Bleach Captains vs Espada

Estrecca

Well-Known Member
#1
Notes: Not part of an actual fic as such. More like an excuse to train my writing in areas I am weak in, by describing a series of encounters between high ranking shinigami and arrancar during an alternate sequence of events.

Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo. I make no claims of intellectual property over anything that rightfully belongs to somebody else.

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Seiretei had been invaded. Again. And, this time, it was not a ragtag group of misfits in a desperate attempt to rescue a friend.

Jushiro Ukitake had seen many terrible things in his dozens of centuries of service to Soul Society, but it seemed that this night was blackest than any other he remembered... Pyrrhic victory or utter defeat, those were the only possible scenarios now, since abandoning Seiretei to Aizen's creatures was unthinkable for a great many reasons.

How the defenses of the fortress had been breached (again) and how the invaders had penetrated so deeply before being detected were still unknowns. And, for the time being, less important than the ongoing combats for these invaders were monsters created with the sole purpose of destroying the enemies of their master. Already parts of the citadel were burning and the very air vibrated with the release of massive amounts of spiritual energy.

It seemed that some captains had already joined the fighting and even released their swords. It... didn't seem to be doing much good so far. Some of the large concentrations of tainted spirit energy that he could detect with his well honed senses had seemingly accepted this challenge and raised their own power levels, some matching and some even dwarfing his peers. He itched to run to their aid, but dared not abandon his position.

Vicecaptain Sasakibe, bless his soul, had been handed overall command of the thirteen divisions by the Captain Commander, when Yama-jiji had decided to personally enter the battle, and being his usual useful self, Sasakibe had quickly identified a number of key locations that might be the targets of the invaders and arranged for their defense with the forces that could be spared from the frontline.

And so it had been determined that Captain Ukitake was to protect a nondescript building within the complex of the twelfth division that contained some rather important electronic machinery. The computers stored the spiritual characteristics of a number of very dangerous individuals and used this information to create and maintain barriers of unmatched power and density that kept these selfsame individuals out of Soul Society.

Things were hairy enough already, without Aizen and his chief accomplices getting involved in the fighting.

Mayuri Kurotsuchi was also supposed to be here to help protect the facility, but the madman had apparently decided that the call of science took precedence over mere military needs and abandoned the premises along with his vicecaptain, just before Ukitake's arrival. No doubt, captain Kurotsuchi was more interested in collecting living Arrancar specimens to study and have a chance to outstrip Urahara. All in all, however, the absence might be for the better and, at least, the insane scientist hadn't taken with him any of his underlings to use as bait. Probably Unohana-sempai's rather incensed reaction after hearing a story of shinigami turned into living bombs by their commanding officer had something to do with that.

Much like Shunsui or Yama-jiji, the captain of the thirteenth had a bankai dangerous to both friend and foe. And while the seated officers of the thirteenth weren't exactly powerhouses nor all that sane by most standards, they had been thoroughly cowed into obeying orders quickly, efficiently and to the letter. After he had... persuaded them to disregard the orders of their commander to ready the autopsy rooms, they had been quick to prepare for defense.

A particularly helpful young fellow called Nomura had even pointed that some of the experiments considered failures might be of some use in securing the facility. The head of the Shinigami Research Institute was a prideful man and the inventions that didn't satisfy his exalted standards simply weren't allowed to leave his domain, lest their very existence tarnish the reputation of his genius. Ukitake had known that much.

What he hadn't known was just how exalted those standards really were. Nomura and a few other members of the thirteenth had led him to a vast storehouse behind the main lab complex and revealed a startling array of vicious inventions that for one reason or another had been discarded. A gas designed to inhibit the regenerative abilities of Gillians? A breed of red hell butterflies capable of storing kido spells of up to level fourty and tracking their prey? An armor made of a synthetic material with enough spiritual density to withstand the blows of a bankai?

There wasn't nearly enough time to get ready for use even one tenth of the contents, but...

A sudden burst of tainted reiatsu -close and as powerful as one of the younger captains- appeared in Ukitake's mind's eye, revealing that there was no time left at all. It wasn't nearly powerful enough to weaken him, but it forced him to raise his own spirit pressure. This, combined with the intruder's own presence, was enough to floor Nomura and the others. Whether they were unconscious or simply too weak to move when crushed by the power of an enemy of this stature was unimportant. Either way, they were in no condition to offer any help.

No matter. The white haired shinigami launched himself towards the location of his enemy at the speed of flash. After crossing the threshold of the storehouse, he located his target and readied his sword for the first blow. Though he crossed the distance between them both in less than a heartbeat, the battle instincts developed over many lifetimes of combat started to pick apart his opponent looking for some weakness.

Fairly human looking and human sized, but with a strange, elongated mask hiding both face and head. According to Urahara, shinigamification tended to leave deformities from the original hollow form in the lesser types of Menos. That meant that he was probably facing a former Adjuchas, although there was a possibility of the creature being an unusually strong Gillian. If it was the later, then the Arrancar might have regeneration. Ukitake decided to try to cut a shallow gash across the chest of his foe with the first blow, to gauge the density of the hierro and ascertain whether the enemy had the ability. An instant before contact, the captain filled his blade with his spirit energy, increasing the sharpness of the weapon and...

... failed to land a blow.

In the last possible moment, the arrancar whirled to the right like a dervish, dodging the attack entirely. The captain recovered quickly and continued his attack, but he had lost his momentum and the white garbed creature used its own sword to parry the next strikes. And then, before he could decide a new tactic, the Arrancar raised his hand.

"Bakudo 56: Yamatate," it said and a barrier of golden energy appeared between both combatants.

Ukitake stopped. Not because of the unexpected kido shield (which he could tear down by punching hard), but because of the voice. He recognized it. And he recognized the smiling face that was revealed when his enemy removed his strange mask. Old pain, never truly healed and great, impossible hope blossomed anew in his heart.

"Whoa! You are in rare form tonight, sir! Glad to see your health has improved!"

"Kaien!?"

----- ----- ----- ----- -----

Feel free to rip this to pieces, ignore it or suggest possible fights. I have some interesting possibilities considered, but there is nothing set in stone.

That's all.
 

zeebee1

Well-Known Member
#2
There is no way that blow failed to hit. Ukitake is one of the elites fighting the guy who lost to Rukia. In fact, his placement on the Espada was most likely a joke on Aizen's part. And really, it was demonstrated that Aizen's army is no match for the Gotei 13.
 

Thorn

Well-Known Member
#3
Fact...None of the Espada (save for maybe Barrigan) were a true threat for the Captains going all out. All it took for Shunsui to defeat the #1 Espada was to just use the power of his shikai. If Hitsugaya and Soi-Fong would've been replaced with Zaraki and Byakuya it would've gone even faster.

The Espada just didn't match up.
 

Estrecca

Well-Known Member
#4
There is no way that blow failed to hit. Ukitake is one of the elites fighting the guy who lost to Rukia. In fact, his placement on the Espada was most likely a joke on Aizen's part. And really, it was demonstrated that Aizen's army is no match for the Gotei 13.
*shrugs*

I am playing with the "Aaroniero knows Ukitake's style" angle, same thing that allowed Renji to push Byakuya into bankai after he gained his own. And, for that reason, I don't think that "dodges an attack of a guy whose style he knows well" is that great a stretch.

And since my interpretation of things pretty much goes in the opposite direction of "Aizen's army is no match for the Gotei 13", it is likely that you will encounter similar things in the future if you happen to read future parts of this series of drabbles.

Oh. And Aaroniero stomped Rukia flat. She only got him, because of his glaring weakness and holding her close enough to hit it with her reconstructed blade.

Fact...None of the Espada (save for maybe Barrigan) were a true threat for the Captains going all out. All it took for Shunsui to defeat the #1 Espada was to just use the power of his shikai. If Hitsugaya and Soi-Fong would've been replaced with Zaraki and Byakuya it would've gone even faster.
Fact: That is no fact at all. None were a match for Yamamoto and probably Unohana, but against everybody else they were very much a true threat.

Fact: Even some of the Numeros level Arrancar (like Shawlong) are in the power level of a Captain using shikai. The Espada (particularly the higher ranked ones) were taken down by a combination of asspulls, psychological problems and bad writing.
 

trevelyan1983

Well-Known Member
#5
I liked it, and I think you played Aaroniero's hand well. Defying shounen convention and taking advantage of psychological warfare and Kido tactics is, similarly, one of my favourite things about Bleach fights, and I'm glad to see it here.
 

Lord Raine

Well-Known Member
#6
zeebee1 said:
There is no way that blow failed to hit. Ukitake is one of the elites fighting the guy who lost to Rukia. In fact, his placement on the Espada was most likely a joke on Aizen's part. And really, it was demonstrated that Aizen's army is no match for the Gotei 13.
Actually, he made Espada because of his abilities. Aaroniero is a walking hivemind/radio/WiFi connnection for whoever he wants to include in it, and that's in addition to being a perfect mimic in sunlight, and a perfect chameleon in darkness. And he can pull an Alucard on both Hollows and Shinigami.



On paper, Aaroniero was the hottest shit to ever shit on a plate. In practice, he blew flaming nuclear failchunks. He's a surprising subversion to standard Shonen conventions, which is probably why I like him so much. Because unlike what you would expect, all the awesome powers in the world won't save you if you just plain suck.
 

sworded

Well-Known Member
#7
Lord Raine said:
Because unlike what you would expect, all the awesome powers in the world won't save you if you just plain suck.
Your post reminds me of the 'Beautiful Suzaku' from the Yu Yu Hakusho, Dark Turnament semi-finals. He had 1000 techniques but was utterly crushed by Genkai's superior physical condition.
 

Thorn

Well-Known Member
#8
Estrecca said:
There is no way that blow failed to hit. Ukitake is one of the elites fighting the guy who lost to Rukia. In fact, his placement on the Espada was most likely a joke on Aizen's part. And really, it was demonstrated that Aizen's army is no match for the Gotei 13.
*shrugs*

I am playing with the "Aaroniero knows Ukitake's style" angle, same thing that allowed Renji to push Byakuya into bankai after he gained his own. And, for that reason, I don't think that "dodges an attack of a guy whose style he knows well" is that great a stretch.

And since my interpretation of things pretty much goes in the opposite direction of "Aizen's army is no match for the Gotei 13", it is likely that you will encounter similar things in the future if you happen to read future parts of this series of drabbles.

Oh. And Aaroniero stomped Rukia flat. She only got him, because of his glaring weakness and holding her close enough to hit it with her reconstructed blade.

Fact...None of the Espada (save for maybe Barrigan) were a true threat for the Captains going all out. All it took for Shunsui to defeat the #1 Espada was to just use the power of his shikai. If Hitsugaya and Soi-Fong would've been replaced with Zaraki and Byakuya it would've gone even faster.
Fact: That is no fact at all. None were a match for Yamamoto and probably Unohana, but against everybody else they were very much a true threat.

Fact: Even some of the Numeros level Arrancar (like Shawlong) are in the power level of a Captain using shikai. The Espada (particularly the higher ranked ones) were taken down by a combination of asspulls, psychological problems and bad writing.
I wasn't stating what I said was fact, it's just a slang I use for agreeing with someone (in this case Zeebee). Sorry for the misunderstanding. I very well know what I stated was an opinion.

Even still, I stick by it. The Captain Shinigami didn't even have to use Bankai. The exceptions being Soi Fon and Hitsugaya. Soi Fon just had a bad match up. She would've been better against Hallibel, and might not have had to go Bankai. Ukitake and Shunsui didn't even care to take the fight seriously for the most part (until Wonderweiss stepped in.). Hell, Shunsui played dead out of sheer laziness if I recall correctly. Once he decided to go YuGiOh on Starks ass it was over. Ukitake was fine until he was sneak attacked as well. I don't believe either of them were really ready to let loose yet.
 

zeebee1

Well-Known Member
#9
Those two survived Yamamato, if they teamed up all of the Espada would have died within the first five minutes.
 

Canis

Well-Known Member
#10
There is something to be said for the experience that Ukitake and Shunsui bring with them. It's stated somewhere that they've been captains for at least 1,000 years (I want to say 2,000, but I'm not certain). Even for the seemingly long-lived Shinigami that's a long time. There's also the fact that most of the other captains aren't even as old as those two have been running their divisions. We know that Byakuya, Mayuri, Soifon, and Toushiro are all relatively recent appointments. It's implied that the same is true of Kenpachi. Unohana & Fox-guy we aren't sure about as nothings been mentioned about when they assumed the captaincy.

So saying that Shunsui punked Arrancar #1 is probably true. What is also true is that Shunsui has had more than a millenia to learn about his Zanpakuto and what it can do. Don't dismiss that, especially as it's one of those Zanpakuto that have special rules. Those tend to actually be the more effective, if somewhat less powerful - because those special rules don't function like the straight up trading of power blows that so many other Zanpakuto boil down to they're harder to master, but also harder to defend against. Just look at what Aizen was able to do with a Shikai that hypnotized others.
 

zeebee1

Well-Known Member
#11
They were some of the first graduate from the academy some two thousand years ago.
 

JiigarGhen

Well-Known Member
#12
Estrecca said:
There is no way that blow failed to hit. Ukitake is one of the elites fighting the guy who lost to Rukia. In fact, his placement on the Espada was most likely a joke on Aizen's part. And really, it was demonstrated that Aizen's army is no match for the Gotei 13.
*shrugs*

I am playing with the "Aaroniero knows Ukitake's style" angle, same thing that allowed Renji to push Byakuya into bankai after he gained his own. And, for that reason, I don't think that "dodges an attack of a guy whose style he knows well" is that great a stretch.

And since my interpretation of things pretty much goes in the opposite direction of "Aizen's army is no match for the Gotei 13", it is likely that you will encounter similar things in the future if you happen to read future parts of this series of drabbles.

Oh. And Aaroniero stomped Rukia flat. She only got him, because of his glaring weakness and holding her close enough to hit it with her reconstructed blade.

Fact...None of the Espada (save for maybe Barrigan) were a true threat for the Captains going all out. All it took for Shunsui to defeat the #1 Espada was to just use the power of his shikai. If Hitsugaya and Soi-Fong would've been replaced with Zaraki and Byakuya it would've gone even faster.
Fact: That is no fact at all. None were a match for Yamamoto and probably Unohana, but against everybody else they were very much a true threat.

Fact: Even some of the Numeros level Arrancar (like Shawlong) are in the power level of a Captain using shikai. The Espada (particularly the higher ranked ones) were taken down by a combination of asspulls, psychological problems and bad writing.
...Um. Have you read the chapter with Shawlong Qufang recently?

Released Shawlong was equivalent to a sealed captain's Shikai, as far as I can recall. Edit: Also, equivalent to Hitsugaya's Shikai /= equivalent to every captain's Shikai.

Annnd...just checked it. Chapter 210. Hitsugaya v. Shawlong. Limit release...booom. Down goes Shawlong.

Edit: Ah, wait a moment, Hitsugaya was using his Bankai. Still. Sealed Hitsugaya's Bankai is...not all that strong compared to many of the other captains.
 

Estrecca

Well-Known Member
#13
Yes, yes I know about the fight between Shawlong and Hitsugaya.

Unreleased Shawlong was kicking the crap out of 20% Hitsugaya in Bankai. Bankai, according to Yoruichi, increases power output between five and ten times relative to shikai.

So Shawlong was fighting an Hitsugaya who had as much or twice as much power as he would have in his unsealed shikai. This, by the way, also tells us that Arrancar releases apparently only increase power to a small extent since 100% Hitsugaya in Bankai did oneshot Released Shawlong with contemptous ease despite the previous injuries he had suffered.
 

~NGD OMEGA~

Well-Known Member
#14
You're assuming that the limiter simply cuts you off to 20% overall fighting power. It's 20% reiatsu. How that in itself limits overall fighting potential in terms of bankai, which is stated that very battle to require huge amounts of reiatsu to sustain alone, along with all the different types of abilities between both the Zanpakuto and the shinigami arts among other things is up for grabs. Presumably some abilities would be more reiatsu intensive than others, which would fall down to luck of the draw supposedly. The only other real instance of that same limitation in any other instance of combat was a sealed Renji losing to the then still completely untrained Ichigo which speaks of it being pretty freaking bad to say the least.
 

Estrecca

Well-Known Member
#15
The only thing that makes some sense in the 20% power limiter is for it to restrict the power output, rather than the gas tank. If I understand what you say correctly, the seal would still allow the shinigami to use their abilities at the normal level, but they would exhaust their reiatsu pool much quicker than normal.

That is obviously not the case. Additional evidence supporting this can be seen in the fact that when Grimmjow's little troop invaded Karakura, Renji thought that his fight against Yldfort would have been a close thing if they had both started going all out, and that Leones (fire giant guy) beat Ikkaku within an inch of his life before going down, despite Ikkaku being 100% since the beginning thanks to being a third seat.

Evidence supports most Fraccion being around Vice Captain level. Luppi was able to stomp EDIT:three Vice Captain level fighters without even trying and could have beaten Hitsugaya if he had kept attacking him, instead of leaving him alone long enough to build up the giant ice attack that was used to pwnzor Luppi. And Luppi was just the substitute for number six.

Well, enough with my interpretation of events. Let's see if I can write some more for this.
 

Estrecca

Well-Known Member
#16
Jushiro Ukitake vs Aaroniero Arruruerie (2/?)

The first thought that crossed Ukitake's mind was to drop his weapon and hug his old friend, returned from the grave. The second thought was to kick himself in the ass for being foolish enough to contemplate such a thing, even in passing.

Ultimately, Aizen's arrancars were just transformed hollows, empty spirits that had been consumed by grief and loss. And seeing that many hollows were adept in causing or exploiting such emotional states to weaken or cripple foes or prey, through use of shapeshifting, illusion or other tricks, it was only logical to assume that what he faced was exactly that. Ukitake himself had encountered many such things in his years of service.

Which meant that once again an unclean spirit was desecrating Kaien's memory. Unforgivable.

The captain's face hardened and he slashed with his sword, cutting through the barrier of the Mountain Shield as if it were gauze. The spell exploded into a cloud of glowing motes and the soul cutter continued towards the arrancar. However, before he could land his blow, the figure in white vanished in a burst of speed, using the arrancar shunpo knockoff to retreat.

Jushiro followed. He now had a grasp of his opponent in terms of speed, as well as raw power.

Aizen's minion was quite fast and his reactions sharp.

But Ukitake was faster.

They returned to the realm of normal speed at the same time, the shinigami already launching a new attack, the arrancar already preparing his defense.

A new Yamatate appeared in the path of the captain's stab, but it was a crude thing, hastily raised and swiftly penetrated. All the same, it marginally delayed the attack, allowing the arrancar to deflect the soul cutter with his own blade. Instead of the chest, where Ukitake had hoped to pierce the hollow's hakusui, he delivered a glancing blow to his left shoulder instead. The white fabric of his uniform was cut and, after sparking briefly, so wasthe hierro.

The false Kaien hissed in pain and once again retreated. This time, the shinigami captain let him get away and allowed himself to feel a small measure of grim satisfaction.

It had been a shallow wound. Very shallow. But first blood had been his and it was now clear that he had this foe almost hopelessly outmatched.

Victory would be his. And he would avenge Kaien.

He could never hope to compensate his failure from that night, but even a small catharsis would be most wel...

"It is really me, sir! So, please, don't cut me again. This hurts!!!" shouted the arrancar from his new position down the street, interrupting Jushiro's thoughts.

The captain offered no reply and merely charged again. And, once again, the false Kaien whirled out of the way of the first attack and managed to hold his own against the following strikes. There was an elegance in his swordsmanship that truly reminded Ukitake of his late friend's dance-like fighting style. It really was almost as amazing as it was sickening how very well Aizen had trained his creature.

He ignored the increasingly frantic words of his opponent and kept looking for an opening.

He found it when one of the hollow's whirling dodges left him close enough to the shinigami captain for a kick. So Ukitake kicked.

Now, Jushiro Ukitake was not and had never tried to be a great master of unarmed combat, his illness having put an end to such endeavours long ago, but he had still been around for a long time, learned quite a few tricks during his life and could more than compensate his technical limitations by putting sufficient spirit energy into it. As a result, what happened when the overstretched arrancar got kicked in the stomach can best be described by comparing the results with the particularly explosive uncorking of a champagne bottle.

The hollow was sent flying straight through the building at the end of the street. And the one behind. And the next. And the next.

By the time Ukitake reached the end of the debris trail, the false Kaien was just starting to get up. It appeared that his armored skin had blunted the worst of the attack, but he was clearly on his last legs. Blood dribbled from his mouth and nose.

"D-damnit, sir. L-let me *cough* release... my s-sword. You'll see, then."

The captain regarded the creature, forcing himself to remain dispassionate. At length, he answered with a minuscule nod.

What he was going to allow was stupid, profoundly so. Perhaps he would pay for his stupidity. Perhaps others would pay, which would be even worse.

Allowing the arrancar to release would heal most or all the damage he had already suffered. It would also give him new powers of unknown nature and magnitude.

But it would also alter the arrancar himself, bringing him closer in appeareance to the hollow he had been. It would reveal the true monster within and give Jushiro a chance to cut down his enemy without being haunted by the memory of Kaien...

"S-surge through the seas and rage through the skies, Nejibana!"

And before the dumbfounded eyes of the captain of the Thirteenth Division, the arrancar's soul-cutter started twirling, glowing and transforming into the familiar form of a trident, a weapon Ukitake had known nearly as well as the man who had wielded it.

"Convinced now, sir!?"
 

Amodelsino

Well-Known Member
#17
Estrecca said:
The only thing that makes some sense in the 20% power limiter is for it to restrict the power output, rather than the gas tank. If I understand what you say correctly, the seal would still allow the shinigami to use their abilities at the normal level, but they would exhaust their reiatsu pool much quicker than normal.
Reiatsu is spiritual pressure. Spiritual power is Reiyoku.
 

Estrecca

Well-Known Member
#18
Amodelsino said:
Reiatsu is spiritual pressure. Spiritual power is Reiyoku.
That particular post is from like three years ago.

I've refined my grasp of the relevant nomenclature some since then.
 

Amodelsino

Well-Known Member
#19
Lol wow it is too haha.

I just noticed the month and that the topic was updated today so I'm like "Eh, a month's not that bad". I should pay more attention to details like that.
 

zeebee1

Well-Known Member
#20
I'll be really disappointed if he falls for a deception this pathetic.
 

Estrecca

Well-Known Member
#21
Jushiro Ukitake vs Aaroniero Arruruerie (3/?)

The form he could doubt.

But the feel of joyous recognition in his own heart of hearts, as Sogyo no Kotowari reacted to the presence of a kindred spirit?

No. There was no mistake.

It was Nejibana.

But... that didn't mean that the one wielding it was its true owner.

"As a matter of fact, far from it."

"What!?" shouted the figure in white, raising the trident in a defensive stance.

"You look like Kaien Shiba, you talk like him, you move like him," answered the shinigami captain without moving from the spot. "But those things can be copied or imitated. They mean very little, moreso because the last time I saw the person you resemble he was being eaten from the inside by a hollow that had possessed him. So tell me what should I think. Is this a miracle? Or just another of Aizen's blasphemies? Are you Kaien Shiba or just a maggot wearing his flesh?"

Jushiro took one step forward. The other flinched, but stood his ground.

"If you think that I am a fake, explain Nejibana! You cannot copy a soul cutter, anymore than you can a soul!"

"Maybe. Or maybe you can actually copy souls and Aizen has found the way to do so. Or maybe I am just being decieved into thinking that I am seeing something that isn't really there. The traitor has a deft hand with illusions, after all."

"Screw that! Aizen is not even in this dimension, so he cannot touch you with his bullshit illusions. If you are going to double-guess the validity of absolutely everything you perceive, you are never getting anything done! You are gonna need to start trusting your own senses at some point and right now is a good time to do so, because paranoia is not conductive to getting shit done," shouted the arrancar, looking genuinely upset in a very Kaien-like fashion. "Besides, if there are illusions capable of fooling you in play tonight, then you have pretty much already lost."

"Excellent point. So you think that I should just cut in half what I think to be an imitator created by Aizen to exploit what he guesses to be a hole in my armor and carry on with my other duties?" asked Ukitake, while making a show of tapping his chin with a finger, as if absent-mindedly thinking about it.

"Well, no. When you put it like that, I don't. So... seeing that Nejibana didn't do the trick, how do I convince you that I am who I claim to be?"

"An explanation would be a good start."

"As you wish. The hollow that nearly killed me, Metastacia, was an artificial thing created by Aizen."

"I had guessed as much."

"Yeah?"

"Its powers were odd. Soul-cutter destruction and possession of spiritual entities are powers too specific to have developed in a natural way. But continue, please."

"Well, it was Aizen's creature, so its body was designed to automatically travel to Hueco Mundo after being killed, so that its corpse may be collected for study. Since he was inside my body when he died, I was also transported to Hueco Mundo. Also, rather than collected by the traitor, the corpse was found and eaten by a particularly powerful gillian, who was later recruited and turned into an arrancar by the traitor."

"And how do we go from there to the situation we are now in, if I may ask? Being killed, then eaten by hollows is not the kind of thing you usually come back from."

"That is not dead which can eternal lie. And with strange aeons even death may die."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Just something that came to mind. Seemed relevant. In any case, my soul still existed within the arrancar, dormant but undigested, and my soul-cutter spirit was tied to it. Aizen recruited that gillian because he was able to detect a strong shinigami power inside the thing."

"So?"

"The traitor has long been interested in the combination of hollow and shinigami spirits, so the arrancar was a test subject in many experiments. The latest involved giving him an asauchi and telling him to try to manifest Nejibana."

"You realize that this story so far does not actually increase my confidence in you being who you claim?"

"And the arrancar tried. He used a lot of spirit energy to try to reawaken Nejibana. It did not work, but it did wake me up and the last attempt made me strong enough to replace the arrancar as the dominant soul in this body. The moment that happened, Nejibana returned to life and the arrancar's soul-cutter exploded. The traitor just assumed that rather than finding a balance between shinigami and hollow, the last push turned the arrancar into an almost shinigami too far removed from his hollow roots to sustain a resurrección. He called it a failure, but failed to realize the change at the helm in here and moved on to other lines of research. That happened two and a half weeks ago."

"Now, that I don't believe. At all."

"Damnit, sir, you aren't making this easy!"

"I certainly hope so. Your exceedingly incredible tale only holds water if I am willing to believe that Aizen is a moron of the highest order, which I am not. He is a sick, evil soul, but he is also brilliant. So I have to decide whether you are a fake or a traitor. Neither of these is particularly palatable and I don't feel inclined to make things easy either way."

"So... why haven't you cut me in half yet?"

"A really good question. Mostly, because there is a chance, even if it is a vanishingly small one, that you are being truthful and there is a somewhat higher chance that Kaien survived, got captured by Aizen and used in experiments that twisted him into becoming whatever you are."

"This is still shit, sir, but thanks for the thought. So... what do we do now?"

"If you still want to convince me you are who you claim to be, you will drop your weapon now, submit to binding without resistance, and start telling me anything you know about the arrancar forces that might be useful. Otherwise, we go back to fighting and, seeing how it has gone so far, you lose."

"Since you put it like this... I surrender, I guess. Just one condition."

"No conditions. This is an ultimatum, not a negotiation."

"A plea, then. Guard me yourself, hand me to the Second, send me gift-wrapped to the Captain Commander... Whatever. I don't mind what you do, just don't leave me with the freaks here. Vivisection is not in my to-do list for today."

After a humorless snort, Jushiro nodded.

Kaien breathed deeply, closed his eyes and then threw Nejibana away. The soul cutter landed noisily, its trident form already fading away into the plain blade of its sealed state.

The shinigami captain had started uttering the incantation for Rikujokoro before the weapon hit the ground and, as six rods of light imprisoned the maybe Kaien, Ukitake felt the knot of tension around his heart relax somewhat. He allowed himself a sigh of relief, before continuing with the incantations of stronger, more comprehensive binding spells.
 

goldenarms

Well-Known Member
#22
Estrecca said:
"Well, no. When you put it like that, I don't. So... seeing that Nejibana didn't do the trick, how do I convince you that I am who I claim to be?"


"Step out here, and we'll start talking."

Because, at last check, Aaroniero's powers only work in darkness, hence why he had to bring Rukia into a dark room before revealing himself. I didn't see that description brought up at all here.

Also, I can't see either Ukitake being this hopeful, given all his lifetime experience on and off the battlefield, or Aaroniero being this placating and meek for the sake of a simple deception that isn't selling here. He also thinks he's the shit because of his unlimited growth potential and would be gloating about how much of a badass he is with all of his powers.
 

Estrecca

Well-Known Member
#23
goldenarms said:
Because, at last check, Aaroniero's powers only work in darkness, hence why he had to bring Rukia into a dark room before revealing himself. I didn't see that description brought up at all here.
First snippet.

Jushiro Ukitake had seen many terrible things in his dozens of centuries of service to Soul Society, but it seemed that this night was blackest than any other he remembered...

"Whoa! You are in rare form tonight, sir! Glad to see your health has improved!"

Third snippet.

"Besides, if there are illusions capable of fooling you in play tonight, then you have pretty much already lost."

It is night-time and Aaroniero has a number of hours to go before dawn.

Seeing that Hueco Mundo has eternal moonlight and him being affected by low intensity light would make him even more useless than canon portrays him as, I am assuming that you need illumination as intense as sunlight to shut down his transformation power.

or Aaroniero being this placating and meek for the sake of a simple deception that isn't selling here.
Aaroniero has both Metastacia's and Kaien's memories.

That means that he remembers Ukitake almost cutting him in half (Metastacia-in-Kaien) and knows for a fact that is way out of his weight class (Kaien), so he is treading very softly.

Also, he has a plan (actually, Aizen's) and one in which he has a chance of winning big, so he is sticking to "I'm Kaien" like superglue until it becomes impossible to do so.

He also thinks he's the shit because of his unlimited growth potential and would be gloating about how much of a badass he is with all of his powers.
There should be something about this a snippet or two down the line.

In two words: Ponzoña Sutil.
 

goldenarms

Well-Known Member
#24
Estrecca said:
goldenarms said:
Because, at last check, Aaroniero's powers only work in darkness, hence why he had to bring Rukia into a dark room before revealing himself. I didn't see that description brought up at all here.
First snippet.

Jushiro Ukitake had seen many terrible things in his dozens of centuries of service to Soul Society, but it seemed that this night was blackest than any other he remembered...

"Whoa! You are in rare form tonight, sir! Glad to see your health has improved!"

Third snippet.

"Besides, if there are illusions capable of fooling you in play tonight, then you have pretty much already lost."

It is night-time and Aaroniero has a number of hours to go before dawn.

Seeing that Hueco Mundo has eternal moonlight and him being affected by low intensity light would make him even more useless than canon portrays him as, I am assuming that you need illumination as intense as sunlight to shut down his transformation power.
...actually, I think he really is that useless in canon.

From the Bleach Wiki:

Aaroniero tells her that the Kidō spell she used, Rikujōkōrō, is Captain Byakuya Kuchiki's signature spell and Rukia is shocked that he knows even stuff like that. Aaroniero then states that if she had hit him with that last attack, he would have been heavily wounded, but Rukia explains that killing him is secondary, as knowing whether or not he was Kaien was more important, and that by knowing that she would be able to cut him down without mercy. Aaroniero tells her she's foolish in thinking she could win against him and appears directly behind Rukia. He states that as long as there's shadows, he can always use his powers and goes back into the form of Kaien Shiba.
So, um, yeah, from my understanding, you could keep him suppressed with a room lamp if there's no shadows for him to sequester himself in. And from the way it reads, Aaroniero can't use ANY of his powers if he's not within darkness, so... um... yeah...

Estrecca said:
or Aaroniero being this placating and meek for the sake of a simple deception that isn't selling here.
Aaroniero has both Metastacia's and Kaien's memories.

That means that he remembers Ukitake almost cutting him in half (Metastacia-in-Kaien) and knows for a fact that is way out of his weight
class (Kaien), so he is treading very softly.

Also, he has a plan (actually, Aizen's) and one in which he has a chance of winning big, so he is sticking to "I'm Kaien" like superglue until it becomes impossible to do so.
That's something I'm not buying, just because of the fact that we're not dealing with Rukia here, but Ukitake, who wouldn't have been so weak-willed as to fall for this this, no matter what his feelings about his past lieutenant may be. In fact, it might just piss him off into slaughtering the impostor outright, which wouldn't be conducive to a good plan, unless Aaroniero is set up like Wonderweiss. Which might be pretty cool, BTW -- a Hollow Bomb disgorging Hollows all throughout Soul Society, throwing everything into chaos, but I digress.

I don't see any plan of Aizen's requiring one to be captured and left at the mercy of the enemy, nor Aaroniero going for that, no matter how big the payoff may be. Humility is NOT his strong suit, so submission for any reason doesn't chime for me; his arrogance was so great, he actually expected Rukia to go kill her friends on his/Kaien's say so.

As a result, the story quickly falls apart in my opinion, with Aaroniero playing stupid for no gain, and because we're already aware that this really isn't Kaien from the title, there's no suspense to be had. Rather, I would want to see Aaroniero using his unlimited growth potential and make himself out to be a more credible threat, perhaps eat one of Ukitake's subordinates and masquerade as them, have the Captain lead out into a personalized debilitating trap that maximizes the Arrancar's strengths, with plans for devouring him and his zanpakuto. Kaien, here, could be just another bit of mind games for Ukitake, though, again, I don't think he'll be so bothered by it like Rukia was.
 

Estrecca

Well-Known Member
#25
Jushiro Ukitake vs Aaroniero Arruruerie (4/?)

"I must say that all this strikes me as excessive," squeaked the bound arrancar, when Ukitake completed his tenth binding spell and bandages of iron cloth wrapped themselves around the body of his prisoner. Grudgingly, Jushiro decided that he had a point.

The initial six rods of light had been joined by nine black orbs, ropes of solid spiritual power, chains connected to massive pillars and a half dozen additional magic bindings. As a whole... Well, Ukitake would have a pretty hard time trying to escape from such a panoply of bakudos. Nevertheless...

"Personally, I think that there is barely enough. As I used to tell Kaien, there is no such thing as being too sure that an enemy has been neutralized."

"That doesn't ring a bell. At all. I remember you saying that in battle one can fight for life or one can fight for pride, that mercy is the duty of the strong, that captain Unohana used to be scary as hell when you were younger, but nothing about what you just said," replied the prisoner, before a smug smile formed in his face. "Do I pass this test, too?"

As a matter of fact, he had, but Ukitake didn't let it show in his face. In a fit of pique, he considered rewarding the prisoner's cheek with a Kin, before deciding not to. By any measure, the spells he had cast already were enough and more than enough, and something like creating a binding of the ninety ninth rank was the kind of effort that could trigger one of his attacks, so he merely arched an eyebrow and sat down on a piece of debris from the building the arrancar had been blasted through.

He allowed a tense silence to stretch for a few moments, while coolly regarded the figure that just maybe was his late friend and trying to put his troubled thoughts in order. In one hand, he knew what he should do: knock out the arrancar, report the situation to Sasakibe and wait for new orders, which would probably involve leaving the prisoner in the hands of somebody else. In the other, a foolish hope still burned in his heart and he felt a desperate need to know the truth.

Before he had reached a decision, however, he felt a humongous concentration of spiritual power some distance to the north. He turned in that direction just in time to see a huge beam of spiraling energy cross the sky of Seireitei, before impacting the shield generated by the walls of the citadel and being nullified. Ukitake was trying to blink away the spots in his vision and wondering what had just happened, when the astonished voice of Kaien Shiba broke the silence.

"Stark used a damned Gran Rey Cero!?"

"Are you saying that that was a cero?" asked Ukitake, without trying to hide the skepticism in his voice. He had fought hollows and arrancars for centuries and seen ceros of every description and that had been nothing like any of them.

"No. It was a Gran Rey Cero, which is not the same. Aizen only lets the Espada use it, because it is so powerful. Ceros work like hado spells, y'know, just easier, faster. No incantations and you can get the same amount of attack power that a shinigami of equivalent strength would get out of a mid-rank kido. My ceros pack as much punch as when I cast a full incantation Tenran. Gran Rey Cero is different. You have to make yourself bleed and then you take the blood and turn it into raw energy. It is stronger, much stronger, and faster too, although they are hard to control."

Ukitake digested the explanation and to his alarm, decided that it rang true. As a matter of fact, this new cero sounded a very great deal like the hados of the ninety first rank and above, all of which could be greatly enhanced through the sacrifice of parts of the caster's body. The bodies of powerful spiritual entities, like shinigami and arrancar, were ultimately masses of solidified reiatsu and the ability to harness even a tiny fraction of such energy was bound to be a very powerful weapon.

A powerful weapon that could be unleashed against his allies every time they managed to make an enemy bleed, he suddenly realized.

This was valuable information and it would probably save quite a few shinigami lives before the night was done. And it had been offered freely.

Jushiro Ukitake made his choice and, after collecting some dust from the ground, started drawing in his arm the symbols that would be needed for Tenteikura, the kido that would carry his warning to his allies, scattered across Soul Society.

"That is very interesting. Let us talk some more."
 
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