Welcome back, Soul Reaper aficionados! On the topic of the relationship between Don Kan'onji and Matsuri, I personally think that it's similar to that of Danved and Nephenee from Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. One's a girl from humble beginnings that may need to steel her emotions to fight against certain opponents, and the other is a mountain of a man with a soft spot for kids that just wants others to smile. But if my viewers wish to think that their recently-formed bond is more or less meaningful than that, I'm not going to stop them. Now, when we last left those two, they were running straight into dangerous territory; let's see how that works out, shall we?
Once I choose to progress, we see a unique-looking Female Spirit being confronted by a Menos Grande in the middle of a street intersection. Matsuri Flash Steps between them, and while she tells the spirit that she'll take care of this, the Soul Reaper doesn't think that this will be an easy battle. Just then, a Sporty Girl in a red coat pops up between Matsuri and the Grande, wondering where Ichigo Kurosaki is. The Grande roars, and the Sporty Girl tells 'pointy-nose' to pipe down, which surprisingly works. The Sporty Girl can tell from Matsuri's robes that she's a Soul Reaper, and figuring that we must have heard of Ichigo, asks where he is. Matsuri is clueless, but Ichigo comes in right on cue, having beaten his friends here using Flash Step. The Sporty Girl introduces herself as Hiyori Sarugaki, another Visored (by the way, this game occasionally switches between using 'z' and 's' as the third letter, and I often get confused myself). After offering Ichigo the same offer that Shinji gave, Ichigo once again refuses, and Hiyori tells him that he can die here. Two more Hollows come in, and after Ichigo remarks that they must have been attracted by the spiritual pressure, Hiyori has a small fit over being ignored. Shinji steps in and apologizes for this, taking a hold of Hiyori and preventing her from whaling on Ichigo. Shinji tells Hiyori that she's a little dummy that's just causing a huge scene, and that it's time for them to leave. The two Visored then exit, leaving Matsuri confused and Ichigo stating that he'll explain after the Hollows are dealt with. Now, let's look at the battlefield!
- Player's Side
- Ichigo, Power-type, Level 15 (With Matsuri here, he is no longer the only unit on the field that can perform Konso.)
- Matsuri, Power-type, Level 13 (I gave her a new Ability Slot between updates, since her sword's almost reached its second limit and she might need the space.)
- Hollow's Side
- Hell Mantis, Speed-type, Level 10
- Numb Jelly, Speed-type, Level 10
- Menos Grande, All, Level 10 (The challenge, you see, is having only two controllable characters to deal with this guy)
- Guest's Side
- Free Spirit, Non Com, Level 10 (Yet another character not in the original series. Her weapon's name is Hakuda, and she can heal other units with Keikatsu.)
- Don Kan'onji, Tech-type, Level 10 (He pops in at the start of Turn 2, and under the right circumstances, could land the killing blow on the Menos Grande. Amazing, isn't it?)
- Whole's Side
- Female Whole x2 (11 turns each until Hollowification begins...did I spell that correctly? I hope so.)
The main target here is the Grande. Once that's dead, the Free Spirit is safe, and we can split our two playable characters up to deal with separate tasks. Ichigo spends his first turn drawing in pressure while standing next to the Grande, and after moving up to the Grande, Matsuri uses Ichigo's support to launch the first attack. Thankfully, this Grande has horrible accuracy. The Mantis manages to sneak past the Grande and attack Ichigo, but the main character of the series has a type advantage and kills it with a Counter. Don Kan'onji pops in at the start of Turn 2 with his trademark laugh, which Ichigo instantly recognizes. The Don states that he has finally arrived, and he asks the bad, bad spirits if they're prepared to die. Ichigo asks what the Don's doing here, and Kan'onji notices that his Number One Pupil is here too. When Ichigo asks what he means by 'too', the Don tells him that Matsuri is his Number Two Pupil...something which Matsuri is hearing about for the first time, and is yet again confused by.
Ichigo: "Oh, okay...GET OUT OF HERE, Kan'onji! It's too dangerous!"
Don Kan'onji: "I know that. I can protect this lost spirit while you devote yourself to the battle wholeheartedly!"
Ichigo: "Oh, man!"
Matsuri tells Ichigo that they'll have better chances of winning with more assistance, and Ichigo tells Kan'onji that he can stay if he doesn't hold them back. The Don, his offer having not been refused (did you think that this instalment's title was solely a reference to a famous film?), wishes his cream-of-the-crop pupils luck. I then have Ichigo attack the Grande while moving slightly closer to the Wholes, and Matsuri actually gets to use her Byakurai skill to hit 3 of the nine tiles a Grande takes up and deal 519 damage (and inflict Shock, too). Skills that you can't use after moving may not seem like much, but at times like this, they can be a major help. Kan'onji moves closer to the action, absorbing pressure along the way, and the Grande manages to deal two digits of damage with its attack. Another Byakurai doesn't do quite as much damage as the first, and I decide to have Ichigo move away from the Grande and even closer to the Wholes. Kan'onji actually has the nerve to directly attack the Grande, and actually deals a hundred damage to it and only takes a hundred back. The same hundred-for-hundred exchange happened during the Grande's turn. In fact, had Ichigo attacked this turn and weakened the Grande further, Kan'onji might have actually gotten the final blow. Not so bad for a guy that seems like such a buffoon, isn't he? Finishing up, Ichigo uses Bankai to speed towards the Wholes and Konso them, while Matsuri kills the Grande and then uses type-advantage to her...advantage when fighting the Jelly that the Don weakened up. The battle ended on Turn 6, with Don Kan'onji still alive, the level-17 Ichigo's Bankai about to end, and Matsuri killing the Jelly with a Counter.
Don Kan'onji remarks that the victory went to the master and his pupils, while Ichigo remarks that at least one of us didn't contribute to the victory (which is Gameplay and Story Segregation in my eyes; that guy way responsible for dealing over 500 HP of damage between two foes). Matsuri chuckles, and Kan'onji realizes it's time for him to go, especially since his crew was filming on location when he left them. He bids his pupils farewell and tells them that the spirits are always with them before departing. Seconds after he leaves, Ichigo's friends show up. Chad notices that they're too late, and Orihime's a bit disappointed, while Uryu just remarks that they did have to run a long way. Ichigo tells them that they're just in time, and asks them to bring the Soul Reaper (Matsuri) and the Free Spirit to Urahara's while he's busy doing something else. Telling them that he'll catch up with them later, Ichigo waits until everyone else leaves before telling the Vizoreds to stop lurking around and come on out. They appear immediately, and while Hiyori still wants him to die, Shinji wants her to just knock that off. Hiyory slaps Shinji for holding her back, and then asks Ichigo who he thinks he is, refusing their offer like he did. Ichigo states that he doesn't care about them, but Hiyori informs him that the decision is theirs, not his. Ichigo calls her nuts, and when Hiyori tells him to draw his blade to settle things, Shinji once again apologizes for her behaviour and grabs ahold of her. Shinji once again gets injured for his troubles, and tries to stop the pain by 'goosing' the young lady. I suggest you look it up, because I'm a gentleman that refuses to explain what that means in this Liveblog. Hiyori's outraged, Shinji tells Ichigo that they'll keep hounding him until he accept their offer, and then the Visored skedaddle.
Meanwhile, everyone else has arrived at Urahara's shop. Matsuri doesn't know the place, and doesn't react when she hears the name of the owner. Uryu tells the Free Spirit that she'll be safe here, and she thanks him. Jinta, one of the kids that works for Urahara, opens the door and asks who the new guys are. He tells Ururu, the other kid that works there, to go and wake up the boss. She does so, and Urahara soon appears before the group, stating that he was sound asleep. Matsuri instantly recognizes the face of the former Captain, and though Urahara doesn't do the same for her, the memory soon hits him like a train crash. He tells Ichigo's friends that they should probably go home and get some rest since they have school in the morning, and while Orihime doesn't want to leave before Ichigo shows up, Uryu and Chad point out that it's almost dawn now and they should leave the rest to Mr. Urahara. Orihime complies, and after Matsuri and the Female/Free Spirt thanks them, Urahara asks Jinta to prepare a room for his new guests in the back of his store.
Later, after Urahara has heard Matsuri's story, he states that it's incredible and tells her that she looks exactly like the last time he saw her. From Matsuri's point of view, it's the evening of the day they all fought Arturo. Urahara asks if she really just happened to rescue the spirit girl currently sleeping in the other room, and Matsuri asks him what he thinks it all means. Urahara needs a bit more information than he already has before he's sure, especially since he's just the humble proprietor of a sweets shop now and won't have immediate access to old research. Matsuri notes that Urahara has changed a lot, and doesn't even look like the same person. Urahara states that there's been a lot of water under the bridge since their last meeting...and then things get awkward.
Matsuri Kudo: "So tell me! What happened to Lady Konoka, Lord Seigen and my brother after all that?"
Kisuke Urahara: "Seigen and your twin brother vanished along with Arturo. Just like you did. Nobody has seen any of you since then."
Matsuri: "Oh...And what about Lady Konoka? Is she all right?"
Urahara: "You all fought a good battle that day."
Matsuri: "So you mean she's all right?!"
Urahara: "No. I'm afraid Konoka now rests in the Suzunami family burial plot."
Matsuri is horrified by this news. Urahara adds that by the time she and the others vanished, Lady Konoka was already gone. Urahara partially blames himself for this, not having fully understood how hard the Mirror's effects would be on her, but also unable to figure out how to win the battle and save all of Soul Society without her. He knows that stating that Konoka performed a Heroic Sacrifice won't provide Matsuri with solace and does his best to apologize. Matsuri is sad, of course, but also grateful that Urahara told her the truth, and glad that they could meet again. Urahara says that she should probably get some rest, but before they can, Ichigo finally arrives.
More time passes, during which Urahara fills Ichigo in on who Matsuri is and how they know each other. Matsuri formally introduces herself to Ichigo, and he does the same for her. He remarks how unbelievable a story about a Soul Reaper from the past is, and Urahara and Matsuri both admit that they can't quite believe it themselves. Ichigo asks what Matsuri plans to do now, and the now-awake Spirit walks in. Ichigo asks what the Whole is still doing there, and asks why they haven't performed Konso on her yet. Ichigo decides to do it himself...and nothing happens, save for the Spirit becoming a tad confused. Matsuri tries next, but once again, Konso has no effect and the Spirit is confused further. Urahara suggests that the Spirit might not be a Whole after all if Konso doesn't work, and asks her to tell them her name. The Spirit states that her name is Shiyo. Urahara asks what her last name is, and...the spirit states that her name is Shiyo. Urahara asks if she remembers anything from before her death, but Shiyo says that she can only remember her name. Urahara remarks that her soul seems to be in the same state as Rukon District residents, but doubts that she came from there, since it's usually impossible for regular souls to travel back into the human world. Matsuri asks what Shiyo's doing here, and while Urahara has no clue, he decides that it would be best to send both Shiyo and Matsuri to the Soul Society. Matsuri tells Shiyo that it looks like they'll be partners for the time being, while Urahara reminds Ichigo how late/early it is. Ichigo quickly panicks and says farewell so he can get a bit of sleep. Urahara tells the others that it must be tough being a human and a Soul Reaper at the same time.
We now have another save prompt, and Chapter 9 begins. The silhouette behind the chapter title is neither Ichigo nor both of the twins; it is Matsuri by herself. It is now the morning after yesterday's events, and Urahara remarks how Matsuri always did wake up bright and early in the old days. Ururu tells Urahara that anything before noon must seem 'bright and early' to him. Shiyo wakes up and wishes everyone a good morning, but admits that she doesn't feel better about her situation despite having a good sleep. Urahara asks to see the girls for a few moments, and just a few moments later, presents them in their new Gigai (temporary body used to interact with others in the human world, in case anyone's forgotten). Urahara admits that these Gigai are still under development and thought that the girls could test them out. Matsuri says that she isn't really comfortable wearing the clothes in this era, but Urahara says that nobody walks around in kimonos anymore, sad to say, and adds that he picked her outfits himself. Shiyo wants to pick her Gigai's own clothes, and really wants an outfit like Jinta's, which surprises Urahara.
We then see a picture of the two girls in their Gigai, which looks like this
◊. If we had chosen Fujimaru as our main protagonist, we would instead see this
◊ image. Thank you, Bleach Fanfiction Wiki
, for having these images on your site! Especially since I'm absolutely horrible when it comes to describing fashion!
Shiyo states that she loves the mysterious writing on her shirt (which is easier to view in the Fujimaru image), and after a brief close-up of her chest, Urahara states that the 'mysterious writing' is just the name of his shop. Matsuri wants to know if these Gigai have any special powers, but Urahara was going for 'dependable' and 'safe' when developing these models. He then suggests that the two take a walk around town and see the sights while they're here, and while Matsuri thinks that would be nice, she's sure that they'd easily get lost. Thankfully, Urahara has found them the perfect guide...well, actually, his friend Tessai found Kon. The two are a little confused when the little toy starts talking, and then Kon gets a good look at the girls...
Kon: "Heh heh heh. My cup runneth over! TWO women of generous proportions?! Hmm, right first? Left first? no, no! I can't let myself think too much on this one. I'll let my heart be my guide!"
Shiyo: "Eek! It's pouncing!"
Matsuri: "Look out!" (Whacks Kon, making him A Twinkle in the Sky)
Shiyo: "There it goes!"
In a Fujimaru play through (there's a ton of differences now that the twins have split up, you see), Kon would have merely ogled Shiyo's chest, but would still have been whacked by Fujimaru. Later, Kon has been recovered, and asks why they didn't hold back just a little instead of sending him sky bound. Matsuri blames the strange thing for pouncing towards them, and when Kon takes 'strange thing' as an insult, the girls agree that the lion toy is kind of strange...though Shiyo is focusing on how plain Kon looks and isn't thinking about the fact that it can talk and move at all. Kon decides to let things go, as his gentle nature towards beautiful ladies is a part of his charm. He agrees to show us around, and asks the girls to tell him where they want to go. Since Matsuri doesn't know anything about the era, Kon suggests just starting off with a little walk, which the girls agree to. And then...finally, a new Free Time! Did you miss it? I know I sure did!
- Urahara: A New Life (4 AP, !)
- Uryu: Quincies (2 AP, !)
- Don Kan'onji: The Master?! (2 AP, !)
- Jinta: Urahara's Employees (1 AP, !)
- Ichigo: A Day in Ichigo's Life (3 AP, !)
- Orihime: Orihime and Friends(2 AP, !)
There are eight spaces between the beginning and the end of this Free Time, with a 1-Point Discount and an Item to grab on the way (and an Exit to ignore). We can probably see all but one of the scenes if everything goes right...but which one shall be skipped? I'll leave it to you, the viewers, to decide! Thanks for reading, and have a splendid day!
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