Soi Fon Joins the Punishment Force
Three days later, Yoruichi passed the captain's test and became captain of the Second Division. Ye Yang naturally became vice-captain, while Kisuke Urahara took over the position of Third Seat.
Wednesday was the day Ye Yang taught at Shin'ō. He gave one class there every week, and because of that, the classrooms at Shin'ō were always empty on Wednesday mornings: everyone went to hear him teach. It was rare for a vice-captain to teach at Shin'ō, so Ye Yang's classes were packed every time.
It was only in the morning because Ye Yang had something else to do in the afternoon: teach Little Shaoling Hakuda in northern Seireien. After taking the post of advisory teacher at Shin'ō, he had told Little Shaoling to wait for him in the maple grove in northern Seireien every Wednesday afternoon. He had nothing else to do after teaching the Shin'ō students anyway, so he used his free time to guide Little Shaoling there.
Five years passed like that. Beneath the maple trees...
A man in white and a girl in black stood together. They were, of course, Ye Yang and Soi Fon. Dressed in white, Ye Yang watched with satisfaction as Soi Fon practiced her martial arts alone.
Soi Fon's martial arts had reached a level of mastery. The fierce force of her punches compelled one to retreat. She advanced, then withdrew; she switched from punches to elbows, then from elbow strikes to close-range body blows. Her movements shifted constantly, and at times she vanished abruptly and appeared somewhere else. The speed of her fleeting Shunpo was fearsome.
Indeed, while training Soi Fon in Bajiquan, Ye Yang had discovered that she had an exceptional talent for Shunpo. As far as he knew, her talent was second only to that of his own elder sister, Yoruichi Shihōin! So, besides teaching her Bajiquan, he had taught her a few Shunpo techniques. What he had not expected was that, from those few pointers alone, Soi Fon would grasp the trick of Shunpo on her own. After five years of practice, she could just barely keep up with Ye Yang's speed. Of course, that was when he wasn't using Silver Rend, but it was still astonishing. Even if Ye Yang's Shunpo was no match for Yoruichi's, as a member of the Shihoin Clan, he was in no way inferior to some captains!
Speaking of Shunpo, Yoruichi could not be left out. Her unparalleled speed had earned her a tremendous reputation in Seireien. Since she had succeeded to the captain's position, both the Second Division's strength and its efficiency had improved markedly. Her own mission completion rate, in particular, was a full 100%! Her astonishing speed had become her unique trademark. If you saw a black shadow flash past, it was undoubtedly her.
It was no exaggeration to say that her Shunpo had reached the pinnacle, because Captain-Commander Shigekuni Yamamoto-Genryūsai had once said that, in terms of speed alone, even he might not be able to catch Yoruichi! Those words caused an uproar throughout Seireien. No one knew who had first called out "Flash Goddess," but from then on, the name "Yoruichi, the Flash Goddess" spread without effort, and she became another great legend of Soul Society.
A great deal had happened over those five years. For instance, Kenpachi Zaraki had finally arrived in Seireien in the second year. In front of several hundred members of the 11th Division, he had killed the previous Kenpachi, Kenpachi Kiganjō, causing another uproar in Seireien. Kenpachi was the title of the strongest Shinigami, and one could only obtain it by defeating the previous Kenpachi.
Ye Yang was unmoved. He thought it only natural, because the tenth Kenpachi, Kenpachi Kiganjō, really wasn't all that strong. He ranked in the lower-middle range among the captains and was utterly unworthy of the title of strongest Shinigami. The Kenpachi before him had been the only Shinigami to obtain the title without defeating his predecessor in single combat, and Kiganjō had earned it by killing that Kenpachi. Even Shinji Hirako had said, "Why did they let an idiot like that become a captain?"
After arriving, Zaraki had defeated him with overwhelming strength and become the eleventh Kenpachi, formally taking the name Kenpachi Zaraki—the Kenpachi who came from Zaraki District!
After becoming captain of the 11th Division, however, Kenpachi Zaraki seemed to have been called in for a talking-to by Old Man Yama, and he hadn't come looking for Ye Yang. Ye Yang was happy to enjoy the peace and quiet. With a battle maniac like that pestering you all day, surely even the calmest person would go mad.
In addition, Kaien Shiba had finally agreed to become vice-captain of the Thirteenth Division after Ye Yang and Yoruichi persuaded him. He had been completely unwilling before, but since Ukitake had asked them, Ye Yang and Yoruichi shamelessly sold Kaien out.
Sōsuke Aizen, whom Ye Yang had saved years ago, had also revealed his genius. In just five years, he had risen from 10th Seat to vice-captain of the Fifth Division. The naive youth of those days had become a man as gentle and refined as jade. He also wore a pair of thick black-framed glasses that concealed the sharpness in his gaze. No one could tell what sort of heart lay hidden beneath his gentle exterior.
Ye Yang had once sent people to follow him in secret, but they had found nothing. Even so, Ye Yang instinctively sensed something dangerous about him. He was no longer the innocent youth of fifteen years ago, no longer the young man who had shed tears in sorrow over a woman. As the saying went, glasses were the windows to the soul, but Aizen had cleverly concealed the past behind his thick glasses. Ye Yang could only keep people watching him in secret and have them report immediately if they discovered anything.
After Kisuke Urahara took over as Third Seat, he also took charge of the Maggot's Nest. He had shown ample strength there, defeating everyone inside with his bare hands. Before long, though, he complained to Yoruichi that the people there were too unruly and left him no time for research. Even so, he kept the Maggot's Nest in perfect order. In his spare time, he either sparred and drank with Ye Yang and Yoruichi or continued his research experiments. He also said he would one day establish a department devoted to that work, called the Research and Development Institute.
After Soi Fon finished practicing, Ye Yang said, "All right, that's enough for today."
Soi Fon wanted to say something but held back. Seeing her hesitate, Ye Yang couldn't help laughing. "What is it? If you have something to say, say it. Isn't it uncomfortable to keep it bottled up?"
Over those five years, Soi Fon had grown from a little girl into a young woman who looked about fifteen. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she said shyly, "Brother Ye Yang, in four more days, I'll be a member of the Punishment Force. I've already passed their test, and I officially start next Monday."
"Really? That's wonderful! Hasn't that always been your dream? You've finally achieved it. Shouldn't you be happy?" Ye Yang was happy for her too.
"But..." The blush on Soi Fon's face grew more pronounced. "But if I do that, I won't be able to practice with you anymore, Brother Ye Yang. I might have missions on Wednesdays..."
Ye Yang relaxed when he heard that. He had wondered what it could be. He stroked Soi Fon's hair with his right hand. "That's all right. Have you forgotten? I'm in the Second Division too. We won't be in the same department, but it'll still be easy for us to see each other if we want to."
Soi Fon's eyes lit up. "That's right! Then how do I find you once I'm in the Second Division, Brother Ye Yang?"
"Well..." A teasing smile curled Ye Yang's lips. What would Soi Fon do if she suddenly found out I'm the younger brother of Yoruichi, whom she admires most? Ye Yang had never told Soi Fon his surname, and his given name alone was not enough for her to connect him to Ye Yang Shihoin, vice-captain of the Second Division. With Ye Yang deliberately guiding her thoughts, Soi Fon had always assumed it was just a coincidence. Who would have thought that a vice-captain would come all the way here to teach a girl?
"You'll find out once you get to the Second Division. But don't say I didn't warn you—it won't be easy to see me," Ye Yang said.
Soi Fon nodded, only half understanding. "Brother Ye Yang, what position do you hold in the division?"
"A secret. You'll find out eventually." Ye Yang smiled mysteriously.
Soi Fon pursed her lips and asked no more. From what she had learned about Ye Yang over the past five years, she knew she wouldn't get an answer even if she kept asking. She might as well wait until she joined the division and find out for herself.
"I'll walk you back," Ye Yang said.
Soi Fon rolled her eyes at him. "There's no need. When haven't I gone back by myself? I'm leaving." With that, she used Shunpo and departed.
Ye Yang watched in the direction Soi Fon had gone for a while, then left using Shunpo as well.
Four days later, at the Second Division.
Yoruichi looked over the new Punishment Force recruits. Almost all of them were adult men, but at the very end of the line stood a short-haired girl dressed in black. Judging by her appearance, she wasn't even an adult yet.
Intrigued, Yoruichi went up to her and asked, "How old are you?"
The girl's face flushed. The person she had longed to see day and night was right beside her, and she couldn't help getting excited. Flustered, she raised her right hand in salute and answered, "Reporting to the commander-in-chief, I'm twenty this year!"
Yoruichi nodded. "You joined the Punishment Force at such a young age? What's your name?"
"Commander-in-chief, my name is Soi Fon!" Soi Fon answered nervously.
Yoruichi smiled. "It's all right, don't be nervous." Then she walked away.
For some reason, Soi Fon felt a sense of closeness to Yoruichi, as though she had met her before and knew her well. She didn't dwell on it, though, and continued listening to Yoruichi.
Yoruichi walked to the front and addressed all the Punishment Force recruits. "You're new to the Punishment Force, so if there's anything you don't understand, ask your seniors for guidance. You can also come directly to me. I'm not familiar with your abilities or individual strengths yet, so you'll spar in pairs next. I'll assign your teammates based on your performance."
Before long, the new Punishment Force recruits split into two groups, but there were exactly forty-one of them. As the only girl, Soi Fon was left without a partner. Yoruichi frowned, then glanced at Soi Fon and said, "Soi Fon, watch for now. Once they're finished, you can spar with me."
At the mention of her name, Soi Fon was immediately overwhelmed by the sudden happiness. I actually get to spar with Lady Shihoin? It was something she had never dared imagine before.
"What's wrong? Are you worried I'll hurt you? Don't worry, I won't use my full strength. This is just to test your abilities," Yoruichi said with a smile.
"Yes!" ...