Cats and Dogs Fighting

Early Morning · Seireitei Food Street

There are no classes at the college this morning.

Amber got up early, changed into his training clothes, and headed towards the Second Division. He planned to borrow a training ground to familiarize himself with the real Beowulf Armament.

As he passed by the Seireitei food street, he saw a familiar figure.

Renji sat in front of the noodle stall, a bowl of noodles in front of him. The noodles were soggy, the broth absorbed by the noodles and clumped together. He didn't touch his chopsticks, just stared blankly at the noodles in the bowl.

Hu walked over and sat down next to him.

"Abarai?"

There was no response.

"Renji- senpai?"

There has still been no response.

Koko waved her hand in front of his eyes. Renji snapped back to reality and almost jumped off his stool.

"W-What are you doing here?" Renji's voice trembled slightly from surprise.

"The academy's closed today, so I'm planning to go to the Second Division for some training." Looking at the bowl of noodles in front of him, Amber asked, "Senior, is this noodle... still edible?"

Renji glanced down at the bowl and pushed it aside.

"Boss, another bowl, please."

The boss responded. Amber looked at Renji, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.

"Renji- senpai, what's wrong? You seem distracted."

Renji, then sighed.

"It's Rukia's business."

Hu didn't reply, just listened.

"Her deployment ended almost half a month ago. She should have been back long ago," Renji said in a low voice, "But she's remained in the World of the Living under the pretext of 'standby,' without offering any further explanation."

Renji rested his head on his hands on the table, watching the Soul Reapers coming and going on the street, as if reminiscing about the past.

"She's never done anything like this before when she was on a garrison mission. Captain Kuchiki has faced a lot of criticism within the nobility because of this, and has become increasingly silent lately. Today, she was even summoned for questioning by the Central 46, but we don't know what it was about."

Based on Byakuya's subsequent actions and statements in the anime, we can roughly guess what kind of criticism Byakuya is being leveled against him by the nobles. The so-called "model nobles" is the result of the Kuchiki Clan's generations of maintenance, and there are quite a few people who want to shatter this golden reputation, especially since Byakuya has already suffered a lot of criticism because of Hisana.

He also knew what it meant for Central 46 to summon Byakuya for questioning— Aizen was manipulating Central 46 through Kyōka Suigetsu, gradually pressuring Byakuya to go to the World of the Living and bring Rukia back. Once Rukia was brought back, Central 46 would soon be dealt with by Aizen.

Those newly minted aristocrats who fought tooth and nail to get a seat in Central 46 probably never imagined that what they were getting was a ticket to their doom.

Aizen is determined to do this. Who knows, maybe Aizen is already sitting in the Central 46...

Renji gave a wry smile. "Thanks to them summoning Captain Kuchiki, I'm able to have half a day off, but..."

He didn't finish speaking. But looking at the soggy bowl of noodles next to him, it seemed that his half-day off hadn't served any purpose; instead, it had only made Renji more worried.

Kou was silent for a moment, then said, "Renji- senpai, would you like to train with me?"

Renji looked up at Ko, somewhat surprised by the sudden proposal.

"I recently gained new strength during training and need to familiarize myself with it," Hu patted his muscular arms. "Perfect timing, could you also take a look at it for me?"

Renji looked at him and remained silent for a few seconds. Then he smiled, a smile that contained both bitterness and a hint of relief.

"You little rascal... trying to distract me, huh? Don't let your usual carefree attitude fool you, I never knew you had such a sensitive side."

Hu chuckled twice. "Did I see through you?"

Renji shook his head and stood up. "Alright, as a senior, how can I refuse a junior's request? Let's go, perfect timing. Ever since Mr. Cilian gave me some pointers, I've gained quite a bit of experience using the Zabimaru. Let me show you."

"OK!"

Hu also stood up:

"By the way, I recently had someone place a seal on me for my training, so I can only use about 20% of my Reiatsu now. Renji- senpai, please be merciful."

Renji glared at him. "Twenty percent? You're not trying to scam me, are you?"

Koko smiled and followed Renji toward the Second Division.

On the training field

The training ground for the Second Division was quite empty today. Amber easily borrowed the space.

Koko and Renji stood in the center of the field, ten meters apart. The morning sunlight slanted through the trees and fell on the two of them.

"Come on." Renji drew the Zabimaru, its long blade gleaming coldly in the morning light.

Amber lowered his center of gravity and clenched his fists. Beowulf's blue light condensed on his knuckles—at this moment, Amber still chose the original power projection, rather than actual armor. Blue light patterns flowed on the surface of the gauntlets, semi-transparent, like a thin layer of flame.

He moved first.

Shunpo, sidestep, and unleashed a punch. The fist tore through the air, producing a muffled sonic boom. Renji dodged to the side, and Zabimaru swept across. Instead of retreating, Kotori advanced, blocking the sword with his left fist and aiming straight for Renji's chest with his right.

Beast Uppercut!

The fist traced a blue crescent shape as it flew upwards. Renji sheathed his sword to block, but was knocked back two steps.

"Not bad." Renji shook his numb wrist. "Your strength is considerably greater than when we last fought."

Hu did not answer and continued his attack.

The Fist (The Fist) - A straight punch, build up power, and the energy core explodes at the fist's edge.

The Hammer – Leaping into the air, slamming both fists into the ground, creating a shockwave.

Rising Sun – An upward kick that deflects the Zabimaru from Renji's hand.

Lunar Phase – A series of kicks delivered in mid-air, each kick faster than the last.

Renji parried and retreated, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. Koko's moves were much smoother than before, not only faster but also more fluid. There was no pause between each punch and kick, flowing continuously like water, unlike before when he would gather power and unleash a fierce attack.

"Your Hakuda has improved a lot," Renji said. "These moves... I've never seen you use before."

Hu took a breath and grinned. "Just learned it."

Renji didn't seem to care that Kotori wasn't the only one getting stronger. He gripped Zabimaru tightly, and his Reiatsu began to surge.

"The Roar, Zabimaru!"

The blade transformed into a snake-belly sword, stretching out segment by segment and writhing in the air. The blade itself, like the scales of a python, gleamed with a cold light.

"Amber, you should take a look too," Renji said.

Instead of sweeping horizontally as before, Zabimaru curved and coiled at an unseen angle, like a real snake. Kou dodged with Shunpo, but Zabimaru's blade followed closely, wrapping around his waist from the side.

It was like a giant python coiling around Amber.

The blade tightened. Amber was restricted by the coiled blade; every time she moved, she would touch one of the blades. If this weren't a sparring match, and the target wasn't Amber, Renji retracted the Zabimaru, the target would be sliced into pieces.

"Your Hakuda has indeed improved a lot." Renji, gripping the hilt of his sword a short distance away. "But if you don't Shikai now, I'm going to lose this round."

Amber was entangled by the Zabimaru, but the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.

"Renji- senpai, I'm sorry, I haven't been training my Zanjutsu lately, so my skills haven't improved much," Amber said, reaching for Zanpakuto. "But my Hakuda white-hat Zabimaru) is more than just that."

With a thought, Reiatsu erupted.

The blue light faded, and the white light exploded.

The Beowulf projection on Amber's hand dissipated. In its place appeared a pair of jet-black gauntlets with white light patterns flowing across their surface, like some kind of ancient runes. The gauntlets extended from his knuckles to his wrists, fitting his palms perfectly every inch. The gloves covered his ankles to his calves, with light patterns pulsating at his shinbones.

The boxing gloves are heavy.

The weapon, constructed from an unknown substance, was extremely heavy. The moment it appeared, Hu's body hunched slightly, as if pulled by something. He gritted his teeth, clenched his fist, and slammed it into the ground.

Ground-Splitting Heavy Hammer!

Boom--!

The shockwave spread outwards from him, shaking off the Zabimaru that was binding him, and the blades whistled. Dust rose up, obscuring the view.

Renji took a few steps back and squinted.

The dust settled. Hu stood in the center of the arena, his fists hanging at his sides, white light patterns pulsating on his black gauntlets. He was slightly out of breath, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

Renji stared at the pair of boxing gloves, his pupils contracting.

That wasn't the energy construct he'd seen before. It was a real weapon made of some material he'd never seen before. The gauntlets had wolf-tooth-like patterns on their surface, spikes at the knuckles, and light patterns that seemed to move across the surface as if they were alive.

"I see. Everything before was just incidental. This is the new power you've gained?" Renji tapped his shoulder with the back of Zabimaru.

Amber nodded, looking at the boxing gloves on his hands. "This is Beowulf. The real Beowulf."

Renji was silent for a moment, then smiled.

"Interesting." He gripped the Zabimaru tightly. "Then let me see just how strong it really is."

Amber moved.

The Shunpo he stepped out with Shunpo, a burst of intense white light erupted. His figure vanished from his spot, and the next second he appeared in front of Renji, his right fist aimed straight for his face.

The Fist!

Renji dodged to the side, but the wind pressure from the punch grazed his cheek, causing a burning pain. He swung his sword to counterattack, and Zabimaru swept across. Kou swung his left fist to block—the blade collided with the gauntlet, sparks flying.

Renji's wrist went numb; something felt wrong!

The force traveled through the blade, Renji couldn't completely block it. The force was too penetrating, piercing through his defenses like a cone.

"This..." Renji stepped back, shaking his hand, thinking: Is this for real? Can someone really grow to this level in just one month? And this is only with his Reiatsu limited to 20%! Isn't this a complete monster?

Hu gave him no chance to catch his breath.

Beast Uppercut! -- An uppercut, white flames exploded at the fist's edge, Renji dodged with Shunpo, the flames grazing his shoulder.

The Hammer! -- He leaped up and slammed his fists into the ground, the shockwave sending Renji staggering back several steps.

Rising Sun! -- An upward kick, Renji blocks, his arm going numb from the kick.

Lunar Phase! -- A series of kicks in the air, one, two, three kicks. Renji used Zabimaru to block, each kick making his hands numb. When the last kick came, his Zabimaru almost flew out like a clone of Daimonmaru.

"Starfall!" -- The right leg was raised high, white light pulsating, and the kick came down. Renji raised his sword to block, but was knocked to one knee by the impact. Relying on his seniority, he managed to take the hit, his face flushed. After taking the hit, his hand was so trembling that he could barely lift his sword.

Hu landed, panting heavily. Veins bulged on his forehead, and sweat poured down his face. The light patterns on his gauntlets pulsated violently, as if burning his Reiatsu.

Renji stood up and shook his numb arm.

"You're already panting like this after less than ten rounds?" Renji forced a smile, shaking the Zabimaru in his hand until it resembled a Zabimaru. "Then your 20% Reiatsu is a bit too low, isn't it?"

Hu also grinned and said, "This set of weapons is too energy-consuming. On the contrary, Senior, you've only gone through less than ten rounds, and you can't even hold your sword properly now?"

"Enough with the noise." Renji gripped the Zabimaru tightly to stop the sound. "Whether I raise my sword or not, you'll know if you come up here and try again! Go ahead!"

Hu gritted his teeth and charged forward again.

Dragon Ascension!

With Shunpo speed, the white light from his fist condensed into a dragon head phantom, the Roar as he charged towards Renji.

Renji was shocked. "Oh no! This kid's gone mad!"

He instantly Shunpo aside, and the dragon head grazed his chest, blasting a large hole in the wall behind him. A large section of the wall was sent flying high into the air, its whereabouts unknown.

Amber landed on the ground, kneeling on one knee. Beowulf's light patterns flickered a few times and then went out. His gauntlets and gaiters turned into specks of light and dissipated, his hands trembling.

"My Reiatsu... is almost gone," Amber gasped for breath.

Renji Ko had no intention of fighting anymore, Renji wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, sheathed his sword, walked over, and extended his hand.

Hu grabbed his hand and was pulled up.

"As expected, this level of power isn't so easy to wield." Renji patted his shoulder. "Are you still able to walk? Let's find a place to rest for a while."

Koko nodded and, supported by Renji, walked to the edge of the training field and sat down against the wall.

"Thank you, Renji," Amber said.

Renji. "What are you thanking me for? We're comrades, aren't we?"

Kou looked at Renji and asked with a smile, "Feeling any better? Don't let the ramen soup get ruined, it's such a waste."

Renji raised an eyebrow, then smiled.

"Yes, I really should thank you," he said. "Having a fight makes me feel much better."

The two leaned against the wall, as the sun gradually climbed high in the sky, casting its rays onto the ground and falling upon them.

With his Reiatsu nearly depleted, Amber slowly fell asleep in the warm sunlight.

Renji to Amber's rhythmic breathing beside him, Renji felt a wave of drowsiness wash over him. "Kid, sleeping right after a fight, how pleasant..."

And so, the two of them leaned against the wall in the training field and fell asleep, until...

"Renji. Renji!"

Renji had been asleep, slowly opened his eyes. He saw two people standing under the bright sun, shielding him and Koko from the sunlight. Upon closer inspection, he realized that both of them were wearing white captain's robes!

Byakuya Kuchiki stood before Renji, his face grim. "As the Lieutenant of the Sixth Division, to be sleeping soundly in the training grounds with an intern in broad daylight... it seems my training of you hasn't been sufficient!"

Renji stood up, and Koko, who was leaning against Renji, was also awakened by this. "Huh? It's morning?"

"It's still early?" Fon Shaoling grabbed Hu's ear and lifted him up. Due to the height difference, Hu could only be in a position with his butt sticking out and his waist tucked in.

"It hurts, it hurts... Shaoling gentle, Aya, it hurts."

When Byakuya and Renji heard Ko's address, they glanced at Fon Shaoling. Fon Shaoling blushed slightly and, in a fit of embarrassment and indignation, punched Ko.

Byakuya's attention returned to Renji: "Renji, your half-day break is over. Given your contribution to the Sixth Division's reputation during your break, I will personally instruct you on so-called etiquette this afternoon. Be prepared."

After saying that Byakuya turned and left, and Renji could only follow him with tears in his eyes.

"Since it's almost time, Shaoling, I'll go report to the Feimou Corps first..." Hu thought of the large hole in the wall and the wall that was nowhere to be found, and wanted to slip away.

"You come back here!" Fon Shaoling grabbed Hu's ear again and pulled him away. "You first fix the wall that flies to the food street, then come back and repair it!"