Chapter 3
The Principal's Office
Ichigo was having another one of those days where life just wanted to find an excuse to annoy him. Today, Ichigo was called to the principal's office along with his friends, along with Rukia, Tatsuki and Orihime. Apparently, the gym teacher, Kagine, wanted to question the boys and girls about participating in some strange event.
There was this local celebrity called Don Kanonji who is a renowned psychic or something and wanted to exorcize a ghost that haunted an old hospital. To Ichigo's surprise, Kanonji wasn't a fake as he could see spirits like Ichigo. However, it almost became a mess as the man was still an idiot and almost caused a Hollow to appear.
The hospital was being haunted by some stubborn spirit who refused to move on and declared the hospital to be his domain. Ichigo really wasn't in the mood for stupidity and went into shinigami mode and got to work. Of course, Kanonji noticed him and tried to question his appearance but Ichigo ignored him and got to work and sent the spirit to the Soul Society. Kanonji was impressed by the sight and tried to bother Ichigo about apprenticeships or something, but Ichigo just returned to his body and quickly left.
Now it appears that Ichigo and the others were caught in a photo of their appearance. There was no law or rule about students going wherever they wished after school hours. The issue was there was some mess that happened in the crowd during Kanonji's demonstration.
"If it helps to clear anything up, Orihime and I were just there by coincidence. We weren't even participating in that group." Tatsuki said, blatantly lying.
"That's a lie." Ichigo said, but Tatsuki responded by sticking her tongue at him.
"I guess that makes sense." Kagine said.
"That's sexism." Ichigo pointed out.
"Yeah, we should be let go too. It's not like we did anything bad." Keigo said.
Kagine lifted Keigo by the back of his shirt, "Oh no you don't!" He said. "Don't you realize the consequences of being on television? You could ruin the school's reputation!" He yelled.
"I would like to say that this is an abuse of power and that Kagine-sensei is just finding an excuse to scream at students and obstruct our hour of learning." Ichigo suddenly said.
"Yeah, what Ichigo said!" Keigo said, thinking his friend had a plan.
"That is a strong statement, Kurosaki-san. Do you have anything else to say in the defense of yourself and your peers?" The principal asked, having also felt annoyed by Kagine's desire to punish the boys and girls.
Ichigo suddenly pulled out the coin with the string to Rukia's surprise, 'Wait, is he going to try his hypnosis trick? He said it was just a generic coin.' She thought.
"This is a five yen coin that I found. I found this on the ground next to a vending machine. Some idiot likely tried to save money to buy a drink or something but realized he would have to pull the coin back out about a hundred times." Ichigo said.
Ichigo's teacher, Misato Ochi, looked curious, "And what does this story have to do with your defense, Kurosaki-kun?" She asked.
Everyone looked at Ichigo with curiosity, "It means that Kagine is putting too much effort into achieving his goals with too little resources." Ichigo answered.
Ichigo just made that up, deep down he was hoping Kagine was stupid enough to fall for the hypnosis of the coin like Saido did. Luckily it did, because Kagine's eyes were dilated and he looked like he was drifting off into outer space. Ichigo just wondered if it really worked or if Kagine was ready to explode on them again.
"I see an interesting comparison. Do you have anything to say, Kagine-sensei?" the principal asked, only to see Kagine remain silent. "I see that there is nothing left to say. All of you are excused, but I do recommend avoiding trouble regardless of your hours and appearance." He said.
The boys and girls quickly ran out, some mentally thanking Ichigo for using the coin and somehow defeating Kagine with it. At the same time, Kagine was still trapped in a trance and the two staff members were trying to wake him up. Ochi resorted to having to slap Kagine a few times until he finally woke up only to hear the principal scold him for being too harsh on the students.
Later that day
Keigo was feeling really jealous of Ichigo, "What the heck man? You can attract cute girls and have awesome grades!? Is there some kind of nerd appeal that you have?" He asked.
Ichigo shoved Keigo away from his face, "I actually try and study. Mostly because I hardly have anything to do after school and work." He said.
"Ichigo does have a point, maybe you should try and study." Mizuiro suggested.
"Sure, I can try but I'm not reaching number 23 in our entire class." Keigo said with a sad sigh.
"Then how about you put in some effort?" Ichigo asked, but Keigo ignored the suggestion. "You know, it's really a matter of perspective. Besides, school is tough on orange haired guys like me." He said.
Keigo scoffed, "Whatever, you're not allowed to join me and Mizuiro. Nobody in the top 50 can join us, right Chad?" He asked.
Despite being a gentle giant, Keigo assumed Chad wasn't very scholarly. Even Mizuiro assumed Chad to be on the average level on the spectrum and is surprised to hear that Ichigo studies. However, even Mizuiro's own pride had shattered when the tall boy pointed at his own name on the list.
"Number 11!? Chad almost made the top 10!?" Keigo asked.
"I see… you and Ichigo are very evil." Mizuiro said as he curled up on the floor.
"Evil?" Chad asked as he looked at Ichigo for answers.
"I guess that means whoever is number one is a supervillain." Ichigo said before curiously looking for the name on the list. "Ametatsu Ishida?" He asked.
"Kurosaki-kun, that says Uryu Ishida. He's in our class." Orihime said.
"Oh, I don't think I ever interacted with him." Ichigo said before Rukia appeared.
"Hi Inoue, is it okay if I borrow Kurosaki-kun?" Rukia asked as she already started dragging him.
With all her strength it looked like Ichigo was putting up some resistance. Almost as if his feet were firmly planted into the floor with cement.
"Um, you are already taking him so… okay." Orihime said as Rukia eventually dragged Ichigo out of the hallway.
"Senpai?" Mash asked as she saw Ichigo being dragged away.
"We'll be back later." Rukia said.
"Hey look where Mash-chan placed." Orihime said.
Mash blushed at the sudden attention she gained from her position. It was already surprising that Orihime, a very ditzy student, made it to third place. Now everyone is shocked to see that Mash made it to second place right behind Ishida. It was a great position but Mash would prefer it if all of her classmates didn't stare at her.
"Even the new girl is evil." Mizuiro cried.
"I'm not evil." Mash said, looking offended.
All the while, Fou was sticking his ear out of Mash's bag. Listening and trying to comprehend what was going on.
Later that night
"Another fake Hollow attack?" Ichigo asked.
In recent days, there have been numerous messages of a Hollow appearing. Except once Ichigo and Rukia arrive to deal with the problem. There is no presence of a Hollow or sign of much damage. Ichigo was thinking that either the Hollows didn't exist or they had disappeared on their own. Rukia even had to check and make sure that her device was functioning properly.
"Rukia, is that cell phone of yours even working? Because I think someone is trying to screw you over." Ichigo said, sounding annoyed.
"I don't know what's going on either, but this is definitely not right." Rukia said as she dragged Ichigo's body. "You can go back in now. These fall alarms are stressing me out." She said.
As Ichigo returned to his body, they were suddenly surprised by the presence of another person. Standing behind them is a young man around Ichigo's age who was wearing glasses and a strange uniform.
"Hello Kurosaki and Kuchiki." The young man said, sounding as if he were familiar with them.
"Rukia, stand back, we have a stalker." Ichigo said.
"I… wait, did you just call me a stalker? I'm in your class." the boy said, sounding annoyed. "I mean, I sit in the back of the classroom and we do not interact. However, I know very well that like me, both of you can see spirits." He said, surprising them.
Then suddenly, Rukia heard another beeping noise from her cell phone. This time, it said that the Hollow was very close to their location. This time, the request to purify the Hollow came from the other side of town. This time, the pair could sense and hear a Hollow leaving a small trail of destruction.
Before Ichigo could return to shinigami form again, the boy suddenly generated a blue bow and arrow from his own energy. In a mere instant, he fired the arrow across town and hit the Hollow directly. Instantly making Rukia's order disappear as there was no longer a present Hollow.
"Okay, who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked, demanding to know the sttranger's identity.
"I am Uryu Ishida and I'm Quincy and I hate shinigami. I hate you in particular, Kurosaki." Uryu said, offending Ichigo.
Just as Uryu was about to disappear as if he were a new antagonist or a mystery side character from a movie. His sense of confidence came to an end as he felt a rope being tied around his ankle and found himself falling on his face. If there was a soundtrack playing, everyone would hear a loud record scratch at the pathetic sight.
"Hold the hell up, what do you mean you hate me? I never bothered you before and here you are criticizing me." Ichigo said, sounding annoyed as he pulled Uryu closer.
"I just have my reasons." Uryu said, still trying to sound mysterious.
"Then if you have a problem with my job. Then where were you when a Hollow attacked my house?" Ichigo asked.
"Your business is not my own." Uryu answered.
"And yet you're following me and Rukia around." Ichigo said.
"And you didn't do anything when Inoue was also attacked." Rukia said.
"Well, I wasn't aware." Uryu responded.
"How about the time Chad brought a parrot to school? That thing was being used as bait for another Hollow." Ichigo asked.
"And there were frequent attacks all around town in general. Sometimes multiple ones in a single day." Rukia added.
Uryu started looking flustered and annoyed, "Look, I just hate shinigami and know I can do it better!" He exclaimed.
Ichigo sighed, "Rukia, draw him a picture of Spider-Man. That might make him shut up." He said.
"What in the world is Spider-Man?" Rukia asked.
"I don't want pictures of Spider-Man." Uryu said as he tried ripping off the ropes that Ichigo threw at him. "Look, I just don't like you and find you inadequate." He said.
Ichigo scoffed, "Yeah sure, I'm the bad guy. You're entitled to your opinion, you're a Pansy after all." He said.
"I am a Quincy!" Uryu exclaimed before breaking free. "Mock me now, but you'll realize that my abilities are far superior." He said before running off.
"Hey come back here!" Ichigo yelled. "You didn't get your picture of Spider-Man!" He added.
"I still don't know what that is." Rukia said, ignorant to the western equivalent of manga.
"I'm sure there's a store you can take inspiration from." Ichigo said as he sighed. "Still, what is that guy's problem? Also, what even is a Quincy?" He asked.
Rukia shrugged, "I'm not sure, I've never heard of humans being able to use spiritual energy to fight Hollows." She said.
Rukia would have to ask Urahara to help her get some knowledge on this tomorrow.
The next day
Ichigo was still feeling bitter about last night's encounter, "That jerk, I swear I'm going to get more information out of him. That… damn, I forgot his name." He said, feeling stupid. "How do I forget someone's name?" He asked.
"Who's name?" Orihime asked as she walked past Ichigo.
"Something Ishida." Ichigo absentmindedly answered.
"Oh, you mean Uryu Ishida. He was number one in our class, I think he's there right now." Orihime said.
Ichigo followed Orihime and saw Uryu at the back of the class. He appeared to be sewing on some pink stuffed doll for Michiru. Besides being good at fighting Hollows, Uryu proved to be good with a sewing kit.
"Thank you Ishida-san!" Michiru said.
"Think nothing of it. It's not special." Uryu said, pushing the girl away with his words.
"Oh ok, sorry." Michiru said.
"You know, Ishida-san would have lots of friends if he wasn't so mean to everyone." Orihime commented.
Ichigo had to admit another thing about Uryu Ishida, he was rude and had a natural talent for alienating everyone.
After School
Uryu had left school not too long ago after the final bell. However, as he was climbing up the stairs, he sensed a great amount of Reiryoku. He turned and expected to either see someone standing behind him or trying to hide.
"You can come out now. I've noticed you following me since the end of school." Uryu said.
Uryu expected Ichigo to appear from the corner of a wall or from under the stairs. Instead, Ichigo was right behind him in the direction where Uryu was going. This surprised the Quincy as he could sense Ichigo as if he were a loud siren, but failed to realize his exact position.
"Okay, I admit that was impressive." Ichigo said, noticing Uryu's surprise.
Uryu quickly composed himself, "Yes of course! I have great mastery over my Reiryoku, but you might as well have been carrying an air horn with how much reiatsu you are leaking." He said as he adjusted his glasses.
"You looked surprised." Ichigo said, feeling some doubt.
"You just moved too quickly. You were clearly trying to ambush me." Uryu said, trying to deny his brief hiccup with his sensory ability.
"Sure, that makes sense." Ichigo said sarcastically.
"I even noticed your friend with the pink hair." Uryu said while gesturing to behind Ichigo.
"She's not behind me." Ichigo said.
"Fou!" Fou yipped as Mash revealed herself at the bottom of the stairs.
"Okay, you two are just messing with me! If you don't believe me, then how would I know that you became a shinigami in the middle of May? Or the fact that Kyrielight is also leaking a strange form of energy?" Uryu asked.
"If you word it like that, it almost sounds like you're stalking us." Ichigo said, making Uryu grit his teeth. "But show me what makes you special and maybe I'll consider finding you respectable." He said.
Uryu adjusted his glasses again as he used his power to reveal several white ribbons. This surprised Ichigo as he had briefly used this power to find Chad and Shuichi. Only it looks like Uryu can use this power with no difficulty and even went as far as to reveal a red ribbon with strange markings on it.
"I admit, I was put off by the markings. I thought I was looking at a microchip, but the red color meant that you are a shinigami." Uryu said. "In fact, Kyrielight had a similar one although not red." He said, revealing a fading ribbon that also had markings.
'Wait, is that Mash's mana? Maybe our magic circuits stand out? I mean, Mash is a demi-servant and that makes her a heroic spirit in a way.' Ichigo thought as he tried to think of a reason why Mash's ribbon looks weird.
"Fou!" Fou yelled as he poked his head out of Mash's bag.
"What even is that? A squirrel?" Uryu asked.
"Fou!" Fou angrily yelled.
"Just ignore Fou, I think he's hungry again." Ichigo said, noticing Fou glaring at Uryu.
Uryu decided to do just that as he let the ribbons disappear. He then stared down Ichigo as he had something else to say. Ichigo could already tell that Uryu's arrogance was going to lead him to saying something stupid. Which is ironic because he could tell that Uryu is intelligent and serious but say something that would be ridiculous.
"Ichigo Kurosaki, I challenge you to a duel." Uryu said.
Ichigo just stared at Uryu in silence for a moment. Not even bothering to use his brain cells to come up with a response to the ridiculous request.
"Let's go Mash. This was a waste of time." Ichigo said.
"Uh okay." Mash said as she ran behind Ichigo.
Uryu just stood there in shock, "Hey! Come back here! I just issued a challenge!' He said.
"You did do that. Now I'm gonna go home." Ichigo said. "Besides, the fact that you hate the shinigami isn't my fault. I'm just a subsitute so leave me out of your problems." He said.
"Don't tell me you're afraid." Uryu said, trying to goad Ichigo.
"I am afraid. Afraid of wasting my time any further." Ichigo said as Fou jumped onto his shoulder. Fou then started tapping his cheek, "What? You want me to cook tonight?" He asked.
"Fou. Fou." Fou said with a nod.
Now Uryu felt offended as he watched the two walk away from him and deny his challenge. However, he tried to come up with something else to motivate him.
"I see, you won't do it because you need permission from your babysitter." Uryu said, referring to Rukia.
Ichigo turned around and glared, "Oh, you are definitely not getting that picture of Spider-Man." He said.
"I don't want it." Uryu said as his eye twitched.
"Spider-Man?" Mash asked.
"Mash, we're going to go pick up Kon. I think I need to humble the Pansy." Ichigo said.
"Quincy." Uryu corrected with an annoyed facial expression.
"Senpai, I don't approve of this. It's an abuse of power and there's no telling what Ishida will demand in this "challenge" of his." Mash said with some doubt.
"It won't be that bad and besides, look at him." Ichigo said as he gestured to Uryu. "He might be tough, but you know how egotists are. He's just the type to put someone down because of a flaw or two." He said.
Mash still felt unsure, "I think the last egotist we met was a bit more… eccentric." She said, hearing Gilgamesh's laughter in her head.
At least Gilgamesh gave praise when it was earned.
With Rukia
Rukia had gone to talk to Urahara regarding Uryu and of course, the eccentric business owner welcomed any questions and concerns. However, he did find some curiosity in what she had asked.
"And as such, he's just a hero in a blue and red suit. Regardless of how he's written, he will always do his best to save the day no matter how difficult the situation." Urahara said.
"I see, so that's who Spider-Man is." Rukia said as she went straight to drawing.
"Yes, but what does this have to do with your classmate again?" Urahara asked.
Rukia slapped her forehead, "Damn it, I was focused on the wrong thing." She said. "Basically Ishida is a Quincy and has the power to fight hollows despite being a human." She said, surprising him.
"A Quincy? I never knew there were still a few left." Urahara said as he scratched his head. "Before I explain this long history, why did you want me to talk about western superheroes?" He asked.
"Oh yeah, apparently Ichigo thought that Ishida was bitter and angry and would calm down with a picture of Spider-Man." Rukia said before hearing Urahara's employees laugh.
"Bring me pictures of Spider-Man!" Jinta said, mimicking the voice of an angry man.
"What?" Rukia asked.
"It's a reference to the angry bitter newspaper publisher from the comic books." Urahara said. "Anyways as I said, the Quincy are long gone or at least I thought so. They were ordinary humans who battled Hollows until about 200 years ago when they were wiped out." He said.
"What happened to them?" Rukia asked.
"Let me start from the beginning. As you know, the shinigami purify Hollows and send them to the Soul Society with the exception of those who are wicked and deserve to go to hell." Urahara explained. "However, because of how monstrous they are and the fact that they pray to humans. The Quincy took on a different method of stopping them by eradicating them from existence." He explained, shocking Rukia.
It's understandable that Hollows are dangerous and have no concern for the world of the living. However, they were once humans who passed away but couldn't find it in themselves to move onto the afterlife properly. So it disturbed Rukia to hear that there was once a human group that worked to completely erase someone's existence.
Back with Ichigo
A while later, Ichigo had forced Kon to spit out the pill that contained him. Of course, Kon had to bring up his personal thoughts about Ichigo shoving his hand into his mouth again. Once again, Ichigo chose to ignore him while entering shinigami mode and humoring Uryu's challenge.
"So what's your challenge? A test of skill or strength, something along those lines?" Ichigo asked.
Uryu scoffed, "You think I would use such a petty measurement to decide on someone's superiority?" He asked as he pulled something out from his shirt pocket. "No, we will decide who is better by killing the most hollows by using this. It would only make sense that the superior fighter would be able to defeat the most." He said.
Now Mash looked the most concerned, "What is that?" She asked.
"It's bait, this will attract all nearby Hollows to Karakura town for 24 hours." Uryu answered.
"What kind of challenge is that!? You want to put the lives of innocents in danger just to inflate your ego?" Ichigo asked.
"If that is your concern then you should prove yourself by saving all of the innocents." Uryu said with little care.
Uryu then released the bait just as Ichigo rushed to stop him. It was too late to stop Uryu's reckless challenge by the time Ichigo tackled him down. In a moment's notice, Ichigo could already sense a massive amount of Hollows moving around the entire city.
"Bastard!" Ichigo yelled as he and Uryu hit the ground. "You idiot! Do you know what you have done because of your own ego!?" He angrily yelled.
"Ichigo, this on you for letting him goad you." Kon said, mocking him.
Uryu winced but kept composure, "You are so quick to get angry. You are only further proving my point." He said as he saw Ichigo raise a fist at him.
"I take it back, this guy is a sociopath." Kon said.
"Senpai! We don't have time for this!" Mash said as Ichigo slammed his fist down.
"Fine!" Ichigo yelled as he left Uryu on the ground.
Uryu lost his composure as he realized that Ichigo created a giant hole on the ground next to him. It took him a couple of minutes to recover and stand up. Uryu was so confident in his abilities, he had no concern or fear of actions coming to harm him. Just as Uryu prepared to defeat the incoming Hollows that he summoned.
Fou suddenly returned for Uryu just to jump at him. Before Uryu noticed Fou's return, Fou had started spiraling towards the back of Uryu's head. Resulting in the Quincy hitting his face against the ground.
"Fou! Fou! Fou!" Fou angrily said before running back to join Ichigo and Mash.
"Yeah, this is your fault." Kon said as he ran past Uryu's body.
"Ignore it Uryu, you were never a fan of wild animals." Uryu said to himself as he slowly stood back up.
Back with Rukia
Rukia was surprised by the end of Urahara's story. Leaving the shinigami wondering what Uryu is planning now that he knows that she and Ichigo are shinigami. She would soon realize that ichigo accepted Uryu's stupid challenge. Although in Ichigo's defense, Uryu has no concern for the danger he caused and probably would have done something equally stupid to prove his point.
"What is that?" Rukia asked.
"It seems that we are being joined by unwanted visitors." Urahara said as he can sense the incoming Hollows. As said this, he could hear a beeping sound, "Is your Denreishinki giving the orders or do you think it's still broken?" He asked.
Rukia pulled out her phone and saw multiple commands for her to purify multiple Hollows that were coming. At the same time, many of them were being canceled out. It just became an endless cycle to the point that the device looked like it was about to break apart from the constant flow of requests and cancellations.
"Even if this is true, I think the whole city is going to war or something." Rukia said with concern in her voice.
Urahara started thinking, "Tessai, we're going to have to close up the shop early today." He said. "Tell the kids to arm themselves." He said.
"How unfortunate, but duty calls I suppose." Tessai said as he moved some boxes.
That's when they heard a loud roar coming from a Hollow in the distance.
With Ichigo
Ichigo gritted his teeth in frustration, "I do not have time for this!" He yelled as he saw three big Hollows towering over him.
The Hollows snarled at Ichigo as one of them tried to slash at him. In the blink of an eye, Ichigo's zanpakuto took the form of a pair of cycles with chains again. Ichigo sliced off the incoming arm and jumped at the first Hollow before decapitating it. The other two Hollows tried to attack Ichigo next but he dodged their attacks.
Ichigo then quickly threw another sickle at one of the Hollows and latched onto it. The Hollow cried out in pain and tried to shake Ichigo off of it. Ichigo hanged onto the chain and used the momentum to swing towards the third Hollow to decapitate it as well. Ichigo then ends the battle by throwing his other sickle at the second Hollow's head and hanging onto the chain. Using all of his strength, Ichigo ripped off the mask from Hollow's face.
WIth the damage done, all three Hollows were purified but it was far from over. Ichgio looked up and saw several more Hollows making their way into the world of the living. At the same time, he could hear the loud sounds of Hollows crashing into the ground.
"Senpai, I got a few for you to finish off!" Mash yelled as she knocked over a couple of small Hollows.
"Thanks Mash." Ichigo said before slicing through Mash's Hollows.
Then another large Hollow came down and tried to attack Mash from behind. The pink haired girl quickly raised her shield and blocked the blow.
"Senpai, I think we need to call it Rukia-san. Maybe she or that store owner might think of something to repel the Hollows." Mash said.
Ichigo sighed, "We'll try looking for her after we protect the locals in the area." He said before destroying the large Hollow. "At the same time, I hope Yuzu and Karin are okay." He said.
"Where did Kon go?" Mash asked, noticing that the mod soul is missing.
Ichigo sighed, "He better not be getting into trouble or at least keeping others safe." He said.
With Kon
Kon was hiding behind a corner as he could hear several Hollows coming closer to him. Seeing as his physical abilities were limited and he lacked the abilities to actually destroy Hollows. Kon had to rely on his own wits to come out alive.
"Back off! I have a chainsaw!" Kon yelled as he pulled out an imaginary chainsaw. "RAHHH! MEMEMEMEMEME-MEMEMEMEME-MEMEMEMEME!" He shouts in attempt to mimic the sounds of a chainsaw being reved.
Unlike Grand Fisher, these Hollows were ordinary and are not mentally conscious to the point of understanding Kon's threats. Instead, they moved closer towards him and noticed a normal human being standing around and making odd sounds that they could not comprehend. It was worth a shot, but Kon put in the effort for his act.
"I wish that Chad guy was still here so he can save me like he saved Ichigo's sister." Kon said, having witnessed Chad saving Karin just a few minutes ago.
Kon then started dodging the various animalistic strikes from the Hollows. They did him good for the first three or four strikes until one landed a good hit and sent Kon crashing across the ground. Resulting in a few gemstones falling out of Ichigo's pockets.
"What the heck? Ichigo collects shiny rocks? What the heck are shiny rocks going to do?" Kon asked as he picked a gemstone.
Kon quickly remembered the fact that he was surrounded by a punch of monsters from purgatory and once again relied on desperate measures. As Kon wasn't aware of the stones that Ichigo carries with him. He threw the gemstone in his hand directly at the closest Hollow, unaware that it was amber.
The amber collided with the Hollow's face with enough force to create a medium sized electric explosion. Kon was shocked by the strange power but didn't have time to question where Ichigo got the gemstones and assumed it was something Rukia bought for him. So he grabbed all the gemstones and started hurling them at the incoming Hollows in an attempt to destroy them.
"Come on you stupid rocks! I probably can't purify them this way, but maybe I can hurt them enough to make them retreat!" Kon yelled as he continued to throw Ichigo's remaining gemstones.
Luckily for the mod soul, it gave him enough time for someone to be rescued. As a woman with purple hair suddenly appeared to decapitate the weakened Hollows.
"Thank goodness, you're finally here Ichigo!" Kon said, mistaking his savior.
When the bodies of the Hollows disappeared, he found that it was Miya who arrived and had saved him. Kon suddenly forgot all about his previous encounter with Miya and instantly tried to flirt with her now that it was safe and hoped she could use Ichigo's body to get close.
"Thanks Miya-chan, how can I show gratitude to a lovely mature and dangerous woman such as yourself?" Kon asked as he sicked back Ichigo's hair.
Miya suddenly pointed her sword at Kon's face, "Tell me where my charge is." She said.
Kon looked terrified, "Whatever do you mean?" He asked, keeping up the act.
Miya gave Kon a death stare, "I knew you were a fraud the moment I saw your pathetic display." She answered.
"Okay! Okay! I'm not Ichigo, I'm the mod soul that was inside of the stuffed lion! The real Ichigo is out there trying to stop these Hollows!" Kon quickly said, hoping Miya wouldn't kill him.
"I see, then this makes things more troublesome." Miya said as she sheathed her blade.
"Wait, are you a shinigami too? You were able to beat those Hollows like they were nothing." Kon asked.
"No, I'm just an ordinary caretaker." Miya said with a sweet smile that scared Kon.
'Why do I doubt that?' Kon wondered fearfully.
'I have no business explaining myself to the stuffed lion. I just hope that Da Vinci is already working on a solution on her end.' Miya thought as she looked at the sky.
With Rukia
The true shinigami was not having a good time with all of these Hollows invading the town. Especially considering that her power is too weak to the point that some basic level hollows can just shake off her attacks.
"Hado #4: Byakurai!" Rukia yells as she fires white lightning from her fingertips.
The white lightning directly hits a Hollow that she confronted, but the white lightning just bounced off of it. Rukia cursed her luck before being attacked by a tentacle and hitting the ground very hard. Before the Hollow could really injure her, Rukia is suddenly saved by Mash who rammed her shield into the Hollow.
"Are you okay?" Mash asked.
"I am now, thanks Mash." Rukia answered gratefully. "Where is Ichigo?" She asked.
Before Mash could answer, the Hollow was suddenly destroyed by Uryu's Heilig Pfiel. Mash quickly turns her attention to Uryu who looks unfazed by her angry stare.
"Rukia, this may come out as childish but Ishida is responsible for calling all of the Hollows. He made Ichigo take on his challenge and then released this bait that infested the city." Mash said, surprising Rukia.
"What? How is that possible?" Rukia asked.
Uryu still looked calm as ever, "Don't concern yourself, Kuchiki. I've already taken down nearly three dozen hollows and have not allowed a single citizen to be harmed." He said.
Rukia noticed that Uryu's fingers were bleeding, "You seem to be putting a lot of stress on yourself. In fact, how would you be aware of casualties when I doubt you can cover the entire city at high speeds." She said, proving one of Uryu's fallacies.
Before Uryu could respawn, another Hollow had appeared but it was quickly bisected by Ichigo. Ichigo then glared at Uryu as he started feeling exhausted from having to fight so many Hollows in one day. With this much work, Ichigo looked like he was about to beat someone up.
"Ishida, I'm going to kick your ass now." Ichigo said before yet another Hollow appeared behind him and roared. "Shut up." He said before his zanpakuto turned into a scythe.
Ichigo then swung the scythe behind him and bisected the Hollow. Ichigo then threw his zanpakuto at the sky without looking. Before anyone questioned him on his actions, a headless Hollow came crashing onto the ground right next to him with the zanpakuto attached to its neck.
"We're ending this contest right now!" Ichigo said as he ripped out his zanpakuto.
Uryu just stared at Ichigo in silence before slowly turning his head upwards towards the sky. This only further infuriated Ichigo as he thought that Uryu wasn't taking him seriously. That or maybe Uryu was starting to notice the problems he caused as the whole sky was being filled with Hollows as if this were some kind of demonic blitzkrieg.
"Are you happy with yourself now?" Ichigo asked as he pointed at the sky.
"I am going to win this duel." Uryu said before drawing an arrow. "This victory belongs to the last Quincy." He said before moving onto a new area.
"What is he talking about?" Ichigo asked.
Rukia sighed, "I just spoke about Urahara, regarding Quincy and their extinction." He said.
"What do you mean Rukia?" Mash asked.
Rukia began to explain what Urahara told her but only the important details. Such as the Quincy's mission to destroy Hollows and their methods of destroying the souls. Of course, Ichigo and Mash weren't fond of the idea of destroying a soul completely. Especially as some Hollows are just innocents like Orihime's brother who couldn't move on because he thought his sister forgot about him.
Because the Hollows weren't purified and allowed to move onto the Soul Society. The balance was damaged and this forced the Shinigami to take action. Namely by having to exterminate the Quincy and leaving a few such as Uryu, and whoever taught him, alive.
"Okay, I admit that's heavy but he's not exactly making a good case for himself." Ichigo said.
"Senpai." Mash said.
"Look Mash, let's just try and fix the current situation. Then we can worry about Ishida being sad or whatever since he's clearly not concerned by the fact that he unleashed a massive wave of monsters." Ichigo explained.
"Rukia, do you think there may be a way to stop the attraction of these creatures?" Mash asked.
"I'm not really sure, even if most of them aren't very smart. Hollows like to primarily focus on the highest amounts of reishi they can find." Rukia said.
"Well that idiot decided to attract these things, so maybe he has a way to get rid of them." Ichigo said before running off to find Uryu.
With Uryu, a few minutes later
Uryu was struggling to continue fighting against the onslaught of Hollows that he was fighting. His mind and pride were working harder than his own body as it was more than likely ready to give out with all the effort he was putting and yet he ignored this. Uryu was still thinking about his grandfather, Soken, the Quincy who had taught him about their history and how to use his powers.
Soken was a kind man and while Uryu initially did side with the shinigami in terms of morales. Soken was a kind and gentle soul who didn't believe that right or wrong should be a concern and that what matters is that everyone should come together. The fact that the shinigami refused to work together with the Quincy and unite as allies is what really saddened Soken. This is what made Uryu dislike the shinigami, especially as they failed to prevent Soken's fate.
Now, Uryu was contradicting the beliefs that his grandfather stood for by forcing Ichigo into a pointless challenge that is harming many people. Just as Uryu was surrounded, Ichigo appeared again and sliced through half of the wave of Hollows.
"There you are!" Ichigo angrily yelled.
"So you arrived, I thought you wanted to save everyone." Uryu said, thinking Ichigo was using a bad strategy.
"I know I can't save everyone." Ichigo admitted. "But that means I won't try to save as many lives as possible." He added.
Uryu scoffed, "That makes sense, did you know the shinigami allowed my grandfather to die? As you can already guess, he was a Quincy and taught me all that he knew. Yet, the shinigami refused to work with him and asked him to stay out of their way." He began to explain.
Ichigo already had a good idea of where this conversation was going as Rukia already explained the brief history of the Quincy and their demise. He expected Uryu to explain why the shinigami are bad for killing his people or at least how they failed as defenders of the world of the living. It seemed like it was closer towards the latter.
"Don't get me wrong, I can see the issues that the Quincy caused in the past but that's not the problem. The problem is the shinigami aren't capable of working with others." Uryu said. "My grandfather pleaded with them and when he was overwhelmed by too many Hollows. He was killed and the shinigami arrived only two hours later. A gentle individual who just wanted to work together was allowed to die because of the selfishness of others." He explained.
Ichigo can at least understand that last part as he also lost a family member. Then again, he could also get mad at the shinigami for not being around when Grand Fisher had killed Misaki. Even with the excuse of how the Hollow alluded them for so many years, Ichigo can cast the blame but wouldn't.
Uryu then faced Ichigo directly, "The shinigami allowed my grandfather to die because they rejected his ideals. Now do you understand why I must prove the strength of the Quincy when the shingami deny it?" He asked.
Uryu was given the answer in the form of being given an uppercut to the chin. Uryu let out a pain filled gasp as he spiraled into the air before falling right back down.
"Are you freaking stupid? First, you talk too much and second, you literally contradict your grandfather's ideals." Ichigo said, confusing Uryu. "Look, you said your grandfather wanted the shinigami and Quincy to put aside their differences and work together to fight the common enemy. Except here you are, using your righteous anger to do the opposite." He explained.
"That is my point, the shinigami denied our strength and capability." Uryu said before being uppercutted again.
"Are you deaf? Work together, not prove who's better!" Ichigo angrily yelled as Uryu crashed down. "If your grandfather told you that fire is dangerous and shouldn't be used freely. You would have likely been running around town dumping gasoline onto the streets and dumping matches to prove that you can control fire." He said.
Uryu started getting the point after being hit again but before he could respond. Ichigo quickly threw his scythe shaped zanpakuto at a Hollow that was behind him. Ichigo then jumped at the Hollow and ripped out the scythe, purifying it.
"Look, today's lesson is teamwork. Not pointless rivalry!" Ichigo exclaimed.
Despite the fact that Uryu was in a lot of pain from the fact that Ichigo chose to beat him up. Uryu could see that Ichigo had a strong point and maybe he still wasn't listening to his grandfather's words about cooperation. Uryu really did have a point to hate the way the shinigami did things and how they let Soken die which goes against their mission.
Quincy or not, Soken was still a living person and the shinigami failed to prevent his death. Especially with so many Hollows that were around to cause a path of destruction that needed to be contained. However, people are always different and it doesn't matter what title they have. They can be good or bad regardless of their background.
"Okay, if you promise to stop hurting me and getting angry. We can work together to clean up our mess." Uryu said as if they were both at fault.
"I hate you so much, but I know I need your help in this." Ichigo said with a glare.
The time of rivalry and hate had to come to an end.
Meanwhile, in Chaldea
Da Vinci was currently working on the computer and working over some last minute details with the team who were still having difficulty adjusting to Ichigo's new energy signature. While strands of it looked no different than when he originally came to Chaldea several months ago before the incident in the Fuyuki Fire singularity. Everyone had to deal with the slow mutations going on within the boy to use for the new enemy that Ichigo revealed.
"In a world of wizards, witches and artificial humans. We can't really single out those trapped between life and death can we?" Da Vinci asked herself as she was working hard.
"Ma'am, we're detecting a heavy presence from Karakura town. A singular entity is tearing through reality." A scientist said.
"And what about Kurosaki? Any word on his position?" Da Vinci asked.
"The presence is within Ichigo Kurosaki's location. Almost as if the presence is some amalgamation of the spiritual creatures that's mentioned." Another scientist explained.
Da Vinci cursed the timing, 'I needed a few more days to get this project ready. If only Romani was still here.' She thought to herself. "Get me connected to Urahara-san. We may need his help for what has to come." She said.
"Connecting to Kisuke Urahara right now." Someone said.
Back with the pair, a while later
Ichigo and Uryu continued to fight through the endless onslaught of Hollows as they came down. Even with the great effort on their part, there was nothing stopping the Hollows from growing in numbers. It was moments later that Urahara had finally arrived with his crew behind him.
"Tessai, please chaperone the children while I talk business." Urahara said as Tessai nodded.
"Finally, some action!" Jinta said as he raised a spiked bat at some Hollows.
Urahara drew his sword and quickly defeated a group of Hollows surrounding Ichigo and Uryu. He then sheathed his blade and got straight to business.
"Kurosaki-kun, I wish we could meet again under better circumstances. Preferably at my shop where you can browse my fine wares." Urahara said sounding jovial as usual.
"Who is this guy?" Uryu asked.
"What do you want, Hat-and-Clog?" Ichigo asked, wanting him to get straight to the point.
"A little update on our business contract. I'm still new to this partnership, but I'm told you need this." Urahara said as he opened a box.
Urahara opened it, revealing a mannequin hand that held glowing red symbols on the top. Ichigo's eyes widened as he instantly recognized a Command Seal.
"How did you get that?" Ichigo asked before hearing several roars.
"I'll talk later, now let's try to walk through this together. I heard this is only the first part of the fun." Urahara said as he took out the mannequin hand.
Ichigo didn't have the time to wrap his mind around why the mysterious shop owner has a command seal. It already seemed suspicious that the man could see shinigami and has the same, if not more knowledge than Rukia herself. It appears that Urahara has the answers to everything as he crushed the mannequin hand and forced the command seal to transfer to Ichigo's hand.
"So it did work. Now I get to see whatever magic you are about to cook up." Urahara said, appearing invested in the command seal.
Once again, Ichigo did not have time to consider how Urahara knew about the command seals or how he brought one to Ichigo. However, despite being in spirit form, Ichigo can still feel that familiar sensation albeit more painful. The back of Ichigo's palm felt like it was filled with some burning fluid that was trapped and trying to find an escape.
"My magic circuits are damaged! I can't use this level of magic anymore!" Ichigo yelled very angrily as he gripped his hand.
Now Urahara looked confused, "I think I was told something like that. Hopefully this really doesn't backfire." He said.
"Kurosaki, what are you doing?" Uryu said as he started to look exhausted.
Before Ichigo could muster an answer, another familiar sensation appeared. That's when he found a blinding flash of light appear before him. The magical energy being flared had attracted a massive portion of the invading hollows towards Ichigo. Urahara prepared to defend Ichigo before the light calmed down and he felt a small explosion near him.
"I'm not liable for clients being harmed. That's a part of policy." Urahara said, sounding embarrassed.
But then suddenly, the nearby Hollows were swiftly decapitated in quick succession. Once the bodies disappeared, Urahara could see that the hollows were purified and sent to the Soul Society. He was wondering if Ichigo just recovered from a random explosion, but noticed that the boy in question was lying on the ground.
"What the heck? Did the Soul Society send a new shinigami?" Urahara asked before a figure appeared beside Ichigo.
The figure appeared to be a young woman in edo period attire that didn't cover her whole chest. Urahara could see that she also had a sword with a strange sheath, black clogged shoes and eyeliner on her eyelids. It took Ichigo a full minute to adjust his vision before realizing that someone else was here.
"What the? Rukia?" Ichigo asked.
"Incorrect, Kurosaki-dono the last master of Chaldea! For it is our fate to fight once more together!" said a familiar Japanese hero.
Ichigo's head fell back onto the earth, "Did that creep with the buckhat kill me?" He asked.
"Kurosaki-dono, this is no time for games. I see monsters of this world are surrounding us and we will need to fight them." Said the woman as she tried helping Ichigo up.
"Wait, are you really Ushiwakamaru? And you remember everything that happened in Uruk?" Ichigo asked.
"Now isn't a good time to reminisce, Kurosaki-dono!" Ushiwakamaru exclaimed, confirming her presence and memories.
Ichigo sighed, 'I'll have to figure everything out later.' He thought as he picked up his zanpakuto.
"Who is this?" Uryu asked, looking terribly confused.
"She's Minamoto-no-Yoshitsune and she's here to help. Which we need a lot of." Ichigo answered.
"What? The ancient Japanese general? How does that make any sense?" Uryu asked.
The confusion would only continue to grow as the two noticed a pair of white hands coming out of the sky. Everyone watched as the atmosphere was torn open like a sheet of paper. Where a massive hollow with a big pointy nose had stuck its head out.
"That's a massive hollow." Ichigo said with a stunned look.
"That's quite a predicament, although with the bait you used. I shouldn't be too surprised that a Menos Grande has decided to come and explore this place." Urahara said.
"A what?" Uryu asked.
"It's the result of hundreds of hollows combining to become one big hollow. It's pretty rare to see one and it's very powerful I might add." Urahara said before hearing some explosions in the background.
The boys and Rider class servant turned to see the little girl, Ururu, firing rockets at the incoming Hollows. With Jinta supporting by destroying hollows with his club.
"Anyhow, I will leave you gentlemen and the lady to deal with the Menos Grande while my group deals with the rest." Urahara said before leaving them.
Ichigo groaned, "And I can guess that this thing won't be killed by a strike to the head." He said with frustration in his voice.
"Perhaps not, but it's too late to turn back now." Uryu said.
"And I will help in any way possible." Ushiwakamaru told Ichigo.
With Rukia
Rukia had arrived moments before the Menos Grande had arrived when the explosion of magic had occurred. Before she was able to approach Ichigo and question what had happened. The Menos Grande appeared and she was horrified to witness it as she had been taught about the power and danger behind the hollow's appearance as she had only seen it in texts when she was training to become a shinigami.
Now she was witnessing Ichigo and a girl she didn't recognize taking it head on. This only further added to Rukia's anxiety as a single shinigami isn't capable of fighting a hollow of that difficulty level. Before she could try and stop Ichigo, Urahara appeared in front of her.
"Hold it right there, Kuchiki-san. This is Kurosaki-san's battle." Urahara said.
"Do you want him to die? The Royal Guard are meant to battle hollows of that danger level!" Rukia exclaimed.
"That's not the case." Urahara said before watching Rukia try and run behind him. Urahara then raised his fingers and stunned her, "This battle is for Kurosak-san, but in a way, it's for you to grow as well." He added.
'Damn it, he used Bakudo on me.' Rukia thought as her body collapsed.
Rukia could only watch as Ichigo was trying to stun the Menos Grande by attacking the limbs and any portion of the body that looked vulnerable. However, it looked like the massive hollow was tanking the hits and swatting Ichigo away.
Back to the fighters
Ushiwakamaru was following her master's plan and attacking the lower limbs as well but found it doing little good. So she went with hopping higher towards the face of the hollow.
"Kurosaki-dono, we must move quickly. Despite the sheer size, this monster is very slow." The Rider said as she hopped towards the shoulder.
When she landed, Ushiwakamaru dashed towards the mask in an attempt to break it. Only to find herself being slapped by the Menos Grande's massive hand.
"Ushiwaka!" Ichigo yelled as he jumped into the air to catch her. "We'll have to come up with a new plan." He said as he landed on the ground.
"What made you think that just striking the limbs would defeat it?" Uryu asked.
"I am not hearing any suggestions on your part." Ichigo replied.
Uryu adjusted his glasses before presenting his bow, "As a matter of fact, I think I have an idea. Do you see my spiritual weapon, my kojaku?" He asked.
"Yeah, mine is a sword but it sometimes turns into something else." Ichigo said as his zanpakuto turned into a lance.
Uryu chose to ignore that anomaly, "Anyways, I've noticed something odd about my Kojaku. It seems to grow in size and the reason for that is that it's been absorbing your reiryoku." He explained.
"Is that supposed to be your magical energy source?" Ushiwakamaru asked.
"In a way." Ichigo answered his servant. "So what does your weapon size have to do with you stealing my energy?" He asked.
"It's not intentional, but my kojaku seems to grow in strength because of this. I think we can work together to combine our power to defeat that massive menace." Uryu explained.
"I guess that could work." Ichigo said as he considered the idea.
"A single attack could work better than attacking random points at once. Not that I mean any disrespect." Ushiwakamaru said.
Ichigo nodded, "Okay then, but that doesn't mean we can figure it out on the first try." He said. "Ushiwaka, do you think you can try to hold off that Hollow?" He asked.
Ushiwakamaru smiled confidently, "I will make sure it never reaches you or any nearby innocents." She answered.
"Good, but for good measure." Ichigo trailed off as he raised the back of his hand.
A second later, Ichigo felt a stinging pain as a fragment of his command seal disappeared. His body wasn't used to using the seals again, but they still worked. With that, the Rider felt a small burst of energy empowering her.
"Thank you Kurosaki-dono!" Ushiwakamaru said before racing off to battle the Menos Grande.
"Just what exactly is she? I can't help but feel that she's not a typical human but greater than a spirit like a shinigami or hollow." Uryu said.
"She's a type of spirit but don't worry about that. Tell me more about your plan." Ichigo said.
A couple of minutes later
Ichigo was not too thrilled about Uryu's plan as it involved him tying his zanpakuto to the top of Uryu's head. Apparently the young Quincy wanted a way for Ichigo's reiryoku to connect with his own. Kind of like a link in order to build up the energy necessary to fight the Menos Grande.
"This is stupid." Ichigo said.
"This is genius and yet you don't appreciate it." Uryu said, ignoring how ridiculous he looks.
Then Ichigo's zanpakuto changed into the form of a sword which ruined Uryu's balance.
"Can you keep your weapon in one form? It's likely disrupting the flow of energy." Uryu said.
"I can barely control my own energy. My zanpakuto has a mind of its own and not even Rukia understands why it changes." Ichigo replied.
"Well try to learn how to control it before you run out of reiryoku." Uryu said.
"I don't think that's a problem. I think the amount I have is pretty high, at least too high for me to control." Ichigo said much to Uryu's surprise.
"This is going to be troublesome." Uryu commented. "Still, I can't stress about it. Just try to focus, get the energy inside of you to your zanpakuto. I'll use that energy to fire a massive Heilig Pfeil at the hollow." He said before noticing his Kojaku shrinking again.
"It would be easier if my zanpakuto turned into a bow so you can figure it out." Ichigo said as his zanpakuto changed into a bow. "Will this do?" he asked, wondering if his weapon can somehow hear him.
"I don't think so, while it wouldn't be too difficult. I doubt any normal person can wield a shinigami's weapon." Uryu said, having doubts.
As they continued to try and charge up energy to defeat the Menos Grande. Ushiwakamaru was still trying to distract the massive hollow and give her master time to figure out how to fire the massive Heillig Pfeil.
"Kurosauki-dono, not that I wish to rush you but we are lacking in time to defeat this monster!" Ushiwakamaru shouted.
As the Rider slashed at various parts of the Menos Grande at quick speeds. She heard the Hollow growl as a giant red sphere of energy was about to come out of its mouth. Ushiwakamaru then noticed that it was aiming for Ichigo and Uryu.
"My lord!" Ushiwakamaru yelled as she saw the beam of red light fire at her master.
It was at that moment when Mash appeared and ran to Ichigo's side. The pink haired girl stood in front of Ichigo and Uryu and raised up her shield.
"What are you doing, Kyrielight? That blast is too powerful for you simple shield to block!" Uryu warned.
"Just focus on our thing!" Ichigo yelled as his zanpakuto changed form yet again. "Damn it!" He cursed.
As the massive red beam made its way towards her, Mash used every bit of mana she could muster from her body. Within moments, Mash's shield was surrounded by a blue seal with multiple edges similar to a star.
"That which heals all wounds and grudges, our glorious homeland. Manifest yourself, Lord Camelot!" Mash chanted as she generated a massive blue castle over the boys and herself.
The castle was then hit by the massive attack, causing it to shake but withstand the attack. However, Ichigo noticed that Mash was in pain and that the castle itself was starting to crack. He mentally cursed at his inability to do anything but stand around as he left the fighting to everyone else. Ichigo couldn't stand to see Mash in pain as he could see that she barely had enough mana to use her noble phantasm to its full extent.
"This is going to hurt, but screw it. Mash, make a pact with me!" Ichigo yelled.
"What do you mean, senpai?" Mash asked before watching Ichigo raise his hand to reveal the command seals. "H-How!?" She asked.
"Just form a pact!" Ichigo said.
Mash hesitated for a moment, "Okay!" She said.
Moments later, Mash felt her connection with Ichigo and a lot more mana building in her. Without noticing, Ichigo lost another portion of the command seal as Mash's noble phantasm stood stronger against the Menos Grande's attack. Uryu could tell that Ichigo was burning up all forms of energy he had but noticed something else.
His Kojaku was growing again and it was turning gold as well as changing shape just slightly.
"Kurosaki, are you absorbing the hollow's energy?" Uryu asked.
Ichigo grunted in pain as he felt all sorts of energy entering and exiting his body. Before Ichigo could try and answer Uryu's question, the Quincy's kojaku broke into several pieces before each fragment came to life. The next thing he realized, Uryu witnessed several sharp tipped golden chains bursting towards the Menos Grande and piercing the massive Hollow.
"Kurosaki-dono! You've wounded the beast!" Ushiwakamaru exclaimed as the Menos Grande stopped firing.
It roared in pain as it stumbled back, feeling pain as Ichigo was tearing a massive chunk of its own body off. The Menos Grande stumbled backwards and tried to walk back through the kumon but it only felt the chains piercing it's body again and wrapping around it's body to keep it from escaping.
With Urahara
The mysterious shop owner looked wide eyed at the sight, "Kurosaki-kun does know he can let it run now, right? I mean, killing it would be good but I think he might deserve a little rest." He said.
"This whole event is impossible! Even with help, Ichigo couldn't be able to defeat a Menos Grande!" Rukia said with surprise.
"I guess you can't measure the potential of your substitute." Urahara said before witnessing the Menos Grande being ripped apart by the chains.
It was an impressive sight to behold as two individuals who are meant to be sworn enemies had worked together to defeat a powerful high level enemy. It was nice, but now wasn't the best time to celebrate. Luckily, it looked like the remaining hollows were either purified or decided to return to the shadows and fight another day.
"At least the effects of the bait are gone. You're free to check on your temp." Urahara told Rukia before releasing her from his hold.
With the boys
The power that Ichigo had released had been overwhelming and it resulted in the boy losing consciousness. Which is strange to consider as he is a spirit but that's a complicated detail to think about later. For now, Uryu fell to his knees and looked over the destruction that took place from the hollow attack that he had caused.
"Grandfather forgive me." Uryu said, realizing he did the opposite of what Soken desired.
As Uryu repented for his actions and reflected on the mistakes of his own arrogance. Ushiwakamaru and Mash ran to Ichigo's side and tried to help him.
"Senpai!" Mash shouted as she tried to help him up.
"Kurosaki-dono! Is he injured?" Ushiwakamaru asked.
"I think he's greatly exhausted. I don't know what that attack was, but it reminds me of someone." Mash said before noticing a bright light.
Mash turned her head in the direction of the light and saw that Ushiwakamaru was glowing brightly. Her visible eye widened as she witnessed the Rider slowly fading away.
"How unfortunate, to be leaving so soon but it was an honor to fight together again. Mash-san, I leave Kurosaki-dono to you." Ushiwakamaru said before disappearing.
Mash looked saddened but she quickly nodded as she didn't let the servant's disappearance sadden her.
"Come on Senpai, we need to find Kon and hopefully Francois-san can patch you up again." Mash said as she lifted Ichigo over her back. "How do you weigh the same despite being a spirit?" She asked.
Later, at the mansion
Ichigo groaned loudly as he woke up in the mansion again. Luckily Francois seemed to have a nigh infinite level of patience as they had no issue with trying to patch him up.
"There was little injury today, but you overexerted yourself. I recommend light rest for the upcoming days, Kurosaki-sama. Perhaps take the time to eat nutritious foods to build up more energy." Francois lectured.
Ichigo sighed, "Alright, anyways is the town safe?" He asked.
"The damage is big, but the news has chalked off the events as a massive earthquake. Hardly anyone was harmed." Francois answered.
"That's good to hear, now how long am I staying here?" Ichigo asked.
That's when Miya stuck her head inside, "Until I personally give you permission, young man." She said with a sweet smile.
"Fine." Ichigo answered.
"Good, now eat these oranges." Miya said as she placed a plate of oranges in front of him.
Miya left Ichigo alone in his room and went to continue her duties with maintaining the mansion. All the while her mind went back to hearing the news that Mash had given her prior to their arrival.
'He really is a guardian protector. A bit thick headed and mean spirited, but his desire to do good outweighs those aspects.' Miya thought as she walked into her room. She then looked at a photo sitting on top of her wardrobe, 'You would be proud of him, Masaki.' She thought.
Two days later
The school was closed for an entire day as there needed to be an inspection done for safety reasons. As Karakura town believed a massive earthquake to have caused the damage done at various points including downtown. The students would not be able to continue their studies until today.
However, things almost became hectic again when Kon escaped the Kurosaki home and tried to find pretty girls or something. It's hard to remember, most people choose to ignore the stuffed lion because of his perverse and annoying nature.
"Hey, what happened to that Ishida guy?" Ichigo asked.
"Aw, are you worried about him?" Rukia teased.
"Yeah I'm worried. I'm worried he's going to demand a refund if you don't give him that picture of Spider-Man." Ichigo said.
Rukia smirked as she reached into her bag, "I'm already one step ahead of you." She said before pulling out her sketchbook.
Ichigo immediately looked disappointed, "I see you drew… something." He said.
"It's Spider-Man, Urahara told me about him and gave me a photo as reference." Rukia said.
"Rukia, the emblem on the front looks like an aunt." Ichigo said just as Uryu arrived. "And now you have an angry customer coming up." He said.
Rukia groaned and just ignored him for the rest of the class. Ichigo could also see that Uryu was not paying any particular attention to him. Maybe the Quincy was bitter about the events of the other day.
When the lunch hour came, Ichigo grabbed the drawing that Rukia had made and was about to talk with Uryu. When his friend Keigo decided to intercept him first.
"Hey Ichigo, you wanna get lunch with us?" Keigo asked.
"Sure, let me just invite someone else." Ichigo said.
"Go ahead, I'll wait." Keigo said, thinking Ichigo wanted to invite Mash or another cute girl.
"Hey Ishida, do you want to join us?" Ichigo asked, making Keigo face fault.
"Why him!?" Keigo asked.
"I guess Ichigo wants to extend our friend group." Mizuiro said.
Uryu didn't feel any interested in becoming Ichigo's friend or associating with the other boys.
"I decline." Uryu said sternly.
"Keigo is paying for lunch." Ichigo said.
"Very well, I will join you." Uryu said, changing his mind.
"Ichigo, you stingy…"
"Let it go Keigo." Mizuiro said as Keigo looked depressed.
"Couldn't he have at least invited Mash?" Keigo asked as he cried anime tears.
"We can't, Inoue and Arisawa already forced her to go with them." Ichigo answered.
With Mash
The pink haired girl felt anxious as Orihime made her have lunch with her and the girls. Mash felt nervous without Ichigo by her side and tried to trust Orihime because of her kind personality and Tatsuki because she seemed like the serious and protective type.
"Hey Mash, what happened to the cute puppy in your bag?" Orihime asked.
"W-What puppy?" Mash nervously asked.
"The cute albino with the blue eyes and fluffy coat." Orihime answered.
Tatsuki sighed at her friend's question, "Orihime, why would Mash carry a dog to school? Also, what kind of albino has red eyes?" She asked.
"It was a rare albino! I've seen the cute puppy stick his head out of her bag!" Orihime said excitedly.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Inoue-san." Mash said, denying Fou's existence.
Also cursing her luck that Orihime of all people saw Fou whenever he poked his head out of the bag. Luckily, Fou decided not to follow her today.
With Fou
Fou was lying on a bed with a pharaoh hat on his head. For some reason, Jinta was dressed like an Egyptian peasant as he fanned Fou. All the while Tessai came in and presented a bowl full of fruits and other snacks to Fou.
"Can I stop?" Jinta asked.
"No, Fou-sama must only feel comfort during his stay with us." Tessai answered as he cracked his knuckles.
"Fine." Jinta said as he kept fanning.
Then Ururu arrived with more fruit for Fou. Fou stood up and gently licked Ururu as if it was a sign of acknowledging a good job done. Ururu smiled as she liked how kind Fou is to her.
"Fou." Fou said.
Then Urahara came running in, "Hey everyone, you won't believe it! Yoruichi is here!" He announced as a black cat followed him.
"Oh my, what is this creature?" the cat asked.
"FOU!" Fou yelled, feeling threatened.
"Yoruichi-san, please choose your words carefully. Fou-sama is not to be offended." Tessai said as he began to sweat.
"Oh, I don't want to offend him. He's so adorable." Yoruichi said.
"Who the heck is the cat?" Jinta asked.
"Jinta, stop being disrespectful." Tessai said sternly.
Tessai suddenly grabbed Jinta and threw him on the floor. He then looked at Ururu and nodded, prompting the girl to get on her knees. Jinta sat on his knees and grumbled before being slapped behind the head.
"What are they doing?" Yoruichi asked.
"They are venerating the great Fou-sama." Urahara answered.
Urahara and the cat watched as Tessai and the children bent down and bowed in honor of Fou. Fou watched in delight as he sat on his pillow and ate the snacks given to him. Perhaps the worship was going to his head.
"Where did this "Fou" come from?" Yoruichi asked.
Urahara scratched his head and sighed.
A few days ago
Urahara took Tessai with him when he went to investigate Ichigo's strange energy pattern. Unknown to most, Urahara recognized Ichigo as he knew about the boy's parents and the secrets they have. It was an ironic twist of events but the mysterious shop owner liked to keep secrets.
Most of the time he just didn't find an appropriate time to reveal anything. That and he likes to use the excuse that no one asked him about a particular topic.
Anyways, during Urahara's own investigation about Ichigo and his unique energy. It led Urahara and Tessai to Antarctica, but not by choice.
"Somehow I feel like by not sharing my own secrets. The world won't give me its own secrets." Urahara said.
"Perhaps we should start selling winter clothes as part of our stock." Tessai suggested.
"How did we end up here?" Urahara asked.
Suddenly the men were spotted by a pair of snowmobiles. Where they were immediately surrounded by red lasers coming from the riders.
"Uh… we come in peace?" Urahara asked before finding a cable hitting his chest. "Oh, this is not good." Urahara said before being electrocuted.
For a former shinigami captain, Urahara seems to have no defense against a simple security agent.
A while later, Chaldeas
Da Vinci wasn't sure how they made it here, but two strange men from Karakura town had made it to Antarctica. Specifically, within the boundaries of Chaldea's hidden headquarters. It was a mystery to her.
Da Vinci came in with two cups of hot cocoa as the two men were wearing blankets. The men were shivering and looked like they were going to get sick. Luckily that wasn't possible considering their bodies aren't real.
"Care to explain how you found our facility?" Da Vinci asked.
"I will gladly explain, so long as you promise not to harm us." Urahara said.
"Tempting." Da Vinci said.
"Well then, how about a partnership?" Urahara asked.
"What kind of partnership?" Da Vinci asked.
"Well, we both seem to have a somewhat mutual relationship with one Ichigo Kurosaki." Urahara said.
"How so?" Da Vinci asked, not looking convinced.
"Ichigo Kurosaki, is a valued customer who has had recent issues. In fact, I treat him like he's my own son and I've helped him with the recent change in his body." Urahara explained.
Tessai looked at Urahara with a weird stare, "What sort of relationship do you have? You sound too close in fact." He asked.
"And now I feel concerned for Kurosaki's safety." Da Vinci said. "Perhaps I should contact security to…"
"Now hold on! Let's not get hasty!" Urahara exclaimed.
"What do you have to offer Kurosaki and my organization?" Da Vinci asked.
End of Flashback
"And in exchange for not being beaten up and thrown back into the tundra with no way to return, especially during a massive snow storm. I will see to it that Kurosaki-kun understands his powers and I give the secret organization power by building a reactor." Urahara explained.
Yoruichi sweat dropped, "Assuming you aren't exaggerating at any point. It sounds like you are giving them more than gaining." She said suspiciously. "You wouldn't work too hard for someone else without reason." She added.
"I am gaining something, a better understanding of another aspect of the world that not even the Soul Society is fully aware of." Urahara explained.
"I may be a cat, but it sounds like you are the curious one. You are always deciding to make reckless decisions." Yoruichi said.
"It's my method of doing business, Yoruichi. In time, I might be able to afford you the good food you enjoy." Urahara offered.
"Oh please, don't try and flatter me." Yoruichi said before approaching Fou.
Tessai then left to grab some extra things to make Fou comfortable while dragging Jinta with him while Ururu obediently followed. Fou continued sitting in his regal comfort before watching Yoruichi approach him. Despite being female, Yoruichi had a low male voice while in her cat form. This made Fou feel threatened, thinking someone was trying to take away his position.
"Oh don't look at me like that, I just want to mee the great Fou-sama." Yoruichi said playfully.
"Fou." Fou said with a glare.
"You don't believe me?" Yoruichi asked.
"Fou!" Fou answered.
Yoruichi snickered before an explosion of smoke surrounded her. Fou then suddenly felt himself being lifted up. The smoke cleared up and he found himself being placed in the lap of a beautiful tanned woman with purple hair and golden eyes. Fou felt confused until he felt the woman gently pat his back.
"Fou." Fou said.
Yoruichi snorted, "See? I'm not your enemy." She said. "But you could use a good brushing. These knots are going to ruin your perfect pelt." She said as she stroked Fou's back.
"Fou." Fou said in agreement. He then looked at Urahara, "Fou!" He said.
"Hey, since when am I your slave?" Urahara asked.
"Fou-sama has spoken." Yoruichi said, laughing at her friend.
"When did I suddenly become everyone's servant?" Urahara asked before digging through his shop for a hairbrush.
Unfortunately, Fou would be picky as to what kind of brush he would want in order to feel comfort when removing his knots.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Omake: The Quincy's Unseen Enemy
It was about two years too early before the Quincy Emperor was meant to fully recover. Yet, Yhwach had found himself having to fight before his expected time of rejuvenation. Feeling as if it were necessary and important despite not being able to see the near future.
"We are honored by your presence, your majesty." Jugram said, loyal as ever.
"Focus not on me Jugram, a threat has reached my palace walls." Yhwach said.
"A threat, surely… no, I should not question it." Jugram said, not wanting to question his ruler's beliefs.
Yhwach was far from a senile fool, even if he was still recovering just slightly. The man could still see what fate is waiting for him. Sometimes wisdom alone does that, because not even the Sternritter would have been prepared by the sudden temperature drop.
The next thing Yhwach witnessed was Bass B crashing down, but not in a fiery burst as per his power and personality. Instead, Bass B was trapped inside of a block of ice and hit the ground like a meteor. Yhwach drew his sword and awaited the threat he had expected.
"I never expected Bass B to go silent like this. Then again, I never predicted that anything could silence him." Jugram said, realizing the danger.
Suddenly the city where the Wandenreich had inhabited was slowly being destroyed by waves of ice. Coming from it was a powerful floating penguin holding the Frostmourne. Along with him is Cang Du who was hanging onto the penguin.
"If I am to fall from failure, I will die by his majesty's blade." Cang Du said, stubbornly refusing to die.
"Fwap!" The penguin said as it tried prying Cang Du off of him.
Yhwach and Jugram were then presented with a scene of the penguin trying to scrape Cang Du off of his body as if he were a gum stain under a shoe. It was an awkward couple of minutes, but the penguin had enough and just froze Cang Du.
"FWAP!" The penguin said, freezing Cang Du into a block of ice. He then faced Yhwach, "Fwap fwap, fwap." He said.
"Gunther, so you have returned. After a long rest, I see you have also awakened.
"Fwap, fwap fwap, fwap fwap… fwap!" Gunther said as he swung his blade.
Suddenly, three more blocks of ice holding Candace, Bambietta and Meninas had crashed right behind Gunther.
"And you came here just to destroy me? How confident." Yhwach said.
Gunther gave the Quincy emperor a dead stare, "Fwap fwap, fwap fwap." He said.
"Then let's begin again." Yhwach said.
"Your majesty, allow me…" Jugram tried to say before being ambushed by a group of Gunther clones.
"FWAAAAP!" The clones cried together.
The next thing Jugram knew, he was encased in ice. Only for it to be replaced by glass and eventually, he was placed inside of a bottle. The same happened to his Quincy comrades before they were all turned into bottles except for Yhwach who engaged Gunther in a sword fight.
END OF OMAKE