Re: The Captain Training Grounds Zeda

Tue 18 Feb 2014 - 14:36

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Zedas heels edged off the ground and pushed up against the barrier that he had arrived at while the liquid sheath of his Zanpakutō vanished. As mentioned earlier, Zeda had fine-tuned his spiritual pressure sensing capabilities; it was true that the Head Captains movements were flawless but the key thing the alleged killer had forgot to do was conceal his presence. Zeda could sense his every step and the little series of attacks that had been absorbed by the clone forged in his previous position served as an effective stress reliever. Zeda was happy if anything that he had finally unleashed his Yuudeshi Drive which meant that this gather had come to end; his objective was achieved and he was well aware that in his previous state there would be no winning the man.

He rotated at the speed of sound; his pupils dilating while his Zanpakutō began turning. As the Zanpakutō turned, it exposed the flat side to the Captains attack; the flat side expanded in the same instant that Zeda turned. The sheer width of the Zanpakutō almost instantly differed while hurling Zeda toward the other side of the small establishment. The blade would expand in width, however the hilt of the blade in the case of Kio remained in the centre of the Zanpakutō thus with the exponential increase in size and movement of the hilt half of the battlefield would have been separated.

As the battle field separated, the right half being Zedas domain while the left being Tsubasas an attack struck the blade of his finely tuned Zanpakutō at which point it sent intense vibrations throughout the dense metal; so much so that the barrier that the Zanpakutō was latched onto shattered while the remaining vibrations began making Zeda feel sea sick. He was sure that taking that attack head on would fuck him up. It wasn’t that Zeda had predicted an attack, he aimed to draw a quick distance between himself and the Captain Commander from the moment he sensed his first movement.

His muscles relaxed as his left arm came into play once more. The battle field, still divided in half, the only gaps being around the outskirts where the battier had shattered and around the hilt that Zeda had held tightly too. As his left arm healed it ascended and touched the top barrier at which point Zeda began exchanging words loud enough for those in the whole area to hear.

“Alright. I give! Ahhh ahhh – Great fight, I must say! Hahah, maybe next time we arrange a pay per view show for the world to witness. Now I was wondering, that technique you used in the end and the middle of the fight; the very same that broke the Kurohitsugi apart and amplified your speed, was the Shunko? If so would you mind teaching me along with the art of the blade? ”

Suddenly, he hit the wall, he began panting in an attempt to regain his breath but nothing worked. The barriers slowly began descending as the spiritual pressures within the cube decreased; he looked around while his vision began turning hazy. His muscles being overwhelmed with fatigue; it was a miracle that he was still standing. The young Yuudeshi took roughly three hundred cuts to the body all of which he endured for another minute, it seemed now that the fight had concluded and the adrenaline was no longer sugar coating the pain that it hurt.

Almost like a brick Zeda began dropping out of the sky; with his descent came the complete retraction of his Zanpakutō. His shikai or maybe even Bankai could completely treat him, but he didn’t want to risk using it especially if it had changed a lot after the awakening of the Yuudeshi Drive. As he dropped to the ground, a loud thud echoed through the area while the sand and dirt that had packed up from the fights crawled around his body. He turned his head, only seeing the face of one or two individuals; his body seemed fine but it was clear that the internal damage that he had initially disregarded was finally getting to him.

His mouth collapsed shut. Not even a crowbar was opening it; he was biting down as tough as hell. His newly formed crimson eyes looked around eagerly while his body became encased in a turquoise colored reishi as he whole body began feeling like a feather. It was true, Zeda was rather fast and he aimed to be the fastest the Gotei 13 had to offer, however with the damaged muscles and tissue it would be hard for him to reach his optimum for a while. His eyes watched those of the medics that had been working on him while the remaining wounds began closing and the healing process began concluding.

Zeda had never used the Medics of the Gotei 13 but it seemed this generation was far more competent than the previous. The way he was healed left almost no scars, it seemed to resemble genetic reconstruction; his body was finally at ease but this was called training for a reason, that reason being that Tsubasa had a lot of training still to do, especially now that he was more familiar with Zedas capabilities.

After a passing of several minutes the medics parted and began reforming the barrier around them for the commencement of the second phase. Zeda arose feeling at peace while his crimson eyes switched their gaze to the Captain Commander. His Zanpakutō laid on the ground around twenty feet from him thus Zeda began slowly heading to collect it.

“Apologies Head Captain, I don’t know what came over me. As I was saying, would you be able to teach me what I requested? ” His voice sounded rather gentle, it seemed that the chaotic nature that closely followed the awakening of the Yuudeshi Drive didn’t affect this clansmen. As he spoke he reached his Zanpakutō and took hold of it, upon doing so, the liquid sheath reformed and he prepared for orders.

[THEFROST] · Wed 19 Feb 2014 - 10:18

Tsubasa's switched had been flipped back to normal, he watched as they meticulously brought him back into the world of the living. It was no easy feet, this man had been broken and that wasn't something his body accepted. Not right away anyways, Zeda wished to know what Shunko and Swordplay were. Tsubasa waved his hand and a hell butterfly flew off. Soon people came carrying what looked like white bodies holding weapons. They looked like humanoids, he would show Zeda the true art to swordplay sure. But first Zeda had to learn to balance soft and strength completely, for if he never did. Only an animal wielding a sword, he would never full become the extension of the weapon as it was meant to be. Tsubasa offered a nod, his mind was working on fixing itself. Being that murderous man took a tool on the mind of him sometimes. The aroma that filled the air was a mint type smell, it was fueled from Tsubasa's research. He wouldn't give Zeda much time as the devices were carried in. Was he preparing for torture, well yes Hiroshi was brought in at the beginner level. It was tough but it wasn't on the level that this was. These humanoid white bodies would wound you if you failed to cut them, the area was being transformed quickly into what they needed. They brought something small that contained a large amount of water in it, pouring it into one of the holes they created the stream. It had six times the regular intensity of a normal one and something else, this water would slice into your body if you failed to do what the task desired was. It was water that was spiritually modified to do so, setting up his training camp for a Zanjutsu training of this level was something nightmare like.

The final object brought in was a room sphere that was purple inside of it was seven thousand times the gravity of earth, it would crush your body and put you through absolute hell. The only way to truly live through the place was to combine the lessons of the first two training, focus and swordplay working as one. But their was a new one Tsubasa added on, something special that had allowed him to move much more gracefully and add an extremely powerfully power to his swordsmanship. Stepping and avoiding brought in were six seeds, special and they were fed a spiritually fed water source that caused them to grow almost as soon as planted. They brought cherry blossom's but something was different, the normal beautiful pink petals were red. Tsubasa picked up a piece of fabric tossing it into the Cherry Blossom's area one petal sliced clean through it. This was to teach good footwork and keep a person moving while focusing, Tsubasa used it to train his warrior's focus and become better.

What was this course, it was something that Tsubasa used to train his swordplay on a basis though he used up to twenty tree's and sat in a stream far stronger and larger, Tsubasa's training method was far rougher. And Zeda was doing this with something else, Tsubasa walked to him and drew a circle in the air. The training weights, the spirit cuffs were put on his legs, arms, and body. His energy itself would be weighed down by the energy. Tsubasa looked at the medical staff they all seemed extremely worried about the Head Captain's training equipment. Adding that extremely powerful water, the decoys and everything into a single element. Shunko would have to wait, first Zeda had to live through the hardest training in the world. Fighting Tsubasa was something impressive to be sure, had he kept going he would of killed Zeda. Something Zeda did realize as he gave up while Byakko could still stop him. Which lucky for the boy Byakko did so, the power of Tsubasa wasn't something one could simply figure out.

Tsubasa got up walking over to the decoy's they were the first training he wondered if Zeda could do it. If the cut wasn't perfect, if balance wasn't completely perfect the decoy would heal and wound the person exactly how it was wounded. That was the spell on them, it made the training with them far more deadly as Tsubasa would allow Zeda to learn the hard way, his frame walked away. "Zanjutsu first, find the perfect balance between force and grace..won't be pleasant otherwise." That was Tsubasa's only warning to Zin's son, finding that perfect balance took Hiroshi days to do. Though Hiroshi wasn't pushed to the extremes that Zeda would be. Zeda was fast but their was a problem, he didn't see the surrounding's as a whole. And his swordplay if any was rather in need of balance. Tsubasa would do as he did with Hiroshi and this could take days or weeks if need be, though Zeda would suffer greatly if that was the case. As Tsubasa's true training began.

Wed 19 Feb 2014 - 12:39

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As Zeda wondered over to his Zanpakutō, he noticed a countless items being brought into the fighting ground. Water: sphere: dummies, you name it! He casually surveyed the area while crouching to collect his Zanpakutō. Upon doing so, the sheath appeared across the outer metal. Human looking creatures entered the arena while Tsubasa showed the capabilities of his research while in the 12th Division. Zeda was also rather fond of research and the simple fact that the man managed to create such sophisticated objects, fascinated him.

His eyes wondered but it wasn’t long until the Captain Commander placed his subject specific Kido on Zeda which made him feel like a ton of bricks. He felt heavy, almost like he was carrying Iron on his back; he attempted to keep his posture straight but it seemed that the impact on his power that the cuffs were having was rather drastic. Nevertheless, he was the Yuudeshi Prodigy and thus he straightened up prior to patting his attire down; as he patted it, countless layers of dust and dirt began slipping of his Haori and general attire. The layers of dust began returning to their rightful resting grounds while the dirt simply dropped off in patches.

He turned around, the weight on the large quantity of spiritual pressure he had within his being was impressive. The last time he felt like this was when he was a child; it was around the same time that his training had begun. He enjoyed the fact that Tsubasa had recreated this all powerful feeling as it reminded him of his childhood and put him in the perfect frame of mind for training.

"Zanjutsu first, find the perfect balance between force and grace..won't be pleasant otherwise."

The head captain issued a small suggestion while he stood back and awaited Zeda to act. Zeda smirked, he knew that this would be easy; he had slayed uncountable amount of hollows in the past and by the looks of it these dummies weren’t far off. He didn’t comprehend how a combination of force and grace would aid him in the development of his Zanjutsu, though he didn’t doubt the man. He turned himself toward one of the strange creations that moved like jelly; it seemed lifeless, even more so than hollows so it explained why he was allowed to go all out on this fascinating creation. His eyes had hooked themselves on the creature’s chest as he began running forward; a feeling made him shudder, the feeling of the cuffs clapping against one another why he ran…

This feeling made him run look like a walk in his perspective, he imagined his Uncle Shadin by his side and instantly passing by with the aid of his speed which was why he had to push himself. He edged forward, his body beginning to fall forward while his next movement broke the speed of sound; as he stepped forward had performed Shunpo. This Shunpo was unlike any that he had performed in the past, it was different in the sense that it felt faster, it felt amplified by the awakening but also reinforced with experience.

As he flash stepped to the nearby opponent a large high pitched frequency would be sent into the surrounding area the instant he came to a halt. His blade imminently ascending while the barriers in the surrounding area began forming; the blade was intended to strike the dummies chest. As Zeda moved the blade, the high pitched frequency that came with his burst of movement began vibrating the blade while it pierced the flesh of the new creation. He smirked as the blade passed through the dummies chest and in that instant rotated to look over at the Captain.

He was ready to take the piss and maybe insult these shit dummies because in this situation they were either shit or Zeda was just too good? It was one or the other. However, as he turned to face the Captain Commander he felt blood dripping on the inside of his attire; with the countless rips on his clothing already he noticed a cut in the exact same area as where he had just cut the dummy. His eyes widened in interest while his left hand began tapping the blood prior to ripping away that specific section of the attire. He looked down in wonder as his blade turned in one swift motion and slightly cut the cheek of the dummy; as that cut formed on the dummy it vanished, only to re-appear on Zeda.

He did this in order to confirm the situation and realise what the old man had meant about it not being too pleasant. His flames began engulfing the wounds; the one on his cheek vanished almost instantly while the one on his chest took a few seconds to heal. Zeda said nothing, he had received enough help already and thus he turned toward the dummy and began slashing.

With the first slash appeared a cut on Zedas shoulder which signed failure. With the second came forth a cut on his abdomen: with the third arose a cut on his hip: with his fourth came forth a cut on his neck… it seemed to be a race between he regenerative capabilities and his slashing speed. Each cut was ineffective and no matter how many times the young Yuudeshi had tried the very same cut was reflected back onto his own body…

Tens of slashes later, Zeda dropped down to the ground. He was out of breath from performing 32 consecutive slashes while healing the wounds that were formed from his failure. He looked up at the sky while knocking his head back against the ground; he hadn’t given up and for the Captain Commander to even think that would be insulting. His crimson eyes gazed at the bright beauty of the sky while he considered the generous balance of both clouds and the blue.

“Wow, its prettier than usual. The blue and white really do blend well together and there seems to be an equal balance of both in every part of the sky. Even though we from our point of view may not be able to see it I bet those that live above can. Wait a minute… the sky it’s a ‘force and grace’. The clouds act as the force for the combination as they provide rough storms and lightning surges while the endless blue serves as the grace that maintains the credibility of the above hence why the force is always the one hated by others and grace is always the side admired. Aghh this maybe gibberish to the Captain so I might as well give it a try. ”

He thought to himself for a minute or so prior to barely rising to his feet. It wasn’t that he was tired, but the force of gravity acting on his body in combination the cuffs kido and the others really made him feel heavy. Upon regaining his footing, he took several steps back and away from the dummy prior to repositioning himself; his blade began reflecting the light of the sun as he vanished.

He began his linear movement, his body moving swiftly while his blade remained to one hip. As he moved the blade slowly ascended, the power of which arose from the empowered movement and amplified by his relaxed and graceful movement. The hilt of the blade was now near the center of his chest as the sharp edge began gracefully slipping through the side of the liquid creation. His body seeming at peace while both his mind and blade became one; he could feel the tip of the blade beginning the onslaught on the fibres that the dummy was forged from. Then, the feeling of control closely followed as the blade slipped through the remaining defences ever so easily which signed the end for this part of the training. His eyes looked ahead while his blade returned to its previous position. It was time to determine the success of his logic as he awaiting for something to happen whilst his back faced the dummy.

[THEFROST] · Wed 19 Feb 2014 - 13:44

"Just because I kill a hollow doesn't mean I know swordplay, it's through mastering balance..Grace and strength, these go hand in hand..Much like the clouds and sky, these two with a sword must be together..Otherwise you are but a beast with a piece of metal..Even when I am going to kill, I keep it in mind...Let me show you why.." Tsubasa was quite skillful but it wasn't just his ideals and principals that did it. Their was a calm and almost almighty feeling he gave off when he spoke about swordplay. Simply killing a hollow did not make you a master, the journey of finding balance did. When you came to the place Tsubasa was, than you truly learned and it was here he drew his Zanpakutō effortlessly from his sheath. He walked towards one of the dummies, he wouldn't explain but show him. Bringing both hands together, he decided to show him Tempest, one of the sword moves in the process of his own style. Tsubasa was working on developing a perfect balanced sword style. Which would combine speed and power, allowing them to become a perfect tool between the two worlds. Balance was the key to everything, force and grace had to be acceptable. Zeda had scratched the surface of it. Tsubasa wasn't the type of teacher to simple not show his student what it meant when you reached the road. He raised the sword, something seemed slow about the attack. But their was more to it than that, Tsubasa's form was graceful. His body moved in perfect alignment it was poetry in motion as the sword came down on the shoulder of the figurine humanoid. The dummy didn't just get cut it was vaporized as the full force of the swing became clear. Tsubasa's grace allowed him to move at odd angles and his force created a balance in harmony which could do what Zeda saw.

It was only a moment after, a huge slash crater appeared it was massive the amount of damage Tsubasa created. It would of destroyed a small city, his swing was flawless and something about it frightening. This was the depth of what one who learned control was. Tsubasa had perfected his Zanjutsu skills beyond that of a normal person, he was put on many of the great wielders list. He was one you thought of often when dealing with such things. Tsubasa didn't have a particular style when fighting, he normally would do what he needed to do. Fighting and defeating his enemy was all part of the desire to become stronger and balance the Gotei 13. Tsubasa's only ambition was to be stronger than Yamamoto, so he studied hard to be where he was now. Learning to wield the sword the way he had, Tsubasa let Zeda take in the destruction he caused with a single swing. Tsubasa walked away sheathing his sword to the river, the destruction was like someone had shot a bomb off.

This had been a single sword swing with both hands and the question was raised on what he could do had he gone to this. Tsubasa was a complex man and strong in many aspects, he picked a piece of cloth from his clothing letting it drop into the water. It was cut into pieces in less than three seconds. "You must focus and find balance in the water..otherwise same thing.." He pointed at the decoy's, this training was avoided for Hiroshi for a reason. The boy would of died in the first exercise and murdering them when they are trying to learn is not Tsubasa's way. Though some students quit from his school after only the dummies, unable to grasp the concept of the water current. Tsubasa had a balance that few others did, even as a swordsman it was clear that he kept a rather focused and calm mind. It was perhaps more than that, he knew that Zeda had done well on the first test. The second was after all the perhaps hardest part for most people.

His gaze lingered on Zeda, Hiroshi had faced a similar water. This did exactly as that one did but it had another effect as well. Those who got into the water would feel energy being drained as they fought against the flow of the current instead of letting their body be one with it. But they would also be sliced up from it, the water went up to a person's neck. The longer time went the larger the cuts became, the water wasn't something fire could dry up either. So it would be most interesting to see what Zeda did here. Tsubasa's training was something out of a horror film. But the results from before showed something, many believed Tsubasa was better served as the 11th Division than 12th. Their was a reason for that. Tsubasa was more than capable of killing the person before Ibiki's time. But many pondered why he accepted the role of 12th. Yet trained his swordplay to that level, only time would answer the questions that most people would have about the Enigma.

Thu 20 Feb 2014 - 12:22

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Zedas eyes wondered as nothing happened to him. His body was in a perfect, stable condition and the dummy simply dropped to the ground; he turned to the Captain Commander as a smirk of relief swept its way across his face. The crimson sheath of his Zanpakutō slowly began covering the metal, while Zeda watched and listened to the commander. The man was wise and was passionate toward his Zanjutsu which began rubbing off on Zeda as he stood and watched. His right hand fiddled with the Zanpakutō metal while the Captain Commander showed his own grace and strength.

The man swung his Zanpakutō in an efficient manner; this efficiency minimized energy loss and allowed him to utilize full power without even scratching the tip of his potential. Zedas eyes widened as he closely examined the attack; it seemed every so skilful yet all it did was cut through the dummy, something that Zeda had already achieved. He sighed and then an enormous gust of wind began blowing his crimson hair back and rattling his Zanpakutō as the molecular structure holding the dummy together dispersed completely. His eyes widened as the ground beneath his foot cracked for a second prior to vanishing into thin air, almost as if it had been vaporised by the graceful attack.

As the ground beneath him shattered, layers of sand and dirt ascended from the previous location and began moving to Zedas rear. His left hand arose and covered his eyes while the gust passed. He smirked as he moved his Zanpakutō to his hip and allowed the liquid to stick; as the liquid stuck, Zeda descended and landed in the creator. The Captain Commander gave him advice for the second challenge, it closely resembled the advice for the first challenge but he didn’t have long as the creator that he had found himself in was slowly filling up with water.

He looked around and began with a simplistic thought “Water, too easy”. His flames began brewing as they danced across the rising water level; they did nothing. The flames simply struck the top layer and sat there, seizing to burn. Zeda smiled as this was exactly what he had expected, the captain commander had formulated something that would fend off the flames and allowed Zeda to train without the aid of his inner spirit abilities. He gathered a breath while his feet began getting cut; he had no idea what was happening all he knew was that out of the blue the water had begun turning red and his feet began feeling sore.

He looked down as the crimson blood began seeping into the river while he flames attempted to heal the small wounds. They attempted to heal them and failed while meant that he had to find the answer to this situation quickly or the training would come to an imminent end. Zeda, tossed his Zanpakutō to the top off the crater while he dropped down toward the increasing water level and crossed his legs. His eyes moved in the dark as he attempted to feel out what his body was going through; his palms created an odd triangular shape while his eyes began moving on their own accord.

At first, he felt a cut on his thigh; the cut wasn’t deep but noticeable. Then he felt one on his right bum cheek which irritated him because of the way he had been sat. Another cut formed on his right hip which was closely followed by a deeper one that had arrived on his abdomen. He began releasing his spiritual pressure in order to send the water out from around him but all it did was cause an even bigger and deeper cut. His senses were tingling as a taste or chocolate slowly swept its way onto his taste buds; it was a wonder how, maybe he was hallucinating after losing so much blood, or maybe it was a clue?

The first challenge took on board the principle of the clouds which meant that balance had to be introduced in the current flow. He relaxed as he began feeling his own presence amidst the pool of reishi that had surrounded him; from his bird’s eye view of the battle field he stood out like a saw red thumb while the water around him flowed around him in circles. He noticed that his body was introduced as an obstacle for the water that had been rising. His body acted like an internal combustion engine in this situation.

If the wrong material was introduced to the engine it reacted in a nasty manner; often flaming up or even exploding though in this case he was being cut as it seemed the water deemed him as a wrong material. The internal combustion engine usually settled down after receiving the right fuel which brought a thought to Zedas mind; if he was the incorrect substance that was being rejected by the river because of unfamiliarity then why didn’t he just blend in with the water and act as a part of it.

His ideas were strange once again but within the short time that he spent training with Tsubasa, he noticed that the strange worked almost always. His eyes began sensing the reishi distribution in the water while the reishi that had been built up around his body began coinciding with that of the river. The blue that had surrounded him slowly began turning crimson but it wasn’t because of the failure, quite the opposite really.

Zeda altered the flow of reishi around his body which in effect matched the movement of the rising river around him. He then allowed his body to become act as the focal of the flow which slowly stopped the circular flow of the water; then his own spiritual pressure began aiding the flow of the river while his body felt at peace. His reishi being naturally crimson, releasing the levels that had pent up within made him feel relaxed. He took several moments within the river until he slowly stood up and allowed the river to take the excess spiritual pressure that had been putting him on edge.

The pent up spiritual pressure kept him on his toes and prevented him from relaxing. Now that the excess was released and adsorbed into the river it made him feel at peace and in tune with both his Zanpakutō and the spirits that resided within him. He smiled as he shot out of the river; no doubt this challenge had finished earlier than expected as the crater hadn’t even filled up yet. He smiled whilst turning his gaze toward the Captain Commander and offering a peaceful smile along the way; his eyes seemed ever so complacent and his body looked unscathed.

“What you got for me next, sir?”

[THEFROST] · Thu 20 Feb 2014 - 23:07

Zeda had done well to make it through the river, Tsubasa calmly walked into the water to show Zeda what it was like to master it. His body remained part of the river though he moved, it was as though he became one with it. This was the basic principal he taught his family when going to kill. Tsubasa seemed at ease in the water, it didn't bother him at all. Things like this never did, no cuts appeared on him as he moved through the water yet with it. Something about the way he moved was odd, nothing about him went against the current his energy. Everything down to his muscles embraced the ideals of moving with the flow. Letting his body balance it, Tsubasa could show him power but this wasn't about overwhelming power. It was about the flow and moving with it, Tsubasa vanished completely it was as though his presence had faded. He stood behind Zeda now, it wasn't like he'd used a shunpo. The water showed no signs, everything about him vanished. Tsubasa stood there and spoke now calmly, explaining it to him as he looked at the clouds. "Becoming invisible is simple as going with the flow..of the river." He walked out of the water without getting so much as a single cut, Tsubasa was a swordsman who focused on the intensity of the rough training that few others could come up with. He walked towards the sphere now, this was phase three the hardest one. People died in this one the most, the petals were knew so if Zeda failed them well he would die. Tsubasa wouldn't explain them, for they were simple as he looked on at the room. Tsubasa walked into it and stood fine, he wouldn't be fighting Zeda or anything. But combined with the cuff's he expected the man was in for a surprise.

Inside here was enough to push down and crush a man's skull five times over. Tsubasa stood in it with a look as though phasing him would take alot more. His hand held his sword underneath it's hilt, keeping a rather delicate grip on the weapon. The weight room was something of a massive monster, so far only two people had decided to take on the weight of the spirit cuffs. Zeda understood the true weight of these mountains. But once he entered in the room where Tsubasa stood calmly and seeming to be one with the environment. But something else was in here, it was a round ball hovering in the air, it moved around as though alive. For every slice missed the already intense gravity pushed down harder. This room wouldn't be bothered by flames either, this was physical training. The body had to endure hardships to become fit enough to be a good swordsman. Tsubasa was placing his faith in Zeda, his student for the Wars to come. Zeda would be the one who fought in his stead.

Tsubasa didn't claim that he was the only teacher, but he may of been the hardest one. Seventy-Five students had died at this stage, it could be seven-six soon if Zeda underestimated it all as he had done. He seemed to finally be grasping the concepts of Tsubasa's swordplay. Though he doubted Zeda knew the ending of the lessons, Tsubasa normally had decided to fight beneath the petals. But this wasn't going to happen this time, he would allow Zeda's training to be finished at that point and show him Shunko. Tsubasa had a firm belief in not passing on his moves to others, for a single reason. One he would explain when they reached that portion. Tsubasa gazed through the purple roof of the room, the blue sky was now an odd shade. It was always so interesting standing in the Gravity Well Room, his body always felt interesting. People understood during this what Tsubasa put himself through to become as good as he was. It wasn't something so simple as he picked up the sword and became great.

For that came from the journey, the path that he walked took him this far. Only continuing on the journey would aid him in growth. Tsubasa had a journey as did Zeda and all, Tsubasa's belief reflected that clearly. Zeda had past the trials Hiroshi went through, but those were only the second level trials yet, Tsubasa had planned to make the ultimate final test for swordsman who he believed were studied enough they understood his way. Swordplay wasn't just a science it was an art, something lost to the will of time. People always would forget about the beauty of a sword in motion. Tsubasa brought his sword up gently touching the ball floating in the air, it simply levitated their and bounced he spoke now calmly. "Remember your training, cut the ball..within the room." That was all he would offer Zeda, from here it was in his hands. Tsubasa stood within the heavy room glancing at the male with little to no emotion in his features. Tsubasa truly was an enigma.

Fri 21 Feb 2014 - 18:23

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Zeda had now been thankful. He hadn’t felt at ease for a long time; this feeling originated when he first returned to the Gotei 13. It grew as he met old foes and comrades and hit a climax when he fought the 8th division captain. He had felt on edge to the point that he would only get a hours sleep at night. He would stay up thinking and thinking while his energy levels decreased and his fatigue levels sky rocketed. Zeda, wasn’t the type to show fatigue; he moved on with everyday life and smirked as he regularly would.

After arising from that water he felt like all his thoughts were washed away by the stream. He felt that his worries were no more and his body finally managed to ease up. He really didn’t know what to say to the Captain Commander but he knew for a fact that he was no a more efficient individual; if his resting heart rate and blood pressure could be checked against that of yesterdays it would show that it didn’t beat at an accelerated pace at the thought of something going wrong, his blood pressure wasn’t at an almighty high and he was back to being the very same cocky and confident individual.

He looked over at the Captain Commander as he entered the waters; his movement was almost effortless and the concept of strength and grace was constantly reinforced in the training. The man who had vanished from the depths of the lake had appeared behind Zeda, he thought it was the flash step but for almost a second his presence vanished only to be re-forged at a different location. He smiled as the man explained the purpose of this specific training method, "Becoming invisible is simple as going with the flow..of the river." He turned to the man and nodded while everything that had happened up to now began embedding itself into his mind.

He had learned a lot in a short space of time. The operant conditioning within the training really encouraged Zeda to succeed, not because of the damage he received if he failed but because of his desire to become stronger. He turned his body as he began approaching the sphere and remembered not to underestimate any of the challenges, especially after experiencing their diverse abilities at first hand. He clenched the hilt of his Zanpakutō tightly, “Let’s go do this, guys!” You see, Zedas Zanpakutō is irregular as he has three spirits within, the one he was currently wielding was Kio, his fire Zanpakutō and his main blade. He had faith in his strength and that of his Zanpakutō, he could feel the wind pushing against the blade and feel its discomfort while within the liquid sheath; this Zanpakutō had an aggressive spirit who only ever aimed to fight hence why he hated being sheathed.

Zeda looked up at Tsubasa as he began entering the sphere. The strength of the cuffs weighing him down, in combination with the absurd gravity within the dome began nagging on his spine. He stood straight; he carried pride with his name and with the aid of his Zanpakutō he would complete this challenge with ease. This was the first challenge where Zeda hadn’t smirked or smiled. He understood the point that was subtly brought across, “When in war you don’t smile, you don’t smirk while your comrades are out there risking their lives. You smile when the war is won and you along with your comrades are still alive and well. In the world out there its kill or be killed, something that I couldn’t have learnt without your aid Tsubasa Unabara, Captain Commander of the Gotei 13…” he thought to himself for a few moments prior to positioning himself parallel to the bouncing ball whilst his liquid sheath began slipping off.

His Zanpakutō felt ever so heavy but he thought to himself, it was his Zanpakutō, a part of his soul and if he could move then so would his blade. He inhaled as he moved the blade to one side, his mind recalled details of Tsubasas swing and compared it to Zedas; he knew what he had done wrong and it was time to correct the mistakes he had made in the first challenge. He looked at the ball as it levitated; his blade shook as the sound of metal began radiating throughout the sphere. He raised his blade, his eyes focused as he body moved forward, but something was different.

As Zedas movement began his blade ascended and under such gravity it seemed impossible to move at such speeds yet somehow Zedas movement seemed a blur. His right hand dropped to the hilt as he took a clearly and precise swing with the sharp side of the Zanpakutō; the blade moved effortlessly as did his body, the gravity seized to affect him. The blade ascended and diagonally pierced the ball while the sphere began shaking vigorously; the pressure generated from the swing began rattling the sphere while the ball that had been struck decomposed in the blink of an eye.

The only sound to be heard was that of the swing. The ‘swoosh’ escaped into the surrounding area while Zeda seemed immobile. To any old eyes it would seem like Zeda hadn’t moved but as a matter of fact Zeda took on board what he was told in the second challenge; he didn’t reject the gravity but allowed his body to be a part of it. He allowed his body to ease up and for both his spiritual pressure and blade to be a piece of the gravitational potential that had risen within the sphere; this allowed him to move through the intense gravity without breaking a sweat.

His speed seemed almost amplified; his body was at ease after the second challenge so it worked ever so efficiently, almost like a well-oiled machine. With the swing of the blade the raw power released through the technique would begin to crack the sphere…

Zeda was a fast learner; he picked up on aspects that had to be improved and within a few attempts got better and better! In this case, he substituted the flaw in his swing with the perfection in Tsubasas swing, he made it his own and the combination of both the balance and grace not only allowed him to generate more power up created overwhelming pressure without even tapping into his alternate powers.

His gaze turned to the Captain Commander as the sphere began crumbling away. He didn’t need to ask the question of what was next as he was aware that the Captain would move on after the rapid success in the sphere…

[THEFROST] · Sat 22 Feb 2014 - 7:59

Tsubasa offered his gaze to Zeda now, it was time to show Zeda what it was that came from this. He moved now his body had no wasted movement, everything about him was strong and graceful. Tsubasa was almost there, to the last part of the training. The tree blossoms which rip the blood from the body. The idea is to dodge them but most people didn't see this training yet. "Strength in War, remain strong to adversity.." Tsubasa was teaching him meaning and philosophy behind things that few did. Tsubasa's training matured those who went through it, he didn't have to explain things in great detail. The gravity training had many meanings but also allowed the body to be tempered. For the petals, Tsubasa had devised a training method that was at the end. So far the only person able to do it had been himself. The training wasn't complete, but he was going to teach Zeda one other thing after the zanjutsu. Well two if one thought on it, he would prepare Zeda to use his Zanpakutō in battle.

Next came the six tree's, the petals did little to nothing unless someone touched them. Tsubasa had previously shown Zeda what they did by allowing cloth to get sliced into ribbons. He stepped in, Tsubasa stood still seeming to be at peace with the environment despite the petals and danger. Tsubasa trained with over twenty tree's that's where his limit was at the moment. He would train like that for the most part till something else was required of him. Tsubasa knew what he needed, he could already create great power. The next thing important was his speed itself, he needed to become faster. He dodged the petals almost dancing around them effortlessly. As a warrior he wasted no movements, Tsubasa continued dodging. The petals were immune to that of reiatsu, his words came during showing Zeda what to do. "Graceful as a petal and deadly as a sword.." Tsubasa seemed to be making it look effortless, the petals fell in slow motion for him as he simply.

The focus of the warrior, the skill of a swordsman. Tsubasa surpassed even the prowess of Yamamoto in his sword skills, his methods for teaching were of the most intense and yet effective. Tsubasa left the petal stream now, keeping his eyes calm as he left the stream of crimson petals which could slice him into bits, he didn't mind the destruction of the sphere. That was truly how it was meant for, the kido cuffs would benefit Zeda greatly. The male had used his energy well, Tsubasa stood now watching. It was up to Zeda to take things to the next stage, after all things must be a certain way. Zeda had been the only to ask to learn the art of swordplay yet. Tsubasa wasn't specially good at Hakuda and it was known to be a weakness of his. Tsubasa thought calmly about the situation as a whole the war would be coming. Only a couple possibilities remained either they would be invaded or needed for something great soon. Preparing the entire Gotei 13 was his duty, but he mainly had to deal with the Captains.

Zeda had seen the blood lust and felt the chill, but only now was he understanding what true strength was. Tsubasa spoke his voice was calm and his words were few. "Killing doesn't make us powerful..People do." What he meant for Zeda to understand was a simply lesson, killing didn't make a person strong. Tsubasa had killed thousands perhaps even millions. But it didn't change his being, to be strong people were needed. The special thing in the training that Zeda would understand soon is. That his motivation, why he trained what he wanted was what mattered most. As the Seventh Division Captain, he had to desire to protect those who could not protect themselves. Tsubasa was a spring of knowledge, one thing most people didn't know. The Zero Division had try to get their hands on him several times. Tsubasa had a potential that few others did, living through the world and his life had made him a powerful Shinigami. One who couldn't be described without a sense of awe.

Zeda himself could see it clearly, Tsubasa was the only one fit to carry this torch. Yamamoto had left the burden behind to those who could. Only two men had been able to carry the role and be that Head Figure. It required a calm and collected nature, but also wisdom. Tsubasa had these things in spades, he seemed to know what was needed and do it. Nothing else was required to be asked or needed. From here Zeda would learn everything he needed, it was good for the male to learn. He understood what it meant, being a Captain meant more than just wearing a Haori. "The Haori is nothing, the people are important." Tsubasa basically had said in few words, that the Haori doesn't make the Captain. The people do, they must do great things and in turn protect those important to them. For a Captain is born out of popularity among the people. Each Division is decided on by other Captains yes, but the people help them decide. Reputation and such things play a large role in it.

Zeda had to understand now, the most important part of being a Captain. It was not to be better than the rest or to be great. That was not the role a Captain should aspire to do. They were guardians of Peace, keepers of the balance. Warriors who fought for justice, they were the Gotei 13. Tsubasa would pass this on to them all, through words or actions. He would lead them to balance and justice. Peaceful times would come, but not without paying a price. They would fight and win the battles to come, giving the Heroes the edge they needed. The Gotei 13 had been out of the battles and without leadership for so long. Tsubasa ascended to the role and would take them all to the promise land if it killed him. He didn't mind dying for the cause of helping the Gotei 13 Captains ascend to the next level. But he wouldn't go down without one hell of a fight. Tsubasa looked on watching Zeda as he explained this to him to the best of his power. The Haori on Tsubasa was the heaviest of them all, for the burden it carried was legendary.

Sat 22 Feb 2014 - 16:17

<< PLAY THE MUSIC FOR YOUR READING PLEASURE >>

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The sentiment behind each word seemed to register with Zeda on an emotional level. He knew the point the Captain Commander was trying to bring across and knew too well how wrong his current goals were. His eyes never once strayed from the man’s path as he began slipping through the air and avoiding the countless different petals that had been descending. Zeda was relaxed; he knew that if the petals touched either of them, they would be painful. He knew a lot and it really did take this fight for him to remember it all and get his priorities straight.

He looked up while digging his Zanpakutō into the ground “ill be back” he thought to himself as he left his Zanpakutō behind and began marching toward the blossoming trees. The man made it look ever so ease and that was exactly what Zeda had planned to do. He was unquestionably among the fastest learners within the Gotei 13; he was only 200 years old and yet he had awakened his Shikai, Bankai and Shikokai. The Shikokai was a formidable power that Zeda hadn’t shown to a single soul; he heard rumours that the Captain Commander had attained the strength of the final shinigami release as did one other shinigami.

Zeda was secretive, his fight with the Captain Commander could have kept going but what was the true reason as to why he gave up? While the Yuudeshi Drive aided him and his flames healed the wounds he was almost in a tip top condition. It was true that his purpose was to awaken the Yuudeshi Drive while participating in a near death experience; however was that truly the purpose of his surrender? No, it wasn’t.

With the ascension in state, Zedas Zanpakutō spirits began changing. He could feel their powers separating and stronger bonds forming within him, it was true, he could have used his Shikai or Bankai to keep the fight going but he chose not to; there were simple reasons as to why he didn’t want to release. The first reason was that he wasn’t sure what he would be greeted by upon releasing the Zanpakutō, would it even release for that matter? The second reason was that the medics wouldn’t be able to cope if the onslaught continued; subconsciously, Zeda always thinks of the people and in this situation he decided to surrender in order to maintain the integrities and bodies of the medics.

He found himself stood at the start of the pathway. His eyes glancing around as petals began dropping out of the trees. His eyes began recording their locations as he began moving forward; his speed was on par with that of the Captain Commanders. As he moved his mind mapped the trajectories of the blossoms thus he showed no signs of over exertion. He closed his eyes and felt the difference in the surroundings; his spiritual pressure stood out like a sore thumb which allowed him to navigate himself between the gaps and small spaces. He could see himself and with the aid of his planned trajectory he moved as effortlessly as the Captain.

He was confident and was well aware of the danger of this challenge. Even in his current state, which was 40% of his optimum, he knew that he could do it and thus didn’t hesitate. The medics watched him as they braced themselves to pounce on his wounded body the instant a metal hit. Some individuals began making bets between themselves which revolved around how far Zeda would go prior to being struck by a petal. To some it may have been amusing but to others it meant nothing.

His body weaved back and forth as he passed one petal after another, after passing every dozen he exchanged the carbon dioxide built up in his lungs for fresh oxygen that almost instantly attached to the hemoglobin in his red blood cells and went on its path. With his every step an echo shot out into the area, he had evaded them all thus far and was almost near the end. He body edged to the left at which point his foot tugged against a rock. The medics leapt up while the support began withdrawing twenty thousand yen and reached to hand it his companion.

It was unpredictable, it was clear that he wasn’t aware of his surroundings as much as he thought. His eyes opened while he began falling into the path of the descending petals; he was sure that they would slice him apart upon contact but with the forward momentum there really was nothing much he could do. His body began moving forward into the path of five or six petals while his eyes began moving in diverse patterns. As his eyes moved they recorded information while the brain began brewing a way of escape. It was true that when a man was set to die, his body felt it and turned on the survival instincts in order to aid him. In this case though, his eyes and mind were working in collaboration with one another in the hopes of securing Zeda life.

In almost half a second his forehead neared the petal at which point he rotated his body and performed a split. As he began moving down into the split he raised his right leg and spun it around at speeds nearing sound; as he rotated it, he moved his body forward and in essence was moving under the Petal. As his right leg touched the ground, he pushed off his left foot and blew past the last few petals only to appear on the other end of the pathway. The medics stopped and some even cheered in a small ground while others went off to claim their winnings. He looked down at himself and noticed no cuts, he took a breath prior to rotating as the supressed fatigue began rising to his eyes.

Zeda was becoming tired; his eyes seemed to be only semi-open while he looked alert and eager to learn. It just went to show how much this Yuudeshi wanted to improve, most individuals who hadn’t slept well in so long would have been out on the ground and sleeping like dead puppies while this individual repressed his feelings of fatigue and maintained his composure as the training began nearing the final stages…

[THEFROST] · Tue 25 Feb 2014 - 10:02

Tsubasa merely observed quitely as Zeda did what was needed of him, it was good that he could do this. Dodging the onslaught of an enemy was important, more than that it was the way to become more.He finally understood Tsuabsa was readying him for the journey that was known as life. Pathes existed that people couldn't even grasp in a million years, these paths defined. They were something very hard to realize, Tsubasa needed to make sure each of them understood the journey as men and woman. Captains were the duty they held, he was just helping them find the way. One Thousand years of life had made him an experienced and very strong person who could do what was needed of him every time. Sometimes Tsubasa came to question somethings, as he didn't believe in the tasks at hand. But he decided to view it as what was best for the family over all. Their was a final secret Tsubasa hadn't told the young Yuudeshi yet. That this was it, no more Zanjutsu training would come from Tsubasa Unabara from here.

They would fight and that would be his lessons on the subject from now on. Tsubasa had a firm belief that Zanjutsu had nothing to do with lessons and such. But one needed helped on the path, the rest was up to them. They had to make the choice to walk upon it. The journey was something more that only a couple could take, this wasn't something Tsubasa chose to do without reasons. Binding a person by style or form was foolish, swordplay should be a free art. Zanjutsu wasn't just something that you improved on. Tsubasa didn't believe many people understood his principal. Hiroshi understood and Zeda would be tested to see if he could once he finished. Zeda could keep going as long as desired. Tsubasa glanced towards the people around Zeda now, he walked and took a seat closing his eyes now. All that remained was for Zeda to get the news that was the end, it was time to move on to teaching him the next stage of training. Zeda wanted to learn about Shunko and Tsubasa was able to show him one piece of it.

Teaching him how to reach it, well that was something a bit tricky. Shunko was control of your kido and energy. Making them wrap around your body, using them in combination with everything. "This ends it, the training in Zanjutsu. Swordsmanship is a journey, I can show you the start you must take it." This was true in most things of the world, Tsubasa waited for Zeda to finish his training with the petals. The phases of the Zanjutsu training and perhaps even more is philosophy than anything. Zeda had trained and forged a bond with the Head Captain. Tsubasa stood from his position he'd guided Zeda to the path he wanted. Now it was time for the promised Shunko, Tsubasa would explain as he did this in detail. "Shunko is used by activating condensed kido around the body..it requires control..It has two levels..The first is fairly easy to activated and obtain. " Tsubasa's body glowed for a moment as the shunko roared to life around his body.

Tsubasa glowed and it did seem quite powerful, but it lacked something that Tsubasa explain now. "Shunko takes on elemental properties, that is the second phase..which I can show you but not teach you." Tsubasa activated it lighting sprang from his body hitting the ground everywhere. The lighting like shunko seemed to destroy everything around it. He raised his hand pointing it towards one of the large barriers, they'd set up about forty or so. His hand released a massive blast of energy, Tsubasa looked as ten were gone instantly. His eyes returned to the form of Zeda as he powered down the shunko now. Tsubasa decided to take care of the injuries and energy problems Zeda had now. Something was brought in, it was a couple fragrant things, that had a mint smell. Very pleasant on the nose, but once it entered the body through smell. It became clear what the power could do to those who obtained it of course. A smell filled the air, back at his rock Tsubasa seemed at work. Making a tea now, it wasa drink for Zeda and himself.

Many didn't know about this but Tsubasa was extremely studied. His family often called him the second Kisuke Urahara. A title that he earned for his pursuit of knowledge. But when he obtained it he always looked to improve the use of it. The tea was made and had a very good flavor as well as something else. It gave off the aroma that filled this place up. Tsubasa could only prepare it for Zeda, as it's other purpose became more clear. Tsubasa wasn't the type to do something like this for nothing, he'd invented the herbs and recipes with a single purpose. This would heal the users reishi and allow their bodies to heal up. Tsubasa would discuss principals with Zeda now over tea, allowing the man to rest. This would relax his body and do wonders on his muscles. Tsubasa spoke now as he finished the task and poured the tea into glasses as he waited calmly. His eyes looked towards Zeda gesturing for him to come over as he spoke. "As a Leader, I learned to do this during the time growing..I wanted to help in every way possible. So to that end I studied everything, nothing was unimportant. Everything mattered to make us get that edge and survive. They call me a murderer in many cases, I'll tell you the truth. I did one thing only..keep my people alive, what you'll do to help your family survive in hell is something few would know." Tsubasa said going quiet after he spoke on it, most likely reflecting the nature of his choices. Tsubasa had truly done it to survive the day murder as they called it was simply living. When one had to pick between dying and watching everything they know die. They normally would end up picking the choice of staying alive and doing what it takes to protect. Tsubasa perhaps had lived in that world longer than most, the murderous aura that Zeda felt was his instinct to stay alive more than anything. It was his unwillingness to accept death or anything else, it was regret perhaps.