Oh right. I don't own Bleach
Chapter 19: Progression
Jackie manages to recover from Ichigo's attack after a short while. She stands up and slightly dusts herself as she deduces how Ichigo quickly got behind her.
"Bringer Light… It's flickering from Fullbring induced high-speed movement is the preliminary action for the next high-speed movement. It signifies that one is beginning to master Fullbring. So the alternating dodging and taking of my attacks was to draw me off guard." Jackie thought before reactivating her Fullbring and getting to continue her battle with Ichigo.
"… impressive. Immediately grasping the flaws in a newly acquired ability and utilizing htem right there in battle… who taught you how to fight?" She asks him in an intrigued tone.
"… the initial trick was taught to me." Ichigo answered as an image of Kisuke appeared in his mind. "But the rest I learned while fighting. I may not have been a Shinigami for long, but if we're just talking about combat experience then I probably have more than you guys." He declares, recalling his past battles with Renji, Kenpachi, Zangetsu, Byakuya, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Aizen.
"I see. So his combat acumen which has been unconsciously refined through his past battles is beginning to awaken as he enters into battle in his powerless state. Not bad, Kurosaki Ichigo." Jackie silently compliments him in the back of her mind and prepares to attack, but stops herself after noticing something wrong with Ichigo's Fullbring.
"Ichigo!" Nozomi called out to him, instantly getting his attention.
"What… Nozomi? What's wrong?" He asks her, getting an un-entertained look in response.
"For crying out loud… look at your arm!" She ordered.
"My arm? Why should…. Oh, what the hell?" Ichigo's complaint was cut short after finally discovering what was bothering Nozomi and Jackie.
The Reiatsu emanating from his badge started to go out of control and flared out wildly before covering almost his entire right arm.
"… I see… so Inoue Orihime said that…" Ginjou said, now back on the couch talking to Chad who was on the opposite couch.
"Yeah. I'm thinking that maybe this Tsukishima's power is something like suggestion or causing memory loss. His Fullbring had that kind of ability right?" Chad asked but was answered with silence. "Tell me. There's nothing to hide from me at this point."
The Reiatsu continued to flare out, enveloping the right part of Ichigo's upper body. The worries of Nozomi and Jackie further increased when the Reiatsu continued to increase in volume.
"I'm calling this off…!"
"Ichigo, stay still! I'll try to absorb the excess Reiatsu!" Nozomi said as she prepared to enter her Shinigami form but was stopped by Ichigo.
"What're you two talking about!? Not yet!" Ichigo demanded as he struggled to suppress his Reiatsu, although he was almost failing to do so.
"That's our line! Your Fullbring is starting to go out of control! This is the first time I've seen this! Your training progression was going too fast! I have to call this off!" Jackie said before starting an attempt to call out for the others.
"I'm fine! Keep going!" Ichigo stubbornly refused and entered a fighting stance.
"Ginjou! Giriko! Go get Riruka and tell her to deactivate her Fullbr-" She started calling out but was suddenly slammed on the ground by Ichigo with his Reiatsu-covered arm.
"I said keep going! My Fullbring isn't going out of control! This is my badge telling me to hurry up and get my powers back!"
"You little… I'm telling you that his is getting dangerous! Can't you figure that out without having it beaten into you!?" She attempted to retaliate but was once again interrupted when Ichigo's Fullbring went further out of control.
"I'm not hiding anything… I'm having trouble." Ginjou said as he stood up from his seat, earning a look of confusion from Chad.
"… what trouble?"
"If Tsukishima had a real pain of an ability, then I would've told you right away." Ginjou said as he walked away slightly. "Tsukishima's Fullbring is named Book of the End. It's a sword with extremely high offensive capabilities, literally able to cut through anything. But it doesn't have any special abilities."
"Maybe it's changed since the last time you engaged him…" Chad tried to convince Ginjou of his theory but to no avail.
"No. Fullbrings don't change as you progress."
Chad immediately takes defense and stands up. "That's not true! My abilities have changed several times so far!"
"In your case, you were just in the initial stage and haven't discovered the true nature of your Fullbring. How many years do you think we've been living with our Fullbring? We passed that stage a long time ago."
"So then… what about Inoue…?"
"That's why I said I'm having trouble. As far as I remember, Tsukishima's abilities don't work like that" Ginjou admits and pauses for a while."… what about Ishida Uryuu? He was cut by Tsukishima too right? Did he have any confusing memories?
Chad thinks for a while before answering, because he hasn't visited Ishida yet, he can only rely on the information Inoue and Ichigo told him. " No… well at least, according to Inoue."
"You better check on that. If he's had any confusing memories then that's a problem unto itself. But if he hasn't, then the one who cut Inoue Orihime… wasn't Tsukishima. "
"… you don't think so?" An eerily familiar voice startled Ginjou and Chad.
A knock suddenly comes from the door, causing Ginjou to heighten his guard. He watches the door for a while before it gets slashed down from the outside, the one at fault being none other than Tsukishima Shukurou himself.
"Tsukishima…!" Ginjou says out loud, alerting Yukio, Ginjou, Chad and Nozomi.
"Hey. It's been a while… Ginjou." Tsukishima greets in his usual polite manner, causing an uncomfortable feeling to those who heard him.
"This is… Tsukishima…?" Chad thought as he examined him, most notably his long sword.
Tsukishima inspects the room for a while with a smile, before greeting the other members. "Kutsuzuwa, not drinking too much are we?" He asks Giriko before turning to Yukio. "And Yukio… judging from what I see, you're still playing video games all the time. That's not healthy, you should really borrow some of my books."
"Tsukishima, what the hell are you doing here…!?" Ginjou angrily asks him.
"I don't see Jackie or Riruka… wonder if they're in here?" Tsukishima approaches the fish tank and points his sword at it.
"Wait, Tsukishima!" Ginjou attempts to stop him but was unsuccessful.
Tsukishima slashes at the tank but to everyone's relief, his slash was parried by Nozomi.
"Oh? I believe I haven't met you before. What might your name be, miss?" He asks politely but quickly backs away when Nozomi starts sapping his Reiatsu through the physical contact of their blades. "Ah, interesting. Are you perhaps a Shinigami, miss?"
Nozomi doesn't give him an answer and quickly attacks him again. She swings her Zanpakutou at him continuously but he manages to dodge by side stepping. Nozomi immediately jumps away after a while and holds her sword above her head.
"Rain without End! Arazome Shigure!" She releases her Zanpakutou and swings it down, sending a pink wave of Reiatsu towards him and causing an explosion.
"Did I… do it?" Nozomi said in a slightly exhausted tone.
Everyone stares at the smoke for a while, but Tsukishima was nowhere to be found after it clears. Nozomi frantically looks around as everyone else comes to her aid.
"Impressive display. But not as impressive as me, I'm afraid." Tsukishima said before reappearing behind Nozomi and hitting her in the back with his sword's hilt, knocking her down to the ground.
"Kujou-san!" Chad attempts to help her but was knocked down in a similar fashion by Tsukishima.
"Now, what if I…?" Tsukishima reappears beside the fish tank and raises his sword.
Everyone manages to trace his voice just in time to see him cut the fish tank in half with his sword, leaving everyone horrified.
"Ichigo!" Nozomi called out while struggling to get up.
An unconscious Jackie emerges from the tank, back to her normal size. What really piques Tsukishima's interest though, is the wild wave of black Reiatsu that explodes from the tank.
Ichigo reappears in normal size, seemingly in his Shinigami Shihakushou.
"Ichigo… that's…!" Ginjou attempts to speak but was unable to do so for some reason.
Chad stares at Ichigo's new form for a while before standing up and trying to figure out what happened to Ichigo's Fullbring. "A clad- type Fullbring? This is the true form of Ichigo's Fullbring!? I get it! His Bankai was like that too. He said that it included his Shihakushou, so it wasn't just his sword that transformed, his Shihakushou did too. His Bankai covered his body for him. His true form is one where he is wreathed in power."
"Did you know that?" Tsukishima asked in a riddle-like manner. If you break the receptacle for Riruka's Dollhouse, then the contents are forcibly ejected. I can't believe you were secretly training like that."
Ichigo ignored his "lecture" and immediately heads to Nozomi and helps her get up. "You all right?"
"Y-yeah…" She answers as she is helped up by Ichigo.
"But all that aside…" Tsukishima interrupts. "I see your Fullbring has already progressed this much. It would've been nice if someone told me, don't you think?"
Tsukishima suddenly dashes out towards Ichigo and slashes his sword at him. Ichigo forms the black Reiatsu enveloping his right arm into a sword and deflects Tsukishima's attack. Tsukishima jumps away a short distance after that.
"Wow." Tsukishima said after landing a meter away.
" Who are you?" Ichigo asks with hostility.
"Oh? This is a surprise… they haven't informed you about me yet?" Tsukishima inquires before pausing for a while. "I am Tsukishima Shukurou… the one who attacked-"
His statement is cut short however, when Chad activates his Fullbring and attacks him, destroying a large portion of the wall and creating a hole to the outside.
"Dumbass… if you do such a loud and conspicuous thing…" Yukio attempts to protest but was interrupted by a familiar loud voice.
"What was that noise!?" Riruka barges into the room as per Yukio's predictions.
"See? A noisy moron shows up. It's such a pain."
"I'll deal with the neighborhood fire and police departments." Giriko informs him, examining the hole Chad made.
"Whose money does he think will be used to fix this?" Yukio nonchalantly complains.
"Hey what was that noise just now!? I'm talking to you!" And Riruka yells.
Chad appears from the rubble and follows Ichigo, Nozomi and Ginjou as they chase Tsukishima to the rooftops.
"You idiot!" Ginjou berates Chad as soon as he caught up to them "Don't make things worse than they already are. Ichigo's Fullbring is functional. We can tell him about Tsukishima now."
"Not yet." Chad answers, slightly confusing Ginjou. "We don't even know the extent of Ichigo's powers yet, nor if can control it right now. Telling him that Tsukishima attacked Ishida and Inoue would only unsettle him at this point!"
"Oh? He did that huh?" Ichigo said, having overheard their little conversation. "I guess you guys were really worrying about me without my knowledge."
Chad and Ginjou were speechless, until Tsukishima finally reveals himself.
"That's the gist of it." Tsukishima says from behind Ichigo.
"You're the guy who attacked Inoue and Ishida?" He immediately interrogates him.
"What do you think?" He taunts Ichigo, causing him to lose his temper.
Ichigo reforms the blade on his arm and slashes at Tsukishima, which he manages to block with his sword. The force sends him flying a few meters however.
"Very nice!" Tsukishima compliments Ichigo, who uses Fullbring on the floor to jump higher than usual and go after Tsukishima.
The jump wasn't enough to reach Tsukishima but he appeared to use Fullbring on the air to accelerate midair and finally get Tsukishima inside his range.
"He performed an amplified jump and midair acceleration by using Fullbring on the concrete and air respectively. Ichigo mastered Fullbring this much already?" Chad thought as he, Nozomi and Ginjou watched his impressive performance.
"I see. I'm now well aware that you're beginning to master Fullbring…" Tsukishima informed Ichigo before stepping on a ledge on a nearby building. "But the all important Fullbring on your body…"
Tsukishima used Fullbring on the ledge and dashes at Ichigo with unbelievable speed. He slashes at Ichigo which was blocked, but destroys the Reiatsu enveloping Ichigo's left arm.
"… is still utterly incomplete." Tsukishima said before kicking Ichigo and sending him crashing down to the roof of a lower building. "If you concentrate your Reiatsu on you right arm to form a blade, then your left arm is left with little. In reality, you weren't even able to cushion the impact of your fall, right?"
"Ichigo!" Nozomi attempted to rush to Ichigo's aid but falls down to her knees as the damage Tsukishima inflicted starts to take effect.
"Kujou-san! Don't push yourself. You're injured!" Chad told her.
Nozomi reluctantly stays put after finding herself unable to stand. "Ichigo…"
Tsukishima dashes at Ichigo once again, who was struggling to get up. Ichigo attempts to block his attack but is taken aback when Ginjou suddenly appears and blocks Tsukishima's attack with his greatsword.
"Sorry, but it seems it's still too early for you and Ichigo to fight." Ginjou said as he pointed his b;ade towards Tsukishima.
"… Ginjou." Tsukishima said as he readied himself to battle against his former ally.
Chapter 19. Hope you like it. I'll try to upload another one before the day ends, but if I can't then I'll try to upload tomorrow morning. There's still a chance I won't be able to upload at all though so sorry in advance. Alright, thanks for the reviews and support! Ja ne.