"We swallow our feelings, even if it means we're unhappy forever. Sound good?" — Chandler Bing
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After the battle with Kenpachi Zaraki, Yamahiko returned to his barracks to treat his injuries. He had been wounded, but the wound wasn't superficial.
Yamahiko could heal himself with Kaido, so he didn't need to visit the Fourth Division.
On this day, Yamahiko and Suì-Fēng gathered on the training grounds. Yamahiko's hands and feet were enveloped by a strong wind.
Suì-Fēng asked in astonishment, "What is this?"
Yamahiko smiled and explained, "It's a partial version of Wind Shunkō."
[Wind Shunkō - img]
Suì-Fēng was surprised and inquired, "You've mastered another Shunkō technique? But it seems like your Lightning Shunkō isn't complete yet."
Yamahiko replied, "I have both Lightning Wing and Lightning Strike. Lightning Shunkō doesn't need to be fully mastered, to avoid having my Zanpakutō sealed like what happened with Lamierez."
Once again, if he were to encounter Lamierez, he believed that with his increasingly strengthened body, combined with Shunkō and Hakuda, he could defeat him. If he used Wind Shunkō, he could easily take him down.
However, for Arrancars on the level of Wonderweiss Margela, even someone like Jūshirō Ukitake could only contend with them in their Resurrección state. Even if he used Wind Shunkō, he wouldn't be able to defeat them. Therefore, perfecting Wind Shunkō and strengthening his body to develop an Hierro(iron skin) was crucial.
[Wonderweiss Margela - img]
[Hierro(iron skin) - img]
While Yamahiko was contemplating this, Suì-Fēng, who was eager to battle, said, "Come on, Yamahiko, let's spar and test your Wind Shunkō combat capabilities."
Yamahiko scratched his head and responded, "I'm no match for Captain Suì-Fēng."
Suì-Fēng smiled and replied, "I won't use Shunkō; I'll only use Shunpo and fight you."
Yamahiko raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "In that case, Captain, you're not my match."
"Try me, or are you afraid?"
Suì-Fēng crossed her arms, provokingly challenging him.
Yamahiko chuckled and asked, "If I win, what reward will Captain give me?"
Suì-Fēng blushed slightly and inquired, "What reward do you want? And we agreed that until you meet my standards, I won't let you surpass our relationship."
Yamahiko looked at Suì-Fēng and said, "My reward is that if I can win, I won't have to use formal language when addressing Captain Suì-Fēng in the future.""
Suì-Fēng pondered for a moment and agreed, "Okay, but it can only be during private training sessions. In daily life, you can drop the formal language, but in the squad, with other squad members present, you must still address me as Captain."
"Deal."
As long as he could reduce the formality of their titles, it would be good enough. Having to address Suì-Fēng as "Captain" every time they interact was a bit awkward.
Suì-Fēng gestured, and Yamahiko cautioned her before he vanished into thin air.
BOOM.
Yamahiko appeared behind Suì-Fēng and aimed a punch at her back. Thanks to the boost from the wind-based Kidō, his speed had increased by half a level. While it was not as fast as Raijin Shunkō, it was already faster than his regular Shunpō.
Suì-Fēng, as the wind gathered around her, swiftly dodged the attack by leaning forward and twisting her body, delivering a powerful kick with her left leg.
Fast.
Yamahiko's eyes narrowed, and he hadn't expected Captain Suì-Fēng to be this fast. Even with his use of Shunkō, he was only slightly quicker than her.
Could she have been hiding her true strength all along?
No, it was more likely that she had been continuously improving. During their training, Yamahiko had made progress, so why wouldn't she?
With a loud thud, Yamahiko quickly retracted his arm to shield himself from Suì-Fēng's kick, which landed on his arm. In the next moment, Suì-Fēng's shoe was shredded by the swirling wind from the explosion of Wind Shunkō. This demonstrated the explosive power of Wind Shunkō, which could destroy objects it came into contact with.
Suì-Fēng instantly moved to a distance, standing barefoot on the void, contemplating her options. She couldn't get too close, couldn't touch the tempest, and needed to be a bit slower. The situation didn't seem favorable.
While Suì-Fēng was pondering her strategy, Yamahiko grinned and in a flash, he appeared right in front of her, throwing a punch. Suì-Fēng evaded it without engaging in a direct confrontation and instantly reappeared at a distance.
But the moment she reappeared, Yamahiko was in her face again, his palm thrusting toward her. Suì-Fēng dodged once more, and Yamahiko continued to pursue her. With a few more ups and downs, Yamahiko teased, "Captain Suì-Fēng, if you keep running like this, it's your loss."
"Is that so?" Suì-Fēng replied.
Suì-Fēng dodged Yamahiko once again, and he continued to pursue her. However, halfway through, three kunai appeared in front of him, attacking his face, chest, and abdomen. All the attacks targeted his central axis.
With a swift wave of his right hand, Yamahiko shattered the three kunai. However, after the kunai exploded, a barrage of silver needles flew toward him.
"What's this?" Yamahiko hesitated for a moment. What use were these scattered silver needles?
But in the brief moment of Yamahiko's distraction, Suì-Fēng extended her right hand and pointed at him from a distance. In the next instant, a series of thunderbolts spread from her hand.
Hadō #11. Tsuzuri Raiden [img]
Tsuzuri Raiden involved releasing lightning along an object. When released through the air, its power was greatly reduced, and it was challenging for it to propagate over long distances in the air, making it less effective than Byakurai.
However, Suì-Fēng was close to Yamahiko, and there were several silver needles in between. These electric currents hit the silver needles directly, and then, from the other end of the silver needles, they shot toward Yamahiko.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle.
Vivid blue electric flashes arrived in an instant. Yamahiko had no time to dodge and could only manage to raise his arms to block the incoming lightning.
Crackle.
The fierce winds on Yamahiko's arms weakened the electrical energy, but some still landed on his arms.
Taking advantage of this moment, Suì-Fēng appeared behind Yamahiko and swung a kick downward. As long as the lightning could immobilize Yamahiko even slightly, Suì-Fēng could land a successful hit.
However, Yamahiko used his wrist to block Suì-Fēng's foot, and his other hand had already pressed against her abdomen.
"You've lost," Yamahiko said gently, looking at Suì-Fēng.
Suì-Fēng furrowed her brow and asked, "Why didn't the lightning affect you?"
Yamahiko smiled and replied, "I've been using my magnetic field to strengthen my body. My skin and muscle density have increased significantly, so the weakened Tsuzuri Raiden had no effect on me."
"I see," Suì-Fēng sighed, feeling a bit disappointed that her technique had no impact.
Yamahiko continued, "Captain, from now on, I'll call you Suì-Fēng in private."
Suì-Fēng grumbled, "I shouldn't have agreed to this. It feels awkward to have a kid like you calling me by my name."
Yamahiko quickly added, "How about I call you sister Suì-Fēng in private, just not 'Captain'? Is that better?"
[Note: Just as when a girl calls her boyfriend 'gēgē' or 'older brother,' boys often reciprocate by calling their girlfriend 'mèimei' or 'little sister.' It is quite common among friends, and it invokes a sense of a close, family-like relationship.]
Blushing slightly, Suì-Fēng agreed, "Fine."
Yamahiko then asked, "Suì-Fēng sis, the technique you used earlier with the silver needles and electricity, is it a new development?"
Suì-Fēng nodded and said, "I saw you developing various techniques that use lightning, so I thought of a way. But now it seems to have little practical use."
Yamahiko agreed, "Indeed, it has limited utility. The power is too weak for skilled opponents. Moreover, Suì-Fēng, you won't always have the opportunity to set up such an environment for the release, and it might create vulnerabilities."
Suì-Fēng sighed and admitted, "I just wanted to increase my strength as much as possible. I feel like I've reached a plateau, and compared to your progress, I still have a long way to go."
Suì-Fēng's abilities were already impressive, with her complete Shunkō: Raijin and her Second Shikai ability(Nigeki Kessatsu), making it challenging for anyone to avoid her surprise attacks unless their reiatsu was at a certain level.
[Suì-Fēng uses Nigeki Kessatsu - img]
Yamahiko revealed a mysterious smile and said, "Suì-Fēng sist, your strength and speed are your best weapons, so there's no need for indirect methods. You just need to increase your power and speed. I have a way to help you improve."
Curious, Suì-Fēng asked, "What method is that?"
~End of the chapter~
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