Getting to Know the Fourth [Fourth Division Meeting]

Despite having been dismissed, the many seated officers and foot soldiers of the Fourth Division were drawn to the emerging brawl between their Captain and a few of their most ambitious coworkers. It had not been that long ago these same people were watching their new Captain fight and overcome her predecessor, and now it was time for the rest of the Division to try their hand at beating her. Though as Moe, Tento, and Rio all declared their intention to spar with Kanae, it wasn't clear what they all had in mind for the fight.

Wanting to make sure they are all on the same page going into it, Kanae responded to her challengers with some requirements for their match "If you want to challenge me, follow in your colleague's steps and use your full might. I want all three of you coming at me like you want to kill me. No holding back, because I promise you I won't be."

Though Moe didn't seem to be exerting herself fully, immediately releasing her comically-sized Shikai was what Kanae wanted from her and the others. Not only was she doing her duties as a supposed "good captain", a thought that nearly made her stomach churn, she also had the ulterior motive of wanting to see the specific abilities of her Division members so nothing could surprise her down the road. The beginnings of a smile crept across her lips as Kanae imagined what she would do to these three if they held anything back.

A collision strike from the front and a cleave from behind. To an observer, Moe and Tento's combination certainly appeared as if it would disrupt Kanae's overall ease of movement, but the Shihoin was already thinking several steps ahead to get an edge over her captain. Naturally, the initial idea was to soar in from above, striking in with a dropkick at the top of her head. An ideal move, right? No. The visual battle taking place in her mind concluded that Kanae would likely flash step away from their attacks.

To think a captain would allow herself to be struck so easily would be the height of foolishness for the Shihoin, and so her decision is made abundantly clear. She'll adhere to Kanae's rule by giving it her all. Placing her sword forward, Rio would start running along the ground, stepping in to attack from an angle that would hardly impede the attacks of her fellow division members.

"Harden, Tetsumaru!"

In an instant, four obsidian blades - each held together by a chain - materializes around the Shihoin's back. Under normal circumstances, she would likely treat this as a spar, but if this was meant to simulate them fighting to the death, then there was no need to hold back. A thunderous step of shunpo broke out across the atmosphere as Rio appeared directly at Kanae's left, her left foot sweeping forward to smash against the woman's leg, but that was not the end of her assault.

She wasn't going to disrespect a captain with something so meager! From above, without even touching it, she is manipulating one obsidian blade above Kanae, swinging her arm forward, that it might be brought down with an immense level of force to cut her in half should it land directly.

"Black Iron Guillotine!"

That comment had nearly slipped by Moe as she rushed into melee range, but she did feel a little perturbed by the comment about killing. She certainly wasn't the type to kill someone in a duel like this, it didn't feel right to do so, and yet it was demanded of her so casually. Being the strongest was important, but killing people to get there wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Kanae had not even killed Arkin when they had fought for the captaincy, so perhaps it was just all bluster. Yeah. That made more sense.

Seeing Tento's spell fly in over her shoulder whilst Rio darted in from the right, Moe gritted her teeth and replaced that cheery grin into something of a focused stare. Even with the advantage of moving first, the Shihoin's flash step would beat her to the punch, so Moe adjusted her approach. Still running straight forward, she let Shinsho trail behind her until she was right up in the Captain's space before sweeping the kanabō around in an improvised baseball swing aimed right at her chest. It was not elegant, nor subtle, but Moe had never been accused of being either of those things before either.

Things escalated quickly as glowing rods of energy appeared around Kanae's midsection and quickly came together to hold her in place. The Captain didn't expect such a high-level spell from Tento, but she was not caught off guard by the Tenth Seat's quick thinking. Kanae kicked off the ground so that the rods would come together beneath her, and while still just a foot above it she swiftly drew and slashed with her Zanpakuto, shattering the spell into pieces. By the time she landed softly on the ground again her weapon was already replaced in its holder.

As the battle began in earnest Kanae did her utmost to track the movements of all three of her challengers. She had enough experience fighting groups of enemies to know all it takes is a single moment of surprise to lead to her undoing. Before Kanae could reminisce about slaughtering her enemies en masse, she sensed Tento following up his spell with a more direct attack as she blitzed past Moe and appeared behind his Captain. Kanae responded by lifting her holstered Zanpakuto to block his horizontal swipe. At the same time, Rio released her own Zanpakuto and rushed forward to land a critical blow on Kanae's right side, though this too was stymied as Kanae pulled out her sword from its sheath, which remained where it was, and slashed horizontally to meet Rio's kick head-on.

Though not overwhelming her quite yet, Kanae could feel the strength behind Rio's weapon and knew the woman's Shikai was granting her a boost in power that could not be taken lightly. On top of already having to use both her Zanpakuto and its sheath to defend herself, Kanae was suddenly assaulted from the front as Moe caught up with her allies. Unfortunately for the trio this attack, like the others, would be met with resistance as Kanae turned her waist and met the tiny woman's colossal mace by catching it with her foot. What finally did catch the Captain off-guard was the power behind Moe's swing, which threatened to be the proverbial straw to break Kanae's back. At this moment she couldn't help but be ruefully impressed with the trio and Moe's strength in particular, even if Rio was evidently more powerful.

The amplification of her opponents' releases was helping to bridge the raw power gap between them, though Rio herself was already near Captain-level
to begin with. This made Kanae acutely aware of how she could not allow herself to be put in this situation again, and as the newly-promoted Vice Captain's Shikai blade attempted to slice her in half, she made her move to turn the tide. Kanae put pressure on Tento's weapon and used this leverage to lift herself off the ground in order to kick Moe's kanabō away with her other leg. She allowed the momentum from the kick to carry her body through the air in a series of spins, creating separation between herself and Rio whose weapon would slam into the ground harmlessly.

Kanae landed gracefully nearby and turned to stare down her attackers. Though she wasn't slashed or crushed by the trio, it would be generous to say she came out unharmed as the Captain could feel residual pain in her arms and feet from the impact of their blows. Anger welled within her like oil corrupting and blackening a lake. Not unfamiliar with pain, even excruciating amounts of it, Kanae certainly hated it and her usually-concealed self threatened to erupt through the veneer of control she exercised over herself.

As she had done in her bout with Arkin, Kanae pushed her hatred down and resolved to stay in control. "What a...wonderful start, you three. Good effort. Now, let's really begin." Like an explosion, a gushing torrent of Reiatsu burst forth from Kanae which threatened to swallow up the entire training grounds. In addition to her own spiritual pressure dropping like a building on top of the trio, Kanae's Zanpakuto radiated an equally profuse, though far more sinister and cold, Reiatsu which swam and mixed with hers. Their bond allowed her to draw on Tosatsusha's might even without releasing, which would be necessary against a group of Shinigami as formidable as these three.

Huh... colored Tento impressed. He did not know one could break a kido spell by sheer strength. Or perhaps Captain Kanae wrapped her sword with a quick layer of spiritual energy before using that strike to destroy the bakudo. With a clank he felt his sword hit the guard container of her sword. The force being stopped and causing a smirk to form on Tento's face. Okay....she had some style! The skill of this 1st generation Shinigami showed more and more and more. Swiftly pulling out her sword in an attempt to clash with Rio's unleashed shikia. But not before taking a blow from the vice captain.

It was at that moment Tento figured that they could at least give some blows to their captain. Win. No. At least not himself and Moe. But a couple things were noted by Tento's battle mind that needed to be kept in mind. Speed. Rio was of course the closest to the Captain's speed, he could keep up an awareness but he really was not sure if he could perfectly keep up with their movements. A bigger concern for Moe. Tento and Rio would have to work with synergy to give openings for her. And they really needed to. Because. That switch in Captain Kanae's legs absorbing Moe's blow was a telltale sign to him. Moe's may have had a lower reserve of energy and speed. But she had a mighty giant level of strength in her small body. One that could give work to the captain. With Vice Captain Rio's power as well, those were the best chances to deal some melee damage.

...that was if Captain Kanae didn't bust out her shikai though. That acid would be an issue that would be tricky in this equation.

As Captain Kanae turned their attacks into jumping springs of momentum. He turned to watch her escape and landing. Giving a respectful nod with his smile still ever so present on his face. His face showing one side and his mind another. He DID catch the comment of her stating to come at her like they were trying to kill. He could understand asking a level seriousness, especially in the case of Tento and Moe. The two most likely would not be able to unless Kanae made a massive mistake and put her guard down. The seriousness of a request to push oneself was not lost or new to Tento. He had done that several times with Vice Captain Hanako.

That phrasing of hers though... eeeeeeeeeh. Ex criminal for killing lover and al. KINDA sus. But, surely it was just a bluster of words and old ways. But wa that tension he was-

A crushing wave of energy shook forward. Gushing out like an endless stream. The essence of her being waiting and ready to swallow the air itself. "Kido division! Get those barriers up!!", yelled out Tento un urgency aa his fellow kido practicers and fellow section members quickly went to erupt layrers upon layers of barriers to try and containing the budding flames that was the 4th division's spar. It felt heavy, heavy like a freight train was threatening to drop onto his hole body. Tento's shoulders shook at he felt the overwhelming pressure, it felt really like his feet was about to make impressions in the ground.

"Ugh...so...this is a hint of a Captain level Shinigami. Man...its so much different than watching from the sidelines", Tento said with a gasp as he wobbled lightly trying to stay steadfast on his feet. Breath, young master. With gritted teeth Tento took a deep sharp breath before concentrating. A hue of brown reiryoku starting to seep out from his form. The energy was starting to become extremely sensitive. Tento COULDN'T not sense her Reiatsu even if he wanted to. Stand. Look her in her eyes. Always. Look your foe in their eye, their soul.

Right...this was what he wanted. Will. Hardship. All refined through time and effort. A test of his abilities and will. If he couldn't even stand in the presence of Captain Kanae lifting a finger, he was not worthy to be in the field of battle during this time. Not when lives would be so heavy on the line. Not when... his mind had a falter. A flash to the onslaught after the perimeter of the hole of Africa was done. Those ceros. The smell of ash. The cries of Quincy, Soul Reapers, and Human alike. His rage. His sadness. His desperation. Wanting to do something. NEEDING to do something. He needed to move. He needed to go stronger. To be worthy of being where he wanted to be. ...it was...is. Not, your fault. But with that memory It felt like wings were wrapping around him. A soft feather piillow like touch that felt iron strong and stern like an anchor. Phasing into existence before welcoming him in a gentle embrace. Pressing his back. What will you do?

Tento to a small step forward. An inch that was far more a slide of a foot then a real motion. A sharp breath left his body as his eyes trained to gaze up at the wall before him. Tento's eyes spoke his answer. Fight. Name unknown, the bond and connection between Tento and his zanpatuko was still great. A respectable balance of partners; weapon and warrior. All the same, not as mighty as the others here likely. Most definitely not their Captain that was just oozing some elite otherworldly power that felt more than her own. Nevertheless, it was cool and warm like that of a flame or hot wind. Wilding like the soft breeze of the wind; and bright. Benevolent.

"Alright Captain...", with that Tento flashed stepped. Moving as soon as he felt the other two were ready as well. Appearing a bit forward before beginning to run around Kanae, soft whispers coming from him as he let loose a quickly spoke kido incantation while raising his Zanpakutō horizontally in front of his body facing Captain Kanae. U The length of his blade generating a yellow orb, widening itself along the length of its blade before being fired off as a wide horizontal arc of yellow energy at Captain Kanae using Hadō #32. Ōkasen. Quickly after releasing this kido, Tento would flash step again shifting forward before running in an approach; ready to see how Captain Kanae and the others would move next. The soft whispers of yet another kido incantation starting.

A flawless flow of evasion and deflection allowed Kanae to avoid the full force behind Rio's opening salvo. Even so, Rio couldn't help but display a smile illustrating how impressed she was by the woman's movement, turning her gaze as the Captain challenged them to attack once more. In the next moment, a tidal wave of spiritual pressure seized the atmosphere immediately. It was as if an mighty anchor had been tossed from the sky, but if there was anyone here who could endure it to a reasonable degree, then it was undoubtedly Rio Shihoin.

Rio stared her captain right in the eye, golden sparks of spiritual pressure radiating around her form, imposing her own burst of reiatsu to oppose the sinister energy of her captain, suffusing the atmosphere with the radiance of her iron will. She was no fool to assume it would be on par with her captain, but she was a woman who wore her pride on her shoulders when thrown into combat. To her, she was on equal footing with the captain, and she wasn't going to back down in the face of such immense spiritual pressure. She would oppose and overcome it. Tento, too, displayed a similar mark of bravery as he rushed forward to execute another array of attacks. Stabbing all four blades into the ground, draining away at the earth's material, Rio called out to Moe.

"Let's coordinate our movements! I'll shield you from her spiritual pressure, Moe!"

Rushing toward Moe, dragging the obsidian blades through the ground, collecting material for her obsidian blades to absorb, Rio threw a blade toward Moe, manipulating the obsidian weapon into an obsidian sphere, motioning for Moe to leap in and seek coverage from the imposing spiritual pressure. If she chose to do so, the sphere would converge around her, and Rio would quickly form another sphere to act as a diversion. If not?

Well, she would simply turn around and go roaring in head first to attack from the front, fiercely aiming to swing her palms toward the woman's abdomen, performing her favored hakuda technique---Ikkotsu. Now, in the scenario that Moe did choose to hop in, this attack would still ring true, but she would release Moe from one of the spheres at the last moment, allowing the pink-haired Shinigami to collapse from above for whatever strike she desired with that hammer of hers.

There was a satisfying smack as her club struck home, though the point of impact had been slightly deflected. Still, Moe had scarcely a split second to react before a boot connected with her weapon and sent the pair of them back a good few feet. Reaffirming her grip on Shinsho, that little bundle of pink energy was just about to leap back into the fray when a building was dropped on her. Not a real building, of course, but the weight of her Captain releasing even a portion of her Reiatsu was frankly overwhelming for the little firecracker.

Had she been fighting alone then this would have been it for her, as she dropped to one knee and clenched her teeth. The difference in their powers was so staggering that it felt like she might pass out if the pressure continued to build, but respite came in the form of her allies. First was the simple desire not to let herself be a liability to them, and seeing them both continue to move caused that seed of jealousy to blossom into a budding rage at her own weakness. Slamming the tip of Shinsho into the ground, she hauled herself back to her feet with grim determination. Then she leapt into the ball that Rio had created and was given a momentary respite within the confined space.

Of course, this was only a temporary reprieve and Moe could not exactly predict how long she was meant to be inside this ball. Then the whole thing started moving, and she had to cling on for dear life as she was tossed around the battlefield blindly. It was a jarring experience, but at least it took her mind off her current woe as she soared through the air until the sound of battle seemed to be coming from below her. Whatever was going on down there, she didn't want to be out of the action for too long and tapped on the side of the ball impatiently. By chance or intention, it responded to her clanging and the entire contraption began to crack.

"C'mon Shinsho, they're playing our song!"

A flash of a smile spread across her lips as she felt her Zanpaukto cringe just a little at that comment. But she only had a half-second to hold her breath as the ball split open again and she felt that overbearing presence wash over her like a wave. It was daunting, like staring down a raging beast, and yet also inspiring. Her Captain truly was an impressive woman!

Swinging Shinsho around like it was a featherweight, Moe brought her hammer up and over her head before going for an overhead strike. It was unlikely that she had the advantage of surprise, but she would still try to muscle through with power and a little bit of gravity. Besides, if Kanae was spending more energy dealing with her then perhaps it would give her companions the opportunity to push her in other ways.

In the initial skirmish, Kanae had learned a few things about her squad mates and was already prepared to use this information against them. Her violet eyes shone with a sinister glare as she stared down her challengers. This trio may prove troublesome if they work together, Kanae thought. So she would not give them the opportunity.

Unsurprisingly it was Tento who made the first move. Kanae could see he was more reckless than his Vice Captain, choosing to dive into the fray again without a guarantee of support. First up. thought Kanae as she too sprinted forward. Tento's mumbling of a spell's incantation made plain his objective. Before he finished, Kanae coated her Zanpakuto in an imperceptible layer of highly corrosive acid that even burns through Reishi, and gripped her weapon in preparation.

Once the yellow blast of energy reached her, Kanae drew and swung her weapon downwards. Between the force of her swing and the acid lining her blade, Kanae split the Ōkasen like a stream of water and rushed toward Tento. Now directly in front of her target, Kanae moved to draw her sword again except this time she stopped short to fake Tento out, and instead slammed her right foot forward and into his chest in a brutal kick meant to knock the air from his lungs, and him flat on his back.

Now, with Tento hopefully out of the way for a few seconds, Kanae turned and sprinted in the direction of Moe and Rio. The fiendishly serious look on Kanae's face made evident how seriously she was taking this sparring session, and as she prepared to deal with the other two fighters she knew if they didn't take it just as seriously one or more participants may end up in the infirmary. To Kanae, all members of the Fourth must be willing to take these risks going forward.

The versatility of her newly-named Vice Captain's release was obvious, and Kanae made a note to herself to remember its ability to morph into different shapes. Annoying. The simultaneous lunge forward and attacks from Rio and Moe opened up an interesting opportunity for Kanae as she immediately came up with a plan to deal with both at once. As the duo came into range, one above the other, Kanae suddenly leaped off the ground and drew her Zanpakuto before bringing it down on top of Moe's large hammer mid-swing with all her might, her objective to force the weapon into uncontrollably completing its attack by crushing Rio below. Still flying through the air, Kanae acrobatically landed with one foot on Moe's head before leaping off again and landing on the ground behind the two women.

To some Tento's actions would indeed be called and seen as reckless. But to him, it was doing what he needed to do. To show initative. He knew he was far outclassed in his match up, so why waste time and opportunities by waiting for them to come? In martial arts tournaments when he was alive. Letting someone control the pace of the match and flow of events that was stronger or faster, sometimes both, than you. Was spelling out doom for you before the battle really began. One needed to balance being defensive and aggression, picking which was best in their opinion.

But it was more than that.

Tento was no fool. He knew his strength was inferior to Moe, and Rio. Even if he could keep up with Rio and Captain Kanae's speed if he went full throttle, the value of those blows would not be worthy the challenge of exchanging blows. This was a team fight and Tento thought of it like a pack. The strongest watched the rear; the others backs. Attacking at perfect times to cash in and ensure the others safety. The second best operated as a constant force; young and hungry for the chance. And the youngest or sick. The ones most vulnerable, lead them. Moving first pacing the others. If separated taken by hunters, and the others failing. Falling to the chaos. Rio and Moe had the best chances to deal meaningful damage, and so Tento would apply as much pressure as he could to give them the space and time!

That what his determination and ideas held. But when Captain Kanae came forward and slashed through his kido spell. Just how was she doing that??? He was not surprised he was the first to move towards her as well as being the closest. And as his feet started to halt he was met with a swift approach, his sword up in a guard he was ready and waiting for her strike to come from her sword. But just as she began her draw she stopped, a fake out! Making his prepared actions be halted as the extended blade in his hands was bypassed when she slammed her right foot forward and into his chest in a brutal kick! The blow came with a fierce amount of force, thankfully not too much for his solid body to take but it did throw off his body stance. He moved back, falling back. I'm not out of this!, he thought as his body went into a backwards roll practiced hundred of times when he was alive and a thousand more in the after life. His left shoulder going back as he pushed his weight using his arm, letting the momentum of Captain Kanae's kick carry him into a landed stance on one knee and one planted foot.

Immediately Tento lifted his sword in case Kanae continued to attack, but his gaze only saw her turn and sprinted towards Moe and Rio. With gritted teeth Tento decided to kick things up a notch. Lunging forward in a run in hot pursuit of her, I won't make that so easy for you Captain!, he thought as he took a deep breath letting the air flow through his muscles as he pushed his body to his full speed. All that fighting in the living world against swarms of hollows did wonders for reaction time and movement speed. He still wasn't sure how fast Kanae and Rio could truly move. He just had to see!


At this point it would just be the question if Tento could get to her with his swift reaction. And even then, if he could land this. If he manages to reach behind her Tento would grip his sword before throwing up an arc slash going down and up aimed at her back. If this blow landed cleanly he would bring the sword down, doing another slash moving the opposite path that he just traveled, the dull side of his blade used for both strikes. If so, hopefully it would throw her off.

If not and he wasn't able to get to Captain Kanae before her counter actions to Moe and Rio, he would stay by the two in a guard covering their backs. Letting them gather themselves if they suffered a nasty little collision. If this was the case he would speak to them, "...how rude", he said short. A bit of disbelief at Moe's head being used as a springboard. After which he would wait for the two of them to be ready to move, this time moving forward in a run once again but this time at the moment Rio and Moe moved.