Ichigo leaves and takes up residence in Soul Society!

Then the body will feel as if it's filled with mercury, becoming incredibly heavy.

However, after adapting to this kind of confrontation, not only physical abilities but also spiritual power can be fully trained, thus growing rapidly.

"It's time to go back."

The Four Palace Master wiped away his sweat and skillfully turned into a side path to return to the Spirit Arts Academy.

His schedule is very regular.

He gets up early for a morning run, then goes to class. After school, he either runs to the Fifth Division to use the "Demon Power Recovery Room" or practices swordsmanship. In the evening, he eats and drinks as he pleases, not depriving himself at all. When it's time to sleep, he uses "Sword Zen" instead, and after waking up, it's back to his morning run...

This rigorous cycle of self-discipline is what prevented him, the strongest genius in the history of the Spirit Arts Academy, from being completely surpassed by Ichigo, the strongest extraterrestrial being in a million years.

However, as Ichigo's spiritual pressure rose to the captain level and his basic abilities improved day by day, Shinomiya Mikoto felt immense pressure, though he didn't say it.

As we all know, you need real ability to talk trash.

He didn't want to accidentally anger some powerful enemy trying to destroy Soul Society one day, only to have to shout "Ichigo, save me!" when he was about to be defeated.

Doesn't the future Captain-Commander have any pride?

"--That's how it is, so I hope the teacher can give me some guidance and help me master Bankai as soon as possible."

The Fifth Division Captain's Room.

Shinomiya-sama sat solemnly on the sofa and made a request to Aizen opposite him.

"Well……"

Aizen's expression was somewhat subtle.

But it's still considered normal.

Meanwhile, Momo Hinamori, the "Tiger of Paperwork" who was in charge of handling official business, was dumbfounded.

Don't get me wrong, Shinomiya-sensei wasn't so arrogant as to constantly mention his future Captain-Commander to everyone he met. He simply said that he wanted to secretly master Bankai and give Ichigo a surprise, encouraging him to work even harder.

He also specifically emphasized that this was an obligation that should be fulfilled as a good friend.

Hinamori Momo felt her mind was in a daze.

Something seems off, yet it also seems to make perfect sense.

So is it right or wrong?

Soon, she no longer had the time to think about the problem.

Their attention was drawn to what their captain said next, and they were filled with deep envy.

"Bankai... Shinomiya-kun is indeed qualified... no, it should be said that it's time for him to master the ultimate secret of Zanpakuto tactics. Come with me."

Upon hearing this, Shinomiya-no-Kami stood up, preparing to follow Aizen out.

"Um... Captain, I think it's about time I...!"

"Hinamori, you should stay here and handle the paperwork. It's too early for you to get involved in this."

"..."

Hinamori Momo watched the two leave one after the other, seemingly still talking in hushed tones. She felt a strange harmony, like that between father and son, and her face was full of astonishment.

Finally, he collapsed helplessly onto the table, like a salted fish that had lost its ideals.

Students who have been enrolled for less than a year are already practicing Bankai.

She, the deputy captain who had been in the team for over forty years, was only responsible for handling paperwork.

The previous question might have had some merit, but this question is definitely wrong in every way!

On the other side, Shinomiya followed Aizen to a spacious, shady lawn inside the Fifth Division's barracks.

"This will do... Isn't it strange that it's not a training ground?"

"No, although I don't know how to train Bankai, the stronger the power, the more you need to control it with a calm mind... This is the experience I gained from my own Shikai, and I think it can be applied to Bankai."

Looking out at the vibrant and serene greenery under the blazing sun, Shinomiya-sama's heart, which had been stirred by the prospect of encountering Bankai, gradually calmed down.

"A very good insight."

Aizen crossed his hands inside his wide sleeves, gazing at the greenery and even the distant scenery.

"Actually, even if you don't bring it up, I was planning to remind you in a few days."

"After all, the first step in Bankai training... began several months ago."

Author's message

I recommend a book! It's the latest work from the bigwig who got me into this industry!

Pokémon, don't you dare expel me from the human realm!

In the sweltering July heat, Luo Ke traveled through time.

This world contains the magical creatures he remembered called elves, or Pokémon, but it lacks the cities and characters from the series he recalled. Instead, it contains many modern elements, as if it were a fusion of the real world and the world of elves.

Luo Ke didn't think anything of it.

After he transmigrated, the [Strongest Trainer System] he awakened gave him an identity and a sum of money in this world right from the start. He felt that being a trainer here was quite interesting compared to being a beast of burden in the previous world.

but...

The starting bonus is a super-novice physique. The skills awarded aren't TMs from the game or the kind in fanfiction where you directly give them to your Pokémon; instead, they're memories that allow the Pokémon to become familiar with these moves...

Got it! The strongest trainer doesn't mean the one who trains the most Pokémon, but rather the strongest trainer among all trainers, right?

Chapter 41 Aizen: Urahara Kisuke? What does he know?

what are you saying?

Ichigo might react in this way.

But after a brief moment of thought, the Fourth Master replied, "Master, you mean the training that uses a Zanpakuto to put pressure on oneself?"

"exactly."

Aizen smiled with satisfaction.

"Before explaining the reason, I'd like to ask a question... Shinomiya-kun, how much do you know about the power of Bankai?"

"When I was reading in the Spirit Arts Academy's reading room, I saw a quote left by a man named Kisuke Urahara: 'To achieve Shikai, one must have a 'dialogue' with the Zanpakuto, and then draw out its power through 'resonance.'"

The Four Palaces Venerable pondered for a moment.

"Bankai is the 'materialization' of a Zanpakuto, summoned from the inner world into the real world, and then 'subdued' it."

"Urahara Kisuke..."

Aizen listened quietly, then pushed up his glasses with a blank expression. The rosy clouds reflected off the lenses, obscuring his eyes and making his attitude somewhat unpredictable.

"His name is still widely known in Soul Society, and even the Eleventh Division members have great respect for him."

"Therefore, the experience he left behind has its merits."

"But, that's all."

"They only tell people what to do, but don't explain why they should do it."

"It completely lacks personal thought and is not specific enough. It can be described as a combination of dogmatism and the whims of genius, which is no different from a chicken rib to the Grim Reapers."

"After all... not everyone can be like him, both following the rules and achieving their goals perfectly."

"Kisuke Urahara may have been very smart, but the empirical theories he left behind can only be described as 'half-baked'."

"But this is fine."

"Having his words as a negative example will help you understand what I'm about to say."

In the end, Aizen's tone remained as gentle as ever, but his words betrayed a hint of confrontation.

The Four Palaces Master didn't care about that; he focused his attention and listened attentively to his teacher's profound insights.

Aizen was also known for his outspokenness.

"In my view, Shikai is the state of 'the Shinigami reflecting his power onto the Zanpakuto,' while Bankai is the state of 'cultivating the self of the sword and materializing it on this basis.'"

"The reason why there is a training program that uses Zanpakuto to put pressure on oneself is because it was based on the former... to let the power of the sword reflect on you in turn."

"It may seem like your Zanpakuto is putting pressure on you, but in reality, it's actively approaching you, like a mirror, absorbing everything about you."

"The continuous illumination, like a brand, gradually transforms the spiritual energy acting upon you into your own shape."

"Thus, we go further and faster in the initial stage of understanding... until we reach the limit of the current stage."

Even if Aizen didn't say it, Shinomiya-no-Tsurugi was well aware of this.

You could even say I have many feelings about it.

"Indeed, my Shikai is too powerful, and it puts a heavy burden on my soul. I even felt pain all over my body when I used it for the first time."

"Normally, this means that it takes a long time to gradually adapt to the enormous power brought by the initial release before one can master its control."

"But because of the pressure exerted by the Zanpakuto in the past, and the long-term fusion of its spiritual power with my body and mind, my soul was passively... gradually understood its essence, and my body also received substantial training."

"And so, the double-edged sword in his hand became a knife that could cut through everything, and the person wielding the knife went from a novice to a strong and powerful master with superb swordsmanship."

Upon hearing this, Aizen nodded slightly: "Judging from the results, that is indeed the case."

"This master has now reached the limit of his current stage, so he urgently needs to move to the next level, which is Bankai."

"That being said, it doesn't mean that the training is useless for Bankai."

"There's something you might not know: once a Shinigami learns Bankai, they can ignore the release symbol and directly activate Shikai. This is because the Zanpakuto has completely submitted to them. The concept of 'submission' is mandatory, superseding 'dialogue,' and 'resonance' is replaced by the concept of 'domination.'"

"The stress training you're undergoing is actually preparing you for the 'submission' stage after your Zanpakuto materializes, making it easier for you to shorten the process at that point, just like you are now."

"understood."

The four palaces were suddenly enlightened.

"Then, teacher, how exactly should we do it?"

"Don't you already know that yourself?"

Aizen cast a smiling glance his way.

"Yes."

The four palace masters sat cross-legged on the spot, assuming the posture of sword meditation.

"Speaking of which, Shinomiya-kun."

"?"

"Your initial motivation for training Bankai wasn't just to have a healthy competition with Kurosaki-kun, was it?"

"As expected of a teacher, such keen insight..."

Faced with Aizen's seemingly all-knowing attitude, Shinomiya no Mikoto bluntly stated, "I think that the battle between Shinigami is a battle of spiritual pressure. With my current spiritual pressure, if I want to grow to the level of a captain more quickly, training in Bankai would be a good choice."

"So... you're not yearning for or fascinated by the power of Zanpakuto, nor do you hope to become the captain of the Gotei 13, but simply... using Bankai as a specialized training method to target spiritual pressure, in order to quickly break through your current bottleneck?"

Aizen's eyes were deep, and his tone was ambiguous.

"That's exactly it. It feels more efficient than just regular daily cultivation."

"...Is that so? I have no more questions. You can continue, Shinomiya-san."

The Fourth Prince nodded, closed his eyes, and adjusted his breathing.