Chapter 27: Playing with new powers!

The following morning came swiftly for Grayson, who was awakened by the rising sun after it had disturbed his sleep by shining on his face through his window. Nonetheless, he got out of bed, washed, and dressed himself without letting it disturb him and finally made his way to the mess hall for some well-needed breakfast.

Grayson arrived at the mess hall early with some of the others that had to be up in time for their duties, getting more attention while he waited in line for his food with the others whispering about him.

"Did you hear? The new 5th seat was able to take out over 50 Hollows by himself."

"No way, I thought that was just a rumour."

"I heard he was able to face to face with Captain Kenpatchi without passing out..."

"What no way!"

Grayson could hear everything but decided to pretend like he couldn't, simply smiling at the group as he walked by with his tray of food.

"Good morning sir." They all said, showing him respect hoping that he couldn't hear them.

"Morning," Grayson said before he walked passed them and went to sit at a table on his own for some peace.

"Ah, good morning Grayson." A familiar voice said not a moment after before sitting down across from him at the same large table.

"Good morning, Vice-captain Momo," Grayson said, knowing who it was without even looking at her.

"I see you are already becoming quite famous around here," she remarked with a smile, having heard all the tales spreading.

Grayson swallowed some of his rice and said, with a guilty expression on his face, "Well, I don't see what all the fuss is about," making Momo grin at his modest demeanour.

"Anyway, Today I am teaching a class on some basic Bakudō for some of the newer recruits, I was wondering if you would like to attend and even help out?" Momo asked.

Grayson didn't see the harm in it, wondering if maybe he could even learn a thing or two from it himself.

"Sure, I would love to," Grayson said.

"Great. We will be practising in the courtyard behind the barracks so we have enough space. Meet me there be 10:00 sharp." Momo said before politely sipping a spoonful of her miso soup.

"Sounds great," Grayson said, continuing to eat his breakfast in the company of the vice-captain until he had finished, dismissing himself and returning to his room for a short while.

Grayson had decided to get a physical workout in after breakfast, consisting of press-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups and other advanced bodyweight exercises for a good hour, feeling like he had the strength and stamina to keep going well beyond that.

Still, he had worked up a good sweat looking in the mirror to see it dripping from his muscles due to having his shirt off while doing the exercise.

"I certainly feel stronger." He said, tensing his bicep for a moment before taking a silly pose.

"In fact, this is probably the most ripped I have ever been in my life!" Grayson said laughing to himself before grabbing a towel to dry off a little.

From what he could see, working out also helped to increase his basic stats like his strength and stamina, meaning he wasn't doing it just to look or feel good.

Grayson looked over at the small clock he had above his door, seeing that it was already 09:30.

I should take a shower and leave. I don't want to be late for this lesson with Momo, after all. He thought before walking to his shower to get cleaned up as he slung his towel over his shoulder.

Soon enough Grayson was out of the door and arrived at the courtyard for the training session that Momo was holding, wondering what kind of techniques she would be showing them today.

"Ah, Grayson you showed up," Momo said, seeing him arrive.

Grayson could see the small number of soul reapers that had also arrived early before all of them turned around to see that it was him.

"Yes, thank you for having me, vice-captain Momo," Grayson said, walking over to her.

"Not much longer now and the rest of the stragglers should arrive," Momo said, placing her hands on her hips.

Grayson nodded to her before he looked into the crowd to see if there was anyone he recognised, suddenly locking eyes with Tsuburo Yasuyosu, the soul reaper he had fought at the academy and joined squad 5 with.

"5th seat Grayson." He said, nodding his head to him out of respect.

"Good to see you, Tsuburo," Grayson said as he walked over to him.

"You here for some training in Bakudō too?" Grayson asked.

"Yes, I hear that Lieutenant Momo is very gifted in the art of Kidō and I am eager to learn from her." He said.

"Yeah, me too," Grayson said with a smile making small talk.

Soon enough everyone else arrived, including Obune Emiho and Saikida Ketsu who had been on the same mission as Grayson the other day, making him happy to see that they had recovered from their injuries and were already back to full health.

"Ok everyone, I am happy to see so many of you have turned out today for this introduction to Bakudō," Momo said.

"I understand that most of you should have covered the basics back in the academy, but for those of you that never learnt or have simply not had time to practice, we will be going over some of the basics today." She said, explaining the class objectives very well.

"Alright, my training partner today will be 5th seat Grayson, as I am sure you all know by now." Momo then said, pointing to him for a moment before she continued with the lesson.

"The first spell we will be covering is Bakudō #1 Sai," Momo said.

"This is the most basic Bakudō spell and is used to restrain people by locking their arms behind their back," Momo said, looking at Grayson as she got ready to use it on him for a demonstration.

"As such," Momo then said while pointing her index and middle finger at Grayson before casting the spell and incantation.

"Bakudō #1, Sai!" She said.

Grayson felt the invisible force suddenly wash over him before his entire body felt like it was being bound, causing both of his arms to lock behind his back holding him in place.

The force of it was strong, however, Grayson felt as if he would be able to break free of the spell and pulled his arms down a little to test it.

Momo realized what was happening, having a look of surprise on her face unsure what he was about to do. However, Grayson could see the surprised look on her face and simply let the spell take hold of him, not resisting it any longer.

"Wow..." Some of the other soul reapers in the class said, watching how it restrained Grayson.

"There," Momo said after a moment, seeing that Grayson had not been able to break free from it before she released the spell. Feeling a slight sense of suspicion that Grayson could have gotten free if he had wanted to.

"Now, why don't you all try it for yourselves?" Momo said, getting a slow nod from the rest of the students before she turned to Grayson.

"Do you know this one, Grayson?" She asked.

"No lieutenant, but I would like to have a go," Grayson said.

"Of course, I forget you only did one year in the academy." She said with a silly look on her face.

"Make sure you get to practice it too then." She said, letting him go off to find a training partner.

Grayson could see that Tsuburo Yasuyosu was also without a training partner due to his scary appearance, deciding it would be best to go with him.

"I'm surprised you don't already know how to use this spell. It was the first one they tried to teach us in the academy in our 4th year." Tsuburo said.

"Well, I did graduate after only one year, so I was never shown this or any Bakudō in fact," Grayson said, rubbing the back of his head.

"That makes sense," Tsuburo said.

"Ok, here goes, Bakudō #1 Sai!" Tsuburo said, casting the spell on Grayson using the correct technique and form.

However, Grayson couldn't feel a thing and had to wonder if Tsuburo was doing it right.

"Sai!" He said trying it again, not understanding why it wasn't working.

"Are you doing it right?" Grayson asked, wondering why he still couldn't feel the effects.

Tsuburo was confused too, wondering why his spell wouldn't work, knowing that he had done it in the past.

"Mind if I try?" Grayson asked, getting a shrug from Tsuburo as he gave up, waiting for Grayson to have a go.

"Bakudō #1... Sai." Grayson said, concentrating his spiritual pressure and casting the spell while pointing his fingers at Tsuburo after saying the incantation.

Tsuburo's body suddenly went stiff and his arms locked behind his back forcing him to drop to the ground in pain.

"I did it..." Grayson said, watching for a moment before he released it.

"Argh man," Tsuburo said shaking his arms off from the pain his shoulders felt.

Congratulations, you have learnt the skill Bakudō #1, Sai. You have earnt 2000 exp. The system chimed in Grayson's head.

How interesting... Grayson thought, seeing that he had been able to get a grasp of the technique right away without the need for a skill point.

"I should have known it wouldn't take you long," Tsuburo said, feeling a little jealous that he had been able to learn the spell so quickly.

"Wow, great job Grayson." Momo suddenly said, having seen him use it the first time.

"Thank you, lieutenant." He said before she walked off to try and help some of the others.

"bakudō #1 Sai!" Tsuburo said again, trying to take Grayson off guard this time, only to see that the spell hadn't worked again.

"No way..." He said confused once more.

Grayson kind of felt like Tsuburo was trying to sucker punch him with that one, but decided to let it slide.

"Why don't you go and practice it with some of the others, I think I've got it down," Grayson said, getting an irritated nod.

Grayson did find it strange though that he was unable to perform the spell on him, wondering if he was doing it wrong, or maybe it was something else.

"Any ideas system?" Grayson asked, wondering if his system knew anything.

I'm afraid I don't know the answer to that one. The system said, also unsure of what was going on.

The class continued to practice the technique, with some picking it up rather quickly while others seemed to struggle with it. Grayson had also seen that Tsuburo had been able to use the technique on all of the other students apart from him, causing Grayson to realise that something was going on with him.

I could tell you the reason... A quiet yet seductive voice said, coming from inside Grasyon's head.

"Jūryoku no Megami?" Grayson asked, looking down at his sword, wondering what it was going on about.

"Have you had enough opportunities to practise, Grayson?" He was instantly distracted from his thoughts by Momo's question, looking up at her before he answered.

"Yes." He said bluntly, causing her to give him a funny look.

"I mean, yes I think I've got it down." Grayson corrected, having been surprised by her question.

"Good. We will be moving on soon." Momo then said, walking off to try and help some of the others again.

Grayson smiled while she walked away before he looked back down at his Zanpakutō.

"What do you mean, are you saying you know why the spell won't work on me?" Grayson asked, waiting to hear his Zanpakutō's answer.

Are you really so dumb... His Zanpakutō's voice said after a moment before it appeared before him taking physical form and wrapping her arms around his shoulders from behind, making him feel rather awarded.

"If you really want to know the answer, then you should come and spend more time with me." She whispered into his ear before fading away, causing him to shudder.

"Grayson here well now help me demonstrate the next technique," Momo said, failing to get Grayson's attention the first time.

"Hello, Grayson?" She said again, this time getting his attention.

"Yes, coming lieutenant." He quickly said before joining her at the front of the class, getting another strange look from her.

"Alright then," Momo said, seeing that something was going on with Grayson today, not sure what was bothering him.

"The next technique we will be looking at will be bakudō #39 Enkōsen," Momo said.

"Enkōsen will allow you to create a spinning wall of Reiatsu in front of you that can be used to block incoming attacks. It can be very handy in a tricky situation if used properly." Momo said, explaining the technique.

Momo could see the blank faces on the other soul reapers as they tried their best to understand it.

"Allow me to demonstrate," Momo said, looking over at Grayson for a second.

"5th Seat Grayson. I want you to attack me using some form of Hadō." Momo said with a serious expression on her face.

Grayson nodded, knowing it was only for practice purposes, also knowing he wouldn't have to do anything drastic.

This is perfect, maybe now I will be able to test out one of the new Hadō skills I learnt. Grayson thought to himself while he got ready.

"Ready when you are 5th seat. Feel free to attack me however you like." Momo said with confidence.

As he assumed his position, Grayson nodded and focused while raising his hand in the air and pointing at her. Grayson was aware that he could either concentrate the energy into his fingers or release it all at once. The fewer fingers he used, the more concentrated and powerful the energy would be.

"Hadō #4 Byakurai." Grayson said, using three fingers to fire a white bolt of lightning toward the vice-captain, taking her by surprise.

"Bakudō #39 Enkōsen!" She yelled, quickly creating a spinning yellow barrier in her hands, making it large enough to encompass her whole upper body before Grayson's Hadō spell crashed into it, exploding on contact, proving that Momo's spell had been efficient enough to block his attack without breaking.

"Wow..." Some of the soul reapers said, impressed at the display of Kidō from both Momo and Grayson.

Momo was more so, not realizing that Grayson could already use such strong Kidō without an incantation such as Hadō #4.

"Very impressive." Momo then said, letting her Bakudō shield dissipate before she turned to face the rest of the class.

"Now, I don't expect you all to be able to use this right away. But with time, I'm sure you will all get the hang of it." She said.

"Now, please try it for yourselves and remember to be safe." She said watching as the group went off to try and practice the technique.

"Wow, that was a really cool spell, Lieutenant," Grayson said as he walked over to her, keeping his hands behind his head.

"Thank you," Momo said with a kind smile, still not having forgotten what he just did.

"Why don't you try it for yourself, maybe it will come in handy.

Grayson nodded, reciting the incantation before trying to activate the spell.

"Bakudō #39 Enkōsen!" Grayson said, trying to form the Reiatsu in order to create the shield.

A small crackle of yellow spiritual energy sparked to life in his hand before it turned into a circle and spun around in his hand.

"Wow... You really did it first time..." Momo said, impressed that he had been able to do so.

"Now what do I do with it?" Grayson asked, not sure what to do next.

"Try and will the energy to spin around as fast as it can. Once you get that down, you can decide how large you want it to be, however, remember that the larger the shield the more difficult it is to control the spinning motion." Momo said, watching to see what he would do.

Grayson did as she said, willing the energy to spin around and grow large until it covered his upper body like some kind of super-fast staff in a martial arts film.

"Ok, now hold it there," Momo said, lifting her hand up and pointing it at him.

"Hadō #31 Shakkahō!" Momo yelled, shooting a small yet powerful reb orb at Grayson to test out how strong he really was.

Grayson watched as the blazing red ball of flame shot towards him, giving him no other option but to use the new Bakudō skill he already had up. He took a strong stance and allowed it to stop the Shakkahō, causing it to explode on contact, only slightly weakening his spell while leaving him still standing.

Everyone had stopped what they were doing to watch what was happening, waiting for the smoke to settle to see the end result.

"He did it..."

"No way he took a Shakkahō from the vice-captain..."

Momo was truly impressed now, standing tall before she started to clap her hands.

"Very impressive Grayson. Why, you have the makings of a Kidō master yet." She said, not seeming bothered in the slightest that she had just shot a powerful Hadō spell at him.

Grayson let his own spell disappear before taking a more relaxed stance.

"T-thanks." He said, a little stumped at what had just happened.

Quest complete, stop the Shakkahō without needing to go to the hospital! The system suddenly clicked, causing Grayson to frown a little.

"Gee, thanks for that one." He said to himself, clearly being the punchline of this joke.