Bleach Portal

Episode 18 - Reclaim! The Power of the Shinigami!

Ichigo arrives in school and puts his bag down on the table, thinking to himself that he does not feel like he is at school after getting his ass kicked by Renji and Byakuya, almost dying, Rukia leaving and no-one in the class even remembering her at all. Keigo does the “Bwahahaha!” action in front of Chad and Mizuiro, who ask why he is still doing that, to which Keigo replies that it is still “the bomb” to him. Tatsuki asks Orihime if she has any plans for the summer vacation, which she does not. Hearing as such, Chizuru immediately invites Orihime to stay over at her place since her parents are on vacation. Tatsuki helps Orihime to refuse the invite.

Ichigo realizes that this is what happens when you return to Soul Society – you disappear from this world, from people’s minds. The entire truth of your existence disappears into thin air.

As the teacher finishes her class, she tells the students not to die before September, and dismisses them. The students cheer and there is a loud cacophony of voices. Ichigo continues to sit in his seat, noticing that Ishida, whom he had thought might have remembered Rukia, had decided not to come after all. Keigo’s voice is heard briefly before Ichigo’s eyes are covered with a piece of cloth, and he is turned round and round. Keigo then asks him where the watermelon is, and Ichigo replies by using a baseball bat to bash Keigo’s head in. What Keigo had meant was the beach. He proposes a ten-day joint-trip to the beach, including fireworks, bravery tests and co-ed hot spring baths. However, everyone turns down his invite, much to his disappointment. Even Mizuiro is going to Hawaii with his older-woman girlfriend and her friends, much to Keigo’s extreme annoyance. He begins chasing Mizuiro around the classroom.

As Ichigo walks put of school, he, oddly, does not feel uneasy – even without Rukia, the world revolves as always. After all, Rukia was from Soul Society, and there was no place for her in the world to begin with. He asks himself what he should do, then realizes Orihime behind him. He turns around and asks her what the matter is, and to his surprise, she asks him where Rukia is and why everyone has forgotten her, as she figured he would know. Ichigo tells her that Rukia has gone back to where she originally came from, and that he is surprised at her ability to see them, and asks when it had started. Orihime tells him that it had started after the incident with her brother, and thanks him for that time. She knows that her brother is happy there, and wonders if Rukia is happy there too, with her friends and family. At this, Ichigo remembers Byakuya, and tells Orihime that he’s got to being Rukia back. Orihime asks if she is happy there, then… But Ichigo says that she is in a situation where she could be killed anytime. Orihime then predicts, complete with accurate facial expressions, what Ichigo will say: “Whether she is happy there, family or what not, as long as she’s alive, she can see them again someday. Once you’re dead, it’s all over.” She asks Ichigo if his mind is made up, and Ichigo says that Rukia was definitely here, and there is a place for her here. He thanks Orihime then runs off. Apparently, Chad and Yoruichi have heard everything as well.

Back in the Kurosaki household, Yuzu laments that the moment summer vacation starts, Ichigo is already off elsewhere. Karin begins to say something, but Isshin suddenly pops his head over the newspaper she is reading and asks if they shall all sleep in his bed together. This earns him a rolled up newspaper stuffed into his mouth as Karin asks him to sleep talk after falling asleep. Yuzu says that she will get nightmares from thinking about it, and Isshin, crying, says that he didn’t think it such a bad idea.

In Soul Society, Renji walks along the corridor in a white robe with pink flowers, a bandana around his head. All that meet him along the way greet him as “Lieutenant Abarai”, and he greets back with a simple “yeah”. He arrives at a door which has the kanji for “six” written on it, and he uses a key to get in. Inside, he sees a young teenage-looking Shinigami desperately trying to catch a butterfly, using peculiar methods like a toy butterfly which he names “Jennifer” and awards various enticing attributes. He is kicked on the head by Renji, who demands to know what he is doing. The boy asks Renji why he is here if it is his off-day. Renji tells him that he is checking on the prisoner, and asks if she is still pissed off.

Rukia herself replies that she has not pissed anywhere, so Renji asks her why she has not touched her food. She replies that she is not hungry, addressing him rather mockingly as “Lieutenant”, prompting Renji to ask if she has a problem with him being the Lieutenant. Rukia says that she does not, and tells him to do his best, that he is strong, that he has weird eyebrows, ending each with “Lieutenant”. He gets pissed and orders her to get out of there, but Rukia asks seriously if she will be killed. Renji jokingly says that she will: death penalty, instant execution. Rukia agrees, but Renji says that he was just joking, and that Byakuya is probably applying for a sentence reduction at that moment. Rukia wonders if that really is the case, and Renji replies that he is her brother, and which brother would watch his little sister get killed before his eyes? Rukia disagrees, saying that she grown to know him very well in the 40 years or so she was adopted by the Kuchikis. That man had never cared for her even once.

Outside the Urahara Shop is pinned a notice saying “closed today”. Inside, a floorboard is out of place at the place where Urahara normally sits. A very, very long way down is Urahara, Ichigo, Tessai, Ururu and Jinta. Urahara exclaims that who would have known that such a large space existed under the shop. The place is indeed huge, and there is even a painted sky and trees. Ichigo tells Urahara to hurry up and start, and he does, using his cane to push out Ichigo’s soul. Ichigo is now like any other normal soul, attached to his body by the Chain of Fate. Ichigo starts to reproach Urahara, then stops short when he feels a bit queasy, and falls halfway to his knees. Urahara asks him if it is hard to breathe in soul form, and tells him that his source of spirit power, the Soul Sleep, and its booster, the Chain Link, are destroyed; in other words, a normal human with zero spirit power. They cannot really begin until he has recovered his spirit power.

Ichigo asks what he must do, but Urahara says that instead of explaining, he will just go right ahead. He then calls out to Ururu, asking if she is ready. Ururu is standing a distance away, various protective gear gathered in her skirt. Urahara tells Ichigo to fight and knock her out, and when either is unable to move, lesson one is cleared. Ichigo refuses, saying that he could not possibly hit a small child. Urahara disagrees, saying that he would actually find it rather difficult. Ururu throws him some of the protective gear as she dons her own, saying that if he does not wear them, he may die. Ichigo begins to protest, but Ururu begins, running towards him at high speed and hitting him, causing a great amount of dust to fly up as she jumps in the air. Jinta, Tessai and Urahara wonder if Ichigo is dead, just as Ichigo emerges out of the dust, and runs past Ururu towards the protective gear. He asks Urahara how to put it on, and Urahara asks him to put it on his forehead and shout as loud as he can, “Take this, the Power of Righteousness, Righteous Armor, the Justice Headband! Equip!”

Ichigo begins to follow the instructions, then stops, saying that there is no way he could do that. Just then, Ururu lands near him, almost punching him. Urahara says there is no time to worry about embarrassment. A blushing Ichigo then recites the words, as Urahara marvels at the fact that he actually said it. Ichigo curses him, but Urahara warns him that Ururu is coming from behind, and just in time, Ichigo manages to get the headband on right. Ururu almost manages to punch him again, and he begins running from her, as she repeatedly attacks him, though missing slightly each time. He realizes that if he can keep running, it means that he can match her speed. So, he turns around and faces her, and manages to dodge her punch, to the surprise of Jinta, and the pleasure of Urahara and Tessai. He then goes on the offensive mode, attacking her this time. He does not aim for her face, constantly aiming for her headgear so that he, with the weight advantage can knock her out. However, he does in the end manage to get a cut on her cheek. Ururu then steps on his lower calf and uses her other leg to land a kick to his face. Ichigo is sent flying, after which Urahara grabs her foot, and Tessai uses his body to shield Ichigo.

Ichigo wants a rematch, but Urahara tells him that lesson one has been cleared, as he had not said that the lesson would be cleared only if he knocked out Ururu. To begin with, Ururu has anti-Shinigami level combat ability, so no matter how a human soul struggles, it would not defeat her. Urahara then asks Ichigo if he still find it hard to breathe, which he does not. This means that he has succeeded in restoring his spirit power. The point of the lesson had been a single attack, whether or not he was able to dodge the first attack, as spirit power increases most easily when the soul is in danger of termination. If Ichigo’s spirit power had increased as planned, he would have been able to dodge the first attack. If not, he would have died. Ichigo rebukes Urahara for not telling him that earlier.

Urahara says that he believed Ichigo could dodge it, and as Ichigo stands dumbfounded, Urahara decides to “celebrate” his passing. Tessai chops Ichigo’s Chain of Fate in half. That begins Lesson Two.

Meanwhile, Yoruichi asks Chad and Orihime if they are willing to take its lessons. Orihime finds it too sudden, while Chad finds the real problem to lie in the face that a cat is talking. Yoruichi tells them that Ichigo has begun preparations to go to Soul Society, so if they want to make use of the power they have awakened, they must take its lessons, whether or not they go to Soul Society. Both agree to the training.

They find Ishida by a waterfall, and he asks them how they were able to find him. Orihime tells him that Yoruichi had followed the spirit aura from his house, and asks if he is camping here. Yoruichi tells them that he is training, and Ishida asks who is there. Yoruichi waves her paws at Ishida, asking where he is looking. Ishida is utterly shocked by the talking cat, and Yoruichi tells him that a talking cat is not enough for him to lose it. Orihime agrees, but Chad disagrees, saying that it could actually give one minor emotional trauma. Yoruichi marks this as man being unable to adapt.

Ishida, recovered, asks them what they are here for, and they tell him about what has happened. Ishida says that Rukia’s disappearance has no relevance to him, even though Orihime argues that Rukia’s life is in danger. His reason for training is that he feels that as a Quincy, he cannot forgive himself for losing to a Shinigami – he does not care about Rukia. Silence befalls the four as Orihime and Chad look a bit disappointed.

Orihime breaks the silence, saying that she sees that Ishida is working hard doing his own thing. She will carefully consider it again, as she knows that something is changing within her, and though scared, wants to find out what it is. She, Chad and Yoruichi then leave. Ishida apologizes, saying that he cannot let anyone see this training. He presses and releases the catch and lifts the cover of the box. As a blue light comes out of the box, he asks his Sensei for strength.

Back under the Urahara Store, Ichigo thinks he is dying, and Urahara confirms this, saying that with his Chain of Fate severed, he can no longer return to his body, and hence, has no other choice but to die. Ichigo, annoyed at his attitude, asks him to quit talking like it has nothing to do with him. Urahara ignores him and tells him that the chain will begin to erode from where it was cut, and once it reaches his chest, he will become a Hollow and that’s the end. However, the choice is his whether to become a Hollow or a Shinigami, which he can become by clearing this lesson. Ichigo tells him that his answer is obvious, and Urahara points his fan somewhere and shouts “GO!”.

A hole appears and Ichigo and Tessai, who is sitting on top of Ichigo, fall into it. It is extremely deep, the fruit of Ururu’s labor. At the bottom of the pit, Ichigo rouses to find his arms bound by something that looks like metal, by him sits Tessai, his fingers crossed. “Way of Binding number 99, kin!” he shouts, telling Ichigo that until this lesson is over, he will have to keep Ichigo bound. Urahara shouts from above, asking Ichigo to climb to the top in that condition, as that is the lesson, “Shattered Shaft”. While Ichigo finds this impossible, Urahara says that he has no time to think of that. Indeed, the erosion process, which takes 72 hours at the bottom of the Shattered Shaft, has begun. If within the 3 days Ichigo cannot become a Shinigami and climb out, they will have to kill him.

Return to the Episode Summary Index