Try Again

After a long explanation...

Grimmjow: "Oh man..."

Videl: "I'm so sorry, Toushiro... I wish there was something we could do."

Toushiro: "I don't think there is at this point..."

Goku: "Well... You're welcome to stay here with us if you want, Toushiro."

Toushiro: "I don't wanna intrude."

Chi-Chi: "After everything you've done for and with us, I assure you that you won't be in any way, Toushiro."

Toushiro: "Thank you... You're all too kind."

Krillin: "What I can't figure out is why he would just suddenly appear after a century of pretending to be dead and the first thing he does is challenge you for his old position?"

Toushiro: "I don't know... Rangiku did say he was crazy. Look, can't we just forget about this?! I lost! It's over! ... ... I'm no longer the Captain of Squad 10."

Gin: "But you lost unfairly!"

Toushiro: "Excuse me?"

Grimmjow: "He's right, Toushiro."

Gin: "You said that you were not aware that he was a dual-blade wielder, right?"

Toushiro: "Yeah... He pulled his second blade out at me at the very end. That's how I lost."

Gin: "Well then that's cheating! The Trial by Combat method doesn't have a lot of rules as to how to go about it. But there is an unofficial yet mutual agreement that both combatants must be aware of all weapons!"

Grimmjow: "I may fight dirty, I admit it, but I'd at least let my opponent know if I was a double blade wielder if I was! It's dishonoring to do that."

Goku: "Listen to me, Toushiro. You have-to-try-again!"

Toushiro: "I can't, Goku. I don't have the strength to even come close to matching-"

Gin: (Gets his full attention) "Listen to me! Listen! I used to be that way when I was your age. I thought that the only way to win a fight was to be stronger than my opponent. But as I matured, got trained properly and fought opponents that were much stronger than myself, I realized an interesting fact."

Toushiro: "What's that?"

Gin: "Listen very carefully... ... Brute strength and raw power don't always win a fight."

Goku: "He's right. That method wins only half the time."

Toushiro: "What do you mean? That's how Vegeta fights."

Goku: "Believe it or not there are some things that Vegeta keeps hidden even from you. The thing about Vegeta is... You'd think that strength and power were all that's needed to win a fight from the way he fights and talks about fighting, especially in the old days. But even he knows that this isn't true."

Toushiro just looked at Goku with a confused look.

Goku: "Remember, Toushiro... Vegeta's a master at tactics and at deception! If I had to fight a very strong opponent and could only have one person helping me, I'll pick Vegeta every time because of his mastery of strategic calculation, tactical planing and cunning deception. I've seen it first hand many, many times! Whenever he and I are fighting an opponent together, he's the one who comes up with the best strategies and even counter strategies incase something went wrong. I'm pretty good myself, but he's so much better! If it were a strategic battle of him vs me, I'd lose- guaranteed!"

Toushiro: "So what's that got to do with my situation?"

Goku: "Just using your strength to try and win a fight isn't always the best way to win. The chances of you winning like that are like I said only 50%. No, in fact, the best way to win against your opponent... is with your brain."

Toushiro: "My what?"

Goku: "Your brain. Your brain is actually the strongest weapon you can use in a fight. You could be the weakest guy in existence fighting the strongest guy in existence! But even the strongest guy can lose if his opponent out-smarts him! Believe it or not, that's how I beat Vegeta the first time with the aid of my friends and son! This Riku guy is stronger than you, we know that for a fact. But you have two things working for you, Toushiro. You are a child prodigy, you're dangerously smart! Out-smarting Riku won't be a challenge for you, you just gotta remember to use your head!"

Toushiro: "And the other thing?"

Goku: "You're-a-kid!"

Toushiro: "Thank you for dumping that whole container of salt on my wounds."

Goku: "No, Toushiro, that's a good thing! You're still a kid which means you're more mobile than he is! You can get yourself through some pretty small openings, literally and figuratively."

Toushiro: "I guess..."

Just then, Ichigo arrived with his father in tow.

Ichigo: "Toushiro! Is what I heard from Rukia true!?"

Toushiro: "Yes... But I'm-"

And Toushiro saw Isshin. And, boy, did Ichigo and everyone else get one hell of a surprise!

Toushiro: "C-Captain!?"

Isshin: "Huh? AHH HA HA! Well if it isn't Little Toushiro!"

Isshin suddenly picked up Toushiro and held him up in the air.

Isshin: "My god, it's been ages!"

Toushiro: "It's nice to see you again too, captain."

Isshin: "Oh, please, stop calling me 'captain'!"

Ichigo: "Hold on!... You two know each other!?"

Isshin: "Of course, son! I used to be the Captain of Squad 10! Toushiro here was my Third Seat!"

Ichigo: "You what?!"

Toushiro: "Wait! Ichigo's your son?!"

Toushiro just looked at Ichigo and Isshin for a while. Now he saw the resemblance.

Toushiro: "... This actually explains a few things."

Ichigo: (While glaring at his old man) "What else haven't you told us yet, ya old fart?"

Isshin: "More than you know, son."

Isshin put Toushiro down and patted him on his head, which Toushiro didn't really like.

Isshin: "You were always doing the paperwork and finishing it before me! Bet that's come in handy now that your Squad 10's captain, huh."

Toushiro: "Actually... I'm no longer the captain."

Isshin: "Huh? What do you mean?"

Toushiro: "The one you replaced came back and challenged me."

Isshin: "And... What happened?"

Toushiro: "... I lost. Riku Kora beat me."

Isshin: "Riku Kora? I haven't heard that name in decades."

Goku: "We were just discussing with Toushiro that he should try again."

Piccolo: "Only after we find out why he kept feeling weaker after every sword clash with the guy."

Krillin: "Yeah ya definitely don't want that to happen again."

Isshin: "Hold on... Did you say that every time you and Kora clashed swords, you felt more and more fatigued?"

Toushiro: "That's right. I don't know why."

Isshin: "I know why. Riku Kora's primary zanpakuto utilizes the element of water. But his secondary zanpakuto is completely different!"

Ulquiorra: "Different how?"

Isshin: "This zanpakuto has the ability to suck the strength out of the opponent that its master faces. Every time the opponent's sword touches it, the opponent's stamina is lowered. It's an exceedingly dirty trick as it forces the opponent to become fatigued much faster than usual, thus giving Kora the ultimate advantage."

Now it all made sense!

Toushiro: "So that's what happened to me! I knew something was wrong!"

Gohan: "How can something like that be allowed?!"

Isshin: "It wasn't. At least not by the previous Central 46. The previous Central 46 forbade Riku Kora from using that sword against any non-hollow opponents. That information was most likely lost or forgotten after Aizen killed the old Central 46 and the new ones were probably never aware of the prohibit."

Gin: "All the more reason why you need to try again, Toushiro."

Toushiro: "I want to... but I don't think I can... Not yet anyways."

Goku: "And that's why we'll help you."

Toushiro: "You will?"

Goku: "Yeah! We're gonna train you until you're ready to take on Riku Kora again, and this time, you will be the victor! I guarantee it!"

And Toushiro smiled with eagerness. If he trained with the legendary Z-Fighters, there was no doubt that he'd be victorious the next time! So Goku and the others all started training Toushiro hard every day from dawn 'til dusk. Days passed into a week and then two. Things were going well for Toushiro, but it was a different story in the Soul Society.