Iwao returns...

[x0dus]

After an unsuccessful venture into The Wilds area, Iwao swallows his pride and returns to the training centre. Knowing that he promised to defeat the Head Trainer one day, he avoided eye-contact and walked directly to the corner of the centre. It was there that he spotted an old, short man wielding a wodden sword - doing some repetitive sword movements.

"Hey, what are you doing? Why do you keep slashing at air?" asked Iwao.

"Kid, this is known as strength training." The old man snapped back.

"What? No way, youre not lifting any weights, youre just swinging a sword about." Iwao ridiculed.

"That's right. I am just swinging a sword." The man replied, uninterested to explain further.

"Bah, stupid old..." BANG! Iwao suddenly felt a monstrous thud to his right shoulder. He regained focus and saw that the old man had struck him with the wodden sword.

"How...how did you hit me so hard?" Iwao asked.

"Because I have been practicing with my sword for 40 years. All the muscles I need for sword combat, can be developed by swinging a sword. All other muscle is excess and simply makes you a slower, bigger target for the enemy." stated the Old Man, proudly.

"Huh, I hadn't thought of it like that."

"Some of the strongest and most powerful Shinigami, possess thin slender bodies. Because they train only what they need to train, and that is the muscles required for sword fighting."

"How do I train these muscles then? I want to become strong! I need to defeat the Head Trainer!" Iwao questioned excitedly.

"A famous martial artist said, you shouldn't fear the man who practices 10000 kicks once. You should fear the man who practices 1 kick 10000 times. The same applies for sword fighting."

"So I need to practice 10000 times?" Iwao asked.

"Kid, you are dense - but you show potential. You say your goal is to defeat the Head Trainer - that won't be an easy task but I've been a Shinigami for 40 years and I can certainly teach you a thing or two to help you on your way."

"Sounds great, so you'll become my teacher!"

"I will teach you the basics of fighting, the true essentials of combat. Kids nowadays aren't taught properly at the Academy. They're taught from books, by people who failed as Shinigami."

"Heh..."

"We'll start now, I want you to pick up this wodden sword here which I carved out myself.

Iwao picks the sword, and finds it much heavier than his steel Zanpakutou.

"What? Why is this sword so heavy?!"

"It maintains its density and weight throughout the whole blade, forcing you to use proper technique to keep it straight and balanced. Alot of young'uns coming through are whipping these light swords around thinking they have power, but you can only attain true power through true technique. And you can only attain true technique by training to do something difficult.

So for now, I want you to practice swinging downwards with full force. Each blow you make must be with full force. I want you to do 500 for today, and after that we'll see how it goes."

"500!" Iwao shouts.

"Yes, doing the 500 will also improve your focus and concentration, as well as your balance and ability to remain in a good fighting pose for extended periods of time. These are all valuable skills when fighting a tough opponent."

"Why am I doing just a downwards blow, can't I go to the left and right?"

"No. You must start with downwards. It is the most common blow and the most important one to master. All other attacks take their movements and technique from a basic downwards blow."

"I see."

Iwao, having learned alot about training and combat - starts working on the 500 blows he had to do as part of his training. As he kept repeatedly swinging the sword downwards, the other members of the Training Academy looked at him, some even snobbishly laughing. Iwao turned to the old man wondering why they were laughing.

"Don't listen to those fools kid, we'll see who is laughing when you develop the kind of power that would make a Captain's legs tremble."

Iwao nodded, trusting in the old man's training methods. After all, he had experienced that power first hand, and if he was struck with a steel sword instead of a wodden one - his whole right side of his torso including his arm would have been sliced clean off.

Iwao continued to train and after reaching 500 he looked to the old man for guidance.

"Good! You should feel sore around your armpits and around your neck. This is normal, and shows you've been building the right muscles for sword fighting. I want you to go home, take a break and come back later for more training."

Iwao didn't say anything, but simply nodded. He placed the wodden sword down, picked up his sheathed Zanpaktou and left the training area and went home for a rest, feeling sore and exhausted.

[Jaran]

+19 XP awarded to Iwao.

[x0dus]

Is that exp? If not let me know because I already updated my character so I'd have to undo the changes I made :/

Thanks

[x0dus]

After resting for the day, a refreshed Iwao headed to the training centre in the evening - when it was less busy. As arranged, the old man was there - waiting for Iwao for his next phase of training.

"Oji-san!" Iwao called out.

"Keep it down kid, seems like you got most of your energy back after this morning!"

"That's right, I feel good as new and ready to go!"

"That's good, now sit down kid and I will explain a few things to you."

"Uh, what about my training? Shall I do 500 more swings? I can already feel more powerful! Look! Look!" Iwao says, excitedly swinging his sword around.

"A Shinigami must also train his mind, and one as young as you definately has a long way to go."

Iwao sat down, intrigued by the potential of becoming stronger.

"Now, the sword you have right there. It's at its weakest and simplest form."

"It is?" Iwao questioned, with a puzzled look on his face.

"That's right, what you are holding there is just a plain sword, plain as muck. Now, I bet you can't believe that hidden within that ordinary piece of metal lies power ready to be tamed and used in combat."

"In this sword? Where?" Iwao drew his sword, and began looking at it closely - seeing only a blurred reflection of his face.

"You are not ready yet, but it is something to bear in mind - and something you will have to deal with in the near future. As you get stronger, so will your opponents - and you won't be able to rely on brute force or technique anymore. You will need to find that power within your sword, and harness it."

"Ok, how do I do that then?"

"Don't worry about it now kid, we'll continue basic training for now. I will let you know when you are ready.

For now, I want you to do 50 laps of the training centre - every 5 strides you take I want you to stop and swing your sword downwards with full power. Its important that you make each swing using 100% full power." Instructed the Old Man.

"Ok, why am I doing this then? I thought you said you only need muscles for swordfighting?" Iwao naively questioned.

"That's right, and you also need Stamina. Alot of your battles will last a long time and you will need to be able to fight at 100% all the way through, otherwise your opponents will make easy work out of you."

"So why am I slashing the sword as well?"

"Being able to explode in a split second and summon your full power is a useful thing to practice. You never know when you will be ambushed in the Wilds, and your opponents will certainly not give you a few seconds to get yourself ready."

Iwao nodded, once again acknowledging the wisdom and advice of the old man. He began running round the training centre, swinging his sword every 5 strides. This exercise proved tougher than first seemed, and despite struggling Iwao made the full 50 laps.

This time around, there were no people around to make fun of the old man's training methods, which made Iwao more attentive and co-operative. Gasping for air, Iwao returned to the old man - who was sitting down in the same corner of the training centre.

"Im...done." Muttered an exhausted Iwao.

"Good work kid. You should feel exhausted, those fools at the Academy have probably never worked you so hard. That's why the new generation of Shinigami are getting weaker by the minute. Back in my day, they ran us ragged and made sure we were ready for anything before allowing us to graduate.

Now, I want you to sit down again - catch your breath and we will discuss battle tactics."

Iwao gratefully sits down, almost collapsing to the floor. He regains his composure and begins listening to the old man, giving him undivided attention.

"Now, I saw your battle against the training dummy."

"You did?"

"You failed to use the one thing you had that the dummy didn't."

"What's that, my jumping slash attack?"

"No, you fool - your brain. You tried to match the dummy's strength and endurance to take damage - things that you lack as you are right now. What you should have done, was used your brain to defeat the dummy. Came up with a plan on how to deal the most damage and avoiding being attacked as much as possible."

"My brain, huh?"

"That's right. There are many basic battle tactics. And you will need to be able to choose from them to defeat your opponent most effectively.

An example of a tactic is Hit and Run, using your superior speed and movement distance to damage the enemy without taking hits yourself. This varies from opponent to opponent, and sometimes it can leave you exposed to taking even more damage - but it is an effective tactic in the right circumstances.

Another thing to take into consideration is angles, in your fight against the dummy. You attacked at him straight on at all times, and never switched up your approach. In the science of fistfighting, one is taught that throwing punches from angles is the most effective way of connecting and breaking the opponents guard - not surprisingly, this concept translates directly to sword fighting.

I'll leave you for now kid, you look exhausted - and you sound like your brain is going to explode from all this information. I want you to go home, rest up and come back tomorrow.

Think about your Zanpakutou, Iwao - it is more than a sword."

Iwao, said goodbye to the man and thanked him for all his help today. Iwao then walked home, happy to have made a reliable friend who would help him get stronger. As he walked home, he couldn't help but think of the possibilities of the hidden power within his Zanpakutou.

"A hidden power, waiting to be harnessed huh? I wonder what power lies within my Zanpakutou?"

[Jaran]

((Yes, it was XP. Sorry about that messup.))

+20 XP awarded to Iwao for RPing.

[x0dus]

Another day dawned for Iwao - who was beginning to feel the gains made from training. He woke up unusually early, and noticed his Zanpakutou emitting a feint yet visible red aura.

Curiously, he walked towards the sword and went to pick it up, as his hand got closer to the sword - the glow disappeared.

"Huh? Strange..."

After getting himself ready, Iwao headed straight for the training centre - looking forward to another training session. With a spring in his step, he opened the doors of the training centre, heading straight for the north east corner of the facility where he would usually find the old man diligently practicing his craft.

To Iwao's surprise the old man was not there, and nowhere to be found in the training centre.

"Oji-san? Has something happened to him?"

Iwao, curiously wandering what happened to the old man who had religiously attended the training centre for years - went to the north east corner and began stretching, hoping that the old man was just running late.

"Oiii, Iwao. Looks like your oji-san was punching above his weight class last night!" a random trainee said, with a hint of disrespect and hostility in his voice.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Iwao asked, beginning to get worried.

"He challenged a Captain for his spot last night, and was defeated. He was beaten so badly they took him to the 'Critical Emergencies' surgery but even those guys couldn't do anything about it. The old fool passed away, heh."

Iwao, reacting on emotions grabbed the guy by his collar and pushed him up against the wall.

"Don't call him a fool!" Iwao threatened, clearly angered by the news and the way it was delivered.

"Huh? What you gonna do kid, you gonna get beaten by the training dummy again?" The man taunted, as a circle surrounded the two.

"Why you!" Iwao backed away a couple feet, drew his Zanpaktou and signalled for him to fight.

Iwao blinked, and saw the Head Trainer instantly appear between the two.

"Wow, this must be Shunpo - so fast"

"You two, stop right now. We will have no brawls in this training centre. Iwao, unfortunately the old man who had been training here for many years - way before I became Head Trainer - passed away. Before setting off to challenge the Captain, he left me a letter that he wanted passed onto you."

Iwao, feeling sad to lose a friend he had made only a few days ago opened the letter - hoping to read an explanation as to what happened.

The letter

"To the kid,
I am writing this letter because I am about to do something foolish. There are many things you don't know about me, but I have been in Soul Society as a Shinigami for over 40 years - slaying peons day in day out. After 40 years, an old man begins to wander if hes been taken for a fool all his life. Im going to challenge the Captain tonight, and I will mostly likely be defeated so this will be goodbye, kid.

I want you to continue your training, and remember the things I told you. You are young and posess more potential than me. I hope that one day you will be able to avenge my death and become a great Captain yourself. One final lesson I will teach you is, the glow of your sword will get stronger as you get ready for it. When the glow burns strongly, you must embrace it and harness that power that we talked about.

Goodbye kid,
'Old Man'

Iwao put the letter back in its envelope, and stored it inside his robe. He was unaware that all the trainees were silently watching him read it, maybe curious as to what his reaction would be - or maybe they were hoping Iwao would read it aloud. Iwao looked up, slightly somber and saw the others staring at him.

He bit his bottom lip, and as if putting on a front - Iwao shouted:

"Huh? What you guys looking? If you spend the amount of time you do staring on your training, you wouldn't be coming to this training centre in the first place!"

Iwao smiled, feeling part of the old man's spirit still alive within him.

After reading the letter, Iwao went to the North East corner and put his bag down.

"Oji-san, I will train here - as you did and fulfill your hopes of becoming a Captain."

Iwao sympathised with the old man, for he himself also had the same dream. It seems like every Shinigami was aiming to be a Captain. The fame, the respect, the power. It was almost a god-like position in Soul Society, one that certainly was not easy to achieve - and one that would take alot of hard work and determination.

Iwao picked up his Zanpakutou, and began doing the sword training the old man had taught him before his death. With a smile on his face, he worked towards 500 blows. Again feeling sore around the armpits and shoulders. Their friendship, although short had made a big impact on Iwao's life, and Iwao thought about the old man and all the things he wanted to ask him.

As he wrapped up his things and put his sword back in its sheath, Iwao walked over to the Head Trainer.

"Hey, trainer-san get that dummy ready. Im going home now, but when I get back Im gonna have my revenge on that hunk of junk." Iwao confidently stated.

"Ok, but we only just fixed him up after your last fight. What makes you think you can defeat him now anyway? You've only been coming here for a few days." The Trainer questioned.

Iwao walked out of the training centre and back home where he rested, preparing for his rematch against the training dummy.

"Because my sword is now heavy with someones hopes and dreams, and I pray for those that will stand before me and those dreams."

[x0dus]

Iwao woke up from his nap, once again to a red glow around his sheathed Zanpakutou. Once again, he tried to grab the sword - but as his hand got close the glow disappeared.
"Still not ready for it." said Iwao, in a frustrated tone.
Iwao, grabbed his bag and headed towards the training centre - ready to fight the infamous training dummy.
"This time, it will be easy. I believe in my training, and Im only doing this to avenge my loss." - thought Iwao as he walked up to the training facility, almost justifying his reasons for fighting what he now thought was an inferior opponent.
As Iwao entered, the dummy was all setup and ready to go - this time right in the centre of the training centre, with all the regular trainees around watching.
"Do you think he'll lose again?" a random trainee asked his equally random friend.
"Naah, I heard the old man made him do some secret training or something."
"Secret training huh? Wasn't he just swinging a wodden sword around?"
"Shut up you fools, or you'll be the next ones to take a beating." Shouted an anxious Iwao, who was used to hearing gossip about him.
"Iwao, Im glad you made it - and Im glad you have the courage to take on the dummy again. Lets hope for your sake that you have improved." stated the Head Trainer, and immediately initiated the battle.
--------------------------------------------------------
Name: Mendoza Iwao (surname, first name)
Race: Shinigami
Biography:
Attributes:
STR: 5
DEX: 4
CON: 3
INT: 1
Secondary Attributes:
Tenacity: 3
Reiryoku: 1
Stats:
Hitpoints: 62 + 40 from ‘Toughness' = 102
Hitpoints formula: 10 + (Level * (10 + 3))
Reiatsu-points: 112
Reiatsu formula: 20 + (Level * (10 + 3 + 10))
Characteristics:
Toughness - Your body has developed a steely composition. +40 HP. CON 3 or higher required.
Incantations:
Destroy
Heal
Chain
Restore
Traits:
Ambitious: Achieving your dreams has always been your #1 goal. Your XP gains are multiplied by 1.5.
Skilled: You are obsessed with developing your martial skills. Instead of gaining characteristics every three levels, you gain them every two levels.
Normality: You are a very normal looking person. This causes people to underestimate you for some reason. +2 on to-hit rolls.
Zanpaku-to Focus: You are especially skilled with your zanpaku-to. +1 to-hit. STR 3 or higher required.
Combat Info:
To-hit: +7
Defence: 17
Damage: 4d10+5
Landspeed: 30ft
Damage Reduction: +3
XP: 125/160
Level: 4
----
----
Name: Training Dummy
Race: An artificial contraption, clearly created for training.
A moving mass of metal and cloth. This machine has seen a lot of wear, yet it's gears are in order. It is powerful, but not extremley fast. You may need to hit it a lot, though.
Attributes:
(Level one)
Str:2
Dex:2
Con: (7)
Int:2
Ten:1
Rei:2
Hp:67
Rp:57
Traits:
Anal Retentive
Hard-Bitten
Normality
Characteristics.
Toughness
To-hit: +1 +2 +2 +2 (+7)
Defense 10+2 (12)
Damage: 1d10+1
Saves:1d6
Landspeed: 20ft
DR: 8

[x0dus]

--- -D- ---
--- --- ---
--- -I- ---

-----------------

Iwao Initiative Roll: [roll0]
Dummy Initiative Roll: [roll1]

[x0dus]

The dummy, looked repaired and in good condition - dashed confidently towards Iwao - as if it could remember beating him in their previous fight.

--- --- ---
--- -D- ---
--- -I- ---

The dummy this time fighting unarmed, throws a powerful right hook at Iwao using its full weight. Someone must have programmed it to be more aggressive, or perhaps its lost alot of its thought processes, from the last fight with Iwao.

Dummy To-Hit Roll: [roll0]
Iwao Defence: 17
Dummy Damage Roll: [roll1]
Iwao Damage Reduction: 3

[x0dus]

Iwao HP: 102-1 = 101
Dummy HP: 67

---

"Hah, is that all this thing has got. The old man's training has sure made me tougher. I didn't feel a thing and that looked like a pretty heavy attack. Why am I still talking to myself in my head, ATTACK!"

Iwao To-Hit Roll: [roll0]
Dummy Defence: 12
Iwao Damage Roll: [roll1]
Dummy Damage Reduction: 8

[x0dus]

Iwao HP: 101
Dummy HP: 67-16 = 51

---

"Good, that was a good start. I must dispatch this thing quickly to earn back some respect and finally avange this loss. I must be able to progress and this peon is a mere speck of grain on my overall goals and ambitions."

Iwao tensed his body, and brought his sword closer to his body - anticipating the opponents attack.

The dummy, going for a different approach tried a 1-2 combo hoping to catch Iwao unprepared and land a big hit.

Dummy To-Hit Roll: [roll0]
Iwao Defence: 17
Dummy Damage Roll: [roll1]
Iwao Damage Reduction: 3

[x0dus]

Iwao HP: 101
Dummy HP: 51

---

Iwao calmly dodges both punches, as if he had been doing that for years! The crowd gasped at Iwao's sudden increase in skills.

"Hah, look at those fools drool in amazement. Did you guys seriously think I would be stuck at your level for much longer?"

Iwao, used the Dummy's momentum against it attacked at a slight angle looking to shatter the right arm joint and disable it from landing any big punches.

Iwao To-Hit Roll: [roll0]
Dummy Defence: 12
Iwao Damage Roll: [roll1]
Dummy Damage Reduction: 8

[x0dus]

Iwao HP: 101
Dummy HP: 51-12 = 39

---

A mediocre hit, but a hit nonetheless and Iwao starts to damage the right joint connecting the arm to the body of the dummy.

"That's good, I must do what the old man taught me and use my brain to work on a strategy. If I keep hitting the right arm, it will eventually break the joint and the arm will fall off. That's right. I will believe in my plan and carry it out."

The dummy attacked again relentlessly, going for a left jab to pick up some momentum.

Dummy To-Hit Roll: [roll0]
Iwao Defence: 17
Dummy Damage Roll: [roll1]
Iwao Damage Reduction: 3

[x0dus]

Iwao HP: 101
Dummy HP: 39

---

Once again, Iwao calmly parries the mild jab thrown by the dummy. The onlookers continue to be impressed as Iwao presses forward, looking to end the fight.

Iwao To-Hit Roll: [roll0]
Dummy Defence: 12
Iwao Damage Roll: [roll1]
Dummy Damage Reduction: 8

[x0dus]

Iwao HP: 101
Dummy HP: 39 - 17 = 22

---

A good strong hit to the right joint yet again. The arm begins to swing around, as if to show that it could soon be taken out by another powerful blow. The dummy, sensing its imminent defeat, charges forward and throws a desperate left hook whilst using its right arm to protect itself.

Dummy To-Hit Roll: [roll0]
Iwao Defence: 17
Dummy Damage Roll: [roll1]
Iwao Damage Reduction: 3

[x0dus]

Iwao HP: 101-3 = 98
Dummy HP: 22

---

Another weak hit by the dummy, clipping Iwao as he tried to dodge it. The lack of full connection leaves the dummy exposed and leaning forwards allowing Iwao to counter and deal some big damage.

Iwao To-Hit Roll: [roll0]
Dummy Defence: 12
Iwao Damage Roll: [roll1]
Dummy Damage Reduction: 8

[x0dus]

Iwao HP: 98
Dummy HP: 22-18 = 4

---

Iwao changing strategy lands a thuddening blow to the torso of the dummy. The dummy took a lot of damage and buckled back. The fight seemed almost over and the dummy went for one last desperation attack in an attempt to change the fate of this fight.

Dummy To-Hit Roll: [roll0]
Iwao Defence: 17
Dummy Damage Roll: [roll1]
Iwao Damage Reduction: 3

[x0dus]

Iwao HP: 98-4 = 94
Dummy HP: 4

---

Iwao takes the blow knowing that the dummy didn't have much power left. As the dummy connected to the body of Iwao, Iwao smiled and slashed across the top of the dummy as if to slice its artificial head clean off.

Iwao To-Hit Roll: [roll0]
Dummy Defence: 12
Iwao Damage Roll: [roll1]
Dummy Damage Reduction: 8

[x0dus]

Iwao wins with a knockout blow, and looks towards the Head Trainer with a cocky smile on his face. He turns around and says:

"Im going now."

"Iwao...don't get ahead of yourself, remember that was just a dummy." said the Trainer.

"Pfft, who does that stupid trainer think she is. Everything Ive learned is down to the old man, I must make sure to continue his legacy and break away from this low-level business. Starting from tomorrow, we aim high oji-san - and make moves onto our dream of becoming Captain!"