Finding your Path (Clyde/Open Spar)

[Zakura Kessin]

"You're uses for that power never cease to end!" Kessin would say playfully as he watched Clyde roll out of the rock and start charging at him. The moment Clyde's makeshift whip attached itself to the chain wrapped around his arm, Kessin willed it loose and slid it off his arm. As soon as that happened, the whip pulled the chain down further. At this moment Kessin decided to go on the offensive and shunpo'ed at Clyde, looking to ram his left shoulder into him, the sheer speed of the attack and the unpredictable nature of it almost guaranteed a direct hit . At the moment the end of the chain detonated, it stopped attacking and stay still.

Kessin would then shunpo to Clyde's right and a few feet away from him, placing Clyde between himself and the chain which was still in its dome form. "One thing that I learned over the years....never fully rely on your weapon alone. Its wise to let it become one with you...but what should happen if you are unable to get to a weapon?" He would say to Clyde as he began to take a moving stance similar to Capoeira, a highly unpredictable and devastating martial art. However this was only to throw Clyde off for as soon as he would turn his back on the chain to face Kessin, the chain would begin to silently move to an attack position.

[Clyde]

The human took the shoulder tackle directly into his chest, not having any time to dodge such a move, it sent back towards the ground, causing him to skid across the ground for about a foot before rolling back onto his feet. He clenched his chest with his left hand, it was a strong hit but the human could manage. He stood back up straight to face Kessin, who now stood to his right.

As Kessin started moving into a new stance, Clyde's weapon returned to a more manageable size, returning it to a spear shape. He would charge at his opponent holding the spear with both hands and would try and stab at him with it, using it's length to give him the edge in Kessin's more hand-to-hand approach. As he was attacking with the spear however something seemed different, the back part of the handle seemed to be growing in length. It was not effecting his attack, so it would appear to be a rather pointless maneuver. The back handle of the weapon would begin to change shape, as if he was attempting to change it into another weapon of some kind. It was apparent he had some sort of plan in the works.

[Zakura Kessin]

Kessin watched closely all of Clyde's movements down to every little twitch he would make as he came charging at him...he watched until Clyde and his weapon was the only thing that he focused on, the only things in his sight that were clear...the ground, the sky, everything else were just a blur.

With this enhanced focus he concentrated on Clyde, letting him get closer and closer and would allow him to make the first move...to see what he had in store.

[Clyde]

The human seemed to be gathering energy up within his own body naturally as he approached the Vizard, he was not commanding himself to do so but it seemed the power in his right arm was reacting to the fight and knew that the boy needed all of his power. Unknowingly to Clyde, a surge of power began to run through him and increased his capabilities, if only by a little. With the sudden increase in his parameters, the human felt incredibly invigorated.

SPOILER: Click to show

Reiatsu: 140 + 20 = 160
Attack: 140 + 20 = 160
Speed: 140 + 20 = 160
Weapon Skill: 140 + 20 = 160

Turns: 8

Once The human had reached the distance he wanted he stabbed forward with his spear right in range with Kessin's chest, however Clyde expected the attack to miss, if it did the weapon would continue to extend and bend as if it were rubber and come back towards Kessin from behind; As it did this the "Soaring Bird" technique would also activate, The wings greatly increasing it's speed for this attack .

Meanwhile the back part of the spear finished it's transformation, changing into a large halberd like shape which the boy bent forward to slash down from the front, releasing another Crescent Slash as he did from it, the blast was now much larger and stronger however thanks to the surge of power Clyde's arm was granting him.

[Zakura Kessin]

Kessin simply spun himself past the initial attack and attempted to leg sweep Clyde's feet to trip him up. If he were successfully tripped, Kessin would then send a powerful upward kick with his opposite foot aimed at Clyde's torso. If that connected, it would do some damage to him as well as send him flying away from him.

If Clyde wasn't tripped up, he would simply shunpo past before Clyde released his crescent slash attack at him. At this point, Kessin summoned his "handle" end of the chain onto his arm again before it swept powerfully at Clyde fully extended to its 100 yard range so there was no way for the human to escape its range. This meant the chain would slam not only into Clyde's attack but into Clyde as well as the third attack he tried to use to Kessin's back.

[Clyde]

Clyde jumped over Kessin's leg sweep on instinct, almost falling for the tactic, but his sudden boost in power gave him enough speed to avoid the attack. "He's still faster than me...but I feel like I can almost keep up with him now. It's strange, I don't feel tired at all after all this, it's like the longer we're fighting the easier it's becoming to handle the situation...I feel like can get somewhere with this!" The human thought as he was beginning to adjust to his boost in power. Just before his opponent shunpo'd out of the way of his attack, Clyde landed on his feet but continued with the swing of his weapon anyway stabbing it into the dirt, he knew what was coming now, but he was ready for it.

First, the back attack that Clyde had missed with dissipated immediately with the boy's will, then with the other portion of the weapon stabbed into the ground the boy released the crescent slash that he had originally intended to use on Zakura, blowing up the section the human stood on and sky rocketing him upward out of the giant chains strike. In the air now above Kessin he would descend upon him with a vertical strike, gathering another burst of energy as he fell towards him.

"That was a close one Kessin-Senpai...but I knew that disarming you was useless from the very beginning of this fight." He said as a grin began to crawl across his face. "You can control that weapon with your mind...it doesn't matter whether you hold it or not. In fact my first training session with you proved that very fact." The boy said, thinking back to just before Zakura had even learned to control his hollow. "With that knowledge I knew attacking you directly would cause you to bring your weapon back out of it's dome shape for another attack, and that's what I needed to get you out in the open!" He grinned looking directly at Kessin. "Now let's try this again, Crescent...!" He boy yelled as he closed the distance between the two of them.

SPOILER: Click to show

Turns left: 7

[Zakura Kessin]

As Clyde was lifted into the air the chain quickly swept back to Kessin, a portion of it forming a small dome in mid-air above him with the thorn directly at the center, aimed at Clyde who was firing his crescent slash. As Clyde and his attack neared, the dome launched directly at them at a high speed, still teathered to most of the chain that was wrapped around Kessin's arm. "Overconfidence can prove to be your downfall boy... Oni Ranpu." As he said the attack's name was uttered the links of his chain seemed to flare with his black and white reitsu.

The reitsu gathered at the tip of the thorn into a ball and fired a large blast ahead of it, which would slam into Clyde's attack and push right through before coming at Clyde himself. He was now in a precarious situation.

[Clyde]

"...Here we go!" Clyde thought as he was descending towards Kessin, who had created another dome like object to move in and attack the boy. Clyde seemed to be holding the attack back, purposely dragging out the "Crescent" part of it's name as the spear was held above his own head. Zakura's large chains moved up to Clyde, preparing to fire off a powerful blast of incredible power upwards towards him.

Again however, The human was waiting for this certain scenario. "...Slash!" He yelled aloud, finishing the name of his attack and causing it to release...but not at Zakura or his attack, but directly at the air he held the spear towards, using the force of his own attack to send him underneath the blast as well as the small dome of his opponent's.

The force gave him just enough time to get himself underneath the attack and the airborne dome, putting him right next Zakura. Now! He announced to himself as he would prepare his counter attack. Being at point blank range he stabbed directly at Kessin, using the momentum of his fall to give him the extra speed he'd need to hopefully finally land a hit on his opponent.

SPOILER: Click to show

Turns= 6

[Zakura Kessin]

Kessin was happy knowing Clyde was getting used to using tactics and feints more effectively now. It was time to end this training session with one final lesson for the day. One that would prove useful in the future. Clyde made a miscalculation in his attack, one that was similar to what a few of Kessin's opponents had made in the past that proved to be their downfall.

Clyde landed right next to him with a spear and launched a stabbing attack. Kessin simply tilted the upper half of his body backwards to avoid the spear, then grabbed Clyde's dominant arm with his left hand. With a tight grip, he would pull Clyde towards him while at the same time launch his left knee into the human's stomach, all the while the chain remained in the air as it finished its attack. The force of the blow would prove to be enough to disrupt Clyde's focus, essentially forcing his reitsu back into him, turning his weapon back into the item it once was.

After all of this, Kessin would begin to speak. "You have done excellent Clyde. As a final lesson for today...always be mindful of what weapon you are using and what it should be used for...spears for instance are for longer ranged attacks. Using one so close too an opponent can get you killed." He would sorta scold the human as his zanpakuto reverted back to its sealed state, the katana that formed in his hand. As he sheathed it, he continued. "You've done well for today."

[Clyde]

"-Humph!" The young man gagged as the wind was knocked out of from a powerful kick to his stomach, causing his weapon to fly from his head from the force. As the spear scattered across the ground, the reiatsu separated from it returning it to it's basic components while the reiatsu traveled back into the boy's arm. "Damn, he dodged it so easily, I did everything I should have...a spear just wasn't the right choice." He thought as he was coughing heavily to regain his breath from the hit.

The human would stumble back of Zakura released him but was still conscious, the human was a lot better than he used to be and a single kick would not be enough to knock him down. "Kessin-Senpai..." The boy said somberly as he lowered his head, his enthusiastic grin faded along with the battle. "I thank you for your help. I'm lost in this world... an empty shell being filled by experiences everyday. Without you and Ryo I would be without any guidance...so thank you." Clyde sat down on the ground to catch his breath. "I have one more question for you. Please take no offense I as I appreciate your help greatly...but why help me? I am just a broken human who has a fruitless goal to anyone else...so why?" The boy raised his right arm and stared at it in deep thought.

[Zakura Kessin]

"Broken?" Kessin looked at Clyde with a stern look. "Those who are broken do not fight for what they believe in...they do not fight at all, for anything and for no one...they simply wither away. You however fight therefore you are not broken." Kessin sighed at Clydes question. "When your mind is ready, you shall receive what you seek...but only when it truly is ready. Until then, keep your head aimed ahead of you, not behind. You cannot reach your destination if you are always concerned with what is behind you instead of what is in front. As for why I help you?..."

Kessin paused for a moment. Brief flashbacks raced through his head momentarily. "...Because I am trying to makeup for the failures of my past..."

[Clyde]

"He's right, broken isn't the right word...incomplete is more fitting." He thought to himself, finally catching his breath completely. As Zakura explained his reasoning for helping the boy recalled something...his mind went back to the first time the two trained together, an off handed comment that the human did not take think much on before hand.

"Last time I trained anyone? Oh...." He thought for a second. "...maybe a little over 220 years ago....humans, such as yourself."

"Does it..." He hesitated for a moment, not sure if he should press on the information, before finally asking. "Does it have something to do with the last time you've trained someone...220 years ago? That's a long time to avoid any training...did something happen...to those humans you trained?" He rose to his feet and began to pat himself off of dirt that had clung to his clothing, he looked over at his senpai hoping for an answer.

[Zakura Kessin]

Kessin's face gradually faded from a blank look to a solemn stare. Clyde was asking about something that was very touchy. "They're dead..." Kessin was very blunt with his answer. "I led them into battle believing they were ready...and they're now dead." His glazed eyes shifted to Clyde, an icy stare. "That is why I watch over you when you are out fighting. That is also why I will intervene if I feel you won't survive the encounter." His voice had a tone of viciousness to it.

His eyes looked away from Clyde as Kessin turned his back to him and stared out into the wasteland. "They're all dead....they're all dead..." Kessin would say that a few times over to himself quietly, letting it sink into his head.

[Clyde]

Clyde stared over at Kessin as his cold stare cut into him like daggers. Even with all the human's aloofness he could feel his senpai and friends pain. As he thought on what Zakura had said, a vivid scene flashed into the boys memory of death, of people dieing around him and being powerless to help...was it something he had experienced before? The flash ended too quickly before he could make heads or tails of it; all that Kessin was see is the boy quickly shake his to get his senses back. "I feel like I understand...somehow..." He muttered more towards himself than his friend.

The boy thought for a moment about death, and what his teachers had taught him about it. "But...the way it has been explained to me, death isn't truly the end for us humans...surely they exist in some form somewhere?" He asked as he stared up towards the sky to collect his thoughts. "Can you no longer reach them?" As Clyde stared out he began to think, "So then, he follows and trains me to make up for his past...it seems the past is important even to Kessin-senpai..."

[Zakura Kessin]

"They don't exist anymore...she doesn't....." Kessin's thoughts were racing at this point. "...I must have a drink." That was all he would say to Clyde as he turned and walked, heading up the stairs, into the manga shop and to Ryo's "hidden" stash of Sake.

(Exit)

[Clyde]

Clyde stood there silent as Zakura left from the underground area. He knew there was no reason to ask anymore of him, as he would most likely explain it when the time came. The human turned and sat himself upon a small rock and let out a small sigh as he thought on the things the two of them discussed during their training.

[End Thread]

[Asao Asakobi]

lesse...

Clyde 18 posts

Zakkura 18 posts

Both gained
15 stats total.

5 EXP awarded as training incentive to both parties