The More Things Change

This article, The More Things Change, is the co-property of both Narutokurosaki547 and Nisshou.

Following his training under Seireitou Kawahiru, Jason was now residing in the Human World's city known as Rider City as a special kind of plus. Following the recommendation of his previous teacher, he sought out another Yonkō by the name of Hikaru Kurosaki in order to learn the art of Zanjutsu and possibly the art of achieving his Shikai.

To the Wolves

Regular Morning

Hikaru yawned as he entered the living room. He clicked on the TV, turning up the volume to counter his brother's snoring. Mizu had yet again fallen asleep in a Zen position wearing only a loincloth. The next time he gets smashed, so help me God, I will put him in the bottle recycling bin. Hikaru's thoughts paused. Who am I kidding, my brother is always drunk off of the excess liquor here.

The usual chaos was happening: Kari and Bella "fought" over who would use the shower first; John pounded on Nodoka's door, telling him that it was his turn to train him today; Sayuri hogged the 3rd bathroom, and Saya was telling her to get out so she could prepare for the day. Kirika was taking a shower in the master bath, seeing as Hikaru already took his. It's like I live with college students and teenagers. I may be millenia old, but I still can't stand their whining! For once, could I please have someone other than Nodoka and the Arrancar Twins who is actually respectful? He sifted through the mail and found a letter from Seireitou. Hikaru opened the letter and read the contents:

Dear Hikaru,

I am sending over one of my students for you to train in the art of Zanjutsu. I estimate you have read this letter in the morning and are probably annoyed at the quirks of teenagers. Well, put on your big boy hakama and shape up!

I can already tell this day is going to be weird. Hikaru read on:

I am sending over Jason Palmer. He's like a younger version of Mizu, only more of a smart-ass, and he's extremely hot-headed. Have fun training him.

Your fellow Yonkō,

Seireitou Kawahiru

P.S. This one is worth training. Make sure you take your time and push him to the limit.

"Oh, and how his limits will be tested." Mizu yawned (He was reading over Hikaru's shoulder).

"Put some clothes on, Mizu," said Hikaru flatly.

"Killjoy. No kidney punch?"

Hikaru put the letter away in a junk drawer. "I don't want cleaning up blood being the first impression our guest has of us."

"Because we're so good at first impressions," mused Mizu. "Just look at the Hantā, they LOVE us!"

Hikaru sighed. "This time we're not being attacked by those hell-bent on decimating the Yonkō."

"Convenient," said Mizu. "Sei recommended the kid. Think he's THAT good?"

"Who knows?" Hikaru's aloofness reached a plateau. "It's more his battle ability I'm concerned about." He heard a crash, screaming, and Sayuri saying 'WHO TOUCHED MY BUTT?!' Hikaru looked blankly at his brother. "How many days do you give him?"

"For the training or living with the potential teen drama club?"

"Sure."

"Since we know practically nothing about the kid, and since he was Sei's student," Mizu stroked his chin. "five and one respectively."

Hikaru chuckled, "Time will tell."

First Impressions

Jason used his speed and agility to jump from roof top to roof top, he had a map given to him by Seireitou about how to find Hikaru. Rebounding off of a street sign using something similar to Fullbring, he saw a large Winery with the Kurosaki kanji on the front.

"That must be the place," He said as he landed and fixed his clothes, which were very American for a soul from the Rukongai. Walking up to the gates he felt a strange spiritual energy coming from the building.

"So many different spiritual energies this will be interesting," He said as he went to push the gate open.

"Stop right there." John and Nodoka waited at either side of the gate. "What's the password?"

Confused Jason looked at the two and shrugged.

"I don't know any password, I was sent here by Seireitou Kawahiru to meet a Hikaru Kurosaki." He said as he glanced at the two, trying to read their race and spiritual pressure levels.

Nodoka and John glanced at each other. John grinned, "Just kidding, Junior. We thought we'd just joke around a bit."

"You mean you wanted to pull a stupid prank under the pretense of threatening me with something totally unfair," retorted Nodoka through thought-speak. He made sure Jason could hear too.

Jason laughed and rather than opening the gates, chose to show off a bit and fullbrought the ground in a way and leaped over the large gate between him and the two awaiting Shinigami, his feet giving off a faint gold spark as he did so. Landing before the two he asked.

"You're both Shinigami aren't you? Can't wait to see your powers."

John sighed, "Shall we teach him the pecking order?"

"Nah, it's more fun to fight than explain."

"Point taken." John unsheathed his sword.

Watching this, Jason assumed his Shinigami state, transforming in a flash of golden sparks.

"OK, I see your that type..." He said as he took out his own sword, which he still didn't know the name of. "Lets begin shall we?" He asked as he used his rather impressive speed to charge at John.

"What the?" John narrowly dodged, getting a cut on his face. "I should expect no less from one of Sei's disciples." He deflected Jason's sword and kicked the boy across the yard into the rose bushes.

Nodoka followed up with stopping Jason from hitting the roses. "John ,if we damage those plants, Kirika will make us do grunt work for a month."

"I thought we already did grunt work," said John.

"The definitions of grunt work are very different between husband and wife," answered Nodoka.

Jason pushed off of Nodoka and used his speed and strange skills to stand on the air above them.

"Then lets take this to the skies," He said as he pushed of the air and jumped higher. In the air, Jason took a minute to contemplate what Seireitou had taught him and soon went to replace his sword in his sheath as without a shikai, it wouldn't be much use.

"Lets see what they bring to the table, I will have to be smart about this," He said as he waited.

"Hey! Gloomy and Persephone!" called Sayuri. "It's time for breakfast!"

"Did you just call me Persephone?" asked a bewildered John.

Nodoka pointed upward. Sayuri looked up at Jason. "Hey, Jason! You want breakfast?"

Nodding, Jason deactivated his Fullbring while floating back to the ground.

"I guess we will fight later huh," He said as he heard a voice in his head, whispering to him.

"You are a weakling and aren't worthy to be my master..."

Day 1

"So why is it that no matter who it is, friend or foe, everyone with a spit of spiritual pressure always attacks us?" asked Mizu while wolfing down some pancakes.

"Maybe it's because this establishment has 2 Yonkō class fighters, 3 Captain-class fighters, 3 Lieutenant-class fighters, and 2 higher ranking Espada class fighters living together and working together under the same roof," noted Hikaru. He sipped his tea and helped himself to another stack of flapjacks and some bacon.

"We can't help it if we're awesome," said John. He was on his 4th serving of eggs and bacon.

"Some people would disagree with you on that one," responded Nodoka. He sipped some coffee. "There are always those who want to fight us. Mostly because our idiot captain keeps sending us to hot spots for no real reason."

"Is it just me, or has Nodoka gotten snippier lately?" commented Sayuri after finishing some sugared strawberries.

"It's just his time of the month," said a bored Saya. She barely touched her food.

"You may need to get more sleep, Saya. I'm not a girl," countered Nodoka.

"You certainly complain like a woman."

"Would you please stop it, Saya?" asked Kari. "We have a guest and we should be more courteous to him."

"Speaking of courteous, where's Bella?" asked Mizu.

"She's helping Kirika cook," answered Hikaru. "Remember that most of the males in this household can resist her hormone reiatsu," Hikaru didn't move his head, but Nodoka and John could feel his stare.

"Not my fault. I can't bench-press planets like you and your brother."

Hikaru continued, with a small grin at his subordinate's comment, "She'll keep her distance from Jason until such time."

"That's smart," said Kari. "At least I don't emit the same aura."

"The effect is still there," whispered John to Nodoka.

Nodoka said nothing.

Before another fight started, Hikaru decided to start a new topic. "So, Jason. How was your journey here?"

Jason looked up from his 3rd helping of food, finding it funny that he was so hungry while in his Gigai.

"Pretty confusing, I am so used to the East Coast, its been too long since I've been back on this side of the world," He said as he finished his food. "So you're Hikaru, the lone wolf of the Yonkō?" He asked as he felt another strange change in his spiritual pressure, as if someone or something was influencing it like it was when around Seireitou.

"For a lone wolf, he certainly has a lot of friends," mused Mizu.

"That is correct, Jason," answered Hikaru. "I was known as Hitokiri Urufukuro, or Black Wolf the Manslayer."

"I've been wanting to ask about that," said John. "You were known as the Black Wolf, but your hair is red."

"It wasn't always that way," said Mizu. "Hikaru used to have black hair, but post-war, it turned red."

"From the blood of his enemies?" asked Nodoka.

Hikaru chuckled. "Some may think that, but no. It's a side effect from a rejuvenation Kidō that I use. I am well over 5 millenia old."

"Wrong," said Mizu. "Red-haired Kurosaki are black-haired born Kurosaki who have unlocked their extreme reserves of power. The age thing is right. though."

"Wow, that's almost as old as Master Seireitou....." Jason said as he uncontrollably changed into his Shinigami state, projecting it over his Gigai rather than exiting it as normal. "What is going on with my Reiatsu?" He asked, looking at the Yonkō.

"Do you feel the compulsive urge to swoon over Bella Pelear?" asked Mizu.

"No I do not..." Jason said as he remembered his lost love, who was eaten by a Hollow. "Not many can affect my heart." He explained as he looked at his form and then heard another voice.

"You are a weakling......." A strange female said to him.

"Seriously?" asked Mizu. "Most guys can't resist her charms. She destroys the 10 scale."

"Talking with your Zanpakutō?" asked Nodoka. "That seems to be happening a lot lately."

Mentally he spoke to Nodoka. "You can hear her too?" Jason asked confused by the comment.

"Your face gives everything away," Nodoka continued to eat pancakes as he 'spoke' to Jason.

"This is the the first time I've heard her voice, she is quite rude," He said as he grabbed his blade which released a large energy wave throughout the room, ruining breakfast. "What was that?"

Everyone was covered in various breakfast foods. "That was annoying," said Kari as she plucked a strawberry from her chest.

"ACK!" Sayuri screeched. "And I spent all morning getting myself ready for the day!"

"Ugh!" Saya pulled a sticky pancake off of her shoulder.

Hikaru avoided all of the debris as he flashed to the kitchen at the last minute.

"Well, since breakfast is over," started Mizu. He pointed to John and Jason. "Lowest rungs! Clean up!"

"You're not the boss of me," said John.

"Really," Mizu smiled sadistically. "Then I'll train you today instead of Nodoka."

John's entire body tensed. "Jason, let's clean this up."

Scared and ashamed he could not control his powers, Jason simply nodded to Mizu and went to start cleaning up the mess he caused. "Darn Zanpakutō, I don't know why it wont listen to me..."

A Common Soul

"All right, now that breakfast is cleaned up, Saya and Sayuri have relented in killing Jason, and Mizu has gone off to deliver more booze to the local taverns, training can begin," stated Hikaru.

"Isn't it offensive to call our fine wine, booze?" asked John.

"Yes," answered Hikaru. "That's why we call the cheap stuff, booze."

"We're not going to go into our different slang words for our alcohol, are we?"

"Nope," said Hikaru. "But we are going to start training. Jason, what are your current powers?"

"Well, Seireitou-sensei trained me in Hakuda, and some Hohō, But I don't have control over my Zanpakutō nor do I have Shikai, as seen with the breakfast fiasco." Jason explained as he glared at his Zanpakutō, sitting propped up on the wall.

"Wait, it is that you don't know the name of it, or is it snippy and won't let you use it's powers like my Ryojō?" asked John.

"Don't know its name; it was just today that I heard her voice....." Jason said to John.

"Hmm," John puzzled. "At least you know it's a girl. Thankfully, Zanpakutō aren't like Bount dolls. They aren't going to kill you for lack of power. They'll just act holier than thou until you learn to control them. Just like Ryojō."

I hate you, said Ryojō to John.

"I know."

"Okay," Hikaru clapped. "We have 1 of 2 options. We either send Jason into the world of Zanpakutō and have him battle his Zanpakutō with an Asuachi, or we put him in scenarios where he has to use his powers to get out of."

"He has a Fullbring," noted Nodoka.

"Good point," said Hikaru. "What's your Fullbring again?"

"I don't know what a Fullbring is exactly," Jason said perplexed as he looked at Hikaru and then at Nadoka.

"Huh?" John was more confused than Jason. "You know, that power you used to jump over Nodoka and I. Unless that's a different power."

"Oh that, I don't know what that is exactly, It just manifested in my as my personal speedy technique." Jason said as he jumped releasing golden sparks rather than green typical of Bringer Light.

"Huh," said John. "Spiritual residue from using Hohō?"

"Probably," said Hikaru. "It's a lot like a Fullbring, so I can see the mistake in identification. It's kind of like a thunder deity running. Wouldn't you say so Jason?"

"I'd say so, I wish I could develop it more, so I could keep up with other Shinigami. I am not that fast yet." Jason said as he liked the idea of a lightning god running among the clouds.

"Well, let's see if we can't work on that first," started Hikaru. He looked over at Nodoka. "You know what to do."

Nodoka nodded. He popped a gikongan into his mouth from a Soul Candy container with a chibi bat's head on the top and left his gigai. "Fledermaus, zur arbeit gehen."

"Ja, mein herr, klappe," responded Nodoka's gigai.

Slightly confused, Jason looked at Nodoka. "Ok, what are we going to do first?"

Nodoka unsheathed his claymore, then stabbed himself. From that, his sword disappeared into him, and a portal was opened in the shape of a sword wound. "Since we have no space for my trees, you're going into my forest."

"Translation, Nodoka is weird," said John.

Sensing the disgust and apprehension Jason would have, he walked over to the boy and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Nodoka wants you to go into his dimension, Za Mokumoku. From there, he'll explain how the training will commence."

"Wait, Nodoka was supposed to train me today!" objected John.

"Then stop whining and go into Za Mokumoku with Jason," said Nodoka bluntly. "It'd be good for the kid to have a guide."

"All right, I guess...." Jason said as he transformed into his Shinigami form, warping it around his Gigai before walking up to the portal. "So I just walk in?" He asked as he held out his hand to call his sword to him, but it wouldn't budge. "Well, I guess shes staying out here..."

"I don't blame her," taunted Nodoka. "She wouldn't last a second in my world. You're not the one who is weak, she is, and she always will be."

He's goading her. thought Hikaru, keeping his musings private. Nodoka's sarcasm can get to some people, and Zanpakutō. He isn't criticizing Jason's power, but rather trying to awaken it through the old fashioned way. Annoyance and insult.

As Nodoka said this, Genshukai Kōjō awoke and flew at him, glowing slightly before Jason intercepted her, hearing her scream. "I WILL KILL YOU!!!!!!"

"Looks like someone is mad...." Jason laughed as he jumped into the portal with her.

As John moved towards the portal, Nodoka sent, "Don't let the kid die."

John smirked, and ran into Za Mokumoku.

317703

All around John and Jason were gigantic ashen weeping willows, trunks as large as the bases of skyscrapers, leaves rustling till no other sounds could be heard, let alone someone's voice. John drew Akireiki and sent to Jason "Welcome to Za Mokumoku."

Jason felt the message in his head and understood, he replied. "What is this place exactly?" Jason sent to John, holding the very angry Genshukai.

"This world is my personal willow grove," sent Nodoka. He sat at the base of a tree, holding his scythe like a staff. "This is where my trees thrive under Kuro Nichiyō; the Black Sun. Because this is my own dimension, there are no limits to the amount of space I can create." As Nodoka stood, the ground trembled, and the leaves shook violently. He pointed east from where John and Jason stood. "You are 30 miles from the center of Za Mokumoku. Your mission is to collect 10 Willow Seedlings from an Alpha tree. Every 3 miles, you must get a seedling. Time is of the essence; each seedling has a life of 10 minutes. Make it to the finish line with 10 seedlings each. In addition, you can steal the each others seedlings at any point of the race." Nodoka slammed his scythe into the ground, and green cracks appeared around it. "And another thing, the trees will be attacking you while you traverse here. Don't be stupid and die." Nodoka disappeared. "When you're ready, go to the blue willow."

John exhaled deeply. "Well, ready for some friendly competition?"

Jason nodded and placed Genshukai on his back, still hearing her yell for revenge against Nodoka. "Alright, lets do this." He said as the air around his legs started to flutter and dust kicked up.

The two youths made their way to the blue willow; it was more of a navy blue mixed with an ash color. A starting line was already made in the ground, and a large branch with 4 large leaves on it stretched above the starting line. The first leaf on the left turned red, then the second, then the third, then the fourth, and finally, all the leaves turned green. The race had begun.

Race to the Core

John got a lead on Jason from the beginning, zipping through the trees easily. He had trained in this fashion before.

Jason watched as John did this and he followed suit, sprinting across the land with his signature sparks, eventually jumping into the trees in order to catch up to John. "Darn it, he has an advantage...."

"What's wrong, kiddo?" asked John. He mocked the young soul by running backwards while still keeping a lead and navigating the forest with ease. "You're not ready for a nap, are you?"

Jason shook his head and lied, his body was starting to tire a bit but he kept going, pushing himself harder in order to pass John with one quick burst of speed.

"Whoa," John said as Jason zoomed past him. "That kid has got some speed. But," John stepped on a large root, curling down, then pushing himself off with huge power. He rocketed past Jason, brushing many willow branches aside as he did so. "still need practice." He continued onward until the two came to the first tree. Unlike the other ashen willows, this particular willow glowed green. Suspended in a hollow, the two fluorescent eggplant-shaped pods that would spell victory or defeat for the two competitors awaited plucking. However, the tree was not like the others. The branches seemed to track Jason and John's movements.

Feeling the winds push past him, as John moved at a higher rate of speed, presumably using Shunpo, Jason felt something inside him click, like a switch had been pulled as his spiritual force instinctively started to flow down into his legs, increasing their mobility. Jason felt this rush and saw that the normal sparks that he emitted weren't fading but instead were growing and flowing off of much of his person, which was in fact strange as he always felt a strong connection to water.

"Hiraijin!" He called out, remembering what Hikaru had said about a deity of thunder running, and with that, a technique was born which rocketed him forward, like a battering ram, unfortunately it also sent him close to the tracking branches which attacked him, on sight.

The branches deflected from Jason. The lightning-like aura the boy gave off scared them away.

What?! Nodoka, who sat in the hollows of the main tree, jolted up. Lightning? In Za Mokumoku? My trees can't withstand lightning at all.

Witnessing the deflection due to his aura, Jason grabbed a seed and spun in the air in order to rebound off the trunk. "Ok, I still can't direct this thing....." He said to himself as he tried to keep his new power under control.

"Whoa," said a surprised John as he grabbed the other seed. "What was that about? That's a pretty nifty technique. I don't remember ever seeing lightning in Za Mokumoku."

Jason ricocheted off of the trees, using his newly developed and unstable speed to to so, still learning how to maneuver while in motion. "This is going to take some time for me to get used to it."

"Yeah, do that," John plucked Jason's willow seed from his hand. "I'll see you at the end!" He raced off to the second tree.

Jason erupted in anger dashing towards John. "HEY GIVE THAT BACK!" He said as the young Shinigami grabbed his Zanpakutō, releasing it from his sheath causing the same shock-wave to occur that occurred during breakfast. This was anticipated and directed in John's direction. "What kind of power is that?"

John detected the incoming shock-wave, and jumped to the higher canopy to avoid the blast, letting it zoom past him. He then jumped back down to the roots to avoid being scalded by the white-hot energy emitted by the canopy.

Jason had rebounded off a large root and tried to catch up too John, starting to get the hang of his speed, but still a bit off center as he ran. "I said give that back!" He said reaching out for the seed pods, John had in his possession.

"Olé," John jumped up, using Jason as a foothold, racing towards the next tree. "Come and get the next set of seeds before I do!"

Jason's speed started to diminish as his spiritual energy fluctuated. "Not this again......" He said as he felt a pull from inside.

"You are going to lose boy....." Genshukai Kōjō said as she drained his energy.

"Come on Jason!" called John. "What's wrong? Can't keep up? I wonder if that piece of scrap metal is wasting your energy. Hey! Jason's sword! You know if Jason loses that makes you extremely useless, right? I bet you're scared!"

What an ass... thought Nodoka.

He's just trying to motivate Jason's Zanpakutō, commented Itoyanagi. Although, John's method may kill him in the long run.

"If you want to win, you will have to use me.... but like that will ever happen" Genshukai said as she tempted Jason into using her powers, knowing he didn't know her name.

"You know what Zanpakutō of mine, I am going to leave you in this world...." Jason said as he went to leave her, only hearing the sword scream through his mouth "Topple OVER!!!!!!" and with that came a large release of spiritual energy, transforming his katana into a large fang-like cleaver that has a tuft of fur acting as a cross-guard. "I did it..... I guess." Jason said as he looked at the rather light but large katana.

"Is that the Tetsaiga?" asked John. "Eh, it doesn't matter. I have 4 seedlings now!" He held the four green seeds in his hands by the stems. "So is that sword of yours an ornament or a weapon?" He drew his own sword, setting the seedlings in the hollow of the tree. "Let's find out."

"I guess its my Shikai" Jason said as he held the hilt with both hands and charged at John, letting the spirit within feed him false information, namely her name and properties of his Shikai.

"Change the Seasons! Akireiki!" John's sword changed to a skeletal maple leaf. "Tobidashinaifu, Zankutai!" John's sword transformed it's shape into a skeletal claymore with the winds howling between it's blades. He discharged gale force winds at Jason from their Zanpakutō's clashing.

Pushing back with all his strength, Jason pushed the large sword back against John's, releasing a large amount of Reiatsu in the process. He remembered the feel and texture of the wave he used twice now and tried to focus that energy but failed to get a good feel it.

The energy discharged met John's power in terms of force, but John's technique was more focused."Come on!" yelled John. "I'm the weakest of Hikaru's group. If you can't beat me, what hope do you have against Nodoka?" He then felt his sword give a little. Since his sword was held up through a series of blades with a shield of wind, his first Zanpakutō, Akireiki, was admittedly the most malleable of his four blades. He felt the integrity of his blade begin to bend to Jason's attack.

Vanishing on the spot, he used his speed to pull his blade back, swirling it in the air to collect reishi particles before letting loose another unstable energy wave. Jason felt something jolt in his body as Genshukai laughed inside his head, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Whoa!" John barely escaped the blast itself, but was blown back by the explosive power, slamming him against a tree trunk. He fell unconscious, damaged, but not dead.

Dashing past him he grabbed the seeds and raced to the next location, holding Genshukai Kōjō unable to seal her powers at the moment. "Hiraijin!" He called out to accelerate faster.

Impressive, thought Nodoka. He's gaining more control over his sword, however little it may be.

The Moment of Truth

"Ugh, my head," John tried to push himself back up, but he fell down instead. I guess I can't go on...

WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? yelled Ryojō.

I never thought I'd hear from you again, thought John jokingly.

If you have time to make jokes, then pick your sorry ass up and get back in the race! scolded Ryojō. Just because it's training, that doesn't mean you can go half-assed about the situation!

What is it with you and asses? asked John.

Up yours, John, growled Ryojō. This is no time for you to act like some lazy cowboy trying to act cool. Get back in this race and beat that kid!

Mentally beaten, John struggled to get on his feet, some blood dripping to the ground as he did so. He then felt a sword materialize in his hands. It was Ryojō's true form: a flamberge. Just this once I'll help you out, if only to beat this kid. But you have a long way to go, Yohaneden Kakusei.

"I know," said John. He braced himself, then jumped with such ferocious power that he nearly caught up to Jason.

Turning in the air, like a top, Jason started to generate a large volume of energy, something that calmed Genshukai a bit as her laughing ceased.

"I will kill you later boy, I sense something is different with that Shinigami...." She said as she made Jason fire another energy wave in Johns direction, hitting the trees with a blunt force. "Get going!" She demanded as she started to control her master's movements.

DODGE! Ryojō yelled. John navigated through the debris created by the blast Jason had sent his way. They were nearing the next set of seeds. So far, Jason had obtained 6, and there were still 14 to be found.

Moving quickly, Jason came near a tree when his lightning-like aura faded and he was struck by a large branch, pinning him to the ground. "Dammit!" He called out as he couldn't reach Genshukai. "Your going to die here boy..." She gloated.

John jumped through the trees, slashing any branches that blocked his path. He came up to where Jason was caught beneath a tree limb. John narrowed his eyes and said, "That Zanpakutō of yours doesn't respect you in the least. I can't believe it would be so willing to die. Whatever." Thunder cracked across the sky. "Maybe I can stimulate it with an attack. That may give you and it the incentive that you both need to live." John raised up Ryōjo. "Before I attack, there is something that you should know about me. I have 4 Zanpakutō, each named after one of the four seasons. I always have trouble getting along with them, especially the one I hold now, Ryōjo. He always has some sort of grudge against me, but nevertheless he will come and help me when the time is right. Kind of unwieldy if you ask me. My point of all of this is that have to consistently keep up with 4 different Zanpakutō spirits, each of them I am still regaining the trust of. I have to consistently be on my best behavior and show kindness and respect for those whose powers I borrow. That is why I can see the relationships of people and their Zanpakutō in a different light. In all honesty, you have got it easier than I do, and the discord of the relationship between you and your blade is greater than the chaos of the Dangai. If you two cannot properly work together, I will personally see to it that you are both eradicated right here and right now." A bolt of lightning hit John's Ryōjo, causing it to glow orange-red. "Ryōjo's only power lies within the creation and manipulation of a Reishi Thunderstorm, much more powerful than any normal storm. Imagine getting hit by a bolt of lightning 10 times. That's what you're about to feel." John brought down his blade. "Raiu."

Jason was struck by the bolt and suddenly felt something strange as Genshukai materialized before him to intercept the bolt of lightning. She spoke within Jason's head. "Do I have to do everything....?" she asked him as he reached for her hilt, feeling the truth awaken in his mind. "Genshukai Kōjō, its your name isnt it?" He asked as he felt the rift building again, swinging his blade down he released it still not having control over it, leaving it to Genshukai to do.

The power of the bolt became redirected at its caster, electrocuting John with the power of five storms coursing through his body. The pain exploded through him from head to toe. Not even a cry of agony was heard from him; he simply fainted from shock. In addition, Ryōjo assumed its original form: a katana with a red hilt. John was now out of the race.

To the Wolves

Nodoka clapped slowly. "Congratulations, you pass the first test."

Jason panted as he heard this news, Genshukai Kōjō had returned to her sealed state and the blade looked charred.

Nodoka snapped his fingers, and his Bankai was dispelled. All three of them returned to the Kurosaki Winery.

"So I guess that your Shikai has been unlocked?" asked Hikaru.

Jason looked up at Hikaru as he nodded slightly before passing out the strain of the training having its effect n his soul.