Chapter 3 - Duel of Two Hybrids Pt.1
Warning - Spoilers for TYBW-related content ahead (Does not involve Season 2, first episode of that has only just recently come out after all)
Seele's Campsite in Hueco Mundo - Bleach World - 10 hours after the end of the last chapter (roughly 7hrs after Ichigo saves Rukia from execution)
(Seele's P.O.V)
I groan as I slowly wake up, sleeping on the sand of Hueco Mundo is not a pleasant experience no matter how you try to sleep on it, It's coarse and rough, not to mention it just gets everywhere.
I sigh as I slowly get up, feeling the sand flake off the side of my body that I was sleeping until only tiny scraps remain on my clothes before I soon sit up and begin to spread my senses outward, ultimately sensing no hollows around me save for Nelliel who is soaring toward me…
…Wait WHAT?!…
I turn my head toward the direction Nelliel is coming in fast from just in time to get tackled onto the ground again by an incredibly affectionate busty green-haired Arrancar, her body still covered up by the basic red shroud that indicates her binding to me…
"Lady Seele, you're awake at last~!" says a rather happy Nelliel, confusing me as to why Nelliel is acting strangely like her child self to some degree, maybe I hadn't gotten to her fast enough to completely fix that issue or perhaps she's always been this way when not dealing with Espada duties.
"Nelliel, can you do me a favor and get off me please!" I say loudly, trying to not suffocate from having Nelliel unintentionally force my head between her big breasts, a slight envy encroaching on my mind as my choice of form isn't exactly busty but at least my hair is damn good to look at…
Nelliel gives a warm smile before nodding and getting off of me, allowing me to sit back up once more and get a more proper look at the former 3rd Espada, sensing that the green-haired Arrancar has fully recovered from her injuries thanks to both the constant reiryoku infusion but also due to the binding itself…
"So Nelliel, how are you feeling now that you've fully recovered…?" I ask Nelliel, curious to see how she's doing mentally after going from being defeated by Nnoitra to being bound by me, wanting to make sure she's doing alright…
"I'm alright Lady Seele, although if I am being honest it was…strange to wake up with some minor new skills forced into my head…" Nelliel says, likely having given any skills that she may have been missing compared to her TYBW counterpart.
I slowly nod at that, slowly standing up with Nelliel soon standing up herself, the green-haired Arrancar smiling as I take a look at the campsite itself, slightly surprised that no hollows actually tried to come even remotely close to us…
"So, how long have you actually been awake exactly…?" I ask Nelliel, curious to see how long it's been since she woke up, the busty espada taking a moment to think as she glances up at the constantly visible moon in the sky…
"I would say….about 2 hours or so, had to clear away all the hollows that were getting too close to us so you'd sleep undisturbed Lady Seele~" Nelliel says, making me freeze as what she says clicks in my head, that certainly explains why I sensed absolutely no hollows nearby, not even a single stray…
But as far as I know, Nelliel shouldn't exactly like the idea of killing or fighting, so this is highly surprising to me and a tab bit worrisome. Still, I should probably at least confirm that she actually killed them first…
"Nelliel, did you actually kill said hollows or just drove them away…?" I ask, a feeling of relief coming over me when her eyes widen and shakes her head, the green-haired Arrancar explaining that she had only forced them to flee for the most part, only reluctantly killing when absolutely necessary…
Something that least gives me some comfort to know that the healing didn't somehow fuck up her personality, while I do believe the company benefits would heal her of that if it did occur, I still had to be certain due to the nebulous way this world works…
Regardless, I am glad to see that Nelliel is doing ok after her recovery, truth be told I was kind of worried that what I did before was a temporary measure and I'd be seeing Nelliel back in that child form upon waking up again…
"So…what do you plan to do today Lady Seele…?" Nelliel asks, showing a curiosity as to what I plan on doing today, which does make me recall how I did actually want to try and head to the human world today if possible…
Before I got Nelliel, my only possible option was to use the Yamato to send me right over to Karakura town, however, the issue is that I could run the risk of accidentally entering the Dangai rather than making a portal straight to Karakura town itself…
However, now that I have Nelliel to make a garganta, It would be all too easy to just have Nelliel make one straight to Karakura town, plus it would allow me to physically experience how the garganta works as a bonus.
With that in mind, I take a moment to ponder the response I might get when I appear on the other side of the garganta alongside Nelliel, who is an Arrancar might I add. With Nelliel in my retinue, I have a rough idea of where I am in the timeline at least, meaning Rukia's Execution is either really close or has already happened…
If the Execution has yet to happen, then chances are that the soul society will be too preoccupied with the rescue attempt of Rukia to properly intercept me and Nelliel. But if the events of Rukia's execution have already taken place, then Sosuke Aizen will have already returned to Las Noches…
This means should the latter possibility be the case, then Aizen will undoubtedly be curious as to where Nnoitra has run off to, meaning I should leave Hueco Mundo sooner rather than later. However, there is a very good chance that Ichigo and Co will immediately come to intercept me if it does turn out that the latter possibility is true…
I just hope I can prevent a misunderstanding, although part of me thinks that is not really gonna be happening, primarily due to the fact Aizen would be likely sending scouts to see how the soul society responds, case in point, the introduction of Uluqiorra and….
Ugh, the name of the big guy escapes me at the moment, mostly due to how I never really thought of him as an interesting character, something I am kind of regretting but I think it should remember it later on.
"Say Nelliel, can you by any chance, create a garganta to the human world with the destination being Karakura town…?" I ask Nelliel, prompting the busty green-haired Arrancar to frown as she's trying to recall where she's heard that name prior to now…
"Karakura town…..I believe I should be able to get us there…" Nelliel says, although her tone betrays her uncertainty in her claim, something that doesn't fill me with a ton of confidence. Still, it's probably the best option I have and I don't exactly want to experiment with the Yamato's portal-opening abilities just yet…
I decide to ultimately go ahead with the Idea, trusting Nelliel's skills as an Arrancar to if not get us to Karakura town directly, then at least close enough that we can make the trip ourselves. Soon enough, Nelliel takes a moment to focus, her instincts guiding her as she tears open a garganta in front of us…
It doesn't take long for the two of us to soon enter the garganta, forming a reishi platform under our feet in order to not fall into the endless abyss and start making our way through, all in hopes of reaching our destination…
Karakura Town awaits!
Soul Society, Research and Development Squad 12's monitoring room - Almost 2 Seconds later
(General P.O.V)
"Detecting a disturbance in District 3600!" Yells one of the members of Squad 12 monitoring the various districts under the purview of the soul society, with many of the aides who were previously idle now turning their attention to the data coming from District 3600.
Or for those who live in said district, Karakura Town in the World of the Living…
"Sensors detected two intruders, one has been verified as an Arrancar, and the second one is currently a complete unknown!" Another squad member says in rapid response to the first, the members of Research and Analysis working like a well-oiled machine as the data flows in…
"Wonder if the damn traitor is already making his move…" Akon says, who holds the rank of 3rd seat in Squad 12, worry etched on the man's face as his mind rushes to consider if he should inform the Head Captain…
"Of course not, even a wretch like Aizen needs time to prepare his prize that he so recently claimed from the body of one Rukia Kukichi…" says a condescending voice, a man coming over to the various monitors as the man who spoke up bears an unusual amount of face-paint while wearing a blue headdress…
This is Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Captain of Squad 12 and the man who took over after Kisuke Urahara had left roughly 100 years ago…
"It seems that we're dealing with a possible third party, especially since the sensors are unable to verify the second intruder…" Mayuri says, his face showing a manic grin at the prospect of potentially experimenting on a complete unknown, a chance to one-up Kisuke Urahara in his mind.
"But sir, couldn't the unknown just be another Arrancar under some sort of cloaking effect…?" one of the various aides asks, who soon receives both Mayuri's momentarily undivided attention and his scorn at the exact same time...
"Imbecile, the sensors of the soul society wouldn't be able to detect the intruder at all if that were the case, the fact the sensors are unable to match the data of the second intruder to any of our records indicates that we're dealing with a brand new entity…" Mayuri Kurotsuchi says before swiftly turning away from the aide who is quickly apologizing, although Mayuri doesn't hear them as his attention is now entirely on the data the sensors are giving…
"Hmmm…it seems whatever this new spiritual entity is, it bears a lot of power and seems to have been mixed with both Soul-Reaper and Hollow power to a minor degree, likely due to a connection to the Arrancar perhaps…" Mayuri theorizes, before turning to one of the aides and telling them to inform the Head Captain immediately, especially since they're dealing with something completely unknown to the Soul Society up until now…
However, Mayuri has no doubt in his mind that if the soul society has picked up on the presence of the new entity, then the traitor Sosuke Aizen has most certainly noticed as well. This means it's a question of who can get the allegiance of this new being first, although the fact it's coming entering through a garganta with an Arrancar might lead to a conflict down the line…
"How intriguing that this new wildcard comes up now, after not even several hours since Sosuke Aizen betrayed us…" Mayuri says, a maniac gleam in his eyes as he is all too eager to see how things unfold from here.
It will most certainly help further his research no matter what happens after all…
Just outside of Karakura Town - 5 minutes later
(Seele's P.O.V)
As we finally exit the Garganta, I couldn't help but feel a strange sensation ripple through me momentarily before disappearing, making me wonder what the hell that was just now. I look around the nearby clearing, the location feeling strangely familiar to me for some reason actually…
It was right at that moment, that I finally recognized where both myself and Nelliel have ended up, the same place where the 10th Espada and Ulquiorra both appeared to scout Karakura town. It's also at that same moment, that I finally manage to recall that the big guy's name is Yammy…
I am still trying to comprehend why exactly Yammy ended up being the technical strongest of the Espada, I mean the guy was a brute from start to finish, it makes me question what metric the rankings were determined by regardless of who or what actually granted said ranks…
Gripes about Espada rankings aside, I can tell that our arrival to Karakura town has not gone unnoticed, as I can detect multiple reiatsu signatures approaching at various speeds. However, the two that will appear first seem to feel a lot like…Fullbringers…
At first, I am confused, but quickly remember that two of Ichigo's friends, Chad and Orihime, are both confirmed Fullbringers like Ichigo and even myself as well now. Nelliel herself notices and reaches for her zanpakuto so that she's ready for combat, however, I stop her and shake my head, causing the busty green-haired Arrancar to look at me confused.
"I don't want us to appear as if we're here to cause trouble Nelliel…" I say to clear up the confusion in Nelliel's expression, the Arrancar in my retinue nodding her head before taking her hand off of her zanpakuto…
Not long after this exchange though, we soon spot two people soon confronting us in the clearing, two very familiar people to me in particular…
The first is a dark-skinned, burly young man who bears both Mexican and Japanese blood in his veins, his right arm currently covered in black armor with white and red stripes along it, the incomplete form of his fullbring…
This is Yasutora Sado, or as Ichigo calls him, Chad.
The second is an orange-haired young woman who is wearing the Karakura high school Uniform, one of the most noticeable things about her is the rather large breasts she does have as well bearing one of the most broken Fullbrings possible…
This is Orihime Inoue, who back in my previous life was considered one of the most popular waifu of the Bleach World…
"I'm surprised, would have expected you to bring along Ichigo Kurosaki…" I say, unable to resist commenting on how they haven't brought them along, but I can sense the beacon of reiatsu that is most likely Ichigo Kurosaki approaching…
"What do you want with Ichigo…" Chad says, his eyes narrowing as he brings up his guard around me and Nelliel, something that makes me feel a bit of dismay internally but pushes the momentarily disheartening reaction as I do truly understand from a pragmatic point of view…
"I intend to see if the Substitute Soul Reaper can give me a good fight, and maybe teach them a thing or two if they'd be willing…" I say, choosing to try and give the impression of someone who merely wants a good fight, which if I had to be honest wouldn't go against the norm in this world really…
Both Chad and Orihime look at each other, unsure how to react to that before Chad turns to look at Nelliel, sensing the hollow reiatsu coming from the busty green-haired Arrancar, the dark-skinned man noticing the slight bulge in the basic red shroud that denotes the presence of a sheathed sword.
"What of the woman beside you…?" Chad asks me, raising an eyebrow at that before realizing that they probably haven't seen an arrancar before this point, as Aizen hasn't yet sent the incomplete ones by this point yet if my understanding of the timeline is correct…
"She is someone that I've taken under my wing, abandoned by her former master…" I say vaguely, deciding to not reveal the existence of Arrancars myself as I do need to be careful to not cause any misunderstandings. Still, before any further questions from the two can come up, the main event finally arrives…
Standing before both myself and Nelliel now, is the legendary Ichigo Kurosaki….who is, in a mix of surprise and slight annoyance, a rather busty young woman herself. If I had to guess, she's got similar levels of curves to Yoruichi but I'd doubt I'll be getting a chance to confirm my estimates anytime soon…
"Hey Chad, Orihime…why aren't you two fighting…?" Ichigo asks in confusion, her entire focus entirely on her two friends rather than myself and Nelliel, although granted it's not like we actually intend to do any of them harm…it's still annoying to be blown off like that.
However, due to my annoyance though I momentarily slip on my firm control over my Reiatsu and, unintentionally let all three of them catch a glimpse of the power I am keeping under wraps which makes the trio break out in a cold sweat…
"I'm sorry, it seems that my annoyance at being completely ignored led to me slipping in my control…" I say apologetically, although it's clear that all three of them are quickly turning their attention back to me and Nelliel…
"What are you…?" Ichigo asks with a serious look on her face, likely having noticed how unusual my reiatsu is compared to others in the spiritual world, the question making me smirk slightly…
"What am I….well Ichigo Kurosaki, have come quite a long distance all for the sake of being able to cross blades with you!" I say with the earlier smirk turning into a small eager grin, Ichigo freezes before the busty substitute soul reaper groans, mumbling about another Kenpachi…
I have to visibly restrain myself at the comparison really…
"Sorry Miss, but I'm not interested in just fighting for the sake of it…" Ichigo says, although she does keep her guard up in case I force the issue, thankfully for both our sakes I don't plan to attack her out of nowhere…
"Really…not even if I can help you with a certain Hollow issue you have right now…?" I ask leadingly, Ichigo's eyes widening as she is stunned that I would even be able to know of that, with her friends being just as stunned…
"How did….look, I don't need your help with it, I can deal with it on my own…" Ichigo says stubbornly, the busty substitute soul reaper's expression showing a noticeable amount of irritation as she likely intends to deal with the issue on her own until it comes to the point where she is forced to seek out the Vizards…
Good thing I know exactly the right buttons to press in order to get her to agree…
"And if you fail because you chose to stubbornly try and deal with the issue on your own, what would happen to your friends as a result…?" I ask leadingly, making Ichigo's eyes widen before they narrow as she bristles with anger but her furious expression also does little to hide the concern and fear that is now coming to the forefront of her mind as she can't help but worry about what would happen to her friends if she did end up failing because of her stubbornness…
"...If I agree to fight you, will you help me with it, my hollow issue…?" Ichigo asks me firmly, her prior stubbornness melting away into resolve, as while Ichigo is always quite the stubborn teenager, she bears the mantle of a protector incredibly well even as early in the story as it is…
"Of course, I'll even answer as many questions as you like after the fight, although there is only so much I can tell you due to limited knowledge in some areas…" I say with an excited grin on my face, my hand moving aside my long purple hair to slowly draw out my Fullbring Machete Blade without any issue…
I motion for Nelliel to move out of the way, with Ichigo doing the same for her friends as the cloth wrappings covering her Zanpakuto unravel automatically while she grasps the handle of her weapon, soon drawing out the Iconic form of Zangetsu and holding it with two hands…
Almost immediately upon seeing Zangetsu fully unsheathed, I can feel a strong, pulsing feeling deep within my soul, the fires that represent Ichigo's powers within me blazing with an intense ferocity, unlike anything I've felt before back in Hueco Mundo…
Several seconds pass as the two of us just hold our blades ready, the two of us waiting to see who will make the first move. Eventually, the one who does make the first move is myself, rushing forward in a burst of Bringer Light which catches Ichigo off-guard momentarily…
Ichigo quickly blocks my incoming diagonal strike from my Fullbring Blade with Zangetsu, sparks flying from both of our swords as the pulsing within my very soul continues, getting stronger and stronger…
Before long, Ichigo quickly shifts her stance and pushes back against my blade, forcing me to jump away to not get sliced along my torso by the khyber knife form of Zangetsu's Shikai, which allows Ichigo to begin her own offensive move as she rushes forward in a burst of shunpo.
I only get seconds to block the bulky Shikai form of Zangetsu with my Fullbring blade, gritting my teeth as a minor crater forms underneath my feet from the force of the impact, the exchange forcing me to exert slightly more of my raw power and without warning, I dive to the left of Ichigo…
With my Left hand no longer needing to keep the high guard up with my Fullbring Blade, I am free to dash forward and land a gut punch to Ichigo's stomach which sends her flying back slightly, Ichigo stabbing Zangetsu in the ground to halt her flight.
"Tch, didn't think you'd do something like that…" Ichigo says clear annoyance shown on her expression, a small chuckle escaping my lips as I look straight at the busty substitute soul reaper with an amused smirk…
"Well Ichigo Kurosaki, when you get unceremoniously dropped in the middle of the world of the Hollows out of nowhere, you tend to forget about fighting fair when your very survival is on the line…" I say casually, although the tone of my voice does turn firm at the latter portion of my minor speech, it's only when I am done talking though do I notice that Ichigo has her Zanpakuto above her head with two hands in a very….familiar…..stance…..
I just got caught fucking monologing, didn't I…
"GETSUGA TENSHO!" Ichigo cries out as she lets out a wave of blue reiatsu, giving me only seconds to react before the very technique I used to defeat Nnoitra is about to slam into me. Acting on a hunch, I decided to not jump out of the way but instead use the fullbring blade to cleave the Getsuga Tensho in two…
The moment I swing my Fullbring blade, I can immediately feel the intense pulsing from within my soul become impossible to ignore as I slash the Getsuga Tensho into two separate waves that surge right past me and explode further past the tree-line…
I can see the look of shock on Ichigo's face as the technique that she will use so much in the future has been so easily severed in two, a grin forming on my face as I let Reiryoku flood into my Fullbring blade, my long purple hair flowing against the wind as I can feel a shift in my eyes ever so slightly…
"That was a pretty good attack Ichigo...now let me respond in kind….GETSUGA TENSHO!" I cry out as I swing my fullbring blade, a smaller yet much faster version of Ichigo's own Getsuga tensho rushing forward, the attacking threatening to impact the busty substitute soul reaper…
Ichigo is quick to snap out of her shock though, as she brings her blade forward in a familiar stance, and with only seconds to spare…
"BANKAI!"
Ichigo's voice echos out just as my Getsuga Tensho connects, a surge of reiatsu coming from the impact point as both Chad and Orihime watch in deep concern, hoping that their friend is alright…
Thankfully for all involved, the attack was harmlessly dispersed by the activation of Ichigo's Bankai, Tensa Zangetsu, as she looks over to me with a stern look on her face. It's clear that Ichigo isn't gonna play around anymore, as she uses her Bankai's incredible speed to begin moving around me in an attempt to catch me off guard with her next attack…
Thankfully though, I have the full power of one Vergil Sparda from Devil May Cry 5, meaning that at this level of speed, I can actually keep track of Ichigo allowing me to block the incoming attack from behind as I whirl around to lock blades with Ichigo once more…
Truly I so desperately want to fight Ichigo using my full range of abilities, but with Ichigo being as she is right now, I don't want to risk seriously harming her as unlike Dante, Ichigo doesn't have demonic regeneration or even a Hollow's Ultra-High-Speed Regeneration either…
That doesn't mean I don't intend to up the ante though…
I quickly form a set of three summoned swords on each side of my body, Ichigo's eyes widening as she is forced to jump away just in time to rapidly slice apart all six summoned swords, once she lands on the ground again though she is quick to re-engage me in a blade lock
But it is then that things change rapidly, as both I and Ichigo herself can sense the presence of Ichigo's Inner Hollow leaking out now, the busty substitute soul reaper's white sclera turning pitch black as brown begins to turn yellow…
Ichigo stumbles back, clutching her head as both Chad and Orihime are about to rush over in concern for their friend, but I immediately stop them from coming to Ichigo's aid by firing off Summoned Swords at their feet to halt their advance…
"Don't come any closer you two, you won't want to get in the line of fire here…" I say to the two, glancing at Nelliel who nods, getting closer to the Duo as she stays close in order to prevent them from interfering…
I then turn to Ichigo, watching as she struggles to rein in her Inner Hollow but just barely manages to hold them back, leaving me but a moment to think of how to handle the situation in front of me, soon I decide to take a slight gamble…
"Ichigo, I told you before that I intend to help you with the problem of the Hollow within you, well here and now I will fulfill that promise to you but you got to trust me to handle the Hollow without trying to stop them…" I say, Ichigo's unchanged eye widening as she looks at me for several seconds before slowly and shakily nodding…
It is right after that the Hollow within Ichigo finally takes control as half a hollow mask forms on Ichigo's face, a manic, crazed grin forming on the possessed Ichigo's face. Suddenly the hollowified Ichigo disappears in a burst of speed and reappears behind me, my eyes widening at the speed as it's noticeably higher than what I had expected of Ichigo at this point…
I quickly turn around to block the incoming attack, Tensa Zangetsu's blade grinding against my Fullbring blade as I begin to struggle to hold the possessed form of Ichigo back, slightly regretting holding back so much now…
"I really got to thank you for convincing her to let me take the reigns, now how about I reward ya by killing you~!" The possessed Ichigo says with a manic grin, soon she suddenly jumps back for a brief moment before throwing herself back toward me with an insane burst of speed I only barely react in time to with my fullbring blade, my eyes widening as the black and red energy of the blackened Getsuga tensho flowing along the blade of Tensa Zangetsu…
Yep, I am very much regretting holding back so much now…
"Then perhaps it is a good thing that I awoke time…" a deep, baritone voice says from within my soul, my eyes widening as the world around me stops for but a brief moment. I dare not look behind me, but I know who it is that spoke and has chosen to show up…
"Old Man Zangetsu…" I say, unable to move my body or my head as my perception of time is slowed to a complete crawl, feeling the presence of the old man that took up the name of Zangetsu for so long…
"...So despite knowing what you know, you would do me the honor of still giving me that name…" Old Man Zangetsu says, an almost sober expression on the man's face as he looks over to the possess Ichigo in front of me…
"Of Course, to Ichigo, it didn't matter if you weren't originally Zangetsu or not, you still helped Ichigo and guided him in his battles…" I say, my tone of voice full of respect despite all that I know, a small smile gracing the sunglasses-wearing man as I can tell my words struck a chord with him…
"Wait, what of him…?" I can't help but ask, the question briefly confusing Old Man Zangetsu before he realizes what I am referring to, an amused smile on his face as he shakes his head due to what he knows about that…
"If you refer to the Other Zangetsu, well She is still sleeping, adjusting to your soul as we speak…" Zangetsu says, my eyes widening as I didn't exactly expect the Hollow Zangetsu to get a gender flip from a template, although judging by the feeling of amusement I don't think it's just a gender flip…
"Will you grant me your power, just like you lent it to Ichigo…?" I ask with a fond smile, Old Man Zangetsu initially not saying anything but instead answers by his actions alone as I can feel an incredible surge of reiatsu overflowing from my body…
"Always…Seele Rand…" Old Man Zangetsu says with a fond smile, feeling a hand placed upon my shoulder as I feel his presence behind me disappear, time slowly going back to normal as I watch as my Fullbring armor and blade begins to surge with a ton of reiatsu…
"What the hell is this?!" The Possessed form of Ichigo says before she's flung back from the sheer force of reiatsu flooding from my body, soon a pillar of pure blue surges out from my body as can feel a familiar weight replace my Fullbring Blade in my right hand…
As the Pillar of Reiatsu finally dies down, not only is the Possessed Ichigo shocked and stunned at what she sees, but also Chad and Orihime as well. My lips curl into a slight smile of fondness as I stare at the Possessed Ichigo…
My Fullbring armor is now completely covered by a Soul Reaper's uniform and the brace that used to be around my nose from the Fullbring armor now changing into a neck guard instead as the Fullbring blade has been replaced by the Post Fullbring state of Ichigo's own Zanpakuto…
"Tensa Zangetsu….Meet Zangetsu…" I say with an eager smirk, letting my reiatsu flow out of my body as dark blue demonic Reiatsu swirls around the main sky blue reiatsu I possess, soon the Possessed form of Ichigo Kurosaki soon begins to laugh maniacally…
"Oh just when I thought this couldn't get any better, you pull this…I am going to enjoy killing you…" The Possessed Ichigo says although I can tell there is a very faint hint of nervousness in her voice now…
I merely continue smirking as I hold Zangetsu ready to resume the fight in earnest, a sentient the Hollowfied and possessed Ichigo seems to share as the two of us get into our stances once more before we leap forward…
It's time for round two…
Author's Notes
At long last, I have been waiting to pull this plot thread for three chapters straight, not to mention I've been planning and replanning this entire interaction multiple times in my head as to how I intend to handle it.
Now then, Plot point time since I am going to need to dive into the events of this chapter in detail…
Nelliel's awakening
Since Nelliel is firmly on Seele's side, this will have both benefits and downsides as with Nelliel she has a major powerhouse on her side and can help fight against Aizen in the Winter War ahead…
One upside is that it does kind of help teach Ichigo fairly early that Hollows are able to defy their nature at times depending on the Hollow in question…
Of course, the downside is that due to her nature, she's going to undoubtedly be scrutinized by the Gotei 13 which is something that Seele is going to have to deal with. However she should be able to at least convince them to not kill Nelliel hopefully…
Squad 12 Scene and Mayuri Kurotsuchi
Unfortunately for Seele, her journey through the Garganta with Nelliel has most definitely not gone unnoticed by the Soul Society, not to mention Mayuri very quickly deduces that a brand new entity has entered the world, although he doesn't know the identity of that person as of yet of course…
He will soon learn though…
Seele Rand VS Ichigo Kurosaki Part 1
I had originally intended for the fight to occur due to misunderstandings, forcing the fight rather than having Seele offer to help Ichigo with his Inner Hollow problem, however, I felt that would be a bit of a disservice to Ichigo's intelligence to do something like that.
Of course, that didn't stop Seele from slightly manipulating Ichigo into agreeing to the fight, but in Seele's mind, the stubbornness of Ichigo is both a strength and a weakness in equal measure depending on the context of the situation.
Hence why she decided to push the issue by pointing out the possibility that if Ichigo continued to ignore the problem, she could potentially be responsible for hurting her friends should it go out of control.
It is here where we finally get to see Ichigo unknowingly see a power she will later get herself in action in the hands of Seele Rand, with the purple-haired contractor intentionally restricting herself to using her Fullbring to fight the Busty Substitute Soul Reaper…
That same choice to restrict herself does bite her in the ass a few times in the fight, which does eventually force her to use more of her abilities. Not to mention Seele was always going to show Ichigo that Seele was also able to use the Getsuga Tensho just like her, even if the Fullbring version isn't as strong…
Seele getting Fullbring Zangetsu
Now this was always going to end up happening, but to explain why Seele got access to Zangetsu so fast, I will point out that Seele was on the edge of awakening them in the last chapter but she wasn't there yet.
During the entire interaction with Ichigo, the almost fully restored powers of Ichigo Kurosaki within Seele were essentially resonating big time. If one recalls how Chad noticed how his Fullbring felt right at home back at Hueco Mundo, I figured that something similar would happen with the Fullbring that Seele has in her possession which originally belonged to Ichigo…
Said Fullbring is connected to the almost restored Soul Reaper and Hollow powers of Ichigo Kurosaki, essentially creating a very similar resonance that Chad had experienced back in Hueco Mundo in canon with Seele so close to a younger incarnation of their original owner.
As for why Seele got the Fullbring form of Zangetsu rather than the True Reforged Zangetsu that Ichigo got in TYBW, there are two reasons. The first is that the state of Ichigo's powers within Seele is from a state prior to when Fullbring Tensa Zangetsu got broken, meaning that she isn't getting the TYBW version of Zangetsu.
The second reason as to why it is the Fullbring Form of Zangetsu is also a matter of perspective on the new version of Zangetsu, derived from both myself and as such, Seele's own personal distaste for the dual blade design.
Where things go from there, will be revealed in time.
Now then on to episode 3 of…
Welcome to Quantum Mechanics Episode 3 - By Kisuke Urahara
The lights come on in a room with a projector as a blonde man wearing a white and green bucket hat, loose Kimono shirt and geta sandals walks into the room with a fan covering his smirking face.
But this time he is not alone, as standing in the room is none other than Old Man Zangetsu himself, his cape floating in the wind as he calmly waits for Kisuke Urahara to begin his usual routine…
"Welcome back everyone, to my ever-so-humble little corner of this fanfic, today we have a very special guest, why it is someone who has come to our lovely temporal butterfly's aid and the main subject of our topic for the day, Old Man Zangetsu!" Kisuke Urahara says as he points his fan at the "Zanpakuto Spirit" in question who just sighs at the antics of the blonde former captain of squad 12…
"Greetings Readers of the Quantum Hybrid Story, as the Soul Reaper next to me has stated, I am the man who has been graced with the Name of Zangetsu not just once, but twice in this situation.." Old man Zangetsu says, the stoic expression faltering ever so slightly as he lets slip a fond smile.
"Indeed, It is incredibly fascinating to see that there is now two Zangetsu Zanpakuto existing simultaneously while being wielded by two different people, If I recall there has been one recorded incident that Ichigo had to deal with regarding the topic of Twin Zanpakuto…" Kisuke Urahara says in a mysterious tone, an ominous smile hidden by his fan momentarily…
"Now then, with the awakening of Zangetsu by Seele, she will no doubt inherit the full scope of abilities that Post Fullbring Ichigo had, meaning she should be more than capable of activating Bankai as well although that does also bring up Hollow Mask that Ichigo used to use before the Winter War ended doesn't it…?" Kisuke Urahara asks, the projector showing off shots of Ichigo Kurosaki in canon using the Hollowification power during the Winter War.
"I cannot confirm nor deny anything that pertains to the Other Zangetsu as of yet, it is not the time yet to reveal the situation behind her…" Old Man Zangetsu says mysteriously, piquing Kisuke's curiosity, but before he can ask a piece of paper floats down from above with Zangetsu being the one to catch it this time…
"It is seems our time is up now Kisuke Urahara, for the Author desires that we end the Episode here before we stray into the territory of what the future may hold…" Old man Zangetsu says, making Kisuke Urahara look disappointed for just a moment before he shrugs, allowing the manifested "Zanpakuto Spirit" to read out the message and say…
"Next Time on Quantum Hybrid: Seele Rand VS Ichigo Kurosaki part 2, Meeting with Kisuke Urahara and the Gotei 13 arrive" Upon hearing that he will be showing up in the story soon, Kisuke Urahara has an excited smile as he is all too eager to finally have a role in the story head.
And as both Kisuke Urahara and Old Man Zangetsu leave the room, the room goes dark once more until the next Episode of Quantum Mechanics…