the unusual hollow Chapter 4, a bleach fanfic

chapter 4. mixed feelings.

Before we start the chapter, I would like to thank you for the great reception the previous chapter had. enjoy the chapter.

everything was dark. I couldn't move my body. I felt numb.

(How come I ended up like this? Yes, I remember, I came with Stark, Lilynette, Nelliel, Edrad, Pesche, and Dondochakka to Las Noches. We accepted Aizen's proposal. Everything had gone according to plan with my companions. So why am I in this place? The last thing I remember is, we swore false allegiance to Aizen. Afterwards he led us to an empty room.)

There was only that thing, what was it called? Yes, the Hōgyoku, he said to touch that device full of power. That the Hōgyoku would do its job automatically. I was the first, but when I touched that thing, everything was dark.

(Where am I? How long has it been?)

but suddenly I felt as if a surge of power went through my body. that strange power was combining with my Hollow powers.

(am I becoming an Arrancar? is this how it feels?)

but suddenly I felt like something was being taken from me, and it wasn't my mask. it was something else, it was a power that I had had since the moment I woke up in this world. I knew instinctively. it was… my high-speed regeneration.

he was starting to panic. I didn't want to lose my high speed regen. but in turn, he could feel a new power arising. I could feel my skin…more harder.

(Hierro.) was what came to my mind.

but I could feel it, if I opposed it, I could preserve my regeneration to a certain extent. but I didn't want to lose this power, so I held on to my power. He couldn't earn something without having to pay for it with something else. But I wanted it all, and that was one of my characteristics, greed. I know that greed was wrong, but I couldn't lose useful powers in a world as dangerous as the world of Bleach.

but I knew it, I couldn't stay in the middle. if he did, he would have two incomplete powers. my Hierro would not be strong enough to protect me from my enemies' attacks, and my regeneration would be too weak to heal from mortal wounds.

so i did the only thing i could think of. I started talking to the Hōgyoku.

(Please. Don't take that power away from me. I know you can fulfill your bearer's wishes. I know I'm not your bearer, I know I'm not your owner. But I'm not asking you for the impossible. I'm not asking you to abandon Aizen I know that you can bestow powers beyond imagination. But that is why I know that my request is within your means, even though you are not complete.)

I received no sign that my request had been heard. in fact, it was quite the opposite. I could feel my high-speed regeneration power disappearing more quickly, this time without being able to offer any resistance.

(Damn shit luck. It was because I said you weren't complete, right?) was the last thing I thought, before losing my consciousness again.

when I woke up again, I was in the same room that Aizen had brought us to.

when I looked around I saw that there was only Aizen, Kaname, Gin, Stark, Lilynette and Nelliel. I didn't see anyone else.

but before I could say anything, Stark grabbed his robe, and tossed it to me.

"get covered." was the only thing he said to me. I caught the robe easily and that's when it hit me. my hand. my hand no longer had claws, and I no longer had my feathers covering my hand.

it was a human hand, I began to inspect myself and that's when I saw that my body had a human appearance. I no longer had any of my feathers covering me. and I was naked...

Without saying a word, I put on my robe to cover myself. later I would inspect my body more calmly. I wasn't some stripper or anything like that to give a free show. when I turned my gaze to my audience, Nelliel was the only one looking away, and Stark was covering Lilynette's eyes with his hands.

"perverts." That was all I said.

"You don't have anything we don't have and haven't already seen." Gin replied with his snake smile.

(Ha yes, Gin and his sharp tongue.) It was the only thing I thought.

"Anyway, where are the others?" I asked with a poker face.

"I made them go away." Aizen said with a smile.

"What, why?" I asked curiously.

"don't you feel it? your new power?" Aizen answered me.

At that, I saw my hands again. It was true, I felt… powerful.

then I clenched my fists and began to release an absurd amount of my Reiatsu. a blood red aura began to surround me. Cobweb cracks formed on the ground below me, the walls also cracked, and the entire room began to shake.

but before I even try at all. I stopped. there would be time to test the new limits of my power. I wouldn't be under the illusion of feeling invincible just because I increased my powers.

that's why Aizen had Edrad, Dondochakka and Pesche retreat. they would not withstand my spiritual pressure. They would die just to be near me. When I turned to Nelliel, even she was beginning to breathe heavily. it seemed my new power was overwhelming her.

Aizen seemed quite pleased by my display of power, Gin was still wearing the same snake-like smile and Kaname had light beads of sweat. Apparently, Nelliel wasn't the only one who resented my power.

Stark just looked at me somewhat surprised, but I think it's more because of my appearance than because of my new power.

and Lilynette, well she was open-mouthed, she was standing there saying nothing.

so I hid my power again, or at least hid it as best I could. but suddenly I felt… something. it was a connection to…something. I turned around and that's where I saw it. it was my weapon. my Zanpakutō. it was not a katana.

When I came in contact with my gun, I knew right away what kind of gun it was. it was a curved blade with a shaft extending out that resembles a European flamberge, allowing me to use it as a sword or spear. (For reference, you can search for Lord Shen's weapon from Kung Fu Panda.)

I could feel my power inside my weapon. so I turned to Stark and Lilynette and said.

"Is this how you really feel your connection to Lilynette?" I asked curiously.

"is different." was her reply.

but suddenly Aizen said.

"Well, I think it's your turn now." when he said that, he was looking at Nelliel.

he was right, there will be time to explore my new abilities.

At that, Nelliel turned to see me and I just nodded in confirmation. she walked to the center of the room, where I used to be, and she also played the Hōgyoku.

later, a light enveloped her, and she was like that for more than 1 hour. to which I asked Stark.

"Did I take so long too?"

Stark looked at me and said.

"You took more than 3 hours."

but before I said anything, Aizen said.

"The time it takes for a Hollow to become an Arrancar varies. Until now, it has taken you longer to become Arrancar. Although I think this has to do with the amount of Reiatsu the Hollow he possesses. After all, you two are Vasto Lordes." He said that with a smile.

I only stared at him for a few seconds, then returned my gaze to Nelliel.

when little more than 2 hours passed, we felt… something, a change in the environment. and suddenly, a great spiritual pressure began to be exerted on us. that pressure came from Nelliel.

I directed my gaze towards Stark asking him a question with my eyes. to which he just nodded in confirmation. Apparently the same thing happened when I became an Arrancar.

then the light faded and there was Nelliel. she was kneeling. and when she stood up, the appearance of her was just like the canon. only she was naked. I know that I was wrong. but I kept that image in my mind for all eternity. anyone in my position would have done the same, and anyone who says they wouldn't is lying very blatantly. then I turned my gaze elsewhere. as is everyone in the room. Except for Kaname, he couldn't see anything.

I quickly stretched out my arm and began to create a robe with my feathers. luckily for me, I could still create my feathers while in this human form. I also noticed that my feathers seemed more…alive, the feathers had a slight sheen. but I put that aside, to give the robe to Nelliel.

she accepted the robe easily and covered herself with it.

then Aizen said.

"Well, it's time to continue with your other companions.".

1 week later.

It had already been a few days since I became an Arrancar. enough time had passed to inspect my restored human form.

I am a man with tan skin, I have some muscle, I am 1.85 meters tall. (6.10 feet.) I have long white hair up to my shoulders, although right now I had my hair tied back, my eyes are red, I have a face with some rather fine features.

the age he appeared to be was that of a young adult between 24 and 26 years old. Last but not least was my mask. It was a kind of Antifaz, it was white like all the masks of the Arrancars, the mask covered my nose and part of my cheekbones. in the part of my eyes, the holes were open enough that I could show my expressions with my eyes, the mask also covers part of my forehead. the mask was not bulky, just like my appearance, the mask had slight fine details. so it fits quite well to my face.

It was also strange to see my new human appearance, it had been more than 100 years since I last saw my human appearance, but instinctively, I knew that in my previous life I didn't look this cool. and it's not that I'm complaining, I love my new look, it's just a little strange to see my new look.

right now he was wearing the typical uniform of the Arrancars. She wore a tank top under a white Matrix-style trench coat with black accents on the edges and a white hakama, along with a black sash with black shoes.

At this time I could also feel the non-physical changes that I suffered with my new evolution. it was as if he had regained…something. I had regained…emotions. Emotions I didn't know I had lost.

emotions such as remorse, empathy, physical attraction. those were some of the emotions that I recovered with my evolution to an Arrancar. Now I know why in all this time I was with Nelliel, I never felt any attraction towards her. I didn't feel attracted to her because I couldn't feel that emotion to begin with. but now? every time I see Nelliel, I can't help but admire her beauty.

I also realized that I got my other emotions back, because out of nowhere, I started to feel some remorse for all the massacres I caused in my time as Adjuchas and Vasto Lorde. I don't regret it, at that time it was kill or be killed. But I do feel some guilt about it.

I see why I was so ruthless when I went hunting. I didn't feel those emotions, so he could go hunting more efficiently. That was what I felt when I first came into this world. this was the change I felt in myself when I first hunted, the loss of some of my emotions.

but now that I've become an Arrancar, now that I've regained my human form, those emotions came back to me. it was as if I was finally… complete. and in some strange way, that made me happy.

but I'm not going to lie either, it had been so long without these emotions, that sometimes I felt a little overwhelmed by these new sensations. I needed to get used to these emotions again.

right now I was heading towards the throne room of Las Noches. Edrad was following me. As it happens, I already know who he is. when I saw him in his new human form, I jogged my memory. Edrad is the Arrancar who fought against the bald Shinigami. I don't remember his name. but if of the appearance of him.

If I remember correctly, Edrad used to be a part of Grimmjow's Fracción. Well, that doesn't matter now. apparently Edrad wanted to be part of my Fracción, Pesche and Dondochakka became Nelliel's Fracción. and Stark did not want to receive anyone like his Fracción. according to him, it is too much work to have subordinates under him.

The reason we're going to the throne room is because they're finally going to give me a number. Aizen in all this time needed to reorganize his army, since he had gathered several new Arrancars. but he told us that Stark, Nelliel and I had a secure place in the higher ranks. that we would have a place in Los Espada. that was why the 3 of us could have Fracciones.

at this time they also measured our Reiatsu level, so Aizen would have an idea of our power level.

It was also the first time I unlocked my Resurrección, and it was amazing. the amount of power I released was absurd. when I was a Vasto Lorde, I felt my body brimming with power, I felt invulnerable, even though I knew I wasn't. but now that I've evolved into an Arrancar, the power I felt when I was a Vasto Lorde now pales before my new power as an Arrancar.

Although that show of power caused Aizen to forbid Stark, Nelliel, and me from releasing our Resurreccción inside the Palace of Las Noches, Stark and I caused a lot of damage just to unleash our power. Nelliel was the only one who could control to some degree the power that emanated when she transformed into her Resurrección.

but she was also forbidden to enter her Resurrección, as her power could still affect lower level Arrancars.

but as I always have, I have not let the power go to my head. I know that I am not the strongest, and that I am not invincible. and I also know that there are new heights that I can reach. I know there is a second resurrección, a… Segunda Etapa.

and I am determined to achieve that transformation. the question is, how to achieve that.

but I was pulled out of my thoughts.

"We have arrived, Lord Goeritz." Edrad said.

I looked at him for a few seconds and said.

"When this meeting is over, I'll take care of your training. If you're going to be my Fracción, I'll take care of making you strong."

at that Edrad tensed a bit. but before he said anything, I said.

"Don't misunderstand my words, you are strong, but we are talking about a war against the entire soul society, they have been in power for thousands of years for a reason. They're strong. and I prefer that we survive all this disaster that will come in the future, so our job is to be even stronger."

Of course I wasn't going to run head-on against all of Soul Society like Aizen expected, I had my own plans. but the real challenge of my plan was to contact the Shinigami without Aizen knowing, and there was also the problem that they wanted to hear what I had to say.

as I recall, the soul society was not very friendly even with their own allies, I can't imagine how they would get on with someone who is supposed to be their enemy.

though well, if they weren't willing to cooperate, at least we wouldn't be defenseless if things escalated to something bigger.

when I said that, Edrad stared at me for a few seconds and with a look and will that burned on fire, he said.

"I will not let you down, Lord Goeritz."

after that we entered the throne room, where Nelliel and Stark were already waiting for me.

"You're just in time, Shen." Aizen said sitting on his throne.

"It's time to assign them their rightful place as part of my elite forces. Coyote Stark, You will be the Espada number 1. Goeritz Shen, You will be the Espada number 2, and Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck, You will be the Espada number 3."

I was completely surprised by my position in the Swords. I didn't expect to be so high, although in all this time I never stopped training and eating Hollows in incalculable quantities. I think that is somewhat understandable.

When Aizen finished saying that, Kaname came up to us and said.

"Where do you want your numbers?"

Stark pointed to the back of his left hand.

I pointed to my right shoulder.

and Nelliel pointed across his back.

"Welcome to the Espada." Aizen said with a smile.

"Kaname will show you your new palaces, where your new quarters will be." Aizen signaled for Kaname to guide us to our new homes.

there is no doubt that Aizen is trying to be on our good side, he is trying to make us think that he is a good leader. but the truth is that we will never have loyalty to him, that we are only using him to obtain more power. Until now, Aizen had done everything I said he would, and it's not because he can predict his moves, nor because I'm smarter than him.

Not even in my craziest moments would I dare to say that I am smarter than Aizen, but the reason why I know how Aizen will act is simply because I already know the true face of him.

I know that he cannot feel the emotions that he shows on his face. and I know that he sees us as mere pawns worthless. His ego is so big that he is unable to think that we are a threat to him and his plans. he is unable to think of any scenario where we would be a real threat. in the worst case, he may even see us as mere entertainment. but that's why, for now, I'll play his game.

Nelliel and Stark said they would follow me, Stark saying that he could sense how dangerous Aizen could be. and Nelliel said that she trusted Stark's instincts and the information I had gathered more, that she trusted us more, than a Shinigami that appeared out of nowhere promising to create a utopian world.

but the three of us will not be able to face the threat that Aizen represents for Hueco Mundo and the soul society. for that we needed the help of other Arrancars and the soul society. and especially, the help of Kisuke Urahara.

and in the war against the Shinigami, Aizen will show his true face, and disinterest towards us. it is at that point where I will be able to put some Arrancars on my side. But for now, I'll just have to keep my false allegiance and keep getting stronger.

20 years later.

it had been a while since we became Arrancars. In all this time, I have become familiar with my new powers, at first it was a bit strange. I had gotten so used to my Vasto Lorde form that not having my wings was a strange feeling. sometimes I even felt my wings on my back, but it weren't really there.

but leaving that aside, I managed to control my power thanks to the help of Stark, he had more experience being an Arrancar. It's ironic that before I helped him control his power, but now he's the one who helped me control my power.

At this time I was also investigating what happened to Barragán. It had seemed strange to me that I was the Sword number 2, I also found out that before me, there was another Sword number 2. They called themselves Pícaro, they were a bunch of children who supposedly shared the same power or something like that.

they were demoted to Privaron Espada when Aizen gave me the position of Espada number 2. Anyway, what mattered to me was that there was no sign that Barragán was in Las Noches.

so I did some research on what had happened to him, I came to the surprise that Aizen has him captive somewhere in this huge place. According to the Arrancars who had been here the longest, Aizen massacred Barragán's subordinates who refused to follow him. and he locked up the strongest Hollows somewhere in the palace of Las Noches.

although they didn't know why Aizen let them live. I had my theories, most likely Aizen expects Barragán to bow down to him. and according to my memories of my past life, that will happen sooner or later. although Barragán will give him a false loyalty as I am doing.

Of course, all this information was told to Stark and Nelliel. showing how double-faced Aizen could become, with the Espada he showed himself as someone charismatic and understanding, but with those who opposed him, he showed his true face, he was someone without empathy, sadistic and how manipulative he could be. Stark wasn't surprised at this information and Nelliel was only relieved that she hadn't given her allegiance to such a manipulative being.

also at this time I asked Stark if he had made any progress on the second Resurrección. but he just told me that he could feel…something. but every time he tried to take that something, that feeling slipped away. it was as if he was trying to grab the water of an entire lake with just his hands.

I still hadn't gotten to that point. after all, Stark had been an Arrancar much longer than I had. he had been looking for that power for some time since I told him that there could possibly be a second Resurrección.

the fact that Stark could feel something, reaffirmed our suspicions that there was a second Resurrection, although I already knew that thanks to my memories of my previous life.

this information had also been given to Nelliel. she trained with us too. Of course, we did everything outside of Las Noches, and inside a Garganta, out of unwanted eyes.

Aizen knew we were going out to train, but my explanation was that we trained in a Garganta, because we didn't want to cause huge unnecessary damage. that the training of the first numbers of the Espada are quite destructive.

and well, we weren't lying, in our training we released enormous amounts of spiritual pressure. now we were quite a challenge for Stark. always at the end of every training we had, he was completely exhausted.

I'm sure right now, this version of Nelliel is much stronger than the canon version of her. I even think that this version of Stark is stronger, because I always pressured him to train with me.

and time in a Garganta passes faster than in Hueco Mundo, the human world and soul society. so for a normal person it would be several minutes, inside a Garganta several days would pass. that always reminded me to the Room of Spirit and Time from dragon ball z.

Furthermore, Aizen was more focused on trying to find new Vasto Lordes and was still with his duties as captain of the soul society and his experiments, so he didn't spend much time in Hueco Mundo. Furthermore, in all this time, we never gave him a reason for him to think that we would betray him or something like that, we always obeyed his orders and fulfilled our duties as Espadas.

and it could also be felt that we had already increased our powers. so with that alone, Aizen was already pleased by our increase in power.

although sometimes, I had to literally drag Stark off his mound of pillows made by my feathers. he said that my feathers were much more comfortable than the pillows Aizen gave him. and also I had to drag him out of his palace.

It was a somewhat comic sight.

I was also in charge of training Edrad. it was amazing what a huge difference in power existed between an Espada and a Fracción. As much as Edrad tried to do something to me with his Resurrección, he couldn't do anything to me. and he wasn't even using my sword.

One of the things I focused on in his training was speed. he already had physical strength, but he lacked good speed. to me, it was like he was moving in slow motion. which was something that I excelled at since I woke up in this world, I'm quite fast, even Stark has difficulty following my movements when I move at my maximum speed.

I was also training him so that he could predict the movements of an enemy that is much faster than him.

"You need to calm your mind and sharpen your senses." I said that while appearing with my Sonido behind Edrad.

at this very moment I was training with Edrad. Stark didn't want to get out of his bed and Nelliel wanted to get a break from all the training we'd had. and since Edrad was no match for me, he took the brunt of the training.

Edrad was breathing heavily. I always pushed it to the limit in our training sessions.

after a few breaths, he managed to calm down a bit and out of nowhere released a huge fire attack, he was with his Resurrección released, Volcánica. I just disappeared easily using my speed.

and I appeared in front of him and said.

"I already told you that desperate attacks are easy to predict." When I finished saying that, I punched him in the stomach sending him flying into a rock formation.

Edrad crawled out from between the rocks, and after a few seconds, his Resurrección resealed itself in his Zanpakutō, it had reached its limit. to what I said.

"Well, let's stop for this day."

Edrad looked up and said.

"I'm sorry, Lord Goeritz. I'm still too weak, I don't deserve to be part of your Fracción." he said that with a resigned voice.

"silly stuff." I said that as I crouched me down and helped him up from the ground.

"before you couldn't withstand even one of my blows. now you can not only withstand several of it, but you have also managed to increase your combat speed and reaction. I know that because now I use a little more of my speed when I face to you, when you least expect it, you will be one of the strongest Fractions of Las Noches." I said that as we headed back to Las Noches.

"I do not deserve your kind words, Lord Goeritz." Edrad replied.

I just sighed and kept walking, Edrad has a kind of inferiority complex because of his power. ever since he was an Adjuchas, his power had stopped increasing. he tried to hide it, but Stark, Nelliel and I found out. but we never let him know, maybe he was afraid that we would leave him alone if we found out that he couldn't keep increasing his powers anymore.

but now that his mask was broken, that limit had been removed. and I would push him until he reaches new limits in his power. Also, Edrad is not a weak Arrancar, in fact, his power keeps increasing, not as fast as Dondochakka and Pesche, but his power increase was constant.

When we arrived at my palace, Nelliel was waiting for me at the entrance.

"Did you press Edrad again, until he couldn't keep releasing his Resurrección ?" She said that with a slight smile. she knew firsthand how strict I could be in my training.

I just gave her a smile in confirmation.

"Lady Nelliel." Edrad bowed.

she gave him a smile of acknowledgment. but then she looked at me a little more seriously and said.

"It's about time for our patrol."

I gave a resigned sigh and gave Edrad an order to rest inside the palace.

Nelliel and I were tasked with being the ones to recruit new Vasto Lordes or Adjuchas. Due to my powers, I was able to more easily gather information on where the powerful Hollows could be found. and well, Nelliel was pretty good with words, so she can easily convince other Hollows.

"Well, let's go then." I told her that while I gave her a smile. I'm quite expressive actually.

She smiled back at me and we headed toward the Las Noches exit.

All this time I've been trying to find Ulquiorra. I wanted to try to gain his trust or something along those lines. From what I remember Ulquiorra didn't understand emotions. so I would try to at least be on his good side. my reasoning was simple.

he was the one who found the way to release the Segunda Etapa, and if I was on his good side, maybe he'll tell me the secret of how to get that transformation. but for now that would be impossible, since Ulquiorra is quite a difficult Hollow to find. No matter how hard I've searched the memories of hundreds and hundreds of Hollows, I haven't found any information about a Hollow with Ulquiorra's characteristics.

I gave a resigned sigh and leaned back on a rock next to Nelliel. Several hours had passed since we left the Palacio de Las Noches.

"Why don't we go after the female Vasto Lorde, Tier Halibel?" Nelliel asked as she read one of her books.

"Do you really think Aizen doesn't know anything about her? we were much further away than she was, and still she managed to find us. then the chances that even he found her long before us is much higher." I said that while stretching a bit.

I had already found Halibel a long time ago, but I didn't want to get in contact with her yet, since from what I remember from my previous life. Aizen was keeping an eye on her, and I didn't want to create any tension between Aizen and me just yet.

Also, if Aizen really wanted me to contact her, he would have already told me about it, I'm not naive enough to think that Aizen doesn't know that I already found Tier Halibel, that would be quite illogical, due to the nature of my powers to be able to see in the memories of the Hollows.

furthermore, it was an open secret that she openly opposed the self proclaimed god king of Hueco Mundo. so it was not difficult enough for me to find the location of it.

Neliel said without taking her eyes off her book.

"If he already knows about her, why doesn't he go recruit her himself like he did us? Or why doesn't he send us?"

"You know how manipulative Aizen is, maybe he's looking for an opportunity to gain her loyalty." I said that while stretching a bit.

To that, she closed her book, turned to see me and said.

"Then which way will we go?"

"For the moment I want to enjoy the time I'm spending with you." I said that with a smile.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see her blush a little. But she did not say anything. so i said.

"I know that I have characterized myself as someone who spends his time training, but I also have my days of relaxation."

To that Neliel gave a smile and said.

"Do you? Do you really know the concept of relaxation?"

"Ha ha, you're so funny." I said that with a poker face.

but out of nowhere, I quickly stood up and stared at her seriously.

she stopped laughing and started looking around her, she thought I had felt something.

when I saw that she was totally focused looking for a possible enemy. I sneaked up and said.

"BO!" the scream and the jump that she gave at that, was too funny.

then I ran while I screamed.

"Now who's the one who can't relax?"

the answer i got?

that day I had to dodge several Ceros.

Stark palace

"So Stark? Have you decided to get your lazy ass out of those pillows yet?" I said that with a smile as I leaned against the door frame.

…

"Hey! Stark, Goeritz is Talking to you!" Lillynette yelled at Stark.

but as she did not receive any answer. she was going to lunge at him and try to hit him like she always did whenever Stark ignored her.

but before she took a step towards him, I held out my hand for her to stop and said.

"Well, you asked for it. just to be clear, I tried to be nice."

I reached out with my right hand, and took control of my feathers that Stark was using as a bed.

suddenly Stark went flying towards the nearest wall. Suddenly there was a knock on the wall in the room.

"aaaaaaayyyyy!" Stark gave an exaggerated cry.

"Please Stark, it's easier for you to damage the wall than for the wall to damage you. Don't overdo it." I said that while I rolled his eyes.

Stark stopped making his drama and turned to see me.

"I thought I told you I didn't want to train today." Stark said that with a bored face.

"Yes, you told me that… a week ago." I said in the same bored tone.

At that, Stark's eyes widened slightly.

"Don't tell me you overslept for a week." my face now showed no emotion.

but before Stark could say anything, Lilynette said.

"Goeritz, Goeritz, I tried to wake him up, but nothing I did worked." Lilynette was pulling my clothes like a child when she said that.

I just stared at Stark with a stoic face. to what he said.

"I may have earned a bit of sleep, in our last match I got too tired, so I had to replenish my energy." He said that while he was looking in another direction.

"In our last confrontation I was the one who was knocked out, and that's not why I took that excuse to sleep for a whole week." I said again with a stoic face.

now Stark didn't know what excuses to make.

I just scratched the back of my neck and said.

"Anyway, since I see you've rested enough, it's time to train." I said that as I motioned for him to stand up.

Stark just sighed in resignation and stood up.

Lilynette seemed happy that Stark was finally out of his palace.

"Have you trained with Nelliel yet?" Stark asked as we headed for the exit.

"4 days ago I had a session with her, to dodge Ceros." I said between humming.

Stark just raised an eyebrow at my response.

Lilynette was on top of me, using me as his horse. Seriously, she can be quite childish at times. but anyway I didn't say anything, her pranks still made me somewhat relaxing.

"Has Lord Aizen returned yet?" Stark asked, we always used honorifics when we were inside Las Noches. we already knew we were being watched every day, so to maintain our facade, we always referred to him with honorifics, even if he wasn't at Las Noches.

"Not yet, he continues with his duties as captain of the soul society." I said calmly.

when Aizen is not around, the Espada are supposed to be in charge of Las Noches. but in general, each one did what he wanted. although of course, they always shield themselves with the fact that it is for the benefit of Aizen's plans.

"So, how long will we be in the Garganta?"

I just shrugged and said.

"This time we'll be training in our sealed forms. So I'm guessing I'm guessing we'll be in the Garganta for about four or five days."

"you are crazy." Stark said. but at no time did he stop.

"It's not like we train as often as I'd like. Besides, if you keep slacking off like that, sooner or later I'll get over you." I said that with a mocking smile.

"You've been saying that for 20 years and things haven't changed." Stark gave me a mocking smile, it was strange that he was like that, but our friendship has been literally more than half a century.

"Yes, sometimes I forget that you are some kind of mutant among us." that was true, Stark had the facility to increase his power when he really wanted to. after all he was the only natural Arrancar in Las Noches.

"It's not my fault you can't get over me." Stark seemed to be enjoying this.

"We'll see about that." I said with a smile.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

I shot out of the smoke with my Sonido.

I charged at Stark with all my might, but Stark managed to react to my sword thrust at the last second.

turning around he kicked me, but his foot was loaded with a Cero. using my great speed I dodged the attack and retreated from the blast.

"You want to play with the Ceros. OK, let's play with the Ceros." I said with a smile.

I stretched out my arm and started to create my own Cero, it was blood red, Stark readied himself and started charging his own attack, the two energy beams collided with great power as one tried to overpower the other.

but suddenly.

BOOOOOOOOM! the two Ceros exploded at the same time.

Without wasting time I used my Sonido to appear behind Stark and made a horizontal cut, Stark reacted quickly and collided his sword with mine.

we were at an impasse. but suddenly, Stark began to release more of his spiritual pressure, causing me to start backing away.

but I wasn't going to sit idly by and began to release more of my own power, halting Stark's progress.

but he didn't expect my sword to start shooting out blue flames. this caused Stark to retreat. but I didn't stop, since I stretched the handle of my sword turning it into a spear, this gave me a greater reach and I almost managed to cut Stark with the tip of my now spear.

"Have you finished your warm-up?" I said a little excited.

Stark only waved his sword a couple of times and nodded in confirmation.

"Then let's start with the real training." I said that as we started to unleash our full power.

Las Noches.

I was currently sitting inside a room in my palace while Dordoni was having tea, I had invited him to my palace because I had a proposal for him. he was Privaron Espada 103, he was the former Espada number 3, but Nelliel had replaced him.

he was the current strongest Privaron Espada living in Las Noches. or well, there were also Los Picaros, the former Espada number 2, and they are somewhat… unpredictable. so my best choice was Dordoni.

my proposal was that I would recommend him to become an Espada again.

"So you're telling me you're going to help me get back to the Espada?" Dordoni asked me that as he took a sip of his tea.

"so is." was my answer.

"What's the trick?" Dordoni asked suspiciously.

"No trick, I just wanted to ask you for a…favor." I said as he ate some cookies.

Dordoni between closed his eyes, and said.

"And what would that favor be?"

"I know you live near Nelliel's palace. After all, that used to be your palace. So I wanted to ask you a favor, could you keep an eye on it…" but out of nowhere I was interrupted by a slightly altered Dordoni.

"Haaaaaaaa! I'm no pervert to be spying on Lady Nelliel on your behalf. Who was to say that Espada number 2 is a pervert. And you call yourself an elite warrior of Lord Aizen? How low have you fallen?" The Espada like to recruit a pervert? Although, Lady Nelliel is not much to my liking, since it was because of her that I was demoted from the Espada, I will not stoop so low as to do such things as invade her privacy."

While saying all that, he kept making weird poses and kept pointing at me like I was a degenerate. so I said with a marked vein on my forehead.

"haaaaaaa shut up!" at which Dordoni froze in one of his strange poses.

I gave a frustrated sigh and said.

"Don't jump to conclusions ahead of time. what I wanted to tell you, before you interrupted me so rudely. it is if you could keep an eye on Nelliel's palace for strange activities from Nnoitra, the Espada Number 8."

"What?" was Dordoni's reply.

"Recently, the Espada Number 8 has been having a rather hostile attitude towards Nelliel. and since he can't beat her 1 vs 1, I think he could attack her in another way so she let her guard down. and I can't be everywhere, and there are times when I have to fulfill my duties as Espada. That's why I wanted to ask you for that favor."

At that Dordoni stared at me for a few seconds and said.

"Are you sure you don't just want me to spy on her on your behalf?"

"no!" I said irritably.

but suddenly his expression changed to a smile and he said.

"So you're worried about her, even though she's one of the strongest Espada in Las Noches, you can't help but feel worried about her. Tell me, do you like her? Certainly she's pretty. So do you like her?" Come on, don't be shy, tell me, I'm very good at keeping secrets." he said that as he went back to doing his weird poses.

"Are you going to help me, yes or no?!" he didn't remember Dordoni being so irritating.

At that Dordoni stopped making his jokes and said more seriously.

"Unfortunately, there is a reason why I stopped being an Espada, and that is because my power no longer compares to the new generation of Espadas. Even if I want to interfere with any plans that Espada number 8 might have, I would be no match for him." He said that with a serious look.

"I already know that. That's why I want to give you this." When I said that, I extended my hand towards him and a blood-red feather came out of my hand.

Dordoni could feel a great power concentrated in that small feather.

"This feather is concentrated with a large amount of my mist. When you shoot it at a target, I'll know, the mist won't affect you or anyone I know. At least it won't affect you if I want it to. But , for those whom I see as my enemies, will fall under my control." I said that seriously.

Dordoni held the pen very carefully.

"If you do that for me, as a thank you, I will help you train and increase your powers. And I will personally recommend you to Lord Aizen to become an Espada again."

At that Dordoni stared at me for a few seconds and said with a big smile.

"Consider it a fact, Niño."

in my room.

I was lying on my bed.

I couldn't get Dordoni's words out of my mind. did I like Nelliel?

I hadn't thought about that in all this time. I have interacted with her for so long that without realizing it I began to feel an attraction towards her. if it wasn't for Dordoni, I never would have actually realized this.

I came to the conclusion that this was because I still hadn't fully controlled my emotions. I spent more than a hundred years without those emotions, so I thought that only 20 years was too short a time to control my emotions.

I was certainly feeling confused, in my previous life I was no stranger to having sentimental partners. but after going so long without feeling those emotions, it's like trying to teach a blind man who just got his sight back, to try to walk again using his eyes. the blind man would be disoriented trying to guide himself now with his own eyes, when he had already gotten used to walking in total darkness.

It also doesn't help that she's someone quite charismatic, compassionate, giggly, funny, smart, strong… I shook my head to try to refocus.

(do I really like her? or is it just a physical attraction?) was what occupied my thoughts currently.

(And what if I really like her? What would she do? Would she love me back?)

(so what if it's just a physical attraction? I don't want to hurt her. and I don't want to be a jerk to her, just looking for sex. but then again, would she even consider me?)

(but right now i'm being an idiot. i'm just thinking about myself, not taking into account how she feels around me. i'm stupidly assuming that she'd agree to be in a relationship with me, just because i want it. first i need to know how I really feel towards her.)

(first, I need to stop thinking that way. second, I need to organize all my thoughts, and I need to organize all my emotions.)

(later I will see which way I will go. I need to solve this for my own good. I have more important things to worry about, like a future war in which I will be involved with the Shinigami. There is also the fact that I know that after the war with Aizen, another war is coming, but I don't know who the new enemies are, because I didn't read the manga. I only know that a mess was made in that new arc.)

(me and my stupid emotions, sometimes I was a little regretting that I got these emotions back, they just make me overthink things. but I'm not going to throw a tantrum about it, I already have my emotions back with me, so I'll deal with those emotions like a man.)

So far today's chapter, the reception I got in the previous chapter, was better than I expected. Thank you very much to those who commented. that really encouraged me to write this story faster.

It could be said that this chapter was a bit slow, but it was important for me to show you how the MC is getting along with the cast of the Bleach world. and no, not all the Arrancars are going to like the Mc.

And just to clarify a few things. yeah i know i didn't give the MC's Resurrección a name, just like his new look in his Resurrección released. and I also didn't say what his enhanced powers were, that was intentional. I want to keep those secrets to myself until we get well into the big fights.

and no, romance won't be a big point in this story, there will only be some mentions like in this chapter, i did it mainly to show the "human" part of the MC hasn't died at all. I did it to show that he can also have more "simple" problems such as love, in a world full of supernatural things and where there are beings capable of doing unimaginable things.

The next mentions on this subject will only be small summaries. how the MC managed to solve his problems with his emotions. Unless you guys want me to expand on that a bit, but my general idea was always to only make small mentions of this topic in future chapters so that you have a general context of what the MC feels.

besides, Nelleil has always been to my liking, so I said why not?

Also for those who had doubts about his power level, in the previous chapter and in this chapter I gave you a few hints of what his power level is.

and for those who wanted to know what position he would occupy in the Espada, well here is the answer. And just to clarify, will the MC be strong? yes, he will not be taken lightly by his opponents. Will he be the most powerful of all? no. the MC won't be overpower, in fact there will be fights that he won't win.

well thank you for reading the whole chapter all the way to the end. I will wait for your reviews of how you thought today's chapter. I really appreciate that very much. Your reviews inspire me to keep writing this story faster.

Until the next chapter.