A park day ruined. (Joint training closed, Ryouzen)

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

As they were walking to the place Abaddon had mentioned as a good training ground Ludwig was only smiling to himself as he saw the transition from city to forestland. Ludwig enjoyed seeing what humans nowadays could produce but there was something to be said about nature and what was around when humans weren't. If anything it was actually a nice change of pace and Abaddon's comment about nature was pretty much spot on to what Ludwig was thinking to himself at that moment. His only response though was a nod towards Abaddon while they continued on. Eventually they did finally reach the clearing which Ludwig could only assume was where Abaddon had meant to bring him. Once seeing his companion take off his nicer clothing Ludwig would do the same except just with haori which would be handing off a tree branch.

Upon looking back over he quickly realized the quincy hadn't drawn his bow but instead was going to fist fight him. While interesting Ludwig's first thoughts however were not geared towards why Abaddon didn't have a bow out but more towards WHAT he would do. While he had been a soldier and had some level of training in hand to hand he'd always been given a weapon. And honestly he really needed one else he was pretty easily at a disadvantage. Still Ludwig could only chuckle to himself as he tried to mimic the stance Abaddon had. Well it seems even captains can learn something new huh? That is the point of training after all, to get better and push past weaknesses. Even if only a little. Ludwig's stance was fairly sloppy by comparison, it was honestly obvious that he hadn't really engaged in physical combat like this. But while Ludwig's form was honest of his physical prowess his mind was thinking over which, if any Kido he could use. At the current moment the only one coming to mind was Sho. It was weak and could still be used to bolster his physical prowess even if he currently couldn't do much.

"I'm ready when you are. Though I warn you this isn't my realm of expertise so lets keep any mishaps between us alright?" Ludwig though his eyes showed his focus despite his stance, had a smile showing he was still intending to make this as enjoyable as possible. What was the fun in training if you couldn't enjoy yourself some? Ludwig remained still as he considered what to do initially, fully intending to wait out for Abaddon to move first. An area that wasn't his expertise was not somewhere he was going to make the first move in, not unless he wanted to search for an opening that probably wasn't going to happen for him. It'd probably do the opposite and make a multitude of openings on his end more than anything.

[Abaddon]

It would appear as if Ludwig would give him the first shot and also throw out a warning of trying not to hurt one another, Abaddon was fine with this, after all all Abaddon wanted to do was test his physical strength against someone who clearly was punching well above his class. “ That's fine, I don't really think I have a way of hurting you actually.” While this could come off as a bit of playful banter it was actually the truth, Abaddon seriously doubted that he had a way of actually hurting Ludwig. With his bow being sealed away and his power as weak as it was there was no doubt in his mind that he could actually hurt the man.

Even still it was a bit of a shock to hear that this sort of combat wasn't known to Ludwig. It seemed that for shingami there was more of a preference to work on their sword skills and not their hand to hand combat abilities. A shame really as a bit of work in both could easily make fights easier knowing that if your weapon was knocked away or lost you had a back up. Still that wasn't his concern nor was it his issue that was a fault in the soul society not in himself or Las Arenas. Due to the loss of his own power he made himself physically stronger in order to make up for the lack of power that he had in order to protect himself.

Nothing would get done by simply standing there however so Abaddon slowly started to approach Ludwig, with the difference in height and reach Abaddon clearly had the advantage when it came to throwing punches or kicks, yet he wasn't going to use that for the moment. He got in close enough where if Ludwig moved forward he could hit him, but Abaddon was able to strike Ludwig from this distance. From here he could tell that Ludwig had several openings, his stance was bad and his guard wasn't the best, in order to make this a bit more about teaching Abaddon thought of something just before he would throw the first strike.

The first punch would come from Abaddon's right hand aimed right at the captain's face, as he extended out his hand Abaddon would quickly step forward in order to keep in striking range of Ludwig in case the captain backed off. This first punch was a faint and a distraction, he wasn't expecting it to actually hit Ludwig, not that's what the second punch was for. Given that someone's focused should be on a punch aimed right at their face he assumed that Ludwig wouldn't see the second punch thrown by his left hand being an uppercut strike aimed right at Ludwig's sternum. This would test two things, number one how good Ludwig's reaction time would be and secondly if he could even hit the man. While Abaddon didn't want to hurt Ludwig, he found that the best way to train someone in hand to hand is let them get hit and then tell them why they were hit.

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Ludwig watched Abaddon about as intently as humanly possible which initially granted him with one clear realization. Unless he were to able to control the distance between them Abaddon would by default be in a far better position due to his extended reach, however this also mean due to his increased size he was, hopefully, going to be easier to hit. Though this in and of itself was probably unlikely. Ludwig in the meantime just stood still as Abaddon came closer and inevitably threw the first punch, though in actuality it was two. Ludwig very easily threw up his left arm from under Abaddon's punch this alone would be enough to force the punch to go over him and prevent any damage. However all to late did Ludwig realize if only due to the seeming lack of force behind the first punch and noticing Abaddon's left arm moving that it was a feint. He had maybe a second, a moment at best to react which would be to Shunpo away under any other circumstance that this occurred. However as it was training and it was with someone far less able than he was he was restraining himself in a multitude of area's, this being one. He would not under any circumstance use Shunpo.

So while he realized it he ultimately took the second hit full on to his chest. Lord was this one able to give a solid punch, he could have sworn he didn't have a breath by how quickly it left him. Hell he was even propelled back some by the hit given Ludwig didn't have nearly enough weight to help handle the force. He did however remain on his feet and after a few moments stabled himself before returning to the mimiced stance because if nothing else a stance even sloppy should hold some amount of benefit. At least that was what he thought anyway. With one challenge posed to him now he was going to have to learn how to defend himself physically which brought him again to Sho and how he could use it his advantage. Maybe he could feint also and use it to force the other back if nothing else. Or maybe he could propell himself if possible? So many different ideas were going on in Ludwig's mind that even his outside demeanor showed he was thinking and probably thinking too much given he wasn't paying as much attention to Abaddon as he probably should.

[Abaddon]

In the moment that the second punch actually hit Ludwig and the captain was pushed back a bit Abaddon was stunned by this interaction. He had expected that while he could hit the captain with some strength he didn't expect that the man would be this weak when it came to fighting. It seemed so bizarre to him to see that someone was easily being pushed away by him when he knew that he himself wasn't the strongest out there. Was this really all the strength that the captain had? Did the shingami really only focus on using their spiritual power allowing their physical bodies to be so weak? So many questions yet so little information.

Seeing that it was taking a bit for Ludwig to get back to a normal stance Abaddon kept his distance and didn't follow up with any sort of strikes. “Are you alright? I hope that I didn't hurt you too much.” Abaddon was generally concerned for the man given his reaction to the punch. If a simple punch like that was too much then maybe he should hold himself back a bit. At the start he was worried that he wouldn't be able to even keep up with Ludwig, now he was concerned that he might hurt Ludwig. Tho he had a rather interesting and down right mean idea on how to help Ludwig get a better guard.

Following the response that Ludwig had Abaddon would slowly walk right towards the man keeping his guard up and watching Ludwig's actions. Unlike before Abaddon would get in a lot closer, close enough that Ludwig could throw a punch but, Abaddon's real goal here wasn't to punch Ludwig, it was for force his heel ontop of one of Ludwig's feet using his strength to hold the man in place and unable to pull back. If it worked then Abaddon would follow up.

“Sorry, but think of this as a bit of a bootcamp training.” With his heel on Ludwig's foot keeping him from moving too far away Abaddon threw a punch right at Ludwig in between the obvious gaps in his guard. “How can you block a punch with such a sloppy guard, you can't run away, you have to block it or get hit.” Obviously at this point Abaddon wasn't using his full strength to hit the man, but it would still hurt getting hit in the face this close. He hopped that at the very least Ludwig might learn something about blocking at the end of this, tho he had a feeling that he might have to treat him to a soda again at the end.

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Ludwig nodded to Abaddon with a small smile "No worries I am fine, but you do have quite the punch there. Can't say I've been hit that hard in awhile." Ludwig played it off some but his reaction showed just how minimal his physical fighting prowess was however what was interesting to note was that their speed of movement was about equal. Abaddon had the close quarters fighting experience as well as investment into fist fighting that Ludwig had never considered to put into. While Abaddon walked forward Ludwig kept thinking over idea's, he needed to keep an eye on what Abaddon did while retaining his ability to block. If his feint was any indicator he could very well use his leg next if he so chose. That would be an arguably much harder attack to block for Ludwig so his thoughts kept swirling around not even realizing until he felt a pressure on his foot that Abaddon had just come straight up to him. Eyes widened he could see the height difference as well as the punch towards Ludwig.

What should he do? Abaddon would hit him if he didn't block and at this range he would get pummeled if he did nothing. Or even if he took the hit or blocked it. While he didn't know what openings he had he knew they had to be plentiful. Which speaking of openings the one Abaddon aimed at hit him square in the jaw. The hit was a bit jarring but unlike last time he wasn't able to move back given one leg was forced still and the other in response moved back. How ironic it actually would be that his leg moving back actually provided him a bit more balance. Even better this punch literally knocked into his head an idea. If I can't hit him with the same force physically I need to amplify how much I'm putting out. If I use show in time with my punch it would arguably be a point blank hit using both physical and spiritual abilities. Perfect. Lets hope it works out first however I need to find an opening. Actually its right now!

Gritting his teeth Ludwig used his left hand to grab and subsequently pull down Abaddon some to make sure he wouldn't miss his first attack. It took hardly a moment to pull back his right arm, tense it and punch towards Abaddons seemingly pinpoint midsection. Hado#1 Sho! About a moment before his fist hit Abaddon's midsection the spell itself seemed present in the form of a small invisible bubble. Once his fist connected with Abaddon it popped combining the physical force he could muster up with the force of his Sho adding to it, and given it was Ludwig's spiritual ability powering that he imagined it probably felt like getting hit by a bag of bricks given he didn't use the incantation. At this point however if Abaddon was watching his expression it would show his eyes shining with a small smirk on his face. Nothing demeaning about it but just excitement for the whole situation and a bit of appreciation for what his idea, even if unoriginal. "You know what they say. The best defense is a good offense."

Sho: -25 Rieatsu

2975/3000 Rieatsu remaining

[Abaddon]

There was a moment in which he thought that he had the advantage in this training, however in one simple action he found the truth out about this fight. That Ludwig was holding back at least in one aspect. Yes the first punch that Abaddon had thrown was grabbed sightly by Ludwig, but that wasn't what he was referring to. It was the second blow that Ludwig had used that caught Abaddon off guard. Something had pushed against his torso with strength much greater than his and even forced his entire body backwards. He had never felt anything like that before or even encountered it before. He had heard stories about shingami having abilities aken to magic, so was that what this was?

“Yes you're right, not much I can do against whatever you just did there, but that just means I have to try different tactics.” At the very least he was understanding a bit more about the way shingami could fight. That being said his chest hurting like hell after being hit by whatever he was hit by. He could feel that a bone or two had been broken by that attack. It was annoying to say the least, he would have to get it treated later on, but that wasn't going to keep him from continuing this bit of training for now at least.

With one hand hindered and possibly broken Abaddon had to change tactics on how he would train. Not wanting to let his momentum slow down anymore Abaddon turned to strike once more, this time with his left hand. As he did so his body shifted so that his side would face Ludwig and just as the blow looked like it was about to be hit, Ludwig would feel a pain in his midsection as Abaddon's foot would be firmly placed against it after throwing a kick. Said kick should come as a shock given that he had given no hints that he could do so from this range.

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Ludwig’s smirk remained on his face as he saw the effects of his Sho punch on Abaddon. Granted the overall idea wasn’t super complicated nor was it wholly original but the fact it worked at all was made Ludwig smile. Not to mention that it actually opened up the possibilities of further uses for Sho later on in Ludwig’s free time. However currently he had other problems at hand, such as trying to not cripple or further injure his sparring partner. Ludwig wasn’t the most medically inclined shinigami but even he could see that Abaddon’s breathing was labored some and his right arm was a bit limp. This meant that he’d inflicted a far more damaging wound on Abaddon’s chest than he thought and had even extended it to his right arm. This meant that Ludwig could only use a Sho anything MAYBE one more time if that and it would have to be an attack that would end the spar so Abaddon could get checked out. Talk about multi-leveled training, Ludwig was going to have to be a bit more serious and find Abaddon’s weak points so he could end this smoothly while not further aggravating his chest and arm.

However to Ludwig’s dismay that was going to be put to the sidelines as he yet again had been lost in thought some. A habit even he would have to admit would need to be worked on throwing in the nearest garbage can. See while he was thinking over different idea’s for Sho Abaddon had reclaimed his prior footing on Ludwig’s foot limiting his movement again and had thrown a left punch in the process. Ludwig in Autopilot dodged or really moved as much as he could to the right, literally into the subsequent kick to his midsection. To say it hurt was an understatement, especially when realizing he’d doubled over and was trying to regain his lost breath.  Gods...Ok yea this sucks...Note to self look over some martial arts that are defensive in nature because if I have to go through this again...Let alone with a STRONGER opponent I might actually be done for. Once he regained his breath he realized yet another idea he could do. Limit Abaddon by holding onto his leg. It would make him vulnerable to his left arm but frankly he was certain that it would open a much better opportunity than he currently saw.

Within a second of having the thought Ludwig’s arms became a vice grip on Abaddon’s leg, even pulling him a bit closer just to ensure he had a good hold. This by proxy made Abaddon’s foothold only that much shakier given his only other foot was on top of Ludwig’s. The problem with this however was now Ludwig was especially open to Abaddon’s left arm, and even his right if he felt the injury to it wasn’t too hindering. This wasn’t a part of Ludwig’s “master plan” but with an open calculating mind it would take only another second or so before he’d figure out where to proceed next. The real question was would he get that second or did he just open himself up to being pummelled into oblivion as far as this spar was concerned.

[Abaddon]

He wasn't expecting for Ludwig to do what he did. The very last thing that he had expected was for his kick which did land and clearly hurt would be grabbed by the shingami. Honestly he was taken back for a few moments. The last thing that he had expected was that Ludwig of all people would try and grab onto his leg. Really this was an odd thing to experience from someone who was so much weaker than him to try and hold him. "Not a bad idea, however not the smartest move to do Ludwig, never bite off more than you can chew." He spoke in a pleasant tone before making his next action. 

Yes Abaddon's leg was grabbed by the captain and yes he was holding onto it, however sadly just as before Abaddon had shown he was clearly stronger by a mile and it was at this point he would use his strength. Pulling his leg down with his force he would make it so that either Ludwig would have to invest more effort into keeping the grip he had on the his leg firm enough to try and keep it steady or give up before letting go of the advantage that he had gotten on Abaddon. Either way was fine as it would give Abaddon all the opening he would need.

With the arms of Ludwig hopefully occupied by trying to hold Abaddon's leg from falling out of his grasp Abaddon rushed Ludwig with another strike to the chest with his right arm. The strike was aimed right at Ludwig's face, it was a rushed punch, but one that would be useful to at least distract Ludwig enough to fully free his leg. From there Abaddon would back off slightly to let Ludwig recover before throwing another blow at the man again. "Are you still ok for more? or would you like to rest now?" Abaddon was responding to try and see how Ludwig was feeling. 

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

If Ludwig was honest he was more than happy to let Abaddon have his leg back because if grabbing his leg was surprising then what Ludwig had planned next must have never even been conceived by Abaddon. Once Abbadon made motion to actually throw Ludwig down via his leg Ludwig actually just straight up let it go. However what he planned instead for using Sho again but instead of using it in a punch he was going to use it to propel himself at Abaddon from point blank using his entire body. Mentally Ludwig began saying the incantation so as to not let Abaddon realize what was going on. He even dodged the punch Abaddon gave him by moving both hands to push up Abaddon's arm but continued moving his hands until they were behind him. With his incantation done now and his hands in position he mentally spoke the name of his kido and jumped into the air some. Hado #1 Sho!

Though it seemed ridiculous Ludwig using both hands and two Sho's had made himself be propelled by Sho to full body tackle Abaddon. With his body turned with his front to his right he had his shoulder aimed directly for Abaddon's midsection. It looked clunky as hell because Ludwig had no martial arts experience however it did what it needed to. Ludwig was promptly propelled at Abaddon with his upper arm and shoulder tensed with arguably with more speed than Abaddon could really hope to have without a technique aiding his speed. If it connected Abaddon would feel about as much pain and force as equivalent to the Sho punch from earlier. Top that off with that his chest being already injured this would probably hurt like hell and perhaps break yet more ribs given Ludwig had kind of left any amount of care and grace behind.

If Ludwig somehow missed he'd be propelled past Abaddon and arguably a good bit forward and land with about as much grace as his overall technique idea. Leaving him open to an opportunistic attack or a good few laughs if Abaddon felt so inclined. It was really up to him at that point if it missed completely. Either way it was too late for Ludwig to stop this so all he could do was hope he hit Abaddon while learning of yet another application for Sho for further investigation down the line.


-50 reiatsu for Sho x2
2925/3000 rieatsu remaining

[Abaddon]

With both of shingami's arms pushing away the fist that Abaddon threw he was barely able to move out of the punch, with the help that Abaddon didn't resist just to see what idea the shingami had for a follow up. After all this was training, this wasn't a real combat and he didn't expect to actually win, no more or less study a bit of what shingami could do and if it would be worth while that this particular captain could be trusted when it came to the secret of Las Arenas. At the very least a slight hint could be let out seeing that even after being hit hard, the captain didn't instantly lash out.

Yet what was the plan from here? He wondered, what exactly was the next step for the shinigami? Abaddon didn't have to wait too long before the attack came. The sudden propelling of the shingami towards him was rather unexpected, truth be told he wasn't exactly too sure as to what this man was thinking when he did that, however it didn't occur to Ludwig that maybe accelerating into someone like that wasn't exactly the best idea that someone could have.

Yes the blow did hit once more, striking his chest again. This time Abaddon did feel bones break, he knew he had a cracked rib or two for sure. The pain was horrible, but it wasn't something that he couldn't deal with for at least a bit. If this was all that the shingami had then Abaddon would take the lack of a follow up as sign to counter attack. Abaddon used the hand that wasn't pushed away to strike Ludwig right in the lower gut, a blow for a blow trade. Not the best strategy, but one that he could use via reaction not thought.

[Ludwig Verrlicht]

Ludwig smiled initially upon seeing his rushed and sloppy idea work. Seriously turning into a literal bulldozer was actually incredibly silly but sometimes weird things worked. And if for that reason alone it seemed this worked, and in fact worked so well that upon impact it broke at least a couple bones and cracked the remaining of Abaddon's ribs. At least in Ludwig's mind anyway that was what happened because holy damn was there a lot of noise. A sound he hadn't heard in an age but one he was familiar with enough. Ludwig's smile had soured and turned to a frown as he was beginning to feel disappointment in himself rise up from going that far in a training session. This also however dissipated upon being on the receiving end of a punch to his lower half, in damn near the same spot as the kick from prior. While nothing was broke he was certain he was going to need to see squad 4 for it because goddamn was that pain that much worse from before. If he was honest he actually held a small concern that he'd have bruising on an internal organ.

Before Ludwig could even form another thought he shunpo'd back a few feet as he breathed heavily now that his lungs decided air was good to have. After a couple moments Ludwig couldn't help but chuckle some while bent over and with a good bit of pain, at Abaddon. "Haha...hahaha...You know... Credit to you Abaddon you can really throw a punch. Heh. Granted I'm not actually that good at handling one either but still I hope I don't have to eat a punch from you later one once you've grown stronger haha! You'd probably be able to knock me out in a single hit realistically. Still don't you think we've done enough training for today? Being bruised is one thing but I swear I heard bones crack and snap, not exactly something I'd like to continue doing." Ludwig had finally pulled himself back up to his most of his full height, though he was still leaning over just a bit. He smiled wide, genuinely happy to have done something other than paperwork but his eyes did betray his concern for the other's well being. Especially considering he'd inflicted that harm upon Abaddon in the first place.  

Meanwhile in the back of Ludwig's mind he was having another mental conversation with himself over even just a couple things he'd learned here. I need to take some time to go over the kido I have on my person. Especially Sho. Until now I hadn't even considered the idea of a sho punch or using it to propel myself. I can only imagine the applications it can be used for...especially when I have more of my actual spiritual abilities available to me. Then we have the case to be made about martial arts...I hadn't considered them to be something that I should actively concern myself with. Between my zanpakuto's abilities and my kido I felt I was fairly well off but that's assuming I have an opponent who can't find a quick weakness in my tactics with either. That aside if I focus on a defensive martial art that deflects or would even allow a small weapon I may have a good chance of weaving it into my current arsenal. Who knows it may just open up a whole new realm of potential I'd been blinded to. If I only get to walk away with these questions I'd still consider this a good use of time given the doors that are now shown to me.

SPOILER: Click to show

{reiatsu total}
-50 reiatsu for Shunpo

2875/3000 remaining

[Abaddon]

It seemed that Ludwig wanted to end the training there for the time being. In all honesty Abaddon was more than happy to end it here as well. With the damage done to him, he knew that if he continued to train like this his lifespan this time around would be much shorter than what he had originally. Something that he wasn't exactly too keen on doing as there was still so much to learn and even more to do when it came to Las Arenas. Still he had learned one valuable thing about Ludwig that he would take with him, for now it seemed that Ludwig was a person that had limits and reason.

If this was the truth only time would tell, but for now it seemed that Abaddon could put at least a bit more faith in the Shingami captain. Truly this meeting had given him a better understanding of at least one of the members higher up in their ranking. Slowly standing up straight after that last hit he looked at Ludwig with a soft smile across his face. “Yes, I believe that for now I've gotten a better understanding of you which is as good place to call it quits for now. As for my injuries, I wouldn't worry too much about them, I have someone back home who will treat them, even if they will chastise me for getting so hurt.”

With that Abaddon started to step back towards where he had placed his things. The plastic bag had done it's job keeping his things from getting dirty, that being said the clothing he had worn was a bit filthy given the blows and grass, not the worst thing in the world but it was a bit annoying. This along with his injuries meant that he had to return home sooner than he wanted. Getting healed would probably take the rest of the day. Yet this day wasn't exactly wasted for at the very least he had met someone who could possibly start the change he envisioned for Las Arenas.

Before Ludwig would leave Abaddon would walk back and shake his hand as a thank you for the bit of training they were able to do. As he did so he would speak to the captain looking at him right in his eyes. “Ludwig, thank you for this. I only have one request of you, just remember that the world isn't black and white, it's filled with shades of gray.” With that said Abaddon would turn around and start walking into what seemed to be deeper into the woods. Still in clear view of Ludwig a garganta would clearly open something that a normal quincy shouldn't be able to do and Abaddon would clearly walk into it before it would close taking the quincy back to Las Arenas.

[Himitsu Kasumi'Oji]

+460 CTP to Abaddon

+200 SP and 60 TTP to Ludwig