A Trial and an Invitation [JT - Tala and Miyu]

[Tsuyoshi Minamoto]

SPOILER: Click to show

{Training}Training for SP

"Good morning, Sanbantaicho!" One of the attendants of the Shinigami Academy greeted Tsuyoshi and Tala with a bow at the front entrance. "You - uhh - you arrived later than expected, but I'm sure you had very important business to attend to! We-"
"Ehh? Not really. I woke up late."
"..."
"... What?"
"N-nothing, Sanbantai-"
"Orre-! It's Tsuyoshi. I tell you that every time I show up, Mikane-san."
"R-right. An-anyway! You -" she cleared her throat, attempting to maintain her polite smile. "- forgot to fill out a few parts of your appointment form. I presume that you're -"
"Ehhh, I've been comin' here for the last year for the same thing, Mikane-san."

Tsuyoshi brought a sleeveless hand up and ran it through his relatively disheveled hair. It was quite apparent, based on his appearance, that he had not taken the time to tidy himself up beyond a precursory shower prior to coming over here. This wasn't exactly uncommon; for other Captains? Maybe. For Tsuyoshi? This was about what Mikane had come to expect. She brought her hand up to her face to hide a brief look of exasperation, before reaching and tucking her own hair behind her ears. She made a point to make contact with Tsuyoshi the entire time who, impressively, subconsciously mimicked her movement. A few brief and fluid movements of his hands later and Tsuyoshi's face, scars and all, was now more visible and his hair looked like he at least cared about seeing past it.

"Ah, yes, well I didn't want to presume, Tsuyoshi-Sama. If you'll head down the hall on your left and follow the signs for the 'Open Grounds', I believe that Instructor Fuyo has someone for you to see. He told me to be on the lookout for you to come searching for more talent…" she paused again, as though searching for the word to use, "... eventually."

"Ahh, much appreciated Mikane. Fuyo, right? I'm surprised that old man's still teaching." Tsuyoshi spoke aloud, without a care for who might hear him in passing. He had already turned and begun making strides down the hall in the direction that Mikane had instructed. If Tala paused in following, he would stop after a few steps and give a half-turn, looking back to Tala expectantly and then turning back around to continue once Tala had fallen into pace. The lack of sleeves made Tsuyoshi's tattooed physique significantly more visible, but significantly less professional. In fact, if not for his Haori, bound around his left leg like an extended hip guard, one might easily have mistaken him for… well… rabble. In fact, at a certain angle it might not have even mattered due to the positioning of his Haori compared to the rest of his outfit.

He walked along with his right hand in a pocket of his hakama and his left hand resting at his side. Strung around his torso and resting across his lower back was a, frankly, sorry excuse for a Zanpakuto sitting in a scabbard of equally poor condition. Those who hadn't seen Tsuyoshi fight at his strongest, which included the vast majority of Seireitei', wouldn't have guessed that he was significantly stronger with his Zanpakuto then without it, save for the myriad of rumors floating around Seireitei about the new Shinigami Captain.

"Ehh, Tala-San." He paused, giving the man time to answer. "After we meet Instructor Foyo, let me know if there are any students on that list I gave you." Tsuyoshi was completely oblivious at the butchering of the instructor's name and would simply have dismissed any attempts to correct him with a 'Yeah, yeah' and a wave of the hand. Similarly, he seemed to be completely oblivious that Tala, in fact, had no such list. The reason Tala had no such list is because Tsuyoshi had left the list on his desk in his hurry to make up for oversleeping. But Tsuyoshi hadn't known that, and this was an opportunity for Tala to either tell the truth and risk Tsuyoshi's ire, or risk a lie and hope that the Captain didn't know any better. Either way, they continued on, following the signs and allowing for the occasional bout of conversation on their way to the open training grounds that Mikane was referring to.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Summary}Tsuyoshi looks like the least professional Captain to walk the halls of the Academy in a long time. After some brief banter with one of the desk attendants, he makes his way, with Tala in pace, in the direction of the training grounds to meet with Instrui Fuyo, who apparently has a student that he wants to introduce specifically to Tsuyoshi. The post starts at the entrance of the academy, and ends at the entrance to the training grounds.

[Tala Selao]

When Tala had woken up today, the last thing he’d expected to be doing with his day was spending it on a trip to the Spiritual Arts Academy with his Captain. He knew that their newest Captain was eager to revive the Third Division, which delighted Tala greatly as well as the sight of the Third Division grounds being renovated, it was still confusing to him as to why the Captain had decided to bring him along. Sure there wasn’t an assigned fukutaichō but there were at least some other senior members and at least one or two more officers. The surprise was still evident on his face as they walked all the way from the Third Division grounds to the Academy training grounds. When he’d realized where they’d been heading, he had adjusted his shihakushō so that he was wearing it properly, his left shoulder no longer exposed.

He gave Mikane a bow and an apology, feeling a little sorry for the lady as it seemed she was familiar with the Captain’s frequent visits, before quickly rejoining and stepping into pace with Tsuyoshi. He kept one hand resting on the hilt of his Zanpakutō, weighing it down in the front slightly so as to prevent the opposite end of the scabbard dragging along on the ground as they walked, and the other hand at his side. Seeing Tala next to Tsuyoshi was probably a little odd of a sight due to the fact that even with his shihakushō having been tailored to be a little more form fitting on his body and the Tsuyoshi’s Haori, that signified his rank as a Captain, the two surely didn’t look like they should be standing side by side.

This didn’t bother Tala any though as he was glad to have an actual Captain that’d represent his Squad. What did bother him however was the fact that his Captain seemed to have believed that he had given a list to Tala which must have had, with the context of what the Captain had said and where they were, a list of students that would be possible prospects for recruitment for the Third Division. The thought of lying didn’t occur to him as Tala would never lie, no matter the circumstances, so he of course says, ”You mean Instructor Fuyo, sir? And you never gave me a list sir. Was there something I’m supposed to be looking for specifically sir?”

[Miyu Feng]

The days at the academy have been really interesting for Miyu, many students would do their subjects, homework and maybe a bit of training in their free time before taking a break and focus going through their daily lives but not Miyu, the Chinese girl had this goal of being the best and reach the top of the academy so every single bit of free time she had the girl use it to train, be on her own or sparring with a couple of friends she made.

Dedication is something one needs if they want to achieve everything that they set on mind, and considering the tall mountain that the girl has decided to climb it's good that she tries her hardest to improve everyday, more importantly there have been a couple of captains visiting the school from time to time so it would be on her best interest to be at the top of her game at all times just in case she gets to meet one of the captains, it would definitely help her in the future when she leaves the academy.

The girl was wearing the female school uniform which was in a way similar to the Shinigami's shihakushō but with a different color scheme, instead of white the shitagi was red, the Kosode was white with red stripes and the hakama red as well, she also carried her asauchi at the right side of her hip, it was a short 30 cm blade which was a bit out of the ordinary but not uncommon, the choice was made because Miyu focus more in hand to hand combat than sword fighting so a small blade for quick stabs or parries suits her style better.

Miyu made her way to the school training grounds as one of the instructors asked her to be there after class as someone from the Gotei 13 was visiting to scout members for Squad 3 and he thinks she would be a nice fit into that squad, most people would be nervous or anxious but not Miyu, she was excited and was ready to prove to the scouts what she was made of.

[Tsuyoshi Minamoto]

You mean Instructor Fuyo, sir?

“Inst- Yeah, Old Man Fuyo.” Tsuyoshi waved his still-free left hand out and to one side as they made their way down the hall. His eyes looked left and right as they passed the different instruction rooms, silently reminiscing about his own times here in the academy. Many of these classes, Tsuyoshi had outright failed, but his superior ability in other facets of his training more than made up for it, along with some encouragement from other instructors to allow the boy to graduate, lest he damage or destroy portions of the academy, or injure his classmates by accident. When Tala continued, he cast his eyes to his left, back and behind at the Shinigami. This side look, however, was not a look of disdain or disappointment; it seemed more like he was looking for verification that he’d heard Tala correctly.

And you never gave me a list sir. Was there something I’m supposed to be looking for specifically sir?

”Ehh? Are you sure? I could’ve sworn that I brought it with us. … Hm. Must have left it back at the squadhouse - I know I wrote it.” There was a pause once he looked forwards again, clearing his throat. ”At least, I’m pretty sure I did.” He sighed, reaching his free hand up and through his hair, before shaking his head. Tsuyoshi was definitely feeling the sudden increase of responsibility as time passed - he wasn’t used to the dramatic increase in the amount of paperwork and the general lack of sleep that he was getting lately. Eventually, he’d adapt, surely. That, or he’d train up some Officers to handle most of that work for him.

”Specifically? Nah. I had a list of recruits that some of the Instructors thought might suit Sanbantai, but I can always catch them next week when I come back around. They aren’t near graduation, or anything. This one we’re meeting though is supposed to be somethin’ special - said she’d make a great fit. Her name is uhh - “ His voice petered off in thought, as though he had forgotten what he was going to say. He sucked at his teeth, sighing and pausing in the middle of the hallway, narrowing his eyes at an intersection as he paused to look for the signs that Mikane had mentioned earlier. After a few seconds of looking, he took off in a direction, sucking at his teeth. ”Miyu, eh? Feng, Miyu.” He finished his thought from earlier, unable to hold back his grin as the hallway they were currently in seemed to empty out, at the end of the hallway, into a training grounds area where Instructor Fuyo would be waiting. Unless Tala had anything to bring up to Tsuyoshi’s attention or anything to say, he would largely remain quiet with his characteristic grin plastered on his face.

==

“Ah! Tsuyoshi!”
“Old Man Fuyo!”

An older gentleman dressed in an Instructor’s uniform approached and embraced Tsuyoshi in a brief hold, patting his back twice as he did, before stepping backwards. Unlike Tsuyoshi, Fuyo stood at five feet and eleven inches, with a relatively moderate build, though it was clear that age had begun to take him. Brown hair with white streaks framed his face and a bit of stubble gave the man a very personable look, though the amount of grooming he had done otherwise to keep his uniform in shape made Tsuyoshi look like more of a college student still struggling with time management. Fuyo took a step backwards, patting Tsuyoshi twice on the shoulder and laughing aloud. “Look at you! A Captain now, huh? Well it’s about time. You know, I always knew there was something different about you. … Probably the fountain of spiritual pressure that you at least seem to have some kind of handle on.”

“Ah, cut the flattery Old Man. You’re just as surprised as I was, eh? I’ve never been one for all this… leadership crap. But - “ Tsuyoshi paused, gathering his thoughts and settling both of his hands on his hips, looking past Fuyo to where Miyu was standing, decidedly separate from the other Academy Students on the grounds. “ - Central and the Captain Commander apparently disagreed. So, here we are. Let’s not butter me up though, you know I don’t take it well. Don’t want me to get a bigger head than I’ve already got.” Tsuyoshi chuckled, gesturing past Fuyo and over towards where Miyu was. “Mikane-Chan says that you’ve got someone you want me to meet.”

“Ah! Yes, of course. Straight to business, I’m sure you’ve got plenty to do, especially since you slept the whole morning away. Don’t worry, your hair tells me everything I need to know.” Fuyo chuckled, turning back around and gesturing for Tsuyoshi and Tala to follow him back towards Miyu. Once the three of them were within reasonable distance of each other for a conversation, he stepped aside, gesturing to Miyu. “Tsuyoshi, this is Feng, Miyu. She’s one of our more… prominent students here at the academy. I can’t say exactly how long it’ll take for her to graduate, but she’s well on her way and I think she’ll be a good fit into your Division. Miyu, this is Sanbantaicho (Third Squad Captain) Minamoto Tsuyoshi.”

Tsuyoshi nodded once to her, grinning and folding his arms over his abdomen. He then nodded in the direction of wherever Tala had chosen to post up. “Tala, introduce yourself.” He kept his eyes on Miyu the entire time, noting her body posture, her response to Tala and Tsuyoshi’s presence, and taking specific care to note the level of confidence in her movements and her responses. “So, Miyu. I’m told you not only are interested in Sanbantai, but that you’d make a good fit for the Squad. Tell me a bit about what your strengths are - your weaknesses. What do you know about Third Squad, and what can you offer us. … And perhaps more importantly, what do you think we can offer you?”

[Tala Selao]

Tala found it somewhat humorous that the Captain had remembered the name of some student, yet couldn't recall the name of the Instructor who had been here for ages. Still Tala just nodded as he followed along, his eyes looking around and about as he too also recalled his time here not but a couple years ago. Unlike his Captain, he had shown more promise in his studies and application of Kido than he did in his combat training. Still Tala had somehow managed to make it through the Academy and into the ranks of Squad 3, his first choice, although he has a feeling that had Tsuyoshi been appointed Captain sooner, then he might not have made the cut.

Yet here he was, walking through the halls once again, this time as an official member of the Gotei 13 instead of a student, on a trip to scout out a candidate for their squad, with his Captain no less. It was still very odd and he wanted to question Captain Tsuyoshi as to why he actually chose to bring him along. He didn't however, as he felt now surely wasn't the time. So he returned his attention forward, spotting the old instructor and smiling brightly as he watches the two older men greet each other.

He glances over at the girl as they do and takes in her appearance, making note of her shorter asauchi. Tala gives her a smile if she notices him and then returns his attention to the two men as they begin moving closer to her. Once prompted he gives Miyu a small bow, taking his hand off the hilt of his Zanpakutō and placing it at his side while quickly introducing himself, "It's a pleasure to meet you Feng-san. My name is Tala Selao, a member of Third Squad, although I am only in the unseated rankings."

[Miyu Feng]

Miyu arrive at the training grounds and bow to instructor Fuyo, he's not her instructor but he has seen her train and has gave her some pointers here and there to improve, and now has gotten her a meeting with the captain of squad 3 so she hopes to not disappoint when they arrive.

As soon as the captain enter the training grounds she could feel the difference in power between them and that was saying something considering Miyu wasn't that adept at sensing other people just yet, case in point she wasn't able to tell how different she was from the other shinigami following the captain, surely another member of the squad but was he the vice-captain or a seated officer? Whichever was the case she would greet both with a respectful bow.

She felt a bit awkward as instructor Fuyo did his best to praise her and impress the captain, but it was nice knowing all that hard work was paying off! She would bow to them once more before answering the captain's questions, there was a lot of reasons for wanting to go to Squad 3 and they were rather simple too!

"The pleasure is mine" she would say to Tala before looking at the captain "Well I think instructor Fuyo has paint a good image of me but if you need to know more, I'm a martial artist at heart, I'm always training to improve and be better than the day before and to keep myself at the peak of my capabilities" She would then move to her strengths and weakneses "As such I'm an excellent physical fighter, when I was alive I practice Kenpo but I've decided to learn and master Hakuda, I'll do admit that I'm a bit weak on the spiritual side"

That should be a good enough introduction of what she can offer to the squad, of course a fighter could be useful for other squads like 8, 10 or 11 but she felt that Squad 3 fit her best, the girl would wait and see the reaction of both the captain and unseated officer before continuing.

"I know the duties of the squad is center around exploration, I am quite agile and develop better on one versus one situations so I figured I was a perfect fit for the squad, additionally it'll allow me to travel to the world of the living and it's been a couple of centuries since I was there I am interesting in seeing how things have change." With that said there was only one last thing to answer, the girl would look at the captain with a big grin on her face "As for what the squad can offer me it's something simple, I plan on becoming the next captain I may stick as vice captain for a while if necessary but I'm NOT staying as a third or even fourth, with that said when the time comes I want to face you for said title"

[Tsuyoshi Minamoto]

Tsuyoshi listened quietly as Miyu gave a brief description of herself and then went on to his questions. He cracked a grin at the comment of not having been to the Living Realm in a few centuries, nodding along. The final response that Miyu gave him, however, caused him to pause and made his smile simply widen until his lips parted to reveal his teeth. ”Heheh! Bold response, eh? Seems like your Instructor was more right than he thought - I’d say that your confidence reminds me of me when I was in the academy. You’ve got a hell of a lot more ambition than I did though, eh? All I cared about was taking down the Soutaicho (Captain Commander) in single combat.” He looked over to Tala and then back to Miyu, settling his hands on his hips, stretching a bit.

”Sanbantai is more about simple exploration though, eh? I expect every single one of my Shinigami to be ready to face threats that Seireitei has never seen before. It goes beyond things like new Hollow or Arrancar, and it goes far beyond the Living Realm. Any new creatures that threaten the spiritual balance are fair game. Hollow, Arrancar, Hellbound, Quincy, or even something we’ve never run into before. Every Shinigami in this squad is trained not only to be prepared to seek out and meet these threats, but to be ready to die for the purpose of helping Junibantai gather data and researching the limitations of these threats. In a best case scenario? You remove the threat before it even has a chance to become a problem. Otherwise? You need to have the resilience to wait out for reinforcements and the intuition to retreat when the time comes. Recon is more important than ‘honor’ or ‘pride’ in Sanbantai. We work together for Seireitei’s best interests, not to sightsee and fuel our own power fantasies.” Tsuyoshi was speaking, regrettably, from personal lessons hard learned in the past that had ironically helped elevate him to this position in the first place.

”In Sanbantai, your division is your family. You train with them, you grow with them, you support them. Everything that we do individually is for the betterment of the Division, and everything that the Division does is for the betterment of Seireitei. In exchange, you’ll never run out of allies to support you when the time comes. Not everyone in Sanbantai is… what you’d expect. Since we’re the front line of contact, we’re always open to new members, provided they can work together with the rest of the Squad and help to make things run smoothly. We host everything from combat specialists to kido ritualists. We have room for observers, healers, and members who prefer more direct forms of combat. The important thing is that you always travel with at least one other member of the Squad on your expeditions and that you work together to make sure both of you, ideally, come back alive.”

Tsuyoshi gestured over to Tala. ”Tala here is a perfect example, s’far as I’ve known him. And as far as that Vice Captain seat? Well. You might have to face him, or one of your squadmates for that position when the time comes. And if your ambition calls you elsewhere, we’ll support you one hundred percent of the way.” He paused in thought, as though stopping to make sure he’s recalled everything comprehensively. ”Well, I think that’s it. What other questions do you have for me? Or for Tala? Don’t worry about me, he’ll answer everything as honestly as he can - besides, hearing criticism and feedback is uh…” He paused again, clearing his throat. ”Important for growth, I’m told.”

[Tala Selao]

Tala looked rather shocked at Miyu's response and glanced over nervously at his Captain to see what his response would be in turn. Of course however, his Captain took it better than most probably would although hearing how Captain Minamoto only had interest in fighting the Captain Commander didn't surprise him in the slightest after all he knew about the Captain, as little as it was. Indeed it was the kind of outlandish and absurd kind of goal that would be expected of their Captain.

Hearing about how Miyu would also be aiming to go for Vice Captain also got him thinking as to where he wanted to go with his path in the Court Guards and in Squad 3 in general. He never really thought much about it but he would definitely like to try and become an official seated officer although he doesn't quite imagine he'd ever be able to make it to being a Vice Captain, nor is he worthy of being so as he is now. Maybe even never, at least in his own opinion he wouldn't be.

His train of thought was interrupted however as the Captain gave a bit praise to Tala, who looked rather embarrassed to be receiving it as he just mumbles a bit under his breath, "I don't think I would go as far as to say I'm the perfect example sir." he then perks up as the Captain turned it over for Miyu to ask them any questions she had. He was interested in what she might want to know and of course he would try to answer her questions to the best of his abilities, even if he didn't have as much experience as the Captain.

[Miyu Feng]

Miyu would carefully listen to the words of the captain, he may not look the part but from his speech and the way he explain the role of the Third Division, it shows that he is at the very least someone that takes his role seriously, that's something the girl can respect and definitely will follow as her superior.

The moment the captain mention always travelling with at least one squadmate made her frown a little, not because she disliked the idea but because it ring bells really close to home, maybe if she didn't go alone that time she would've enjoy a longer life, then again maybe it doesn't matter that much since one way or the other she would be here.

Finally it was time for Miyu to ask her questions and make sure any doubts she has are solved, but to be honest Tsuyoshi's speech was good enough and she didn't had questions about the squad, there was something she would like to know about both Shinigami tho.

"Please excuse me if this question is a bit personal" She said doing a quick bow "But I want to hear it from my future squadmate and captain, what make you choose Squad 3? And what goals do you aim to achieve?" While the first was mainly aimed at both, for the second she was more interested on the captain's answer, once you reach the top what's the next move? Of course Tala's answer would also be appreciated and would help get to know them for when she becomes part of the squad!

[Tsuyoshi Minamoto]

”I don’t think I would go so far as to say I’m the perfect example, Sir.”

Tsuyoshi turned his gaze over to Tala, rolling his eyes and reaching out to clasp the Shinigami’s shoulder with a firm pat (that he should still be able to withstand). ”Tala, don’t undermine yourself, eh? You’re a perfect example of what the potential of our Division is. You’re inspired to grow, you work with your teammates, and you have a level of persistence that’s commendable, eh?” He spoke, not fully knowing whether or not Tala had actually displayed all of those attributes on more than one occasion, but Tsuyoshi was confident that any member of his Division was a prime example of what he was trying to build in Soul Society. He turned his attention back to Miyu, listening to her follow-up.

”Please excuse me if this question is a bit personal, but I want to hear it from my future squadmate and captain, what made you choose Squad 3? And what goals do you aim to achieve?”

”Ahh…” He let his initial sound carry on for a few seconds, before sighing and reaching a hand up to the top of his head, easing his hair back in clear hesitance. He looked over to Tala, and then back to Miyu. Another sigh escaped his lips and he dropped his hand to his hip, tilting his head to the left, and then to the right. ”You really want to know?” He paused again, this time inadvertently, and continued without waiting for a response. ”I joined Third Squad for very selfish reasons. I graduated from this academy directly into Eleventh Squad, and progressed pretty quickly as far as Shinigami are concerned. … But… It wasn’t enough for me - constantly sparring other squadmates, occasionally being called in to handle some heavy hitters here and there. I wanted to fight the newest threats first - before anyone else could. So I transferred into Third Squad. It… wasn’t for the right reasons, at the time. My former partner helped me realize that - albeit a bit too late. But… anyway.”

He cleared his throat to clear the awkward silence that may have hung immediately when he was finished speaking. ”As for what my goals are? … Well, there’s two, eh? They’re both simple. The first one is to rebuild Third Squad into a division worthy of respect, and to lead it until I find a suitable candidate to lead it in my legacy. To make sure that it’s the Division I left it and that it stays strong in the face of adversity and whatever dangers it might be put up against. To fix Third Squad’s reputation of being… expendable.”

He paused, shifting his weight to one side and grinning broadly. ”The second? To be the strongest combatant across the three realms. To be stronger than anyone has ever, or will ever see. To defeat the likes of the Soutaicho, and the so-called ‘King’ of Hueco Mundo, and to go on to contest and defeat every single leader of Zero Division ahead of me. If I’m lucky, I might even find a challenge that’s worthwhile along the way, eh?” He made eye contact with Miyu, his grin expanding to show a flash of teeth. ”So be careful what you wish for, Shinigami hopeful. You have one hell of a fight ahead of you if you intend to usurp me.”

[Tala Selao]

Tala winces slightly at his Captains firm clasp and then gives him a bit of a confused look as, for as far as he knew, the Captain had only known and spoken with Tala personally on a number of occasions that he could count them all on one hand. That and the fact that Tala had a habit of trying to avoid the rambunctious Captain meant Tala wasn’t quite sure the older Shinigami knew what he was talking about. Still, Tala wasn’t about to call him out on this here and now in front of a potential recruit nor was he the type to disrespect his superiors in that way.

He sighs and shakes his head but stops as the Shinigami Hopeful had put forward the question. He knew it was more directed at the Captain, and if Tala was being completely honest, he was quite curious himself. However, when he glanced up at the towering, imposing Captain for his response, he was shocked to see that the man was initially hesitant to share and this made Tala even more interested as he knew so little about the man just as Tsuyoshi knew so little about him.

He wasn’t surprised to find out that Tsuyoshi had been originally placed into Squad 11, their ethos and mentality still present even as he led his new squadron. It was perhaps a good thing then that they got him as a captain, as someone with a much more experienced mind when it came to battle would of course have good insights for how to approach a variety of threats, which Tala was already learning in the new training regimes that Tsuyoshi had the whole barracks go through.

He was surprised to find out that the older Shinigami had a partner once. He hadn’t really struck him as the type to fight alongside an ally even if he preached and drilled camaraderie into Squad 3’s Shinigami. It just didn’t seem to fit in Tala’s mind that the “Demon of Seireitei” would ever allow someone to fight alongside him as an equal. Then again, Tala only really knew the myths and legends of his Captain and not the actual man himself. He was also slightly surprised to find that he also genuinely cared and hoped to restore Squad 3’s honor and respect, which Tala himself was hoping to do as well, so it heartened him to know that his leader was also on the same track as he.

At least on the same track as he for one thing, as the real answer he’d been expecting, the one that really didn’t surprise him one bit was the Captain’s desire for battle against strong opponents. There was the Squad 11 influence showing its head again, although maybe the Captain is just naturally this aggressive and passionate when it comes to fighting and the prospect of a challenging battle. Tala just chuckles and shakes his head at the absurdity of that proclamation.

He sighs and then rubs the back of his neck as he glances at Miyu and Tsuyoshi, “My reasons and aspirations are nothing as grand as the Captains really. I joined Squad 3 because of all the squads they pay the most as they experience one of the toughest and most dangerous jobs.” He raises his hand with the bracelet and glances at it before fiddling with the obsidian necklace that hangs on a leather cord, “I have a wife who currently lives in the Rukongai districts. I send most of what I earn to support her but sometimes the districts can be dangerous and the Soul Society’s reach can’t extend all the way out there to help all of them…so I want to help them out as much and as best as I can.”

He glances up at Tsuyoshi a little sheepishly, “It’s not a very good reason or goal I know, but it’s what motivates me. And while those are my main priorities I would like to also restore Sanbantai’s honor and reputation in any way, shape or form that I can. I don’t mind being called expendable but I don’t like being treated as if we carry a plague or curse within our ranks. It’s especially discouraging whenever you hear from within your own ranks.” He looks a little saddened by this thought but then his face becomes stern and he nods, “So even if you think I’m just copying the Captain’s answer, I too want to help make Third Squad one of the more prestigious squads among the Gotei 13.”

[Miyu Feng]

Miyu pay attention to the answer of both Shinigamis, she wasn't sure what to expect but she ended up surprise by the officers, first the current Captain actually was member of the 11th squad which already told the girl that he is a skilled fighter more than what a regular Shinigami should be, and while his reason to jump to the 3rd division were selfish his second answer show that he care a lot about the squad and was going to do his best to lead them properly, his other goal wasn't terrible either as someone that also enjoys a good fight aiming to be the strongest and fight your way to the top against the most powerful spiritual beings out there is a respectable goal.

As for Tala his first answer was the most interesting for Miyu even letting out a small "aww" when he show the bracelet, the Rukongai is a mix bag of a place, you might be lucky and live in the closer districts to the Seireitei and have a relatively good afterlife, but the further you go the harsher it becomes and as someone that experience it Tala's reason is the most selfless, at least compared to her or the captain's initial reason.

"I see" The girl nodded "I apologize if the questions were a little too personal, I appreciate your answers and I can say that there's no selfishness there" She would smile at both officers before continuing "More importantly from your answers I can see both have the well being of the squad as your top priority and as someone who wants to lead it in the future I couldn't be more happy to hear it!" With that said there was only one more thing the girl wanted to ask "Is there a way I can show you that I'm a good fit for the Squad?"

[Tsuyoshi Minamoto]

Tsuyoshi raised a hand in a sweeping dismissive fashion to Miyu’s apology, shaking his head. ”Hardly. Any Shinigami should be able to tell you why they do it, eh? If they can’t tell you why they do what we do, then either they aren’t confident in it, or they haven’t figured it out yet. And no one gets very far without figuring out why they wanna fight, eh? Even if the only reason is because - well - they wanna fight.” He added the last sentence with a short chuckle, before folding his arms and looking to Miyu as she continued with her next line of questioning.

”A way you can show that you’re a good fit for the squad? Oh, that one’s easy - I already got the perfect thing planned out, eh? Like I said before, Third Squad leans pretty heavily into combat, but our true purpose is to properly scout and identify threats to Soul Society and the Soul Cycle. That means either killin’ ‘em before they become a problem, or figurin’ out what their strengths and weaknesses are if you can’t, eh?” He looked between the two of them to make sure that they were following along.

He nodded over in Tala’s direction, grinning. ”That bein’ said, you two are gonna spar. But it won’t just be any spar. And Tala, don’t think that just because you’re a graduate you can roll her over, eh? I’m gonna be askin’ you the same questions afterwards, so make sure you’re sharp and paying attention. He nodded, looking between the two of them. He gave them a simple gesture for them both to follow him before turning back around and heading towards one of the sparring areas. The area he chose was an area that was meant for single combat using a variety of different terrain. While there was a larger, open area, there were also some simple agility obstacles that could be used to either create distance, or as cover while closing in on your opponent.

He gestured to Tala, and then to one spot in the open area, and then repeated the motion for Miyu. ”You’ll be sparring, live speed. You’ll be using your Zanpakuto and whatever other methods you wish. You fight until either I stop the sparring session, or until one of you concedes. Big point here, eh? This fight isn’t just to win. What’s more important to me is that the two of you try to correctly identify each other’s strengths and weaknesses in combat. You’ll tell me what you both saw in your opponent’s fighting style, their stance, their movement, their personality, and so on and so forth. Anything you think might be valuable in a fight, I expect to hear about it once this spar is over, understand?”

He nodded to the two of them, and then gestured a hand out. ”You’re both adults, eh? Start when you’re ready.”

[Tala Selao]

Tala gives his Captain a completely taken aback look as he quickly follows, "Captain, sir, you aren't serious are you? I'm not a very suitable sparring partner, you know this. Especially for a student to show what they're capable of." He looks over at Miyu, giving her a sympathetic look although it could easily be confused as a concerned one. He hoped she wasn't getting the wrong idea from his words as his concern wasn't for her.

The real concern was for his inexperience and poor combat abilities, which he had no confidence in no matter how much Tsuyoshi talked him up. Sure he's been in the field a few times now since he's joined and Tsuyoshi had become the captain of Squad 3. However to Tala, this wasn't enough of a reason for him to be a sparring partner for a student considering, again, his poor combat abilities.

He sighs however, knowing he wouldn't really be able to argue against the captain, as he begins to move to a cleared spot in the arena and waits for Miyu to take her spot. He'd draw his longer than average Zanpakuto and takes a defensive stance, holding his Zanpakuto out in front of him and keeping the blade trained on Miyu.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats & Skills}Type: Perma-release

Strength: 25
Speed: 50
Spiritual Pressure: 70 (50% Increase) 105
Reiatsu Strength: 55
Light Aura: 50
Dark Aura: 50
Healing Expertise: 0
Instinct: 50
Senses: 50
Energy Sensory: 0

Skills
Analyzing 1
Battle Analysis 1
Weapons (Pole Weapons) 1
Acrobatics 1
Heat Tolerance 1
Charisma 1

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool}1050/1050

[Miyu Feng]

After Miyu's question on how to proof herself the Captain already had something in mind from the beginning, he would make her spar against Tala and figure out the strengths and weaknesses of each other while on the fight, definitely an interesting idea that would help her measure her own skill compared to someone who already went through all this and see where she can improve.

After seeing Tala's reaction the excitement on the girl's face was drained and in their place there was a big frown "You know? My brother use to say "If you don't trust in your skills, then your opponent already won the fight without even throwing a punch" and if that's the case, then I think we're just wasting our time" She said letting out a sigh and then start to make some quick jumps and move her arms loosening her body getting ready for the spar. "Unless you do have the skills and don't want to go all out because I'm a student, in which case I ask you to not hold back because otherwise you'll be insulting me"

With that said the girl kept her eyes on Tala as he ready himself and draw his Zanpakuto, clearly Tala had the range advantage due to the size of his sword if Miyu wanted to fight she would have to find a way to cut the distance between them, and with that in mind she set her right foot in front of her and focus reishi around it before launching forward in a fast and blurry movement cutting the distance and appearing right in front of Tala with her right hand ready to hit the hilt of his Zanpakuto and try to break his defensive stance, if succesful she then would take a step forward and try to give him an open palm strike in the chest.

---

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats and Skills}Stats

Strength: 95

Speed: 110 (165)

Reiatsu Strength: 70 (49)

Spirit Pressure: 40

Light Aura: 100

Dark Aura: 0

Senses: 40

Instinct: 40

Energy Sensory: 35

Healing Expertise: 25

Total: 455/455

Type:Soldier V2 (50% to Speed - 30% decrease to Reiatsu Strength)

---

─ Strength of Will: 1

─ Martial Arts (Kenpo): 1

─ Martial Arts (Hakuda): 1

─ Pain Tolerance: 1

─ Acrobatics: 1

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu pool}Reiatsu: 375/400 (-25 for Shunpo)