To Collect an Empty Soul [NDE, Joshua/Yoshi]

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

Name: [To Collect an Empty Soul] - The Adventure Name

Participants: [Joshua/Yoshi] - Who can participate?

Location: [Shini Academy and the Spirit Forge] - Where does this take place?

Difficulty Level: [Medium] - Easy, Medium, Hard, Extreme. How difficult is this adventure?

Setting: [NDE] Is this DE or NDE? Death Enabled or Non Death Enabled?

Plotline: [This is a Flashback Adventure. While in the Academy, Joshua Froid and Yoshitsune Okura had a couple days in their life that they wish to remember. The days where they collected their Asauchi from the Spirit Forge. They started with a few days of extra classes to prepare their souls for the journey through the Wilderness to the Forge, then made the journey and collected their weapons. They faced trials at the Forge to make sure that they were ready for the title of Shinigami. Mental, Physical, and Emotional Trials awaited them. But they persevered and collected their weapons. Now, they sit in their Graduation Ceremony, reminiscing that day.] - Explain the plot of your adventure.

Estimated Enemy Strength: [8] Estimate the strength of the NPC's people will fight in this adventure. Class 7-1, what is their strength on average?

Estimated Time Until Completion: [3 pages or so] - How many pages do you think this adventure will run for until it is over?

Starts: [Now] - When does the adventure begin?

Special Conditions: [None. Intros should represent sitting in the Graduation Ceremony with their Asauchi and reminiscing their collection of it. The narration will then follow.] - Any special conditions, limitations, or other things.

[joshua]

The day had finally come. Joshua graduated. He looked at the blade in his hand. His Asauchi, the weapon he forged. It was a little heavier than he was used to, sharper too. He smiled brightly as he saw his fellow graduates. He had never expected this day to come. There were hardships and trials but he managed to succeed. He prevailed with the help of his classmates, and friends, especially Yoshitsune. He turned his head to see his friend, the one who had helped him get this far. He hoped the feeling was mutual and he wasn't just taking advantage of him. However, He had to focus on the ceremony first. He shook the worriesome thought away.

He watched as the first few of his fellow graduates were bring called up on stage to receive their assigned squads and what he assumed were diplomas. They were doing this in alphabetical order, starting with the letter A of course. He would have to wait a bit before it was his turn. He impatiently started tapping his foot. He decided to take his mind off of it for now. He looked around for anything to distract him, wondering if there was something interesting. 

He saw Yoshitsune again and decided to talk to him. They hadn't talked since the forge. He figured this would be the best time to talk about what happened. He slowly stood up and made his way quietly to Yoshitsune, trying to avoid any unnecessary attention or interruptions. He made sure to keep his new Asauchi sheathed so it wouldn't accidentally hurt someone. He politely nudged and pushed people aside to reach the fellow blonde friend. 

He would sneak up behind him and place a hand on his shoulder. He would be smiling and friendly if Yoshi turned around. "Hi! We did it! We graduated! So, how does it feel? It's a bit heavy for me, but manageable." He said with a chuckle. His expression then turned into a calmer and cooler one, his pale face complimenting his light blonde hair. He moved in front of him now so that they could see face to face. 

"Listen. I just want to say thank you. I wouldn't be here without you. We helped each other all the way through. You are my best friend." He said with a solemn expression. He then smiled once more. He then grabbed Yoshi and hugged him tightly. He was grateful for him. "I hope we end up on the same squad! It would be great to have a close friend like you in the same team." He aaid with another bright smile. They had been through a lot together and this was their reward,they should enjoy it. 

[Okura Yoshitsune]

He didn't actually think that he was going to manage it. He was pretty sure he was going to fail, just like he always did. Before he took this chance, he couldn't beat his peers in kendo bouts, he couldn't maintain reiatsu spheres for extended periods of time. Heck, the best thing he had was his running pace being on par with his classmate's most of the time. So why was he sitting here at the graduation ceremony? Yoshi still couldn't do any of those things, he just had a sword. He let his classmate convince him to go through the Wilderness to the Forge, thinking that it would be a standard trial, which he would fail.

He probably would have too, but he had help. That guy, Joshua, was excellent at being a shinigami compared to him, and he used his talents to all but coast the weakling through the test. This was the truth that Yoshi had internalized. Yoshitsune had injuries on his body, bandages covering them in either small wraps and patches, nothing too severe, especially not for a spirit. But here he was, sitting there somewhat awkwardly while hugging a sheathed tachi that was too big for him, smiling, because regardless of the circumstances, it was a dream come true. He was suddenly approached by his partner in the trial a hand placed quietly on his shoulder, so he stood up and turned around, momentarily holding his sword in one hand by the scabbard.

It was small talk for such a big situation, but by this point Yoshi had expected no less from the guy, simple topics first always. "Yeah, it seems so!" he would reply with a widened grin, a little pain from the scrape on his cheek. As his attention was diverted to his sword, he'd raise and wobble his sword as though feeling its balance, "Mine's actually lighter than I'd expected, like it's made of aluminum or something..." He thought for a moment and chuckled a bit, "But that's not possible, all Zanpakuto are forged from the same material, regardless of appearance or functionality."

Then Yoshi was listening, intently, looking almost awkwardly as Joshua seemed to spill his guts to him. They'd become pretty tight because of the trials and rigorous training prior to the adventure, so it wasn't surprising. What was surprising was his friend's take on the situation, "I don't know man, all I did was get scuffed up while you practically carried me through the test... I--!!!!" he would be drawn into a hug rather suddenly, he was stunned a moment, gasping in surprise, and then wrapped the arm that wasn't holding his sword around his friend's shoulders. "T-thanks man. I'll do my best to live up to that title," he would say in response, chuckling a bit.

As they finished hugging it out like bros often do, the conversation would continue more casually, moving on to hopeful wishes for squad placement and relaxation. "Being on the same squad as you would certainly be ideal, friends always make things easier on duty. But regardless, we can still grab drinks or whatever, yeah?" he'd reply, sitting himself back in his chair, and patted the seat next to him offering, on which he'd placed his bookbag in a reservational manner, "It doesn't change the order of announcement, but friends should sit by friends in times like these, right?"

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

As the ceremony continued, Joshua and Yoshitsune would eventually come up, receive their squad assignments, and be awarded their Shinigami licenses.

But the ceremony wasn't finished. The President of the Academy got up to speak once all of the diplomas had been released. "Friends, Family, and Shinigami, please give a round of applause for this year's Graduates! It has been a hard 5 years, but each of them have put in the effort and are now considered full fledged Shinigami. Each of them have gone through Hell to prepare for the military that is the Gotei 13. And each of them have made the journey to the Spirit Forge to claim their soul weapon, the Zanpakutou. In time, it will grow to be personalized to their very soul. Such a weapon cannot be forged lightly, and should be considered a great honor to obtain."

The President trailed off for a moment, as if remembering his own journey to the Spirit Forge. Most of the teachers of the Shino Academy were former Shinigami, after all. Getting back on track, he continued his speech. "Please take a moment of silence to remember your own journey. Following that, we will take another minute of silence to remember all of the Shinigami who have perished. May their souls find peace in the next life." In this moment of silence followed by a minute of silence, all of the new Shinigami thought back to their days in the Academy... Back to the days where they visited the Spirit Forge and obtained their blank Zanpakutou.

Their Asauchi.

It was a warm summer day when the announcement was made. Over the next few months, pairs of fourth year students would be taken from their classes, given special training, and then released into the Wilderness to find the Spirit Forge and obtain their true soul cutters. Their Zanpakutou. Yoshitsune and Joshua would find themselves paired up by random lot. Whether they knew each other beforehand or not was irrelevant. Over the next few days they would become intimately aware of the other and would have to become at least partners if not friends. There was only one way to survive this challenge, and that was by working as a team...

[joshua]

Yoshi seemed to deny all the praise Joshua was giving him. He seemed flustered and he felt like it was a bit awkward. That was alright though, this was an emotional time. He chuckled as he put him down after the hug. He said it would be nice if they were on the same squad and that they should get a drink some time. "You know what, that sounds great, man. Just say when and where and I am there. It would be really fun to hang out, without training or trials to group us together." He said with a giggle afterwards. He looked back on stage and letter F just started. He knew he was next or close at least so he sat down next to Yoshi in anticipation.

He was finally called up on stage. He walked up slowly with pride and purpose in every step. He was receiving his squad assignment and he was excited. He personally wanted to join Squad 7, the police force of the Soul Society. He wanted to continue where he left off in life, someone helping protect the innocent and bring justice. The President of the Academy was standing in front of him with the license in hand. Joshua was beaming with joy when his license had been given to him. He was overjoyed once his assignment was given to him. He was now an Unseated Shinigami, of the Seventh Squad. He quickly went back down to show Yoshi his license and tell him his squad.

Yoshi was coming up soon. Joshua watched him walk up with pride as he saw his friend, his partner, receive his license and his squad assignment. He laughed at himself, he felt like an older brother or a father being proud of his younger brother or son. He never felt like this before. He felt more accomplished when Yoshi went up than when he did. It was strange, especially because he was sure that Yoshi was older than him. Either way, he was proud for the both of them, no matter what Yoshi's feelings were. He would wait for Yoshi to come down and tell him his squad assignment.

Every graduate received their licenses already. He thought the program was over and tried to stand up to leave. He then quickly sat down again when he saw the President come up on stage to give a speech. He hooed no one noticed and he tried to wip a slight blush off of his face. The President was a former Shinigami. He seemed to feel the same pride and joy each and every graduate felt. He gave a speech about the trials and obstacles each one of them faced. He said to remember everything in the past few years.

He started to reminisce. The first day he met Yoshi was the same day he heard of the announcement. He was in his class room when they announced it. All the fourth year students would be paired up with someone and sent to be trained and then released to the wilderness for the Soul Forge. He got a random lot number from a cup. He got the number 14. He wondered who the other number 14 was. He eventually saw his partner, a young looking boy named Yositsune. He wanted to make a good first impression so he brushed his hair to the side. They had to trust each other and first impressions can make or break a relationship. 

He extended his hand out in friendship. "Hi. My name is Joshua, Joshua Froid. I guess we're partners then. I'm looking forward to training with you." He said with a genuine smile. He was honest and friendly. He was nicer than a lot of students there, and he always stood up for the people who were bullied. He had a reputation of standing up for people around the school. 

[Okura Yoshitsune]

"Squad 5, huh? They're Kido Development right? I wonder what I did to qualify there..." he would murmur after coming up to the stage and getting his squad assignment and diploma. Something gave Yoshi the sinking sensation that he wasn't going to be on the same Squad as his teammate, a bummer for sure, but he would swallow his misgivings and uncertainties, and accept his fate. He'd earned this position, some way, somehow, and while it wasn't much to begin with, he was now head and shoulders above his classmates, those who failed where he did not. Whether it was luck of the draw, fate, or something the people at the top had decided, he was here, and had to accept his position with grace and gratitude. It was a great honor indeed.

Soon he would discover that indeed his friend was not on his Squad once he sat back down, at which point he closed his eyes to express disappointment, sighing a bit, and altering his expression thereafter to have a resigned and sympathetic look, like one gives someone who lost at a carnival game, "Bummer." His partner's position was certainly well earned as well, very fitting for him. As he sat at the forefront of the crowd, cheers and applause sounding around him, he rested his asauchi against his shoulder, holding it with both hands cupped at the bottom, causing its height to rise almost a foot and a half over his head, holding his rolled-up diploma scroll in his thumbs. He smiled and basked in the respectful. He hoped that he could feel like this again one day.

Suddenly everything quieted down. The President of Shino Academy stepped up to the podium, and began to speak. He spoke of deserving, trials, each and every person on the stage having gone to hell and back to get their Asauchi. He spoke of the honor it entailed, the difficulty of the task, the implications of merely holding a blade forged from the power of their soul. Suddenly he was quiet for a while, an eerie sort of silence that reeked of nostalgia, thinking back to his own adventure years back, those of his comrades over the years. He would seem to collect himself and call for a moment of silence, first to recall their own journey, and then to mourn the lost.

Yoshitsune found himself thinking back, perhaps further than he'd intended, thinking back to the old days, back when he thought this would never happen, though it was weeks ago, he remembers it all like it was yesterday...

---

Weeks ago, but not many...

"Match Point! Victory goes to Senichi Momotami!"

Yoshitsune, had lost once again. The practical sparring matches in kendo class were not doing him any good, this was his 10th loss in a row without scoring a single point. He had almost managed to convince himself that statistically speaking, there was no way his situation would happen, but everyone else kept getting better, while he stayed the same. So there he lie on the ground, having been flipped over a sparring sword like the sword itself was some kind of inanimate judo master. The protective gear did its job, he wasn't hurt, not physically anyways. He felt tears welling up in his eyes. All this time in the academy, and he wasn't going to graduate, because he hadn't improved a lick in the whole five years he'd attended.

"Yo dude, you alright. You took a pretty heavy fall there. Need a nurse?" someone would ask him, apparently worried.

"Huh? Oh, n-no! I'm perfectly fine, just... admiring the rafters... Yeah... Heh..." the boy on the ground would say, sitting himself up before standing. He would push back the tears, and walked over the the protective gear rack. Removing the fenced helmet previously obscuring his face and features, he would reveal a youthful face, his vitality showing through his large hazy eyes. His golden hair fell from the helm and over his left shoulder in a ponytail, and what wasn't in the ponytail puffed out and flared messily in multiple directions, leading to numerous ahoge. He would smile, and turn to face his former opponent who was also removing his helmet, "Hey that was a good match!"

The young male shinigami-to-be, Senichi, was athletic and handsome, a typical bishounen jock, would turn his head and reply rather hesitantly, "S-sure. You definitely have the bare essentials down, not dropping your weapon.... S-swinging the weapon..."

"Haha~ No need to sugarcoat it, I know I'm garbage dude. You beat me, hands down, no contest," Yoshi would comment, laughing cheerily.

"I guess that's pretty true. Say, if you want I can give you a few pointers after class, maybe improve your form... and attack strategy," Senichi would comment.

The blonde shinigami-in-training would chuckle once more, joking in response, "You and everyone else in the Academy, man. I'm hopeless, no need to waste your time with me when you can use it helping someone who can improve. Plus, there's nowhere near enough time, my final exam is coming up soon. I'll probably flunk out, to tell the truth."

"Sheesh, you're kind of a downer, you know that?" the jock would reply, taking a sip from a water bottle.

"Yeah I get that a lot," spoke Yoshi, taking the padded vest off at last. He'd smile and wave as the bell rang, he would head out of class.

Soon, between classes, an overhead announcement would come up. "The teams for the final exam are being decided. If you are participating, please come to room 402 to draw lots. Those who are to attend are as follows:..." a lot of people joined the academy each year, even his class alone would take a minute or two to read. The young blonde would continue walking, paying careful attention to the names being listed, though he knew he was due there. As he moved and listened he forgot about multitasking, and he would accidentally bump into another blonde shinigami-in-training (Joshua) while he wasn't paying attention. "Oh, sorry," he would way, walking around and past the individual in question, eyes still to the floor, though now paying more attention to his surroundings.

A time later he was in the room, nervously fidgeting with a pen he brought to class. "Yoshitsune Okura," spoke the teacher at the front of the class. "P-present!" he would reply alloud, standing up, but forgetting why he was being called momentarily.

"Come on up and draw your lot," spoke the teacher after a few beats of awkward silence and expectant stares in his direction.

"O-oh! S-sorry!" he would reply nervously, before heading to the front of the classroom and drew his lot. '14' At least it wasn't unlucky number 13.

He would return to his seat, after recording his name on the paper by the number he drew, and waited patiently. After a few minutes longer, he would hear the names in his team be announced, "Team 14: Joshua Froid and Yoshitsune Okura". He took a while to process the information he received trying to get a good idea for how they probably looked just by the name. Of course, while he was doing that much, the boy probably recognized his name as 'the awkward kid who forgot he had to draw lots in the window seat, second from the back', and found him with relative ease.

He was approached by a familiar blond individual, although he seemed to have cleaned himself up just a smidge before approaching, something with his hair, and he introduced himself as Joshua Froid. "Oh, hello!" he would say, with a sheepish smile. "You look different from how I'd imagined. I can't help but feel I've heard that name of yours before." In all likelihood he probably heard it in passing: Despite how weak he was, his personality wasn't so submissive as to succumb to bullying, but when a guy makes a name for himself, that name gets around.

"Anyhow, I'm Yoshitsune. Sorry to tell you, but you're luck's probably just run out. I'm at the bottom of almost every practical class," he would admit up front, "If you'd like to request a new partner, I wouldn't blame you in the least."

Color Codes
Yoshi = #D2B4F5
Random Other Student = Green
Senichi = #c83652
Teachers = slategrey

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

The matches were made. 15 teams of 4th years had been sorted in this class alone, leading to quite a big group that had to be debriefed on what they were going to be doing for the next few days. Standing up with a microphone, one of the teachers began to address the group. "Thank you all for your patience. Due to the size of this year's classes because of the Fourth Annual Rukongai Draft that inflated the Shino Academy, we will be having separate rotations for each of the day's activities. Teams 1-5 will go to the Library for a lecture on the nature of souls and Zanpakutou. Teams 6-10 will go to Classroom 1-A to study basic forging techniques. Teams 11-15 will stay here for the time being to work on physical and spiritual endurance. Tomorrow we will rotate the sections."

So Yoshi and Josh were going to be put through an advanced gym class to start out with.

The class was ran by a current Shinigami from Squad 10 by the name of Onaga Kiku. She started them out by doing physical exercises. Simple things, like jogging around a track, jumping rope, and pushups. "In order to obtain your Soul Weapon, your Zanpakutou, you must be in good physical condition. As you train your body, your spirit will follow suit. That's my philosophy, any ways!" After an hour of physical exercise was completed, with appropriate rest and water breaks, the real training would begin. The students were required to summon a ball of reiatsu from their hand and just hold it out for as long as they could muster.

And repeat. And repeat. And repeat...

"By the time we're done today, everything will hurt, but we will have increased your endurance to the point where you just might survive the Wilderness."

[Okura Yoshitsune]

Of course, out of the frying pan and into the fire. Yoshitsune was already pretty worn out from being soundly defeated twice in kendo class a half an hour prior, so of course he would get unlucky enough to be in the physical and spiritual training regimen. He'd hang his head in disappointment, knowing that he was in for a tongue-lashing the likes which nobody deserves. The personal trainers in the Gotei 13 were notoriously intense, he'd heard horror stories involving destroyed barracks and scarred landscapes in the aftermath of a 'good training session' between a couple of shinigami.

As far as the designated regimen went, he Yoshi was already pretty tired after a the first hour of exercise, his conditioning and minor bruising from a while back already taking their toll on him. He was lucky the team assignment process was a long-winded as it were, on account of the rest it let him accrue, but he didn't see the blessing in the curse. Indeed his speed was nothing special, but his slow reaction times were notable, any time the whistle was blown for him to switch tasks he took almost 3 seconds to process it, partially due to exhaustion, partially due to some naturally unrefined aspects.

Jumping rope was where he started himself, then the track, then push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups or at least what he could do of those latter exercises. He was already basically exhausted one run through, not for a total lack of endurance, but at least for a good amount of it. He didn't have the innate physical talent of his peers most of the time throughout his life. In fact, his position as leader in the child gang he ran, the Yoshi Gang, was due almost entirely to his sheer charisma and gumption.

The handsome young blonde shinigami-in-training was working up a tremendous sweat by the time he was done with the first hour, bangs stuck to his face as though soaked in grease, shirt damp and unpleasant to the eye, at least his track pants were unharmed by this hour. It was time for their break, and Yoshi would comment to his partner, between gasps for air, "Hehe... If training keeps up like this... maybe I'll keel over and they'll give you a free pass."

Soon it came time to something he was all but the most used to for all intents and purposes: It was a practice he'd do daily for the year leading up to when he joined the academy. He would create a ball of reiatsu in his hand, and hold it out, just holding it there for the maximum length of time he could manage. The physical exhaustion was taxing him, of course, but he was quite proficient at this task, if nothing else. "This brings back good memories," he'd say to his comrade in trials, thinking back to the carefree times he had before he'd made a career decision as crazy as being a shinigami. Back when he was pretty hopeful that he could make something of himself.

But his reminiscing was cut short after he would start flickering out. He remembered being better at this practice, maybe it was the physical exercise. He would put more effort into sustaining the ball, but all it did was get him a couple more minutes. Indeed he was rusty. "Damn..." he would murmur. Just like that, it was back to the jogging and push-ups. An hour of harsh, constant exercise, followed by more reiatsu-ball-sustainment practice. The Squad 10 member leading the excercise, Onaga Kiku she was called, seemed to be as into it as they needed to be, capable of doing their own regimen no problem. It was pretty inspiring, which was good, because by round 3 of exercise, Yoshitsune needed all the motivation he could get.

[joshua]

Joshua chuckled as his partner belittled himself. He heard about him before around the school. He was the weakest member of the school. He barely passed all his physical subjects. Joshua was kind of worried already. He wondered if this kid was able to go into the wilderness. He was like the class clown, always messing up and failing but had enough charm to him that he seemed funny.

Joshua wanted him to feel better. No one deserved to look down on themselves. No one can respect a person who doesn't even respect themselves. He put his hands on Yoshi's shoulders. "Are you kidding me? I must be the luckiest person in here! I get to help you prove yourself to the rest of the students. I bet that you will be better than they ever will, you just have to believe in yourself, you know." He said with a genuine smile. His shining white teeth showed the friendliness and confidence he had.

Then, he heard the teacher call out. He discussed how there was an inflation of students so he had to split up the teams. Teams 1-5 would go to the library for a lecture. Teams 6-10 will go to classroom 1A for the basic forging techniques. Teams 11-15 have to do physical and spiritual training drills. Afterwards, they would switch with another team. Joshua was fine with this but he was a little worried for his partner. His partner did not believe in himself and he seemingly just finished a physical activity.

The first hour was all physical drills. Push ups, pull ups, jogging on the track, jump rope, and sit ups. He was not the strongest in the class and was a bit weaker than a lot of the others but he managed to do the drills fairly well, at least in the first hour. He was as fast as most of the others as well. He could react normally and was faster than some students, and slower than others. He hadn't paid much attention to his partner at this time.

He realized that and looked over. He saw the tired out and sweaty Yoshi just finishing up his last drill before a quick break. His bangs were stuck to his forehead and his shirt was damp and wet. Joshua started to think that he might get sick. He went over to his back and produced his extra shirt. He then walked over to his exhausted partner. His partner made a joke that Joshua smiled at a little but he was more worried at the moment. He handed him the shirt. "Hey, man. Here, wear this. You shouldn't get sick over some drills. Don't worry about me, I can handle it." He said with a caring smile. He felt responsible for him.

He was sweaty himself. His shirt was almost as damp and wet as Yoshi's was. He didn't want to get sick either but he didn't have an extra shirt. He decided to just remove his shirt entirely and just place a towel on his neck. It was now time for the spiritual portion of the training. Joshua was pretty average at this, he never really practiced it before. He watched Yoshi create this ball of reiatsu and hold it for a long time. He was happy for him, so now he could focus on himself.

He felt the reiatsu in the area and he had to create a ball from the energy it made. He felt it tickle his fingers and seemingly overwhelm his senses for a brief moment. He felt his own energy begin to mix into it as he tried to draw this reiatsu in. The energy started to form around his hand, creating a small glowing aura around it. He pushed this energy outwards and created a small orb of glowing light, or at least he tried to. The energy was more formless and wild than an actual orb. He managed to gather a large amount of reiatsu but his control was a bit off. He looked over at Yoshi to see how he was doing and noticed that he was still holding his orb. Joshua smiled and decided to give it a rest for now.

The second round was more of the same, excessive drills and exercises which tired both of them out. He was starting to pant now. However, it was time for the ball of energy training again. He gathered a smaller, more manageable amount of energy this time and tried to force it outwards in an orb. He created a bubble of energy instead. The orb was unstable and it seemed to burst in random directions before coming together again. He was getting better but he still didn't get it right.

The third round was about to start and he saw Yoshi was exhausted. He was exhausted too. He watched as Yoshi started with the jump rope again, then followed up with track. Joshua decided to join him. When they were in track and Yoshi was falling behind due to exhaustion, Joshua would guide him along by putting his arm around him and running together. "No slacking off now! (pant, pant) Just a little bit more! Let's do it together, two heads are better than one right!" He said in between heavy breaths.

The next few exercises went by quickly enough and by the third round of spiritual training, he followed Yoshi's example and created a stable ball of energy, although he could not hold it as long as Yoshi did. He was still proud however, of himself and of Yoshi. He may make a lot of jokes that belittle himself but he had the determination to go through with it for so long. That in itself is respectable. Joshua found himself respecting his partner. He thinks that they could become good friends.

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

With the initial exercises done, Onaga Kiku let the students take a long break to recover their energy. Water infused with high density reishi was passed around to help the students recover from the spiritual exercises that they had performed. Snacks were also provided. As the students rested, the guest speaker continued to teach. "Now the Wilderness, as you all should be aware by now, is a lawless region of land outside the Rukongai. Why have we put the Spirit Forge there, instead of inside the walls of the Seireitei is a good question I've received many times as I've guest taught this class. So I'll answer it before anyone asks this time."

The Shinigami paused for a moment to let the students come up with an answer of their own before she gave the true answer. "The reason is simple. The Wilderness is a void of Souls. While some Hollows roam it, there isn't nearly as dense a population of souls as the Rukongai or Seireitei. There, in the Wilderness, is the only place where you can be alone enough to look deep enough into your soul and forge an Asauchi. If you tried to do that in the Seireitei, where thousands of Zanpakutou reside, the clamor and the noise would prevent the weapon from forming correctly. Now, are there any questions before we do one last round of training for the day?"

[Okura Yoshitsune]

Joshua was all around very kind and supportive, a trait not uncommon amongst the people in this line of work. People who wanted to defend their way of life and continue the cycle of souls and whatnot had a tendency to understand others, at least to what Yoshi found for the most part in his career. Not showing fear to others made him a less fun target, alongside his giggly nature whenever he did wind up in the occasional scuffle, and people sort of felt weird when they wanted to pick on him. So he indeed became a class clown, though less in the 'attention-grabby, look at me' mannerism and more in the 'it's really hard to dislike the guy' mannerism. A fact of which he is proud.

All during the training, especially the physical portion, he was a mess, but Joshua was less of a mess and tried his best to sustain Yoshi's work out, and even got him a new shirt after he made a joke about being ready to drop, which he would accept, still panting, "T-thanks, man." He would remove his shirt, almost professionally, and threw it aside, to a corner he could collect it later on. His body was as thin and small as one could predict for a kid his age: he wasn't muscular, but he wasn't flabby either. He had the sort of body that made others look at him and think 'that guy needs to eat a bit more'. Of course the view of his physique was short-lived as he would dry himself off rather quickly with a towel, tossing it with his original shirt, and then slip the shirt his partner provided on.

To nobody's surprise Joshua's shirt was probably a size or two too big for Yoshitune. He had the body of a pre-adolescent teen, after all. He would return to the exercises, and finish up.

Around the third round of physical exercises, he'd have also pretty much ruined the new shirt with sweat, basically unavoidable when doing three hours of workout. It was pretty much destroying Yoshitsune, whose soreness by that point was definitely no longer just minor bruising from kendo practice. He was about ready to call it quits, maybe request to head to the nurse's office or something for a check-up. But that partner of his showed up all supportively once more, putting an arm around his shoulders and sort of dragging him along, saying something about two heads being better than one.

"I don't think that (pant) multiple brains translates to (pant) enhanced physical endurance," he would say in a sort of nerdy jest, as he would push himself to keep going. With Joshua's help, Yoshi made it to the end of the physical training, and while his body was exhausted, he proved that he could still concentrate on that ball of reiatsu, and sustain it for roughly the same amount of time as the other instances before. He was physically drained, but he refused to remain spiritually drained. He also noted that throughout the reiatsu ball exercises that Joshua was slowly improving his form. He didn't say anything about it, half because he was concentrating and half because he didn't feel he had the right to tutor anyone.

Once they were done with the first three rounds, they were given a long break with high density reishi infused water, which seemed like something he should consider taking into the field someday. The squaddie from the 10th squad was pretty well informed about the Spirit Forge. It seemed that the spirit forge was actually well thought out rather than a tired old tradition, it all made enough sense, for certain. Yoshitsune thought about it for a bit, but then sort of had his spirit crushed when he learned of another round, sort of falling to his back from his seated position and groaning, not unlike a few people in the class.

[joshua]

Joshua and Yoshi made it to the end of the third hour of exercise. Right after the spiritual portion, he collapsed on the floor. He was breathing heavy now and his body was sore and exhausted. He looked over to his partner to check how he was doing. He was pretty tired himself. He wondered if they were done already. He didn't want another hour of exercise. 

His question was almost immediately answered. Onaga Kiku, the Squad 10 Shinigami, started explaining the reason why the Soul Forge was in the Wilderness in the first place. The Sereitei and the Rukongai are filled with souls that can distract the forger and can change the form of the blade. The Wilderness is empty of souls which will allow the proper forging of the blade. 

Joshua was sitting up now. He had been listening to her intently. He always liked learning, and he took every chance he could to learn about something new. His past years in the Academy had been spent learning about the Soul Society and the cycle of souls. He had been neglecting his physical training due to this and he was not the same physical speciman he once was in his life.

Then, Onaga Kiku announced that there would be a fourth round of exercise as the final one. He then collapsed on the ground again. He sighed heavily as a sign of defeat for a bit. He wanted to rest already. This was a painful experience for him and for his partner as well, probably for everyone else as well. He stood up and stretched a little before wiping away his sweat from his body. He was still shirtless now, showing his more toned and lean body. He wanted to just lie down on the floor and relax. 

He looked at his partner now with an exhausted grin. "I don't think I can take another round of this exercise. My body hurts so much already." He said with a few chuckles in between sentences. He wanted to just get to know his partner more. Besides their name and reputation in school, they don't know much about each other. He didn't think he could get through this, and he didn't think Yoshi could either. 

Joshua started to think of a way to change his perspective. He thought that there might be a way to motivate each other. "How about we play a game instead? The goal of this game is not to finish last. Let's see if we can outrun another team!" He said, trying to bring out Yoshi's playful or competitive spirit. He knew everyone was tired, he just wanted to give them inspiration to finish and move on. He had a sinking feeling that those that cannot complete the training would not make it to the Forge. He hid his worried expression behind a bright and smiling face. 

[Kyomei Kuchiki]

"No questions, huh? Alright, we're going to do a small obstacle course this time."

The Shinigami from Squad 10 would lead the 10 students outside to a small course on the backside of the Shino Academy. It had a series of climbing walls, a rope swing, and a tunnel to climb through. "You should attempt to master these three obstacles to be completed as quickly as possible. All three are representative of terrain features in the Wilderness that must be crossed to reach the Spirit Forge. Along the way there is a small cliff that must be climbed, a river to be swung across, and the entrance to the Forge itself is fairly small as if it was made for children. Practice as long as you are able to until you feel comfortable with the obstacles. Then you can call it a day and return to your dormitories. You will have no other classes today. I expect that you will practice your spiritual endurance though on your own time as it takes more than a day to build up enough energy to forge your Soul into a weapon"

The series of walls were lined up in order from smallest to largest. The first wall was two feet high. Easy enough to just hoist yourself up and over by swinging your legs. Some talented Shinigami could even jump that high and land on top of it or clear the whole thing completely. The second wall was five high. High enough to need a good reach to grab onto the top of it, then hoist yourself up or get a helpful push from below to make it over. The third wall, however, was nine feet high. It was higher than most typical obstacle course walls that were intended for one person. This one required quite a bit of teamwork to overcome. And with just two people per team, they had to get creative if they were going to overcome it. Those who failed to get over the wall were subject to a series of ten pushups and allowed to go around it.

The rope swing and the tunnel were fairly typical obstacles. The former required a two foot jump to reach the rope, then needed to swing an additional two feet and let go in order to land safely on the other side of the mud pit without falling in. Some of the Shinigami could jump all of the way without the rope swing, but they were penalized with pushups if they did this. Falling in was also punished with more pushups. The tunnel was the easiest part. The Shinigami just needed to get on their arms and knees and squirm through the tunnel in order to get to the other side. Once the obstacle course had been completed satisfactorily, they were expected to start over until they felt like they had mastered it. It was potentially a lot of pushups if they didn't master it quickly...

[Okura Yoshitsune]

He would hear out his partner about a spot of competition between the two of them. Yoshi would smile rather brightly in response to the suggestion. "We just have to not finish last... I think I can get behind that goal," he would say, the concept of not being the bottom of the barrel being appealing to him. Then it came right down to it, no questions were asked, so the next set of exercise was announced: An obstacle course, not unlike a foot race with some extra steps. He knew for a fact that he wasn't the slowest in his, though he wasn't the fastest either.

"All we've got to do is an obstacle course huh? We can do this, then," he would say, in reference to simply not finishing last. He would stretch a bit, his body somewhat refreshed thanks to that high density reishi water that was provided and the small snack that seemed to fill him back up with vigor. He wished that the instructor would have allowed him time to let the sweat dry though, maybe a few students actually attempt to ask a few questions or something. His class was never very interactive with the teachers though, so he wasn't shocked at that outcome. A bunch of stone-faced super serious guys when it came to learning... It almost made him miss his days in grade school.

"Alright, on the second wall I can give you a push up, and on the third, you'll help me climb up first so I can pull you up, since I don't think I can lift you with my push," he would strategize ahead of time, "If we do that, we should be able to get ahead of the slower teams quite easily." When the whistle blew, he would tear ahead at a full sprint, his competitive spirit alight with his physical youth and energy reserves regained from a decent rest. As he approached the first wall, he would note its height, just a few inches shorter than his hips were. He knew immediately he wasn't tall enough to big-step it. He would keep his momentum going by planting on hand on the top of the obstacle wall, and leaning his center of gravity into it, levering himself over the wall in a typical graceful fashion, as though hopping a short fence. It was nothing for a former child-gang leader.

The second wall wouldn't have been much for him either, but Yoshi needed to make sure Joshua got over the wall as well, and he didn't know the background of his partner as well as his own, so he followed the plan, stopping next to the wall and letting Joshua start climbing it first. He would give the fellow blonde an upwards push upon his tush, which he paid no mind to on account of both professionalism and in-the-moment unawareness. As his partner would climb up and over the top, he would move back a ways on the track, before getting a running start and jumping over the wall like a 5-foot fence, getting air, using his momentum and arm to lever himself overtop just like before.

He would fall down on the other side, bending his legs as he landed and made his way to the third wall. Provided the plan was being followed this obstacle would go pretty quickly as well, he would use Joshua's assistance to get up on top of the wall, then turn himself around and offer a hand up, pulling his partner overtop the wall with him, using the full of his rather pathetic strength, before turning and falling down the other side.

The rest of the tasks were like clockwork for him, a rope swing with a short jumping requisite, and a small tunnel, which he'd hardly need to do more than crouch to get through on account of his short stature. He almost fell in on the rope swing as his muscles started to get noodly again, but he managed to hold on until the swing was over the landing area, before flopping to the ground, panting. He awaited his partner and kept going towards the finish, crawling through and emerging on the other side. "So tired..." he would say gasplessly, before falling over and catching his breath, rolling to his back after a few seconds, "How'd we do, teach?"

[joshua]

Joshua looked over to the teacher as she described the next course of action. She talked about an obstacle course. They would perform three wall climbs, followed up by a rope swing, and finally a tunnel. He was listening and thinking intently about a strategy. He was excited though, as his partner seemed excited for this little competition they had. It was a fun little game that would make them better.

Yoshi created a strategy for the wall which was the hardest part of the obstacle course to be honest. The first wall was easy enough for both of them to do on their own. The second wall, Yoshi was going to give him a slight push up. The third wall, Joshua would push Yoshi up and he would pull up Joshua once he got over. That was the plan at least. Joshua was surprised and honestly quite happy that Yoshi was a quick thinker. Maybe all he needed was a slight push, like a game for instance. "Sounds good! See, I was the one lucky. Look at those guys still thinking over there. We can even finish first if we do that properly! Let's start right now!" He said with enthusiasm. There was no starting time, so they just went straight for it. 

Yoshi was about the same speed as Joshus was. Joshua decided to let him go a few seconds ahead of him so that he would be prepared to give him a lift. Around two seconds passed before Joshua started running. A few other teams watched in surprise as they went off running. Yoshi put his hand on top of the wall and hopped over it. Joshua ran and did the aame, landing on his feet. Yoshi was already waiting, ready to push him up. Joshua jumped and landed on the wall, grabbing a good hand hold on the wall. Yoshi pushed his butt up to get over the wall but Joshua didn't notice at the time. He made it over and jumped down to the other side. He rolled on the ground to keep his momentum going and stopped right in front of the third wall. 

This was the hardest part and he looked back at the previous two walls. Most of the teams just finished the first wall and one other team made it past the second. The competition might get close. Yoshi made his way to the front of the wall. Joshua put his hands down as a step for Yoshi to be pushed up. Joshua pushed him up and Yoshi grabbed a hand hold and climbed up and over rather quickly. Joshua took no chances and grabbed the wall, climbing upwards as fast as he could. Yoshi put his hand down towards Joshua and he took it, quickly getting over the wall. They landed on the other side and started sprinting. 

Then, there were two vines in front of them. Yoshi jumped and almost fell off but managed to reach the other side with the vine. Joshua was determined to win. He grabbed the vine and swung to the other side a little bit later than Yoshi as he was a little heavier. Yoshi was looking back at Joshua to see if he made it yet. "Go!" He shouted at Yoshi. They were so close, and the other team was swinging on the vine already. The final part was the tunnel. He had been running for a long time, using the momentum he had, he got down and slid through the tunnel almost all the way through. He squirmed a little inside of the tunnel and made it out about two seconds behind Yoshi. 

They were the first to arrive. They beat every single other team here. He collapsed on the ground next to Yoshi and laughed. He was still shirtless but he was now covered with mud and dirt. He looked up at the teacher and his partner and smiled brightly. "I think we won the game, Yoshi!" He said woth a child like joy. This made him so happy. He was still extremely tired though, so he just stayed on the ground for a few minutes unless instructed otherwise.