Yuichi leaned against the wall, catching his breath, but Mei stood motionless, her calm gaze locked on him. Her stillness carried a quiet determination, as though she had already decided what was next.
Without warning, she spoke. "Where are you going?"
Yuichi turned back, raising an eyebrow. "To check on Byakuya, of course. Can't let the young lord wander around without us."
Mei took a step forward, blocking his path. "The young lord is safe within the mansion. There's no need to shadow him every second. Instead, we should spar and hone our skills."
Yuichi raised an eyebrow, incredulous. "We just sparred with him! You can't possibly have energy for more."
Mei's gaze didn't waver. "This is the perfect opportunity to assess how much we've improved. Our recent battles should inform our training. Would you rather be unprepared for the next threat?"
He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Mei, it's been, what, a few days? How much more improvement could we possibly see?"
"This is the perfect time," Mei replied, her voice unwavering. "We've been in constant battles recently, and this is a chance to gauge our progress. Or are you content with stagnating?"
Mei's piercing stare silenced him, her gaze unrelenting until he relented with a groan. Yuichi sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Alright, fine. Let's do this."
He reached for his zanpakutō, but Mei raised a hand to stop him. "No swords. Let's spar using Hakuda and Shunkō. We've relied too heavily on our blades lately."
Yuichi hesitated but nodded. "Alright. Let's see how this goes."
Mei took a step back, her reiatsu flared up as she activated Shunkō: Hyōten (Frostbite). A chilling aura of ice surrounded her, frost forming on the floor beneath her feet. Her expression remained calm, but her body was a blur of speed as she entered her fighting stance, resembling the poised and fluid movements of Wing Chun.
Yuichi matched her by activating Shunkō: Enkai (Inferno), his body igniting with a fiery aura that radiated heat across the room. His stance mirrored the solid, powerful strikes of Kyokushin Karate, his fists tightening as flames coiled around them.
Mei moved first, her speed incredible as she closed the distance in an instant. Her palm shot forward, aiming for Yuichi's chest. He deflected the strike with a powerful block, the frost biting into his arm. He countered with a straight punch, his fist engulfed in flames, but Mei pivoted smoothly, letting the strike pass by her with minimal effort.
Their movements became a blur as the spar intensified. Mei's strikes were precise, each attack calculated to target Yuichi's weak points. Her hands moved fluidly, deflecting his powerful punches with subtle shifts that redirected their force. Each block was followed by a quick counter, her icy aura freezing the edges of his flames.
Yuichi retaliated with the raw power of his style. His strikes were unrelenting, each punch and kick while still unrefined showed the fruits of his training. He aimed to overwhelm Mei with sheer force, but her defensive techniques nullified much of his momentum. When one of his punches connected, the ice on her body weakened quite a lot but grew yet again as she put some distance between them.
Mei's fluid movements made it difficult for Yuichi to land a solid hit. Her attacks came swiftly, each strike aimed with deadly precision. She launched a series of rapid palm strikes, forcing Yuichi to backpedal as he blocked them. One strike slipped through his guard, hitting his shoulder with enough force to send a chill through his body.
"Not bad. You said you haven't practiced Hakuda much but I can tell you've improved," Mei noted, her voice calm even as they exchanged blows. "But you're still too reliant on raw power."
Yuichi smirked, ducking under a strike and countering with a fiery uppercut. "And you're still too focused on precision. Sometimes, brute force wins."
Mei dodged his attack with a graceful twist, her icy aura intensifying. She activated Kōri no Mai (Dance of Ice), creating illusionary clones made of ice that surrounded Yuichi. Each copy mimicked her movements, their presence making it nearly impossible to discern the real Mei.
Yuichi growled in frustration, his eyes darting between the clones. "Really? You're pulling this again?"
The clones moved in unison, closing in on him with rapid strikes. Yuichi swung his fists wildly, flames bursting forth with each punch. The fiery blasts destroyed the icy copies, but each time one shattered, another took its place.
"Fine," Yuichi muttered, focusing his energy into his fists. He activated a technique he created on the spot Karyū no Tekken (Dragon's Fist), the flames around his hands forming into dragon-shaped projections. He achieved this by using "Karyū no Yaiba" (Dragon Blade) but the medium was hist fists rather than his zanpakuto. He punched forward, the fiery dragons flying toward the clones and incinerating them one by one.
The real Mei watched from a distance, waiting for the right moment. When Yuichi's focus shifted to destroying the last clone, she darted in, her movements a blur. She delivered a sharp palm strike to his chest, sending him stumbling back.
Yuichi recovered quickly, his flames flaring as he launched himself at Mei. Their battle reached its peak, each strike and counterstrike coming faster and harder. Yuichi's powerful punches collided with Mei's fluid blocks, the room filled with the sound of their combat. The floor beneath them cracked, half of it scorched by flames and the other half frozen by frost.
Despite his strength, Yuichi began to falter. Mei's speed and precision wore him down, her icy aura sapping his stamina with each strike. She moved with unrelenting efficiency, her attacks finding openings in his defense and exploiting them.
Yuichi gritted his teeth, pouring everything he had into one final attack. He charged forward, his flames roaring to life as he aimed a devastating punch at Mei. She sidestepped at the last moment, her hand glowing with icy energy as she delivered a precise strike to his side.
The impact sent Yuichi crashing to the ground, his flames flickering before extinguishing entirely. Mei stood over him, her frosty aura dissipating as she lowered her hands.
"You lose," she said simply, her tone carrying no malice.
Yuichi groaned, lying flat on his back as he caught his breath. "Yeah, yeah. Rub it in, why don't you?"
Mei extended a hand, helping him to his feet. "You fought well, but there's still room for improvement for the both of us."
Yuichi chuckled, shaking his head. "You really know how to make a guy feel better."
The training room was a mess, one half burned and the other half frozen. Mei glanced around, her calm expression unchanging. "We'll need to clean this up."
Yuichi sighed, leaning against the wall. "Let's leave that for Captain Urahara. He probably has some gadget to fix it."
Yuichi grinned, leaning against the wall. "Now there's an idea I can get behind."
Mei's gaze softened slightly, and in a rare moment, she allowed a small smile. "Who wins is unimportant. Growth is what matters."
Yuichi smirked, rolling his shoulders. "Well, if growth is what we're after, I'd say we're on the right track. Next time, though, I'll be the one standing."
Mei raised an eyebrow, her calm demeanor returning. "We'll see."