Ch-23: A Harrowing Defeat

After the grand defeat, we ended up in Urahara's shop. Ichigo still had a dead look on his face as he cradled his half-broken zanpakuto wrapped in a futon, and I was sipping on the drinks Ururu had given me. Urahara suddenly entered the room and cast a concerned glance at Ichigo.

"If you move around too much, you will die," Urahara warned him. Then, he turned his attention to me and raised an eyebrow.

"How in the Hogyoku frick did you fail to defeat Byakuya?" he asked. "It shouldn't have been tough with the tremendous power of your spells."

I fired back, "Well, what was I supposed to do if my spells couldn't even touch him? What's the point of having such powerful spells if I can't land a hit? I'm not exactly speedster material, you know. And did you just mentioned something Hogyoku?" Really? Why would he say that.

Urahara chuckled and said, "Looks like I gave you too much credit, huh?"

I couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. I then asked about Ishida, and Urahara casually responded, "Oh, he went home."

It was pretty different from what went down in the anime, but I guess with me thrown into the mix, things had taken a turn down a whole new path.

Urahara's smile widened as he said, "I can help you with that."

Ichigo's eyes widened with a glimmer of hope as he asked, "Really? How?"

Urahara's gaze deepened, and he replied, "But there's a condition. You and Ridhiro here will have to undergo intense training with me for ten days."

The gravity of the situation seemed to weigh on Ichigo as he contemplated the sacrifices he would need to make to save Rukia.

Ichigo was all antsy and complained, "We don't have time for this, you know!"

I got so fed up with his impulsiveness that I gave him a solid smack on the head and scolded, "Are you seriously that thick-headed? You want to go into battle with a busted Zanpakuto?"

Urahara seemed to like my idea and chimed in, "Well, that's a good point. Come on, follow me."

So I trailed behind Urahara, scratching my head in wonder, and noticed Ichigo following us. I couldn't help but wonder HOW the HELL he could walk with those injuries. This guy was something else. We ended up at one of Urahara's makeshift training grounds. Ichigo looked like he'd seen a ghost, but for me, this setup was old news thanks to my previous knowledge.

He poked him with his stick to force Ichigo's soul out from his body, and said, "strike me with all you have got".

Ichigo was like a whirlwind, swinging his broken Zanpakuto like a madman. Urahara, on the other hand, was all calm and collected, gracefully dodging Ichigo's wild attacks. It was like a dance, but with swords.

Ichigo's face was red with effort, and he was panting heavily. Every punch and kick he threw seemed to miss its mark, and it was clear he was getting frustrated. Meanwhile, Urahara just kept that annoying smirk on his face.

I couldn't help but feel for Ichigo. He was giving it his all, but Urahara was just playing around. It was like watching a lion toy with its prey. But Ichigo wasn't one to back down.

He let out a battle cry and swung his Zanpakuto with everything he had. Urahara, in a surprising burst of speed, parried the attack effortlessly. Ichigo stumbled back, nearly losing his balance.

The fight was intense, and I could see the determination in Ichigo's eyes. He was pushing himself to the limit, and I admired his spirit. But he needed to figure out how to break through Urahara's defenses if he wanted to make any progress.

I couldn't help but wanted to cheer Ichigo on upon seeing such Shonen fights coming to reality, it was like dream come true, "Go, Ichigo! Show him what you've got!-" But was cut short as out of nowhere, Tessai, a giant of a man, suddenly stepped forward, blocking my path and view, man don't block the fight, let me see. He had a stern expression on his face as he challenged me, "Boy, fight with me. Give me everything you've got."

Heh I knew this fight was going to be something epic.

I quickly took position like a protagonist, as my clothes fluttered in wind, and yelled "COME". Tessai casted, Hado #88 HiryuGekizoku ShintenRrrrrrrraihhho. Hey man, you are using a 80s Hado against a newbie? Did you overestimated me that much.

The moment Tessai's Hado spell, HiryuGekizoku ShintenRaiho, was unleashed, a surge of energy raced toward me with incredible force. I braced myself, feeling the immense power of the spell heading my way. It was like standing against a fierce windstorm.

As the spell closed in, I could feel the pressure building up. This was no ordinary Kido; it was a high-level spell with devastating potential. But I was determined not to back down. I will take this spell head on as I yelled "Bring it on". 

The spell's crazy power even stopped Ichigo and Urahara in their tracks. Ichigo freaked out and screamed my name, "Ridhiro!" It was like a movie, seriously.

Then boom! The spell hit, and there was this huge explosion with dust and stuff flying everywhere. It was a spectacular sight, and for a moment, it seemed like I had been engulfed by the sheer force of the attack. I'm pretty sure everyone thought I was a goner.

But guess what? When that dust finally settled down, there I was, standing without a scratch. Yep, the spell did zero damage to me. I acted all chill and said, "Hello, I guess."

Ichigo and Urahara looked at me like they'd seen a ghost or something. They couldn't believe what just happened. It was a total mind-blower.

I was laughing in my mind as my system defense function again erupted, cancelling the whole attack, hahaha it was like a dream come true, their expression were worth it as I read the notification.

<System >: The user faced an advanced Kido spell, the spell will be totally cancelled.