The 5-man-1-cat team has been split into 4: Chad; Ishida and Orihime; Ganju and
There is a large, smoking crater in the ground, which a group of Shinigami stare at, wondering what could have caused it. Seeing that there is no dead body, meaning that whatever it is is still alive, they decide to search. But their target is merely sitting in a nearby tree watching as birds sit on his arm – Chad. He asks himself what he should do now.
Another group of Shinigami are running towards one of the arrows falling from the sky, and they are led by a yellow-haired lieutenant. As the thing nears, it suddenly disappears and they start searching. The one in the arrow had been Yoruichi, who now stands on a nearby roof, saying that as it turns out, it’s on its own, which might be a good thing in the end.
Orihime, her arm bandaged, lies on the floor, dreaming about Ichigo, pooh and peter. Ishida watches as she suddenly wakes, sitting up and hitting him squarely on the jaw with her head. Standing abruptly and feeling the pain in her arm, she puts a hand on it and turns to see Ishida blushing and saying that he is okay. He says that they were lucky to fall where no-one was around, and Orihime claps her hands together, suddenly feeling the pain in her arm once more. Ishida tells her that she got hurt from the impact of the fall, but, holding up a first aid kit, he was able to give first aid with the bandages on hand, although he was unable to do anything about the pain. Orihime thanks him, standing and saying that she’s fine. Ishida apologizes, saying that she was trying to protect him, and hence had gotten hurt – if he hadn’t been there, she most likely would have escaped unscathed. Orihime replies that she’s such a dunce that either way, she’d still have gotten hurt, and if it weren’t for him and his first aid, she’d have bled and bled and become anaemic and immobilized. Ishida pushes up his glasses and says that they’d better move off, as they had made quite a sound and someone was sure to come. Sure enough, someone has, but as they run off, gives no chase.
The bald Shinigami whom Ichigo and Ganju met is doing another little dance, singing and tiptoeing across the floor. Finishing with a flip over his Zanpakutou and a nice pose showing off his shiny bald head, he demands to know why Ichigo and Ganju hadn’t gotten out of their sandpit whilst he was doing his “luck-luck dance”, and a little cabbage butterfly flutters past their bored, what-the-hell-is-up-with-you
Ichigo jumps out of the pit and the bald guy asks him what he didn’t run along with Ganju, who had seen that their spirit power had been greater than his. Ichigo replies that if his spirit power was more than his own, then it’d be pointless to run – he’d catch up for sure. On the other hand, if his own spirit power is greater than his opponent-to-be, then he’ll just have to beat him and move on. The bald guy comments that Ichigo isn’t stupid, then after a while of staring at each other, draws his Zanpakutou with amazing speed and brings it down on Ichigo, who jumps up in time to dodge it. Ichigo grabs Zangetsu and charges at the baldie, who comments that the former handles himself well, and blocks Zangetsu with his scabbard. Using his other hand that holds his Zanpakutou, he tries to attack Ichigo, who then uses the former’s sheath as a platform to jump into the air and evade the attack, somersaulting and landing on the roof beyond.
Ichigo launches himself at and attacks his opponent thrice, the latter either blocking the attack with his Zanpakutou or by dodging it altogether. Now it is the baldie’s turn to be on the offensive, and Ichigo is also able to dodge the simultaneous attacks from the baldie’s scabbard and Zanpakutou. On the next attack, the baldie manages to spill some of Ichigo’s blood, but it’s the same the other way around – both have bleeding foreheads now. The baldie asks for Ichigo’s name, and Ichigo tells him. The baldie comments that the name “Ichigo” is a good name, and Ichigo says that is the first time someone has complimented his name. The baldie says that men with “ichi” in their names are said to be handsome men bursting with talent. He introduces himself as the 11th Squad 3rd-Seater, Madarame Ikkaku (“Ikkaku” begins with the same character as “Ichigo), saying that as two “ichi” men, they should be friends, but Ichigo says he doesn’t think so.
Meanwhile, Ganju is running and panting, Yumichika hot on his heels. Ganju picks up speed but so does Yumichika, prompting the former to complain that the latter never gives up. Yumichika comments that Ganju has an ugly running style, and tells him to look ahead. Ganju does so, and sees a dead end, just in time for him to use his technique to turn a section of the wall (a hole) into sand. Yumichika says that he uses such a
Yumichika draws his Zanpakutou, asking Ganju to make a choice: to die here by his blade, or to fall in the pit and die like a dog. However, if he’s going to vacillate, please turn this way and show him his face – no matter what kind of face, he cannot resist faces inundated with this kind of life-or-death decisions. Ganju turns his head and says that he really does have disgusting habits.
Ichigo wipes the blood on his eye, and Ikkaku says that he doesn’t get it – there might be a big distance between them, but Ichigo’s taking a hand off his Zanpakutou’s hilt during a face-off is amateurish behaviour. Ichigo snaps that he was merely trying to wipe off the blood on his eye that was blocking his vision, and Ikkaku calmly replies that forehead wounds bleed a lot even if they’re shallow. He pulls off the bottom of his Zanpakutou’s hilt as Ichigo’s wound lets out a downpour of blood. He puts a finger in the hilt and wipes that finger, which appears to have some paste of sorts on it, on his wound, saying that if he’s not going to stop the bleeding, then there’s no point in wiping. Ichigo shouts that Ikkaku is cheating by bringing his own cauterising cream, but Ikkaku says that he’s simply being prepared, and Ichigo should be more impressed. However, Ichigo is one strange dude – despite acting like a total amateur and not looking like a fighter, his reaction time is first-class (he demonstrates so by attacking Ichigo, who defends himself), his hits are violently strong (Ichigo attacks Ikkaku, who although blocks, staggers a little), and his agility is about the same as his own. Ikkaku tells Ichigo not to make such a scary face – he’s complimenting him. Saying that he’s too good to be written off as a fight-loving amateur with good instincts, he asks who Ichigo’s master is, and when he hears that Ichigo, although only for 10 days, had learnt from Urahara Kisuke, an image of Urahara, hat-less and wearing Shinigami
Putting his scabbard and the hilt of his Zanpakutou together in a straight line, he calls out, “Grow, Houzukimaru!”, transforming his Zanpakutou into a Japanese spear (naginata). Ikkaku shouts out to Ichigo that there is no time to be shocked and not to misjudge as he starts poking Houzukimaru at Ichigo, who blocks each attack with Zangetsu. Ichigo harrumphs, saying that he knows and will not misjudge that a spear’s range is longer. Ikkaku grins and says that that’s not it, spinning Houzukimaru in his hand and holding it up. Ichigo seizes the opportunity, launching himself at Ikkaku, who swings Houzukimaru down on Ichigo, who continues to run toward Ikkaku whilst using Zangetsu to “shave” Houzukimaru’s wooden section. “Split, Houzukimaru!” Houzukimaru splits into three sections divided by a short chain, wrapping itself halfway around Ichigo.
Yumichika asks Ganju once more to turn and face him to let him see his face in his last moment, as each time he sees such a face, his beauty is polished more. He suddenly spots sand drizzling out of Ganju’s clenched fist, but before he can react, Ganju has flung sand into his eyes and made the ground below the two of them into sand. Yumichika jumps up to the side platforms in time but Ganju begins to fall into the pit, surviving just barely with a few fingers on the ledge, all of which are slipping off slowly. Yumichika curses Ganju, asking why he would want to do that to someone as beautiful as he. He
The cannonball starts to crack and in a sizeable explosion Ganju is thrown across to the other side of the pit, where he takes a tumble and crashes into a wall. Yumichika, dusting his clothes, says that there is no way he could be beat by that, and it seems that Ganju seriously wants to anger him. Ganju goads Yumichika by saying he can’t hear him and turning the wall into sand so he can get through, and Yumichika calls after him that he is ugly, too ugly.
Ichigo’s arm is all bloody and Ikkaku withdraws Houzukimaru, resting it over his shoulders as he tells Ichigo that that was what he meant by “don’t misjudge” – Houzukimaru isn’t a spear, but a tri-section staff. He asks Ichigo if it hurts, mentioning that he probably will be unable to hold his Zanpakutou properly now. He adds that he is a kind-hearted guy, who would capture Ichigo alive at this point save for the fact that a reward only comes if he kills the target. Ichigo has finished bandaging his arm with the excess bandage on Zangetsu’s hilt, and runs once more at Ikkaku, who steps aside, allowing the wall next to him to be destroyed. Ikkaku rolls away as Ichigo asks him not to talk like this is over – he still hasn’t shown off his true skills. It’s just the beginning.
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