Stop that Crazy Robot! [Yoko & Zeich| R | DE]

Head in the Clouds

Yoko had just finished her fight with Itou, meaning she had just been kicked out of her own dojo. It totally wasn’t her fault! That idiot just kept ducking right into her kicks. “That stupid wanker. Who the bloody hell taught him how to fight?!” That outburst got her a few curious looks from passerby, but she didn’t care one bit. She was pissed off that she’d been ejected from class. If anything she should be praised for landing two hits on an opponent that was clearly older, faster, and stronger than she was. “Ahh!! Stupid sensei!” Yoko was just upset with the whole dang situation. Maybe she’d just start training on her own after something like this.

Yeah, that was the solution! She felt way stronger now too. After fighting Itou she felt a new kind of power building inside her. She definitely was a bit stronger and faster now… but this feeling was something different. It was almost like she had some kind of magic power brewing in her. Man! That would be so awesome! I wish I was a shonen character… These thoughts drove Yoko to dive into her gym bag and pull out a familiar piece of plastic. This small card was a customized NERV ID she had gotten on her first trip to Japan. She twirled it over in her hands a few times as she thought of her favorite mecha pilots. Ahh… Setsuna-san… Under her breath, Yoko playfully whispered “I am GUNDAM!”

Emergence of Talents

Those playful words had caused an event that Yoko never could have predicted. She felt her energy drop as almost half her stamina instantly left her. This was not the most surprising thing to happen, not by a mile. That award goes to the green light that sprang out of Yoko’s ID card. This light slowly crept out of the card. It was moving almost impossibly slow in Yoko’s eyes. First the card itself turned green, then small green specks began to spread outwards. It was almost like… “GN Particles…” These green dots began to pour out faster and faster until they surrounded Yoko entirely. She did fear them, not even slightly. The sensation, aside from the lack of stamina, was enjoyable.

Once the particles had completely coated Yoko they began to shape themselves into a form very familiar to the girl. The smooth feminine curves of her body were overwritten by jagged edges. Her head had sprouted a pair V-shaped antenna. A shield formed on her left arm and a gun had taken shape in her right hand. Two swords formed at her waist. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it ended. The green particles flashed once and changed color. They were now a mix of blue, yellow, red, and white. Yoko looked over her new form and immediately knew what this was. “Exia.” For a moment she simply stood there, far too confused to even move.

To Yoko, that time felt like an eternity. Her brain slowly worked through the possible explanations. Most were ruled out quickly. Only one could be right. “I’m a fucking superhero!” Needless to say, this entire display had drawn some attention. Yoko’s knowledge of her powers had filtered in a bit by this point. She instinctively knew what this form could do. Before anyone could make a big deal over her presence there she blasted off into the sky. “VERNIERS!” She was flying! It was really working! Yoko zoomed around Karakura with her newfound power. She was far faster than an animal like this. Not even Itou could be a threat anymore. “I AM GUNDAM! AHAHAHAHAHA! I’M A GODDAMN GUNDAM!” She cared not who heard her yelling. Lasers leapt from her gun into the night sky. This was an amazing night!

Creeping Shadows

Too bad Soul Society kept an eye on things like this. They didn’t act right away. Yoko was certainly dangerous, but she hadn’t shown any intent to hurt anyone else either. Regardless of this fact, she was placed under the surveillance of Division 12. Some of their lower level techies were responsible for using Soul Society’s camera network to monitor for exactly these types of occurrences. Karakura was known to be a breeding ground for trouble. It had been the home to the vizards, the key to Azeru Cho’s plan to make a king’s key, and the spawning grounds of many spiritual abilities. Now it was also the birthplace of Yoko’s own power. Soul Society knew this almost as soon as Yoko knew herself. They might even have known of her powers before she did.

Several days passed with Soul Society keeping a close eye on Yoko. She began to get the hang of her power over that time, but she was still far from mastering it. Her low spiritual pressure meant that she couldn’t maintain her fullbring for very long, especially if she was firing lasers everywhere. After watching this girl for a few days Soul Society was almost ready to label her harmless. It looked like she wasn't a risk, even if she was reckless. This opinion changed drastically when they watched her accidentally fly straight into a building. Somehow, no one was hurt, but that floor was completely wrecked. A stunt like that was enough cause for Soul Society to dispatch someone to investigate further.

Back to Song 1 for a moment

It was another great day in Yoko’s life. She hadn’t been to school all this week except for the day she had fought Itou. That already seemed like it was a world away. The last several days had gone by in a blur. Every moment was spent obsessing over her new powers. It was as if someone had ripped Yoko out of real life and transported her into a dream. She had been spending a lot of time thinking about what to do with her newfound powers. She didn’t really need school anymore. If it came down to it, she could just rob banks and no one could stop her.

No, Yoko was bound for a much higher purpose. One of her first exclamations after receiving this power was none other than “I’m a fucking superhero.” That idea sounded pretty good. She could become a hero of justice, just like all her favorite characters. Maybe someone would even make a show about her! “KYAAAAA! That would be so cool!” Once again Yoko’s thoughts had crashed into real life. At that moment she was climbing up a giant staircase so no one heard her. Why was she climbing an obscenely huge staircase? To get to the top obviously! On a more useful note, she was climbing the stairs of a department store in Karakura Town. She had just finished using up most of her strength, and so she wanted to go rest on the roof. Sadly, her power ran out at ground level… so she was stuck hoofing it.

Destiny Awaits

Yoko napped lazily on the flat roof of the department store for several hours. It was completely uninhabited, but there was a ton of space. It was probably at least 100 meters wide and long. Aside from a bit of ductwork for the A/C, it was bare too. The fullbringer awoke from her nap at full strength, but she didn’t awake by choice. She had gotten the feeling she was being watched. It wasn’t energy sensory. Yoko lacked that capacity entirely. No, this was just the sense that all humans sometimes felt go off. It was an eerie feeling that you just couldn’t shake. Even after looking around the roof and seeing no one, Yoko was still sure someone was watching her.

Feeling vulnerable, Yoko quickly released her fullbring. “I AM GUNDAM!” A mist of green reishi swarmed around her, transforming her into her armored form. “EXIA!” Her shield was ready on her left arm, and the gunblade was ready in on her right. Should either of those weapons fail her she had four swords at her disposal: two physical and two of the beam variety. She was armed to the teeth. Even if Yoko was still new to using her powers, and even if she lacked techniques as basic as bringer light, she was a force to be reckoned with. Still not knowing where this presence was coming from she yelled out for all to hear, “I know you’re out there! Show yourself and fight like a man!”


Fullbring Level 1: 1/10
Reiatsu: 300/500

Thinking Music!

Even before Zeich spoke, he had no intention on hiding his presence; it quickly became clear where he was. Yoko tilted her head and took in the sight of the Shinigami. She had fought one of these beings before, when she fought Itou, but she did not know he was a Shinigami. This was her first time seeing one in their true form. A dozen thoughts raced through her mind before the man opened his mouth to speak. First and foremost… how was he just freaking standing there in mid-air? It made sense that Yoko could hover… she had thrusters. This man was just…standing… on the air. Yoko’s mind still just thought she was special. She didn’t know there were others with powers. Even if there were, she had imagined they would all be like her.

The shock of him being able to stand on air quickly faded. Yoko was already in a fighting mindset. Her mind took in everything it could gather about her opponent. He was dressed almost entirely in black. His top was sleeveless, but his arms were wrapped up in what looked a bit like athletic tape. Was he injured? Nah, probably just going for the “tough-guy fighter” look. At least in Yoko’s mind, that image was ruined by his pants. They had just enough of a shine to them that they could only be made of leather. Had the young fullbringer not been in a potentially dangerous situation she would have let out a snort upon realizing that. Who the heck wears leather pants these days?

Overall, Yoko got the general impression that this guy considered himself a badass. The tape on his arms definitely suggested he was either a fighter or an athlete. What drew her attention most of all was the fact that he carried a katana. It too was black, just like the rest of his dreary wardrobe. While it didn’t brighten up the outfit much, it was a detail far too important to overlook. The sword confirmed that this guy was a threat of some sort. The only time people wandered around with swords anymore was at conventions. Last Yoko checked, there weren’t any cons being held up in the sky. If there were, she’d definitely have been the first to know.

Once these half-logical and half-ridiculous thoughts had filtered out, Yoko began to process what the man had said. The very first words out of his mouth were ”Yoko Kusanagi.” He knew her name. Bad. Bad bad bad bad bad. This was not good at all. He didn’t identify her as “Gundam” or “Exia.” He knew her real, full name. With that, he likely knew where she lived, where she went to school, and probably even her blood type. Her secret identity was already blown! How could she have screwed up such a basic element of being a hero so early on? Did this mean Yoko would have to kill this guy? It’s not like she could just let him run around telling everyone her secret.

No, that plan couldn’t work. If Yoko was on the side of justice then she couldn’t rob banks, let alone kill whoever she wanted. Maybe she could just throw him in jail… except he hadn’t committed any crimes yet. Wait… who were the only ones who ever got to know people’s secret identities? They were either other heroes or they were villains. This guy was wearing all black, and evil-doers wear black, thus this guy was an evil-doer. That was the only possible explanation. He was a villain who had deduced her secret identity. That also explained his powers. Supervillains always had special abilities so they could try and take down the heroes. That’s what this must be! Her first fight with a supervillain!

As rock solid as this hypothesis seemed at first, the man then identified himself by what sounded like a normal name: Zeich Yajuu. If he was a supervillain, there’s no way he’d just go ahead and reveal his secret identity just like that. Villains had to be just as careful with their identities as heroes did. If they weren’t, the heroes could just come arrest them at any point in time. A normal person would change their ideas to reflect this new information, but Yoko was far too stubborn for something like that. The conclusion she reached was a far less likely one. He must be insane!. Some villains wanted everyone to know who was responsible for their crimes. They were in it for the thrill and the fame, not the money.

Zeich finished his sentence without knowing just how many conclusions Yoko was jumping to. He identified himself as a Shinigami from Soul Society. The word “Shinigami” was a red flag if ever there could be one. It was Japanese for “God of Death.” A more reasonable mind might actually stop and consider the possibility that this guy was being straightforward and truthful. In fact, Zeich was indeed a denizen of the afterlife whose main duty was to oversee the dead. God of Death was an appropriate title. Too bad Yoko just assumed that was his supervillain name. Shinigami didn’t exactly sound like a friendly title after all. One could actually see why she might draw this type of ridiculous conclusion.

What of the ending to that sentence? “Soul Society” could be many things. Looking at it simply, it would just be a place that held souls. Yoko didn’t give it that much thought. Soul Society simply had to be the evil organization that this Shinigami belonged to. That’s right! He had said he was “a” Shinigami, not “THE” Shinigami! There must be an entire organization, filled with dozens and dozens of guys like this. This was bad. That meant if… no, when Yoko managed to take this guy down, he’d have backup on the way. Considering how little stamina she had, dealing with more than one opponent would be tricky. She’d just have to make quick work of this guy try to recover as much as possible before reinforcements showed up. Even if it seemed impossible, a hero never runs from a fight!

But then Zeich said something that managed to get by even Yoko’s incredibly thick skull. He called her training reckless! As much as this pissed her off, she wasn’t dumb enough to miss the implication. Why would a villain be concerned with reckless behavior? It simply didn’t make sense. His tone was flat and perhaps even… bored? A villain should sound excited about the possibility of reckless behavior and mayhem! This definitely wasn’t adding up at all. Zeich might be able to notice the slight change in Yoko’s posture if she wasn’t wearing a suit of armor right now. Her muscles relaxed slightly, her shoulders slouched a bit, and her brow furrowed. She was perplexed to say the least. The conclusions she had drawn about this guy off the bat didn’t match the speech he was giving one bit.

The more Zeich talked, the less likely the supervillain possibility seemed. He mentioned spiritual powers, as well as “all matters spiritual.” Was this guy some kind of warrior-monk? Yoko was just getting completely confused now. To her the spiritual was all about “God is good. God is great. Let us thank him for this cake!” She never really cared much for religion, but that’s the stuff she associated with the word “spiritual.” The idea of spiritual powers sounded like a bunch of bollocks. God had no role in her strength. Even more insane was the idea that her zooming around in Exia was somehow a problem for the church. How were those two things even vaguely close to being related?

This was not the end of Zeich’s speech. There was still more to come. He was becoming more direct, stabbing at the heart of the reason for his visit. ” I am here to issue you a warning to refrain from excess use of your Fullbring, and to use it more carefully, lest action be taken. He chose the word warning, but it sounded like a threat. And what was this fullbring thing he was talking about? Did he mean her superpowers? Wait… that meant… he was warning a hero… not to use her powers. WHAT?!Who the hell does this guy think he is! He’s threatening me to try and keep me from using my powers! I’m the good guy here, so why is he acting so fucking self-righteous!

While this was not yet the end of what Zeich had to say, it was getting there. He continued on in a tone that reminded Yoko of her least favorite teachers. It was the tone that administrators used when they lectured her for cutting class. ” It would be preferred if it were only used in the defense of your life or the protection of those around you, if even then.” Clearly this guy didn’t understand how training worked at all. How was Yoko supposed to get good enough at using her powers and knowing her limits if she didn’t practice! Shooting beams into the sky meant nobody got hurt, and flying around was pretty safe. I mean sure, she did slam into a building once… but no one got hurt and she totally learned to look where she was going.

He had also implied that Yoko should think twice about using her power to protect those around her. Why should she do that? If she’s going to be a hero she absolutely must use her powers to protect anyone and everyone. Even as she thought that, she realized one problem with her train of thought. This guy sounded reasonable. Even if he was wrong, he was talking about things that sounded like a code of secrecy. Maybe he was concerned that normal people didn’t know there were heroes running around? That actually made a good bit of sense. It didn’t mean Yoko was happy with it though. She had way too much fun flying around to just give it up.

At last the conclusion was delivered. “Will you comply, or must I deal with you through force?” Oh, now he’d gone and done it. He’d clearly gone out of his way to threaten Yoko with that last bit. Not only had he revealed he was willing to use force, he made it abundantly clear that he didn’t even consider Yoko to be a threat. She was just some insignificant little speck that he needed to clean up. There was no way in hell she was going to stand for that. Even if this guy wasn’t a supervillain, even if he was a good guy, no one gets away with threatening another hero like that. This guy was going down!

Drive it like you stole it

”All right Zeich. No need to get so gutted. I don’t know how you figured this all out, but I only see one way for us to settle this. You draw your sword, and we fight. If you win, I’ll do as you ask. If I win, you let me do what I want. Sound simple enough?” Yoko certainly thought this was the easiest solution. She was pretty sure that Zeich wasn’t evil anymore, but she couldn’t be entirely sure. If he used some special attack called “super darkness evil beam” then it would all be clear in a jiffy. Hopefully this guy would be a pushover though. Dealing with special attacks wasn’t exactly desirable. Yoko was perfectly aware that he had some kind of trick up his sleeve though. It’s not like people can float in midair without some kind of special ability.

Yoko would likely regret this decision, but she decided to take it easy on Zeich at first. She had decided he probably wasn’t evil, so she didn’t need to try and kill him. Since she’d never actually hit anything with her attacks in this form she wasn’t really sure what they would do to someone. The sword-end of her gunblade flipped forward to give her a somewhat bizarre sword. It was a double-edged blade a bit over two feet long. It was roughly the same length as an average katana. What made it different was that the grip was perpendicular to the blade. This meant the blade would point in the same direction as her arm rather than being at a 90 degree angle.

Her opening attack would be a simple one. Yoko raised her shield and began to charge towards her opponent. The shield was only of a medium size. It covered her torso and most of her legs where it was held, but some of her calves and her head were exposed. By covering her body during the charge Yoko prevented most any head-on attack Zeich might try from being effective. Almost as important was the fact that her sword-arm would be concealed from view. Because Zeich was not able to see the sword arm, it would be harder for him to know which way he would need to counter an attack. Yoko was still slow enough that it wouldn’t matter much, but it would make any defense require at least some effort on his part.

Upon getting into striking range Yoko unleashed her attack. It was a horribly simple tactic. Zeich would likely be expecting the shield to move to the side so an attack could come through. If he expected as much, he would be partially correct. Yoko’s shield did move to the side, but it also went forward. Her opening attack was a shield bash. The swipe was from Yoko’s right to her left, leading with the bottom edge of the shield. The bottom of the shield came to something vaguely resembling a point. It was sharp, but it was not sharp enough to cut unless it was used to stab. This attack was not meant to injure, but rather to conceal the real attack.

Almost simultaneously to the shield bash, Yoko began her second attack. This one was simple by itself: a single step forward into a stab. The step forward would close the distance if Zeich had stepped back to dodge the shield bash. It also added power to the strike. What made this attack useful was that it was almost completely concealed by the shield bash. This strike began while Yoko’s shield arm was still in motion. There was virtually no time between the attacks. It would be quite hard to react properly, simply because there was only a tiny fraction of a second between the attacks. Even with Yoko’s pathetic speed, these strikes would require Zeich to be on his toes.

With the way these attacks were arranged, Yoko would have easily been able to land a strike if her speed was on par with Zeich’s own. The fact that her speed wasn’t anywhere near Zeich’s own was the major saving grace for the Shinigami. This attack was executed without much room for error, but it was done at a speed he would be able to react to quite easily. His speed was just over four times Yoko’s own so there was absolutely no question that he could physically move fast enough to do something about it. The issue here was one of instinct, not of speed. The shield bash was a shallow attack. Even just leaning backwards a little would keep Zeich safe from that attack. It wouldn’t keep him safe from the follow-up though. With such little time between the strikes, could Zeich react fast enough to avoid all harm from both of them?

The expectation on Yoko’s part was that Zeich would dodge backwards. Her attack would undoubtedly succeed if he did so. Even if he reacted in a different way, Yoko was fully alert during this time. The shield snapped back into a defensive position as soon as it was done with the attacking motion. Not much of her attention was required for such simple attacks. This meant she could easily focus on watching Zeich’s reactions to her attacks. That was the true purpose of these strikes. Yoko knew that Zeich would emerge unscathed if he was a competent fighter. She was just curious how he would defend himself. If he proved able, then she could start the battle for real. On top of that, if Zeich has a defensive maneuver that could harm Yoko, she would be ready to abort her planned attack to defend herself.

Fullbring Level 1: 2/10
Reiatsu: 300/500

“All right Zeich. No need to get so gutted. I don’t know how you figured this all out, but I only see one way for us to settle this. You draw your sword, and we fight. If you win, I’ll do as you ask. If I win, you let me do what I want. Sound simple enough?”

Zeich tried his hardest to suppress a sigh as he drew Haiiro, though it was certainly an endeavor that even the boy’s stoic nature had a difficult time masking. He wasn’t ‘gutted’ about anything; he was rather perturbed at having to be called out to discipline an unruly child about the use of her spiritual powers. It wasn’t worth drawing out a seated officer to simply scold a human for their destructive inability to use rational thought, yet here he was, and likely all because Central or Squad 12 or whoever was monitoring him wanted to see how he would react in battle, as well as his new Zanpaktou; likely, they were watching for particularly extreme changes that could indicate the source of the breakdown that he had experienced only a short time ago.

Of course, Zeich knew the reason for his breakdown; at that time, he had been fighting with the Shadow for control of his body along with attempting to protect his Zanpaktou Spirits. When Polaris and Ventus had been hurt, it had awakened something feral, something vicious within him; the Fifth Seat, who normally bottled his feelings, letting them simmer beneath a cold mask, had suddenly released all that pent-up emotion in a surge of berserk fury that had caused his body to work on auto-pilot even as he had attacked the Shadow within his Inner World. The Shinigami had simply unleashed his attacks like a berserker, swinging with intent to maim and kill, to hurt those who would harm the things precious to him. And with few meaningful things in Zeich’s life, each one of them was particularly important, and all of them were cherished. Polaris had been particularly so as she had died despite her master’s every attempt to save her, her body lost to the flames.

Reflecting back on that moment, Zeich realized his greatest weakness was his emotions. As long as he had kept them under wraps, had kept a clear mind and calm thoughts, the Shinigami had been able to fight to his fullest potential, to analyze and react appropriately based on a situation rather than leaping into whatever his heart told him to do. The one time he had let his anger out, had let his feelings take control over his mind, the Shadow had thrown him about like a rag doll and had destroyed Polaris before his eyes. Zeich had found himself quickly disabled and left to reflect on his powerlessness even as he had lapsed into unconsciousness only to awake later in a hospital bed. Emotions were his weakness, one that the Shinigami was determined to keep locked up within himself as much as he could.

That was why Zeich suppressed his irritation as he was attacked, Yoko dashing at him with shield lowered. It was obvious that with the shield leading as it was, the young woman was aiming to either ram him using the shield or else slash out with it, catching him horizontally rather than with a charge. The motion easily telegraphed, and it was the first sign that the young woman had next to no experience fighting with weaponry. Her file had shown combat with an Academy student on vacation visiting the human world, and that she had courses in some physical hand-to-hand martial arts—the reports hadn’t been specific—but with her only experience in general weaponry coming from what little practice she had gotten using her Fullbring, she was at a hefty disadvantage against a trained Shinigami who understood the ways of battle.

Zeich’s reaction to the move, rather than to dodge or parry, was to jump. Normally he would not have committed himself to such a motion, as once one’s feet left the ground the fighter would be unable to change their course of action simply because there was no surface to use for redirection of movement. However, in the human world, the Fifth Seat had one particular advantage that he intended to take advantage of: Air Ground. With Air Ground, which was essentially a Shinigami gathering the dense particles of Reiatsu from the air into a platform beneath their feet, Zeich could make the a physical surface for himself anywhere, thus allowing him to use his footwork to its full extent without being barred by the limitations that it normally imposed upon him. Thus leaps such as the one he had made to avoid the young woman’s shield bash were more plausible, as their drawbacks were mitigated.

Yoko’s attack told Zeich that much more about his opponent, especially her fighting style; as a young adolescent in human terms, the Fullbringer was prone to rash and direct attacks, thinking that sheer force would get her to victory. Zeich planned to teach the young woman that just because she had her spiritually-imbued armor, it did not mean she knew how to fight with weapons that were quite obviously foreign to her. In Yoko’s defense, shield-fighting was not a common practice, and as a result such simple bashes and parrying tended to be the majority of such styles. That made it particularly easy to determine an opponent’s move; if it was offensive, it was a shield bash that was intended to stun or distract. Zeich found it easy to predict, and thus to react to it, especially with the advantage that Air Ground gave him.

So, what do you make of this girl? Zeich found himself speaking with Haiiro even as he leapt away, his thoughts turning inwards towards introspection. The Fifth Seat often spoke with his Zanpaktou even since the change had occurred; tragedy had drawn them together to become even closer than they had already been. She seems to have some sort of complex going on here, though I cannot figure what. She’s so determined to fight, expecting me to be an enemy despite my assurance that I am only here to ensure she does not harm anyone or expose her powers to those who would not understand.

Well, master, if you had not threatened her with use of force upon speaking with her, you might have been able to talk some sense into her. Despite the tragedy that was the loss of his mate, Haiiro still maintained some of the fire that he had possessed as Ventus, and he was not afraid to scold his master. As opposed to Zeich, who was calm on the surface but turbulent in his emotions beneath, the wolf was rather thoughtful and deep in his advice, though he gave it in the tone of one friend speaking to another, without sugarcoating but without being harsh either. Then again, your ability to relate to others has always been poor, so maybe we can consider this an improvement. At least your sword wasn’t unsheathed when you said it this time.

Gee, thanks…

Leaping upwards and letting the shield bash pass underneath him also gave Zeich one more advantage, one he planned to make use of. “You’ve left your back open.” Dropping down suddenly, letting the air ground dissipate beneath him, the Shinigami came down with a careful one-handed slash with his sword’s blade reversed, as his strokes were meant to stun or incapacitate rather than kill. Zeich was confident he could win this encounter if he threw his full power into the mix, but at the same time his duty was to protect humanity, not end it on account of foolishness; they could do that all on their own. Though he was here to stop this Fullbringer’s unintentional reign of destruction, the Shinigami was trying his hardest not to harm the young woman. Oh sure, he could release Haiiro and wrap things up immediately, but once more, Zeich was unsure if it would be wise to release his new Zanpaktou just yet. Until he was sure his life was in danger, the Shinigami had no intention of giving his observers more reason to suspect something was wrong with him.

The dropping slash would have Zeich’s Zanpaktou slamming into Yoko’s right shoulder from behind, the heavy metal weapon digging into the Fifth Seat’s hands as he smashed into the armor. The blow caused a slight numbing in his arms, as he had indeed hit metal with metal, but his strength was a little more than the Fullbringer’s own; Zeich’s body had been developed into a fast one through intensive training, and so he wasn’t as strong as many other Shinigami who focused on their physical strength, but he was far stronger than the average human and could easily hold his own against a young woman who had only just come into her powers. He fully anticipated her shoulder to buckle under the blow, armor or not, and strain the limb enough to make it difficult to use the gunblade she held with any sort of ease.

Of course, the impact of metal on metal sent a shock through Zeich’s arms, and the Fifth Seat quickly leapt backwards, making use of his incredible speed to create a gap between the two of them in a heartbeat. It gave him a moment to recover from his strike, letting the tingling in his arms die down before he resumed the attack. The blow had not been a wise one on his part, as the armor was stronger than it looked; simply put, simply rushing at it wasn’t going to do much good. The shoulder was at least well-protected, judging by his inability to damage it severely, though it looked like the armor functioned like an Arrancar’s Hierro when it came to force. When Zeich had been striking at the female Arrancar that had destroyed Hibiki’s grave, his physical strikes had not actually done damage, but the blunt force of the strikes had been enough to knock the woman back, showing that while the skin couldn’t be damaged, the force still applied.

Zeich’s mind flashed back to his time at the Academy, where he had been taught many lessons in combat beyond simple swordsmanship under the Kendo Teacher for the SPR classes. In combat, you will discover that swords will falter if they are used to slash blindly at an opponent. he could almost hear the teacher saying to him. In order to defeat hardier foes, those who have armor or those who simply can overpower you in a sheer test of strength, you must know how to apply pressure at proper points. While you may not be able to overpower someone’s weapon or slash through their defenses, a well-placed attack at the right point will still cripple even the mightiest foe. The basic point the teacher had made was that direct attacks could fail for numerous reasons, so one had to use logic in order to fight opponents who could thwart conventional methods. In their time, and through a few private lessons as well, the older man had taught Zeich how to find weaknesses through experimental lunges and jabs until a point of vulnerability was discovered. Once that point was found, then it could be exploited.

That just means that I have to find the proper point at which to apply force, then. No easy task. With that, Zeich leapt forward in a powerful dash, running at his fastest as he closed the gap between the two of them. Since he had taken a moment to create distance and recover from the effects of his own attack, Yoko would have been given ample time to turn around and face her opponent, which what Zeich was counting on. In a sudden surge of motion brought on by a Shunpo, the Shinigami literally leapt past Yoko, just to her left where the shield was. The movement came so fast that she would not have time to register a trip or a shield block in order to stop him in his movement; by the time she had caught up with him mentally the Fifth Seat was behind her already.

The first attack was a test of sorts now that he understood the armor to be more durable than a first glance suggested. Zeich attacked before Yoko would have time to turn, his blade stabbing forward in a sudden thrust at the center of the back. The blade would be turned aside as it struck armor, indicating that the plating along the back was sturdy, enough so that it could turn his sword. The Fifth Seat had suspected as much, however; a glance at the armor suggested that the torso and head were heavily guarded, meaning that attacks on them would be ineffective. Still, it was a good opportunity to test its strength against his own, and it showed that he would not be able to power through the armor, just as he expected.

Of course, there were still other things he could do. Even as the stab failed, Zeich had other means of breaking her down. Focusing his Reiatsu into the palm of his left hand, the one not holding Haiiro, the Fifth Seat let it disperse, becoming more and more sparse as it spread out about his hand. The same palm was stabbed forward, slamming into the back of Yoko’s armor should she not move to avoid it. Though the palm strike was weak, with little force behind it, Zeich was not attempting to damage his opponent with the attack. If his sword could not break through the armor, why would his fist be able to? No, the simple blow was not meant to have force behind it, lest Zeich injure his hand.

The Reiatsu behind the attack was the trick; in dispersing his Reiatsu as he had, the Fifth Seat was making use of a special Hakuda technique he had only recently learned. Gigei Mikon: Kon Shikon was an unusual form of molding dispersed Reiatsu into a physical blow, letting it strike beyond skin and armor to attack something far more vulnerable: the victim’s soul. When the target’s soul was damaged, it caused disharmony throughout the body, affecting the senses, the muscles, even one’s Reiatsu. Thus this technique allowed the user to cripple their opponent without actually harming their body or spiritual powers; instead, by damaging the soul, one targeted the whole body indirectly.

Once Zeich was finished executing the technique, he leapt back again, keeping out of range of any direct physical blows. Though he wasn’t sure of his opponent’s strength, and honestly doubted that a young girl would have much in the way of muscle, the Fifth Seat had enough common sense to know that being struck with metal tended to hurt. Despite the strength behind the blow, the fact that the armor itself was far more sturdy than bone made it so that impact would certainly leave its mark on him, thus making it unwise to stay in close quarters except for quick attacks. So far, the Shinigami had discovered that Yoko was rather slow, giving him a particular advantage; as long as he was wary and careful in his decision to attack, Zeich was untouchable. He was moving far faster than the young woman, and with any luck he could wear her down with his speed without being hit himself.

Of course, despite his speed, Zeich would still be in trouble should he be unable to make any of his blows land. Without the ability to cut through the armor, and until he found a weak point, the Fifth Seat was just flailing about helplessly. Though he would be untouched thanks to his speed, so, too, would Yoko be unharmed due to the density of her armor. It seemed they were at a stalemate of sorts until Zeich found a way to bypass or simply cut through the Fullbringer’s armor. Neither could touch one another, but that also meant that the battle would be drawn out longer. Yoko seemed determined to not listen to Zeich unless he had won, and at this rate, she would simply be roaming free and wild again, causing the Fifth Seat to fail in his assignment. That would never do; he had to find that weak point!

Remaining Reiatsu: 1550/2000 (-50 for a single Shunpo, -400 for Gigei Mikon: Kon Shikon)

((OOC: Note, if Gigei Mikon: Kon Shikon lands, reduce all stats by 5% for two posts. This can stack on itself.))

As Zeich began his step, he noticed Yoko tilting back her gun; was she preparing to convert it back from its bladed mode to a more conventional firearm? If so, it was a good thing he was going to be moving at extreme speed, slipping past her defenses even before she could bring her finger to the trigger. One advantage of his preemptive step was that it would come as a surprise, as this human had only come into knowledge of spiritual powers quite quickly. As a result, Shunpo would likely be an unexpected jolt that would leave her confused as to the final destination at the end of his step. After all, what average human expected a step at nearly seventy-five times faster than the norm? For that was what Zeich thought of Yoko, at least in her mindset; new to the spiritual world, her expectations were still those of a normal human’s, and so it would surprise her. The trick would only work once, however, and he intended to try and make use of the shock.

As the step was made, and Zeich turned on the ball of one heel to charge Yoko’s back, the Fifth Seat was surprised to see the Fullbringer facing him, her gun pointed towards him and releasing a short burst of bullets. Thanks to his momentum and the time it would take to aim the poor shot, the majority of the shots missed him; however, with the limited range between them and Zeich’s own surprise, two hit him directly. The first was in the hip, to the left side, as the bullet grazed his side and burst into energy, searing the area lightly and leaving a small but severe burn on impact. The other made contact against his upper left thigh, a much more direct hit that still left only a small impact burn, but it was still enough to make him wince and hesitate slightly in his step. The shot itself hurt, but thanks to the weak nature of the machine-gun fire it wasn’t a crippling blow. The skin was burnt, and the pain made him wince on step, but Zeich was able to move freely despite it.

The hesitation was problematic, however; upon coming in close to Yoko, the young woman had been given enough time to get her shield up in the way of his attack, and as a result both of Zeich’s attacks were stopped. The sword thrust had been halted by the hit throwing off his sense of timing and stopping his attack, slowing him down long enough for the Fullbringer’s defensive armament to come between them. As a result of that stumbling step, his movements were delayed by a half second, meaning that his palm would come up against the shield rather than striking Yoko’s body. Thankfully it had been a pulled punch, and as a result, the impact force was low, preventing Zeich from injuring his hand as he suddenly leapt back to prevent a counterattack.

Thankfully Yoko had the same idea, the two of them creating distance between them as they recovered from the onslaught of strikes. Zeich was lucky that he had pulled his punch to prevent the full force of the attack earlier, but even more so that he had been slowed down. If he had struck in that extra second where he had paused, given Yoko’s own movements, the shield would have caught his wrist or arm, likely causing severe damage. The heavy metal that made up the Fullbringer’s armor was certainly sturdy, and the blow would have been something to worry about. Zeich had actually ended up the better for his failed attack, though the burns in his side and thigh still stung horribly. They were not crippling by far, and he could fight through them, but his body would remind him with every step that they hurt regardless of their severity.

The two of them made distance between themselves to consider their next course of action, thoughts racing and heavy breaths taken as the two of them recovered from the sudden exertion. Though Zeich had been moving around more than Yoko had, he wasn’t as winded; he was trained for such physical exercise, and he wasn’t wearing metal armor either. Though it was likely that the Fullbringer had some sort of propulsion system powering her suit in order to allow her to move with far more ease than any standard human should, there was still some physical input required, which probably meant that she was responsible for lifting at least some of the weight from her armor. Odds were that she was tiring out far faster.

“You’re not too bad. Fast little bugger too. It’s a real shame I haven’t been trying yet though. Why don’t we get serious?” If Zeich were an animal, his ears would have twitched at that point as he paid very close attention to that last statement. Irritation and a slight thread of anger rose through the Fifth Seat’s emotional cap, and his amber eyes narrowed dangerously as Yoko spoke, provoking him. If the Fullbringer was paying attention to her opponent’s face, she’d see the muscles around his jaw tense as he clenched his teeth, trying his hardest to suppress the reaction that was building up. It was difficult though; there was plenty of reason for Zeich to lose his temper.

What Yoko would not know, as the two of them had never met before, was that one of the few things Zeich had any sort of pride in was the conviction with which he did his duty. The Fifth Seat was a soldier in his personality, and thus took every order and command seriously. The obviously incorrect or self-serving ones would be ignored or opposed depending on the situation, but aside from that, Zeich saw his duty as something very powerful. He always tried to perform his duty, his missions, as seriously as possible as long as they were reasonable. Thus, when this child had told him to get serious, it caused the Shinigami to seethe. Anger burned beneath the surface, and his eyes narrowed further as he struggled to keep it down.

Master, calm down. Calm down. Haiiro’s voice cut through the slow-burning mist of anger, a refreshing breeze of logic in the hot haze clouding Zeich’s mind. You need to think, be rational, focus. If you’re angry, focus on your work, your duty. Don’t think about her words; she’s a child, and likely doesn’t understand that it upsets you. It was obvious that the wolf was right; Zeich was letting his emotions get ahead of him without considering the other perspective. It was obvious that Yoko wasn’t trying to dig at such a sensitive point, though it was obvious that she was giving a playful taunt to boost her own confidence for the battle ahead. Yes, that was all it was, a childish maneuver for the sake of consoling her ego.

Still angry, but with it more under control, more focused and cold rather than a searing anger that burnt away reason, Zeich shifted his stance slightly. “You want me to get serious, then? That’s fine.” The Fifth Seat shifted his feet so that they were spread a bit more widely, his left leg slightly behind the right, and after sheathing Haiiro, the Shinigami brought his hands up in a defensive stance before him. They were raised up, palms inwards and fingers spread slightly to ease the tension in them, the left hand slightly in front of the right. It was not a real martial artist’s stance; rather, it was one that Zeich had adopted in his own personal brand of fighting, a defensive posture that would allow him to catch straight melee attacks or halt weapon attacks through use of Hakuda techniques that he had learned recently. It was defensive when he was preparing himself; however, when he attacked, Zeich could switch to offense like lightning. But first, there was one more thing to be done.

“Suppress, Haiiro.”

Zeich’s weapon shifted even in its sheath, turning a solid gray color before rushing out in a large cloud of ash that swirled around the Shinigami. The insubstantial nature of the cloud made it look like swirling mist around him, though at a closer look it was obvious that the gray mass surrounding Zeich was made up of hundreds of thousands of ash particles, the small fragments moving about him freely. There was only roughly enough to cover a person’s body completely, but what was there was dispersed out to make the cloud appear larger, if somewhat less substantial than before. This ash, however, was far more than it appeared to be; if it coated a single surface, armor or not, it began to absorb the victim’s Reiatsu in order to keep its attachment. In exchange, where it touched skin or came close to skin level, the ash would also cause intense pain, distracting and weakening the enemy even as it sapped their spiritual strength away.

“Prepare yourself.” With that, Zeich started forward, attacking even as Yoko continued to wait, clearly preparing herself for something. The Fifth Seat wasn’t sure what she had planned, but it was enough to keep him wary, especially as she had a new tool visible, a short tube that was held in the same hand as her gunblade. What was that tube, and what was its purpose? Whatever it was, Zeich didn’t trust Yoko not to throw a surprise at him. Whether the tube was some sort of thrown weapon or it had some other property, it was best to keep his distance and attack with a hit-and-run strategy until he could determine the tube’s use. Thankfully, attrition was the whole purpose of Haiiro’s power; Zeich didn’t have to overpower his opponents with force when he could simply drain them of their spiritual power and leave them with one less way to harm him.

Zeich darted forward with a Shunpo even as Yoko started her own charge, the two of them drawing close before the Shinigami disappeared in a sudden burst of speed. This time, however, he went to the Fullbringer’s left, around her shield and crouching down, bending at the knees. This would cut him off from the young woman’s vision thanks to the size of her shield along with his fast movement, making him essentially invisible to her. If she had some way of sensing him beyond her standard visual senses, this would be the proof; last time, it had seemed as though his Shunpo’s direction had been anticipated even as he made it, allowing Yoko to turn and react to his follow-up attack. If she managed to do it again, then that would be plenty of reason to suspect some form of sensory ability.

Of course, Zeich wasn’t going to sit and wait; this was a potential opportunity to strike. He was well-concealed, with his ash rushing at Yoko’s front, as the particle cloud was only as fast as the Fifth Seat’s standard speed before Shunpo, meaning it was catching up. It wouldn’t move directly towards him, and in fact it was easy to manipulate it to go wherever Zeich wanted it to go, meaning that it wouldn’t simply give away his position. Yoko would be forced to move away lest the ash surround her and start sinking onto and beneath her armor, beginning to suck in her Reiatsu. It was focused on the torso for the moment; should the young woman fail to dodge the ash at the incredible speed it was moving at, a little over seven times faster than the average human, the ash would attach itself to her body and start hurting terribly, like a thousand needles being driven into her body. Her spiritual energy would start to be sucked away as well.

Only two-thirds of the ash was attempting to bind itself to Yoko, however, and only half of it would succeed right away, as there was a brief delay as the body tried to adjust its Reiatsu flows, causing it to be difficult to latch onto right away. The remaining third flowed towards Zeich, wrapping about his hands and forming metal gauntlets with reinforced knuckles and guards around the fingers to reduce impact. They were not large gauntlets, as there was only enough ash to form a single one-handed weapon, but it was enough; Zeich had the defense his hands needed, which meant he could release one of his more powerful Hakuda techniques, one that he had developed on his own.

Darting forward with a Shunpo again, this time to Yoko’s opposite side, Zeich turned and began his sudden assault, using his dizzying movements to keep her off-guard. Reiatsu was suddenly channeled through his arms, strengthening them further in addition to the covering over his hands, keeping the bones throughout more secure even as the nerves and muscles in his arms began firing rapidly. As they did so, Zeich’s arms would move with blurring speed, each punch coming at twice his increased speed, fourteen times faster than the average human. Yoko would be in trouble against such a rapid barrage, as they would come far faster than her instinct would allow her to react to. Each punch came with the force of Zeich’s speed and physical strength as well, and though the blows might not pierce the armor, they were still powerful in their impact force. Yoko would be rocked about by the sheer power of the attack, her armor absorbing the direct blows but not doing a lot to mitigate the overall force.

Hyaku Shikon was one of the many Wild Arts techniques that Zeich had developed under the Hakuda arts, and it was a deadly technique befitting the name “Hundred Fangs.” By channeling Reiatsu through his arms, the Fifth Seat was able to strike at lightning fast speed with a deadly barrage of one hundred powerful punches that would crush many defenses. Atop that, he had strengthened his hands with reinforced ash-based gloves as hard as spiritual steel, as well as the Reiatsu control that was part of Hyaku Shikon, meaning that his own hands took no damage from the impact of the attack. It did, however, have its drawbacks; his arms were sore, the muscles straining slightly from the sudden barrage, and he was starting to breathe heavily. Such a devastating attack was powerful, but it was hard on the body too.

But that wouldn’t stop him. Pain was ignored as best as was possible given the small injuries he had taken, and the Shinigami backed away immediately after his technique, putting some distance between himself and his opponent. Yoko, if she took the attack, would be suffering from its force, and though her armor protected her from the worst of it, the force of the attack would be enough to easily cause some harm. What would the Fullbringer do? Would she be able to dodge, to escape the wrath of such a powerful technique? Or would she be knocked out cold as a final warning that her spiritual powers were not to be used lightly? Only she would be able to tell.

Remaining Reiatsu: 800/2000 (-200 for Shikai, -50 for Haiiro Ken, -100 for Shunpo x2, -400 for Gigei Mikon: Hyaku Shikon)

Shikai: 1/10

Ash Portions Available: 1/3 (One forming gauntlets as a weapon, one attempting to cling to Yoko’s torso.)

Zeich’s step to the left provided him a full view of the events that happened as he moved, allowing him to see the effects of his evasion as he dodged aside. Haiiro’s ash was enough of a distraction to make Yoko believe her opponent was on the far side of it, causing her to throw her weapons in an ineffective move that caused the energy-formed blades to clatter to the pavement on the other side. The Fifth Seat, had he more than a moment to observe, would have shaken his head at such a rash attack; throwing one’s weapon was already a poor decision, because it left one vulnerable until it was retrieved, which could be difficult in heated combat. It just went to show that she was still a child in experience; she did not know the risks and results of her erroneous judgment, which could get her killed if this was against a Hollow or another more powerful being.

A shot followed the thrown weapons, an attack that would have been much more effective if Zeich hadn’t moved previously to leave his opponent shooting in the dark. To make things worse, the young woman went in for the kill right after that, charging through the ash with no hesitation despite the fact that it had shown no previous properties beforehand. Zeich had shown he could shape it into a weapon for himself, but beyond that the ash had revealed no other immediate abilities. Without knowledge, one did not simply rush through it; caution was required, and as a result of her lack of such, Yoko quickly learned the ash’s greatest property, which was the siphoning and suppression of Reiatsu.

The ash would attach itself to the young woman’s armor, siphoning the Reiatsu that held it together and causing it to weaken as her low stores became further depleted. That was the key opening that Zeich needed, and he quickly stepped in close as Yoko realized her mistake, trying to backpedal mid-lunge. However it was far too late, and Zeich’s first punch impacted her arm, catching the shielding atop it and causing cracks to ripple through the surface. The increased force of the blow followed by the sudden impact caused Yoko to stumble, twisting about for more strikes to follow the initial hit, punch after punch connecting with her body in the blink of an eye that spelled her disaster.

Zeich’s attack was fierce, but he knew that given the armor’s hardness even while weakened, it would not be a fatal blow. He hadn’t held back his punches, but thankfully his strength wasn’t such that he would deal any crippling or fatal damage to the young Fullbringer’s body. In the end, it left Yoko staggering back with her armor in shambles, bringing up her weapon to fire once more at Zeich in a last-ditch attempt at damaging the Shinigami. The Fifth Seat found himself momentarily surprised; after the impact and the damage to Yoko’s Fullbring, he hadn’t expected a final attack and hadn’t prepared himself as a result. Grimacing, he brought his arms up before him to take the worst of the attack, summoning Haiiro to form a defensive layer on his body with his Haiiro Ko-To technique to hopefully dull the worst of the strike.

An explosion of force surprised him, however, as Yoko’s weapon simply shattered from the force of its own blast, unable to handle what little Reiatsu the Fullbringer had left after the damage her Fullbring had taken. The young woman was sent hurtling back to crash into the doorway that led into the building, collapsing with her back to it after the impact. Realizing that the battle was over, Zeich sealed his Zanpaktou again with a mental thanks to Haiiro for his help and ran over to Yoko to make sure that she was okay. This was a disciplinary action, not an actual attempt to harm the young woman!

Fortunately, the damage didn’t seem too extensive. What parts of her body Zeich could see were only lightly bruised; at worse, the Fullbringer had no more than a concussion, and would recover in due time. While he had her attention, however, the Fifth Seat knelt down and caught her chin lightly in one hand, tugging it up gently to make sure their eyes met. He wanted to make sure this lesson stuck, as part of his duties; if Zeich came back and Yoko continued her reign of chaos, then it would be a personal failing, one that he would reflect upon for a long time to come. So it was with that in mind that he made sure the Fullbringer was paying attention before he finally spoke, his voice soft.

“Yoko, let this be a lesson; you do not have full control over your powers yet, and cannot pretend you understand them fully so soon after getting them. I have had a long time with my Zanpaktou, and even I do not always understand all of its intricacies of it. As a result, you need to restrain yourself and learn to use your abilities in a way that do not endanger you or those around you, and in ways that do not draw attention. If I were a Hollow, you’d be a meal right now, and that would be it. As it is, this is only a warning; next time you could die. Battles are not games, where a loss only is a blow to your pride. It is life and death, and maybe it’s time you slowed down and thought about what your life is worth to you. If it means nothing, continue on with what you’re doing.”

Zeich turned away, releasing Yoko’s head so that it rested on her chest again, her vision starting to blur as she slipped into unconsciousness. Opening up a Senkaimon before him, the Fifth Seat strode into it, stepping through the threshold. There, however, he paused and spoke once more. “If your life has any value, however, take my words to heart and learn from this experience. Learn that you’ve entered a war zone by using these powers, and that your life could be forfeit if you act carelessly. Learn, and live.” With that, the Senkaimon closed behind him and vanished into the air, leaving Yoko by herself, unconscious on the rooftop. Zeich’s words would remain as her last memories before passing out, however; what she did with them would be up to her.

Battle Ended.