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

[Tsuyoshi Minamoto]

Tsuyoshi turned himself around, walking to some of the training dummies at the edge of the sparring area, choosing one to lean back against and folding his arms. “Ehh? You’re a Shinigami, aren’t you, Tala? You mean to tell me you aren’t suitable for your Shihakusho?” Tsuyoshi asked with an air of amusement. His lips twisted into a grin as he raised a hand and gestured to the two of them after Miyu had said her piece. “I told you, the point of the spar is not to win. I already know what Miyu can do - it’s written all over her academy sheet.”

Tsuyoshi kept his eyes on the two of them, specifically on Miyu herself. He noted her stance and her posture. Tala, he was already familiar with, but Miyu’s approach to combat was going to be under scrutiny for the duration of this spar. He was interested specifically in whether or not she was truly going to commit to engaging her opponent in unarmed combat, partially because it put her at a specific disadvantage at their lower level of combat and partially because it was a combat style that Tsuyoshi preferred.

His eyes followed her movements quietly as she pushed forwards and attempted to cut the distance between them. He was curious as to what kind of defense Tala was going to pull out and how she was going to respond, but it resigned himself to quietly spectating for now.

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{OOC}Tsuyoshi’s TP gain can stop from this point until my next post, if you choose. Tsuyoshi will be spectating the fight for the most part between the two of them.

[Tala Selao]

While opted not to answer his Captain's questions on what he really felt about his own capabilities especially now that he had taken his stance in this spar and needed to focus on his opponent. He had no intention of holding back but as he previously stated, he felt he wouldn't be able to as he's even had trouble keeping up with others when it came to sparring matches like this as he wasn't the most physically adept Shinigami compared to others. Which became even more so apparent as Miyu was suddenly in front of him and smacking his sword out of the way before sending him stumbling back with a grunt of pain.

He rubs his chest and begins to reevaluate what his options are now as he realizes how quick and strong this girl was compared to him. He hadn't even been able to track her when she used her Shunpo, which she undoubtedly had to of to be able to have moved so quickly. Even so to be able to move that quickly at her level was somewhat terrifying and also meant he wouldn't really be able to use his Kido to their full potential as he likely won't have time to finish their incantation chants.

Keeping this in mind he'd have to be a lot more reactive in this spar than he could be proactive. So he quickly takes a couple steps back and puts his guard back up, waiting for her to make her next move. Seeing as she has physical strength and speed on him, he recalls what she had just told them moments earlier. She's very aware of her own strengths and weaknesses and seeing as she is a martial artist who prefers to fight unarmed, he could maybe use this to his advantage. He just had to be ready to anticipate her.

So the second she took a step forward, he anticipated another Shunpo strike and used his own Shunpo to send himself up into the air with a backflip and hopefully sending himself over her as he figured she try to get behind him now instead of going for a frontal assault again as that would be too obvious. While he was still in the air, he quickly twist and reach out to touch her and shout, "Bakudō #1: Sai." He'd then land facing her although he doesn't stay there as he leaps back to see how she reacted to suddenly having her arms restrained behind her back, remembering how she'd stated herself that she was weaker in her spiritual aspects.

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{Reiatsu Pool - 1000/1050}-25 Shunpo
-25 Bakudō #1: Sai

[Miyu Feng]

The point of the spar wasn't winning sure, but that didn't mean she couldn't at least try and make sure her partner give his all as well, she wasn't sure if Tala was really going to fight for real even if he did brought up his Zanpakuto that's why she didn't unsheathe her Asauchi, a blade so short was better use for parries or quick strikes and unless she saw her partner ready to strike maybe it was better to just keep it hand to hand, at least both would be on equal ground like that.

After her first hit landed the girl would take a second to readjust herself and return to her previous stance, while moving at great speeds is a huge advantage especially with her already excellent agility taking those sudden fast movements can be a bit disorienting for a rookie, once she was ready to strike again she saw Tala up and ready as well, so of course the girl thought on testing the waters and see if the soul reaper was ready to fight and repeated her previous move.

Once again she channel reishi around her feet before launching again at a top speed of 1100 with Shunpo, and while she as really close to hit again Tala anticipated her move and use his own flash step to jump high in the air and avoid her, the second she took to reorient herself and try to process where Tala move the girl felt her arms being forced to be locked on her back, Miyu knew this bakudo all too well as one of her first spars begin with her being held by Sai and starting on a huge disadvantage and much like that time she was now annoyed.

Miyu would slowly turn around and glare daggers at Tala, it was a smart move as now not only he has the range advantage but also by locking her arms not only he took away two of her tools to fight but also to defend as now she can't bring her Asauchi to block or parry, still as long as she can use her legs she wasn't out of options, the thing is to find a way to approach her opponent as last time she found herself in this predicament she learn that going in the offensive wasn't good without finding an opening.

For now the girl would just set her right foot forward and be ready to move, she didn't make a move mainly because she figure it was better to take things calmly and let Tala take the initiative, she knows she has the speed advantage so the moment he lowers his guard to try and cast a Kido she can move in to stop him.

---

Reiatsu pool: 350/400 (-25 for shunpo)

[Tala Selao]

Tala gave her a sheepish smile as she glared at him and he just muttered a quick apology however he remained on guard. He noticed that she was going on the defensive now that she was at a much greater disadvantage but if she was going to wait for an opening that'd be made from him casting Kido then she'd find herself to be waiting for quite some time as he only knew two Kido spells at the moment in his career. Still with her being at this much of a disadvantage Tala figured that if she'd take the defensive then he should at least try and go on the offensive.

So he analyzes her for a moment, trying to decide an angle of approach before he suddenly racing towards her yet instead of swinging at her with his sword, he quickly reaches to his waist and pulls out his scabbard, swing upward in a diagonal arc to try and smack her with it. Assuming she'd was still quick enough to dodge and try to go for a counter attack, he'd then quickly raise up an arm in anticipation of the oncoming attack. As he does, a small round shield of orange reiastu appears, hovering above the wrist of the raised arm and if Miyu ended up striking it in the few seconds that it was present she'd find herself getting a shock of electricity and being temporarily paralyzed and numbed.

If he successfully managed to defend against her attack, if she even managed to launch one, then the shield would shatter from the force of her attack and even send him stumbling back a bit although he quickly recovers and uses a Shunpo to dart behind her where he then tries to sweep her legs with his scabbard despite his lack of physical strength although if successful, he'd then finally draw his Zanpakuto on her and hold it against her chest, daring her to try and continuing moving. His face now was no longer sheepish or lacking in confidence but fierce and focused although he wasn't even aware of it at this point.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool - 950/1050}-25 Bakudō #8: Seki (Repulse)
-25 Shunpo

SPOILER: Click to show

{Bakudō #8: Seki (Repulse)}Class: 7

Technique Type: Kido

Technique Element: [None]

Technique Description and Effects: Creates a small round shield of typically orange reiatsu along the user's wrist, not unlike small shields used with broad swords. Typically useless against Kido, this shield repulses low level physical strikes, and sends electricity back into the attacker to result in low level paralysis and temporary numbness.

How to use technique: Can be instantaneously cast, but is very brittle and weak without incantation and name being spoken. Lasts only mere seconds upon creation, and paralysis does not work on those with superior spiritual strength.

Incantation and Effect: Incantation allows shield to last up to twenty seconds at any one time, and increases its strength by 10%. (I.E. A reiatsu strength valued at 100 would instead be worth 110.) "Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself with horror and then seize your own throat!"

[Miyu Feng]

Despite the fact that she has her hands tied and has to play defensive looking for an opening, Miyu has to admit that it's an interesting scenario as playing too defensively leaves her open and trying to attack without a plan would lead to the same result, so what she can and can't do will depend on her opponents move.

Weirdly enough he charged towards her which could mean two things, either Tala had no other kido to use or he was baiting her to attack, without too much time to think as the scabbard was getting close to her the girl choose option two and decided to not counterattack this time, she would step to the right and then do a cartwheel to gain a bit more distance between them, as she turn around to keep eyes on Tala she saw the orange reiatsu shield in his hand but just as she caught a glimpse of Tala he use shunpo to banish and reposition himself, clearly he was going to try and hit her with the kido and the best position to do so would be behind her so without losing a second the girl would crouch to avoid the hit and then counterattack.

Problem was that Tala once he appeared behind her went for a sweep with the scabbard so he was aiming low which meant her dodge was unsuccessful, since she was crouching the scabbard hit directly on her right side and made her stumble and roll to the side, Miyu would take advantage of said momentum and roll a bit more than what the would actually made her just to keep a safe distance for her next move.

Once she stopped and planted her feet firmly in the ground she would use shunpo to cut the distance and putting herself to the side opposite to the orange shield in Tala's arm just so if he tries to use it he will have to make a very obvious move to stop her, once on his side she will swing her left foot to try and kick Tala on the back of his knees to force him on the ground, if successful she would then follow it up with a roundhouse to the head of course she wouldn't use all her strength behind it and if Tala does manage to counterattack he will have a free shot at her due to being really close.

---

Reiatsu pool: 325/400 (-25 for shunpo)

[Tala Selao]

The orange shield had disappeared seconds before he'd Shunpo but her not attacking didn't change his original course of action, although he didn't realize that she'd anticipate his move and try to dodge his attack, only to find his scabbard smacking her in the side and sending her rolling in a manner which caused Tala to wince but frown as he didn't think he'd hit her that hard.

However before he could make any other moves, he finds her suddenly right next him and swinging her legs into the back of his knees which cause him to let out a yelp of pain as falls to his knees, catching himself with his scabbard before he finds her foot now kicking him in the head from her roundhouse kick which sends him sprawling on the ground with a groan as he brings his hand up to where she'd kicked him. Even if she hadn't kicked him with her full strength, Tala was much weaker than her physically.

He pushes himself up slowly and gives her a stare before glancing over at the Captain, very much over this rather poor display of skills from himself but just shakes his head and gets back up to his feet before he Shunpo towards her again, this time not charging straight at her but to the side of her, offshooting his trajectory so that he could drive his scabbard into her stomach, hoping to knock the air out of her while he then drives his leg up and and plants it behind her leg.

Once there, whether he'd managed to land a decent blow on her or not, he'd then use his scabbard to push his back and tripping over his leg that he had behind her and hopefully send her sprawling to the ground. He was rather done with this exercise, the differences in their fighting styles, strengths, and weaknesses apparent now to Tala. Whether she was able to glean more from what he's demonstrated or not he wasn't sure, but he'd rather not have to take anymore hits to the head like he just had earlier.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Reiatsu Pool - 925/1000}-25 Shunpo

[Miyu Feng]

There were mixed feelings with the result of her plan, on the one hand it was good to see that it worked as expected but on the other... Miyu couldn't help to let out a gasp and a worried look after the roundhouse connected, she didn't mean to hit Tala that hard and was feeling incredibly bad about it, she'd definitely apologize once this is over.

The girl would watch as Tala rised back up and got ready for his next move, she also prepare to make a move as soon as she saw her partner use a flash step but at the last possible second she decided to take the hit so they could be even, she would make an attempt to rise her leg and letting the scabbard hit her shin just to make it seem that she wasn't taking a free shot, the scabbard would reach its target and Miyu would bend forward letting out a grunt as the air was knocked out of her.

Of course that was just the first hit, she didn't even notice the fact that Tala place his foot behind her and as she was trying to catch her breath the girl was flipped and tripped to the ground landing almost flat on her back (she still had her arms binded which only made the fall a bit more uncomfortable), she would try to move to the side and then rise to a sitting position but wouldn't try anything else for a couple of seconds before speaking"I concede" She let out a heavy sigh, giving up is not something she usually does but it's not about winning or losing as the captain said, this exercise is to learn the strengths and weaknesses of the other and while Miyu is not entirely sure if she find out everything, she does have a good grasp of what Tala is capable of and hopefully he learn a thing or two about her too.

[Tsuyoshi Minamoto]

Tsuyoshi watched Miyu and Tala take their positions from his place against the training dummy. He shifted his weight from left to right, finding a comfortable position, and then folded his arms. Miyu was fast - very fast. And strong - much stronger than Tala was. Tsuyoshi was well aware that Tala was the underdog in this particular engagement. He watched as Miyu took the first strike in the engagement, immediately closing the distance and forcing Tala onto his back foot. Tala wasted absolutely no time in adapting. Tsuyoshi’s eyes followed the man as he leaned into the speed of his shunpo and flipped up and into the air, managing a potent and notable bakudo. Good, adaptation, and only after a single attack.

Still, the limitations of a Kido specialist without Kido made themselves almost immediately apparent. This was a good lesson for Tala, and a weakness that Tsuyoshi anticipated he would more than make up for in the future. Miyu’s acrobatic and physical abilities caught Tsuyoshi’s attention, his eyes following the dance between the two of them. Watching green recruits learn the dance of warfare was always an interesting sight - Tsuyoshi skipped much of this beginning section of his learning and it wasn’t until he had become a Seated officer that he managed any significant troubles. Still, countless years spent training those weaker than him, sparring with inferior warriors and the last several years building up Sanbantai made most of the mistakes that they made glaring.

With both of the combatants looking decidedly defeated, Tsuyoshi nodded once at Miyu’s resignation. “Orre!” He shouted, letting his arms drop and leaning forwards off of the dummy. Both of them had did acceptably, in Tsuyoshi’s opinion, though their defeats had not come directly from one another, but from their own minds. Still, winning and losing wasn’t the point of the engagement - what was far more interesting to him was what both of them brought away from the duel. He paced slowly towards them, resting his left hand lazily over the hilt of his Uchigatana and letting his dominant hand rest freely at his side.

“Ehhh~ That was a good enough showing. From both of you, even if you don’t think it was.” He looked over to Tala specifically when he said that and then turned his gaze between the two of them. His eyes finally came to rest on Tala. “Tala. Your thoughts on your opponent. Her weaknesses, and then her strengths.” He paused, turning his gaze over to Miyu. “And Miyu, your thoughts in return - first on his weaknesses, and then his strengths.” He stepped up to Miyu, reaching a hand down and easily lifting her from her seated position, grabbing her by her collar and letting her find her bearings on the training grounds.

[Tala Selao]

Tala was a little surprised but also somewhat grateful to hear her yield although he felt like she could have kept going and pressuring him enough if she'd tried. However he simply nods ands kneels down next to her, where she had her hands held together behind her back and releases the reiatsu that was holding the spell together, allowing her to freely move her hands now. He, rises back up to his feet and then offers her a hand to help her back up as well, giving her a soft and somewhat apologetic smile.

However before he said anything to her, the Captain had spoken up, giving them both props although when he looked at Tala with the added comment, Tala simply sighed and looked away. He listens for a moment as the Captain then asks for their assessments and Tala takes a moment to reflect on the fight just now and shrugs, "As she mentioned earlier, her spiritual strength is lacking as I was able to restrain her arms with the simplest Bakudō, without a need for incantation. However, aside from that, I can't see any other weaknesses and her strengths had more than made up for it. Being a martial artist and not relying on just your Zanpakutō or Kido is not uncommon but still few. Her own training and dedication shows and her physical prowess backs it up well."

He nods, indicating he was finished, confident that he'd given a good assessment of Miyu's skills and also hoping that she didn't take any offense to it either. He was curious what'd she say about him although he had a good idea of his own skills so he could guess what she'd had tyo say about him already, not to mention that like she had, he'd also given a bit of prior information on his specialty.

[Miyu Feng]

The voice of the captain echoed through the training grounds as he called out the sparring (even tho she already conceided), as much as the girl was excited for how this whole exchange went she couldn't help but feel a bit intimidated as the captain walked up to her and pick her off the ground like nothing, that said she smile once Tala release her from the bakudo and Miyu was able to move her arms again, taking her time to stretch and move her wrist while the young Shinigami spoke what he believe was her weak points.

Miyu would nod as she heard Tala, he didn't say something she didn't know before hand and she did blush a little when her soon to be squadmate complimented her dedication and physical prowess, which reminded her of the kick she gave him and the girl thought that the best thing she could do before saying or doing anything else was to kneel and bow to Tala. "I am terribly sorry for that kick earlier, I am not use to hold back my strength so I didn't know how hard I was going to hit and I'm so sorry" With that out of the way it was time to get to what weaknesses and strengths she found, it was a no brainer really. "I may be spiritually weak but I believe you are downplaying your own skills, you are spiritually strong and a very quick thinker, even when I thought I had an answer for how you approach the fight I misread and got hit, I'd say it was also pretty smart using a bakudo as soon as you did, holding my arms back not only restrain me from properly fighting but also using my Zanpakuto to defend myself, you made smart use of the range of your balde and even use the scabbard, my brother use to say "fight smart, not hard" and I think you embodied that in our little sparring"

With that said Miyu was more than sure what she wanted to do once her academy days were over, after today Squad 3 already felt like her home even if she didn't see the barracks and only interacted with the captain and a squad member, it was the first squad to show interest in her and with what she saw today is the one that most definitely will use her skill set to it's full potential. "Thanks for this chance, it's been an honor and I hope we meet again in the future as squadmates" Miyu said with big smile on her face before bowing to both Tala and Tsuyoshi

[Shizuka Sanamizu ✮]

Counted 98 paragraphs = 490 TP awarded to participants