and up to Kitsune, still sitting on the cathedral roof when an amused smirk on her face.
"That woulda been nice to know 'before' the fight starts, Kit!" he yelled.
The female spirit only shrugged in dismissal. "Like I said before, 'entertainment value'. Now quit crying like a baby and pay attention." she yelled back, pointing to a spot next to him.
Timothy blinked in confusion for a split second, before her meaning dawned on him and he snapped his gaze back to 'Johnny', only to find the spirit charging him with his claws poised to strike. "Shit!" he breathed, but had no time to defend against the attack.
The next thing Timothy felt was a sharp pain in his upper arm, followed by the train-like impact to the side of his head from 'Johnny's' foot. The kick sent Timothy flying yet again, but he was at least able to maneuver his body to land back on his feet.
The man glared daggers at the spirit, but was quickly reminded of the sharp pain in his arm. 'At least it was my off hand…' he thought to himself, wanting to look at the damage, but not daring to take his eyes off his opponent again.
"That was a cheap shot." he accused the spirit.
"Allow that… to be… a lesson… not to be… distracted… again." the spirit returned, charging again.
Timothy's arm hissed at him as he moved to dodge the attack to the side, returning it with an attack of his own. 'Johnny' deflected his blade and swung again. The pair spent the next few minutes swinging, blocking, and dodging each other. The spirit had gotten close to hitting him a few times, but Timothy was having no such luck, barely even getting close.
The Lieutenant made another attempt to kick the spirit's legs out from under him, but like before, the spirit expertly avoided it; he was just barely able to dodge the counter 'Johnny' had made in return. With a swift twist of his body, Timothy countered the counter and was both surprised and gleeful that his fist made contact with the spirit's jaw.
A smile found its way to the Lieutenant's face, but it faded instantly when he noticed that his punch barely even made the spirit turn his head. Fear crept up in him as 'Johnny's' red eye glared back into his again, this time with anger hidden behind them.
"Your first... successful hit… yet… so weak." he snarled. Timothy swallowed hard, but was interrupted when the spirit snatched him up by the throat. His free hand gripped 'Johnny's' clasping one as the spirit brought them eye-to-eye. "If you wish… to have… any chance of... defeating me… you had best… put forth… more effort."
With that, the spirit turned and threw Timothy across the field and into one of the smaller structures near the cathedral. On its roof, Kitsune's eyes followed the man's body as it crashed into the building, the rest of her body unmoving. With a sigh, she interlaced her fingers behind her head and stretched out her furry legs before crossing them in a relaxing position.
While she seemed relaxed on the outside, deep inside, she was hurting. The man might not be her husband anymore, but he was still the most important person in her life. As much as she loved to tease and humiliate her partner, she still hated to see him get hurt or be in pain. She wanted, so badly, to go down there and help him, even if it was just to comfort and encourage, but she knew that this was something that he had to do on his own.
Yes, this was something between him and 'Johnny', no one else. This was a fight only Timothy could fight. So, as much as she wanted to help, even if it was just to offer advice, she had to stay out of it.
With another, but heavier sigh, Kitsune closed and turned her eyes away from the fight. Taking a slow breath, she scooted her body down lower along the slanted roof to lie flat along it. Reopening her eyes, she watched the few, sparse clouds float by above her.
"This is going to be a 'looonnng' four days." she mumbled to herself, listening as Timothy let out a roar of battle.
Palace of the Sexta Espada
Timothy and Grimmjow stood several feet apart from each other, the former staring at the latter's eyes, while the latter visually inspected the former's changed blade. After a few moments of observations, Grimmjow raised a brow in both wonder and confusion when he noticed that, besides the blade's slight change in shape, nothing else occurred.
Shifting his gaze up to Tim's, back down to the blade, then back up again, the Espada scoffed through his teeth, unimpressed. "That's it?" he questioned in disbelief.
The Lieutenant spared a quick glance down at his weapon, inspecting the changes to its form for himself. The hilt, where it was once black with an orange cord for wrapping, was now a dark red with a teal wrapping and was shorter. The guard, once in the form of a pouncing fox, was now a symmetrical, twelve-pronged array. The base was an inch in diameter, and each of the prongs an additional inch in length with a small sphere at the tip. And finally, the blade had grown wider and shorter to eighteen inches in length; the blade was also now straight, no longer having the signature curve of a zanpakutō, and was the same dark red as the hilt.
Timothy hummed lowly and raised his gaze back to the blue-haired Espada. "What are you talking about?" he asked in return.
The Arrancar scoffed again and gestured to the blade with a hand. "What am I talking about? Look at it! You call that a shikai? Where's the fireworks? With that vixen of yours, you had all those floating fireballs all over the place that, I gotta admit, did pack a wallop; but this? All you did was change its look." he pointed out in rising anger. "All that talk, and this is all I get?"
Timothy scoffed through his nose and shook his head slowly. "Didn't anyone ever tell ya not to judge the book by the cover, Grimm? Yeah, I'll give ya that this one's not as… 'flashy'... as Kit's is, but make no mistake, Grimm, this one's by far more dangerous when it comes to fighting someone like you."
Grimmjow raised a brow again in interest. "Oh really? Care ta tell me just what that blade of yours can do then?"
The Lieutenant grinned in response. "Sorry, Grimm, you'll just have to figure that one out on your own. And there's only one way for that to happen." he said, his grin growing wider.
The Espada matched his grin with a fanged one. "You got that right, Tim. Time to quit the yakking and get swinging."
Timothy instantly frowned. "With how Kit's mind works, she would definitely have something to say to that." he mumbled.
"Oh, that I do." she confirmed with a snicker. "But I'll be a good girl and keep my muzzle shut this time." she replied with a playful snicker.
"'This time'... right."
He was broken from his mental conversation when Grimmjow drew his zanpakutō, holding the blade horizontally in front of his stomach. With a wicked grin, the Espada placed the fingertips of his free hand on the side of the blade near the hilt.
The Espada chuckled darkly with narrowed eyes. "Ain't gonna go easy on ya this time, Tim. Let's face it, this'll probably be the last time we'll get a chance to have at each other, so I wanna make this fight a good one. I'll try not ta kill ya too fast."
Timothy nodded once in both understanding and agreement as Grimmjow dragged his nails against the blade, the blade now glowing a bright blue. "Grind, Pantera."
The air around the Espada swirled violently around him in a vortex of raw spiritual pressure, kicking up a cloud of dust and concealing him from Timothy's view. The Lieutenant took a single step back and lowered himself into a defensive position, holding his blade up in his reverse grip in a makeshift boxer's stance.
The vortex continued for only a moment more before it began to swiftly calm down again. When the dust cleared enough for Timothy to see again, his eyes widened a bit at the Espada's new form.
The Sexta's entire body below the neck was encased in a white, bone-like armor. The armor was split open at the sternum, like an unbuttoned shirt, and exposing his upper chest and sickening red scar. Extending out from his lower back, Timothy could see a very long tail-like appendage that was easily a foot or more longer than the man's body, whipping around behind him. His blue hair, that was once cropped at ear height, now flowed down his back and to his knees. A pair of scythe-like blades extended out from his forearms and from his legs just below the knees. His human ears were replaced with blue-furred, cat-like ones, and his jaw-like mask now rested across his forehead like a crown.
The whole ensemble gave the Espada a feline-like appearance, and Timothy was willing to bet that the Sexta's fighting style would likely resemble how a cat would, if it was bipedal: with speed, grace, and lethality.
Raising a hand, Grimmjow flexed his pronounced claws a few times while grinning widely at Timothy with a chuckle. "I've been waiting for this ever since our last fight back in the world of the living, Tim. While it pissed me off to no end that Ulquiorra jumped in and interrupted our fight back then, I gotta admit that I'm glad he did. It gave ya the time to recover, so that we could settle this the right way; guns blazing." he said with a snicker.
"You won't be thinking that for long, Grimm. In about fifteen minutes, you'll be regretting picking a fight with me again." Timothy returned, matching his grin.
Grimmjow laughed loudly and dropped into a stance. "Win or fucking lose, it don't matter. A fight's a fight. Even if ya beat my ass, as long as the fight was good, I doubt I'd be pissed for long. Now shut up and let's get to this."
"Bring it." the Lieutenant taunted.
With a roar, Grimmjow charged forward with a swipe of his claws. Bringing his shortened zanpakutō up, he deflected the sharp points with his blade, quickly readjusting afterwards to deflect the other set of claws coming in from the side.
Not even five seconds into the fight, and Timothy was already on the total defensive. As he expected, the Espada was fighting with impressive speed and flexibility as he was assaulted ruthlessly front, sides, and rear as Grimmjow changed positions after every few swipes.
Only ninety seconds in, and Grimmjow was able to draw first blood with a slash to the man's right thigh. It wasn't deep, and was unlikely to be a hindrance at all to Timothy, but it was more than enough to raise Grimmjow's spirits and make him fight even harder.
"What's wrong, Tim?" he asked in a taunting manner. "To fast for ya?" Something then suddenly changed in his peripheral vision, but it was so minute, and he was too focused on his fight that it never caught his attention as he attempted a swipe at the man's other leg. With a twist and flip, Timothy leaped back and clear of the attack. But from the moment his feet touched the ground, he was already under heavy assault once again.
Three minutes in, and Grimmjow nicked him again in the right upper arm. Two seconds later, he was hit again in the same spot, only an inch lower. By the time three and a half minutes had passed, Grimmjow had already scored a total of six hits and three times that in near-hits. Timothy's own agility was the only thing that kept those hits from being severe or anything that could damage his chances of winning the fight.
With a twist of his body, Timothy wheeled around and deflected another swipe of Grimmjow's deadly claws, only for the Espada's long, slender tail to whip forward and wrap around the Lieutenant's leg. With a swift yank, Timothy was ripped off his feet and down onto his back on the ground with a grunt. Only a split second separated the time between him rolling out of the way and Grimmjow's extended claws ramming down into the floor where the man's head lay before.
With a twirl of his legs, Timothy flipped himself back onto his feet once again before finding himself under assault yet again. Now over the initial surprise and slowly becoming more attuned to the Sexta's fighting style, Timothy was starting to have an easier time reacting to Grimmjow's attacks with more effective counters.
Deflecting another swipe, Timothy managed to catch his opponent's tail whipping around again for another attempt on his lower limbs in time to leap into the air just enough for the long limb to pass by safely. But that action only served to give Grimmjow another opening when he spun on the ball of one foot and used the other to deliver a solid kick to Timothy's lower stomach. The Lieutenant's body was sent flying through the room at high speed until it collided with one of the pillars lining the walls with a loud crash. The Espada caught a flicker of light in the dust cloud, but ignored it, focusing only on Timothy.
The cloud of resulting dust and debris cleared in seconds to reveal Timothy wedged into the pillar ten feet from the floor, groaning in mild pain from the impact. Opening his eyes into a glare at the Espada, he pulled himself free from the stone, dropping down to his feet again, and lowering down into a stance.
"Gotta hand it to you that you're fast as hell, Grimm; not to mention that your strength ain't no joke." he commented, using the back of his hand to wipe away a dribble of blood from his lip. "But I can tell you're holding back." he added with a smirk.
Grimmjow smirked back and planted his hands on his hips with a smug look. "Oh yeah? Well, I ain't gonna lie to ya and say that I'm not, Tim. Yeah, I could crush ya like a bug anytime now that I'm released, but where's the fun in that? If I kill you now, I'd lose my chance at another go at that vixen of yours, plus I'd never get to see what this other zanpakutō of yours can do. So, killing ya would only make me lose twice. But that don't mean I'm gonna go easy on ya, kid. I wanna see what this new zanpakutō of yours can do, and if I gotta rough ya up ta get it, then so be it."
Timothy's lips pulled back into a toothy grin with humor-filled eyes. "Oh yeah? And just what makes you think you haven't seen it yet?" he challenged, Grimmjow raising a brow in confusion.
"What the hell ya talking about, Tim? I ain't seen shit from you so far, besides dodging and getting your ass kicked." he returned.
The smirk fell from the Lieutenant's face as he closed his eyes and tilted his head with a pondering hum. "Well… perhaps 'seeing' isn't the right word in this regard. My zanpakutō's powers are something that's felt, rather than seen. So, I guess the right question is whether or not you've actually 'felt' anything yet." he corrected, reopening his eyes with the same smirk as before.
Grimmjow snorted in disbelief at the man's words, but internally, he was actually thinking back on the fight, trying to pick out any instances where something didn't feel right to him. But after a few seconds of recalls, he couldn't come up with anything that felt out of the ordinary to him.
"I'll ask ya again, Tim; what the fuck you talking about? I ain't seen or felt shit since this fight began. Whatever this strange power your zanpakutō has is, it obviously ain't doing shit to me." he stated, crossing his arms with a huff.
But Timothy's smirk only grew wider. "You sure about that, Grimm? Why don't we give this fight a little more time to progress and maybe you'll finally feel it for yourself." he proposed.
The Espada scoffed through his teeth and got back into a fighting stance. "Sounds like a great idea to me. Just try to put up at least a little more of a fight. That last bout was kinda boring."
"Yeah, sorry about that. But this zanpakutō's a little… slow to get started. Just give him a little longer and he'll be up to speed with you."
Grimmjow scoffed again with a smirk. "Well, tell the fucker to hurry up, before I lose my patience. I ain't got all day, afterall."
"Less talk, more walk, Grimm." Timothy returned and charged forward.
Flashback, Timothy's Inner World, 7 Days Prior
The tip of his blade dug into the ground as Timothy used his weapon to hold himself up after receiving the cut to the back of his right shoulder. The Lieutenant hissed through his teeth in pain for a moment before raising his gaze back to his red-clad opponent, 'Johnny'. The spirit stood several yards away from him, standing limply and carelessly, watching him.
Timothy gritted his teeth and ignored his stinging shoulder as he retook his combat stance. 'Johnny' made no move to enter one of his own, his arms simply hanging limply at his sides; his one exposed eye was glued onto Timothy, the only real clue that the spirit was even alive.
For two whole days, stopping only to eat and get a few hours of sleep, Timothy fought against 'Johnny' endlessly. Then again, what they were doing couldn't really be called a fight, more of a game of cat-and-mouse. Over and over, Timothy would move in and attack, but always at the last second, 'Johnny' would just simply move out of the way, sometimes countering, other times just getting distance.
With a whisp, Timothy was before the spirit once again, swinging down from high and right. But as expected, just before the blade was to make contact, 'Johnny' was gone, now a few yards to the left…
Just where Timothy wanted him to go.
With another flash of movement, Timothy was right where the spirit had stepped down, swinging up and across. He smiled to himself, knowing that he finally had the spirit. But lo and behold, just before the blade touched him, 'Johnny' was gone yet again, and Timothy felt another flash of pain, this time from his left upper arm.
He snarled lowly, hugging the limb to himself and glaring around at 'Johnny', yet again several yards away at a safe distance. The constant dodging and running the spirit was doing had annoyed the Lieutenant at first, but it was quickly growing into anger the longer the fight went on.
"Damn it… how the fuck are you moving so fast?" he grumbled to himself, glaring right into the spirit's eye. "I had you right where I wanted you, yet you somehow still get out of it."
"Time… passes quickly… Timothy… and yet you… are still… no closer… to learning… my name." 'Johnny' stated, breaking the man from his thoughts.
Timothy growled loudly in annoyance at the spirit. "You know, it's not as easy as you think it is, 'Johnny'. How the hell do you expect me to hit you if you're so much faster than I am?"
Had he not been paying close attention to the spirit, Timothy would have easily missed the slightest movement of the spirit's brow rising up, as if in interest. "Faster… You believe… the reason of… your failure… to best me… is due to… my being faster?" he questioned.
The Lieutenant raised a brow as well in challenge. "You telling me it's not?" he countered, raising his blade again.
A single, low huff of air was all the spirit let out in mild humor. "Speed… is not everything… in battle… Tim… Have you… not heard… the tail of… the tortoise… and the hare?"
Timothy snorted, but couldn't hold back the smirk. "You mean the story of the tortoise and hare that had a race against each other? Yeah. The hare got all high on himself and got complacent, while the tortoise took his time and kept his focus on the race. In the end, the hare's smugness cost him the race and the tortoise won. So… what? You telling me to take my time and wait for you to get complacent or something? No offense, but you don't strike me as the 'hare' type, 'Johnny'."
The spirit gave him the slightest of nods. "And are you… aware of... the moral… of that story?" he pressed.
Timothy narrowed his eyes a bit in puzzlement. "Yeah… 'Slow and steady wins the race', right?"
Again, 'Johnny' nodded. "It would… behoove you… to keep… that phrase… to heart… when fighting me… Tim… It just… may be… the key to… learning… my name." he said, vanishing a second later.
The Lieutenant gritted his teeth in agitation before spinning on his heel and deflecting a blow from the spirit. Their blades locked for only a moment before Timothy pushed back, forcing the spirit away, and charging after him. He followed his dash with a series of quick thrusts aimed at the spirit's upper chest.
To his surprise, 'Johnny' made no move to regain distance between them, remaining close at hand. Instead, the spirit proved his superior speed to the man by easily ducking, leaning, and twisting his body to avoid the rapid thrusts. Each time, the blade would simply pass right by him, missing him by no less than a couple of inches. It began to infuriate Timothy when he saw that the spirit's movements were essentially effortless, like they were as reflexive as breathing.
After a little over thirty jabs of his blade, Timothy halted his attack and leaped back a few yards, breathing a bit heavily. But he found that he would get no reprieve when 'Johnny' followed his move and initiated a flurry of stabs and jabs of his own.
Like the spirit before, Timothy dodged and weaved the best he could around the attacks. Most of them he was able to avoid, but a few select jabs managed to nick his cheek, shoulders, arms, and flanks; though they were only nicks, just enough to draw a drop or two of blood each, it was still demoralizing how easy it was for the spirit to land the hits when he couldn't even get close.
Having enough, he dropped into a low crouch and swept a leg across the ground in an effort to knock 'Johnny's' feet from under him. But all this did was earn him a kick to the face when the spirit hopped up to avoid the attempt, adding a spin of his body and swinging a leg out.
The Lieutenant was amazed by the amount of strength the spirit had when the kick sent him flying several yards through the air, landing in a tumbling roll for a few more yards across the ground. The spirit recovered almost instantly and began walking towards his opponent. By the time Timothy had recovered enough to get back up to a knee, clutching his aching jaw, 'Johnny' was already upon him, his tall, lithe form towering over the man.
Timothy let out a low snarl as he glanced up at the spirit, who came to a stop a foot away. "Damn it… that hurt, you know."
'Johnny' huffed in indignation. "Are you… expecting… me to feel… sorry for you?" he questioned.
"Tsk… fuck off." the Lieutenant grumbled, picking himself back up to his feet. "My point is: are you trying to teach me something, or kill me?" he snapped, swinging out at the spirit, who swiftly leaned back and let the blade pass by harmlessly.
He watched as the man hopped back a few steps and dropped into a low guard before answering. "One… or the other… it matters little… to me… If you are… not worthy… to learn… my name… then you… will die… Either by… my hand… or the Espadas'... Without… my powers… you will… surely fail… rescuing… that girl."
Timothy scoffed and rolled his eyes. "So, what? Even if I don't learn your name, even if I don't have access to your abilities, whatever they are, you expect me to just abandon her? Just leave her in the hands of that maniac?" he challenged.
"No… I do not… I know that… even if… you possessed… no powers of… your own… you would still… attempt to… help her… That is why… I state that… if you fail… to learn… my name… and powers… you will die… It is a… simple truth… One that… even you… cannot deny."
Timothy's grip on his weapon tightened in anger and frustration, his head lowering slightly. "I know. Those bastards are tough as shit; nearly killed me last time. I'm not stupid, 'Johnny'. I know my chances of getting Orihime out of Hueco Mundo are basically zilch as I am now. But what do you expect me to do? I'm giving it all I've got trying to beat you here. Been doing that for two days straight now. But you're just too damn strong for me. Yeah, maybe if I had like… a hundred years of training and experience under my belt, then 'maybe' I can beat you. But I don't have that, and you know it."
"Then why… make the attempt?"
"Because I have no choice!" the Lieutenant yelled. "I failed to protect Susan, because I was weak. If I was just a little bit stronger, I could've held off that damn mugger. Or maybe, if I wasn't so stupid, I could've just given him my damn wallet and just walked away. Either way, I got her killed. And now Orihime's in trouble, but this time I have a chance to help her."
"You… are wrong." 'Johnny' interrupted, surprising Timothy. "Though… the person… may be… different… the situation… is nearly… the same."
Timothy recovered from his surprise and snarled under his breath. "And just how is it the same, 'Johnny'? Last time, I was just a weak human: no powers, no zanpakutō, nothing, except my fists. But now? I at least have something in my arsenal."
The spirit nodded once. "Your words… are true… however… the situation… is still… the same… only on… a much… grander scale… The only… difference… between now… and then… is that you… now have… the opportunity… to better… prepare yourself."
"Then help me out here!" he snapped. "Tell me what I'm supposed to do. You're my zanpakutō spirit, right? You're supposed to help me get stronger, right? You tell me I have to beat you to learn your name, but just how the hell am I supposed to do that if you're several times stronger than I am?"
'Johnny' slowly shook his head at him. "I have… already… given you… all you need… to defeat me… It is now… up to you… to discover… and make use of… those boons."
That confused the Lieutenant, shown by his tilted head. "What the hell are you talking about? You never gave anything… except one hell of a beating." he grumbled.
The spirit only shook his head again. "I have… told you… all that you… need to know… And now…" He paused to raise his own blade level with his chest. "It is time… to continue… your training."
Growling, Timothy assumed his fighting stance once more, glaring into the spirit's eyes. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I? Well, I've still got a day left after this to 'train' with you. If I can't learn your name at the end of it, well… at least I managed to increase my pain tolerance!" he snarled, dashing forward at his opponent.
Palace of the Sexta Espada, Present
The Espada grinned widely, exposing his fangs, and blocked Timothy's assault with his forearms; the strengthened hiero of the Espada's skin was effortlessly holding without so much as a scratch. Swinging a leg around, Timothy attempted to take Grimmjow's legs out from under him, but the limb was stopped mid-flight by the Espada's tail. The situation was reversed on Timothy when his leg was lifted up high over his head, dragging his body along with him and dropping him onto his back again.
The Lieutenant soon found himself in pain and scooting across the floor when Grimmjow gave his exposed flank a harsh kick. Spinning his upper body around in the direction of travel, he planted a palm onto the ground and used his momentum to flip his body end over end and back onto his feet.
Turning in time, Timothy managed to block another swipe from Grimmjow's claws and locking them together. The Espada leaned forward and brought his face to only inches from Timothy's with a maniacal grin on it.
"Come on, Tim. Let me see what ya got. You said you could tell I was holding back, but the same can be said about you. You ain't fighting at full steam either, kid. All your movements are half-assed and sloppy. I told ya I wanted to hold back so I could see your zanpakutō in action, but my patience will only last so long, Tim." he warned, his grin slowly growing wider and more sinister. "Maybe I should give that blade of yours a reason to hurry its ass up." Once again, something changed in his side vision, but like before it failed to catch his interest.
Pushing back against his opponent, Grimmjow broke the lock and swiftly followed up with a pair of punches; one to the Lieutenant's stomach, forcing him to ball up a bit, and the second to the underside of the chin, launching Timothy off his feet. The man's body flew back a bit and landed back on the ground with a thump, and Timothy had only a second to flip out of the way of a follow-on attack from Grimmjow's whip-like tail.
The tail missed its target, being Timothy's torso, but still managed to nick the man's leg and draw out a pained hiss as the Lieutenant got back to his feet. With a whisp, the man vanished in shunpo and reappeared behind Grimmjow, his blade poised to stab the Espada in the back. Spinning on one foot, Grimmjow whipped his other around to kick at the man's head, but Timothy flash-stepped away several feet to his left, charging again.
"That's it! Bring it on!" Grimmjow called with glee, whipping his tail overhead to drop down on the advancing Lieutenant.
With a swift sidestep, Timothy was able to dodge the incoming attack without having to abandon his own. Flipping his grip around to hold the blade upwards, Timothy attacked the Espada with a series of quick and rapid thrusts of his short blade like a fencer. His arm and blade seemed to become a blur with the fast movements of the thrusts, but Grimmjow was able to almost effortlessly dodge each thrust with ease.
Timothy made nearly thirty thrusts of his blade, only being able to nick the hard skin of the Espada's forearm once, before stopping the assault and leaping back to avoid the long tail again as it made another attempt to knock him off his feet. The second he landed on his feet after the leap, he was on the move again, running around to the Espada's right flank in a sprint.
With another whip of his Grimmjow's tail, Timothy suddenly shifted direction, now charging at the Sexta head-on. There was a buzzing sound before Timothy was forced to stop in his tracks and turn around to block an attack from the rear. Grimmjow's laughing, glee-filled face was once again only inches from his own as the man stared into his eyes.
"Fuck yes! That's the spirit! Show me what you've really got, Tim!" Grimmjow cheered.
The Lieutenant's senses suddenly warned him of an impending attack, and he was just able to backflip away from the Espada before the tail whipped him in his exposed back. He grinned inside when he felt the heel of his foot smack the underside of the Espada's chin with a low grunt. Landing on his feet, he continued to flip a few more times, now several yards away, before turning and leaping into the air.
Flipping the grip on his weapon again, Timothy rammed the blade deep into the stone workings of a nearby rafter and pulled himself onto it. Ripping the blade back out, he turned in place and leaped the twenty or so feet through the air and to the next rafter before repeating the action for the next.
Grimmjow, still on the ground, rubbed his jaw with a dark chuckle and glanced up at the Lieutenant leaping from rafter to rafter in a circle around him. "Trying to keep your distance, kid? Sorry, but that ain't gonna work." Bending his arm, the Espada thrust out his right elbow towards the Lieutenant.
There was yet another flicker of light. This time the Espada did notice it, and hesitated for only a second, waiting to see if it was an incoming attack. When nothing happened, he chalked it off as his mind playing a trick on him and ignored it.
"Garra de la Pantera!" he called out.
A plate in his bone-like armor opened near the point of his elbow, exposing a number of pointed, crystalline objects underneath. With a series of loud hisses, five of the objects shot out from their place and towards the leaping Lieutenant, like numerous small rockets.
Not breaking his stride, Timothy turned his eyes towards the incoming projectiles. Not sure what the objects were capable of, the man took no chances and changed directions, now running straight down along a pillar towards the ground. One-by-one, the projectiles hit and exploded against the pillar around him, throwing chunks of rock in all directions from the explosions. Though he was peppered by some of the smaller debris from the explosions, Timothy was able to avoid any serious damage from the explosions themselves.
"Where do ya think you're going, kid?" Grimmjow jeered, firing another volley of the strange projectiles from his elbow.
Now back on the ground, Timothy was forced to run around randomly, shifting directions constantly, to avoid the second barrage of strange missiles, once being forced to use shunpo in a close call. Immediately after the last project exploded to his left, Timothy had to stop and raise his blade to block an attack from the Espada's claws after buzzing into place before him.
The Espada was still laughing in glee as he pressed down harder against the Lieutenant, his tail whipping around excitedly behind him. "Hah! Now I'm starting to have some fun. I can tell you're holding back less and less, Tim. Otherwise, my Garra de la Pantera woulda nailed ya good. Gotta give it to ya though, for being your first time against that attack, you dodged it pretty well. Not bad. So, is your zanpakutō done screwing around yet, or does it need more incentive to hurry up and get into this fight?" he taunted.
But Timothy only grinned at the man. "You think I was able to dodge those missile things of yours because I stopped holding back, Grimm? You might wanna think again. I told you, the powers of my new zanpakutō are not something you see, it's something you feel."
Grimmjow raised a curious brow. "Again, what the fuck you talking about, Tim? You said that I'm supposed to feel something, but I still don't feel shit. You sure your zanpakutō's not broken or something? 'You check the batteries?'" he jeered.
Timothy dead-panned at the man. "... Really? Batteries? For a zanpakutō?" he mumbled.
The Espada shrugged a shoulder. "Well, something's obviously wrong with it, cause it still ain't done shit."
Timothy's smirk returned then. "You sure about that, Grimm? And just how do you know that you're not already being affected?"
Grimmjow narrowed his eyes in suspicion, and once again thinking back on the fight, he still couldn't notice anything out of the ordinary. "I ain't in the mood for games, Tim. If your zanpakutō really is working, then quit fucking around and use it. My patience is beyond its limits now, and now you're only starting to make me angry."
There was then another flicker, but before he could react, the Lieutenant pulled his lips back into an evil grin. "As you wish, Grimm."
Flashback, Timothy's Inner World, 6 Days Prior
Bright, red blood dripped onto the grass from above as Timothy coughed to clear his lungs. More blood ran down from his mouth, collecting at his chin, before dripping down to join the rest that had fallen before. He coughed again, exuding more blood as he sat hunched over on his hand and knees, holding an injured arm against his equally injured side.
Taking a few, deep breaths, the Lieutenant raised his one open eye back up to the spirit that was standing only a few short feet away, staring down on him with his emotionless, concealed face. Gritting his teeth, Timothy fought through the pain to curse at the spirit in anger.
"Get up… we are not… done yet." the spirit instructed.
Growling, but not saying anything in response, the man slowly, painfully pulled a leg under himself and struggled back up to his feet. It took him a moment, but after a few seconds, he was able to get back up into a weak fighting stance, the spirit watching his movements closely.
"Attack… Timothy." the spirit encouraged.
Timothy gripped his zanpakutō tighter, and made to step forward, but was forced to take his foot back as he nearly lost his balance. "Damn." he hissed in pain.
The spirit narrowed its exposed eye slightly. "Take… that step… forward… Timothy… You must… fight on."
Growling louder, Timothy made to try and take that step again, a little pleased with himself that he was able to keep his balance long enough to move his foot forward and plant it back down. 'Johnny' nodded in approval and added encouragement for him to take another.
"You must… fight on… You must keep… a calm mind… Relax… your body… and push… onward."
All Timothy could offer in return was a slight tilt of his head in a nod before taking another deep breath, letting it out slowly. Taking another breath, he held it in and forced his body forward, bringing his blade and over his right shoulder to attack. With every step, his body screamed in pain, begging him to just stop and rest.
But he couldn't. He was on his last day, his last day to try and learn 'Johnny's' true name. Actually, he didn't even have that long. If he had to guess, he had maybe a couple hours left before he would be forced to stop for the night; and tomorrow he would only be able to squeeze in a few hours at most before the team left that same day. If he stopped to rest now, he would lose valuable time. So, he only had one option at this moment; push on.
With a growl, he brought the blade down on his opponent. But as he expected, the spirit simply blocked it. Timothy clenched his teeth as he pushed his blade against 'Johnny's', but the spirit wouldn't budge so much as an inch. It was like pushing against a wall.
With a scoff, the spirit broke the lock and gave the man a solid punch to the side of his head, sending him back down to the ground. The Lieutenant groaned in pain and held his head with his free hand, trying to soothe the pain, while 'Johnny' returned to his 'waiting' stance. He stood there above his partner, arms hanging limply at his sides, while staring down at the struggling man.
"You are… attacking… aimlessly… Timothy… You are not… putting any… thought… or planning… into your… movements." he scolded.
Timothy turned his head enough to glare at the spirit in fury. "What does… it matter? Everything I do… no matter what… what I think of… nothing works against you. I… I can't beat you." he hissed, his head now throbbing with every word.
The spirit narrowed his eyes in questioning. "You can… only say that… 'nothing works'... as long as… you have tried… everything." he countered.
The Lieutenant got a confused expression on his face. "What?" he asked in a whisper.
"If there… is something… that you… can still do… then how… do you know… that nothing… works?... If something… does not work… then you… must try… something else… You must… calm… your mind… and think… of what else… you can try… Remember… what I… told you… to keep… to heart?" he questioned.
Timothy had recovered enough that he was able to push himself up onto one arm as he recalled the spirit's words. "Slow and steady… wins the race." he spoke to himself.
'Johnny' nodded once. "In that story… you… at this moment… are the hare… Like the hare… your movements… your attacks… are careless… wild… complacent."
The Lieutenant was now back up to a sitting position, still cradling his head lightly. "And the hare lost…"
Again, the spirit nodded. "So… with this… thought… in mind… what… is it… that you… believe that… you… must do?" he questioned.
Slowly, Timothy forced himself back to his feet, still holding a hand to his head to reduce the throbbing within. He only needed a few seconds to come up with his answer to the spirit's question. "I need to slow down… plan my attacks out thoroughly. I need to stop rushing." he spoke under his breath.
If the spirit had heard him, he made no indication of it; 'Johnny' only continued to stand there and stare at him expectantly. 'I need to stop rushing, but… I'm almost out of time. I don't even have half a day left to train, and I've gotten nowhere with this training of his. In the past four days, I've only managed to hit him twice, and even an idiot can tell that he let me hit him.'
"Time… passes quickly… for you… Timothy." the spirit spoke, pulling the Lieutenant from his thoughts. "The more… you rush… the more time… you lose." he scolded.
Timothy clenched his teeth for a moment, but quickly stopped and took another calming breath, letting his body relax a bit more. He was still angry inside; angry about the training, angry about Orihime's kidnapping, angry at himself for failing, yet again, to protect those close to him. But, after taking that calming breath and trying to clear his mind, a bit of that anger was taken away. The anger was still there, but it was steadily being set aside on the 'back burner' and out of the forefront.
He took two more deep breaths, letting them out slowly, before opening his eyes at his opponent and solidifying his stance. "Sorry. I'm ready now." he spoke calmly, receiving a nod from the spirit.
"Very well… let us… continue." he responded, vanishing the next second.
Reflexively, Timothy twisted his body and held his blade over his back, blocking 'Johnny's' attack just before it struck him. Redirecting the blade with his own, Timothy let the spirit's blade fall straight down to the ground, just missing his back, and turned his body fully around. Swinging his blade around overhead, he attempted to cut down on the spirit in a return attack. But with a twist of his blade, 'Johnny' brought it right back up and caught Timothy's in a block. Now locked, the spirit lifted a foot and kicked out at the man's stomach. Not reacting fast enough, the heel dug into his gut with force, breaking the lock and pushing the Lieutenant back a few feet.
Timothy groaned and clutched his stomach in pain, but was forced to ignore it as he found himself under immediate assault once more in the form of a series of rapid thrusts from the spirit. Panic began to rise inside him as he was forced to take step after step backwards to avoid the attack; but, remembering the spirit's words to him not a minute ago, he forced that panic down and tried to remain calm.
That was when he saw it; and opening. It was very brief, so brief he would have missed it had he not been as calm as he was now. 'Johnny's' next thrust was high, too high. It was obvious that he was aiming for his throat, rather than his chest like he normally did.
Without thinking about it, he reacted almost instinctively and came to a stop while letting his knees fall out from under him. As he fell, he kicked his right foot up and into the thrusting arm, throwing it upwards. Immediately afterwards, he threw his lifted leg to the left and rolled his body along with it while slashing out at the spirit's exposed torso. Continuing his roll, he came to a stop in a crouch with his right leg extended out behind him. Not stopping, he kicked off with his left foot right back at the spirit with his zanpakutō held at his right side across his chest. He made another slash attack at the spirit's right flank as he dashed by, hearing the clash of metal telling him that his attack was blocked. Coming to a stop, Timothy turned his body around quickly and back into a ready stance a few yards away from the spirit.
It had all taken place in a matter of five seconds.
'Johnny' was standing there, his sword arm hanging limply at his side while he slowly pressed his free hand to his chest. To Timothy's amazement, when the spirit touched his sternum, just under his ribcage, and pulled his hand back, he could see the smallest amount of blood on the spirit's fingertips.
"Hmm… You… have drawn… your first… blood… from me… Well done." the spirit offered. He lowered his hand and turned his gaze back to Timothy. "However…"
Timothy nodded firmly, in understanding. "Still not enough." he concluded in a low tone, earning a nod in return before the spirit charged at him once more.
Yet again forced on the defensive, Timothy focused on trying to keep himself calm while looking for any chance to get back on the offensive. After six attacks from the spirit, managing to block them all, he found that chance. With a dodge and counterattack, now Timothy was the one forcing the spirit back, even though it appeared 'Johnny' was having no trouble at all blocking his attacks. He was only able to get in three of his own in before the roles were switched once more, now back on the defensive.
Back and forth the two went, switching between attacking and defending with the spirit able to get at least twice the attacks in than Timothy could before switching back again. Every now and then, 'Johnny' would score a hit against the Lieutenant through either his blade, a punch, or a kick; but, for every eight or nine hits the spirit made, Timothy was able to get one of his own in.
This 'dance', as Kitsune decided to call it, continued for nearly two hours as she watched from her spot on the field nearby. The former human sat Indian-style on the soft grass, supporting her upper body with her hands planted in the space they made. She watched the pair closely, as she had done the past four days, and flinched a bit when 'Johnny' scored another hit on her partner before sighing heavily.
Without a doubt, this had been the longest and most painful four days in her entire life; both as a living human and as a spirit. So far, the only time she wasn't on edge was when it was finally time for the pair to stop for the night. It didn't help that she was constantly checking her 'internal clock' to see how much longer until that stopping time was; just like watching the clock and waiting for the final bell at school, or counting down those last fifty miles after a long drive, those last few dozen minutes before the end literally dragged on. Like they would never pass by.
With another heavy and impatient sigh, she raised a hand, planted her elbow on her thigh, and rested her chin in her palm with a grumble while resting her other hand on her other thigh and began drumming her fingers against her furry skin. Her head remained unmoving while her eyes tracked the pair as they moved around the field at high speed in their fight. One positive thing she could say was that at least her partner was finally doing a better job of holding the male spirit off, even getting some hits in now. It made her smile a bit inside.
The battle continued on for forever, until finally, finally, the little 'alarm' went off in her head, telling her it was time for the training to stop for the night. With a groan of relief, she raised her free hand near her head and snapped her fingers.
Timothy was on the offensive, but this time, he was on the offensive after more than five attacks; a new record. With his sixth attack, he was able to force 'Johnny's' blade up a bit, leaving him open. Pulling his blade back, he dashed forward to begin a series of thrusts. Now close enough, he thrust forward…
Only for the zanpakutō in his hand to vanish.
He came to a stop instantly and sighed heavily, both in annoyance and relief. He had him, he just felt that he had 'Johnny' that time. Hence the annoyance. But he was relieved, because now he could stop and get that much needed rest that his body was screaming at him for.
'Johnny' let his arms rest at his sides, his own blade vanishing as well, when Kitsune flashed into place between them. "Time's up, boys. Time to turn in your gear and hit the showers." she joked with a smirk, planting her hands on her hips.
'Johnny' nodded once at her while Timothy dropped to his knees with a relaxing breath. "Finally." he mumbled.
She scoffed and rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, quit your crying, you big baby. You actually did real good today. Much better than the past four days. So, cheer up."
The Lieutenant snorted and glared at her. "Easy for you to say, miss 'sit on my fluffy ass and watch my partner get the shit kicked outta him'."
Kitsune's lips pulled back into a sly smirk. "Hey, a vixen's gotta take time outta her day to brush her fur and tail. Besides, you like my 'fluffy ass', and you know it." she teased, turning and shaking her hips and tail at him.
He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Crazy-ass fox." he grumbled.
The spirit snickered, then turned back to him and crossed her arms, taking on a serious expression. "But seriously, Tim, you did real good."
"No I didn't." he hissed back, raising his gaze to the pair. "It's been four days. Four fucking days, and I still haven't gotten any closer to learning 'Johnny's' name." he seethed.
Kitsune sighed and shook her head. "Look, Tim… you've gotta…"
"I've only got three damn hours left, Kit!" he yelled, making her flinch. "Three hours to learn his name. Do you honestly expect me to get anywhere in that time? What's even the damn point now? Huh? I'm better off just saying 'screw it', and use that time to rest up further before leaving tomorrow."
She took a deep, calming breath before answering. "Tim… you need to shut up and listen to me, for once." she spoke calmly. "You and I, we're both new… ish… to this whole soul reaper and zanpakutō spirit thing. You and I can both agree that there's a lot that we don't know yet; 'Johnny's' name being one of them. But, one of the things that we do know, is that we only truly fail at something when we give up on that something. Yeah, you can fail at a lot of things, like learning 'Johnny's' name, but that's just it; you just… simply failed." she said with a shrug. "But, if you give up, just call it quits without giving it everything you've got to try and succeed, then you've not only failed, you've also failed yourself." she said in a firm tone.
'Johnny' nodded once. "She speaks… the truth… Timothy… By… giving up… you have… admitted… that you… are weak… That you… have no… resolve… No compassion…"
"I get that!" the man snapped, then took a calming breath. "I get it. Trust me, I do. But four days? Plus change? To learn a shikai from literal scratch? How the hell can you expect me to do that? Yeah, maybe if I had say… four weeks to do this, sure I can likely do it. But four days is just not enough time."
Kitsune scoffed before walking up and slapping the back of his head. Timothy hissed and held a hand to the spot while glaring at the spirit, who glared right back. "Don't give us that shit, Tim. Ichigo was able to get his bankai in three days, and he is a quarter of your age, and only had his powers for a few months, while you had yours for thirteen years! Plus, you've had a hell of a lot more training and experience than he did. And before you try to argue on it, his situation at the time was exactly the same as yours is now. So, you got any other bullshit excuses lined up?"
The man lowered his gaze and took a deep, calming breath. "No. And… I'm sorry." he answered under his breath, then raised his gaze back to the two spirits. "But what am I supposed to do? I only have about three hours left to train before the team leaves, and I have no idea on what I'm supposed to do. Yeah, I know I've gotten a bit faster and stronger, but… there's just no way I can improve enough to beat you, 'Johnny'. Not in that amount of time. Even you have to know this. So, what else can I do?"
The male spirit slowly shook his head at him. "Everything… you need… to… succeed… has already… been given… to you… It… is up… to you… to solve… the problem… on… your own… Now… it is… time… for you… to go… Eat… Rest… Concentrate… on what… I have… told you."
Kitsune nodded and crossed her arms. "Go ahead and get something to eat, Tim. I'll be up there to join you guys soon. I've got some things to think about first where it's quiet." she said, offering him a hand.
Timothy sighed and accepted the gesture, allowing the spirit to pull him back up to his feet. "Yeah… I guess I'll see ya tomorrow, 'Johnny'." he said in a depressed voice with a wave.
The male spirit nodded in return. "Forget not… what I… have told you… Timothy… For… my words… are… the key… to your… success… or failure." he advised.
The man nodded back and closed his eyes, allowing himself to vanish from his inner mind and back to the real world. The two spirits continued to stand there, staring at the space he occupied. "Do you think he'll figure it out?" she asked in a quiet voice, almost pleading.
He closed his eyes with a hum of thought for a moment before reopening them to her. "That is… an answer… I cannot… give… However… one thing… I can say… is that… he is… starting to… figure out… that… a calm mind… is key… to his… success… Perhaps… he shall… But… only time… will tell… Afterall… time… tells all."
She sighed deeply and nodded. "I know. Now, here's an even bigger question. What'll we do if he doesn't succeed? Do we just let him go anyway? We both know that, without learning your name and getting your power, his chances, and therefore the team's chances, are basically zilch, right?"
"I am… aware… However… I believe… the correct… question is… What… can we… do to… stop him?" he returned.
Kitsune scoffed and shook her head with a smirk. "Nothing, that's what." She then turned and started walking past him, stopping right next to him and resting a hand on his shoulder. "So… I guess... here's hoping he does figure it out. Otherwise, we're all in a world of shit." she concluded, patting his shoulder once and continuing to walk by until she faded from view, joining their partner in the real world.
'Johnny' hummed in thought and nodded once. "Indeed."
Palace of the Sexta Espada, Present
With a backflip, Timothy attempted to kick the Espada in the chin again with his heel while also gaining some distance. But Grimmjow saw it coming and tipped his head back enough for the attack to pass by harmlessly. Before he could react, Grimmjow found himself under another assault of Timothy's thrusts when the Lieutenant charged forward the second his feet touched the ground.
Grimmjow's eyes opened wider in surprise when he instantly noticed that this time the flurry of thrusts were faster than before; the Lieutenant's arm and blade were moving so fast that, even with the Espada's enhanced senses, the limb just seemed to blur starting from the mid-upper arm. If he had to guess, Grimmjow could have sworn that the Lieutenant was somehow using some form of shunpo in his arm's movements.
The Espada growled in anger as he weaved and dodged each of the thrusts, noting that as time went on, the attacks seemed to only be getting much more accurate as Timothy got into a rhythm. The attacks were fast enough that he couldn't get the chance to counter, and without an actual weapon, only having his clawed hands, blocking a thrust was nearly impossible at this speed.
Timothy suddenly stopped his assault and flipped back a few yards, landing in a low stance. "At the beginning of the fight, I gave you about fifteen minutes before you started to feel the effects of my zanpakutō; but here we are, only ten minutes in, and you can already tell that something's not right. I can literally see the confusion in your eyes, Grimm." he said with a smug grin.
Grimmjow snarled in anger, knowing that the man was right. Thinking back on the fight once more, while he couldn't remember that he was feeling any different than normal throughout, he did notice that, as the fight went on, the Lieutenant was having an easier time dodging his attacks and was seemingly moving faster to boot.
With a scoff, Grimmjow spat on the ground next to him and grinned back. "Yeah, now that I think about it, there is something different about the fight. Can't say I've noticed anything about myself, but it seems that zanpakutō of yours is somehow making you faster. Don't know how, but then again, I don't care. I just hope this means you'll put up a better fight from now on."
Timothy chuckled through his nose in humor. "You're close, I'll give you that, Grimm; but you're still wrong about how my zanpakutō works. Maybe we should continue our fight for a while longer and perhaps you'll be able to figure it out. You ready?"
"Hah! That's the stupidest question I've ever heard, Tim. Of course I'm ready! Now shut up and bring it!" the Espada yelled in return with a charge.
Once again, Timothy suddenly found himself on the defensive. As if a switch had been flipped inside of Grimmjow, Timothy found that the Espada's movements had nearly doubled in speed and aggressiveness. Though not as severe as before, Timothy was finding himself hard-pressed in defending against Grimmjow's onslaught.
Even so, through the series of swipes with dangerous claws, combined with the whips of the Espada's tail, Timothy was still able to squeeze in a couple small series of thrusts from his own weapon every now and then. The first two times almost resulted in a severe counter from the Sexta, but as time progressed his attacks became more fluid and precise, and once again Grimmjow soon found himself struggling to get a decent hit on the Lieutenant.
Snarling in agitation, Grimmjow leaped back and presented his elbow to the man; the armored plating peeling back and revealing the multiple, crystalline missiles. Yet again, his eye caught another tiny, brief flash of light, but he made the conscious choice to ignore it and fired his missiles.
Timothy discovered then that the missiles bore some sort of tracking capabilities, as the projectiles seemed to turn around to him when he used shunpo to avoid them. Flashing away again, Timothy tried to avoid the missiles, listening to the maniacal laughter from the Espada as more were launched at him. The Lieutenant growled lowly to himself as one-by-one the missiles struck close to home, nearly hitting him. Judging by the explosions, Timothy determined that one or two hits from the projectiles wouldn't do him in, but they would be enough to severely limit his fighting capabilities afterwards; something he couldn't risk.
"Not so fast now, are ya, kid?" the Espada taunted, not letting up in his attack.
Timothy scoffed through his teeth at the man as he continued to dodge the multiple missiles flying at him, each one seemingly getting closer and closer to a hit. Using shunpo, the Lieutenant was able to avoid them for a considerable amount of time, until the explosion of a nearby miss threw him off track and sent him falling down to the floor. Timothy was able to recover quickly, but it was just enough time for Grimmjow to take advantage of the opening.
With a buzz of sonído, the Espada was standing next to the recovering man and digging the heel of his foot into the man's stomach, launching him off his feet again. Timothy's body flew several feet across the air and into a large pillar, the stonework giving way from the impact. The Lieutenant let out a painful grunt upon hitting the pillar, then his body fell and landed on the floor again.
With another buzz, Grimmjow was now standing a few feet away from him, arms crossed and giving the man a look of contempt. "Tsk, pathetic. I ain't even up to full strength yet, and already you're down and out? Geeze, talk about weak." he scolded. "I'm done screwing around with this new zanpakutō of yours; bring out the vixen, so I can at least have some fun before ya kick the bucket."
His eyes caught yet another small flicker of light in front of him, and he raised a brow in confusion. If he had anything further to say in question, it was locked in his throat by the eighteen-inch blade that suddenly appeared against it. The sharp edge of the blade pressed tightly against the man's hardened skin, suddenly sharp enough to bypass his hiero and cut ever so slightly into the skin and draw a droplet of blood. Grimmjow froze instantly at the touch of the blade, only moving his eyes to the side to see Timothy's face appear next to his; a dark, grim look in the Lieutenant's own.
"Did you forget what I told you before the fight, Grimm? About not judging a book by the cover?" the man questioned in a hollow voice.
Grimmjow's eyes went wide in shock at the sudden turn of tide. "Wha… What the fuck? How did…" he started to ask, turning his gaze back to the ground where Timothy was supposed to be lying in pain. The man nearly gasped in shock when he saw nothing there. It was as if the man had vanished.
Timothy's eyes narrowed slightly before tugging the blade tighter against the Espada's neck, drawing more blood. "I told you; my zanpakutō's abilities are not something you see, but feel, Grimm. This whole time, while you were indeed paying more attention to your surroundings, you were still relying heavily on the things you could see, not feel."
The Espada gritted his teeth tightly in a dangerous growl. "The fuck you talking about, ya bastard? I didn't feel shit then, and I still don't feel shit now. Now, how the fuck are you standing here and not down on the floor where I put you?"
"Heh, guess I've gotta spell it out plainly for you, don't I? I wasn't talking about actually feeling anything, like through touch. I was talking about my zanpakutō's abilities being something you feel inside you, something you sense, like an instinct."
Tightening his grip on his blade, Timothy dug the edge of his blade a hair deeper into the Espada's neck, drawing a hiss out of him in both pain and fury. Grimmjow snapped his eyes back to Timothy's in a seething rage with a look that had the potential to kill.
"If you'd actually been paying close attention to the fight, you would've noticed a very key detail." Timothy continued in a mocking tone.
A snarl escaped Grimmjow's throat, against the protesting sting Timothy's blade was causing it. "Oh yeah? Like what?" he questioned snidely.
"Like the fact that it's not me that's getting faster, Grimm…" The look in Timothy's eyes then grew even darker as they narrowed, a look that almost made the Sexta shiver inside in worry. "It's you that's getting slower."
The Espada's eyes widened a bit in surprise. "The fuck you talking about?" he snarled. "You think I'm getting slower? Don't make me laugh, bastard!"
A light chuckle escaped Timothy's throat as a grin came to his lips. "Don't believe me? Well then…"
He then vanished, the tension of the blade on his throat suddenly gone. Grimmjow gasped in relief and quickly held a hand to his throat where the blade had been. Pulling it back, he looked at the blood, his blood, that was on his fingers. Narrowing his eyes and pulling his lips back in a loud snarl, another small flash of light caught his attention, and he snapped his gaze back up and to the Lieutenant, now standing several yards away.
"Why don't we keep going, and I'll prove what I said is true." the man taunted.
Snarling even louder, Grimmjow clenched his hand into a tight fist. "I don't know how the fuck you did that just now; you being faster, or me being slower, but I don't care." His lips then pulled up into a wide, fanged smile, laughing in excitement. "Now we can get this fight started for real. Let's do this, Tim! Show me what you've really got!" he roared.
Timothy smirked and brought his shortened blade up level with his face. "Round two, coming up." he snarked, vanishing a second later.
Okay, this chapter is done. It took me a long time, getting a few sentences here, a few there, but I finally got it done. As you all read, this chapter was solely focused on Timothy and Grimmjow's fight, as well as the backstory to Timothy's training during the preparation for the Hueco Mundo mission. As I'm sure you all noticed, this fight will be a two-part session. With that said, I can now officially confirm with you all that 'Johnny's' true power and name will be revealed in the next chapter, as it will also focus solely on Timothy and Grimmjow.
As I had said earlier, I thank you all for your patience with me, and I am going to try my hardest to get the next chapter out to you all as soon as I can. Thank you all for your support, and I'm looking forward to seeing you all for the reveal of 'Johnny's' powers. Have a safe one all. Laters.
