Snow Angel and Candy Kaen

[Angel]

Even if Kaen was only stopped instead of blown back, that was fine, it still left her the chance to strike him when he was vulnerable! Thus, she went in for the strike for the man’s groin. Pain, the next thing she felt was pain as the martial arts master slammed his hand against the side of her leg, knocking it away, but also causing a rushing of blood that would make a nice bruise in the next few days. He was strong, and when she launched her second Sho, he simply shrugged it aside with a yell, standing his ground perfectly! Hikari’s eyes widened as he swung at her diagonally, and she already knew what the result of that was going to be based off of Arden’s case. She had to dodge and fast, or else take a hit and lose herself to Kaen’s physical assaults.

Despite being in pain, she forced herself to twist into a sidestep, attempting to avoid the diagonal strike by a narrow margin, but after some battle analysis on her part, she was able to tell Kaen was transitioning his movement into a horizontal slice aimed for her head. Duck. She tucked her head in like a turtle, and if she were successful, Kaen’s blow would narrowly whir past her head. Her analyzation was that he was trying to push everyone, but not use his power so that there was absolutely no chance to do anything. He changed his power and speed depending on who he was facing. Thus, she concluded that the key was indeed to strike him all together. Thing is, she couldn’t orchestrate a strategy in time with Kaen moving like he was, and unlike her, he was confident in using his body for combat as well as his blade.

Thing is, through her eye, she witnessed Kaze prepared to rush back into the fray of battle. She needed to support him, but her sword would be a bad choice. It was then that she had come up with a bit of a strategy. She’d fight like the roman gladiator arenas. ‘Enkosen.’ This Kido was no doubt her most powerful, and as Kaen pressed an assault on Kaze, it was during the palm thrust that she rushed forward. Suddenly a yellow barrier that was rapidly spinning in a circular motion was in play, attempting to strike his arm at the same time he was attacking Kaze. Even if Kaze was to take a hit, her barrier, that is if Kaen were a normal man, would cut through his arm from the fast rotational speeds, or at least cut into bone.

Either way, she imagined it wouldn’t feel so good to be hit by such a blow. She was using her Kido skills in a creative outlet, and so, she went with her full strength to ram into Kaen’s center of body. If his Shinai were used to strike, the barrier would likely shatter, but his Shinai was likely to as well. If his body was used, he’d be hurt in her mindset, and considering the fact he was already leaning in for an attack on Kaze and the fact Enkosen was about half of her size, she imagined that there was no feasible way to dodge this one. However, in the event he did manage to dodge, Angel would press on the assault, hopefully with Kaze with a thrust aimed for the stomach.

The shield was floating above the base of her palm, capable of being essentially weightless, another advantage to this fantastic barrier. Had she cornered the Vice Captain at last? She was strategizing how to counter his fighting style, his methods, This battle was tough, it was especially tough considering the fact that Kaen was no longer sitting. He wasn’t holding back so much now either seeing they have proved themselves worthy of at least getting a bit more effort from the man. “I have a shield you can’t touch Kaen-Fukutaicho! With it, I’ll guard them! AND RUSH YOU FROM ALL SIDES!” With a yell, she began to do a rapid series of thrusts, the back of her middle and index finger on her blade, supporting the jabbing motion. Enkosen would be used to defend against the occasional blow.

SPOILER: Click to show

Reiatsu Remaining:
1,035/1750
-100 Enkosen

[Kaen Youji]

Angel's attack wasn't a bad idea, but it was unfortunately mistimed. Kaen had maintained attention while going after Kaze, and Angel's charge attack was too soon. It was before Arden had managed to bind him. Plus... Enkosen was short ranged. With a shinai, she might have been able to get the reach to score a hit, but with Enkosen, she had to get too close. Cover too much ground. And there was one other problem, albeit one Angel couldn't have foreseen. Kaen's eyes glinted towards her as he struck at Kaze. "Nice try. Good attempt at covering your teammate. But that won't work at me." Kaen's sword arm arm flicked out from Kaze, at a higher speed than before. Enkosen, even if the gap between Angel and Kaen was massive, was still dangerous. While Kaen wasn't threatened by it persay, this was still the equivalent of a novice swordsman bringing a real sword to a fight with an expert, and therefore, Kaen still treated it as a serious threat.

Kaen's sword arm flashed out and hit the center of the Enkosen, not with the blade, but with the fist holding his weapon. And rather than being cut, the Enkosen simply.... vanished. It burst, and dissipated into the air. It wasn't shattered under the force of Kaen's punch. It was like the Vice Captain had flicked an off-switch on the kido somehow. This was Kaen's Sealing Fist. The Gokuinken. A high level Hakuda technique, that involved analyzing the opponent's wavelengths of spirit energy, and then using reiatsu channeled through the body to match and negate it. It wasn't a perfect technique, granted. If Angel knew what Kaen was doing, she could manually adjust her own wavelength to make it ineffective. Additionally, it took a long time to set up. Studying someone's wavelength was a difficult task to do, and required seeing them employ their reiatsu multiple times to get a feel for it. Fortunately for Kaen, and unfortunately for Angel, he'd seen her fire off half a dozen kido spells and been hit by three of them today. He'd had ample time to study her wavelength so using the Sealing Fist on her Enkosen spell was easy enough. "Sorry~" He chimed as he went in for a finishing rush.

And then Arden bound Kaen up in his next motion, giving Angel the precious milliseconds she needed to launch her series of thrusts. "That's more like it!" Kaen exclaimed, shrugging up his shoulders, and deflecting the first of Angel's thrusts using only his freed forearm to manipulate his blade, her blow shunted aside. "But Arden-san.... Sorry, but..." His shoulder shrug gave Kaen a hair of space, and he brought his free arm forwards. Then slammed an elbow strike into Arden's gut. The big man let out a groan of pain, releasing his grip, and slumping onto one knee. Even as he launched his elbow strike though, Kaen parried Angel's second thrust, lining up his own weapon on-point for a counterthrust. Uh oh.

And then a blur flickered into view. Kaen caught it just in the nick of time, and brought his weapon up to parry what was moments later revealed to be a flying shinai, barely knocking it away from his face. Kaze, still winded from Kaen's blow, had thrown his weapon, point first at Kaen's face. And this critical motion was enough. Even though Kaen attempted to twist aside from Angel's sword thrust, Angel would feel contact as the shinigami wove away, breaking free of Arden's grip. "Yare yare...." Kaen mused. "That's a point!" He said, smiling. "See? Teamwork!" He intoned cheerfully. "But that's one down...."

Kaen then blitzed forwards, moving at a speed of around 250, with a series of vicious diagonal cuts at Angel, cutting high, then low, then high, and then weaving a horizontal cut to her midsection, to draw her sword aside. The moment she reacted to the mid-section cut, Kaen stepped in and threw a powerful side kick to slam Angel backwards and wind her while her blade was still crossing with his. This was a new level of aggression from Kaen, now that Arden was down and Kaze was unarmed. Immediately following his kick, the Vice Captain then stepped away from Angel and with a casual double-step and swipe of his blade, lightly struck the downed Kaze with his shinai. "And then there was one~" He added, focusing on Angel. "I'm going to end this in my next move, Hikari-chan. You did well. All three of you. You should be proud. We've got ten seconds left on the clock. Can you land a hit in that time?" He asked, readying his blade for the final charge.

Reiatsu Remaining: 1400-100 (-100 for negating Enkosen with Sealing Fist)

[Angel]

The assault was on, and Angel ran head first, thinking for sure her Kido was going to be her saving grace. Yet, she would never have been prepared for what happened next. Her barrier ceased to exist, fading as if it were never there to begin with. She froze for but a moment, thinking for sure this was going to be the end of the line for her, until the brave and bold Arden came to her rescue. Binding him, for just a moment or two, that was when she launched her assaults, only for the initial few to be blocked easily with a barehanded opponent. This wasn’t any good. In a desperate act, she swung her blade down diagonally at Kaen’s legs right when he elbowed Arden. There was no way for him to block a thrown attack and a low attack at the same time while one arm was occupied.

Well, either way, the next words that she had heard made her sigh in relief, then tense with her guard up higher than ever. They got another point, but this time, Arden was down for the count. Let his sacrifice not be in vain. For a training exercise, everything here was tense, very tense. That smile of his, she could see it in his eyes, the tense emotion of joy he was feeling from this battle. Not even a battle...no, that wasn’t what he was happy about. Did he have pride in this current generation, this batch of Shinigami? Was that it? Did he enjoy nurturing his subordinates for their careers?

“Ikuzo…” As Kaen blitzed forward, her eyes were sharp, she could almost feel her senses becoming sharper, but yet, her body was slow. It wouldn’t move fast enough. She could feel herself growing faster and stronger from this experience, but it wasn’t enough to rival Kaen whatsoever in his current skills. She had to...try. Due to the fact that Kaen was rushing her, she had to stay on her toes, and so the initial diagonal high cut, she attempted to back away, pushing her body in a swerve to hopefully barely avoid being cut, the wooden blade brushing her robes hopefully. She wouldn’t let herself...fall here!

For the low swing, she had to predict his natural order of fighting style. Watching his arm movements, predicting his next movements with her battle analysis, she’d look at the blade coming in for a low slice, and in that moment, she hopped off of two feet, attempting to jump the wooden Shinai as if it were a game of jump rope, rather high in the air, leaving herself seemingly vulnerable. He was pushing her to the limit! The next high swing, if he still attempted it was coming straight for her, but in a desperate measure, she’d tuck her body inwards, almost hugging, making her frame smaller, attempting to make the blade narrowly, narrowly if possible miss her frame as she pushed on her body backwards, flipping, attempting to land on her two feet.

Assuming he went in for the midsection cut, there was a bit of an odd angle here. She stood at a height of 5’2” nearly half a foot shorter than the good vice captain himself. A mid section slice might be a bit awkward seeing she practically had to tilt her head slightly to look him in the eyes. In fact, it only added to his intimidating qualities. She raised her blade, leaning into it, putting her whole weight against the sword as her Shinai groaned from his strength, and surely, if he were putting more force, she’d be sent flying away like a ragdoll. Those charming cerulean eyes spoke many things, but not as many things as the kick that sent her skidding, knocking the very air out of her with a burning intensity. The only reason she was able to avoid most of those slices was because of her size and her somewhat dainty frame.

Yet, she instinctively used her free hand to nurture the wound she received. Coughing a bit of bile from her stomach onto the floor, she coughed hard as she had never been hit so hard before in her life. It was a new experience. Raising her head, she saw Kaze was struck down in a single shot. He was praising them...telling them that they did very well. Wiping the bile from her lips, the notice of ten seconds was left on the clock. Could she strike him? Nothing ventured...nothing gained. It was time to put her skills to the test! “I will strike you down! I will succeed!” Those eyes shined brightly, and in that moment, she took all of the data she had got, and attempted to apply it all at the same time.

“I...will!” Swiftly raising her hand, she thought about the advice he gave her, that she shouldn’t be fighting him like they were equals. Dirty fighting didn’t work out much either, so she had to fight smart instead of with brawn or with tactics. Her fingertips fired three blasts of electricity to the floor, right at Kaen’s feet to hopefully hault his assault, and at the same time would kick up dust around him, to which it would create enough cover to hide her eyesight. Any sane fighter would not rush head first when they do not know where their attacker might be. Now...stage two. She used her mastery of Sho to shoot at the ground, but with her mastery had made it make a peculiar sound, very familiar to the Shunpo with a whir. To the man’s side. By that time, she leaped into the air, firing another one off for the man’s left side.

It was an unorthodox attack, but she was high up. She could do it! There was only so much time! Letting gravity carry her in these final moments, she expected his guard to be to the left. In reality, she was above, falling before him, Shinai raised overhead and aimed to smack right down on his skull. ‘I can win!’ The young Shinigami took one final breath, swinging down with all her might. However, if she succeeded or not was the question? Would fate guide her destiny? Or would she be able to grab it in her two hands and mold it to her success?

SPOILER: Click to show

Reiatsu Remaining:885/1850
-100 Shunpo
-50 Shox2

[Kaen Youji]

As Angel slashed in at Kaen's leg, with her low cut, Kaen's reaction was fairly simple and basic. He stepped back. True Arden was behind him, but with Kaen's physical strength-- physical strength that he had few qualms bringing to bear against the big man, who had already demonstrated his own formidable strength, this merely meant that Arden was shunted backwards, while Angel's blade cut the space that Kaen's leg had previously occupied, but still allowed Angel a moment to compose herself. The truth was, Kaen pushed his hardest to embody being an ideal for the Squad to strive for. He wasn't taking this fight lightly, contrary to what Angel might have thought. Holding back, yes, but only to facilitate the growth of his students. And you know. To avoid killing them. But there was something else at work here. Kaen had to win. Why? Because what purpose would it serve if he was defeated by a handful of recruits, even if he was holding back? If Kaen wanted to be a model for the division, he had to win this. He had to make his strength seem invincible, so that others could aspire to reach it, not go around feeling they already had. Keep the squad fighting to reach ever greater heights. That was the purpose of a Vice Captain. To be so powerful, that if someone ever DID manage to wrest the position from him, they would, in turn be seen in the same invincible light-- the Shinigami that defeated Kaen Youji. That was his vision for Squad 7. A Squad that would always push to do their best, so that they could surpass the one above them. Continuing to raise the Squad higher and higher.

...Hey, it worked for Kaen? The Shinigami continued to fight in the self-perceived shadow of the Vice Captain before him. And with Rin's death... it was unlikely that Kaen would ever consider himself her equal. Never have the chance to demonstrate if he could have surpassed her or not. That image of invincibility, is what he pursued, and would drive him to grow stronger and stronger.

Back in the battle, Angel avoided Kaen's first strike with a backstep, and his second with an airborne leap. Kaen's eyes narrowed. He wasn't going to criticize Angel just yet, but an airborne leap like that was dangerous. Now she couldn't move out of the way of a heavy and accurate strike. But maybe she could make it work. Kaen's own sparring match with Kimiko Shihoin had shown him many of the holes in his own game, dismissing the air fight. So he would see how Angel would react to his attacks. She avoided his high cut again, by bringing up her legs and flipping backwards. Dangerous, but it worked so I won't criticize her too much for it Kaen noted as he pursued with a midsection cut. Although Angel was shorter, landing the slash wasn't too much of an issue. Kaen merely dropped his hips slightly, lowering his center and bringing him in-line. His legs were still braced and ready to move, so his mobility was not notably affected by this shift. Nor did it affect the side kick that sent Angel flying, causing serious pain and winding.

But her spirit was undaunted. Angel made a declaration that she would win the match, causing Kaen to smile. "Is that so?" He asked. "You have a strong will and determination." He raised his shinai. Then tossed it aside, the weapon making a dull clunking sound as it hit the ground and rolled away. Kaen had... thrown his weapon aside? Then Kaen shifted into his fighting stance. Some of the onlookers recognized this as a Karate fighting position. "To tell you the truth I'm actually only average at bladework." He informed her. "Putting aside my strength and speed, my technique is just that. However.... I'm quite proud of my hand to hand fighting. This is where the majority of my talent lies, Hikari-chan. So allow me to acknowledge your determination with a taste of my full, unrestricted strength." He challenged. Then suddenly Kaen was behind Angel, and tapped her shoulder from behind. Wh-wh-when had he moved there? Some of the especially perceptive students, like Kaze had their eyes wide, but even they had only seen the barest blur of movement as Kaen had moved behind Angel. Then as soon as Angel might have turned to look behind her, Kaen was right back where he'd started. 750 speed was a bitch. Kaen had already been something of a blur of movement to most students, but now he was moving three times faster!

Angel opened with three bolts of lightning at the ground, and Kaen checked the trajectories to make sure he was not hit by them. They weren't aimed directly at him. A deterrent? Had Angel backed down in the face of his declaration? Then he noticed the dust. A smokescreen! Very good! Kaen actually laughed. "That was clever. Good plan." And then Kaen activated Barrier Stance. She was going to take advantage of this smoke screen and attack him. So Kaen answered with a technique that granted him intense perceptive abilities, to check for Angel's attack through the smokescreen. Barrier stance completely ruined Kaen's perception of the world further than about a meter away from his body. But within that one meter bubble of perception, he was so focused, he could very nearly feel every single speck of dust on his skin, and feel the minute shifts and motions within it. However, everything else was muted and blurred. So much so that the sound of Angel kicking off with her Shunpo barely registered to Kaen. However, the moment her Sho strike entered his space, Kaen detected and sensed it immediately. "HAAAH!" Kaen's forearm struck out into the Sho, an invisible wave of force meeting a tangible one, and applied his Sealing Fist against it. Not only did it intercept the Sho, but the nature of Sealing Fist, when confronted with a significantly weaker reiatsu, actually allowed Kaen to reflect it, firing the kido back the way it came, and blasting a hole in the wall. Fortunate for Angel she hadn't been there to receive it. She'd been attacking Kaen from above!

And Kaen knew it. The moment Angel entered the invisible barrier Kaen had formed around himself, he saw her in his peripheral vision and looked directly up at her. He saw her, and she'd know it. Kaen's motion was simple, but devastating. To Angel probably. He stepped aside. Not slowly, either. One moment Kaen's head was directly in the path of her blade, and the next moment he was just.... to the left. A bare flicker of a blur of movement the only indicator that he had not simply teleported. This was Kaen's full speed. The minimalistic farce that he had been fighting at-- about 250 speed.... This was three times as fast as he'd been moving before. And then he smiled, and an instant before Angel's fully committed swing would have missed, he was suddenly back in the path of her blade.

Plonk

Angel's strike connected with Kaen's forefinger. When... When had Kaen gotten it back in the way of the strike? He'd moved back only an instant before it had hit. And perhaps just as frustrating and surprising... He'd stopped a fully committed attack from Angel with his forefinger!? The blade rebounded as if it had hit a brick wall! The dust fell on the view of Angel with her blade, and Kaen in his fighting stance, arm still raised above his head defensively. And Kaen smiled. "Ah... That was wrong of me. I got overconfident, and I shouldn't have blocked like that. That's one more point to Hikari-chan for match." He said cheerfully. "Congratulations." Hah... Shouldn't have blocked like that? It was probably abundantly clear to Angel that Kaen could have likely countered her technique a dozen different ways. Hell, he'd already dodged, and had voluntarily moved back into the path of the attack. But she'd carried through on her declaration and won the match. How would Angel handle this though?

[Angel]

Her dodges were all successful, albeit some of them were incredibly close. However, that wasn’t the right thing to think about at the moment. She made her bold claim and she was going to stick out with it. Prepared for a battle of swords, she was surprised when he threw his blade aside, like as if it were irrelevant. ‘Full unreserved strength?’ Focusing on Kaen, he vanished so fast that she could not comprehend the movement her performed. Her senses and her own eyes were too slow to register the man. Yet, from behind, she could feel the presence almost as if a death was looming over her. Twisting her head back, instinctively, nothing was there. If someone told her this was what killing intent felt like, she’d believe it in all honesty. He was like a ghost, someone impossible to catch up with her eyes.

Yet, turning back, he stood there, and she had proceeded with her assault of three lightning bolts, obscuring the vision of the man then followed through with her plan in motion, ever unaware the fact that Kaen was a master of beyond physical strength and speed, his martial arts and sensory perception was leagues beyond what Hikari could have ever imagined. She was never aware of his sensory fist, that was true, so when she had launched the Sho straight for the man and leaped, one could say that it was because of pure luck that she had done so. The poor wall behind the girl was decimated by her spiritual force coupled with the sheer monstrous strength of Kaen Youji.

Falling, she was falling to her target blade ready to swing down, and he twisted his head to look at her. She had him, she could get him! That was until he vanished at speeds so incomprehensible that it looked as if he had teleported out of the range of her striking blow. It was at that moment that young Hikari knew that she had failed, fucked up, and that her efforts were now useless against the god of death before her. She was but a small fish that had left the pond and was now in the grand ocean. Yet, within the next moment, he blurred back into position of her blow! Reflexively from her shock, she swung, but did she regret it as the blade she wielded shattered like glass on steel.

On top of that, the impact on her arms sent her knocked backwards, back to the floor as she looked to the man with shocked appearance. With a single finger?! He had given her the match, and in that moment, she rose, the tenseness of her body defusing, but then realizing why he had given her the match. It was to save her face and pride surely. She did not deserve victory, and so, she went to her knees, one hand on the ground with her head lowered. “What a disgrace…” She clenched her fist before looking up to the Vice Captain. “To be unable to defeat you with my own power...do you pity me?” She whispered that to him, trying to fully grasp the situation on why she was given victory despite her lack of skill to defeat him properly.

She would admit, that she was indeed arrogant, that she was the one that was able to last the longest, but that was only because of the contributions of her allies. Alone, this match would have been impossible in the first place. Yet, why was she the victor? The fallen Kaze and Arden were defeated, used as stepping stones to her success. She was prideful, she was arrogant to state she could win against the Vice Captain. Clenching her fist, her face twisted into a look of disdain before punching at the floor. “Kuso…” In this sense, it was but a greater wound to her heart, knowing that she was so weak that she needed two others to lend their all for her success. She rested underneath the hole she made in the ceiling before, light flakes of snow beginning to rest on her. “I-I can’t accept this as a victory no matter how much I want it to be. This is not my reality, my actuality.”

Rising to her feet, she looked down to Kaze and Arden. “I am sorry, my new friends.” Dropping the stump of wood in her hands that was once a Shinai, she picked the few splinters that rested within her hand. “Gomen...please let me take them to the medical division.” She waited for his approval, his order, his command, before she would attempt to have the man Arden leaning on her, as he was surely more durable than the poor Kaze, and would attempt to have them walk with her as comrades in arms. Though, the next thing she spoke was the birth of something inside of her very being. “Youji-Fukutaicho. I promise you that when I return, I’ll be so far stronger than I am now, that I will be able to obliterate my current self. I swear this as absolute truth.”

[Kaen Youji]

Angel's response was at least partially expected. Kaen had already identified Angel as extremely competitive and prideful. No doubt she didn't well understand the notion of allowing your opponent to win. She probably perceived Kaen's decision as pity. It wasn't but that was besides the point. And as expected Angel did not accept her victory. Kaen stood impassively and looked at her. "Kaze. Arden. Hikari. You three stay behind. I want to talk to the three of you, before you take them to the medical division. None of you should have broken bones, or internal bleeding." He glanced at the group. "As for everyone else, head to your dormitories. I'm sure you've already been introduced. We'll begin assignments tomorrow. Well done. All of you. I'll be putting in a good word for all of you, and seeing that you all receive assignments based on your performances here today." He said, cheerfully.

Kaen then waited for the group to file out, leaving just Angel, Arden and Kaze. Kaze seemed alright. Kaen had been relatively gentle with Kaze. He was winded and bruised, but not broken. Arden was panting, as he heaved his colossal size up to his feet, but he too didn't have broken limbs. Kaen had been rougher with him, and he would be feeling it, but again, only because Kaen had known Arden could take it. The Vice Captain had measured his strength very carefully against all three. A level of control so-as not to maim or kill any of the new officers. Only after the room had filed out, leaving just the four of them, did Kaen answer Angel's declaration. "I'm glad to hear it." He said. "But those are strong words. There's no need to "obliterate" your current self. You did well. All three of you." He looked at each of them. "I'm not patronizing you by saying that. None of you three are ready to fight a Vice Captain yet. The enemies I am sent to handle, you are not ready for. I stepped in so you could gather what a Vice Captain's level of power is really like." He said. "You did well, given that fact." He let them know.

"I'm stronger than any of you, faster than any of you, more experienced, and my reiatsu is stronger." He informed them. "I think it's important for you to fight someone like that, so you understand what it's like. If you ever end up on a field assignment and encounter an enemy of my caliber in a freak accident, you know what to expect. You won't try to fight it head on, and won't be taken offguard by its abilities. And you three showed a lot of promise today. That's why you got this treatment. Because I'm going to be pushing you three for high end assignments off the bat. You've proven yourselves today. So we're going to work hard on the flaws I've picked out in your forms. Arden: You're too reliant on your strength. You're a big guy. I get it. You're also shockingly strong for being fresh out of the Academy. You've probably not faced a lot of people that can match your strength alone. But that won't be enough as we go further. You need to refine your technique, and your speed. You can't just rely on toughness and power alone every time." He critiqued. "Don't worry, I'll look for some of our more technical officers to pair you up with. Maybe Miss Miyamoto." He commented, considering the Kasumi'Oji Princess, who possessed exceptional bladework, and had even managed to wound Kaen in a sparring match. As far as technique went there was much to be said on her abilities.

"Kaze. You're inventive and quick. You seize opportunities when they present themselves. But you're too passive. You wait for your openings, you don't push for them." Kaen considered this. "I'll look for a more experienced partner for you, so you two can work on that together. As for you, Angel." He began, now using Hikari's preferred name, when out of official company. "You show the same level of flexibility as Kaze in your strategy. I like how you took charge in our match. You have the markings of a good leader. And you kept on trying various strategies. Your technique is decent enough, but what I'd say you're lacking in, is the ability to fight directly. In most of your matches, you exploited the unorthodox. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but if your opponent is prepared for it, and can adapt quickly, you'll find yourself in a world of trouble." He began. "We've got a few excellent direct fighters in this division. I'll look to set you up on missions with them. If I get the chance, I'll gladly take you along on some of mine. I'm sure you'd be a huge help." He complimented. "And I'll be sure to check that all three of you receive premier assignments, relative to your peers. Do well, and you'll find yourselves working up to Seated Officers in no time at all. You've got the potential for it." He finished.

"You have any questions or requests before we finish up and I let you three go off to get fixed up?"

[Angel]

When everyone was dismissed except for the three unseated officers, Angel followed orders of course. Though what did catch her hearing was that he was assigning all of them assignments based off the performances. He sounded happy despite the fact that the three Shinigami, bruised and battered before him had not been able to match him. He went easy on them and thus she felt ashamed in her lack of ability. His skill was so far ahead, the fact that he held back so much was what made her baffled at the statement that he was proud? What was there to be proud for? For rookies, they may have performed well, but against an opponent of Kaen’s level, there was no competition. He was catering them based off their skillsets, pushing them, but they failed to reach a level that could really challenge the Vice Captain.

Nodding her head, she listened to his explanation though, about what they should do in the event they happen to meet an opponent that is of Kaen’s calibur. At their current level, they couldn’t hope to defeat such an opponent, and that was true. He mentioned that he was going to be sending them on higher end assignments off the bat, and that certainly interested her. He had faith in them despite the fact knowing they weren’t prepared. Listening, staring right at the man as he spoke, she tried not to let those words escape her nor the meaning behind those words. Yet, the next thing he spoke about filled her a bit with internal dread, yet eagerness to know. HE was telling them their shortcomings and what they needed to improve on.

She was...a little bit more than shocked at the amount of praise she received. She was expecting more criticisms, more advice, more of anything negative. However, when he mentioned that he might take her on some of his own missions, her mouth gaped, then shut as she contemplated these words. What she took out of it, was that they might not be ready now, but they had potential that could grow to be something useful. He said that they had the potential to become seated officers, and at that, she chuckled lightly into her hand, despite her stomach hurting a bit from the abuse she’s been pushing herself through all day.

“Hai...Fukutaicho-Youji. Well then...I suppose that I still have a lot of growing to do. I guess there’s nothing wrong with that...but I’ll make sure that I’ll grow the fastest then.” There were no more questions in her mind, only a light sense of satisfaction, despite the feeling that she ought to get stronger as fast as possible. She wanted to be the best, to be useful, to be all of the things that a Shinigami should represent. Kaen had unknowingly given her some expectation, or at least a goal line of what a Shinigami should be in their prime tier. She would reach that level eventually, and she’d strive to reach that. Looking to Arden and to Kaze, she proceeded to get them ready to head off to the infirmary for their treatment, they earned it. “Thank you commander.” Giving him a peace sign, she blurred off with her friends, leaving him alone in a mostly broken up barracks and paperwork to fill out. Twas an enemy she was sure Kaen could not defeat yet...why, it was a captain commander level opponent.

[Zeich Yajuu]

Alright, since nothing was specified, all rewards will be given as CTP.

Total Paragraphs: 196
10 * (196/2) = 10 * 98 = 980 CTP each.