Hybrid Man (Ichigo Si/WC Fic)

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Chapter - 5: Forging Strength

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Ichigo Kurosaki POV

It's been a week since I arrived in this world and started my new life. Every day has been a constant process of adapting, a slow but necessary learning curve to get used to this new reality, and most importantly, to this new body.

Now, as I walk the last few meters toward home after an intense run, I raise my arms above my head and stretch, feeling the muscles tight but responsive, as if they finally respond exactly to what I want.

I can finally say with certainty that I've fully adapted. That feeling of being an intruder in my own body, that slight but constant discrepancy, is gone. Honestly, most of that feeling had already faded after the little fight with that Hollow, although it wasn't exactly the last one, mind you.

Combat seemed to be the most natural thing for this body, a moment when I could stop thinking and just act. But now, after a week of trial and error, I finally feel comfortable.

It was as if I had finally gotten used to this new body, which was a good sign, considering that I was getting stronger every day, thanks to a combination of my Templates and my talents.

This body honestly reminds me of a character from a game already at max level. At first, it's exciting, but then you realize you don't know its abilities or how to use them at their best.

You can't fully utilize the powers or combine the moves to make them perform at their maximum. It's a continuous process of discovery, but also frustrating. Yet, just like in a game, there's a moment when everything starts to flow, and now, after so much, I can say with certainty that this body is finally mine.

Now I just need to properly develop my Quincy powers, but it's going to be a long road, especially because right now, I'm having trouble switching quickly between Blut Arterie and Blut Vene.

I certainly didn't want to become, in just a few days, the new Yhwach, who could easily grant himself the power to speak against the old bald man with absolute ease. But still, I couldn't afford to be less than him, given all my potential.

As I think about all this, I make my way home. Suddenly, something to my left catches my attention: a cat curled up on the edge of a low wall, not far away. Its fur is black and shiny, almost silky, and its golden eyes shine, watching me with a gaze that almost seems to challenge me, as if it's her evaluating me, and not the other way around.

"... Doesn't she have any shame? Former Captain of the Onmitsukidō, huh? She's decided to use the tactic of acting like an ordinary cat to control me, as if I'm some fool." I couldn't help but think, holding back an amused grin.

Maybe it's because I am a little bit of a fool, but I'd like to see what her reaction would be if I called her Yoruichi. However, I can use this situation to my advantage, since I have a 'proper escha' to handle her in the best way.

I slowly approach, extending a hand to see how she reacts. Yoruichi doesn't move, she simply narrows her eyes, seemingly in approval.

When my fingers meet her soft fur, I feel her body tense up but then, almost immediately, she begins to purr, a deep, contented sound that makes me smile. "Oh, so you like being petted, huh?" I whisper, continuing to stroke her along her back.

I think she's squirming a bit. [Sticky Fingers] Huh? Very reliable... Maybe I should test just how far that reliability goes.

"Let's see," I murmur softly, as I pet her behind the head. My fingers slide toward the base of her ears, where I begin to gently press. She tilts her head slightly, almost guiding me to the right spot. A smile slips from my lips. "Ah, you like it here, huh?"

"Miao." Yoruichi responds with a melodic meow, followed by sweet purring, as if confirming my words.

I continue, moving my hand to her chin. With my thumb and index finger, I gently massage underneath it, and she tilts her head back, clearly ecstatic. The purring grows louder, an unmistakable sign that I've found another of her favorite spots.

I don't stop here. I move to the area of her cheeks, just behind the whiskers. With slow, circular movements, I stroke that part, and the cat closes her eyes, pressing her face against my hand with an almost possessive gesture. I chuckle. "You're really easy to win over, you know?"

"... Miao." Yoruichi, however, doesn't seem bothered by my words in the slightest. She simply stretches a little more, offering her side for more petting, clearly enjoying the attention.

"Wait here," I tell her. "I'll go get you something nice." I move toward the house, but not without glancing back to make sure she doesn't leave. Fortunately, she stays there, curled up and content.

I enter the house and grab a small bowl, filling it with fresh milk. When I come back outside, I find her still there, exactly where I left her, staring at me with those penetrating eyes, but this time, she seems almost amused.

"Here you go, for you," I say, placing the bowl in front of her. Yoruichi doesn't waste time, starting to drink with small, elegant sips, while I crouch down next to her, resuming the petting at her favorite spots.

"You know," I begin, speaking more to myself than to her, "your owner must be really distracted to let you wander around like this." She pauses for a moment, gives me a look that almost seems disapproving, then goes back to drinking. I laugh softly, imagining what she'd say if she could respond.

"If you were mine, I'd keep you with me all the time. Look at how you purr, you're practically addicted." Yoruichi rubs her face against my hand, almost as if to underline my words while...

I keep teasing her, but the cat doesn't seem offended. In fact, she gets closer, rubbing against my hand with an almost possessive gesture. "See? I knew I'd win you over," I say laughing, as I rise from my position.

"Do you want to come inside?" I ask, motioning toward the house. Mostly, I was curious to see my dad's reaction to seeing us spend time together. But, unfortunately, Yoruichi shakes her head, moving away from me.

With one last penetrating glance, she watches me for a moment that seems to last longer than it actually does. Then, she turns and leaves, the only sound being the light patter of her steps.

"Maybe next time..." I murmur to myself, not sure if I'm speaking to her or to myself. Who knows, maybe this cat-and-mouse game was part of her charm. But one thing was certain: it wouldn't be the last time I saw her.

...

Now, in my room, I sit at my study desk in a comfortable position as I make a mental outline. There's nothing related to school, I'm just thinking about that training program.

"Let's see… it's the end of April, and there are about two years until the main events begin. The first crucial point of the story will occur on July 19th, when Renji Abarai and Byakuya Kuchiki will arrive, due to Aizen's machinations."

The events leading to the war with Aizen, as well as the war itself, took place over about six months during Ichigo's first year of high school, when he was 15 and a half years old.

Currently, I'm 13 years old and in the second year of middle school. I'll become a Shinigami in mid-May, in about two years, marking the start of my adventures with Rukia's arrival.

It's important to remember that the Soul Society expected the final confrontation with Aizen to take place in winter. However, Aizen expedited his plans, and the decisive battles occurred instead in mid-October, in the full swing of autumn.

"By that point, I need to be strong enough to complete the mission..." The mission for Ichigo's True Potential is exactly like those side quests that make you overpowered for the main storyline.

If I obtain the power of Mugetsu, I can easily handle the rest. But I certainly don't want to use this final attack and lose my powers as a result; besides, I need to avoid using it to complete one of my side missions.

For this reason, I absolutely need to master this power to unlock my Fullbring and try to combine my abilities into a complete form. Only then will I be able to accumulate enough strength to face Aizen... Until then, I must prepare at all costs to defeat him.

An Aizen with the Hōgyoku is more powerful than anyone else... And then there's that mysterious Bankai he has never shown. Honestly, I never worried too much about this; if he's never used it, it's probably not worth it or has some significant drawback, something that might compromise his plans when he decides to activate it.

Would I lose? No, I don't think that would happen, especially once I start unlocking every single power from my bloodlines.

Joking aside, the minimum requirements to survive a confrontation with Aizen would be... mastering my True Shikai and even Bankai: So, consequently, my Quincy and Hollow sides must be in balance.

Wait, could it be useful to use a hypothetical Resurrección against Aizen? The Horn of Salvation had already been amplified by Ichibē's enhancement in the King's Palace to transform Ichigo into a true Shinigami... Or rather, into a perfect substitute and kingpin for the worlds.

He's probably been watching me from the very beginning, and I don't like that one bit. I bet that old bald guy, if things had gone differently in the final battle, could have done something even more radical.

Also, it seems obvious that the rest of the Zero Squad doesn't really know the true nature of the Soul King's imprisonment. For all we know, Ichibē could have made it all up, justifying his actions with the usual line: "It is the will of the Soul King."

The Royal Guard, despite not aging in the King's realm, can still be killed. But Ichibē, even after death, can force anyone to speak his name to steal their reiatsu and resurrect himself.

In practice, he betrayed God to create an imperfect world where everyone else is condemned to hell. Meanwhile, he manipulates God's corpse, has full control over the name and meaning of everything and everyone, and sacrifices others to maintain this fragile balance.

"I'm glad I didn't choose Blackbeard as my Template, or else he would have had an extra advantage over me," I mutter to myself, adding this thought to my mental list. "And the most important thing... Full control of Zangetsu."

"Ugh... it all comes back to the basics. To defeat Aizen, I need full control of Zangetsu... To control Zangetsu, I need to train... To train, I need to unlock my Shinigami powers... Well, in theory, I can unlock them whenever I want, since I don't need an Asauchi to do it." I lean back, reflecting on the possibilities of being able to do just that.

After a while, I go back to writing a few things down. "A good Getsuga Tenshō with the Tremor fruit and advanced Conqueror's Haki should do the trick?"

Ugh, how resilient is Aizen's Hōgyoku final form? The real problem isn't just his resistance, but his high-speed regeneration and constant evolution. Do I have anything that can counter all of this?

Hmm. In the end, I just need to keep him occupied long enough and hit him with a strong enough attack to weaken him to the point of stopping his regeneration. Yeah, that seems like a good plan.

But first, I need to "tame" Zangetsu, earn his respect, and prove I'm worthy of his power. Only then can I experiment with new ways to use the Getsuga Tenshō that I have in mind.

I can't afford to waste time on useless things. I need to become strong enough to face Yhwach on equal terms, even when he has his eyes fully open. And I can't forget the Templates: in the end, they will be my trump card to defeat Aizen, without using Mugetsu.

"Damn... So many things!" I groan. Well, you always have to start from the beginning... It's time to do that 'Back to Basics' thing."

First, "Physical Training" and "Spiritual Energy Control," since for now, unlocking my Quincy side was the best choice for the future, and I keep thinking of other things to train for the day of the week I'll dedicate to each thing.

"A month, maybe just a little over, to see my progress..." I murmured, as I prepared my schedule for "Armament" and "Observation," all related to training with the Awakened Devil Fruit power.

"I'll spend the next month figuring out where my true talents lie... I might be more suited for Zanjutsu than pure manipulation of Spiritual Force, so I'll use this time to explore everything this body could offer me to the fullest."

After identifying my strengths, I'll reorganize my training schedule to focus on the most promising areas. "To master the advanced techniques of the Bleach universe, I'll need Rukia's arrival or Yoruichi's support..." Until then, I just have to keep training and wait for the right moment to take the next step.

Marvel: I'm Spider-Man in this Damn Reincarnation: 3 advanced chapters

Osmosian Sorcerer?: 2 advanced chapters

Hybrid Man (Ichigo Si/WC Fic) 2 advanced chapters

Son of Li Qiye?: 3 advanced chapters

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 Chapter - 14: Symbionte - Chapter - 15: White Tiger -

Chapter - 17: Onmyoji - Chapter - 18: The Power of Bao 

 Chapter - 6: Character Growth - Chapter - 7: Satori Sado.

 Chapter - 7: Hobby - Chapter - 8: New Hunt - Chapter - 9: Past unknown

On the other hand, if you want to see something specific in the next chapters, or even just have some good advice for the story as a whole, I am always willing to read a comment if it is constructive criticism.

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