What Ethan found interesting, Yoruichi and Kisuke might not necessarily find the same. However, regarding Ethan's suggestion, both Kisuke and Yoruichi would seriously consider it and follow it. Even though it was clearly Ethan's pure mischief, Yoruichi still brought back Yasutora Sado and Orihime Inoue.
As for Uryu, that guy said he wanted to train by himself, so Yoruichi did not bother with that proud kid.
"Ichigo isn't out yet?"
The addition of Orihime and Sado did not change Ichigo's training plan. He was still thrown into the large pit. That specially made pit could accelerate the corrosion speed of the Chain of Fate. If Ichigo could not climb out of the pit within seventy-two hours, or successfully master his Shinigami powers, he would completely turn into a Hollow.
Although Kisuke asked Ethan to help guide Ichigo's training, Ethan would not interfere with the initial training. Kisuke would handle that part.
Only after Ichigo completed these basic lessons would Ethan decide whether to take over, depending on the situation.
As for Sado and Orihime, these two had not even figured out what their abilities were yet, and Yoruichi was still teaching them the fundamentals.
Because time was limited, there was not enough time for them to grasp the essence of Reishi, proper control of spiritual power, or the proper use of their strength. They could only be taught in the simplest and most direct way. Forget theories, principles, or precision, just use the ability first and then learn how to control it.
Watching this teaching method, Ethan could only sigh repeatedly. This training method completely went against his philosophy.
"You should worry about yourself first."
Orihime and Sado still had not figured out what their powers were or how to use them freely. Yoruichi was teaching them in a way that was easier for them to understand.
Ethan watched from the side for a while. He knew that Sado's ability was Fullbring, while Orihime's ability was harder to define. Even by the end of the story, the official sources never clearly stated which system Orihime's power belonged to. That was not strange. No one said there were only a few types of abilities in this world. Perhaps Orihime simply had a particularly unique talent.
While he was studying Orihime's ability here, Ichigo was reaching a critical moment over there.
Seventy hours passed in a blink of an eye. Ichigo, trapped in the pit, had lost track of time and had no idea how long had passed. It was only when Jinta reminded him that he realized it was the final moment. Then, just before completely turning into a Hollow, he finally mastered his Shinigami powers.
They watched Ichigo, dressed in a Shihakusho with a layer of mask covering his face, using the broken handle of his Zanpakuto to smash the mask on his face. Then he arrogantly provoked Kisuke.
"Oh, it looks like there will be something interesting to watch."
In three days, Orihime and Sado finally learned how to use their abilities. At the moment, not much else could be taught. They could only continue familiarizing themselves with their abilities so they could use them whenever needed.
Ethan did not have much to teach either and mostly watched from the side. Orihime's Soten Kisshun had considerable healing ability, so Ethan did not need to step in when they were injured during training. Besides, in this world he was good at healing spiritual bodies composed of Reishi, not ordinary human bodies.
Since he was not needed here, he focused more of his attention on Ichigo.
It had to be admitted that Ichigo, as the protagonist of this world, indeed had astonishing potential. Even though Ethan had already cleared out Hollow White beforehand, this kid still retained some Hollow power.
Although it was not like in the original story, where he almost completely retained the characteristics of a special Hollow and even made it his unique Shinigami power, the current Ichigo still possessed some Hollow traits. This meant that Ichigo's Reishi container itself had extremely high compatibility and could accommodate spiritual power of many different characteristics. Naturally, this also made his spiritual power much higher than that of ordinary Shinigami.
For ordinary people using Kisuke's method, if they exceeded the time limit, turning into a Hollow was inevitable. Unlike them, Ichigo managed to rescue himself. Simply put, Ichigo had a very high acceptance of Hollow power, so even the process of him turning into a Hollow was different from others.
Ichigo, who had regained his Shinigami powers, began fighting with Kisuke.
"Third stage!"
To teach Ichigo how to use his Shinigami power correctly, and to give him a warrior's mindset.
What Ichigo held in his hand was still the broken blade that had been cut in half. Apart from being damaged, the quality of the blade itself was also substandard. Kisuke had to personally step in to teach Ichigo how to use Shinigami power and find his own Zanpakuto.
"This is not an easy task."
Orihime and Sado had stopped practicing. They stood beside Ethan and Yoruichi, who was in cat form, watching the fight between Kisuke and Ichigo. More accurately, they were watching Kisuke beat Ichigo one-sidedly.
Ichigo suddenly thought that as a Shinigami, only a Zanpakuto could harm him. Kisuke, this strange general store owner, had just pulled out a sword from his cane. That thing should not be able to hurt him.
Then one second later, he was nearly killed by Kisuke.
"Did you think only a Zanpakuto could hurt you, which is why your movements suddenly became sluggish?"
Kisuke put away the usual frivolous smile on his face.
"Awaken, Benihime!"
The long sword in his hand changed appearance. Kisuke showed Ichigo his weapon properly.
"That's right. This is a Zanpakuto."
"This... How is that possible?"
The current Ichigo was still an inexperienced young man, so it was normal for him to be shocked by unexpected situations beyond his understanding.
In his mind, a Zanpakuto was a Shinigami's weapon. How could this strange store owner have one?
What followed was another one-sided beating. Ethan could tell that Kisuke had held back a great deal. Rather than simply chasing and beating Ichigo, it was more accurate to say he was demonstrating the correct way to use a Zanpakuto and teaching Ichigo how to face combat.
There was no time to learn combat techniques, no time to accumulate battle experience, and spiritual power control could not be mastered overnight. The only thing that could be quickly improved was mental aspects such as mindset and willpower.
Although Ichigo had been a Substitute Shinigami for more than two months, the battles he would face next were on a completely different level from fighting small Hollows in Karakura Town. If he maintained his previous mindset, then this trip to the Soul Society would simply be suicide.
"Ichigo must face this incident seriously and correct his mindset."
Compared to Kisuke, who used actions to force Ichigo to understand these things on his own, Ethan, who stood nearby, directly explained Kisuke's intentions to Orihime and Sado.
"The same applies to both of you. If you cannot face this battle seriously and approach what happens next with a warrior's mindset, then you should not participate in this operation. I am not thinking about your personal safety. I simply do not want you to have the wrong mindset and end up dragging others down."
Ethan's words sounded cruel and heartless, making them uncomfortable to hear. However, Orihime and Sado knew he was right, and they did not want to become a burden instead of help.
"Mr. Yoruichi, please train us more strictly."
"I will."
They continued watching Kisuke train Ichigo. After some time of being chased and beaten, Ichigo finally understood why Kisuke was doing this.
He was teaching him not to fear battle. Ichigo also finally learned the name of his Zanpakuto, Zangetsu.
A large sword that looked like an unfinished blade, with no guard or hilt.
"Oh, a very interesting Zanpakuto."
The moment Zangetsu appeared, Yoruichi, who had already trained her spiritual power control to a considerable level, immediately noticed the unusual nature of Ichigo's Zanpakuto.
"Yes, a very special Zanpakuto."
Ethan emphasized the word Zanpakuto. Of course Yoruichi understood why he said that, because she also noticed that the energy characteristics contained within Ichigo's Zanpakuto were actually Quincy powers.
Calling it Quincy power was not entirely accurate, because Ichigo's power was quite unique. Zangetsu was indeed a Zanpakuto, but its nature was different from the Zanpakuto of the Soul Society Shinigami. The power it contained was very mixed.
The nature of the Reishi currently revealed by Zangetsu, although presented as Shinigami power, had Quincy power at its core. In other words, the part of Ichigo's body that leaned toward Quincy characteristics had gained the upper hand and suppressed the powers of other natures.
"Interesting. I'll take this job."
Ichigo, who had awakened Zangetsu, confidently began fighting Kisuke again and even unleashed Getsuga Tensho, nearly injuring Kisuke.
However, the current Ichigo still could not control his power well. He could not use this move whenever he wanted.
Just as Kisuke was about to press further and draw out more of Ichigo's potential, Ethan suddenly reached out and patted his shoulder.
"Leave the rest to me."
"Huh?" Kisuke was not surprised that Ethan could suddenly appear behind him. This person's strength was already beyond his understanding. What surprised him was that Ethan would take the initiative to teach Ichigo.
(To be continued.)