Chapter 41: The Ryoka

Author's Note:

Back with the first chapter of the new arc! This arc already has quite a different feel to it than the previous one, in my opinion, but I think that's largely due to Ichigo being absent in this chapter.

Actually, this arc starts 2 days before Ichigo fights Barragan and Grimmjow, so in the timeline he is realistically probably fighting Yammy or about to. As such, Ichigo won't show until a few chapters in, but trust me when I say it will be worth the wait!

Now, without further delay, this is the start of the third major arc of the story: The Rescue.

?

Night has fallen, leaving the light blue moon above the sky to be the only source of light. There is a large lake, which the moon shines down on, the rays shining even through the dark blue fog, that surrounds the lake, occupying the unknown surroundings. In the middle of the lake, there is a comparatively small plot of land, which houses a massive tree.

A blue-haired woman adorned in a dark blue Kimono, emerald-green jewelry, and matching green eyes walks slowly along the perimeter of the lake, quietly staring at her reflection melancholically. She continues this for a while, only the sounds of the light ripples from the water and the rustle of the grass at the lake's edge from her footsteps can be heard.

Suddenly, a rough masculine voice calls out to her from the fog, causing her to halt her pace, "It's rare for you to come this far out…"

The woman turns to regard the voice with a blank expression, "Is it odd…?"

A rugged-looking, bearded man in a black trench coat emerges from the fog, answering, "For you, it is. I would've thought you'd want to be at the center of this world, jumping at any chance to reveal our name…"

The woman holds her gaze on the man momentarily before looking back at the pond, not responding.

The bearded man continues, "It's still too soon for that."

The blue figure keeps her back turned on her partner of sorts, responding calmly, "I am still in favor of telling her. If we keep holding her back, she will not be able to protect herself."

The man counters with a slight scowl, "I will not let her hear our name… not right now."

The two stand in silence for a while, observing the lake before them passively.

Suddenly, the man questions, openly, "What is it you think she needs protection from?"

The woman's gaze is distant as her eyes narrow slightly, "I have a bad feeling…"

The man narrows his eyes in turn before coldly stating, "She must find her reason to fight—her purpose. If she can't, she'll only have herself to blame if she fails."

The man retreats into the fog, prompting the woman to smile lightly, muttering, "You act cold, but we both know we'll intervene if she is in any real danger…"

Green eyes stare at the lake, narrowing a bit as their owner regards herself with disdain, "This distant feeling… it's something I've never felt before… and something that the Shinigami cannot sense—Karin included. I would've missed it if it weren't seemingly growing, ever so slightly, over these last few hours."

The woman stares up at the moon in a yearning manner, "It feels… nostalgic…"

2 Days Ago (6 Days before Execution), Karin's Room, Shino Academy

Karin groggily rubs her eyes as she sits up from her futon, letting out a soft yawn. The girl then looks to her right, taking in the rays of sunlight filtering through the windows of her dorm room. She sighs before walking towards a door at the edge of the room, walking through to enter her dorm's bathroom.

As she wipes her face with a wet towel, she sighs dejectedly, "Yet another dreamless night…"

The girl regards the mirror in front of her passively but widens her eyes in shock as she catches the reflection not being her—but the blue woman she knows as her Zanpakuto. As soon as the girl blinks, this reflection is changed with her own, causing her to furrow her brows.

Karin attempts to reach out, "Hey! Don't think I didn't see that! What is it?!"

There is no response.

After a few moments, there is a knock at the front door of the dorm room, followed by two familiar voices, "Yo Karin, are you in there?"

The girl shifts her gaze towards the door, calling out, "I'll be right there!"

She quickly changes into her white and red uniform, turning to regard the mirror briefly before walking towards the exit, "I guess I was just imagining things…"

Cafeteria, Shino Academy

Karin pokes at her food with a bored look as she listens to her friend, Shino Madarame, speak at great lengths about something or another, catching only the end, "…and that's how 3rd seat Kotsubaki took me under his wing! Pretty cool, don't you think?"

Karin nods, the look of pride on her friend's face making her unable to resist cracking a smile, "Yeah. Sounds like you two have been busy."

Shino's grin widens as she suddenly slings her arm around the timid boy seated next to her, "And that's not all: 3rd seat Kotetsu felt that she had to take an apprentice as well, so she selected our very own Ryu!"

The boy, Ryunosuke Yuki, shudders under his peer's sudden touch, meekly protesting, "S-she wouldn't have chosen me if I wasn't right there with you… I'm not exactly that strong…"

Shino chuckles as she now slaps her friend's back in support, causing his torso to jerk forward slightly, "Aw, don't say that Ryu! All you need is some courage—you're not all that weaker than I am when you try!"

Karin stares blankly at her bickering friends for a moment, drowning out their voices as well as the voices of the various other students and Shinigami occupying the room. Despite this, the girl can't help but notice as the room goes quiet, her friends staring behind her with widened eyes. She follows their gaze, and the gaze of everyone inside the room, before settling on a sight that causes her to tremble. There is a large opening at the edge of the room, through which one may see a duo arguing violently in the courtyard outside. Karin narrows her eyes, being able to make out a tall figure with red pineapple-like hair and unique tattoos on his face. She shifts her gaze to the other figure, widening her eyes as she recognizes a much shorter, raven-haired woman. Karin immediately rises from her seat, discarding her food, before walking towards the duo in interest.

She pauses her stride as Ryunosuke calls out to her, "W-wait Karin! That's Vice-Captain Abarai with her! That means it's probably something about her brother, Captain Kuchiki… you shouldn't intrude…"

Karin pauses, still looking at the duo with interest as she recalls Rukia mentioning, "…Captain Kuchiki was wounded during the mission in the world of the living… I'm afraid I'll be taking on more of his responsibilities as he recovers…"

Karin narrows her eyes as she stands in place, her back turned to her friends, "Alright… but when they're done talking, I want to talk to her…"

A distance away, out of earshot, the duo are, in fact, not discussing Byakuya, but rather something far closer to Karin.

Renji growls, "My fault?! How was I supposed to know capturing her would sentence her to death?! I thought they were just going to rough her up a bit and send her back…"

Rukia hisses back, "You're such an idiot! You don't know anything about the Noble Clans! The Tsunayashiros have always held the Shibas in contempt! The fact that you, Lord Kuchiki's Vice-Captain, brought her in gave that man all the leverage he needed to convince the Shihoins to be in favor of putting her to death…"

Renji furrows his brow, "Listen Rukia, Captain Kuchiki would've done the same. He always says he wants to preserve order… even if it means killing a… a…"

The man can't find it in him to finish his statement.

Rukia, now with rage-induced tears, deepens her frown, "Is that what you see, Renji? Order? Ryoka are threatening to invade, the Noble Clans are acting behind my brother's back, and a Shiba is going to be killed just for being a member of an almost extinct race! All the while, my brother is in a coma, courtesy of a Hollow that the Shiba clan has openly stated is their enemy! Where were you when he was attacked anyway, Renji? You're supposed to be at his side! To me, all of this looks like corruption, not order!"

The man narrows his eyes, looking towards the ground in a show of remorse, although still weakly attempts to defend himself, "I-I… I couldn't… and I didn't… I didn't know the Noble Clans felt that way…"

Rukia snaps, her hands closing into fists, "Well now you do…"

The woman then turns her back on the man coldly, "Shouldn't you be preparing Squad 6 for the invading Ryoka, Mr. Vice-Captain?"

Renji frowns, his eyes narrowing, looking like he wants to say something more but stops as he notices the woman trembling. Without another word, the man turns around before disappearing with a flash, leaving the area. The woman wipes the frustrated tears from her eyes as she notices a familiar trio approaching.

Rukia attempts a smile, directed at Karin and her new peers, "Ah, Shino, Ryunosuke! I wasn't aware you were visiting today! And how are you holding up, Karin?"

Shino and Ryunosuke give each other a look before the former states, "Yes ma'am. Captain Ukitake said it would be best if we had men guarding the school, in case of an attack."

Rukia nods before eyeing Karin, offering something of an explanation, "You see… there were some troubling reports about Ryoka in the Rukongai. It's better to be more prepared than less!"

Karin raises a brow, "Who would be stupid enough to attack…?"

The girl softens her gaze slightly, "She's hiding something big… but it must be something very personal, so I won't pry…"

Rukia continues some explanation that Karin doesn't care for, merely nodding so that she can hopefully change the subject. In the next moment, the girl widens her eyes, an action that her two friends duplicate, as they all stare at something behind the Kuchiki woman in horror. The woman raises a brow before following their gaze and duplicating it.

Both Karin and Rukia think simultaneously, "NO! NOT THEM!"

By this point, the people from the cafeteria have joined them, curious about what is happening. Nearly everyone in the courtyard gasp in some kind of combination of shock, fear, and horror upon looking skyward, finding a massive ball of fire slam against the Sekkiseki barrier around the Soul Society like a dome. Karin looks in horror as the ball of flames breaks through the barrier, causing it to cave in.

Rukia stares in shock briefly before gritting her teeth and steeling herself, spinning on her heel to regard everyone around her, "Everyone, take shelter in the school now! The Seireitei is under attack!"

Seireitei

A tall, silver-haired man walks through the streets of the Seireitei, flanked by Shinigami on each side.

The man stops his pace before staring at the sky, wearing a smirk, "It's about time you attacked, Ryoka…"

The man then opens his usually closed eyes, peering viciously at the flaming ball of fire in the sky before immediately shifting to an aggressive stance, holding his small blade behind his white coat. The Shinigami around him back up in mild fear, each of them knowing what that stance means.

The man states eerily, "Shoot to kill, Shinso."

Sky Above Seireitei

Each of the Ryoka holds onto the small orb, which creates a ball of fire around them. They all look at each other with looks of anticipation, having passed the point of no return. Currently, this group is comprised of eleven individuals: Kugo Ginjo, Shukuro Tsukishima, Yukio Hans Vorarlberna, with the stuffed lion known as Kon sitting on his shoulder, Riruka Dokugamine, Uryu Ishida, Yasutora "Chad" Sado, Orihime Inoue, Tatsuki Arisawa, Ganju Shiba, and the mysterious cat known as Yoruichi. Despite the multitude of differences between them, they are all here now with one common goal: stopping the execution of Yuzu Kurosaki.

Suddenly, Kon calls out, pointing at something in urgency, "G-guys!"

The group turns to regard an incoming blade, striking against the side of the ball, although not quite penetrating. Regardless, this is enough to cause the group to lose their focus, leading to the barrier around them breaking apart.

Ginjo curses under his breath as in the next moment, the orb briefly glows before shattering, causing a shockwave that sends the group in six different directions. Yoruichi and Tsukishima are each sent in their own directions, while the rest get sent off in the following groups: Tatsuki and Riruka, Orihime and Uryu, Chad, Yukio, and Kon, and Ginjo and Ganju.

From the ground below, Kenpachi Zaraki, heavily wrapped in bandages and with Yachiru on his shoulder, smirks wickedly, before charging off.

Squad 8 Barracks

Within the Squad 8 Barracks, Shunsui Kyoraku samples a beverage from a sake cup, humming as his men are in an uproar in the next room, "The Ryoka! They've broken through!"

"Impossible! Nothing could break through the Sekkiseki!", another states in disbelief.

Next to Kyoraku is Nanao, who anxiously fiddles with her clipboard.

The captain's eyes peer out from under his straw hat as he regards the younger woman seriously, "We need a few more minutes. Take care of them, would you, Nanao?"

The woman nods nervously before exiting the room, passing a white-haired man seated across from her captain.

After Nanao closes the door behind her, the white-haired man slams his fist on the table, shouting, "We can't let them put that girl to death, Shunsui! She's not guilty of any crime! This only serves to antagonize Captain Shiba!"

Kyoraku peers out from beneath his hat after swallowing his sake, stating coldly, "She is a Quincy—and evidently a powerful one at that. In the old days, people were killed for less… and do you honestly believe that they care what Captain Shiba thinks?"

Ukitake furrows his brows, "They are corrupt, and you know it! As much as they try to deny it, that Tokinada represents what they are! Don't tell me you'll go along with this!"

The other man sighs, placing his cup on the table, "Then what do you suppose we do, Jushiro? Surely not something as reckless as stopping the execution by force. You and I both know what destroying the Sokyoku would do…"

Ukitake doesn't flinch, responding almost immediately, "We'll seal it with the Shihoin Shield. Destroying it isn't necessary."

The other captain closes his eyes contemplatively, smirking slightly, "The execution is in 6 days… I'm not sure I can cover for you that long…"

The white-haired man widens his eyes briefly before returning the smile, "Thank you, Shunsui. I already have Sentaro and Kiyone started on the preparations…"

The two captains rise from their seats, Kyoraku stating somewhat jovially, "Then in the meantime, I think we should at least make it look like we're trying to stop the Ryoka…"

Seireitei

Tatsuki and Riruka climb out of a crater left in the wake of their impact, the former cracking her neck, "What the hell was that?"

Riruka dusts off her now dirty dress, responding with an annoyed tone, "Whatever it was is gonna pay for getting me filthy!"

The other girl deadpans before raising an unamused brow, "You realize we're probably going to get a lot dirtier moving forward, right?"

Riruka snorts as she looks at the other girl, whose white Gi is smeared with dirt, "Well I take pride in maintaining an adorable look…"

Tatsuki shrugs before looking around briefly, eyeing five other smoke clouds in various directions, "We should try and regroup with the others."

The pink-haired girl is about to respond but stops as a noise can be heard on top of the wall next to their crater. Both girls turn to regard two new arrivals with widened eyes.

The first to speak is a bald Shinigami with face tattoos under each of his eyes, "Lucky me!"

Both figures land on the ground in front of the girls, the bald one continuing, "We were hiding out here because we didn't feel like being deployed, and the Ryoka fell right into our laps! Lucky, lucky me!"

The bald man points the hilt of his Zanpakuto at the girls, "…but it's not so lucky for you two."

Next to the bald man stands another male Shinigami with long hair and extensions on his left eye and eyebrow, making him look somewhat like a peacock.

Tatsuki narrows her eyes, glaring at the man, "I think you've got it twisted, Shinigami. I'm about to make your head spin."

The bald Shinigami raises his brow, "That so? You two don't look all that strong…"

The karate girl frowns, assuming a combat stance as she growls, "Well then, you two can come and find out just how weak we are!"

Riruka flinches and pales, the top of her face turning a sickly blue, "Speak for yourself!"

Tatsuki gives the other girl the side eye, stating, "If you want to run, I won't stop you. You should go find the others."

The pink-haired girl furrows her brows before nodding quietly and turning to run off. The long-haired Shinigami breaks off from the bald one, chasing after the cute-loving girl. However, mid-stride, the man is cut off by an incoming foot coming at him for a kick, which causes him to widen his eyes. Before the kick can connect, the bald man appears between the two, blocking the kick coming from the karate girl with the sheath of his Zanpakuto. Even so, the kick pushes him back slightly, a testament to the force put into it.

The bald man snaps at his partner, "Don't let your guard down, Yumichika. It seems these Ryoka are stronger than we thought."

The other man, Yumichika, nods briefly before continuing to chase after Riruka, "I didn't see that kick coming until the last moment… just how strong are these Ryoka?!"

The bald man smirks before backing up, making some distance between Tatsuki and himself. The man unsheathes his Zanpakuto, holding it in his left hand and pointing it at the girl while still holding the sheath in his right hand, overall assuming a battle stance of his own.

He promptly introduces himself, "My name is Ikkaku Madarame, 3rd seat of Squad 11."

Tatsuki narrows her eyes, returning the favor, "My name is Tatsuki Arisawa, a master of Martial Arts from the World of the Living. And I am going to defeat you, Ikkaku."

The girl pushes her right fist towards the man for emphasis.

Ikkaku smirks as he performs some kind of unique dance, tiptoeing on the ground, before planting both of his feet on the ground and holding his blade in front of him in an almost comical manner, "LUCKY!"

The girl deadpans before a tick mark forms on her head, her eye also twitching, "Take this seriously, jerk!"

Ikkaku smiles, "I am…"

The man suddenly launches himself at her without any further warning, causing her to instinctively take a more defensive stance. Ikkaku brings his sword down at her, however, Tatsuki's left hand and forearm quickly turn a gray color, hardening as she sends her left hand at the blade, parrying it easily. She sends her right fist towards Ikkaku's exposed left side, but he blocks the blow with his sheath. The man widens his eyes, however, as the girl smirks and immediately raises her right foot, coated in the gray color of her Fullbring, before slamming it hard into the man's chest, sending him flying backwards against the wall, spitting up blood.

Ikkaku quickly regains his bearings before making more distance, wheezing as he grabs his chest, "You are no ordinary human… your strength and speed are great…"

Tatsuki glares at him, "Well, I had special training..."

Ikkaku looks at the girl seriously, "Tell me... what was the name of your master."

Tatsuki stares blankly and unexpectedly at him, "I suppose you could say I had two... their names were Kisuke Urahara and Kensei Muguruma."

Ikkaku's eyes widen at this, his face paling.

Tatsuki raises a brow as the man rises to his feet, spitting blood to the side and wearing a serious expression, "I must apologize, then. If what you are saying is true, I have dishonored you by holding back… but no more…"

Tatsuki tenses slightly in anticipation as Ikkaku brings the hilt of his blade and the top of his sheath together and cries, "Extend, Hozukimaru!"

The man's sheath and sword suddenly turn into a polearm with red fur at the non-blade end.

Tatsuki reassumes her defensive stance as Ikkaku rushes at her once more, now with his polearm. The man stops a distance in front of her before swinging his lance at her. The girl once more hardens her left forearm and hand, batting the shaft of the lance to the side. However, something unexpected happens in the next moment in that the shaft breaks apart into three different segments attached by a chain within, causing the front segment to swing back and strike her in her unprotected back, slicing through it. Tatsuki gasps as Ikkaku then brings his lance back together, dragging the blade across the girl's back and back to him.

Ikkaku smirks, "Hozukimaru isn't a spear. It's a bladed Sansetsukon."

Tatsuki grunts and growls, "It's deceitful is what it is... I won't lose to a parlor trick like that!"

A tick mark forms on Ikkaku's bald head as he watches the girl stagger and readjust her stance, "Parlor... trick...?"

Ikkaku grips his polearm before yelling, "HOZUKIMARU IS NO PARLOR TRICK!"

The man then charges and continuously jabs his lance at the girl with greater speeds, causing her to back up and parry the blows with her coated gray forearms. Ikkaku then suddenly jabs directly at her midsection with insane speed too fast to parry. However, the man looks in shock as Tatsuki catches the tip of the blade between her elbow and knee, crushing them down on the incoming blow with precision. Ikkaku tries to pull his blade out, but the girl has it in a vice grip. The lance then breaks into sections as the bald man rushes to the side and pulls the chain with him. At this moment Tatsuki lets go of the blade, seeing that she would be pulled with it otherwise, allowing Ikkaku's lance to reform. The man then swings it above his head before it splits into segments once more, which he swings around like nun chucks. The man swings the chained segments at Tatsuki, which move a bit too quickly for the girl to block on both sides, hitting her legs and causing her to stagger somewhat.

Ikkaku's eyes are vicious as he now takes his opportunity to charge in. His lance reforms as he sends his blade at the staggering Tatsuki. The girl suddenly plants her foot in the ground and shifts her body to the left, allowing the blade to pass shortly above her chest, before grabbing the top of the shaft with her left hand. Ikkaku's eyes widen in horror as the girl then swings her gray right fist at the top of the shaft, breaking the blade clean off and flying into the air in an expert motion. In Ikkaku's shock, he fails to react in time as the girl then pivots on her left foot before hardening her right heel and delivering a devastating roundhouse kick to the back of the bald man's head, slamming him into the ground. The man's nose crunches instantly as blood spurts on the ground beneath his face, the ground cracking beneath the force. His hold on his Zanpakuto is released as both of his arms fall limp, leaving Tatsuki to hold the remaining shaft as she looks down at her unconscious opponent. She drops the shaft on the ground next to him, the blade simultaneously landing and lightly clanging on the ground behind her.

She cracks her knuckles before walking off towards where Riruka ran off, "Told you I wouldn't lose..."

Riruka vs Yumichika

Yumichika smirks at the girl in front of him, bleeding and breathing heavily, "Is that really all you have, Ryoka? How ugly…"

Riruka grits her teeth as the man continues, "But I suppose I can't blame you for being so weak and ugly, you are only human after all. To expect you to compare to my level of beauty would be foolish."

The girl scowls, snapping at the Shinigami, "Beauty? Get over yourself! Cuteness is far better!"

The man returns the scowl, a tick mark forming on his head, "Of course, a premature little girl like you would think that! You are clueless of the real world!"

Yumichika stops his ranting abruptly before baring his sword, "Speaking any further with you about this would be a waste of time. I think I'll kill you now."

The man brings his sword down at the girl, but she manages to disappear with a green flash, evading the attack.

Yumichika glares to his right, at the girl, "Evading is pointless if you can't attack!"

As the man charges at Riruka, the girl smiles, muttering, "That's where you're wrong…"

Yumichika raises a brow as Riruka retrieves a bottle of pepper from her belt, as well as one of the plushies. The girl quickly throws some of the pepper on her face, baffling Yumichika so much that he pauses his lunge.

The man looks disgusted, "What are you doing? You're even more ugly now!"

The girl ignores him as she sneezes on the plushie and promptly throws it at the man. Yumichika recoils, narrowly evading the plushie, but widens his eyes as the plushie glows a bright pink light before a massive blast of Reiatsu assaults him, sending him crashing against a wall.

Riruka smirks, "Looks like storing Chad's practice attacks in my plushies paid off! …now, off to find the others…"

The girl starts walking away but pauses as she widens her eyes, turning around to regard a very wounded, pissed-off Yumichika.

The girl pales, "That didn't knock him out?!"

As Yumichika takes a step toward the girl, she instantly bolts down the path before her in fear, "That was one of the strongest attacks I had stored! I gotta get away from this jerk before he kills me!"

The Shinigami chases after the Fullbringer for about 3 minutes, her Bringer's Light surprisingly quick compared to his Flash Step.

Riruka skids to a halt in front of a large pit, her eyes widening in shock, "I can't see the bottom!"

Behind her, Yumichika smirks, "This is the end of the road for you, little girl!"

The girl in question sighs, "I really didn't want to do this, but you give me no choice."

The Shinigami raises a brow as Riruka turns towards him, flicking her left thumb up to make a floating heart.

She then points her left index finger at him, "I permit you!"

Yumichika widens his eyes as a weird feeling assaults him, his body turning into energy before being seemingly sucked into the peacock plushie on the girl's belt as his Zanpakuto clatters to the ground.

Plushie Yumichika starts sweating as the girl removes him from her belt, staring at him with a smirk, "Now then, about where I can find Yuzu Kurosaki…"

10 Minutes Later, Seireitei

Tatsuki tilts her head, questioning her pink-haired partner, "So she's at that big tower in the center of the Seireitei? And we should watch out for the captain known as Kenpachi?"

Riruka nods, "That's what Mr. Peacock told me, yes. I don't really trust him, but he really doesn't seem like the type to lie…"

The karate girl shrugs, "It's not like we have any better leads, plus it matches up with Yoruichi's theory, so I say we go check it out."

The girls stand in silence for a moment before Tatsuki thinks of something else, "Oh yeah, what'd you do with him anyway?"

Riruka smirks knowingly, "Oh, not much. Just made sure he got what was coming to him…"

Tatsuki raises a brow before shrugging and walking off in the direction of the tower, flanked by Riruka.

Meanwhile, Elsewhere in Seireitei

A peacock plushie is tied up, hanging along a wall. The wall is smeared with a message written in ink with an arrow pointing at him, reading, "I am ugly." Passing Shinigami sweat drop at the sight, much to the peacock's embarrassment.

The peacock fumes, "I'll remember this, girl! You'll pay as soon as I find a way out of this! I will have my revenge!"

Training Grounds, Silbern

Within the darkened, cold halls of Silbern, one may find a large open area with targets lined up along one of the walls and a grassy field with a fence. Of course, the grass is mostly frozen due to the cold. This area is known as the Training Ground, which is often frequented by the Soldats. Stern Ritters are a rare sight on the grounds, as they, for the most part, do not deem it necessary to train further after being deemed 'Elite' by Yhwach. Therefore, the Soldats present can't help but feel both unnerved and confused at the sight of one such Stern Ritter training with them.

Bambietta swings her sword furiously at the training dummy in front of her, causing it to get sent across the room and nearly into a Soldat minding their own business in the shooting range. Naturally, the Soldat misses their target and spins to regard Bambietta fearfully.

The woman angrily snaps at them, "What are you looking at? Don't let me stop your training, soldier!"

The Soldat hurriedly reassumes their shooting stance, "Y-yes ma'am!"

Bambietta glares angrily at her sword as she recalls a conversation that she had with a certain Fullbringer, 'I wasn't thinking about it that much when I fought, but I do recall focusing my Reishi in the tip of my sword… I think…'

She frowns, her eyes almost having a pouting look, "He made it sound easy, but one wrong move and I blow up my sword and arm rather than my enemy! It's not fair! He uses my power one time and he's a master with it!"

A distance away from the Training Grounds, shrouded in shadows, multiple Stern Ritters sit, curiously watching their peer.

Bazz B scoffs, "Training, huh? Figures a pathetic excuse for a Stern Ritter like her would think that's needed!"

Nearby, a large burly man with a mustache and a star-shaped wrestling mask chuckles, "Oh? I heard you ran away from her with your tail between your legs."

The mohawk man snarls, "Shut up, Mask! That was only because His Majesty was coming, and you know it!"

Next to Mask is the much smaller form of Liltotto, who stares wide-eyed at the scene of Bambietta, "Roosterhead aside, Bambi is the last person I would ever expect to see training…"

Next to Bazz B sits Cang Du, who hums, "I don't blame her after losing to a captain the way she did… if this means she'll be more lethal, that's only good for us."

Bazz B snorts, "Yeah, everything will be better until that bitch goes psycho and tries blowing us up!"

Behind the others, Quilge quietly observes the scene with interest, "Just what do you hope to accomplish, Basterbine…?"

All five Stern Ritters tense up as they watch a man with long blonde hair and a white cape walk onto the Training Grounds.

Bazz B furrows his brows, "Jugo…?!"

The Soldats and Bambietta all salute when Haschwalth approaches.

However, the man is quick to dismiss them, "At ease. All Soldats, your training is over for the day. Return to your quarters."

The room quickly clears out after he says this, the Soldats not wanting to earn his ire. This leaves only Haschwalth and Bambietta, who eyes the man curiously.

The blonde man suddenly grabs the hilt of the sword at his hip, unsheathing it and baring it at the woman, "We will spar. I want to see how you've progressed during your time in the world of the living."

The spectating Stern Ritters all become jaw-dropped at this, Bambietta having a similar reaction, "B-but sir, fighting among the Stern Ritters is prohibited!"

Haschwalth narrows his eyes, "I shall permit it. If His Majesty takes issue with this, I will take the blame."

Bambietta slowly nods before readying her sword, asking openly, "Can I go all out, then?"

The Grandmaster replies open-endedly, "So long as it is your blade, you can do whatever you wish."

The woman smirks before rushing at her boss, quickly swinging her black blade at him. He parries the blow effortlessly, sending Bambietta's momentum to the ground at his side.

As the woman starts getting up, she can hear her former mentor berate her, "Sloppy."

Bambietta furrows her brows before leaping from the ground, doing a mid-air somersault, before bringing her blade down on the man again. Once more the blow is easily parried, leaving the woman to fall towards the blonde. The Grandmaster sidesteps, allowing the woman to again fall face-first on the ground.

He continues with another jab, "Impulsive. You lack any real finesse."

The Stern Ritter picks herself up off the ground, turning to face the Grandmaster with a fire in her eyes, causing him to raise a brow, "…yet you are determined. Good. Show me your resolve!"

The woman closes her eyes briefly before reopening them and charging at Haschwalth once more. However, this time, Bambietta attacks the man from the front in such a way that a parry is awkward, so their silver and black blades clash, locking in a power struggle. Haschwalth begins to push back, causing Bambietta to buckle under his superior strength.

The man almost sounds disappointed, "I may not have been able to parry well from that angle, but did you really think you could win in a head-on collision? Foolish."

There's a glimmer in the corner of the woman's eyes as her blade begins to glow with a blue light. The man widens his eyes before a blue explosion comes off the sword, blasting both him and Bambietta back. Bambietta, the less hurt of the two quickly regains her bearings as she watches Haschwalth slam against the wall on the side of the training room. The woman's right arm is scorched from the explosion, falling limp to her side although still clutching on the blade. Haschwalth coughs as he pulls himself from the rubble, dusting off his scorched uniform.

Bambietta stares eagerly at the man for his rating, but her heart drops when he utters, "I told you, in a head-on collision you lose… you were simply fortunate. Those who experience good fortune must also experience bad."

The woman looks as if she's ready to say something but is cut off as her blade goes haywire, violently lighting up blue again before exploding with such intensity that her entire body is caught up in the blast. Shortly after the blast subsides, Bambietta falls to the ground, a charred mess.

As the woman lies once more defeated on the ground, Haschwalth sheaths his blade and narrows his eyes at her, almost hissing, "It is no wonder you were bested by a Shinigami Captain with your level of skills. You're sloppy, impulsive, and overall weak when it comes to a close-quarters battle. Even a monkey could beat you in a battle of skill."

A distance away, Bazz B laughs, "Serves that crazy bitch right!"

Meanwhile, Liltotto narrows her eyes at the scene, "Why is he saying all of this? Bambi will only get mad…"

Bambietta grits her teeth as tears of frustration run down her cheeks, although only the blonde man can see them.

Haschwalth continues to bash the downed girl despite this, "You have not only failed to use His Majesty's gift to its fullest extent, but you are still that same sniveling child I found in that Ghetto. You are unfit to be one of the Stern Ritters."

Bambietta grips the ground as her tears continue to stream.

Haschwalth suddenly turns his back on her, starting to walk away as he states in finality, "Despite all of that… if you truly wish to improve and evolve, training your Schrift alone will not be enough. You must build your skills by improving everything else, only then will you be able to fully master that dangerous Schrift of yours, Basterbine…"

Bambietta's eyes widen before she forces back her frustrated tears and struggles to sit upright, declaring, "Thank you for sparring with me, sir!"

The blonde man briefly glances back at her before continuing his stride and leaving the Training Grounds.

Bazz B scoffs at the scene before leaving, heading in the same direction Haschwalth left. Mask looks at Bambietta, briefly stroking his mustache before smirking and leaving as well. Cang Du and Liltotto slowly approach the black-haired woman, who balances herself on her sword.

Light strings come off her body briefly, as if holding her body upright, before snapping, leaving the woman to fall to the ground.

Quilge, still in the shadows, eyes this in interest, "Was that…?"

Liltotto glances between Cang Du and the downed form of Bambietta, before questioning the iron man, "I don't suppose you'll carry her to sickbay?"

Cang Du narrows his eyes at the girl, "You could do it… but sure, I will. She just fought the Grandmaster; she is owed my respect as a warrior."

As the iron man picks the woman up off the ground, Liltotto hums, staring at the wall where Haschwalth was sent earlier, "A Bambi with full mastery over her Schrift, huh? That's…"

The girl pales, a fearful expression covering her features, "…a scary thought…"

As the trio leave the room, Liltotto and Cang Du can't help but notice the unconscious Bambietta's almost desperate whimpering, her hand balling into a fist, "No…! You're… not taking… Yui…!"

Author's Note:

The following three chapters will catch up the Soul Society invasion with the end of chapter 40 in the timeline. Again, Ichigo won't appear until then (as right now he is doing stuff already covered in the last arc) and these chapters will focus largely on the supporting cast of the Fullbringers. There will be battles with Captains coming up as well as important character moments and developments that I would feel wrong skipping over for the sake of keeping the focus solely on the main characters.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to start up a subplot about Bambietta's training. Aizen completely humiliated her and Ginjo stole (borrowed) her powers, so that particular battle was quite eye-opening for her in that sense. This won't be an ongoing thing in every chapter, just something that pops up every so often in this arc in small snippets, of course.