Ryouta sat down with his two Zanpakuto laid neatly across his lap. It had been a while since he had contacted Raikou Arashi, and he was eager to speak to him again. As he closed his eyes and meditated, Ryouta found himself in the midst of the African savannah once more. Raikou Arashi sat underneath a tree and also appeared to be meditating. His eyes opened as Ryouta approached him.

“My greetings to you. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?” Raikou Arashi asked.

“Same as usual,” Ryouta replied. “I want something.”

“Oh? And what would that be?” Raikou Arashi asked. He yawned, showing every one of his deadly, shiny white fangs.

“More of your spirit power, more of your essence to aid me in battle,” said Ryouta. “I need more power if I am to face Arrancars without leaving in desperate need of a 4th squad member.”

“An understandable lament,” said Raikou Arashi. “Very well. But as always, you have to pass a test of sorts.” He stood and clapped his massive paws together, and then assumed a fighting position. “You may start.”

“Ya kiddin’ me? I gotta fight ya again. Man, that’s a pain,” Ryouta said. “All right, all right.” He drew his ninjato. “…Here I come, I guess.” He flash stepped behind Raikou Arashi and aimed a powerful slash at him that only glanced off of his armor, so Ryouta flash stepped in front of Raikou Arashi and aimed a similarly powerful slash at Raikou Arashi’s head.

Raikou Arashi’s massive right paw hit him like a load of bricks. Ryouta was sent flying, he hit the ground, bounced several times, and ended with a long skid through the grass, ripping a long trail of it out of the ground and leaving a dirt brown track in the savannah. Ryouta stood and rolled his shoulders. “Don’t ya think that was a little overdone?”

Raikou Arashi only responded with a very smug smile. “Fine.” Ryouta let his reiatsu flow into the twin ninjatos; they extended and became hook swords. “Here I come…again.” Ryouta flash stepped in front of Raikou Arashi for a second time, this time appearing right on the ground in front of him, one blade coming in to slash at Raikou Arashi’s chest, the other coming in to slash at his midriff.

Raikou Arashi jumped back to avoid the strike, and then opened his mouth and roared at Ryouta. The Banrai attack hit Ryouta squarely and sent him flying a second time with much the same result. As Ryouta picked himself and brushed dirt off his robes once more, he rolled his eyes at Raikou Arashi. “Ya’ve got no idea how bothersome it is when ya do that. OK, here I come for reals this time. Hado no Nijunana: Reishi Blade.” Ryouta’s hook swords glowed blue. “Pretty sure…I can cut through that armor of yours now, Raikou Arashi.”

Ryouta flash stepped behind him and slashed at his back. Raikou Arashi whirled and ducked, avoiding the attack, and then roared as he charged forward at Ryouta. Ryouta twisted, and then used Raikou Arashi’s back to jump off of, allowing him to shove him into a vulnerable position. His hook swords shot off two powerful blasts of lightning that seemed to pass right through Raikou Arashi.

Raikou Arashi chuckled. “Not bad for you, Ryouta. You have definitely improved. I will lend you some more of my power on one condition. Come visit me more often.”

Ryouta smiled cheerily as he sheathed his swords and shook Raikou Arashi’s massive paw. “No problem big guy. Always happy to see ya.”

He opened his eyes to find himself in the “real world” once more.

ooc: spirit power please and thank you

.5 Spirit power approved

Once again, Ryouta focused on his Zanpakuto, urging Raikou Arashi to let him into his world. All of a sudden, Ryouta found himself standing in the now familiar African savannah. He spotted Raikou Arashi meditating in the distance; he appeared to be meditating. Ryouta jogged over and laid a hand on Raikou Arashi’s shoulder and shook gently. Raikou Arashi’s eyes opened and he regarded Ryouta calmly.

“I was wondering when you would get here. I expect you have come for the purpose of furthering the connection between us?” Raikou Arashi asked.

“Yeah,” replied Ryouta. “Anything ya’ve got to teach is always welcomed by me.”

“Hmm…” said Raikou Arashi. “Well, you are familiar with your- our Senpuku no Tategami attack, are you not?” When Ryouta nodded his head, Raikou Arashi continued. “Today I will teach you to harness and increase your spirit power in such a way that it will not matter if there are Inadzuma marks within the circle instead of just along the edges.”

Ryouta nodded. That would be useful knowledge- it would make it a lot easier to trap enemies within the deadly circle. Raikou Arashi clapped his hands. “All right, the first step is the hardest part, and that is increasing your spirit power. After that is easy, that is a…cakewalk, I believe the colloquial term is.” Raikou Arashi stood and assumed a defensive Hakuda position and then beckoned at Ryouta to attack him.

Ryouta shrugged. “All right. I think it’s time for a little change of pace though. Hado no Nijunana: Reishi Blade!” Ryouta’s ninjatos glowed blue- but the blue glow continued well past the end of the blades so they were of average katana length. Ryouta focused the reishi particles so that they vibrated at high frequency, resulting in a sharper edge.

“Interesting strategy,” commented Raikou Arashi. “But I wonder, is your skill great enough to compensate for the lengthening of your blades?”

Ryouta nodded. “It is.” He flash stepped above Raikou Arashi and brought his right blade down on Raikou Arashi’s raised left forearm- except it was only the blue glow that actually hit. Raikou Arashi used his great strength to shove Ryouta off from the position.

“You are going to have to do better than that!” Raikou Arashi roared as he dropped to all fours and charged at Ryouta. Ryouta readied himself as Raikou Arashi leaped at him. At the last second, he flash stepped up slightly, planted his foot in the small of Raikou Arashi’s back, and pushed off. He did a somersault in midair and landed gracefully on the ground. Raikou Arashi hit the ground with a little more force than intended, but was otherwise unharmed.

Raikou Arashi leaped higher this time, landing with a thud directly in front of Ryouta. Ryouta brought up both blades to bear and slashed at him. Raikou Arashi ducked and aimed a swipe at Ryouta’s legs. Ryouta reversed his grip on both blades and plunged them down in V formation to trap Raikou Arashi’s paw. “You leave yourself defenseless!” stated Raikou Arashi. He swiped at Ryouta with his other paw.

“I think not.” Ryouta kicked out with devastating force- had Raikou Arashi been human, or even Arrancar, the kick would have broken their nose. As Raikou Arashi didn’t have human bone structure, the kick was less effective, but it succeeded in sending him backwards, with cuts on his paw from being so forcibly removed from Ryouta’s blades. Ryouta smirked. “I think my way through my fightin’.”

“I see that. Channel all your spirit power into one strike- I want to see the extent of your power.” Raikou Arashi instructed. Ryouta raised an eyebrow quizzically, but complied. He let his spiritual pressure increase to its maximum point. He nodded at Raikou Arashi as a sort of ‘here I come’ gesture. And then he charged. Raikou Arashi seemed to pulse with reiatsu and ran to meet the charge.

SLASH! As Ryouta ran past Raikou Arashi he smiled. And then he looked down and saw several nasty lacerations across his side, one for every one of the claws on one of Raikou Arashi’s paws; Ryouta fell to his knees and clutched his wound. Raikou Arashi looked down to see two thin but semi-deep cuts along his side. “Hmm…he did better than expected,” he commented. He approached Ryouta and picked him up. “You did well, cub. When you wake, the power will be yours.”

ooc: again, for spirit power

+1 spirit power