Fullbring Training, Round 2

Fullbring Training, Round 2 is the point when Ichigo Kurosaki begins his second round of training with the assistance of Xcution member Jackie Tristan.

Prelude
Ichigo returns to Xcution's hideout and tells them that he knows something happened. When he mentions the attack on Uryū, a drunk Kūgo confirms that Shūkurō Tsukishima is a Fullbringer and former ally.

Ikumi Unagiya rushes to answer her door, wondering who it could be at such a late hour. She is surprised to see it is Ichigo and invites him inside. As Kaoru eavesdrops, Ikumi complains about Ichigo missing work and asking for more time off. When the clearly troubled Ichigo tries to leave, she stops him and tries to convince him to trust her. Ichigo thanks her and leaves.

Ichigo thinks about Kūgo explaining that Tsukishima used to be Xcution's leader and that he came up with the idea to give their powers to a Substitute Shinigami. However, when they did so, he killed the Shinigami and those that gave him their power and then disappeared. He shows Ichigo the Shinigami's badge and tells him that while they do not know his aims, he believes Tsukishima wants to keep Ichigo away from them and is using his attacks on Uryū Ishida and Orihime Inoue to catch Ichigo's attention. He then tells him that they will prepare for the next stage of his training and tells him to go home until then.

While walking the streets, Ichigo spots Isshin Kurosaki in an alley and hides. He witnesses him meeting with Kisuke Urahara and the pair go elsewhere at Isshin's behest. Ichigo contemplates Kūgo's warning about Urahara and wonders if he should follow them, but decides not to do so. Ichigo notes that getting his powers back was more important. He notes that he needs to get his powers back quickly.

Ichigo vs. Jackie
Ichigo later returns to Xcution's hideout where Riruka reveals that she will place him inside a fish tank. She is surprised by his cooperation and places him inside, where Jackie is waiting. She introduces herself to Ichigo, who activates his Fullbring and introduces himself.

Having sent Ichigo into her fish tank, Riruka begins to walk away. Kūgo insists that she stay as she will be needed to deactivate her Fullbring. She refuses, saying that she is not interested in today's training and tells Kūgo to come get her when it is finished. After she leaves, Yukio asks Kūgo if he can speak his mind, but the latter tells him he does not have to. Yukio says that he hates it when Riruka is like this. Yukio then asks aloud where Giriko is, though he claims that he doesn't really care.

In the tank, Jackie asks if Ichigo is going to attack her. Ichigo replies that he is waiting for Jackie to activate her Fullbring. She scolds him and tells him to think of this as a real battle and to treat her as an enemy. Jackie asks if he would act the same on a battlefield, to which he replies he would. Jackie sarcastically says that it is unbelievable and tells him that she is going to start. She activates her Fullbring, Dirty Boots, and attacks.

Jackie compliments his ability to dodge, though Ichigo says that he did not think he would be able to dodge it. Ichigo asks about Jackie's outfit and if there are Fullbrings that are worn. He asks her what her Fullbring's power is. Jackie replies by asking if he thinks she will tell him that. Ichigo smirks, saying he will just figure it out as he fights. He then fires a blast from his Fullbring at Jackie.

Orihime Problem, Tsukishima's Plan
Meanwhile, Orihime stumbles while talking with Yasutora Sado on her phone. Sado, hearing the noise, asks if she is okay. She tells him that she is and apologizes. She tells him that she is certain she was cut, but by the time she came to, he and Moe Shishigawara were gone and there was no wound. Orihime reveals that when Sado and Ichigo arrived on the scene she thought for a second that Tsukishima was her friend. She says that she does not understand it and rather than mistaking him for a friend, it felt like an old memory, leaving Sado shocked. Orihime tells him to be careful as she believes that Tsukishima's power is scary. Sado agrees and then asks for the two attackers' names and he tells him their names, though she mistakenly says Shishigawara's name as Sushigawara.

Elsewhere, Moe sneezes on Tsukishima while he is eating a meal. Tsukishima pins Moe to the table with his fork and asks if he may continue speaking. He goes on to say that Moe no longer needs to do anything regarding Orihime and insists that he stop calling himself a henchman. Though Moe protests, Tsukishima says they already have her and there is no need of further contact. He then wonders whether to attack Sado or Ichigo next, asking what Kūgo would say if he were to meddle with Ichigo directly.

Ichigo's Power Rises
Ichigo fires his Fullbring at Jackie, who deftly dodges the attack, jumping high into the air above Ichigo. He fires off another one, which she kicks away with her feet, much to his surprise. Meanwhile, Kūgo is confronted by Sado, who tells him that Ichigo is currently training with Jackie. Then, Sado asks him what Tsukishima's powers are. Jackie pushes Ichigo backwards, as he states he cannot continue dodging her attacks, as it provides openings for other attacks. She commends his fighting ability, but says that he is too laid back during a fight. She points to her foot, which absorbed the mud from the ground, and she lashes out at Ichigo with a kick. Ichigo blocks this with his Substitute badge, and realizes how much stronger her kicks have become. She goes on to explain her Fullbring's true power, that she will become as strong as her boots are dirty.

She says she was only increasing her strength very gradually before, but she'll now increase it exponentially. She then changes tack, berating him upon thinking he is still a Shinigami. She goes on to explain that, if he continues taking direct hits with his body, he will die. Ichigo charges up another attack, as Jackie explains that it is full of holes, and not something practical he can use whilst in the heat of battle. He fires it off regardless, as Jackie dodges it easily, stating that the number of blades decreases every time he fires off an attack.

She explains further, stating that four or less blades can be shattered by her kick. He fires three shots at Jackie, who is uninjured, as she charges at a defenseless Ichigo. She believes that he cannot fire any more after the three, but realizes that he did that on purpose, slamming her into the ground. As she gets up, she sees Bringer Light surrounding Ichigo's feet, seeing it as evidence that Ichigo is starting to master his Fullbring powers.

She asks him who was the one that taught him to fight. Ichigo explains that it was Kisuke at first, but later, he learned from his own battles, and claims to have more experience than Xcution, due to his various fights. Jackie smirks at Ichigo.

Jackie thinks to herself that Ichigo's mind has been trained from all the battles he has experienced, as Ichigo stares at her, Fullbring in hand. Suddenly, Ichigo is immersed in unusual Reiatsu, as Jackie calls out to him, looking equally surprised. The black Reiatsu flows forth from his Substitute Badge, enveloping Ichigo.

Sado is still talking with Kūgo, who comments upon Orihime's strange nature when confronted by Tsukishima, while Sado wonders whether his Fullbring has something to do with it. Sado asks him whether Tsukishima's abilities revolve around memory planting. Meanwhile, in Riruka's fish tank, Ichigo is seen struggling with the black Reiatsu encapsulating his right arm, when Jackie tells him they are stopping the training.

However, Ichigo refuses, to which Jackie explains that his Fullbring is about to go out of control, and that she's never seen a Fullbring behave in that manner. She tries to explain to him, but he refuses to listen. She calls out to Ginjō and Giriko to get Riruka to negate the Doll House, but she is stopped mid-sentence. Ichigo's energy pins her to the ground, as he continues to convince her he is in control of his powers.

Aftermath
Ginjō levels with Sado, telling him that he is worried. He continues, explaining that if Tsukishima's abilities were as such, then he would have already told him. He explains that Tsukishima's Fullbring, "Book of the End" is called so because it can literally slice through any object, and that is the only thing it is capable of doing. Sado asks him whether his abilities have evolved during their time apart, to which he says that Fullbrings do not evolve.

Sado denies this, using his own Fullbring as an example, which prompts Ginjō to explain to him that his case was because he wasn't able to use his Fullbring's maximum power at that time, until he progressed to a level which such a thing was possible. He goes on to say that Tsukishima's ability is unrelated to Orihime's confusion, and asks him if Uryū experienced the same memory problems after being cut down by Tsukishima. Sado replies he isn't sure. Ginjō then says that if Uryū has the same symptoms as Orihime, then it is a cause for concern, but if not, then the person who attacked her was not Tsukishima. He is interrupted by the arrival of Tsukishima, who disagrees.