Kyōraku from the original work appeared, but Jun wasn't very happy because Kyōraku was heartbroken and extremely sad.
However, life goes on. Jun, wanting to relax and also Tachikawa Zan of concern for his student, invited Jun out for drinks.
This wasn't the first time Jun Tachikawa Zan; they'd done it many times before. Their relationship had gradually evolved from that of master and disciple to that of best friends.
Of course, it's not that he doesn't consider Tachikawa his mentor anymore; it's just that in private, they're more like buddies.
Jun was delighted by Tachikawa's invitation, because the two of them never drank alone, or rather, the current 11th Division never had a chance to drink alone, as countless 11th Division members would come from all directions to join in.
The 11th Division, led by Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, is truly an incredibly fun division, and here we must mention Kuruyashiki Kenpachi himself.
This person is extremely dedicated at work and very approachable in everyday interactions. However, his strength is truly formidable. How strong? He's one of the few individuals to have single-handedly defeated Adjuchas- class monster, and not just once.
Please note that the Captain-level, meaning someone capable of dispelling debuffs, generally refers only to Gillian.
How do Adjuchas compare to Gillian? One Adjuchas could easily Gillian.
In other words, Kuruyashiki Kenpachi will be fighting those weaklings who have just learned how to use their special abilities, like Renji Abarai during the Rukia rescue arc in the original work. One of them could take on twenty of them and wipe them out in an instant.
However, this wasn't his absolute limit. He and his friend Ashido, the current Vice-Captain of the Third Division Ashido Kanō, together killed a Vasto Lorde- class monster.
I have to say, this guy is incredibly awesome, and that Ashido is no pushover either.
Yet, despite his immense strength, he was not arrogant. In fact, among all the Kenpachi, he had the best interpersonal relationships, without exception.
In his personal life, however, he was a free spirit. He loved drinking with his subordinates, and his capacity for alcohol was exceptionally high, a rarity in the Soul Society.
This guy's alcohol tolerance is enough to knock out half the members of the 11th Division. Oh, now that the 11th Division has more members, maybe a third? He's that strong.
Because he can drink a lot, parties he attends tend to last a particularly long time. Furthermore, he has a great nose; wherever people are drinking, he'll inevitably join in, and he always manages to inexplicably get involved in the 11th Division members' parties, such as when Tachikawa and Jun appear countless times.
This time was no exception. Jun said to Tachikawa, "We can't just be the two of us this time, can we?" Then Kuruyashiki Kenpachi suddenly appeared.
"Oh~ it hasn't started yet?"
"Yes, welcome Kenpachi- san! With Kenpachi- san here, I can drink to my heart's content!"
"Hahaha, Ah Zhan~, I completely underestimate your drinking capacity~"
"What can I do? Please, have mercy on my drinking capacity!"
"This won't do!? Our 11th Division's drinking capacity is our pride! We can't lose to anyone from other divisions! Absolutely!"
"Haha~, Kenpachi alone is enough to save face. Even if all the other squads ganged up on him, they wouldn't stand a chance~"
Haha, would you like some wine?
"No, ma'am~ thirty bottles of Qingniang, please~"
The minimum order is thirty bottles. That's how it is when this big shot comes. Jun came specifically for him because he's been feeling down lately. A fun drinking party is the perfect way to cheer him up, especially drinking with Kuruyashiki Kenpachi. It's incredibly enjoyable.
Then, a few more members of the 11th Division arrived shortly after. Why was this? Because this was the 11th Division's favorite bar; they always came here for drinks, so basically, the 11th Division had the bar to themselves every day.
These guys are really interesting. The 11th Division, led by Kuruyashiki Kenpachi, is the best 11th Division ever. The one led by Kenpachi Zaraki later can only be ranked fourth.
Since the second and third teams were led by Sōya Azashiro and Gosuke Kenpachi respectively, Sōya Azashiro only served as Kenpachi for one year, while Gosuke Kenpachi was Kuruyashiki Kenpachi's son-in-law, it was actually still Kuruyashiki Kenpachi's team.
As they were drinking, another person arrived. Chun and this person made eye contact and both paused for a moment, then Chun stood up.
"Brother Shunsui ~"
"Oh~ Chun's here too~, hahaha, drink up~"
"Yo~ Shunsui ~"
"I'm here, Zennosuke!"
"Oh, Zennosuke! It's been so long since anyone called our captain by his name~, Captain Kyōraku is amazing!!"
"Hahaha, Shunsui is my good friend. I've known Shunsui since I was wandering Rukongai back then~ Isn't that right, Shunsui ~?"
"Yeah, I think it's been about four hundred years, right?"
"That's about enough. Cheers to four hundred years of friendship!"
"Cheers to four hundred years of friendship!"
Jun joined in the shouting and drinking. It was the first time Jun had heard about the relationship between the two, because the previous Shunsui Kyōraku rarely went out drinking. Oh well, let's not talk about that.
Anyway, the point was to have fun, but suddenly a little devil ran in—a real little devil, who looked about thirteen or fourteen years old.
"Captain~!"
Kuruyashiki Kenpachi looked at the little guy and introduced him to Jun and Kyōraku with a laugh, "Hey~ look, that's my new Vice-Captain, Gosuke ~"
"Huh? Where's Vice-Captain Aramaki?"
"Aramaki has joined the First Division."
"Oh~ the little guy is quite cute," Kyōraku said with a smile.
The little guy, Gosuke, was quite helpless and shouted, "Captain, stop drinking!"
"What happened? Gosuke, a man should be decisive!"
"Hey! First Division has issued the sortie order!!"
"Huh?!"
The group of men who had been drinking instantly sobered up. The order for the First Division to launch an attack was no joke, because it essentially signaled the start of war.
Chun was filled with questions, but he quickly got up; he definitely couldn't continue drinking. He turned to Kyōraku and asked, "Brother Shunsui, do you know what happened?"
"Huh? How could I possibly know?"
Cheer up!
"Forget it."
"Oh well, whatever you want."
The group Shunpo traveled, then received news that the captain Vice-Captain were in a meeting. "Okay, let's go back to the team and wait."
Jun didn't have to wait long before Isshin and Vice-Captain Takagi returned and announced what had happened.
War is truly imminent. The opponent is an army that suddenly appeared in Hueco Mundo. Although it sounds unbelievable, it is indeed an army composed of Hollows.
Of course, they haven't invaded Soul Society yet; they've been monitored by the Twelfth Division. As mentioned before, the Twelfth Division has always had the ability to monitor Hueco Mundo, and can form a subjugation squad when they discover Adjuchas- class or Vasto Lorde- class monsters.
This time, the military was detected, so it's no longer just a problem with the punitive expedition; it's a problem with the military itself.
With three days to prepare, Soul Society will dispatch the Third Division, Fifth Division, Sixth Division, Seventh Division, Ninth Division, Eighth Division, Tenth Division, 11th Division, along with the Kidō Corps Thirteenth Division, all of whom will have their top 70 members. This large army, along with 50 senior members from the First Division, will launch a surprise attack on the Hueco Mundo army.
Jun and Isuzu are both included, so they will definitely participate.
You need to be careful.
What was that army? How did it appear?
"It's the Silent Sand Sea, the Upper Hueco Mundo. There's a special Vasto Lorde there who has established a royal court."
"Huh? Can a Void character do that?"
"That Hollow's symbol is humanity, and specifically, royalty. That Hollow calls itself Emperor Baraggan, and its ability is to command Hollows weaker than itself to work for it. The weaker the Hollow, the more perfectly it can be controlled. It can even recruit Hollows of the same Vasto Lorde class to work for it."
"Wouldn't this war be extremely dangerous?!"
"Yes, so remember, if your team's formation is intact after the battle begins, maintain it; if the formation is disrupted, come to me immediately."
But how am I supposed to get there?
That's a problem. Isuzu was a member of the Twelfth Division before, and she didn't like Zanjutsu training when she was in school. After all these years, she still can't Shikai.
Give me your knife.
"Give"
Isuzu didn't understand Jun's meaning, but after Jun received the sword, he sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, placed the sword flat on his lap, pressed his hands down, and his Spiritual Power began to fluctuate.
Isuzu watched her husband curiously. His Spiritual Power fluctuations became increasingly frequent, then reached a peak before declining. Isuzu felt her sword and her practice suddenly break, and her face paled.
"Give me your hand," Chun said with her eyes closed.
Isuzu extended her hand, and Jun took his wife's hand and placed it on the scabbard. As he grasped it, Spiritual Power, infused with Isuzu, began to ripple.
A moment later, Isuzu felt the connection between herself and the sword re-established, but there was a strange sense of disharmony. Jun, however, opened her eyes and returned the sword to her.
How are you feeling?
"Well, it's alright. The knife doesn't seem to be mine anymore, but it's mine again."
"Okay, repeat after me."
"Huh?"
"Stepping on thunder, moving like lightning! Unleash your power, Thunder Charge!"
Isuzu felt the tremor in her hand, and a sense of fear gripped her. If things really were as she suspected, then... so she read aloud as Jun had instructed.
"Stepping on thunder, moving like lightning! Unleash your power, Thunder Charge!"
In an instant, a burst of lightning erupted, and Isuzu's Shihakushō transformed into a black bodysuit. She wore goggles, her long hair was tied back into a ponytail with a headband, and her pants became a pair of tight-fitting leather trousers. But the coolest and most stylish part was her pair of shoes.
These shoes have heels about seven centimeters high, and the triangular area formed by the heel and forefoot is filled with something resembling an engine, accumulating explosive lightning. Then, on both sides of the heel are things that look like liquid nitrogen booster nozzles.
It also came with a pair of gloves, with metallic protection at the knuckles, and thick white trim on the elbows and knees. There was a small cape on the left shoulder with the number 1347 written on it, meaning the 47th seat of the Thirteenth Division.
"What is this?!"
Isuzu was truly stunned. He leaned over, put his arm around his wife's waist, and pulled her into his arms.
"So handsome!"
"What did you do, Chun?"
"Your Shikai, of course, is not your true Shikai; it is what I gave you."
"How is that possible!? Such a thing..."
"It happened to you."
Isuzu suddenly slumped into Jun's arms, whimpering, "Hmm~ how much more power do you have to shatter my worldview?"
I learned to shatter my worldview from Chun. Chun smiled and said, "I don't know either, since it hasn't come to the point where I need to use it yet."
"What is this Shikai ability of mine?"
"She's already you. Although I created her, I sent her to protect you. She'll accept you. Go talk to her; Thunder Charge is very easy to talk to."
"I'm not good at this, I don't know how to communicate with a knife, boohoo~"
"Then I'll guide you. Come on, close your eyes."
"Um"
"Put your awareness into your whole body, your clothes, your glasses, your shoes."
"Hmm~"
Now, call that name in your heart.
Following Isuzu's lead, Isuzu focused her attention on her body. It was a strange feeling, because these clothes were on her body, yet feeling them made her feel as if she were naked, but at the same time, she felt an extraordinary sensitivity. Then, in her heart, she exchanged names with Jun.
"Thunder Charge ~"
In an instant, Isuzu appeared in a place she had never seen before. It was a flat plain with no end in sight, only blue sky and white clouds above.
Isuzu saw a woman dressed the same as herself, yet different, because Isuzu was now wearing Shihakushō, while the short-haired woman opposite her was wearing the bodysuit she had worn before.
Isuzu had to admit, this woman had a stunning figure; the tight-fitting clothes she wore created an alluring effect that even Isuzu, a woman herself, couldn't help but drool over.
Furthermore, the woman was wearing purple lipstick, had three ear piercings in her left ear, and wore three silver metal earrings of different lengths but with flush bottom edges.
"Yo~ Isuzu, nice to meet you~"
"Uh, you're Thunder Charge?"
"Yes, that's me. What should I call you, Master or Mother?"
"Huh?"
"I am not your heart, nor am I his heart. I am merely a force he created, a force that is needed. Yet, I still appeared, and I am grateful for that. Without your need, without his creation, I would not have come into being. I like what I have now."
Isuzu smiled. "Really?"
"Yes, my name is Thunder Charge. I love speed, I love running, I love the feeling of the wind rushing past me, I love the feeling of moving forward against the wind. If I hadn't been created, I wouldn't be able to experience this feeling. Hmm, Mom, can you take me running?"
"Um, Mom or something," Isuzu, sounding rather embarrassed.
Thunder Charge walked over, hugged Isuzu, and gently kissed Isuzu cheek. "It's settled then, Mom~, he's my dad. Oh, and I also have an older sister, her name is Clear Rain."
"Huh?"
"Clear Rain isn't a real dad, just like I'm not a mom, hehe. That's all for today. If Mom wants to talk to me, she can come find me anytime~ Bye-bye~"
When Isuzu woke up, she was still lying in Jun's arms, her clothes had changed back into her Shihakushō, and she was holding her sword.
Welcome back~
"Hmm~, Chun, can I meet Clear Rain?"
"Hmm? Okay"