A/N: I cut out most of Ishida's training both so Chad can use this chapter and next chapter to get his training then we an skip right onto soul society arc! I also did this because I wanted to keep his secret techniques secret till he fights in an actual battle.
Italics + ' = Thoughts (Etc. = 'What is that?')
Bold + '' = Inner Hollow/Secondary Spirit (Etc. = ''Fucking Quotation marks!'' He roared) (Or Zangetsu in Ichigo's case).
Italics + '' = Zanpakuto Spirit (Etc. = ''Do not hesitate, Ichigo'' Zangetsu said) (Quincy part of Zangetsu for Ichigo's case).
I DONT OWN BLEACH!
Chapter 12: Untold Arts of the Quincy - Dragons Shadow ARC
Ishida grunted again as he raised another Heiliger Schild to block my siege of arrows, it worked and he managed to leech off some of the excess Reishi too. His metallic bow formed in his hand as he wordlessly fired off a Donnerschlag that I easily block with the back of my Zanpakuto, using Blut Vene to resit the knockback of the technique. He bolted off in a burst of Hirenkyaku and appeared beside me with a Reishi blade already formed, I put extra energy into my Blut Vene and use my forearm to block the attack, switching to Blut Arterie to deliver a punch to his abdomen.
The vein pattern appears across the whole of his torso, visibly through the numerous cuts and gashes made by my arrows and Reishi blade. His skill with Blut Vene was decent, not as perfect as I'd like it to be but everyone has their limits I guess. His Blue Arterie isn't as good and could only give him a moderate boost in his attack power. His Heilig Pfeil were pretty damn good and despite not removing the glove yet, he's capable of Vollstandig.
The first time someone releases their Vollstandig its at its peak power, with good reason; the glove he currently wore was one of my own design (with some help from father) and upon activating the wearers Vollstandig for the first time it will disperse into Reishi. This allows the user to unconsciously draw in more Reishi than they could previously, since the glove restricted and limited how much could be drawn in. Since the person thinks they're drawing in the same amount and when they wore the glove they actually draw it triple the amount, due to the sheer amount of particles the user is absorbing there has to be a catalyst.
Truthfully the Vollstandig he achieved was not a 'true' Vollstandig, but rather a modified one. This one was based upon Letzt Stil, which used the users own powers as a catalyst for a very temporary but huge power boost. This Vollstandig was similar except with one clear difference;
The Vollstandig itself was the catalyst.
It was a loophole in supernatural physics so to speak. The Vollstandig would forcibly draw in spirit particles and because the Vollstandig is the catalyst it replenishes itself faster than it deteriorates. This allows for prolonged usage of the technique, much like Ichigo's Bankai, without too much backlash. Of course like everything it has a limit for how long it can be used before it begins to harm the user or disables itself, like most Bankai.
So upon the techniques initial release, which has yet to happen, it will be several times stronger than it would be normally. Arrows fly faster, more damaging arrows, faster Reishi absorption, the like. I had also used/given the same glove to three others, all good friends who are Echt Quincy. I had never tested it on a non-pureblood though, so it was kinda a risk. Good thing I have no intention of telling him he was part of an experiment, once he learns what Mayuri did to his grandfather he will go livid at the mention of Quincy and Experiment.
That would not be a good idea, not at all.
Though I am the daughter of one of the smartest men in soul society history, who is also a scientist, and taught us all about stuff when we were younger.
You cant blame me really, I did inherit it.
''How much time is left?'' A slightly tired Ishida asked after he got back from his rest, both determined and eager to learn more -admittedly- interesting techniques.
''A quarter of a day'' I reply ''Which equals about seven and a half days outside''.
''So, what else is there to teach?'' He puffed.
''A lot more than we have time for'' I sighed ''Though I will teach you some highly advanced skills, also of my own design. If anything comes from this training you will at least be able to rub it in Ryuken's face that you know things he doesn't''.
The last of the sentence stopped him in his tracks, like I expected ''You know my father''.
It wasn't a question ''Yeah, to save time I won't give you the same long-ass story I gave Kurosaki but I am familiar with the Ishida and Kurosaki family tree''.
Before he could protest I gave a dismissive wave, signalling the end of this conversation. He grumbled under his breath in an annoyed tone which was immediately remedied by the Heilig Pfeil flying past his head. His attention, now fully back to me, lead me to continue the lesson. If you could call it that.
''This technique is likely to be one of your greatest allies past Heilig Pfeil and Blut Vene; Heilig Pfeil is your attack, Blut Vene is your defence and this technique, Heilige Heilung, is your healing method'' I say and his eyes widen at my following request ''To show its power, chop of my arm''.
He looked at me like I was crazy making me scowl ''I wouldn't ask you to do it if it wouldn't regenerate''.
Still he made no move to act out my request, making my scowl deeper. Wordlessly I draw my right blade with my left hand and in a single motion slice upwards and decapitate my right arm, hiding my wince behind my scowl. Blood dripped from the open would like a river for only a moment, the larger than usual amount of Reiatsu I put into it accelerating the process. With a low hissing sound the socket glowed blue and slowly stretched out into a glowing blue limb, a moment later the light dispersed to reveal the newly-replaced limb good as new.
''Heilige Heilung is the Quincy equivalent of the Hollow Instant-Regeneration, much like how Blut Vene is the equivalent of Hierro'' I say. If Ishida was unfamiliar with the terms I used (mainly Hierro) then he didn't show nor voice it. He still gave me the 'your crazy' look on his face but replaced it with an expectant look, awaiting an explanation on how to perform it, to which I oblige.
''Its simple really, despite the fact Quincy naturally draw in Reishi you still possess Reiryoku - which obeys its users intent'' I explain and he nodded, already knowing this likely ''It requires the simple task of pushing that Reiryoku into the limb with the intent to heal it while drawing in enough Reishi to replace the Reiryoku you're losing from healing. Normally it only takes a few minutes to heal limbs or organs though it can be sped up by either pushing more than the required amount or by being familiar with the technique enough for your body to do it on its own without much manual interaction''.
''That's it?'' He frowned ''If its so simple why haven't other Quincy done it before?''.
''The amount of Reiryoku required is large due to still being mortal, it used to be used and went by a different name but that was almost two centuries ago'' I state ''To put it in Shinigami terms for reference, you'd have to be at least a 3rd seat to be able to do it several times over. Captain-class Quincy are fairly rare, since most prefer to live normal human live instead of the spirit world their powers never reach their true potential. Captain-class Quincy can heal limbs or organs dozens of times, obviously the more dangerous the wound the harder and slower it heals. With your Vollstandig at your side you could stand up to most of the current captains Bankai, save the senior captains of course''.
''Try healing the wounds you've got currently, the faster and more efficient you are the better'' I order and he nods, closing his eyes as he assumingly went about as I explained. Sure enough a few moments later he glowed a faint blue as the cuts and gashes on his chest slowly healed. The cuts were gone before the minute was out, though the gashes were taking slightly longer. For his first time trying it, it wasn't too bad. Room for improvement, yes but still good.
Just before the five minute mark did Ishida stop healing, indicating he was done. True enough no (visible) wounds were on his body now at least, I give him an approving nod before turning my attention to the tree with several arrows pierced in it, our unintentional training dummy.
''The next, more offensive technique is used as an improvement to your Heilig Pfeil, it has a command and increases the power exponentially and awards it an explosive radius, though like Donnerschlag it can only be used one arrow at a time'' I say and form an arrow at my finger tip, slowly the blue arrow glowed yellow before it entirely became the dandelion colour ''Anger course through your veins, Zorn Gottes: Bestrafung Licht!''. (Tran: Wrath of god: Punishing light).
The yellow arrow flew from my fingers and at the tree, upon making contact it exploded into a brilliant blast of yellow fury. It ranged about twenty metres each direction, the explosion being a rough dome. We backed up slightly to avoid getting too close, after which the explosion fizzled out almost immediately.
''Zorn Gottes for short, its a combination of Heilig Pfeil and Hado #63: Raikoho, though the Hado is transformed into to a Reishi form so a Quincy can use it effectively'' I explain ''Its slightly more difficult to use than the other skills, though if you can do this then we can move onto the final skill, or should I say set''.
He nodded determinedly, a good mind set despite the limited time.
''Kurosaki-san?'' I call, walking around boulders as I searched for the strawberry who simply said his goodbyes to Ishida and Asami before leaving to the corner of the training grounds, completely isolated. It began to concern me when he didn't leave with the others and as much as I didn't want to admit it, he was suppressing his Reiatsu to the point where it was nearly undetectable. It was a huge accomplishment considering his erratic Reiatsu before training with Asami, which filled him with a sense of pride.
It wad ten minutes the next morning before his friends arrived, the last thing they need to worry about was Ichigo not returning to the shop, let alone no food or water. Eventually he found the teen... meditating behind a rather small rock pile. You'd think he would stand out with his orange hair but it must've camouflaged with the rocky terrain because I swore I passed this area several times.
Deciding to leave him be, since he was sure the kids Zanpakuto would kick him out if he was on his deathbed, he turned and left in a blur and landed by the ladder. He sensed Inoue and Sado approaching so in a single burst he shot up the ladder and through his home and store, landing at the front Shoji door and sliding it open before they could even touch it.
''Why hello Inoue-san! Sado-san!'' I greeted cheerfully, walking back into my store and leading them back towards the training grounds.
''Um... Urahara-san...'' Inoue said timidly ''Has... Kurosaki-kun reappeared yet?''.
''Oh?'' I say in an inquiring tone ''What makes you think Kurosaki-san has disappeared in the first place?''.
''Well... um...'' Inoue said as her cheeks lit up like a fire ''Y-You can normally sense him but... it felt oddly calm and not like he makes it not calm! I mean... um...''.
''You mean his Reiatsu wasn't blanketing the town?'' Yoruichi helped as she walked up to the pair.
''Yeah!'' Inoue said, happy the embarrassment was gone. Sado stared at the cat like he just saw it grow two more heads.
''I am curious to that as well... Kisuke'' She said and turned her feline glare on me ''I have been assisting Sado-san and Inoue-san and I haven't sensed Ichigo since he left with Asami... what happened''.
It wasn't a question ''Have you no faith in me?!''.
Her cat-like eyebrow twitched menacingly at my dramatics ''If you value your face you better tell me right now Kisuke''.
I broke out in a cold sweat.
''Would you believe he got his Reiatsu under control?''.
''Not in the slightest''.
''Well... he did'' I smile slightly.
''Kisuke...'' Came the low warning tone.
''I'm serious!'' I plead, slowly inching towards the door to the underground area.
Yoruichi hissed and jumped at me like a tiger on its prey, as fast as my Shunpo could carry me I shot out towards Ichigo's location which I thankfully reached quickly. Yoruichi landed not a moment later with the clear intention of clawing my eyes out.
''See! He's right here!'' I point behind the rock, only to realise with wide eyes that Ichigo in fact was not there and Yoruichi saw this. She growled again and turned on me with a dangerous gleam in her eyes.
I would later come to realise that cats could cause a lot more pain than you'd expect.
Meanwhile a snickering Chiro and Toshiro were hiding behind a large set of boulders not even a hundred feet away, the still meditating Ichigo completely undisturbed by the fact they Shunpo'ed him away just to get the bucket-hat wearing man in trouble.
Nearby the entry portal to Jikan Yari suddenly flickered into existence, shortly after Asami and Ishida came out. Asami looked the same, though Ishida had a slightly different appearance; slightly longer hair, more toned muscles and a few scars decorated his body. Not a moment later Sado, Inoue, Yoruichi and Urahara (who was seriously cut up) appeared in a burst of Shunpo - Urahara mobilizing Sado and Yoruichi mobilizing Inoue.
''Wow why so cut up kid?'' Yoruichi grinned as much as her cat form allowed.
''Arrows' He grunted then paused, looked at the cat and let out a small chuckle ''Yep I'm going crazy''.
''No your not'' Yoruichi replied, making Ishida blink at her owlishly.
He sighed tiredly ''Honestly after the whole dimension creating thing I'm not surprised anymore''.
''Che'' Yoruichi scowled slightly ''Way to ruin the fun Asami''.
I just shrug.
''Speaking of which do you know where Kurosaki-san is?'' My father spoke up.
I turn to Yoruichi and give a nod ''Good job with those claws''.
''Thank you'' Yoruichi grinned, licking her paw ''So do you?''.
''He's probably somewhere in the training ground meditating, he should be working on mastering his Bankai so he'll be fine'' I assure and everyone nodded ''Anyway, don't use those techniques unless you need to Ishida''.
The four eyed teen nodded and disappeared in a blur of Hirenkyaku, leaving to go train his aim and speak with his father like I asked. I exchange a look with Sado and make a follow-me gesture and he nodded, both of us turn and walk calmly into the portal.
''Its a very beautiful place'' Sado admitted, gazing over the forestry area.
''Thanks'' I shrug ''Anyway, since your a melee fighter I'll just use fists - though that doesn't mean it will be easy, even with your armoured arm''.
He simply nodded and his arm transformed, he then ran at me with the fist. If this was any other situation I might've laughed, though I doubt he even knew a high-speed movement existed.
'Actually what type would he benefit from? Hirenkyaku is out of the question, though his Reiatsu is that of a hollow and partly Shinigami...'.
''Like an Arrancar perhaps?'' Kuro suggested.
'Maybe... though the problem being is that he is still human, not a hollow turned Arrancar' I ponder as I block a punch and shoot my heel into his gut, sending him flying back a few feet.
''Maybe... if we turn him into a soul form then teach him the powers of an Arrancar?'' Megami hummed.
'Maybe... wait he isn't in soul form yet?'.
''You didn't know?'' Both of them said flatly.
''Che, even when your capable of creating a bloody dimension you still don't understand it completely''.
'Shut up!' I growled 'But it might work, sending him into soul form would give him a more resilient body and easier technique handling'.
''I may have a way that could potentially increase your fighting abilities'' I say to him as I disappear in a blur, intentionally letting time slow down in the dimension for anyone but me. I reach the house and blur through the refined wooden halls, ending up at my room. I shove the door open and ignore all my surroundings as I reach my closet, a simple vertical rectangle with a sliding dark wood door. It was mostly empty beside the coat hangers holding clothes that I didn't put in my drawers for the purpose of camouflaging the door behind it.
It was as pale white as the walls, the bottom part of the door the planked pine wood matching the wall; an inch or two of the pine wood at the bottom and top parts of the walls and white wallpaper in the middle. I fish in my Hakama pants for the key and find the metallic object almost immediately, all but ramming it into the lock and opening the door up.
The door swung open and I sneak around my clothes to reveal the dim stairway down maybe twenty to thirty feet. I put one hand on the handlebar and add my weight onto it, sliding down the stairs with ease. The bottom of the stairs shows off a large room, the room well lit compared to the dull stairway. Lights dotted methodically around the room in a squared manner, the room had pure white sterile countertops with various vials or other scientific appliances surrounding the edges as the middle of the room. Due to me being in a rush I just run down the right path to where a black box sat, I open it as gently as I could to reveal three green ball-like pills.
Mods souls.
At my fathers request a few weeks ago he asked me to create a few and construct them with internal Bount sensors, in preparation for the inevitable rise of soul society's mistake. I scan over the three nameplates right below the pills, which were cushioned in black foam.
Nova. Ririn. Claude.
I had interacted with the three shortly after their creation, using my own Reiryoku to give them manifested bodies to use in inner worlds or in special cases. I had Gigai stored away for them and up until recently allowed them to roam freely in either Jikan Yari or in the world of the living, though the moment Ichigo gained his Shinigami powers from Rukia Kuchiki she had managed to coax them into entering their pill forms until the invasion of soul society was over.
They had been reluctant, but seeing as they considered me a mother of sorts (which was indefinitely weird) since I created them they obeyed my wishes, the box they resided in was almost a dimension of its own; time flowed the same as the world of the living and the three could communicate. I place my finger on Nova, mentally allowing me to communicate with the other two.
'I've got a mission for you three'.
''What is it, Kaa-san?'' Ririn chirped excitedly.
I scowl slightly at the title but continue none the less 'The invasion will begin shortly and myself, Sado and Inoue will need you guys to inhabit our bodies while we're gone. Kurosaki has his own mod soul taking his body over so the four of you, if you accept, will have mostly free rein at the Shoten for a while'.
''I accept!'' Ririn declared happily.
''It would be no problem'' Nova agreed.
''It would be nice to stretch my legs, hehehe'' Claude chuckled.
Nodding to myself I take Nova's pill 'I'm training Sado at the moment and he'll need you to get out of his body, I'll come back for you two before we leave'.
''Alright'' The three agree, I take Nova's pill out of the box and carefully pocket it in my Hakama pants, closing the special black box and climbing back up the flight of stairs again, closing and locking the door and blurring back over to Sado as time reverted back to normal.
''Here'' I say and chuck the pill at him, he catches it in him non-transformed arm and looks at it in confusion ''Its a mod soul, you just put it in your mouth and it will eject you out of your physical body and into your soul form, which is more resilient and will allow your abilities to be more effective''.
''What about that glove that Rukia used on Ichigo?'' He questioned with obvious curiosity.
''Your soul is still attached to your body, whereas Ichigo was part Shinigami and as such had his chain of fate temporarily severed. If I were to use it on you then you'd have your chain still attached, making it almost impossible to fight. Mod souls have a consciousness and a personality, so your body with be fine since he'll give us room''.
He simply nodded and threw the pill in his mouth, in a small burst of energy as his body ejected still dressed in his human clothes. Interesting.
''Alright, lets continue'' I say an raise my fists in a challenging manner, he took one look at his body who was walking towards the house and seemed completely unconcerned about it, transforming his arm again and running at me. He punched the air in front of him and an unnamed blast of blue energy shot at me, judging by the power of it... something around a third seat class Sokatsui. When it got close I simply batted it away with the back of my hand, though this had left enough time for the human to get close enough to throw a punch with the armoured arm.
Moments before impact, I realised with no short amount of surprise, that that seemingly simple attack could actually wound me. Not just a scratch mark but could potentially rattle my bones from sheer impact force. Making a last minute decision, I activate the Hierro in my arms and take the impact with my arms making a defensive 'X'.
The punch made me skid backwards, making me pause for just a moment about the insane growth rates of my three students. I bring myself back to the present, disappearing a blur and appearing next to him, kicking him in his side and sending him tumbling away. He regained himself quite quickly, likely due to the large amount of brawls he has entered I bet.
His punches were accurate if not becoming more-so as the fight progressed, he new he lacked in speed and made up for it with sheer power. This would be interesting, may as well test his stamina and increase his combat ability.
''Focus on your energy'' I instruct as I watch a cross legged Sado with his eyes shut, focusing on drawing out his Reiryoku so it is more malleable. His body glowed a soft magenta, his Reiatsu flooded the area and sweat ran down his head as he tried to get a firm grasp on his Reiryoku. The class of Reiatsu was definitely hollow and part Shinigami, that of an Arrancar.
The fight earlier didn't show as much fruit as Kurosaki or Ishida did, but then again Sado's power is unique. However the energy blast gained its name, El Directo, and boy was it surprisingly powerful. When he learned the name I foolishly underestimated its power much like his initial punch, and thankfully my instincts kicked in at the last moment and partially activated my Hierro to take the blow. It was like I was hit by a senior-captain class Raikoho if not worse in terms of explosive power, his speed increased slightly and his arm had morphed ever so slightly to become thicker. I didn't point this out to him.
''Now picture it as some form that could be stored, water for example. Then also give it a storage to put it in, an example is a dam; the water is held in it'' I instruct casually, leaning against the tree not far off from him. He gave a barely noticeable nod before his Reiatsu began fading, slowly albeit. It took a full five minutes before he opened his one visible eye (like mine and Chiro, must be a trending hairstyle nowadays) and gave another small nod.
''Good'' I say and get back into a standing position, motioning him to do the same. He got to his feet with a look of mild curiosity, as expected ''Try and get a grasp on that energy and push it into your feet, then focus on a spot as quickly as you could and try to move yourself there. Reiryoku responds to its owners intent, it obeys you mental commands''.
As silent as a mute he nodded, turning and gazing at a spot of grass roughly thirty feet away, not a second later he blurred forwards onto the spot. He looked as surprised as the gentle giant could be, blinking back at the spot he once was and at me.
''That was called Sonido, its the Arrancar equivalent of Shunpo, the Shinigami high speed movement'' I say at his confused expression I answered ''Arrancar are hollows who have removed part of their masks to gain a humanoid appearance, greater combat abilities and Shinigami powers. How you gained hollow-based powers? I just assume you gained it because you were effected by Kurosaki's Reiatsu and Hollow Reiatsu from both the hollow attack the other day and when you were attacked by Shrieker, though this is unconfirmed''.
His eyes widen at the news but I cut in before he can respond ''It is not a bad thing and you will not turn into a hollow in your sleep or something. If anything, it makes you unique; Arrancar are hollows who have removed their masks, yet you are a human with Arrancar-like abilities and Reiatsu. I doubt you would have the Zanpakuto of an Arrancar, though it is possible. Its also likely you can perform a similar skillset to a hollow, if your up for it''.
He was silent for a few moments before nodding, I grin ever so slightly. Things were about to get interesting for soul society.
''That was close'' My Shinigami friend puffed ''Why... did you want to retreat?''.
I was silent for a moment before replying ''In the face of our power... they were mere infants... and... and...''.
''And?'' She quirked an eyebrow.
''I felt another... presence... one that could rob us of our senses''.
She frowned slightly but nodded her agreement anyway, she trusted him to make a good call and he trusted her. If he was worried then so was she, and vice versa. She also clearly felt it too, but got careless and ignored it. They would return in a week or two, they enjoyed the sunlight too much to just give it up because of a sense of unease.
This would later come to be the biggest mistake of their lives.