Chapter 202 - Eve of the Internship

"Big Brother, do we really have to fight?"

The next day, Wayne brought Momo, Kira, Renji, and Shiro-chan to the outskirts of Soul Society, all four of them together. The place was perfect for a fight.

"You're all heading out on field training soon. Before you go, I wanted to give you some practical combat guidance. Consider it me making good on my word — I did promise, after all."

"Promise?" Renji looked completely lost.

"Don't sweat the details." Wayne waved it off.

The real promise had been to Shiro-chan, teaching him about Bankai. Unfortunately, Wayne had made that promise and then immediately turned around and left for Hueco Mundo, with no chance whatsoever to follow through. Now, with Momo's field training about to start, he figured they might as well all come together.

"In short, all four of you have already mastered your Zanpakuto's Shikai. Against ordinary Hollows, you'll be fine. Higher-grade Hollows are a different story. So today's training has two parts. First: pressure-resistance training. Second: live combat."

He kept it simple. Pressure-resistance training meant withstanding the impact of his Reiatsu, push to the limit. Live combat meant attacking him as much as possible while under that same pressure. Land any damage on him, and they passed.

"Ehhh?!" Momo's mouth hung open. Kira was equally dumbfounded. Shiro-chan, though clearly shocked, kept his emotions well hidden. Renji, meanwhile, already looked ready to go.

"You can work out your own tactics," Wayne continued. "But Shiro-chan, you're sitting this one out. Come with me — we're doing meditation." He pointed toward a rise not far off.

"And here I thought I'd get to fight Big Brother Tsukishiro." Shiro-chan put on a disappointed face.

"You can fight me after you've learned Bankai." Wayne ruffled his hair. "Right now you're a little noob. Bullying you wouldn't even be satisfying."

"Tch. Don't underestimate people." Shiro-chan rolled his eyes hard. "I've already got a solid grasp of Hyorinmaru's power, you know."

"Truly mastering it means learning Bankai. You're not there yet." Wayne flicked him on the forehead.

"Ugh... fine." Shiro-chan rubbed his forehead, annoyed, then sat down across from Wayne on the stone platform.

"How's your communication with your Zanpakuto coming along?"

"I can enter its inner world and talk with Hyorinmaru whenever I want now." Shiro-chan drew his Zanpakuto and laid it across his lap.

"What do you two usually talk about?"

"I listen to Hyorinmaru tell his stories."

"Good grief — bedtime stories from Hyorinmaru?" Wayne snorted. Then he coughed twice and got serious. "My understanding of Bankai is simple: it's a strengthened contract with your Zanpakuto. Shikai is establishing a connection and borrowing its power. Bankai is deepening that relationship. And that relationship isn't limited to striking a deal, conquering it by force, peaceful coexistence, friendly conversation, or earning its recognition. There are many paths. Find the one that suits you best. That's all."

"Mm..." Shiro-chan thought it over. "Hyorinmaru seems to have acknowledged me willingly. So I should keep working toward earning his deeper recognition?"

"That works. Then what you need to do is communicate with Hyorinmaru, follow the hints he gives you, and keep improving yourself."

"I see." Shiro-chan nodded, half-understanding, then looked up. "What about you, Big Brother Tsukishiro? How did you learn Bankai?"

"Me?" A grin spread across Wayne's face. "I was born with it."

"Hey, hey..." Shiro-chan's mouth twitched. But thinking back, from the moment Big Brother Tsukishiro first touched a Zanpakuto to learning Bankai, it really hadn't taken long at all. Even plenty of current captains hadn't achieved it that fast. So Shiro-chan let it go. Fine. Born with it.

"Calm your mind. Meditate with focus. Communicate with your Zanpakuto and find the path to earning its recognition — whether that's strengthening your combat power, your Reiatsu, or your spiritual power. Seek direction in all of it."

"Yeah." Shiro-chan nodded and sank into meditation.

Wayne swept his perception outward. The other three were still muttering amongst themselves in the distance. In no rush, he sat before Shiro-chan and began his own dialogue with his Zanpakuto.

Eyes closed. Mind settled. He slipped into the inner world in moments.

The same desolate sea of sand. The same pitch-black sky. The same bright moon, slanted on the horizon.

At the center of the sand sea, atop a towering stone platform, his Hollow-beast form sat quietly, just as always.

"Oh?" Wayne sensed his other self's Reiatsu. "Already back to mid-stage Vasto Lorde?"

"Yeah." Hollow-beast Wayne nodded. "While I was in Hueco Mundo, I was experimenting constantly — which meant constantly absorbing Reishi. The sustained nourishment brought me back to my former level."

"Then if we go all out..."

"Starrk wouldn't be a problem anymore."

"What about an ancient Hollow?"

"Haven't fought one. Can't say." Hollow-beast Wayne tapped the claws of his right hand. "One of those half-dead ones from before? Definitely no problem. A peak-condition one? We couldn't win, but running should still be doable. Of course, if we reclaimed our spatial law, there probably wouldn't be anyone in Hueco Mundo who could restrict us."

"Sounds good." Human-form Wayne nodded slightly. "Too bad my chances to get near the Hōgyoku are so limited."

"Then keep getting stronger." Hollow-beast Wayne said. "The Soul Reaper you hasn't hit its limit. The Hollow-beast me hasn't hit a bottleneck. We still have room to grow."

"Yeah." Wayne nodded. Chatting with himself occasionally felt a little insane, but it helped him understand his own strength more clearly, a kind of self-evaluation.

He withdrew from his Zanpakuto's world. The three interns had finished their strategy session and were waiting nearby.

"Done talking?" Wayne stood and walked toward them.

"Yeah!" All three answered in unison.

"Good. Then come at me."

No more words. He used Shunpo to appear directly in front of them and raised his Reiatsu to captain-level in an instant. The oppressive force crashed down on all three.

"Ugh... so strong. Is this what captain-level Reiatsu feels like?" Momo fought through the discomfort and forced herself to draw her Zanpakuto. Kira and Renji did the same, gritting through the suffocating pressure.

"Bloom, Tobiume!"

"Raise your head, Wabisuke!"

"Roar, Zabimaru!"

Three bursts of Reiatsu light, three different colors, erupted from the trio. The crushing weight eased, just slightly.

"Not bad." Wayne offered the faintest praise. Then he pushed his Reiatsu higher. It climbed steadily through captain-level, still rising.

Across the Seireitei, the captains of every division turned their gazes toward Wayne's location. After sensing that his opponents were just the three youngsters, they each withdrew their perception and went back to their own business.

"Ara, ara. Is Hinamori giving those three kids pressure training?" In the 3rd Division barracks, Ichimaru seemed to see straight through the walls, his gaze settling on Wayne's Reiatsu. "Impressive. To reach that level in so little time."

"Tsuki-kun's Reiatsu has risen considerably again." In the 5th Division, Aizen glanced up from his stack of experiment reports, then looked back down. His eyes shifted to Kaname Tōsen beside him, who seemed restless. "Don't be impatient, Tōsen. You have an even greater capacity than he does to grasp higher levels of power. When our experiments succeed, you will naturally receive what you deserve."

"Yes, my lord." Tōsen bowed his head.

"Ah, a year apart, and Tsukishiro's Reiatsu has climbed again. Fully captain-level now." In the 8th Division, Shunsui Kyōraku sprawled lazily across his tatami mat.

"The waves behind drive on those before. Hinamori-kun's future is immeasurable." Across from Kyōraku, Jushiro Ukitake held a cup of hot tea, blowing gently at the leaves floating on the surface.

"Omoshiroi." In the 12th Division, Mayuri Kurotsuchi muttered the word without pausing his experiment.

"Mm..." 7th Division Captain Sajin Komamura glanced skyward, then resumed his meditative posture and continued his training.

Every division had taken note of Wayne's growth, and each held at least a baseline respect for this front-line warrior who operated so often in Hueco Mundo.

Wayne himself had no idea the captains and officers of the Gotei 13 were forming new opinions of him. He simply continued the pressure training.

Facing captain-level Reiatsu, the three interns couldn't even think about attacking. Just maintaining enough spiritual power to resist Wayne's pressure was agonizing. Fortunately, Wayne had no intention of going on the offensive, the first item on the agenda was pressure resistance, after all.

Half a quarter-hour later, he lowered his Reiatsu and gave the three a chance to breathe. He made sure to acknowledge their effort as well.

"Very good. You held out against my Reiatsu for quite a while." His tone was easy. "Rest a bit. We'll continue shortly."

"W-We're continuing?" Momo was already bent over, hands on her knees, panting hard. "Big Brother, are the opponents in our field training going to have Reiatsu this overwhelming?"

"No. Against ordinary Hollows, each of you should be able to handle them solo. Against a Gillian, as long as you dodge its Cero, you'll be fine. But if you run into an Adjuchas-class Hollow, that's when you need to be careful. The Reiatsu intensity I just released roughly matches a mid-stage Adjuchas or higher. Don't even think about Vasto Lorde-level, if a Hollow like that showed up during your training, headquarters would dispatch a captain-level fighter immediately."

"Huff... well, that's a huge relief." Momo exhaled like a weight had been lifted.

"It's not a relief at all." Kira was still catching his breath. "Just the Reiatsu of a mid-stage Adjuchas was enough to nearly paralyze us. It just shows how far our training still has to go."

"Kira, don't reach too far beyond your grasp. You're only just preparing to graduate into field training." Wayne's voice softened. "Ordinary squad members only need to handle ordinary Hollows. Enemies at Adjuchas-level and above are the responsibility of seated officers and higher. I'm putting you under this pressure now so that when you face a real threat later, you'll be able to find a way to survive. So you won't freeze up."

"Yes, Big Brother Tsukishiro." Kira relaxed a little at the reassurance. He understood now, Wayne was giving them the strong medicine on purpose, pushing their abilities far beyond what field training would demand.

"Alright. Two minutes of rest. That's enough. We're continuing."

Like a prankster springing a trap, Wayne gave them zero time to react. He unleashed his Reiatsu pressure again, and all three staggered, driven halfway to their knees.

"Damn it." Renji Abarai forced himself upright, Zabimaru raised with visible effort. "Don't underestimate us!" he shouted through gritted teeth.

He lashed out. Zabimaru's viper blade extended instantly, dozens of meters, biting through the air straight at Wayne.

"Not bad. You withstood the pressure and even managed a counterattack. Too bad the power's so weak." Wayne acknowledged the strike, but Renji's desperate attack wobbled crooked under the weight of his Reiatsu. It couldn't cause any real damage. Wayne didn't even bother dodging.

The instant Zabimaru reached him, Wayne wrapped his fist in spiritual power and punched the blade-end flying. The recoil sent Renji stumbling, nearly toppling over.

"Chikushō!" Renji's anger spiked. When had he ever been suppressed like this? He knew Tsukishiro Hinamori was training him, but getting beaten down so pathetically, it lit a fire in him.

"Rukia... Rukia's already joined the Gotei 13. I can't lose to her!" The words came out like a vow. This problem child exploded with every ounce of Reiatsu he had, planting himself firmly in front of Kira and Momo.

"Hey! Kira! Hinamori! Stick to the plan!"

He threw just that one line over his shoulder, then swung Zabimaru again. The blade stretched out, a serpent lined with fangs, diving straight for Wayne.

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Wayne's fists deflected all three strikes in succession. Zabimaru retracted, snapping back into its viper greatsword form.

"Long-range attacks only last three strikes. That's a pretty big opening." Wayne was thinking aloud. Before he could do anything further, a fireball and a blade of sword pressure came flying at him. He leaped, clearing both attacks. At the same moment, Zabimaru finished charging again and launched upward at Wayne, now airborne.

"This coordination's pretty good." Wayne used Shunpo to clear it, still refusing to attack, just evading everything they threw at him while holding that captain-level Reiatsu steady. "Still not enough, though. Come at me again!"

➤ Next: Twenty Fleeting Years