New Hire Orientation [JT - Luca, Kazura]

[Kazura Uzaki]

Training for TTP:

Kazura was excited. The first application to his spiritual department in quite some time now had come in. So many of his employees had been lost in the past year, some of them lost forever, some of them going their separate ways, but all of them lost to the Company. While the mortal side of the company thrived on its research, development, and arms manufacturing departments, the fight against the Hollows and protecting Karakura Town and Japan as a whole was being lost by Kazura and his team. More and more often the threats were being terminated by Shinigami, who were often too slow to prevent damage to human lives, or were just thriving rampant destroying the lives of others. Kazura wasn't powerful enough to be in multiple places at once, and there was the troubling report he had received from Kitai and Marcus about Australia... But that would have to wait.

For now, Kazura was heading down to the main lobby of the UE Building to meet the newest hire, Luca Castabella. From his application, it seemed like he would have a similar skill set that Marcus had. Well, has, but Marcus had been off on a mission in the deep underground for longer than Kazura would have liked. He couldn't contact the man, for fear of exposing his secret cover, so he just waited to hear good news. No news was almost like good news, right? Marcus had always been Kazura's infiltrator, and though Kazura would never replace him completely, he needed someone to step up into that role once again. He needed someone who could get into places that others couldn't and also hold his own in a fight. Luca, according to his application, could potentially fit that role. Kazura would just have to find out during this New Hire Orientation.

The elevator finally stopped at the main lobby, and the CEO strode out to meet his new hire for the first time.

[Akira Hinosai]

training for CTP

Luca had spun the lie that he was accepting an internship at Uzaki. Of course, his host family didn't press any further, which was convenient because he still didn't know what the company even did. Well, what they did publicly anyway. Still, the lie came with a certain hassle: he had to dress up when he said he was going to "work". The worst part? He couldn't find a way to smuggle his shovel into the building. Of course he wasn't expecting combat, but the shovel seemed a part of him. Without his fullbring that was how he defended himself.  Beneath it all, he couldn't shake some feeling of anxiety. This was his shot to meet a bunch of other guys with powers, and get strong. It wasn't exactly an opportunity he could afford to waste.

If Amare made it in, I totally can! Though Amare was probably the type to kiss the asses of the higher ups because they were "heroes" too or something. Luca desperately hoped Uzaki didn't demand respect like every other insecure corporate stooge. If it meant gaining power, Luca would play along, but the thought of saying "Yes, Mr. Uzaki, sir!" rended his very soul. Every minute Luca waited seemed like the passing of eternity. Just ancy to do anything, he found himself pacing around the lobby, casing the unfamiliar location. The elevator dinged before the door opened, and Luca knew Uzaki himself had arrived at last. Luca would have to choose his first words with exceptional care. "Hello there!"  That was a good line to greet someone with, Luca knew.

[Kazura Uzaki]

Kazura was exceptionally talented at reading people. He had mastered the art of analysis, and while he was still susceptible to misdirection from someone trying to hide their intentions, he doubted that this young fullbringer was trying to hide himself from his new employer. The "Hello there!" was very informative. It was enthusiastic, potentially too enthusiastic. As if Luca was trying too hard to get his words out carefully. Understandable, given he was meeting a Karakura town Celebrity for the first time in person. Kazura, though master of analysis, was also vain. In his mind, Luca was careful with his word choice because he didn't want to lose face in front of a man he admired. Or at least respected. While Kazura wasn't the kind to demand respect, he felt like he was the kind that earned respect based on his past actions and his present wealth that would be supporting the new employee.

That, and he felt he was a pretty upstanding citizen. He had a few different philanthropic projects around the town, from construction of houses to supporting homeless shelters and various things in between. He also felt like he was making a difference in this town. His building was the tallest in the financial district, it stood out. It was a beacon of hope, in Kazura's mind. While the majority of the production and infrastructure of his company was outside of town and in bigger cities around the globe, Uzaki Enterprises Headquarters was based in Karakura Town, center of Spiritual activity and not a bad place to live in general. It was quiet here, in a mortal sense, even if a large majority of catastrophic events seemed to be centered here at times.

Flashbacks to when literal Hell broke loose here reminded Kazura of why he was fighting, and why he needed new help. "Ah, Mr. Castabella, please, follow me." He was formal for now, not knowing the young man personally yet. While he was more casual with his employees after a time, he wanted to stay professional to start. He gestured to the elevator, where once they were inside he removed a key card from his pocket and slid it into the console. He then placed his finger on a scanner and Luca might notice the faint build up and release of reiatsu coming from his finger. The elevator then started downwards, past the second basement floor that was the bottom labelled button on the pad. The elevator door soon opened up into a padded training room with various exercise and combat equipment spread throughout the area.

"This is an area of the building where it is safe to be yourself. This is part of the Spiritual Department here at UE, where we seek to combat threats to the town, the country, and the world. Please, tell me a little bit about yourself and then we can begin the morning exercise."

[Akira Hinosai]

Luca didn't know much about Kazura outside of vague mentions of him. He understood he was the head honcho of a bunch of local hollow fighters, but some part of him wasn't too sure about him. Of course, this was an opportunity where Luca had to play defense, and play all his cards right to meet more people like him. Still, Luca had an image in his head of a selfish, out of touch corporate suit. Whether this whole Uzaki Enterprises thing worked long term wasn't really up to Luca. Oh, he needed to learn how to use his powers, how to make them work at all, even. He still wanted to be a part of something, some group of people who could do stuff that mattered. Yet his heart wouldn't allow him to work for someone he believed to be an exploiter of those weaker than him. 

It would be easier for Luca if he wasn't if he was some Bruce Wayne instead of a Jeff Bezos. He tried to toy with the idea of striking it out on his own. Maybe he could sneak through the building, find that portal to Hueco Mundo and get trained by that Asuka person Amare mentioned. Wouldn't that be fun? You idiot, you're talking like it's a done deal! Luca couldn't afford to mess this up. Of course he was still nervous, but thinking about alternative paths was far more appealing as he waited for whatever Kazura was going to show him. The CEO's tone was formal, but Luca sensed something was different. They made their way to the elevator.

Fiddling with the elevator didn't usually require the use of reiatsu. Luca had a suspicion the little charade was about to end. This was it. The doors opened to reveal not some bland office floor, but an underground training room filled with stuff Luca really wanted to touch. Luca's cynicism about Uzaki faded for just a bit. Still, he did have to establish himself in a certain light. "I've been seeing ghosts as long as I've been alive. Even dicking around in the world of the ordinary people, I still figured out most of what's going on. There's a world of darkness and monsters most people can't see. All I know is I want to be right in the middle of it, fighting them off. You and your people wan't the same, I assume. If I'm right, and I suspect I am, I want to be in the middle of your plans too. My angle? I've got greatness in my blood. Not that my parents were special, quite the opposite, really." Luca laughed a bit. "No, I'm a fullbringer. My "greatness" is taking it's sweet ass time revealing itself. That's the trouble I'm in. I don't suppose we could come to an arrangement, could we?"

It was genius. Luca was lying about one thing. His supposed eagerness would only be true if Uzaki was truly better than most corporate executives. If he didn't know that, and was like the rest of them, Luca could take advantage of his sureness Luca would never act against him. Still, a certain level of uncertainly ate at Luca. This was still an important meeting, afterall. 

[Kazura Uzaki]

Kazura nodded along to Luca's description of himself and his goals. Yes, this Fullbringer would work nicely in his Spiritual Department here at Uzaki Enterprises. Fighting Hollows and other Spiritual threats was his primary goal for this department. "I agree, wholeheartedly. To be a fullbringer is to command the very souls of nature to your bidding. It gives me a rush to hear the souls call out and to whisper back to them. Greatness is indeed in your blood, and I would be happy to help draw that out." Kazura stepped to the side, towards a rack of wooden training swords. Stopping a few feet away, he closed his eyes and Commanded that the swords rise up and come to his open hands. He turned to face Luca and smiled. "Here, catch without using your hands, if you're able." Using Soul Command at this level was a more advanced skill, so Kazura wouldn't be surprised if it took Luca a moment or a few tries or wasn't able to do it yet at all. It would help the older man to gauge Luca's level of strength, however.

Tossing the training sword over in Luca's direction, Kazura watched to see how the teen would respond. Would he have mastered Soul Command to the point where he could Will it to stop in midair? Would he at least be able to nudge it or slow it down in midair? Would he simply catch it with his hand and skip or ignore the request? Would he do so willfully, sheepishly, or ignorantly? Kazura was analyzing all the possible ways that Luca could complete this task and in what manner he did so. It was an exercise in Kazura's own people reading skills, as well as a test of Luca's spiritual capabilities. When that simple exchange was completed, Kazura would enter a defensive stance with his sword held in both hands. "When you're ready, show me what you can do. Unless you'd rather spar hand to hand? We can do that instead, if you'd prefer." Kazura wasn't picky, though he'd prefer to practice his own sword skills that were still a bit rusty. He'd leave the decision of how to train up to Luca, however.

"Uzaki Enterprises is full of brave men and women who defend this area from Spiritual Threats. We hone our bodies and our spirits to be able to react at a moment's notice to incoming attacks. Our Detection Network can scan and detect any unusual release of Reiatsu from the majority of all spiritual races here in Karakura Town. If a Bount's Doll is activated in town, we will know. If a Hollow forms, we will see. We can keep eyes on the surrounding area in order to protect the mortals found here. You will be given a standard issue cell phone and smartwatch as well as an ID used to access the spiritual department basement floors. The cell is tied into the network and will allow you to access alerts. The smartwatch is a device of my own design. I will show you later its more useful attributes."

[Akira Hinosai]

Uzaki's response was definitely satisfactory. Maybe they really could work together. Though Luca's guard shot back up when Uzaki asked him to actually use soul command. Had Luca ever actually done it before? He wasn't going to come off as some weak loser. Yet he couldn't think of any way to avoid that. he grasped his right forearm and tried to make the sword come to him. The sword clattered down, but Luca wasn't content to let that be the end of it. "Come on...Come on!!!" the sword seemed to rattle on the ground for longer than it should have, before it slowly made its way to Luca's hand "YES!!! IN YOUR FACE!" Those were the first words of triumph Luca could think of. 

"I'm good to do this with swords." He didn't see any racks of spears, so this was his best bet. He'd never deemed fit to fight with his bare hands, after all. Luca entered an overhead stance, ready to show his sparring partner just why he shouldn't be underestimated. If he couldn't get an easy victory, he'd resign himself to showboat, and throw every technique he had until one caught Kazura off guard and he landed a hit. Of course, the real icing on the cake was the free stuff he was getting. A cellphone that would tell him where hollows were, access to the cool lower levels, and a watch witch Uzaki told him nothing about. "Come on, Uzaki, what does it do?"

[Kazura Uzaki]

Kazura knew the feeling of success at having conquered the soul of an object and Willing it to one's bidding. He knew the same feeling of joy that Luca was now expressing quite... casually. He didn't mind though, he wasn't the kind to take it personally. Luca was good to spar with swords, which also pleased Kazura. The younger fullbringer got into an offensive stance, it seemed, but wasn't ready to commit to the attack until he found out what the omniwatch did. The Uzaki CEO just smiled and pulled up his sleeve to reveal his own watch. "I call it the omniwatch. Sleek, stylish, and holding a secret compartment of fluid that can become rigid at a mental command. For example, I can Will the omnifluid to become a screwdriver, or a key, or a pair of wire cutters. Whatever you can imagine, though it isn't durable enough to use as a weapon. Just a tool."

If Luca was going to attack Kazura, he should have done it first instead of waiting to find out about the Omniwatch. Despite his defensive stance, the older man was bored and ready to train. The ground beneath him grew soft and spongy as he Willed the floor to soften and dip down. With knees bent and Will ready, he forced the floor to push upwards on him as he pushed off into an incredibly high jump from a complete stand still. It was a simple Soul Command exercise, one that Kazura had done a hundred times or more before. He jumped high, soaring over Luca with a front flip and landing behind the teen. Spinning around on his heel, he slashed at Luca's calf. This was done at a blurringly fast speed, clocking in at 300 stat speed. The man would at one point be in front of Luca, then the next behind him and slashing at him. All the while keeping his mind open to counter attack and his senses prepared from assault from any direction.

The training had just begun, though.

[Akira Hinosai]

It was basically of space age tech,  if you replaced science with magic and Luca had complete access to it. He couldn't think of any on the spot, but he was pretty sure he could use it to great effect. Though with his curiosity sated, Luca found himself getting overwhelmed by Uzaki. Luca could barely comprehend his movements. One second he was in front of him, another he was in the back. If this was a real fight, Luca would be dead a hundred times over. Not good! Damn it! There had to be some solution to this, even if he was moving at a snail's pace compared to Uzaki. 

Soul command could be used on nearly any object. So maybe Luca could manipulate the floor into...doing something. He figured any acrobatics he tried would be easily deflected. Maybe the key to holding his own was getting underhanded. Luca would try a textbook vertical slice. If the blow connected with Uzaki's sword, he might try kicking him in the gut. Really any opportunity he got, he'd try some unexpected punch even if he knew little of how to throw them. A thrust here, a parry there, a few slices. It would become clear after some time Luca wasn't going to win, nor was he trying to. He was just trying to get good hits in by whatever means necessary. After some focusing, he decided he'd try some soul command for a dodge-jump. 

If nothing else, he could get some distance with that, even if his execution was sloppy and forced. No matter the odds, Luca wouldn't give up. People whose names he didn't remember were always telling him first impressions mattered. It seemed for now, that was advice worth following. Besides, giving up was for people who weren't him."You're pretty good, I have to give you credit! It would be a shame if you got cocky and thought I was going down easy!" Until you give up, you never know what might happen. If nothing else, you can make your opponent's victory as hard fought as possible. Of course, it paled in comparison to actually winning, but if Luca was only a thorn in Uzaki's side, he'd be the thorn that really REALLY hurt. If the sparring continued he'd use more and more soul command to gain distance and make Uzaki come to him. 

[Kazura Uzaki]

Luca took the hit well, spinning around and throwing a vertical slice downwards at Kazura. The swords clashed as Kazura brought up his weapon to block. Luca wasn't particularly fast, and Kazura's mind worked at supercomputer speeds, so blocking the attack wasn't difficult. Kazura wouldn't show it though, as he wasn't the type to look bored or cocky. He wasn't expecting the kick, though. He let the boot hit home, letting one hand leave his sword to grab onto the kick before Luca could retract it. "Let's go for a ride." Now, Kazura wasn't the strongest of fullbringers, just hitting the peak of what a mortal human could handle. But he knew a few techniques that would help him hold onto the foot for just a moment. His skin started to turn red as he activated Pulley, a part of Willpower. His strength increased to superhuman levels for just a short period of time.

Spinning his foot around to point to the side, he used Movement to push off the ground as he leaned back. Basically, he Speed Backflipped. He powered his feet with Reiatsu to propel his back flip at 3x speed. Luca, if he didn't have a way of breaking free from Kazura's 150 Strength would find his body spun around in a circle at 1,350 speed. That could be disorienting, at minimum. Letting go after that, he'd let Luca recover and then watch as he practice Soul Command to dodge backwards. He was learning pretty fast, having gone from barely being able to move the sword to seamlessly moving the ground to soften and push him upwards as it reformed, forcing Kazura to approach him.

If that's how he wanted it, that's how it would be. Kazura leveled his sword and demonstrated another basic Fullbringer technique, Bringer Light. He'd need to explain these later, he made a mental note of. He pushed off the Soul of the ground and stepped forward as a column of light appeared where he had formerly stood. He moved at 4500 speed to appear behind Luca and tap him on the shoulder. "Focus reiatsu to your feet and manipulate the Soul of the ground and you'll find yourself able to step forwards at incredible speeds. Push out in a burst and you'll accomplish Movement. Push against the Soul of the Ground and you'll accomplish Bringer Light. The spin was using Movement, this quicker step with the column of light was Bringer Light. And my skin is blistering and red because I'm forcing reiatsu through my body with Willpower to increase my speed and strength. Doesn't last very long, though."

Remaining Reiatsu: 9,525/10,000 (-400 Pulley, -25 Movement, -50 Bringer Light)

Current Strength: 150
Current Speed: 450

[Akira Hinosai]

Luca was so sure the kick was a nice touch. So much so in fact, he smirked as it landed. Though his smile faded as quickly as it came when Uzaki grabbed his leg. Suddenly Luca felt like he was on one of those rides at the fair that spinned around really fast. Luca tired to use his sword to hit Kazura's hand, but it was no good. Before he knew it he was let go, but the world kept spinning. Luca was glad he skipped breakfast, because if he hadn't, he'd be vomiting it up on the basement floor. "I-I'm good. Just give me a minute." 

The world stopped spinning, but Luca had to get in more style points. He had decided this was like a video game. Only instead of killing Uzaki he would win by getting as many points as possible. After his barrage of soul command jumps, he figured he was doing pretty well again. He was a fast learner when someone actually tried teaching him. Though when he tried bringer light as Uzaki described it, the results were suspiciously similar to mere soul command. Willpower seemed like something Luca didn't even want to try. He would rather avoid blistering his skin only to get caught by Uzaki again. 

"Seems a bit overkill, don't you think?" he said before laughing. "So, are you impressed yet or do I have to show you a bit more?" If Uzaki wanted more, he'd give him more. Luca would begin an attempt to focus reiatsu in his sparring sword. That had to be impressive, right?

[Kazura Uzaki]

Kazura hadn't even broken a sweat yet, but Luca seemed to be done already. Maybe it was the spinning. Kazura could show him a few more tricks, but the other man didn't seem too interested. Kazura was pretty impressed by how quickly he learned, but most of his employees had a little bit more motivation. Well, not motivation, but drive to punch him. Irina, Kitai, Asmos, all of them had no problems with training with him until one of the pair was exhausted and unable to keep fighting. Luca seemed to just want to warm up. That was fine. Just would take some getting used to. After all, Kazura didn't want to push him too hard. Scare him off or anything.

"Yeah, I'm impressed. You learn quick. We can be done training if you'd like. We can switch to a more practical discussion of your duties here. We have more than one department here at Uzaki Enterprises, even among the Spiritually focused employees. We have Luke Clyburn's Department that focuses on responding to Hollow attacks, Natural disasters, and other such threats. We have departments more focused on Research and Development, Engineering, and Security. Where do your skills lie?"

[Akira Hinosai]

"Sure, let's call it for today." Luca said. "I'd rather keep the contents of my stomach, you know?" Luca was certain he'd shown about all he could, and gotten a decent enough handle of soul command. That would come in handy someday, Luca knew. Well, probably anyway. Now Luca had to begin the "not so fun part". "I'm the smartest guy I know...Present company excluded, and I'm not half bad in a fight. Most hollows aren't as strong as you, as it so happens." Luca paused as he thought. "I can sneak around pretty good, if that's a qualifier for anything. Basically don't stick me somewhere I'm away from the action, and we'll be good." Luca wasn't exactly the strongest now, but the last thing he needed was to be stuck in R&D while people like Amare did all the glorious work. Even if he was making demands of his boss, that was a risk he was taking to make his point.

[Kazura Uzaki]

Kazura nodded towards Luca and began to pack up his training sword. If Luca wanted to be in the middle of the action and could hold himself in a fight against Hollows, he'd be a perfect candidate for Luke's Help and Rescue Emergency Operations department. "I understand that sentiment. I think you'd fit perfectly in Luke's department. They handle requests that come through our hands and are constantly in the action." Wiping his forehead, Kazura let go of Pulley and his skin returned to its normal hue. Maybe he did work up a sweat after all. The training session wouldn't be a total waste. After all, he got to know his new employee better and got them in a good department fit. "If you're up for it, I'll send your application over to him so he can get in contact with you and work you into his schedule?"

[Akira Hinosai]

Whoever Luke was, his department seemed the perfect fit for Luca. He was glad Uzaki saw his use on the front lines. With that, Luca really had succeeded on all fronts in this meeting. Well besides beating Uzaki, but he could totally do that one day. Uzaki had a certain "distance" to him. It was that kind of corporate facade where he wasn't telling Luca everything he could. Though Luca was at least fairly certain he had the best interests of Karakura in mind, and had the infrastructure to put those thoughts into action. Better than nothing. "Yeah, sure. Sounds like I probably aught to meet him if you can arrange that."  Luca said as he put his sword up. "So, you've got a glimpse into my soul or whatever. Uh...what happens now?"

[Kazura Uzaki]

Kazura nodded. "Yeah, I can arrange for that. I'll send him a message. As for the glimpse into your soul... I don't quite know what you mean. What happens now though is we find you a place to get settled. You won't have an office yet, but you can have a cubicle that is your own personal space to work at. You'll have access to all the special facilities here underground as well if you ever find the need to workout or build something with your hands or study." He moved over to a tube system in the side of the room and keyed a few buttons. A small metal battery sized tube fell into his hand from the system.

Kazura walked back over to Luca and held the battery like object towards him. "This battery might feel a little uncomfortable. It will take a sampling of your reiatsu so I can program your energy signature into the elevators."